History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 327 Fulfilling the Long-cherished Wish of Rebirth
Wei Yao stood up, folded the paper on the desk, and replied in the shortest possible words: "Your Majesty is not very talented and only dares to write down my thoughts on paper. Please take a look."

The eunuch Yang Fan took the paper, holding it in his hand, and presented it to the emperor.

The eunuchs serving on either side of the emperor were all quick-witted and remained standing sideways, ensuring that they could not see the contents of the paper out of their peripheral vision.

Yuan Ke unfolded the paper, which contained only five words: "To cure disease, nothing is better than to eradicate it completely!"
This phrase comes from the Zuo Zhuan and means to eradicate evil completely and leave no future troubles.

Eliminating the prime minister and the Prince of Pengcheng was a decision Yuan Ke had made long ago. It wasn't that he was mean-spirited or ungrateful, but rather that he had to use ruthless methods to secure his throne!
However, it is easy to have a thought, but difficult to actually carry it out. In particular, Yuan Xi's failed rebellion served as a cautionary tale for the Prince of Beihai and the Prince of Pengcheng. Presumably, the two princes will keep a low profile in the days to avoid trouble.

"Wei Yao, come with me." He wanted to hear her detailed explanation of "removing the disease," specifically how "removing" it meant.

Without a concrete plan to deal with the situation, and with only lofty ambitions, Wei Yao should not only be disqualified from important positions, but should also be demoted from Dongji Hall to prevent him from committing serious mistakes that could implicate Zhao Zhi.

The courtiers remaining in the palace were all scratching their heads in frustration, desperate to know what Wei Yao had written on the paper. They even had His Majesty take her outside the palace to ask her!
The crescent moon made the cold night even more desolate.

The emperor ordered all the guards to stop, and only Wei Yao followed him. The vast palace was planted with exotic grasses and green plants, which were lush and verdant during the day and bared their claws in the dark.

The two of them stopped one after the other, their footsteps very light.

Yuan Ke first asked, "Do you think Yuan Hui and Zhen Chen's suggestions were insufficient?"

"Yes."

Wei Yao knew that His Majesty's silence meant that he allowed her to elaborate. In fact, she had already planned how to demote and kill the prime minister when dealing with Gao Cong. So she did not hesitate and answered the question at hand: "The suggestions of Yuan Shizhong and Zhen Zhongsan both overlooked one point. Whether the Prince of Beihai is demoted to a remote prefecture or to the position of governor of Sizhou, under the current situation where Yuan Xi's power has not yet been eliminated, it will be easy for people with ulterior motives to spread rumors and damage His Majesty's reputation for kindness and benevolence."

"Furthermore, if we follow their plan and issue the edict, who can guarantee that the Prince of Beihai won't suddenly achieve extraordinary feats and regain power in a few years? At that time, His Majesty will be in an even more difficult dilemma than he is now, whether or not to reward the Prince of Beihai. What then will the time wasted over the past few years be worth?"

Yuan Ke gazed at Wei Yao, who was speaking softly and deliberately with her head lowered. Every word she said resonated with him. In fact, he was extremely annoyed when Yuan Hui and Zhen Chen were discussing their plans earlier!
As advisors to the emperor, they didn't even have the thought of killing a prince. Instead, they were all self-righteous and wasted time talking a lot of nonsense!

Yuan Ke: "Tell me again, how... is it better to cure the disease completely?"

"Yes." Since it was a gamble on his future, Wei Yao naturally had to be loyal and speak her mind without reservation!
She elaborated, "The Prince of Beihai thought himself clever, but he miscalculated. If he were truly loyal to His Majesty, why would he have repeatedly resigned after Yuanxi's downfall? Doesn't this prove that he harbored malicious intentions and was merely testing His Majesty by feigning retreat?"

This speculation coincides with Yuan Ke's conjecture about the King of Beihai!

Wei Yao continued, "The Prince of Beihai's strategy of feigning retreat is a brilliant move. If Your Majesty demotes him, you will lose the hearts of the people in the court and among the public. He is Your Majesty's uncle and will return to the capital sooner or later! If you retain him as Minister of Works, even more rebellious officials will follow him. As long as he acts carefully and doesn't reveal his true intentions, he will likely remain in his position as Minister of Works for at least a few years. It's easy to guard against thieves for a hundred days, but difficult to guard against them for a thousand days!"

"The solution I believe is to promote the Prince of Beihai. This is not to truly elevate him, but to demonstrate Your Majesty's benevolence and magnanimity."

Yuan Ke gave a soft "hmm," and Wei Yao immediately stopped offering her advice.

“Yuan Xiang is already one of the Three Dukes, so let’s add the position of Grand Tutor among the Three Masters.”

The Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, and Grand Protector were collectively known as the "Three Masters," all of whom held the highest rank.

Yuan Ke added, "At the same time, appoint the Prince of Pengcheng as Grand Tutor."

The Grand Tutor is the most respected of all, the head of all officials, and the most noble among all.

Wei Yao immediately praised, "Your Majesty is wise. Your Majesty has thought things through so thoroughly. In this way, you not only elevate Yuan Xiang, but also allow him to check and balance the Prince of Pengcheng."

Yuan Ke remained silent. Wei Yao understood that her plan was insufficient to bring down Yuan Xiang.

Of course not!

She continued her plan: "If Yuanxi is a wolf, then Yuanxiang is a cunning fox waiting for an opportunity. We must use fame and fortune to lure him into arrogance and expose his wolfish ambitions just like Yuanxi's. This will make him do as many unjust things as Gongshu Duan. This plan... can also be used on his mother, Consort Gao."

With her still-childish face, she spoke of a scheme to kill the prime minister, a scene that evoked memories for the emperor.

When the deposed crown prince was arrogant, he was the prince who bullied him the most. To avoid worrying his mother, he would hide in his room, face his reflection in the bronze mirror, and say cruel things that would kill the deposed crown prince. At that time, he was just an ordinary second prince, A'ke, who could only admire his sharp reflection in the mirror in solitude. Back then, he was naive and ruthless, without any power to rely on. What he did, whether he lived or died, depended on luck. He was just like Wei Yao, who was now offering advice and gambling his future.

Yuan Ke: "Very well. From now on, I will diligently study and submit memorials and draft imperial edicts in preparation for taking over the administration."

Overjoyed and grateful, Wei Yao replied, "Yes! Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail you!"

Excellent! She bet correctly on the emperor's determination to kill Yuan Xiang. From this day forward, she has finally fulfilled her long-cherished wish since her rebirth... to enter the court as an official and become a key figure in the central government!
The thirteenth day of the first lunar month.

The spring winds swept across the countryside like knives.

Zong Yin and Feng Xing, who accepted bribes, murdered prisoners, and forged false confessions, were dismissed from their posts as prison officials and sentenced to exile in the distant town of Wuchuan along with other criminals from Luoyang County.

Among these criminals were Zong Yin's parents. His father, Zong Dian, was convicted of bribing officials and causing chaos in prisons. His mother, Hun Yuniang, was convicted of bribing officials and accepting money from the families of criminals to run shops.

All the adults in the Zong family were exiled, and their property was confiscated. It was clear that Zong Yi and Zong Jifu would not be able to survive in Luoyang, so the brother and sister followed the exile procession to Wuchuan Town.

After enduring the agonizing wait until noon, the escorting officials allowed them to sit and rest by the roadside.

The recent ups and downs felt like a dream to Feng Xing. He often had to pinch himself hard to wake up and face the predicament before him. But once he woke up, he was even more unwilling to accept it!
"Why did it turn out like this? Zongyin, Zongyin..." He used the wooden cangue to press against the cangue of his former partner, his cracked lips constantly cursing, "It's all your fault, it was all your bad idea that caused me to be exiled, caused my wife and children to be separated! It's all your fault, you idiot!"

Hun Yu Niang shoved him aside from behind and yelled, "I didn't blame you for corrupting my son, and you still have the nerve to bite back. Get out, get out!"

Zong Jifu hugged his mother's leg and cried, "Mother, don't fight, I'm cold, I'm scared."

Hun Yu Niang felt sorry for her daughter and was filled with regret. She glared resentfully at her eldest son, but his dazed expression only fueled her anger. In truth, she hated this wretched child more than anyone else; he was truly a vengeful ghost from a past life, bringing ruin to the whole family.

Hun Yu Niang sadly squatted down in front of her eldest son and asked a heart-wrenching question: "I'm asking you, do you regret thinking about Miss Wei?"

Zong Yin shook his head timidly: "I don't know, I don't know..."

Suddenly, a herd of horses galloped towards them, and a loud warning rang out from behind: "The horses have gone mad! Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

"The horses have gone mad—"

The post station officials were greatly alarmed and fled on their own.

The criminals, wearing wooden shackles, had difficulty escaping. The yellow dust quickly rolled in, and amidst the chaos, screams of agony filled the air.

On the same day, in Luoyang, Wei Yao sat quietly writing the two characters "Yao Yao". After finishing, she looked at them and muttered to herself, "Let the horse's hooves follow the will of Heaven and see how many lives it can take from the clan for Yao Yao?"