History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 313 Zhao Zhi sneaks into the Grand Commandant's mansion

One, three, five, seven, nine... days.

The numbers are 2, 4, 6, 8, 10...

Wei Yin moved the yarrow stalks faster and faster!
Each movement represents a change in the numbers of heaven and earth. By using the numbers of heaven and earth, one can communicate with spirits and gods, and by using the power of spirits and gods, one can capture the traces of all things!
The divination is complete!

Wei Yin read the divination result to his daughter and son-in-law with a puzzled look: "The divination text reads... Why bother searching for birds? They will come to the diviner's door at this moment."

Yuan Mao: "Huh? What?!"

Wei Yao: "Whether it's accurate or not, we'll know at a glance." She went over to help her father up.

Wei Yin's forehead was covered in sweat; he hadn't expected that divining a fortune would take so much effort.

"Squeak—" Yuan Mao opened the door.

The moon hung high outside, and the stars shone brightly. It was neither too early nor too late when a strange bird lightly landed on the courtyard wall, directly in the three people's line of sight. It resembled an owl but was not an owl, with horns on its head; it resembled an eagle but was not an eagle, and the feathers on its shoulders shimmered with iridescent light in the night.

Wei Yao said in a suppressed voice, "Father, this bird must be a five-colored crane! The divination was accurate!"

Wei Yin was also delighted. He glanced at his son-in-law and instructed, "Once the divination has come true, let it go. I have a feeling that You Shuangfeng will divine the whereabouts of the Five-Colored Crane again."

Yuan Mao awkwardly scratched his face, which his father-in-law noticed. He was just about to take out his bow and arrow to see if he could shoot down the five-colored crane.

Zhong Lulang's residence in the east of the city.

You Shuangfeng put away the yarrow stalks, gently held them in her hands, and burned them again over the incense burner. Then she scolded her daughter, You Wujiu: "Tonight, the Five-Colored Crane will fall into the Hongchi Swamp. Wujiu, why is your divination skill not improving?"

You Wujiu was the eldest daughter, and her younger brother You Lizhen added fuel to the fire, saying, "If the fishermen of Hongchi discover the Five-Colored Crane and catch it, I'm afraid Qibinglang will blame our family."

You Wujiu: "The Five-Colored Crane flies faster than an eagle and is as ferocious as a night owl. It's not so easy to catch!"

"Hmph, elder sister, don't forget that there are powerful and wealthy people living around Hongchi. Do you think those warriors' archery skills would be so bad that they can't even shoot a bird?"

“What’s the use of my second brother’s nonsense? Father, please allow me to make amends. Tomorrow I will go to the Changsun family and we will join forces to search for the Five-Colored Crane at Hongchi. The Changsun family has a method of taming birds. As long as the Five-Colored Crane is nearby, we will be able to summon it back.”

You Lizhen: "Easy for you to say! Hongchi is so vast! What if we can't find it? Wouldn't that damage the reputation of the You family's divination?"

You Wujiu sneered: "If we can't find it, we'll say that someone else is also skilled in divination and interfered with our You family's divination! At that time, regardless of whether Wei Yin can do divination or not, he will be suspected, and perhaps someone will deal with him without our family having to lift a finger! In short, whether we find the Five-Colored Crane or not, our You family will benefit and will definitely not suffer any losses."

Hongchi.

Grand Commandant Yuan Xi's villa was built beside Hongchi Pond. At night, the sound of waves crashing against the shore and the temple bells startling water birds into discontented cries drifted from the distant marshes. Instead of being noisy, the sound helped the thoughtful and anxious Yuan Xi to drift off to sleep. Yuan Xi moved out of the city precisely so that he could sleep early. His staff were still up late, discussing the emperor's assumption of power in their respective offices.

Zhao Zhiru, who was ordered to secretly investigate the Grand Commandant's whereabouts, had already sneaked into the villa's office area. Avoiding the night patrol guards, she followed the clues provided by Wang Xian's spies, leaped onto the roof of the east wing, and quietly lay prone on the edge.

There was a hole at the bottom edge, which was dug out in advance by spies. Only Zhao Zhi had amazing hearing and could hear the whispered conversations of the staff inside the room through the small hole.

“Yin Fangge, I always felt that Fu Chengzhu was cunning and treacherous, and not someone I could confide in.”

"What can we do? Among the emperor's bodyguards, at least two spies are needed to carry out their plans."

These two sentences alone were enough to startle Zhao Zhi!
There are five types of guards who can get close to His Majesty: the Attendant Guard, the Attendant Attendant, the Attendant Attendant, the Attendant Chief, and the Attendant Attendant. Their combined number exceeds one hundred. Judging from the conversation between the two people in the room, there are other guards besides Fu Chengzhu who have betrayed His Majesty, and that person has long been bribed by the Grand Commandant!

In addition, according to the intelligence received in advance, the general guarding the house should be Yin Longhu. It is rumored that Yin Longhu's martial arts skills are slightly inferior to Liu Xiaogou's, but we must be wary of this thief hiding his strength.

Yin Longhu: "There's no need to rush into bribing Fu Chengzhu. The most crucial person is... Li!"

Another aide said, "What does Fang Ge mean? Is he worried that the other side might change their mind? That can't be right. Their fate is intertwined with that of our Grand Commandant's office!"

Zhao Zhi frowned even more. The Grand Commandant's wife was a noblewoman from the Li family of Longxi. The "Li" that Yin Longhu and the other man mentioned was very likely a brother of the Li family, and there was more than one person with rebellious intentions!
Yin Longhu sighed: "Of course I'm worried. Chief Secretary Feng, don't forget who the Princess Consort's husband is? Yuan Chao! Yuan Pi's eldest son! Although some members of Yuan Pi's family are dead or crippled, that Lady Li was not implicated in the Pingcheng case and returned to her family. Think about it, before and after Yuan Pi came to the capital with his two illegitimate sons last year, there were so many plots and assassinations in the capital. The Prince of Rencheng was in danger, our Grand Commandant was in danger, and even the old senile Yuan Jia's carriage had its axle broken once. How come only Minister of Works Yuan Xiang was unharmed?"

Chief Secretary Feng? Zhao Zhi secretly praised the spy for doing a good job! This office was probably the residence of the Grand Commandant's most important staff member, since "Feng" was the surname of the Grand Commandant's mother.

After hearing what he said, Chief Secretary Feng was also worried. "I understand. You're afraid that Brother Li Boshang is openly helping us, but in reality, he's helping Sikong Yuanxiang."

Yin Longhu: "From now on, whether in public or in private, don't mention their names."

"The guards are too cautious. Although this is a villa, the guards are not lax. Even if birds fly by repeatedly, the guards will remember them."

Yin Longhu: "If I am not discreet, I will lose my life. If I am not discreet, I will suffer the consequences. It is always better to be careful and discreet. The next thing to do is to continue to bribe the guards of Jinyong City. Do not underestimate ordinary guards. As long as they are brave, greedy and easily instigated, they will be fine. When that day comes, find some mistakes to replace some captains and deputy captains, and then put these spies in their place."

Chief Secretary Feng: "Brilliant! I also have a plan. Let's add Princess Chenliu to our alliance with the princesses. I've heard that Princess Yuanzhen and that vile woman Zhao Zhi have been at odds lately."

On the rooftop, Zhao Zhi clenched her fists in anger, already regarding the man surnamed Feng as a dead man!
"Flap—" A strange bird, resembling both an owl and a hawk, flew in from the southwest. Of all the houses in the villa, it landed right next to Zhao Zhi and stared intently at her.

Zhao Zhi noticed a copper ring on the bird's right shank and realized that it was domesticated, hence its strong curiosity and low alertness.

This strange bird was a five-colored crane that had just flown in from the south of the city.

Zhao Zhi tried beckoning with her finger, and sure enough, the five-colored pheasant leaped a step closer to her. The poor silly bird had barely landed when Zhao Zhi flicked it unconscious with lightning speed.

Even someone unfamiliar with birds would know that the Five-Colored Crane is a rare and exotic eagle. The candles in the office had been extinguished. Zhao Zhi held the Five-Colored Crane firmly and, just as she had come, sought out a moment when the patrolmen were lax. She left Hongchi Villa more nimbly than a cat.