History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 236 Yuan Yu Comes to Ask Again

He quickly asked in a low voice, "Have you already run into them?"

Zhao Zhi truthfully told them about the situation at the city gate: "They were galloping into the city, causing havoc on the people. I killed one of the vanguard guards' horses to slow them down."

Li Xuanmao felt relieved.

"It's alright, it's just a horse, it's nothing. With the Grand Commandant's commotion this morning, the Minister of Works won't be able to leave the palace early. If Guard Zhao hasn't had breakfast yet, just wander around the neighborhood and come back in half an hour." He was very happy. This was the first time Zhao Zhi had spoken to him at such a long length, clearly indicating that she considered him one of her own.

The east and west streets in front of Changhe Palace are almost entirely lined with restaurants. The merchants are either princes or meritorious officials. The mutton soup restaurant that Zhao Zhi frequents is owned by the Prince of Rencheng.

Upon entering, the black-bearded young man sitting in the innermost and most secluded position covered his face with a pancake. This man's name was Zhang Puhui, and he served as the Chief Clerk of the Ministry of Personnel and concurrently as the Literary Clerk of the Prince of Cheng's Mansion.

Zhang Longzi, the commander of the palace guards, was Zhang Puhui's second son.

Zhao Zhi pretended not to see the other party. Just as she brought over her mutton soup, several burly warriors rushed in. Then, General Yuan Yu, the cavalry commander, entered the shop yawning and sat down facing her.

Zhao Zhi stood up and bowed.

Yuan Yu waved his hand dismissively: "Sit down. Guard Zhao, I came here specifically to see you."

He raised his eyebrows and looked at Zhao Zhi with what he considered a dashing smile. In that brief moment, his guards glared menacingly at every diner in the restaurant, deliberately making intimidating "hmm" sounds. In an instant, besides Zhao Zhi, only Zhang Puhui dared to stay and eat.

Zhang Puhui also wanted to run away, but she was worried that Zhao Zhixin's outspokenness would offend the Feather King, so she continued to cover her face with the pancake and silently drank her soup.

Seeing that Zhao Zhi did not respond, Yuan Yu's smile turned to displeasure: "I need to borrow you for another day, what for... the same as last time!"

Zhao Zhi coldly replied, "I am Prince Cheng's bodyguard, and I only obey the orders of the Minister."

Behind her, Zhang Puhui's face was twisted even more violently than the pancake in her hand.

He had only heard that Guard Zhao was straightforward, but he didn't expect him to be so straightforward, daring to embarrass the Prince of Guangling to his face.

Yuan Yu kicked his foot, overturning the food table in front of him!
"I have always respected brave warriors, which is why I came to inform you first. Don't be so polite..."

Oh no! Zhang Puhui stood up.

With a "snap," Zhao Zhi snapped the iron spoon in her hand with her thumb.

Yuan Yu quickly changed his mind: "I'll agree. I have the utmost contempt for those sycophants!"

Zhang Puhui pretended to tug at the folds of his clothes behind his back and sat back down, but Yuan Yu immediately signaled the guards to lift him up and shove him out of the restaurant.

Yuan Yu: "Facing the Prince, you don't hide your killing intent. Heh, Guard Zhao, you are the fiercest warrior I have ever seen. It's a pity that I understand you, but you don't understand me. Although I am despicable, I never force innocent women, much less kill women."

Zhao Zhiquan ignored the other party's nonsense and replied, "I am just a mere guard, General, you don't need to talk to me about these things."

Why won't she listen to reason? He saw Zhao Zhi take out a few copper coins from her cloth bag, count them one by one, and put the extra one back into the bag.

At this moment, Yuan Yu suddenly understood: "Same as last time, a reward of 100,000 coins!"

Zhao Zhi: "Your subordinate obeys, but there are two conditions. First, the general and the minister must agree. Second, your subordinate is enough to protect the general, so that the regrettable incident like Dong Zhuo's protection will not happen again."

"Hahaha!" Yuan Yu was in a great mood and ordered the innkeeper to serve whatever was available, and commanded all the guards to sit down and eat.

Zhang Puhui lingered outside the door, peering into the restaurant from various angles, when suddenly someone pushed her from behind.

Several warriors dressed in Xuzhou military uniforms entered the restaurant. The leader arrogantly shouted at the owner, "Hurry up, pack all the good food into the food boxes!"

Yuan Yu guessed that the other party was a subordinate of the Prince of Jingzhao, but these ruffians were used to seeing fine clothes and knew that it was time for court affairs. How could they guess that among the princes there was a Prince of Guangling who never discussed politics, and that he happened to be sitting in such an ordinary restaurant?

"What are you looking at? Look again and I'll gouge your dog eyes out!" This ruffian leader was the same man whose mount Zhao Zhi had killed earlier.

The Prince of Jingzhao has entered the palace. Just now, Chief Secretary Lu reprimanded him in public and then sent him to buy food. This fellow is full of resentment and is looking for trouble to vent his anger. Seeing Yuan Yu's frivolous appearance, he immediately made a gesture of gouging out his eyes to mock him.

Yuan Yu pointed at the other party and ordered, "Attack..." Whenever he was allowed to give an order, it was a sign of Zhao Zhi's incompetence!

Everyone only saw a blur before their eyes!
Zhao Zhi lunged forward, grabbed the leader of the thugs by the hair, nearly lifting him off the ground, and slammed his head onto the food table in front of Yuan Yu.

Its movements were even faster than a leopard's!
After the huge head slammed with a "thud," the other soldiers finally reacted and drew their swords. Yuan Yu's guards, who hadn't brought any swords with them, hurriedly moved food tables and threw down stools, turning the restaurant into chaos in the blink of an eye.

"How dare you?!"

"Capture that woman alive!"

"To catch the thief, catch the king; kill that shifty-eyed bastard!"

Bang, bang, bang...

Outside the gates of Changhe Palace, Li Xuanmao and Lu Yuan, the two chief clerks, met again after a long separation. One wanted to ask about Xuzhou, and the other wanted to inquire about the situation in Luoyang. Just as they were getting into their conversation, Zhang Puhui ran over.

He didn't notice Lu Yuan, grabbing Li Xuanmao and urging him while pulling him: "Quick, quick, Guard Zhao, get the capital..."

Lu Yuan?!
Lu Yuan, the chief secretary of the Prince of Jingzhao?!
Li Xuanmao understood, and instead pulled Zhang Puhui along quickly, while continuing the lie: "Did Guard Zhao spill the wine that was just loaded onto the truck today?"

"hold head high!"

"How much did you fight?"

"many."

"It's smashed to pieces?"

"hold head high!"

Lu Yuan watched the two leave, puzzled: What kind of wine was it that made Li Xuanmao so nervous? His Majesty is in mourning; it certainly wasn't meant to be presented to the palace.

When Lu Yuan and the other vanguard guards failed to arrive, they guessed that something had happened and began to suspect that the "today" mentioned by the official who had been speaking hastily to Li Xuanmao was actually "Jingzhao".

Around noon, the court session finally ended, and Yu Lie, the commander of the Imperial Guards, personally escorted several ministers and Prince Yuan Yu of Jingzhao to the Zhiche Gate.

Apart from Yuan Yu, who was smiling, the Grand Commandant, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and the Minister of Works all ignored each other as if they had just had a fight.

The officials in charge of each prince's residence stepped forward to receive the person.

Soon, Yuan Yu's roar nearly shook the carriage roof off! "What? That bastard Yuan Yu has taken my man to the Imperial Prison? Lu Yuan, you take your men to the Imperial Prison now and demand his return. If you don't get him back, you don't need to come back!"

Lu Yuan dismounted and bowed, saying, "I am sorry, I cannot do it. I cannot correct the many wrongdoings of Prince Yu, nor can I control the arrogance of the guards in his residence. Now I resign from my position as Chief Secretary. Prince Yu, take care."

"Ugh—ah—" Yuan Yu was so angry that her face contorted with rage, but she was powerless against Lu Yuan because of his prestigious background.

While he was raging in the street, the wheels of the carriage from the Prince of Rencheng's mansion were practically spinning out of sparks as it sped to the Tingwei Prison.

Yuan Cheng didn't bother exchanging pleasantries with Cui Zhen, the Vice Minister of the Court of Justice. He entered the dungeon and saw that Zhao Zhi was safe and sound and had not been arrested and imprisoned. He kept thinking, "Thank goodness, thank goodness."

But when Yuan Cheng saw that the body was lying on the ice platform where the Guangling King Yuan Yu was placed, his legs went weak and he was supported by Zhao Zhi.

"How did he get into trouble?" Yuan Cheng's voice trembled with fright as he looked at Chief Secretary Li Xuanmao.

Li Xuanmao shook his head with a worried expression and asked Zhao Zhi in a tearful voice, "What's wrong with General Yuan? He was perfectly fine at the restaurant."

Zhao Zhi lightly kicked the ice platform: "General Yuan, wake up."

Yuan Yu opened his eyes: "Ah? The Minister is here, ah—" He stretched and yawned, "It's cooler here. Minister, you're all sweaty. Come, lie down too?"

I created the character cards today. Just to clarify, this story features two female protagonists.

(End of this chapter)