History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 364 The Trembling Gao Family

Royal gardens, North Palace Garden.

Emperor Yuan Ke alighted from his carriage and gazed towards the direction of Hualin Duting. He sighed with worry even before seeing the Gao family.

Today, the imperial physician Wang Xian reported to him on the Gao family's life in the old capital and their various behaviors on the way to the capital.

"The Feng family's power in the old capital is deeply rooted. There are many stubborn and senile old men among the Xianbei nobles who simply do not believe that the two daughters of the Feng family were deposed empresses and empresses You long ago. Therefore, Gao Zhao, Gao Xian, and the Bohai Duke's family have not received any favors from Empress Wenzhao. However, Your Majesty can rest assured that the Gao family is living a very peaceful life in Pingcheng and no one is making things difficult for them."

Yuan Ke could easily discern the minister's cautious words; his uncle was clearly an incompetent fool! For so many years, no one had made things difficult for Gao Zhao and his family, indicating that the powerful figures of the old capital were aware of the court's situation and knew that Empress Wenzhao was the only former empress to be posthumously honored! With a former empress and the emperor to rely on, the Gao family's reputation had been completely forgotten in Pingcheng!

Wang Xian added, “The Gao family members are accustomed to speaking the Xianbei dialect of the old capital, which made communication with the guards difficult on the road. In addition, the road was not smooth and the oxcart was slow, which delayed their arrival in the capital. Furthermore, the guards observed that Gao Xian showed signs of acclimatization after entering Luoyang County. However, Your Majesty, please rest assured, I have examined Gao Xian’s pulse. It is probably because it is the first time he has left his hometown, and he is worried about the land that his family has cultivated for generations. He is reluctant to leave and feels uneasy, which is why he is thinking about going back.”

The words contained several layers of meaning quite tactfully. First, it implied that the Gao family members were not fluent in Han Chinese, let alone the standard Luoyang dialect. Second, it suggested that since the Gao family members couldn't travel on horseback and could only ride in oxcarts, they shouldn't expect any horsemanship or archery skills, demonstrating that they were neither cultured nor martial!

The third point is that Gao Xian, this uncle, is even more useless! He doesn't know the value of profit, and upon arriving in Luoyang, he actually pretended to be sick and thought about returning home.

This shows that not a single person in the Gao family is wise; they still don't understand the purpose of their entire clan's migration to Luoyang.

To get to Hualin Duting, you need to pass through Qingshu Hall.

Yuan Ke walked ahead, with Wei Yao following behind. The emperor asked, "Wei Yao, is this your first time visiting the Northern Palace Garden?"

She immediately replied, "Yes."

"I heard from Wang Xian that you learned the rhyme book and pronunciation in a short time after you came to Luoyang?"

Wei Yao knew the emperor well; he never chatted idly or asked pointless questions. So she respectfully replied, "Yes," and then said, "However, I still insist on practicing the Xianbei language and haven't given up my old capital accent."

Yuan Ke: "At the beginning of my reign, I granted Yuan Hui's request to abolish the old policy of 'the former nobles living in the south in winter and in the north in summer.' Why do you miss the old capital's accent?"

That dog of an emperor, he's suspicious all the time! When the late emperor was alive, in order to move the capital quickly, he had to make concessions to the stubborn nobles, allowing them to live in Luoyang in the winter and return to the north to escape the summer heat. Because these people came and went every autumn and spring, they were despised by the officials in the capital as "wild goose officials".

Both the late emperor and the current emperor, Yuan Ke, disliked Yan Chen intensely! Yuan Hui seized upon this point to submit a memorial, cutting off Yan Chen's benefits, which earned him Yuan Ke's trust and the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary in the Secretariat.

If Wei Yao acknowledges the emperor's "nostalgia," it would be tantamount to admitting to having connections with the nobles of the old capital.

She dared to bring it up herself, naturally she had prepared her explanation. “It is not that I miss the old capital’s accent, but that today’s ‘Yan Chen’ is not the ‘Yan Chen’ of the past. The northern barbarians, the Rouran, the Xiongnu, the Gaoche and other tribes are now all called ‘Yan Chen’ by us, their subjects. The vast majority of the northern barbarians who have surrendered to Wei speak the old capital’s accent. I know their dialect, but they do not know mine, so it is easier for them to admire and learn from me, and it also lets them know that the capital of my Great Wei is not only magnificent but also embraces customs from all directions.”

Yuan Ke paused slightly as he climbed the steps, smiling as he looked at Wei Yao, who was two steps below him. This girl's flattery always hit the nail on the head.

He felt much more relaxed and pointed to his side: "Keep up."

"Yes." Wei Yao and the emperor walked together on the first step. Fortunately, it was only a few steps to the top, to the open space of Qing Shu Palace.

Yuan Ke: "We'll be hunting in Jingyang Mountain this winter. Practice your riding and archery in your spare time."

To be a sycophant, one sometimes has to resort to obsequious tactics that even one despises. Wei Yao respectfully replied "Yes," then made a bow-drawing gesture, boasting, "I've shot a rabbit before. I'm willing to be Your Majesty's foot soldier, and I will never disgrace Your Majesty." Yuan Ke tried to suppress a laugh, but a dimple appeared on one cheek, revealing his already excellent mood. He believed he understood Wei Yao; she was very cautious and never spoke nonsense. Her use of "foot soldier" certainly didn't refer to leading the way during a winter hunt in the gardens, but rather to assisting the Gao family.

Today, Yuan Ke had no choice but to select Wei Yao from among his trusted ministers in the Secretariat. Yuan Hui and Zhen Chen, whom he wanted to use, were both lacking in talent. Wang Xian was cautious enough, but he had a low official rank and no experience in handling state affairs, so he could not help Gao Zhao and Gao Xian quickly establish themselves in the court.

As for his former trusted bodyguard Ru Hao... According to the clues Wang Xian found, Ru Hao was secretly colluding with the forces of Yuan Xiang, the Prince of Beihai! He is not killing Ru Hao now, but keeping him alive to appease Yuan Xiang.

In fact, the best candidate to help the Gao family seize power as soon as possible and stand against the Prince should be the Imperial Censor. Yuan Ke did not choose the Imperial Censor Xing Luan to accompany him to Hualin Capital Pavilion, not because Xing Luan was the brother-in-law of the Prince of Rencheng, but because Xing Luan lacked the courage to offend the officials! To put it bluntly, the position of Imperial Censor was not even suitable for him.

Yuan Ke also considered another minister, Prince Guangping, Yuan Kuang, nicknamed "Strong Fighting Cock," an outlier among the princes who impeached members of the imperial clan every month. However, Yuan Kuang's refusal to ally with the other princes did not mean he was willing to help the Gao family confront the princes. In fact, the list of those impeached every month might include several more members of the Gao family.

The eunuch Yang Fan reported, "Your Majesty, the Hualin Pavilion is just ahead."

The four members of the Gao family in the pavilion also saw the emperor.

The person being protected by these newly arrived imperial guards, though his face was obscured, exuded an aura of nobility and must be the emperor!

definitely is!

It's so scary.

They've met the living emperor today!
As Yuan Ke approached, Gao Zhao, Gao Xian, Gao Meng, and Gao Ying trembled even more violently, and coupled with the cold weather, they felt an urgent need to urinate!

"Clang, clang, clang..." The teeth of the four members of the Gao family also began to clink together.

The wind billowed their trouser legs.

The shaking intensified.

Something's wrong! Yang Fan warned in a stern tone, "Could it be an earthquake? Protect His Majesty! Protect His Majesty!"

What earthquake?! Yuan Ke kicked aside the obstructing eunuch, while Wei Yao kept a close distance, following the emperor into the wooden pavilion.

She scolded the stunned Gao family members in a low voice: "Why haven't you paid your respects to His Majesty yet?"

When Wei Yao faced the emperor, she took the lead in performing the rites of greeting, but even so, she could not teach the four members of the Gao family well.

The inconsistent pronunciation and varying pitch of the four "paying homage to Your Majesty" gave Yuan Ke a headache. The varying heights of the bowing postures, and Gao Ying's awkward attempt to stand up before Yuan Ke's permission, followed by a stumbling backward, was an eyesore.

Not to mention the four of them with their snotty noses!
It flows down with the exhale and "whoosh" up with the inhale.

Seeing that the eldest and youngest of the four seemed about to speak, Wei Yao quickly gestured to the emperor: "May I announce the decree now?"

Once the important business is done, it doesn't matter how improper we are or what kind of jokes we make.