History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

"The princess's brother, Liu Wenyuan, has rebelled."

Upon hearing this, Liu's eyes widened, and she was instantly terrified!
"No, how could my brother..."

Wei Yao: "How could I dare to fabricate such a thing to deceive the Princess? His Majesty could not bear to see your Liu family decline, so he ordered Liu Wenyuan to replace Yang Daye as the commander of the Shouchun Camp. However, Liu Wenyuan repaid kindness with enmity. In the middle of the night, he led a group of traitors to break into the main tent of the military camp, intending to assassinate General Wang Su."

Yu Baoying hurriedly asked, "Then General Wang..."

Yuan Ying gave him a stern look and shook her head, signaling Yu Baoying not to say anything more! If Wang Su were killed, regardless of whether Liu Shi was involved in her brother's rebellion, she would have to be interrogated first, or confined to the Wang Mansion. How could she come to Yaoguang Temple as if nothing had happened?

Liu shook her head, crying in fear, "My brother, my brother... How dare Liu Wenyuan?!"

Wei Yao: "Yes, how dare he? The Xiao Qi dynasty is already dead, yet Liu Wenyuan still dares to dream of restoring the Liu Song dynasty. He doesn't even consider whether the princess will be implicated if he fails."

Liu: "I swear to God! I knew absolutely nothing about it!"

Wei Yao comforted her, saying, "If the Princess Consort knew the truth, we wouldn't be talking here. The rise and fall of a family depends on two things: loyalty to His Majesty and personal competence. In my opinion, the only capable descendant of the Liu family is the Princess Consort. So, what loyal act should the Princess Consort do to repay His Majesty's trust in her?"

Liu frowned, hesitated, clenched her fists, and gritted her teeth.

Wei Yao approached the other party and whispered in her ear, "Life and death are at stake. The princess didn't die with Liu Wenyuan, but don't let her escape this calamity and end up dying with the family of your husband who bullied and humiliated you."

Liu asked in a trembling voice, "What do you need me to do?"

Wei Yao stepped back to her previous position and said in a normal voice, "The imperial decree has been announced. It is hoped that after the Princess returns to her residence, she will assist the Dowager Princess in managing the household affairs and prevent the Grand Tutor from becoming infatuated with beautiful women and making the same mistake regarding concubines again."

Princess and Yu Baoying left the residence with Wei Yao. Sure enough, Consort Gao returned soon. Consort Gao had no intention of staying at Yaoguang Temple and hurriedly returned to her residence to interrogate Liu Shi in the same way she interrogated her concubine.

Let's leave the matter of the Prince of Beihai's mansion aside for now.

Because of the pile of official business in the Secretariat, Wei Yao could no longer linger at Yaoguang Temple. She first bid farewell to Ciqing, and then instructed Princess Yuanying: "The rest of the matters will have to be troubled by the princess. The other noblewomen on the list, apart from the princes, are either officials who have just been transferred back to Luoyang from other prefectures, such as Mu Liang, or they are about to be appointed to local areas to quell the barbarians, such as Zhang Yi. When talking to the families of these officials, do not mention the ancient etiquette of wives and concubines. Ask them more about the trivial matters of their homes, and what difficulties they have in terms of clothing, food, housing and transportation."

Yu Baoying was merely a noblewoman, and Wei Yao did not need to bow to her; a nod was sufficient to mark her departure. Yu Baoying considered this perfectly natural, but Consort Yu felt slighted and was quite displeased!

She said in a low, sarcastic voice, "Minister Wei is really busy. She took on today's tasks, but she left first."

Afraid that the princess would overhear, Yu Baoying gently scolded, "Don't talk nonsense."

“Am I wrong? Others may not know that the Princess Consort of Beihai is a pushover, but we do! She avoids Consort Gao, picks on a pushover to say a few words, and then pretends to be busy to go back to the palace to report her achievements. Princess Ying is of noble status and of course she won't bother with a female official, but elder sister, you can't be so honest. You do the most work, but you remain unknown to His Majesty. Humph.”

Yu Baoying: "It's not like that, there are some things..." Never mind, I won't say anymore. If I tell my sister that there are some things that I have to keep secret for the time being, even if we are sisters, I can't tell her for the time being. Then my sister will pester me and make a fuss.

Yu Baofei stared at Wei Yao's retreating figure, and scoffed inwardly: My elder sister always treats me like a child. There are some things I understand long ago. Wei Yao comes from a poor background and is already married. It is impossible for her to become a concubine. But just because it is impossible does not mean that she does not want to or cannot compete for the emperor's favor!
The conversation is divided into two parts.

royal palace.

Princess Yuanzhen of Chenliu was summoned by the emperor for taking care of Gao Yueen. The emperor then had the imperial physician Wang Xian examine Yuanzhen's pulse to confirm that she had not suffered any lasting injuries after falling into the water at the Hibiscus Banquet.

After receiving the reward, Yuan Zhenjun came out of the Dongji Hall and met a middle-aged court official who was arrogant and unruly. When he spoke, his voice was deep and resonant, which made Yuan Zhenjun's heart skip a beat.

"The eldest princess."

Yuan Zhenjun raised an eyebrow and asked, "You recognize me?" "Yes."

"Then you are..."

"If we are destined to meet again, please tell the Princess next time."

Yuan Zhenjun gently waved her round fan and watched with a smile as the young man entered the Dongji Hall.

When she turned around, she met Yang Daye's big, bulging eyes as he came to report to the East Hall.

"What are you looking at! Your face looks like it's covered in two eggs." Yuan Zhenjun swayed her hips as she walked away.

Yang Daye was furious but dared not retort, so he asked Kou Meng, who was on duty at the palace gate, "Who offended her? Why is she taking her anger out on me?"

Kou Meng whispered, "Women, well, they always have those few days every month..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was kicked hard in the buttocks. It was Zhao Zhi, who had just come out of the palace on business and happened to hear him. She kicked the man down the steps.

Yuan Hui, the Chamberlain, came from the Secretariat and happened to see this scene. He openly advised Zhao Zhi, but in reality, he mocked him, saying, "General Zhao often serves His Majesty. You should learn to be polite. You are only good at martial arts but not at literature. You are not a wise minister who can bring peace to the country."

Zhao Zhi: "Who do you think you are!"

Yuan Hui was furious: "You!"

There were so many guards standing watch outside the palace. The humiliation he felt under the watchful eyes of the crowd reminded Yuan Hui of the night he was tricked by Zhao Zhi when he was annihilated by Yuan Xi. He called out to Zhao Zhi, "Don't go. If you have the guts, come with me to His Majesty and reason with him!"

Yuan Hui then summoned Yang Daye and Kou Meng to enter the hall together.

Inside the palace, the emperor saw Zhao Zhi return and Yuan Hui was furious. He paused his conversation with Zhang Yi and asked the people below, "What is it?"

Yuan Hui immediately filed a complaint, angrily recounting how Zhao Zhi had kicked Kou Meng and then hurled unwarranted insults at him. "Since entering officialdom, though I have achieved nothing, I have been diligent and conscientious. After joining the Secretariat, I have been even more diligent and never slacked off. What's wrong with me advising Zhao Zhi to read some books while practicing martial arts? Yet she uttered foul language, calling me a fart!"

After hearing this, the emperor looked furious and pointed at Zhao Zhi.

Zhao Zhi explained: "Fart, it can be smelled and covered up. Your subject sincerely praises Yuan Hui for being both a scholar and a warrior."

Zhang Yi quickly lowered his head, thinking to himself that Zhao Zhi was indeed as reckless as others had described. If her "fart" remarks got out, how many officials would she offend?

The emperor took a deep breath and waved his hand, "Get out there and get to work!" He then asked Kou Meng, "Are you hurt?"

Kou Meng, who had already been appointed as "Qianniu Beishen," quickly replied, "General Zhao was just instructing me on martial arts, but Yuan Shizhong misunderstood."

What a slut! Yuan Hui's complaint was in vain. He had not only broken ties with Zhao Zhi, but also learned that Kou Meng and Zhao Zhi were in cahoots. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became.

When Wei Yao returned to Dongji Hall to report, she brushed past Yuan Hui and sensed his malice. She reminded herself that she needed to be more vigilant in the future and had the idea of ​​replacing him. The Secretariat was not the emperor's true confidant. She wanted to enter the most important and secretive "Menxia Province"!
Recently, Wei Yao had been studying the regulations of the inner palace, originally intending to compete for the second-rank position of "Female Attendant" among female officials. At this moment, she changed her mind. If she was going to compete, she would compete for the position of Attendant of the Secretariat, which was the envy and jealousy of officials in the outer court!

In other words, a junior prime minister with immense power and responsibility. (End of Chapter)