History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 360 Loyalty to the State and the Emperor

Inside and outside the wedding banquet of Prince Jingzhao and Consort Yu Bao, there were spies arranged by the emperor to monitor the situation. Prince Rencheng took advantage of the fact that the spies were only paying attention to Prince Jingzhao that night to complete his second step of planning... to use the power of Prince Pengcheng Yuanxie to deal with Gao Zhao who was about to go to the capital.

On his way back to his residence, Prince Rencheng pondered those strange tales once again.

As a close advisor to the emperor, Wei Yao's revelation through the supernatural tales must have revealed Emperor Yuan Ke's resolve! Wei Yao did not fabricate falsehoods or create panic, because the Prince of Rencheng had noticed Yuan Ke's intentions earlier than Wei Yao.

Yuan Ke was a monarch, but he prioritized his own interests over the country and its people, and was determined to kill Yuan Xie, a virtuous minister who was protecting the country.

As the carriage swayed gently from time to time, Prince Rencheng repeatedly told himself that he must remain steadfast!
"When the late emperor was alive, he often used the words of Mencius to admonish the princes and dukes: 'The people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important.'"

"My loyalty to the late emperor was actually for the sake of the nation, and my ambition was to achieve great things and expand the territory!"

"I cannot hesitate, I cannot hesitate! I cannot be cowardly. Now that I have started, I must cut off all escape routes. I cannot be cowardly!"

"Yuan Xie is the pillar of our Great Wei, and he must not be unjustly killed like Bi Gan! The late emperor had brothers and sons, and our Great Wei... can replace a tyrant, but we cannot lose our pillar!"

Prince Rencheng peered through the gap in the curtains at the city of Luoyang at night. The city was ablaze with lights, a magnificent sight that stirred the ambitions of the emperor.

August 21st.

When General Yu Lie was seriously ill and in his rare moment of lucidity before death, he learned of the change in the power of the Imperial Guard officers.

It's over! Yu Zhong must have done something wrong and disappointed His Majesty! He immediately dismissed the weeping relatives, held his son Yu Zhong's hand tightly, and ordered: "Go to the palace immediately and tell His Majesty that... none of the princes should be spared! Kill them all! Only then can His Majesty truly govern."

What? Yu Zhong shook his head in fright, thinking his father had gone mad.

Yu Lie, his face contorted with rage, cursed, "You brat! You still don't understand why the Emperor values ​​our Yu family so highly! The Yu family is loyal only to the Emperor, loyal only to Heaven..."

The attack on Yu Lie's heart was the final, fatal blow. He coughed up blood, stared wide-eyed, and died.

Yu Zhong was heartbroken. Despite his fear, he obeyed his father's instructions and went to the palace to report the death. He relayed his father's last words without changing a single one. When he left the palace, he was completely distraught. When he saw Zhao Zhi standing guard at the palace gate, he became even more panicked.

Oh no! Zhao Zhi's hearing was exceptionally sharp; had she heard the secret he had just relayed to His Majesty about the execution of the prince?
Once suspicion is sown, it will grow like wild grass, given the right opportunity.

Yu Lie, a shrewd and calculating man, used only a single dying word to render Wei Yao's previous schemes against Yu Baoying and Yu Zhong futile.

Yu Zhong was in mourning and had resigned from his post, but immediately afterward, the emperor issued an edict promoting Yu Lie's younger brother, Yu Jin, to General Zhengbei, one of the Four Generals of Expedition, to temporarily serve as the commander of the Imperial Guards.

On the first day of the ninth month, Prince Gaoyang, Yuan Yong, returned to the capital. The emperor dismissed Yuan Yong from his post as governor of Jizhou and promoted him to Minister of Works. Yuan Yong was prepared, and submitted a memorial requesting the levy of 50,000 laborers from the capital region to build 323 wards in the capital.

The emperor granted permission.

On the eighth day, the emperor issued an edict establishing Yu Baoying as empress.

In late September, following an edict pardoning the households of Shouchun and reducing them to commoners of Yangzhou, Prince Rencheng was once again forced to leave the central government and travel to Yangzhou to oversee military affairs in Huainan. However, before he even left Sizhou, his wife, Princess Li Huayan, fell seriously ill due to the long journey. Prince Rencheng dared not continue his journey and sent messengers with urgent documents, pleading for her release from her post in Yangzhou. Sadly, before he received a reply from the court, his wife passed away.

Consort Meng personally washed and dressed her daughter-in-law. With tears in her eyes and resentment in her voice, she said, "You assisted the late emperor in moving the capital, quelled the Mu Tai rebellion, and worked hard to promote education. You have made great contributions and endured hardship! I never expected that the emperor would disregard kinship and deliberately suppress your petition, causing your wife to die of illness on the way!"

Prince Rencheng's nostrils flared, tears streaming down his face, unable to utter a word. He was filled with regret! He had been so preoccupied with planning this and that that he hadn't noticed that his wife's health was failing him.

Yuan Cheng looked ten years older as he stepped out of the tent. He never expected that his wife, whom he had pampered for so many years, would die in the wilderness.

"I thought you could enjoy a lifetime of happiness with me."

Gao Zuzhen hurried over, believing himself to be a loyal advisor, and reminded him, "General, we can't delay any longer. We're not far from Luoyang, and the court's delay in replying to the official documents makes their intentions very clear..."

Yuan Cheng stretched out his arm and crushed Gao Zuzhen's throat.

Emperor Yuan Ke did indeed deliberately refuse the Prince of Rencheng's request to resign, but he also did not expect that the Princess of Rencheng would die of illness on the way.

For some time now, he hadn't asked Wei Yao for advice. Tonight, when Wei Yao came to deliver official documents, he simply kept her in the palace for questioning.

Yuan Ke: "At the beginning of the relocation of the capital, the late emperor ordered that Xianbei nobles who died in Luoyang must be buried in Luoyang. Yuan Cheng used this decree as a reason to petition again to resign and return to the capital to bury his queen. However, the campaign against Liang is urgent. Apart from Yuan Cheng supervising the military affairs in Huainan, which I can trust, I have no good candidates among the other princes. How should I decide? It's a dilemma."

Wei Yao: "The Dowager Consort Meng is getting old. If she is saddened and harms her health because of the Princess's passing, Yuan Cheng may not be able to go to Yangzhou for several years."

Yuan Ke understood that if he rejected Yuan Cheng's request again, he would appear harsh in the eyes of the court officials. Moreover, Yuan Cheng would definitely continue to submit memorials, and at that time he would fabricate a story that Consort Meng was injured because of her daughter-in-law's death. Then Yuan Cheng would have to be allowed to return to the capital.

Wei Yao continued, "Yuan Ying is currently in charge of military affairs in Yangzhou. I have read through all the previous official documents of Yangzhou and found that Yuan Ying is warlike. Several defeats were caused by his excessive bravery and recklessness. However, his merits cannot be denied, namely that he is never afraid of battle."

"Your Majesty may temporarily replace Yuan Cheng with a prudent minister from the imperial clan to supervise Yuan Ying's prudent actions. Your Majesty may also send military officers from the Left and Right Guards to accompany him, so as to prevent the ministers sent from becoming too powerful and delaying the opportunity to send troops."

At this moment, Imperial Guard Officer Zhang Longzi rushed over, bringing with him a report that only added to Yuan Ke's troubles! His already waning confidence in the family's recovery was reignited, and he was filled with anger and disappointment!

Southeast of the West Gate of the Imperial Palace is the Imperial Guard Headquarters. Yu Jin is temporarily serving as the commander-in-chief. As a new official, he naturally needs to strictly supervise discipline.

Tonight, when he came to check the guards, he could hear a series of foul words from a distance. When he got closer, he saw that soldiers were playing drinking games and shouting in every building. Armor and weapons were thrown on the ground, and the place was a mess!

Yu Jin brought military officers with him, but he didn't understand the strength of the Imperial Guards. It wasn't that the captains and deputy captains were strong, but that ordinary elite soldiers were weak.

The two sides clashed, and the number of soldiers fighting in the melee increased until the commotion startled a patrol of Imperial Guards. The officer in charge of this patrol was Zhang Longzi. Fearing a mutiny, Zhang Longzi hurriedly came to the Emperor to report the incident.

The mutiny was an ominous sign, and Yuan Ke dared not disregard anything else, immediately ordering Zhao Zhi to go to the Imperial Guard Headquarters to quell the mutiny.

"Yang Daye, protect His Majesty!" Zhao Zhi ran like the wind, her voice carrying far away, her speed was simply too fast! Before her subordinate guards could even assemble, she had already disappeared from sight.