History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 326 Cultivating a "Little Prime Minister"

The Luoyang County Government Office is an underground prison.

These past two days, Zong Yin and Feng Xing had racked their brains. First, they went to great lengths to avoid the old jailer, threatening the prisoner who had already given his confession, coercing and bribing him to put his fingerprint on a false confession. Then, they replaced the prisoner's rations with spoiled rice and mixed in scraps of diseased rat meat. The next night, the prisoner developed a high fever and was diagnosed with the plague by the prison doctor, and was taken to the plague inn outside the city.

The original content of colluding with the traitors remained unchanged in the false confession; only the names of the people who confessed were added: He Erhun, a commoner from the north of the city, and He Lan, a female apprentice from the Wenya Academy.

The wicked idea was devised by Feng Xing, and the scheme succeeded. Ironically, it was Feng Xing who felt apprehensive and asked Zong Yin, "Is this really going to work? Won't it cause trouble?"

Zong Yin snatched the confession from him, stuffed it into his cloth bag, and replied, "What's done is done, what's there to be afraid of? Prisoners who end up in the plague ward don't survive!"

Feng Xing still hesitated: "How about... you find a way to scare Wei Yao yourself? You can give me 10,000 instead of the 20,000 you originally agreed on."

Zong Yin gripped his partner's arm tightly, his smile enigmatic, and said, "We agreed on twenty thousand coins, not a penny less. We've known each other for years, so we must share our good fortune."

"Hey...no, I..." Feng Xing was pulled out of the dungeon by the other party. Under the moonlight, Zong Yin's face was deathly pale. Feng Xing suddenly felt that he did not recognize his friend in front of him. He used to look down on Zong Yin's weakness and overly honesty. He did not expect that the other party would change so suddenly. It was a bit creepy.

Because of their narrow-mindedness and limited vision, petty people can only resort to underhanded tricks to achieve their goals. Those in high positions, on the other hand, skillfully use their power to guide others, and every move they make, every word they utter, is a thunderous act.

The fourth day of the first lunar month.

After returning from his pilgrimage to Changling, Emperor Yuan Ke summoned his court officials to the East Hall for questioning. This questioning served as an assessment of the officials' performance, allowing Yuan Ke to distinguish between the foolish and the virtuous among his ministers, and also to gain initial control over the affairs of various departments and offices.

Conversely, the court officials also understood that this visit was a choice of sides they had to choose between the emperor and powerful ministers such as the Prince of Beihai. If they chose the wrong side, they might face utter ruin!

When the emperor conversed with his courtiers, there were always officials present, including the Grand Compiler responsible for recording royal decrees, the Compiler responsible for recording historical events, the Compiler responsible for recording daily life, and the Compiler responsible for writing records of famous officials. The young Wei Yao stood out among these literary figures.

She kept writing, recording everything she could, as practice for drafting memorials in the future. The more she used her mind, the sharper it became. She kept recording and even used the brief moments of looking up to observe His Majesty's moods.

Before she knew it, her gaze met the Emperor's. Wei Yao looked away and continued writing, but the Emperor was momentarily distracted. He realized one thing: he hadn't promoted Wei Yao because he had promoted Zhao Zhi, but because Wei Yao was hardworking, diligent, and had a strong understanding of government affairs. She was capable of being trusted and given important responsibilities!

Let's see how she performs. If Wei Yao has the talent and ability to make decisions, she can participate in confidential government affairs. If we can start training young court officials of this age, and personally train a "little prime minister" who is loyal to him, thoughtful, and has far-reaching strategies, it would be a great achievement, because while creating a famous minister, we can also create a famous ruler.

In the midst of their busy schedule, every moment was utilized, yet they still rushed on, never quite having enough. The morning sun outside the Dongji Hall turned to sunset; the court officials had finally finished their audience for the day, and the civil officials of the Secretariat left the palace to return to their offices to continue their work. Wei Yao could not leave; she immediately prepared the memorials submitted by the officials from the prefectures and counties, awaiting His Majesty's order to read them aloud.

Emperor Yuan Ke ate a piece of rice cake and drank a couple of sips of soup, then rested. Following the order of the prepared memorials, Wei Yao first read the memorial of Minister of Works Yuan Xiang requesting to resign. The content was the same as before the year: fearing the disaster of Yuan Xi, he was terrified and dared not continue to hold the important position of prime minister, and requested to be appointed as a local official.

In Wei Yao's eyes, Yuan Ke was a monarch who made the most of his time!

Yuan Ke held the draft of the local edict prepared by the Secretariat and quickly read it through, ordering, "What do you think of the Minister of Works' memorial?"

Military officers like Zhao Zhi, Yu Zhong, and Yang Daye would immediately lower their heads and stare at their feet whenever they heard a question like "What do you think?"

Despite not gaining any credit for suppressing the rebels, Yuan Hui, the Chamberlain, received the sole benefit of being granted access to the Dongji Hall for discussions. He spoke before Zhen Chen, the Grand Master of the Palace, could speak: "I believe that Minister Yuan has no intention of resigning! When the Dowager Consort Gao distributed porridge in winter, the staff of the Prince of Beihai's residence disregarded the law, driving out residents near the East Gate and attempting to seize commoners' homes. I have investigated, and the mastermind is none other than Minister Yuan! If he truly wishes to relinquish his position and serve elsewhere, Your Majesty can send him to the northern border. With the northern border suffering from continuous disasters, there is little chance of political achievements; then his dereliction of duty can be punished."

Yuan Ke listened attentively without speaking, taking advantage of the brief intervals to peruse the draft edict.

Zhen Chen bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, I agree with some of your views, and I also believe that your resignation is a pretense, a test of Your Majesty's intentions. Demoting Prince Xiang to a local post is not a wise move..."

Yuan Hui glanced over with displeasure, his gaze lingering for a moment on Wei Yao's opposite side as he looked away. His hatred intensified; it was all Zhao Zhi's trickery that had allowed him to fail to achieve anything and lose face during such a good opportunity to destroy Yuan Xi's forces. Only after serving His Majesty did he realize how powerful that lowly servant and her daughter were!

But what good is power if he gains it? His royal lineage means he doesn't have to work hard and can look down on these commoners.

Zhen Chen: "I believe that Prince Xiang should not be allowed to leave the capital! It would be better to appoint him as the governor of Sizhou, promote Prince Guangyang to Minister of Works, and then promote Yuan Huai to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

The other courtiers nodded in agreement, finding Zhen Chen's suggestion reasonable. Firstly, Yuan Huai possessed both literary and military talents, making him perfectly capable of serving as Left Minister. Guangyang Prince Yuan Jia, however, was constantly drunk and feigned ignorance, neglecting his duties as Governor of Sizhou; therefore, it would be better to give him the nominal position of Minister of Works. As for Beihai Prince Yuan Xiang, after being demoted to Governor, he would certainly have to diligently attend to state affairs for a year or two, which would be ample time for His Majesty to find more capable ministers. Perhaps then, he could promote the Prefectural Governor Yuan Zhi to Governor.

Next, the newly promoted Right Guard General Li Chong, Yellow Gate Attendant Yuan Kuang, and Left General Ru Hao spoke.

A moment of silence fell over the palace. The remaining officials breathed softly, their minds screaming: "Your Majesty, don't look at me! You can't see me! You can't see me!"

The emperor called on Yu Zhong: "Yu Zhong, what do you think?"

On the night Yuanxi plotted his scheme, Yu Deng's presence at Hualin Garden was also a meritorious act. He was not only awarded a noble title for his merit, but also praised by His Majesty for his loyalty, and his original name, "Yu Zhong," was changed back to him.

Yu Zhong sniffed and replied, "I think the same thing as Zhen Chen."

Emperor: "Big Eyes, tell me."

Yang Daye, the former commander of the Shouchun Battalion, made great contributions in the pacification of Yuanxi and was retained in the capital with the title of "General of the Imperial Household", a third-rank official. From then on, he served as a bodyguard to the emperor, who often called him "Dayan" (Big Eye), which shows the emperor's favor towards him.

Yang Daye's literacy level is on par with Zhao Zhi's!

He sniffed and replied, "I think the same thing as Zhenzhen."

Zhen Chen......

The emperor pinched the bridge of his nose in worry; he had asked an unnecessary question!
Even though he knew it was a redundant question, he still had to ask: "Zhao Zhi, tell me about it too."

Zhao Zhi didn't sniffle like the illiterate do; instead, she replied in a stern voice, "Your Majesty, I don't understand what you're trying to do, so I dare not say."

Alright, at least he was honest. The emperor pinched his brow again, looked at the ministers on both sides, and pointed at another minister: "Wei Yao, what do you think of your petition to the Minister of Works to be dismissed?"

This question startled everyone in the palace!
Junior Prime Minister: In the Northern Wei Dynasty, the "Attendant-in-Ordinary" was an official in charge of confidential government affairs and was known as the "Junior Prime Minister".