History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 238 I Know Who's Plotting Against Me

During a performance of music and dance, three centipedes crawled in the darkness, all heading towards the location of Prince Yuan Yu of Guangling.

The appearance of even a small insect in such a luxurious pavilion would be a major mistake that ruins the business, let alone three large centipedes!

Zhao Zhi calmly killed them by throwing copper coins at them.

At this time, the servants of Peach Fragrance Pavilion proceeded in an orderly manner, some carrying lanterns, some clearing away and presenting delicacies, and some guiding the departing VIPs.

Yuan Yu winked at the noblewoman and left the house first.

He arrived late, and his carriage was parked quite a distance behind him, suggesting that he had arranged to meet the noblewoman in secret. After leaving Peach Blossom Pavilion, he did not go to the location of the carriage, but instead walked forward.

Zhao Zhi called out to the other person, explaining that she had just wrapped a centipede carcass in her gloves.

"Look, General."

Yuan Yu glanced at it and said angrily, "I'm strong enough! I don't need to eat this stuff to supplement my strength!"

That scoundrel's brain is full of piss! Zhao Zhi explained, "Just now, when the general was watching the dance, three centipedes came towards the general's seat..."

"Shh—" Yuan Yu stopped her from continuing. He gathered his wide sleeves and continued walking forward, saying nonchalantly, "I trust Guard Zhao completely. If you encounter such petty tricks again, don't tell me. It's not easy for me to have fun once a month. Don't spoil my fun, haha."

Two guards from the Prince of Guangling's mansion caught up with him. Knowing the general's temperament, they didn't try to persuade him to return to the carriage, but instead brought Zhao Zhi's new weapon... an iron hook that she had casually taken from the Tingwei prison that afternoon.

Don't underestimate this iron hook used for poking at burning charcoal; it's tougher than ordinary swords and knives. It was forged in "Qiankou Forge" in Xiangzhou, the place where the nation's weapons were cast!

Yuan Yu passed by an unmarked carriage. As he continued walking, he slowed down and sought cover in the shadows of a tree.

"Come on," he beckoned Zhao Zhi to hide with him, then said with dissatisfaction, "Could you put the iron hook behind your head? I'm here for a rendezvous, not to catch pigs. Let me teach you a lesson: the more bustling the place, the less you can tell whose carriage it is from. They're all out doing something shady."

"Ah."

"Why aren't they here yet?" A mosquito buzzed near Yuan Yu's face, and he fanned himself with his sleeve.

Zhao Zhi stood around the other person, reaching out her hands a few times, and the mosquito was caught.

Yuan Yu sighed, "You've realized it yourself, haven't you? You're really wasting your talents in the Prince of Rencheng's mansion! Only by following me can you fully display your abilities."

Zhao Zhiquan assumed she heard a "plop plop" farting sound, and pointed to a group of noblewomen approaching in the distance: "They're here."

The noblewomen parted ways at their respective carriages, some leaving and others just passing by, their laughter and chatter filling the air. Yuan Yu craned his neck to watch them go, one by one, wishing the night were just too dark.

The noblewoman he was having an affair with boarded the carriage, while the maidservants remained outside. The carriage remained stationary until all the other carriages had left and there were no pedestrians on the road. Then the carriage door opened, and the two maidservants looked around for him.

"My beauty, I'm here—" Yuan Yu jogged, her voice trembling as she ran.

He had already lifted his feet, but Zhao Zhi pulled him back. She then held the iron hook in her hand and reached out to gently tap and scrape every part of the car.

"That's enough. Shall I get in the car too?"

The noblewoman then realized what was happening and pointed at Zhao Zhi, about to scold her. Yuan Yu quickly said, "Follow her outside," and then jumped up to comfort and hug her.

"My beauty, it's been months. Have you missed me?"

"What do you say?"

"This little temper of hers, I love it, hee hee hee hee—"

As soon as the car started moving, the people inside all cried out "Ouch!" One deliberately leaned into the other's arms, while the other intentionally leaned against his shoulder—the most despicable and perfectly matched pair!
Zhao Zhi noticed someone was following her. The person was extremely skilled in light footwork. She didn't make a sound and observed the coachman and maid. They didn't seem to know anything about it.

The carriage continued westward, turning from the main road onto a side road. This was an area outside the city that had not yet been designated for construction. Finally, the carriage stopped.

The noblewoman inside commanded, "Everyone, get away!" She cautiously peered out the window and, sure enough, saw that Zhao Zhi hadn't listened. "You get away too!"

Yuan Yu pulled the woman back, drew the curtain tightly shut, and urged, "Hurry up, or it will be dawn."

The woman pouted and said coquettishly, "I've been worried for two years, and you've only been worried for one night. Wait a minute! Tell me, when are you going to divorce me?"

Yuan Yu: "No, I can't divorce her. If I divorce my wife and marry you, I'll have to secretly meet with her behind your back. I can't bear to betray you like that."

How despicable! Zhao Zhi used an iron hook to dig at the grass and soil, wishing she could dig a big hole and bury the two scoundrels in this patch of weeds.

Inside the carriage, Yuan Yu was clearly angry. He asked the woman, "You really won't let me touch you? Alright, alright, don't cry, don't cry. If I didn't have you in my heart, how could I spend 100,000 coins for half a night?"

"Ten thousand coins? Don't try to fool me! Ten thousand coins would take so many chests to hold, and where would they be?"

"As for the guards outside, I've hired a skilled one for 100,000 coins, so we can rest assured..."

Before Yuan Yu could finish speaking, the woman yelled, "Get out!"

Zhao Zhi knocked on the car door: "General, we have to go. Someone is chasing us, and there are hunting dogs."

The wealthy woman then clung tightly to him, refusing to let go: "No, you can't leave!"

Zhao Zhi swung the iron hook as if to hit someone, then grabbed Yuan Yu by the arm, carried him into the bushes, and disappeared into the darkness.

Yuan Yu heard a few barks from the dog before he stopped doubting that Zhao Zhi was just trying to scare him.

"Sigh, all that effort tonight was for nothing."

Zhao Zhi: "If the general feels it's unfair, the reward can be halved."

"Hmph, how could I shamelessly take back what I've given away?" He stopped talking and looked back without lingering, only feeling the night wind blowing on his face and the exhilaration of his feet sweeping the tips of the grass.

After Zhao Zhi ran to the southern outskirts of the city and put him down, he said, "I really wish I could be like the Prince of Guangyang, a carefree prince who eats and plays around, far away from the central government. But I am young, handsome, and smart, and no one trusts me. Guard Zhao, actually, I know who is plotting this underhanded tactic tonight. If you protect me again next month, I will tell you."

There's another month?!
This place is near the Luo River. Zhao Zhi didn't respond to him and turned to sit on the bank. She missed her family. She wondered if her daughter would become a female official and enter the center of power in the future, would she also encounter the dangers that Prince Cheng, Prince Xi, and Prince Yu experienced?

That's terrible! She won't let her daughter face this alone!

The inner city, the Prince of Jingzhao's residence.

Yuan Yu had been busy all day and was only now returning to his residence. He was too lazy to even wash up. He lay down with his beautiful concubine, Yang Aofei, in his arms and said in a sleepy voice, "The guards who went missing during the day were all dead after a fight with the Prince of Guangling's subordinates."

Yang Aofei exclaimed in surprise, "The capital is so scary! We've only just arrived!"

"It doesn't matter, it's just a few deaths."

“As long as the king is not angry, it doesn’t matter to me who dies.”

"Hehe." Yuan Yu hugged the other person tighter and said, "This afternoon I went to see the Grand Commandant, but the old dog made excuses that he was busy. Humph, so I went to the Minister of Works' residence, and then to Wang Su's residence..."

His voice lowered, and Consort Yang thought he had fallen asleep. He continued, "I spoke with His Majesty this morning, and I could tell that he wanted me to rest for a while before appointing me as the Protector-General, in charge of the troops outside the capital."

Consort Yang: "General of the Guards? Does that mean you're leaving the capital again?"

"You can leave the capital, or you can stay. Think about it, if I stay in Luoyang to oversee the troops in the surrounding counties, what's the difference between that and holding a nominal position? If I leave, and something happens in Luoyang, who will tell me?"

"I understand now. The title of Protector-General sounds good, but it's not a good official position!"

(End of this chapter)