History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 358 The Emperor and Empress Cannot Be of One Mind
In the village of Quanxue, at the home of Wei Yin.

Wei Yin was teaching Erzhu Rong and Gao Huan how to play chess.

A Qihu warrior carrying a large bundle of firewood entered the courtyard. His surname was Wanyu and his given name was Quan. After entering the courtyard, without Wei Yin's instructions, he skillfully placed the firewood under the thatched shed, and then used an axe to split each piece of wood into smaller pieces and stack them neatly.

Wan Yuquan was the young man from the couple who lived next door to Zong Yin's house, and he was also the one who blew the whistle to startle the horse at the gate of Jinyang City yesterday.

For the herders who have been herding horses in Xiurongchuan for generations, a single whistle is enough to terrify the pampered horses of the wealthy and powerful!
Wan Yuquan's wife, Liu Ge, arrived in an oxcart, pulling a water vat. She took out a wooden box from between the urns, presented it to Wei Yin, and said, "Master, Lu Tianshi's disciple Xiangling asked me to give this to you, saying that there is a talisman inside that will protect you. We did not dare to open it."

Ever since Zhao Zhi punched Master Lu of Chongxu Temple, his disciple Erzhu Rong, following Wei Yin's instructions, developed a new habit: he began to complain that the water from the wells in Quanxue Lane was not good to drink.

Erzhu Rong's warriors then went to the sweet water well near Chongxu Temple every day to fetch water, but fetching water was just a pretext; their real purpose was to beat and frighten Master Lu.

Because the Great Wei Dynasty revered both Buddhism and Taoism, Chongxu Temple was the only Taoist official residence in Luoyang. Among the powerful and wealthy who came here to pray for the protection of Taoist power were princes and meritorious officials. Over time, Master Lu naturally learned a lot about the private affairs of these powerful and wealthy people.

At the beginning of this month, Wei Yao and her father plotted everything, waiting for the moment to bring Master Lu into the game. Zhao Zhi secretly visited Chongxu Temple and threatened Master Lu to only perform divination for the powerful and wealthy in the afternoons. After the threat, Zhao Zhi still clenched her fist and said, "Don't ask why, I'm doing this for your own good!"

Master Lu was very sensible: "No, no. General, rest assured, I am on your side. If you want me to tell your fortune about a specific time and for whom, you don't need to come in person next time. Just send someone to tell my disciple Xiangling."

Wei Yin opened the wooden box. The talisman inside was made of cloth, and peaches and peach branches were embroidered around the talisman image.

Erzhu Rong couldn't understand and asked, "Uncle Wei, what does the Celestial Master mean by giving this talisman? Is it just for protection?"

Wei Yin explained: "The talisman is made of cloth with a peach pattern on it. Together, it means 'not to flee.' Master Lu used this talisman to tell him that he would stay at Chongxu Temple and not flee."

Erzhu Rong: "So, will we still need to go there to fetch water every day from now on?"

Wei Yin nodded: "It's the same as before."

Gao Huan urged Erzhu Rong, "Senior brother, come quickly, it's your turn to leave."

Erzhu Rong was about to place a piece when he hesitated and said suspiciously, "No! Uncle Wei taught me that every move, whether raising or placing a piece, must be based on the opponent's intentions! You calculated that I would place a piece here, which means you have already set a trap for me. Hehe, I'm not going to place it here."

Wei Yin smiled as he looked at the two children. His eyes were on his apprentices, but his heart was only for his daughter, Wei Yao, whom he hadn't seen for several days.

Yao Yao knew all too well the dangers of serving the emperor; the more secrets she knew about him, the less likely she was to meet a good end! The first step in confronting imperial power was to seize control of the Imperial Guards after Yu Lie's death from illness. To challenge the emperor without military power wasn't political maneuvering, it was suicide!

Yu Lie won't live much longer. After he dies, the power to command the Imperial Guards must not be allowed to remain in the Yu family's hands as before.

The Emperor and Empress must never be of one mind!
Last year, the emperor promoted Yu Lie's younger brother, Yu Jin, with the obvious intention of having Yu Jin temporarily assume the position of commander of the Imperial Guards while Yu Zhong was observing mourning for his father after Yu Lie's death.

To disrupt the emperor's plans, Wei Yao had to make him lose faith in the entire Yu family. She targeted Yu Baoying, the chosen empress, and had already begun preparing for this while helping Xie Zhi and his daughter Wang Puxian.

The benefit that her past life experience brought to Wei Yao was that she knew Wang Su was about to die. She estimated the exact time of his death by recalling the fish market prices in the south of the city in her past life and the fishermen's complaints about life.

Wang Su was a southerner who loved crucian carp soup. When he rose to power, the court followed suit and encouraged his popularity. This trend influenced the lives of the residents of the old capital, Pingcheng. Not only did crucian carp sell well in the fish market, but other types of fish also did well.

Wei Yao clearly remembered that when she married into Luoyang in her previous life, the fish market in the south of the city was in dire straits, and the fishermen who relied on the water for their livelihood lived a very difficult life. The reason was that Wang Su had died, and the Xianbei nobles who had ostracized the southerners discriminated even more against those who had surrendered to Wei. They often ridiculed the southerners' eating habits as "men who chase after foul smells," which led to merchants refusing to sell fish, making the already impoverished lives of the fishermen even worse. The emperor was different from the nobles. The court was promoting Sinicization and wanted to continue the reform of the ritual system, so it needed to treat the Langya Wang clan well. Therefore, Wang Su's daughter would definitely be selected as a concubine in the palace.

Wei Yao and Wang Puxian became close friends, and Wang Puxian also welcomed Xie Zhi as a female tutor at the Wenya Academy, which was like sending charcoal in snowy weather to the mother and daughter. Only friendships built on mutual support can last. In return, Wang Puxian used a recipe to lure Yu Baoying into a game of chess. Thus, Wei Yao and Xie Zhi, mother and daughter, shared both honor and disgrace, and their friendship became even stronger than before.

As for the emperor's frequent nightmares, this was naturally the result of Zhao Zhi's observations of him. The emperor was preoccupied with worry and anxiety, while the chosen empress was sleeping soundly; how could the emperor not be disappointed!

Besides scheming against Yu Baoying, another person Wei Yao had in mind beforehand was Yu Baoying's aunt, Mu, who was also Yu Lie's second wife.

Not only did Wei Yao gather rumors about the Mu family at banquets hosted by noble ladies in the capital, but she also had warriors from the Qihu tribe disguise themselves as peddlers around the Yu family mansion to glean useful clues from the complaints of the Yu family's servants.

Human nature is hard to fathom, but sometimes it is easy to fathom.

It's understandable that Mu Shi, fearing her stepmother Yu Zhong's unfilial behavior towards her son Yu Lie, would try every means to control him when he was seriously ill. It's also understandable that Yu Zhong, unwilling to be troubled by trivial household matters while his father was ill, would obey his stepmother in everything.

The Imperial Palace, the Secretariat.

After Wei Yao finished writing the memorial requesting funeral gifts for Wang Su, he waited for the ink to dry, placed it in a box, and presented it to the Dongji Hall.

On the opposite side, Prince Rencheng, Yuan Cheng, and Prince Guangling, Yuan Yu, came side by side.

Wei Yao lowered her head slightly and bowed.

Yuan Cheng smiled faintly.

Yuan Yu: "Haven't seen you in a few days, Wei... hey?" Before he could finish his greeting, Yuan Cheng pulled him away.

"It's just a few jars of wine, why are you in such a hurry?"

Yuan Yu boarded the Prince of Rencheng's carriage, still recalling Wei Yao's appearance earlier, and joked, "I heard that the officials of the Secretariat didn't sleep a wink last night. Sure enough, you saw Yuan Hui, Zhen Chen, and Wei Yao's eyes, didn't you? They were all like rabbits come to life!"

Upon arriving at Yongkang Lane, the two princes disembarked in front of the gate of the Guangling Prince's Mansion. As they walked inside, Yuan Yu suddenly remembered something and asked, "Wait a minute, Uncle, it's not surprising that you know Yuan Ji buried fine wine in the mansion, but how do you know exactly where it's buried?"

Prince Rencheng: "You'll know once it's dug up."

"too much?"

"Ten urns."

Just as Yuan Yu was about to order the servants to fetch shovels, the Prince of Rencheng stopped him: "This matter should not be publicized, or it may be easily misrepresented as a treasure by ignorant servants. Just have a trusted official and me, the guard, dig it up, and don't let anyone else get close."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Yu gasped through gritted teeth: "Uncle, don't try to scheme against me."

King Rencheng laughed twice and repeated what he had just said: "You'll know once it's dug out."

The mansion where Prince Guangling Yuan Yu now lives in the novel was originally the residence of Prince Jiangyang Yuan Ji.