History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 339 Friends and Friends

Yuanzhenjun pretended to think for a moment before responding.

Having settled the matter, Yuan Ying lost interest in continuing the Hibiscus Banquet and prepared to return to the palace.

Yuan Zhenjun: "I'll see you off." She waved her wrist lightly, indicating that all the maids did not need to follow and could remain in the pavilion to serve the guests.

The aunt and niece were walking along the viewing platform when Yuan Zhenjun's elbow brushed against a small potted flower on the railing. The pot fell to the ground, startling Yuan Zhenjun, who wobbled and fell off the railing into the lake.

Fu Zhuang was the first to jump in to save her mistress, followed by several other maids from different positions who jumped in and swam quickly toward the direction in which the princess was struggling.

"Hurry, hurry up!" the people on the shore urged.

Fu Zhuang was the first to grab the eldest princess, but not only could she not drag her master, she was also pulled down to the bottom of the water and choked on some water. The other maids also swam over. Strangely, the more people there were, the more chaotic it became, and Yuan Zhenjun's head had already sunk to the surface.

With a "plop," Cui Binyuan stood on the railing and leaped with all her might. After entering the water, she immediately dived in and moved like an arrow, reaching Yuan Zhenjun's legs in three breaths.

She dared to open her eyes in the water and first circled around Yuanzhenjun. Originally, it was thought that the princess was sinking to the bottom of the water strangely because her feet were entangled in water plants, but that was not the case. Moreover, the way the princess paddled in the water clearly showed that she was an excellent swimmer.

Without thinking, Cui Binyuan lifted the princess up with all her might.

Yuan Zhenjun could no longer maintain the facade and was rescued. This ordeal caused her to fall ill under false pretenses, her condition fluctuating, making it impossible for her to fulfill her promise to Yuan Ying. Yuan Zhenjun then kept Princess Lanling, Yuan Yao, in the mansion to care for her, thus spreading word among the noblewomen of the capital about Yuan Yao's thoughtfulness and attentiveness.

June.

Yuan Zhenjun found a suitable marriage for Princess Yiyang, Yuan Lang, with the fourth son of Lu Yuan, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat. However, because Lu Yuan was in poor health, Yuan Zhenjun feared that delays might lead to complications, so she quickly wrote a letter requesting the emperor's permission for the marriage.

The marriage of a member of the eldest branch of the Lu family in Fanyang to a princess was exactly what the emperor needed. The emperor not only granted the marriage but also bestowed a residence upon Princess Yiyang in a prime location within the inner city.

Harem.

In early June, Wei Yao was ordered to assist the princess and four noble ladies with their poetry and calligraphy, and to draft imperial edicts. However, the first thing Wei Yao did upon arriving at the palace was to ask Princess Yuan Ying to take her to visit His Majesty's former wet nurse, the old nun Ciqing, who was now practicing in the inner temple.

This request was not difficult, and Yuan Ying instructed a palace maid to inform Yu Baoying so that they could go to the inner temple together.

Consort Yu, being both Yu Baoying's younger sister and her personal lady-in-waiting, naturally accompanied her. On the way, Consort Yu whispered a reminder: "Sister, do you think it was Princess Ying who took Wei Yao to visit Master Ciqing, or was it Wei Yao who suggested it?"

Yu Baoying shook her head, signaling her sister to be quiet and not to speculate.

Consort Yu was both angry and helpless, feeling that her elder sister was too kind and had remained as naive as before after entering the palace.

Inner temple.

Ciqing led the nuns out to greet her. She had heard many palace officials mention this female official before, including powerful eunuchs such as Wang Yu, Liu Teng, and Su Xingshou.

Today, when we met, Wei Yao appeared to be younger than Ciqing had imagined. However, Wei Yao is still the only female official to have received the title of Diao Chan, so who would be foolish enough to judge her character and actions based on her youth?

Yuan Ying, Ci Qing, Wei Yao, and Yu Baoying entered the nunnery. Apart from a nun named "Luo Bao" who remained inside, all the other palace servants waited outside.

Wei Yao explained her purpose: "I have come here to earnestly request the Dharma Master to grace Yaoguang Temple with his presence and to preach the Dharma. I have prepared a list of noble ladies to invite, and I would be grateful if the Dharma Master could review it."

Ciqing took the list and unfolded it. Yuan Ying leaned over to look at it together. She had expected her aunt Gao Yue'en to be on the list, but she hadn't expected to see the Dowager Consort Gao as well. Yuan Ying immediately said, "The Dowager Consort Gao has sores on her face and is recuperating. She probably can't come." Wei Yao smiled and said, "If the Dowager Consort can't come, only the Princess Consort of Beihai can come. After the Buddhist ceremony, the monk will accompany Princess Ying and Consort Yu to meet the noble ladies on the list in turn, and teach them about ancient virtues and customs for women. Those with few concubines should bring back the palace maids bestowed by His Majesty. Those with many concubines should be expelled according to ancient customs and all of them should be punished by being sent to the Xi government office."

Yu Baoying stared in surprise, her mouth slightly agape, until she finally understood Wei Yao's true meaning.

Yuan Ying was full of praise. She had been raised by Ciqing since childhood, and she shook Ciqing's arm and pleaded coquettishly, "Mother Fu, please say yes."

Ciqing smiled broadly and said, "Okay."

When Wei Yao entered the inner temple, she heard the nuns chanting scriptures in unison. Having achieved her goal, she decided not to disturb their peace and took her leave.

Yuan Ying: "I'll stay here with the monk; you all go back first."

After Wei Yao and Yu Baoying left Nishe, Ciqing praised the writing on the register: "Was this written by Lady Wei? It's really good."

Yuan Ying: "I'll rewrite it and remove Consort Gao's name."

Ciqing handed the list to her trusted disciple Luobao and instructed, "Go out and write the invitations according to the list. When you deliver the invitations to the Prince of Beihai's mansion, you can subtly reveal what the female official just said."

Yuan Ying was taken aback, then realized what was going on. "The Princess Consort of Beihai is not favored, and she certainly doesn't manage things in the palace. She lacks the decisiveness a princess should have. If she doesn't dare refuse His Majesty's favor and brings a palace maid back as a concubine, or if she gets Seventh Uncle's favored concubine punished and sent to the Xi official's office, then..."

Ciqing nodded and said, "Therefore, Consort Gao's illness will be cured whether she wants to or not, and she will definitely accept the invitation to worship Buddha."

Yuan Ying let out a long sigh: "The Dowager Consort Gao is no pushover. I'm afraid every word Consort Yu says in front of her will be a mistake. No, I have to prepare properly. Mother Fu, please teach me."

"No need to worry too much. The idea came from Lady Wei. We'll have her read the Emperor's will first, and then listen to her interpretation for Consort Gao and her daughter-in-law. We'll wait and see, and adapt accordingly. But this Consort Yu... is she really without any guile?"

Yuan Ying: "She was originally the daughter of a garrison commander. She had never experienced hardship or setbacks and had not read many books. Although she was better than most girls of the same age, she was not good enough to be the empress. People as precocious and shrewd as Wei Yao are rare and hard to find."

Ciqing: "Now that you say it, I understand. It shows that the female officer is a good lady."

Yuan Ying said coquettishly and truthfully, "Whether she is good or not, I can't see through her. I believe Your Majesty can see through her."

As for Wei Yao, her residence in the inner palace was very close to the bedchamber where Yu Baoying lived. The two had to walk together for a while. Yu Baoying introduced her younger sister: "Wei Yao, she is my younger sister, Consort Yu Bao, who holds the position of 'Junior Scholar'."

Yu Baofei smiled at Wei Yao, who secretly resented her elder sister for being nosy. She could only smile and bow to Wei Yao, saying, "Greetings to Minister Wei."

Yu Baoying recalled with emotion: "When I went to Pingcheng to study, my biggest wish was to go to the Cui Clan Academy, but I failed the exam. Fortunately, Governor Yuan gave me a chance and allowed me to attend classes at the prefectural academy."

Wei Yao: "The teachers hired by the universities and colleges of the prefecture are all renowned scholars, each with their own strengths in scholarship."

Yu Baofei muttered, "Come on, if everyone really had their own strengths, they wouldn't all want to go to the Han aristocratic academy."

Yu Baoying scolded: "Watch your words!"

Then, she said what she had long wanted to say about befriending Wei Yao: "Actually, after I came to Luoyang, I went to the Wenya Academy to study several times, hoping to make up for the regrets I had in the old capital and become fellow students with Lady Wei."

Wei Yao: "Before I became a minister, those who relied on each other were called 'friends'; after I became a minister, those who relied on each other were called 'fellows'. It's not that I'm avoiding powerful people, but the Emperor's majesty is so close that all officials must be wary of their fellow followers."

The disadvantage of having little education became apparent at this moment. The Yu sisters exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion: What does this mean?