History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 139 From Now On, I Am the Eye of All Beings

This child was prepared; he only liked fighting and disliked sitting in the schoolhouse all morning listening to the teacher recite poetry, especially the noise of his fellow students reciting poetry together, which he found as annoying as monks chanting sutras.

He was also tired of the tutor following him around all day, so he came up with today's plan. He used the excuse of reviewing lessons with Hai Yeren and the others to send the tutor away, and then deliberately provoked Hai Yeren and the others to get angry and make them want to gang up on him. This way, he would at least have half the legal grounds to escape Cui Academy, and when he was caught and brought back, he wouldn't be the only one punished.

After jumping over the wall, Erzhu Rong headed straight for the east of the city. He wanted to stroll around Zhuji Street to see if he could meet the female warrior from before. Back then, the female warrior had snatched the protective scissors from the teacher with a single move, displaying remarkable agility. If he could persuade her to go to Xiurongchuan, his father would surely praise him for his competence.

Upon arriving at Zhuji Street, Erzhu Rong walked back and forth twice, but instead of encountering the female warrior, he encountered another interesting incident. A lame servant from the Dongyue Flower Shop called three beggars to a dead-end corner of a short alley opposite the flower shop. Erzhu Rong sized up the thieving manner of these men and knew that nothing good could come of it.

Despite his young age, Erzhu Rong was incredibly agile at climbing walls. He tried to get as close as possible and overheard the following conversation.

"Wei Yao? Isn't that the female scholar who always came first in the Book of Poetry exam?"

"Yes, that's her. Don't worry, I won't let you spread anything too offensive. I'll just say that her family is poor and that only by learning poetry and singing well can she marry into a wealthy family and become someone's concubine."

The beggar laughed loudly: "How can you say that female students are the same as those courtesans?"

"Huh? I didn't say that."

Another beggar asked, "What if someone asks us where we heard such awful things?"

"At that time you said that you heard it from a student named Qu, who was also studying poetry."

"Feiming, we're not after these few bags of millet. Just remember us when you return to serve Young Master Xi."

Erzhu Rong held his breath and waited for the group to leave the alley before slipping down the earthen wall. He muttered, "Why is it Wei Yao again? She's even more troublesome than me."

The brawl at Meiyuan Garden last time was caused by Hu Wuwu framing Wei Yao. Great, he has a plan. Wei Yao lives in the East City, right? He can exchange secrets with her. He will tell Wei Yao that someone is spreading rumors about her, and Wei Yao will help him find out the whereabouts of the female warrior.

Luoyang.

The nun Sengzhi, whose unease had not subsided in recent days, finally asked a Buddhist nobleman named Yuan Chuntuo to help her inquire about the whereabouts of her elder brother's family.

Yuan Chuntuo was the younger sister of Prince Rencheng, Yuan Cheng. While in Pingcheng, she met Sengzhi through Buddhist rituals and various ceremonies. Sengzhi was adept at gleaning palace secrets from the slightest clues in others' conversations. During the half-day he spent discussing Buddhist scriptures with Yuan Chuntuo, Sengzhi was secretly horrified. It turned out that His Majesty had indeed returned to the palace, and since then, the Empress had not summoned a single member of the imperial family or noblewomen!
It should be noted that after ascending to the position of Empress, this Lady Feng went to great lengths to demonstrate her power and virtue, summoning concubines, beauties, and noble ladies to listen to sermons and Buddhist teachings almost every day.

Could it be that Empress Feng did something that aroused His Majesty's suspicion while he was away from the capital?

Every upheaval in the palace would affect the lives and futures of many eunuchs and ladies-in-waiting, meaning that among the people Sengzhi associated with, some would be promoted, while others would fall into misery. At this time, for the sake of her niece Wuwu's future path into the palace, she could not avoid suspicion and sit quietly in the Buddhist hall, but instead had to frequently leave the temple to re-evaluate and curry favor among the powerful and influential.

She only has this one niece. If she doesn't care about the future of her family, wouldn't her life of loneliness and hardship become a joke?

The Eastern Palace. Princess Yuan Zhenjun of Chenliu came to visit, which was within Crown Prince Yuan Ke's expectations. He and this princess did not have the usual closeness between aunt and niece, but he had to pretend to. "Aunt is the first aunt to come and visit me."

"You're so old and still talking nonsense. I left the capital a while ago and only returned yesterday. What's wrong? Did the palace servants not serve you well? Ke'er seems even thinner than before I left the capital."

“My father was leading the army in Yiyang, and I missed him and was worried about him… Now it’s all right, my father has finally returned to the palace.” Yuan Ke’s smile was endearing, containing a rare touch of shyness and nine parts loyalty and sincerity.

Yuan Zhenjun: "As soon as I returned to the capital, I heard many people praising you for being sensible and for going to the Empress's palace to pay your respects every day. I am relieved that you are so sensible and polite."

Yuan Ke: "This is what my father told me before he went to Yiyang. I will do as my father tells me."

Yuan Zhenjun covered her lips with her sleeve and chuckled, "So, if your father hadn't instructed you, you would have dared not pay your respects to the Empress?"

Yuan Ke replied solemnly, “Of course. Father is the ruler, and I am the subject. Before I have learned anything, I will naturally follow Father’s teachings and arrangements in everything. If Father does not allow me to go around, I will guard the Eastern Palace and take advantage of the age when I should be studying to read more books, cultivate myself and restrain myself.”

Outside the hall, Emperor Yuan Hong listened quietly. His eyes were slightly dark, indicating that the rapid journey had prevented his body from fully recovering.

Upon returning to the palace, Yuan Hong sealed off the Empress's quarters and investigated whether the affair between the Empress and the eunuch Gao Pusa was true or false. The Empress swore that nothing of the sort had happened, but based on his years of understanding of Lady Feng's temperament, Yuan Hong sensed that she was panicking.

This was before Feng had been informed that Gao Pusa had been captured and was being tortured!
In investigating the details of the Empress's interactions with other palace servants, Yuan Hong learned that the Crown Prince came to the inner palace every day to pay his respects to the Empress, and each time he would chat with her for at least half an hour before leaving. This made Yuan Hong suspicious of the Crown Prince. Could it be that the Crown Prince shared the same thoughts as the Empress and also hoped to ascend the throne as soon as possible?

Those who are sickly are often suspicious. At least when it comes to eliminating the Empress's power, Yuan Hong trusts his sixth sister completely. That's why he sent her to sound out the Crown Prince. If there's anything amiss, Yuan Hong will depose this son first! He's already deposed one; he's not afraid of adding another!
Upon hearing Ke'er's words, Yuan Hong quietly left the East Palace. He recalled that before leaving the capital, he had indeed instructed Ke'er to be filial to the Empress.

Alas, at the time he was afraid that Ke'er would suspect that Empress Feng was behind his birth mother's death, so he told Ke'er many good things about Empress Feng.

Fortunately, fortunately Ke'er is sensible. Whether he is truly sensible or not, as long as he is still confused before the question is asked, there is hope!
Subsequently, Princess Chenliu also left the Eastern Palace.

After seeing the Princess off, Yuan Ke did not return to his palace. Instead, he sat in the pavilion where he usually read. The gentle breeze blowing from all sides reminded him of the tenderness of his mother humming poems in the old palace.

With no obstructions around the pavilion, Yuan Ke's pent-up hatred, which had been building up for two years, flowed away with the wind, and only he himself could hear it clearly.

"Mother, I have finally avenged you."

"It was I who had Wang Xian constantly speak of the benefits of marrying Princess Chenliu to Feng Su, and also spoke of Feng Su's various misdeeds to Princess Chenliu. Finally, I tried to find ways to reveal to the princess that the empress was having an affair with Gao Pusa... Heh, heh heh, Mother, that vile woman Feng took advantage of the long journey to relocate the capital, she harmed you, and still wants to ascend to the position of Empress Dowager in the name of raising me?"

dream!

With the Empress dead, there will be no one left to threaten the Crown Prince's palace!
"From now on... I will be the eyes of all living beings."

From that day on, Emperor Yuan Hong took the sixteen-year-old crown prince under his wing and personally taught him. Princess Chenliu also got her wish and dissolved her engagement with Feng Su, the Duke of Beiping and the Empress's younger brother.
(End of this chapter)