History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 361 The Strength of a Sect King
Imperial Guard Office.

"Fight! Fight them to death!"

"I'll teach you to embezzle my monthly allowance! I'll teach you to embezzle, and see if you dare to embezzle again!"

"Last month, the Imperial Guards held a martial arts competition. It was agreed that whoever won would be promoted to deputy captain. But in the end, it turned out that whoever bribed others got the position."

Punches, kicks, and all sorts of retaliatory curses were thrown over the high walls of the government building.

General Yuan Zhen, who was in charge of the imperial guards, led two elite squads of Imperial Guards over.

"Stop! Anyone who disobeys military orders will be severely punished!"

"Did you hear me? General Yuanzhen is here!"

However, the officer's rebuke only frightened a small number of soldiers who were nearby. Immediately, people from all corners cheered and shouted, "What's wrong with the general? Without us risking our lives, you're nothing!"

"Don't listen to them. They protect each other and never keep their word."

"Yes, killing one tonight is enough, killing two is a bonus!"

"What are you afraid of? The law doesn't punish everyone, charge!"

The ordinary soldiers, having endured enough humiliation in their daily lives, were overwhelmed by the urging and the pervasive stench of blood, and they all rushed toward Yuan Zhen.

"beat--"

"Kill them—"

Close combat could easily escalate into a larger uprising and war!
Suddenly, a water vat as big as a house door crashed down from the sky, and five or six people cried out in pain. The palace was never short of large objects, such as water vats. As another vat rose from the ground and soared into the sky, the burly figure who had thrown the vat was revealed.

It was none other than General Zhen Dong... Zhao Zhi!
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—" The water vat spun and created a gust of wind, causing all the guards who were grazed to suffer broken bones and injuries.

Where the water vat fell, people collapsed.

As soon as the second vat was placed down, Zhao Zhi easily lifted the third large vat as if it were a table.

She swung her arm and swung it hard.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—boom!"

Zhao Zhi continued walking, and as she grasped the fourth large vat with one hand, a soldier screamed, "General, please calm down! We won't..."

This man was incredibly unlucky. This time, Zhao Zhi didn't throw the water vat. Instead, she located him, dragged the vat over, and swung it at his head.

The shadow of the jar swept across, carrying pieces of flesh. Not only was the body of this Imperial Guard soldier reduced to half, but another soldier who couldn't dodge in time was also knocked down, his shattered head gushing blood, utterly dead.

From the moment Zhao Zhi entered the Imperial Guard headquarters until now, at most a dozen breaths have passed without her uttering a single word, thus silencing the commotion and fighting within the camp.

The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief, because General Zhao's hand had finally left the edge of the jar.

Yuanzhen stepped forward: "I just arrived and didn't see General Yu..."

"I'm here." Yu Jin came out of a checkpoint room. When the chaos of the fighting got out of control, his confidants pushed him into the room, thus preserving his dignity.

Zhao Zhi first bowed to Yu Jin with clasped hands, then warned the soldiers: "Whoever starts trouble tonight, confess your crime, or I'll have to come back a second time." The imperial guards almost mutinied. No matter how Yu Jin punished his soldiers, he couldn't escape being labeled "incompetent." Just one day later, the emperor ordered Prince Yuan Yu of Guangling to concurrently serve as the commander-in-chief. Although Yu Jin remained in the palace, he had to hand over important military power to Prince Yuan Yu.

If Yu Lie's spirit were alive, and knew that less than a month after he presented his plan to kill the king, the Yu family had once again disappointed the emperor, he would probably be so angry that he would dig up his grave.

On the same day that Yu Jin was demoted, the court ordered General Yuan Zhen to go to Yangzhou to assist Earl Yuan Ying of Guangwu in guarding the military affairs of Yangzhou. Yang Ling, a bodyguard of the Imperial Household, was promoted to Yuan Ying's military commander and went to Yangzhou with Yuan Zhen to perform the duties of rectification and supervision.

And so, Prince Rencheng, Yuan Cheng, returned to the capital once again.

An autumn rain in October caused countless leaves to fall in the Prince's mansion. Yuan Cheng refused to let the servants sweep them up. He refused to let guests come to his door every day and sat alone in the pavilion, listening to the crisp sound of the withered leaves being moved by the wind. No one knew what he was thinking.

The steward in the manor can stop others, but he can't stop the rogue among the princes... Prince Yuan Yu of Guangling.

"Uncle, Gao Zhao has come to the capital! He has been taken to the Hualin Pavilion in the North Palace Garden."

Yuan Cheng nodded. For the first time in a while, he smiled and asked, "Was it you who arranged the near-uprising at the Imperial Guard Command?"

“That’s right.” Yuan Yu tossed a handful of fish food into the pond and said, “In the hundreds of thousands of imperial guards in the capital, which prince hasn’t planted some confidants in his military camp? I used to be too lazy to compete with the Yu family, otherwise, even if Yu Lie were alive, that riot would still have happened that night!”

Yuan Yu continued, "That person in the palace really wants the donkey to pull the millstone but doesn't want to feed it. He understands very well that only by handing over the power to command the Forbidden City to Zhao Zhi can he manage the Imperial Guards and the Tiger Guards as well as before. But if that person sits in that position for too long, he's prone to developing a disease... paranoia! He suspected Ru Hao and sent him to the North Palace Garden long ago. Now, out of nowhere, he's started to suspect Zhao Zhi. If I don't cause a mutiny or a military disaster in the Imperial Guards, believe me, Zhao Zhi might have been sent to Jinyong City by now."

Do you think he's tired?

Yuan Cheng snorted and replied, "I'm definitely tired."

Immediately afterwards, the two kings said in unison, "Who isn't tired!"

Yuan Cheng instructed: "Never underestimate your opponent. Wang Xian has many spies both inside and outside the palace. Also, be wary of Attendant Yuan Hui. Do not leave any evidence against him for launching a rebellion. Furthermore, your men in the south are more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything. I have already asked Wang Shennian to handle it for you."

Yuan Yu sniffed guiltily. Last year, after being pelted with rotten eggs by Yuan Zhenjun, he was furious and immediately sent his secret guards to Xiao Qi to bring Wang Su's ex-wife and children to Luoyang. Given the long journey, he couldn't let it be in vain. So he ordered a trusted confidant to stay in Xiao Qi and bribe officials there to assassinate Xiao Yan, hoping to further destabilize the situation. Unexpectedly, Xiao Yan was lucky; he directly rebelled, established the Liang dynasty, and became emperor.

However, after being warned by the Prince of Rencheng, Yuan Yu realized that his uncle had a wide-ranging influence and was only unwilling to show off his power now that he had lost power.

Harem.

The Princess Consort of Jingzhao, looking anxious, came to the Xuanguang Hall of the Central Palace to pay her respects to the Empress.

Seeing her sister's bewildered state, Empress Yu shook her head helplessly. She then left only one trusted maid and dismissed all the other female officials, including Yu E, from the palace before asking, "What's wrong with the concubines in the mansion?"

"This is not my business! Elder sister, don't you know that His Majesty has a cousin named Gao Ying, who has also been assigned to the Northern Palace Garden?"

Yu Baoying: "I know, His Majesty told me."

"Then why don't you seem worried at all?"

"I'm not in a hurry, and I'm not surprised. It's strange that you're so anxious. Where did you hear this news?"

"I heard it from my aunt when I went to visit her." Yu Baofei's voice trailed off as she spoke, and only then did she notice that her elder sister had not left Yu E, the maid given to her by the Yu family, in the palace.

What does this indicate?
Yu Baofei asked quietly, "Did Yu E do something wrong? Or does my elder sister suspect that she was secretly communicating with your aunt behind your back?"

Yu Baoying replied solemnly, "It's not that I don't trust Yu E, but I am now the Empress. If I were still serving the old servants of the Yu family, it would inevitably give others a handle to question my lack of talent and virtue, and that I am manipulated by the Yu family. Consort Bao, you should also be more careful. Don't believe everything your aunt says. Gao Ying is His Majesty's cousin. Whether His Majesty makes her a concubine or another noble lady a concubine in the future, it makes no difference to me."