History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 343 A Qualified Strategist: Wei Yao

Outside the Dongji Hall, the emperor strolled slowly, as usual, with only Wei Yao by his side. The guards and eunuchs on either side were all at a distance, unable to hear the conversation between the emperor and his ministers in front of him.

Wei Yao first briefly reported on the matter of testing Liu: "As the intelligence reports, the Princess Consort of Beihai is indeed of one mind with the Dowager Consort Gao and the Prince of Beihai. However, whether she is worthy of being given important responsibilities depends on what message she conveys."

Wei Yao then reiterated her considerations regarding the Feng family.

From the time of Empress Dowager Wenming, the Feng family established inseparable kinship ties with important officials of the imperial family through marriage alliances. Even today, despite Emperor Yuan Ke's dislike of the Feng family, it is difficult to eradicate their influence. Take the incident of the Prince of Guangling being beaten in the street, for example. The Court of Justice found that the mastermind behind the rioters might be Assistant Minister Feng Junxing, but due to insufficient evidence, they could not detain and interrogate him.

Later, because the selection of noble ladies such as Yu Baoying to enter the palace did not include any daughters from the Feng family, the Feng family became dissatisfied and instigated their in-laws to spread rumors that Emperor Yuan Ke did not respect Empress Dowager Wenming and was planning to suppress the Feng family.

The Feng family couldn't possibly stand idly by while the imperial harem remained devoid of women from their clan. Therefore, they began by recommending Feng Linghua to the palace as a "Female Attendant-in-Ordinary." To further solidify their plan, the Lady of Leling, who oversaw the household affairs, bribed the Dowager Consort Gao and simultaneously recommended Feng Linghua. Under these circumstances, if Yuan Ke insisted on rejecting the Feng family's request, it was estimated that officials connected to the Feng family would unite to create trouble and interfere with the monthly performance evaluation of prefectural and county officials.

This assessment of the prefectural officials is the first inspection of the four regions since Yuan Ke assumed personal rule. It is related to the next adjustment and promotion of prefectural officials, and there must be no mistakes!

Both the emperor and his minister understood the above reasons. Without wasting words, Wei Yao directly proposed a solution: "I have checked the resumes of the officials in various departments and offices of Sili Province. The governor of Henan is old and can be transferred to a sinecure to retire. We should appoint Feng Xi's third son, Feng Yu, as the governor of Henan and let him supervise the search and restoration of the Imperial Academy Stone Classics."

Before the capital was moved, Feng Xi used the piles of broken sutras and stone tablets at the site of the Imperial Academy as ordinary boulders to build a temple. Feng Yu was a capable man, but he was dismissed from his post due to his involvement with the deposed empress of the late emperor and became an outcast of the Feng family.

Wei Yao further explained why she came up with this strategy: "If Feng Yu cannot accomplish this task, then he will be no longer needed, and there will be no capable men left in the direct line of the Feng family. If Feng Yu cares about his own future and works diligently, it would be tantamount to exposing the crimes his father committed during his lifetime, causing the Feng Xi family to be despised by all Confucian scholars in the world."

"Whether Feng Yu dares to demolish the temple pagoda or return the stone tablet inscribed with the Three-Character Stone Sutra, the Feng family will be in chaos this month and will not be able to interfere with the assessment of the state officials."

"Furthermore, I have had my husband find evidence of corruption by the Chang family. If Your Majesty permits, we will submit a petition to impeach the Chang family tomorrow. The destruction of the Imperial Academy's stone classics was done by Chang Bofu and Feng Xi together. Destroying the Chang family will not only give Feng Yu a boost in his confrontation with the family, but also serve as a warning to the Lady of Leling."

“Alright.” Yuan Ke nodded, then asked, “Have you ever thought about letting Feng Linghua enter the palace? The infighting and killing in the harem are cunning and bloodless. It wouldn’t be difficult to get rid of Feng Linghua silently.”

Wei Yao replied, "Aside from Feng Linghua, there are Feng Jihua, Feng Jiyi, and so many other Feng girls from collateral branches who could be adopted. His Majesty is merciful; he only wants the Feng family to be law-abiding and serve the court, not to make trouble for these innocent girls."

Only after spending a long time with the emperor did I realize that when this young emperor genuinely smiled, he would have a shallow dimple on his left cheek.

Now, a dimple has appeared on Yuan Ke's left cheek.

He then asked, "This morning I received a memorial from the Prince of Rencheng, saying that Consort Meng is not used to the climate and water of Yongzhou and he wants to resign and take his mother back to the capital. What do you think of this matter?"

Wei Yao pondered. The Prince of Rencheng always used a feigned retreat to advance, repeatedly employing underhanded tactics to shirk his duties. If His Majesty refused his requests, the court officials would surely criticize His Majesty for failing the Prince of Rencheng's filial piety and neglecting the elderly Consort Meng. However, the Prince of Rencheng absolutely could not remain in the capital for the next few years. The reason was that while the Prince of Rencheng was cunning, he was also magnanimous and tolerant, and he was on good terms with the Prince of Guangling and the Prince of Pengcheng. If the three princes united their forces, His Majesty would be even more uneasy.

Therefore, whether Your Majesty grants permission to Prince Rencheng or not is not a good strategy.

So who will restrain the Prince of Rencheng?
"I have an idea!" Wei Yao said. "I think... we can first allow Prince Rencheng to resign from his post and return to the capital, letting him take charge of the autumn military training and competition. During this time, the imperial physicians can treat Consort Meng, and the princesses can visit her frequently, telling her about His Majesty's busy schedule. After the training, His Majesty can then appoint Prince Rencheng as a prefectural official. I estimate he will still decline for the same old reasons. Whenever he declines, His Majesty should allow it, and the princesses should relay this to Consort Meng. I have heard that Consort Meng was on the battlefield in her youth, and she is very valiant. She will certainly not sit idly by while her sons use her as an excuse to be lazy."

“Autumn training.” Yuan Ke murmured, then nodded in agreement. The training and competition were related to the promotion and demotion of military officers, as well as changes in the Imperial Guards and the Tiger Guards. He did not want to entrust this matter to the Prince of Beihai or the Prince of Pengcheng. He only trusted his fourth uncle, Yuan Yu. However, his fourth uncle acted erratically, and entrusting it to him would probably cause trouble.

It's perfect to temporarily recall Prince Rencheng. Yuan Ke was once again satisfied with Wei Yao's resourcefulness; a qualified strategist thinks three steps ahead before making a move.

"Go get to work, and call Wang Xian over."

"Yes."

After Wei Yao left, Yuan Ke instructed Wang Xian: "Punish the maids in the harem who gossiped that Wei Yao had the idea of ​​abandoning her husband to become a concubine, and demote those of rank by one level."

Wang Xian responded "yes," and mentioned another rumor in the North Palace Garden: "Prince Yuan Yu of Jingzhao heard from somewhere that Emperor Xiaowen had instructed His Majesty to consider the imperial family. He cried and made a scene several times at the Hualin Garden villa, complaining that he had reached the age to marry and hoped to give birth to a member of the imperial family before being sentenced to death."

The late emperor's dying words were that since the Prince of Jingzhao could learn about this through the guards of Hualin Garden, he could also spread other rumors through those guards.

The guards have been replaced several times, which shows the strength of the forces behind them.

Yuan Ke ordered, "Send people to repair the Prince of Jingzhao's residence. After the repairs are completed, release Yuan Yu." Since imprisoning him in the residence wouldn't stop the news from spreading, it would be better to give him some freedom.

"Starting tomorrow, Xu Yuanyu will go hunting at the Jingyang Mountain hunting grounds. Protect him and don't let wild animals hurt him."

To secure his throne, Yuan Ke needed to eliminate the old and incompetent while welcoming new blood and ensuring the prosperity of the imperial family. This is why Yuan Ke never killed his third brother, Yuan Yu, but only imprisoned him. Similarly, even when Yuan Xi rebelled, he only punished Yuan Xi's eldest son, while his other sons were either demoted to commoners or imprisoned, with the Prince of Pengcheng secretly protecting them.

Harem.

Yu Baoying and her entourage returned from Yaoguang Temple in the evening. Back in her bedchamber, Consort Yu no longer needed to maintain the etiquette of a lady-in-waiting. She sat down even faster than her elder sister, who was of noble status, and had Yu E, who was only one rank below her, massage her legs.

Yu Baofei complained, "Standing all day is exhausting."

Yu Baoying: "You're talking nonsense again. You're not living a carefree life in Huai Shuo Town anymore. From now on, don't keep using unlucky words on your lips."

"Alright, alright, I'll definitely remember this time. Sister, I want to ask you for a favor. When you become Empress, please add a sable tail to my crown, okay?"

Yu Baoying was both angry and helpless, and shook her head, too lazy to reply.

Consort Yu was lost in her own daydreams. After a moment of quiet smirk, she said, "Sister and Princess Ying want to get along. Could you ask the princess to take us to play in the North Palace Garden? I heard from the palace servants that Jingyang Mountain in the North Palace Garden is a hunting ground where we can ride horses and hunt."