History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 111 The Wound of Wei Yin
Wei Mao twisted his neck and said slowly and deliberately, "After you kill me, you'd better make sure that if you spare me even a breath, I will definitely avenge this." This move was both to provoke the other party into targeting him and to buy time.

Niu Langjun shifted his feet and pressed them against Wei Mao's cheek, rendering him speechless.

The prefect Yuan was so frightened that he exclaimed "Hey!" twice: "Let's talk this out. You have to let me see whether Master Wei is dead or alive, right? If you kill them both now, do you still have any conditions to discuss with me?"

The Cowherd shook his head sadly: "I did such a thing, how could the government let me go? I never intended to live."

Yuan Zhi waved his hand: "This kind of thing can't be punished with death. I am Yuan Zhi, the prefect of this state. I promise you now, as long as you spare their lives and release them, you won't be sentenced to ten years. How about it?"

He threw the large bow in his hand far away, spread his arms to show that he had no intention of killing, and then persuaded more gently: "Or if you have any wishes, you can tell me, and I will do anything I can to help you."

"So what if you're the governor? Can you bring the dead back to life?"

“I cannot bring people back to life, but the person you care about must have relatives and descendants, right? I can take care of his relatives and descendants, how about it? Brave man, put Master Wei down first. A human life, you just hold it in your hands and let it die, can you really bear it?”

“I…yes, the old man said I shouldn’t be involved in any deaths…” Niulangjun was heartbroken and pulled the unconscious Weiyin to the ground.

He was about to say something to Governor Yuan when he heard the other man shout, "Now!"

The Cowherd's expression changed drastically!
Zhao Zhi leaped from the rooftop with a backflip, her fists as strong as iron pestles, and flew straight down to smash!
boom--

Niu Dalang's face was completely shattered, and his body fell straight down.

Yuan Zhi opened the courtyard gate and quickly informed the prison warden Shi Guanxian and another military doctor, Cha Weiyin and Wei Mao, who were waiting outside, about their injuries. One of them was skilled in treating external injuries, and the other was skilled in treating internal injuries.

Wei Mao struggled to turn around and crawl toward Wei Yin: "Save my master first, quick, save my master first."

Zhao Zhi carried her husband to the bed, where Guan Xian inspected him.

Just as the military doctor was about to check Wei Mao's pulse, Wei Mao pushed him away, saying, "I'm fine, save Master Wei first." After saying that, he struggled to get to Wei Yin's bedside.

Yuan Zhi whispered to his advisor, "Are you sure this is Wei Qingbin's son? Not Wei Yin's bastard... haha." He noticed the murderous glare from Zhao Zhi and awkwardly shut his mouth.

Guan Xian examined him and asked suspiciously, "Besides a scraped forehead, there are no other injuries?" He then asked Wei Mao, "Did the bandits beat Master Wei? How did they do it?"

Wei Mao angrily said, "The villain pushed Master Wei against the wall. Master Wei hit his head and immediately fainted and never woke up again."

Wei Yin opened his eyes: "It hurts."

Zhao Zhi held her husband's hand: "I'll prescribe medicine for you right away. The pain will go away after you take it."

Yuan Zhibai glanced at him and said, "Your stove has been set on fire, so you can't brew medicine."

Wei Yin's voice was weak: "There are so many people in the family."

Zhao Zhi: "If you don't feel unwell, I'll let them leave."

"Ah."

Zhao Zhi turned to look at Governor Yuan.

Wei Mao: "I'll stay. Yao isn't home, I'll take her place..."

Wei Yin instructed Wei Mao, "I'm fine. Go and assist the government in presenting the case." As he turned to the side, he saw the soldiers dragging the corpse out. His face turned pale, his eyes closed, and he fainted again.

Guan Xian suddenly realized: "I knew it! Master Wei has a fear of blood!"

Yuan Zhi cursed Wei Mao under his breath as a good-for-nothing and a coward, then ordered his men to put Wei Mao on a stretcher and carry him away. He left two soldiers behind to repair a new stove for the Wei family.

This was Wei Mao's first time in the prefectural dungeon. Yuan Yu was there, patiently showing Wei Mao around from cell to cell. "Brother Wei, do you like it here?"

"Just like you."

"Brother Wei, you're having trouble walking. Where are you injured?"

Wei Mao pointed to his face.

Guan Xian remarked, "His injuries are all on his buttocks." Then he went to examine Niu Dalang's body.

Cui Zuan asked, "Young Master Wei, can you now recount how you were abducted?" "Who are you?"

Yuan Yu introduced, “Young Master Cui from Luoyang. The Court of Justice is currently investigating a long-standing case in Hengzhou, and the prison officials are all busy with it. Young Master Cui will write down what happened to you today, Brother Wei. Please have a seat here.”

“I like standing.” Wei Mao wasn’t afraid of the corpse. He stood next to Guan Xian, watching him examine the body while recounting what had happened after he was kidnapped.

On the other side, Yuan Zhi hurriedly returned to the backyard of the government office. Just as he heard from Clerk Gou that some letters had been dug up in the old palace, a soldier from the government office reported that General Yu Jin, the garrison commander of Woye, had arrived.

Let's leave aside the mess that's going on between the Wei family and the prefecture.

The students' traveling group stopped at Fangling tonight. This place is crisscrossed by turbulent currents. To the west is the Yangshui River, which flows eastward and joins the north-south Hunshui River. To the south of Fangshan is Lingquan Pool. Before the Great Wei moved its capital, only members of the royal family could enter and play around Lingquan Pool. Now it is open to nobles and important schools.

Poplars surround the Mirror Pond, and the three mountains seem to float beneath the water. Not to mention that students like Bu Yanzhen from the primary school benefited from the Cui clan's influence, even a young lady from a prominent family outside the region like Hu Wuwu would never have had the chance to see the royal gardens before.

At night, the mirror-like Lingquan Pool reflects the crescent moon, attracting several mountain monkeys to cling to its waist and legs, hanging upside down from the trees to scoop the moon from the pool.

"Wow, look, the monkey is so silly."

The servant guarding the sacred spring smiled and said to the students, "As long as the night is good, these monkeys come every night. As long as you feed them, they can keep trying to catch the moon and make people happy."

"Huh? They're not stupid, we're the stupid ones. Hahahaha—"

After watching for a short while, Wei Yao returned to her room to study. When Guo Yun looked around and couldn't find Wei Yao, he exclaimed "Oh!" and ran back to recite his lessons.

And so, the story spread from one to another, until only the playful schoolchildren and Hu Wuwu remained by the Spirit Spring. Hu Wuwu quietly watched the monkey trying to scoop the moon from the water, a realization dawning on her. One day, she would become a high-ranking spectator, while the rest... the common people would be monkeys, and the courtiers would be slaves feeding them.

"Ha, haha." She laughed happily, and anyone who didn't know better would just think she was being amused by the monkey.

There are many houses built around Lingquan Pond, which used to be for the Imperial Guards and did not have courtyards. Even so, there were only a limited number available for the students, so when her fellow students were tired, Wei Yao still studied outside with a candle.

When Xi Jiao came on patrol, he not only carried an extra candle, but also three sticks. He placed the sticks in a triangular shape next to Wei Yao, suspending the candle at a height that perfectly illuminated her books.

"Fellow disciple Xie Xi."

"Which poem are you reviewing?" Xi Jiao pretended to have an itchy eyebrow, and the string of grass beads on his wrist shimmered with a glimmer as he scratched his eyebrow.

Wei Yao lowered her gaze slightly and replied, "The Lambskin Robe."

Xi Jiao gave a soft "Oh," and, trying to make conversation, asked, "Is it the poem that Fellow Disciple Liu talked about?"

"No, I'm reciting the 'Lambskin Robe' from the 'Tang Feng' section."

A flame flickered in Xi Jiao's pupils, but at this moment, it was definitely not the flame of wisdom. "Tang Feng?"

Wei Yao: "Yes, according to the poetry course, it's time to learn this poem."

Good heavens! Xi Jiao has been catching up on the "Wei Feng" chapters he missed during the Great Hunt. He only needs two more to complete them, and he's feeling quite pleased with himself, enjoying the thrill of secretly learning and making progress. But she's already keeping up with the course's pace!

How can there be such a huge difference between people?
"Give it to me." Xi Jiao snatched the book from her hand. "Get out of my way, this candle is mine."

Yesterday's update was rushed, and I didn't have time to write some background information, so I'm making up for it now.

In the novel, the current emperor is named Yuan Hong, and the current empress is Empress Feng, who is the second daughter of Grand Tutor Feng Xi.

Feng Xi had many daughters, four of whom married Yuan Hong (the second, third, fourth, and fifth daughters). The fourth and fifth daughters, one died young and the other remained unknown, so their stories will not be told.

The second and fourth (or fifth) daughters of the Feng family entered the palace first, with the aim of raising Yuan Hong's eldest son, Yuan Xun, and paving the way for his future position as Empress Dowager. However, both Feng daughters fell ill; one died, and the other was forced to leave the palace to become a nun. To consolidate the Feng family's power, Empress Dowager Wenming (Feng Xi's sister) then brought Feng Xi's third and fifth daughters into the palace, intending to choose one of these two nieces as Empress to raise Yuan Xun.

However, before an empress could be established, Empress Dowager Wenming died. Once the mourning period for the empress dowager was over, the Grand Commandant, together with other court officials, requested that Lady Feng (the third prince) be made empress, and Yuan Hong agreed. After the empress was appointed, Yuan Xun was immediately made crown prince.

However, Yuan Hong rekindled his old flame with the eldest daughter of the Feng family (his second son), who had become a nun. The eunuch Shuang San Nian was responsible for liaison and communication. After the emperor moved the capital to Luoyang, he had Shuang San Nian bring the eldest daughter of the Feng family to Luoyang first, while the youngest daughter of the Feng family, who was now the empress, was left in Pingcheng Palace, separated from the emperor.

During this period, Empress Feng quickly colluded with court officials to consolidate her position and launched a campaign to depose Emperor Yuan Xun and Empress, establish the second prince Yuan Ke as crown prince, and kill Yuan Ke's mother, Gao Zhaorong.



(End of this chapter)