History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 221 Yuan Pi Arrives in the Capital
The street was packed with people, but Wei Yao didn't actually see Hun Yu Niang before shifting her gaze. She and the teacher were worried that the noise would startle their horses, so they had Er Zhu Rong and Xi Yi dismount and walk through the crowded road.

Because she dismounted from the conspicuous height of the horse, Zongyin, who was chasing his mother on the other side of the road, did not see her.

As Wei Yao walked, she inquired and learned that the government had arrested several groups of people in several places in the south of the city today, and the prisoners being escorted from Baode Temple were the serious criminals.

The serious criminals ran a flower shop called "Zhifang" west of Baode Temple. Under the guise of trading flowers and plants, they secretly bought information from powerful and influential people and sold it to assassins and bandit gangs.

The source of the several disturbances in the city over the past two months was this brothel.

From the information she had gathered, Wei Yao not only recalled the "Bingfang" brothel on Zhuji Street in Pingcheng that had been shut down, but also remembered the spy case involving her senior brother Cui Zhi in her previous life. Zong Yin was one of the prison guards who interrogated Cui Zhi at the time, and she clearly remembered that Zong Yin had mentioned the "brothel" several times. Unfortunately, at that time, she had no interest in understanding various cases or prison guards, and did not pursue the matter further by asking Zong Yin.

There's no use dwelling on past regrets now. Wei Yao doesn't need to worry about whether her senior brother Cui Zhi will still be in prison in a few years. She believes he won't! Because the greatest meaning of her rebirth is to change herself, to make herself stronger, and to change her surroundings.

Let's talk about the main family for now.

Having connections in the yamen makes things easier. That very night, Hun Yu Niang was released from the Tingwei prison. Only then did Zong Dian learn that the muddle-headed Hun had been swindled out of 20,000 coins by three Taoist priests. The money had been squandered on gambling and drinking by the priests, and not a single penny could be recovered! Including the money he had used to bribe his colleagues that night, and the 100,000 coins Zong Dian had spent on changing his official position, his family had lost most of their savings this month!

Inside the prison, Zongdian couldn't afford to lose his temper. He told his wife and children to hurry home and stop embarrassing themselves there. On the way home, Hun Yuniang was filled with fear and shame. All the hard work she had put into managing the family, and the reputation she had earned from her neighbors for being shrewd and capable, were now ruined!
Zong Yin, worried about his younger siblings, urged, "Mother, let's hurry up."

"Mother, Mother?"

Hun Yu Niang's irritability finally reached its peak, and she shouted: "What's the rush! If you hadn't been so obsessed with finding that guy surnamed Wei, would I have been able to go to Chongxu Temple to pray? Twenty thousand coins, all thrown into the well! Do you know how hard it is for our family to earn twenty thousand coins?"

"Mother, I know you're upset. Hit me if you want, it's all my fault."

"What's the use of hitting you? Will hitting you change your ways?" Hun Yu Niang cursed, tears streaming down her face. "You don't know, do you? Today, when I was being paraded through the streets, I saw that girl you've been eyeing, Wei Nulang, and she saw your mother too!"

Zong Yin's heart skipped a beat, and he opened his mouth, almost blurting out, "Really?"

Hun Yu Niang's hatred intensified: "In all my years, I have never seen such a vicious little woman! She looked at me in my sorry state and actually laughed! She actually mocked me!"

"Mother, you must have seen wrong."

"You're still defending her! What kind of time is this to be defending her!"

After being slapped twice, Zong Yin retorted, "I'm not taking her side. Last time when I followed Matchmaker Luo and pretended to bump into Miss Wei, Mother, you saw what Miss Wei looked like from behind, but Miss Wei had never seen you before!"

Hun Yu Niang was speechless. Yes, a few days ago she was watching Wei Nulang give a lecture in Yijing. She was the one who saw her, but Wei Nulang did not recognize her.

But why should I?!

Hun Yu Niang was even more resentful and angry! Why did the man surnamed Wei not recognize her, yet her family had been reduced to such a shameful state because of him? Why did a girl from a poor family have a horse to ride and be so well-educated? Why did she have to see him showing off his superior attitude when she was being paraded through the streets and was at her most humiliated?

"Mother, Mother?"

Hun Yu Niang snapped out of her daze and stared blankly at her eldest son. She now understood the reason for her family's misfortune.

It's really not Lady Wei's fault; it's all because of her good-for-nothing son!

“Yin’er, you’re right. You still have your younger brother and sister at home.” “Yes, they were terrified when they saw the government coming to our house to arrest you.”

The mother and son were talking about completely different things.

Hun Yu Niang: "I saw Miss Wei a few days ago. She was lecturing to many Confucian scholars at the Yijing Well in the city. I found out for you that she is already a lecturer in the palace at such a young age."

Zong Yin clearly heard his mother's words, but he just couldn't process them word by word in his mind.

“Yin’er, you are not good enough for him, not good enough in any way! Before you went on your travels, you made friends with several wealthy young men, but after you came back, you stayed in your room all day and became so lazy that cobwebs grew on the walls!”

“I’ve figured it out. From now on, I won’t take care of you anymore. You won’t get any of the money in the house; it will be left for your younger siblings. If you get seriously ill again, I’ll buy you a coffin. If you run away from home like last time, then never come back to the clan.”

How could Hun Yu Niang truly be heartless and abandon her own son? She would give her eldest son one last chance, push him to the brink, reconnect with his old friends, and help him become independent as soon as possible! Once he was old enough to understand and willing to establish himself, it would be time for her to propose that idea to her husband.

In the dark night.

On the south bank of the Luo River, near Baode Temple, Yuan Pi and his two sons, having rushed to Luoyang, lamented their misfortune. They hadn't rushed into the inner city; their purpose in first going to the southern suburbs was to meet the owner of Zhifang Flower Shop, only to find the shop had been shut down!
Yuan Guo: "Father, what should we do?"

"What's the rush?" Yuan Pi had regained his composure and said, "When I contacted Manager Zhifang, I used the name 'Sengzhi.' Even if we used all sorts of torture, these idiots wouldn't be able to get us to confess. It's just a pity that we've already lost most of our useful manpower since we arrived in the capital."

"We have no one else available. Will the emperor still grant my father his official position?"

"Whether the new emperor uses me or not has nothing to do with how many men I have under my command. Even if I have ten thousand loyal soldiers, how can they compare to hundreds of thousands of imperial guards? What I want the new emperor to see is that I still have the will and energy to replace those brats Yuan Xi and Yuan Cheng! My seniority surpasses all the princes! Only I have no evil intention to usurp the throne and can wholeheartedly assist him in ruling in his own right."

Yuan Hui asked, "Father, shall we go to the palace tomorrow to request an audience?"

"Yes, I'll go first thing in the morning."

June 11.

Before dawn, Wei Yao still rented an oxcart to head to the palace. As expected, her junior brother Rong didn't keep his word; he had promised to see her off early yesterday. The city gate of Changhe was getting more and more congested every day, and the place where the oxcart stopped was further away from the city gate than yesterday morning. She jumped off the cart, and every few steps she walked, she heard different peddlers and laborers shouting similar things.

"Yaoyao, I'll be waiting for you at the city gate."

"Yaoyao, I'll be waiting for you at the city gate."

"Yaoyao, I'll be waiting for you at the city gate."

Wei Yao was filled with suspicion. She walked to the city gate to look around, and sure enough, it was Wei Mao waiting for her!

"Hmph." The two looked at each other, then turned their heads to the other side, ignoring each other.

However, no matter where Wei Yao went or how fast or slow she walked, Wei Mao followed closely behind.

Wei Yao chose a food stall with fewer customers, but Wei Mao sat down in the seat she wanted before her. He asked, "Quick, tell me what you want to eat," and Wei Yao couldn't help but laugh.

(End of this chapter)