History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 351 The Battle of Wits Between Ruler and Minister
East Hall of Taiji Hall.

The time for court officials to discuss matters had passed. Emperor Yuan Ke left behind several ministers and trusted civil officials from the Secretariat to discuss the construction of the Yique Mountain Grottoes, the retrieval and restoration of the Imperial Academy Stone Classics, and the reconstruction of ritual buildings such as the North Suburb Shrine in the north of the city and the Spring Welcoming Shrine in the east of the city.

There were eight ministers: Grand Tutor Yuan Xie, Grand Preceptor Yuan Xiang, General of Chariots and Cavalry Yuan Yu, Commander of the Imperial Guards Yu Lie, Governor of Sizhou Yuan Jia, Prince Rencheng Yuan Cheng who had just returned to Luoyang after resigning as Governor of Yongzhou, Mu Liang who had just taken over the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and Minister of the Left Yuan Huai.

There were four people in the Secretariat: three Attendants-in-Ordinary, Yuan Yi, Yuan Hui, and Zhen Chen, and Wei Yao, the Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate.

Yuan Hui and Zhen Chen were responsible for taking minutes of this meeting.

Wei Yao then served the emperor with writing brush and ink.

As the officials were expressing their thoughts on upholding Confucianism and respecting Taoism, Yu Zhong, who was on duty outside the palace, brought in a military officer from the Shouchun Battalion. The officer, covered in dust, wept and reported, "General Wang Su, who holds the title of Grand Master of the Three Departments... has passed away!"

what? !

Almost everyone in the hall stared in astonishment!
Even breathing froze for a moment!

As for which of these people were truly astonished, and who had predicted Wang Su's fate, only they themselves know.

Whether their apologies for Wang Su were feigned or genuine, Yuan Xie and Yuan Cheng, who were still multitasking and trying to gauge the emperor's reaction under these circumstances, were truly two old foxes.

Therefore, they did not miss the glance that the emperor and Wei Yao exchanged.

The old fox was extremely curious.

It's normal for the emperor to be thoughtful and cautious.

What's going on with Ke Weiyao? If it wasn't a coincidence that she managed to catch a glimpse of the emperor during that brief moment, then that's quite interesting.

The emperor, grieving the passing of Wang Su, had no heart to continue the court proceedings, and the officials took their leave. Only Wei Yao remained to organize documents and clean her writing implements. At the emperor's gesture, the eunuchs and guards who had come to serve him stopped and retreated to their positions near the door.

"With Wang Su dead, three of the six ministers are rendered useless." Yuan Ke was extremely distressed. Wang Su's sudden death from illness disrupted his plan to eliminate Yuan Xiang.

He originally planned to have "three out of six assistants" by the end of the year, but the remaining ones should be Yuan Jia, Yuan Cheng, and Wang Su.

As a result, Wang Su died young and became one of the three useless ministers. So, not to mention this year, even next year, he could not kill Yuan Xiang, even if he collected enough evidence against him!

Otherwise, after only two or three years on the throne, with the deaths of two ministers and the execution of two more, coupled with a severe drought in several northern provinces, how would the court and the public view him as a ruler? At that time, no one could bear the responsibility for his tyranny and lack of virtue!
If I had known this would happen, I really shouldn't have transferred Wang Su to Shouchun.

Now, Wei Yao doesn't need the emperor to explain things clearly to understand what the emperor is worried about.

The emperor didn't want to bear a bad reputation, so he spoke his mind clearly. She couldn't do that; she had to clearly state her countermeasures and carefully choose her words to avoid using harsh terms like "execute" or "kill."

"Your Majesty, do not worry. If we cannot expel Yuan Xiang this year, we may be able to do so next year. I recommend two men to the court, who may be of assistance to us."

Yuan Ke: "Who?"

"Your Majesty's maternal uncles, Gao Zhao and Gao Xian."

Yuan Ke's face was expressionless, showing no emotion whatsoever. He looked at Wei Yao and said, "Explain in detail."

As Wei Yao pondered, she answered. To make the posture and expression of answering a question after suddenly encountering a difficult problem natural, she practiced in front of the bronze mirror hundreds of times.

"Gao Zhao and Gao Xian are the brothers of Empress Wenzhao and elders of Your Majesty's maternal family. They should be granted titles and honors in the capital and be trusted by Your Majesty to be given important positions."

"Once he enters the court, he will rely on the emperor's favor, and noble families and court officials will naturally notice the shift in the political winds and attach themselves to him. In this way, we can reduce Yuan Xiang's control of the government and lower his position as the chief minister. The purpose of this step is to control public opinion in advance."

"I recommend another person to return to the capital: Yuan Yong, the Prince of Gaoyang, who is also the Governor of Ji Province. This is to prevent Gao Zhao and Gao Xian from being envied by powerful clans, especially Yuan Xiang's faction, after they have just been appointed to high positions. Yuan Yong is also Your Majesty's uncle. If he returns to the capital, he should be appointed to the position of Minister of Works vacated by Yuan Xiang, or the position of Grand Commandant vacated by Yuan Xi. In this way, he can take away some of the general affairs of the Ministry of Personnel, making it more difficult for Yuan Xiang to accumulate power." "During this period, Wang Xian and I will collect as much evidence as possible of Yuan Xiang's treason, so that it can be used at any time."

After speaking, Wei Yao remained calm and respectful, awaiting the emperor's permission or reprimand.

A strategist's loyalty is not only a matter of life and death, but also a precarious existence. She has already embarked on this path, and no matter how difficult, she must forge ahead! Since she knew from her past life that the treacherous minister Gao Zhao would eventually seize power, she might as well suggest that he arrive sooner rather than later.

If she arrives late, she will suffer all the hardships and then enjoy the benefits of the Gao Zhao clan's power.

“Okay.” Yuan Ke nodded.

Wei Yao took another perilous step forward on her path as a strategist. She bowed and took her leave, not daring to show the slightest ease or smugness, even with her back to the emperor and after leaving the Dongji Hall.

The emperor, high above all, did indeed watch her retreating figure. He had secretly given Wang Xian the order to find his uncle and his family and escort them to the capital; if all went well, they should be on their way to Luoyang. His original intention was merely to elevate his maternal relatives by marriage, but due to Wang Su's sudden death, his uncle's family became pawns he had to use in the fight against Yuan Xiang.

"Wei Yao." Yuan Ke had to admit that for a moment just now, he suddenly had the idea of ​​killing this woman.

Because her adaptability surpassed his!
It made him feel threatened.

However, upon further reflection, her strategies were clear, purposeful, and unpretentious—wasn't that exactly what a trusted advisor should do?

If he cannot tolerate Wei Yao and is surrounded by incompetent and obsequious people like Zhen Chen and Yuan Hui, he will likely soon return to the difficulties he faced at the beginning of his reign, walking alone as if on thin ice.

“Wei Yao”.

This time, the emperor's tone was no longer filled with murderous intent as he uttered the words softly.

The following day, the Secretariat, the Chancellery, and the Ministry of Personnel, together with the Grand Tutor and the Grand Preceptor, discussed and deliberated on the conferment of titles upon the royal family members.

The imperial edict summoning Yuan Yong to the capital was quickly sent to Jizhou. Yuan Jia, who had been drunk all day and was nominally holding the position of Governor of Sizhou, took the opportunity to sober up for a day and recommended a disgraced official named Li Daoyuan to serve as the Chief Administrator of the Zhen Dong Prefecture in Jizhou. At the same time, another imperial edict was issued, appointing the imperial clan minister Yuan Zhen as General Ping Dong and ordering him to rush to the Shouchun camp.

After the imperial court finalized the ceremonial arrangements for Wang Su's funeral, it informed Princess Chenliu and Wang Su's children.

Lord Yuanzhen sat lost in thought for a long time, and it wasn't until nightfall that he felt like eating a little.

The wet nurse, Dou, and her maid, Fu Zhuang, were extremely worried and stayed by her side the whole time.

Yuan Zhenjun: "I thought our marriage was not meant to be, and I had come to terms with it long ago, but I didn't expect to still be sad. Now I realize that being in a long-distance relationship and never seeing each other is better than never being able to see each other again."

She covered her face and finally burst into tears.

Dou cried along with him.

Fu Zhuang, being rational, reminded her, "Princess, please go to Yanxian Lane tomorrow. General Wang Su's second daughter and youngest son still nominally call you their stepmother, so you can't ignore them. Moreover, the servants in that mansion also need your supervision. Don't let them do anything foolish like servants deceiving their masters at this time, or it will damage your reputation."

Having things to do distracted Yuanzhen Jun from his sadness.

The elegant and refined residence in Quanxue Lane in the south of the city.

Xie Zhi received the news of her ex-husband's death a day later.

She took out the handkerchief that Wang Su had given her back then, which was embroidered with four lines of poetry: "The needle is the thread that runs through the fabric, and the eye is always on the silk. When new silk is sewn, how can it be put back to the past?"

"A needle is a thread-threading device; it has an eye and is hollow."

Xie Zhi burned the handkerchief without shedding a single tear.