History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

The three men retrieved the arrows.

Yuan Yu shoved the arrow back into the quiver and said, "This roe deer is lucky."

Wei Yao walked back to her mount with regret, her words filled with pity: "Even if it hadn't run away, I wouldn't have had the heart to shoot it."

The seventh prince remained silent, thinking to himself: I still don't have thick skin.

This orchard is an extension of the plants in Hualin Garden at the foot of the mountain. It doesn't cover a large area, and you can only truly begin climbing the mountain after passing through the wooded area.

Once outside the orchard, the view of Wei Yao and her two companions immediately opened up. She first saw a large, man-made pasture in front of her, backed by towering peaks with overlapping winter yellow and pine green foliage. At the top of the peaks, waterfalls cascaded down, crashing against rocks and trees, startling birds and beasts.

A feast is being set up in the ranch, with archery targets standing against the mountain on both sides. There are so many targets that they look like a line of valiant soldiers, each with a precipitous mountain behind them facing each other.

We'll have to spend the night in the mountains. Some of the tents are set up here, and all the wild animals we shot earlier are unloaded here and counted by the officials of Hualinduting.

Like other hunters, Wei Yao led his horse to drink water and replenish its fodder.

The noble ladies, who had been chatting and laughing by the trough, quieted down and stopped laughing when they saw Wei Yao approaching.

After Wei Yao bowed to the Empress, the Empress put aside her previous unpleasantness and asked with concern, "Does Vice Minister Wei intend to stay at the archery range or go to the hunting grounds in the deep mountains?"

In the afternoon, the Imperial Guards used tree branches to create a small hunting ground at the archery range, releasing wild animals such as foxes and sheep for ministers with poor riding and archery skills to hunt.

As for continuing into the mountains, it is a difficult hunt that tests not only archery skills but also courage and luck. If one gets separated from the group and encounters wild beasts such as tigers and leopards, the chances of survival are slim.

Wei Yao replied, "Your subject will proceed into the mountains." The opportunity to hunt in Jingyang Mountain was rare, and she was not about to leave empty-handed.

Queen: "Then come with us."

Wei Yao had already prepared a reason and refused directly: "I have already made an appointment with the Minister of Works and the Seventh Prince to travel together."

Princess Consort Yu Bao of Jingzhao angrily rebuked, "Wei Yao, don't be so ungrateful! You even dare to refuse the Empress's kindness!"

The Empress silenced her sister with a look. People grow with their environment; she had grown accustomed to the Empress's noble status and was also annoyed by Wei Yao's lack of respect. Since that was the case, this would be her last attempt to win Wei Yao over. From now on, if they couldn't share interests, they would have to become enemies.

A few steps away, Princess Chang Le, Yuan Ying, was accompanied by her aunt Yuan Zhenjun and the lady-in-waiting Gao Yueen. Princess Ying saw that Wei Yao had refused the Empress's invitation and couldn't help but frown and sigh.

Princess Yuanzhen of Chenliu helped Gao Yueen fix the flowers that were about to fall off her hair. Then she admonished her niece and taught Gao Yueen, "There are all kinds of people in the world, each with their own thoughts, and they all think they are the smartest. Ah Ying, you must remember that things are different now than before. She is the empress, and you are a princess. The empress can manage the princess, but the princess cannot manage the empress."

“It’s difficult to teach someone by their own actions, but easy to teach someone by their own experiences. Everyone makes mistakes, including the Empress. If Her Majesty doesn’t get angry, then the Empress is right even if she’s wrong. Why should you tell the Empress what she should and shouldn’t do?”

Conversely, if the emperor is angry with the empress, then no matter how right the empress is, she is wrong! Of course, the wise Yuanzhen Jun would not let such words come out of his mouth.

Yuan Ying: "Thank you for your guidance, Aunt. I understand now. I have always thought that I understand the inner palace better than the Empress does about His Majesty's preferences, which has led to my habit of always trying to teach the Empress how to do things. If it weren't for Aunt's reminder, I probably wouldn't even know that I have incurred the Empress's dislike."

Gao Yueen quickly said, "I understand too."

Being an official is really not easy! Ever since she entered the palace as a "female attendant," she realized that without sufficient knowledge, it would be difficult to move forward among high-ranking female officials! In addition, the empress did not trust her at all, making her position as a female attendant virtually meaningless.

"We're setting off first!" The woman in military attire who addressed the noble ladies was Princess Zheng Shirong of Guangling, from the Zheng clan of Xingyang. She was traveling with Princess Pengcheng, Princess Gaoyang, and Princess Changshan. The four of them had arranged to travel together beforehand, and their clothing was modeled after Mulan. Their heroic bearing inspired all the noble ladies with a surge of pride.

As soon as Yuan Zhenjun and the other two mounted their horses and left, before the dust kicked up by their hooves had even settled, Consort Yu couldn't help but ask suspiciously, "Wasn't Princess Chang Le very close to you before? And that Gao Yue'en, she's your lady-in-waiting, why isn't she serving you? Does she really think she's here to hunt?"

The Empress explained, "Does Princess Chang Le need to ask me or get my permission before getting close to anyone? Gao Yue'en... she is His Majesty's aunt, and she did not come to Jingyang Mountain this time as a lady-in-waiting."

Consort Yu couldn't believe it: "What? How could His Majesty..." Fortunately, she had learned to be cautious this time, and she kept her voice down no matter how surprised she was.

She asked, "Could it be true that His Majesty intends to select a young lady from the Gao family to enter the palace?"

The Empress nodded and informed her, "The woman chosen from the Gao family is named Gao Ying. She was brought into this North Palace Garden with Gao Zhao and the others as soon as she arrived in the capital. Because Gao Ying behaved improperly in front of His Majesty, she was not kept, but it is only a matter of time before she enters the palace."

Consort Yu held her elder sister's hand tightly and said, "Your Majesty, don't be afraid. If you need me to do anything, I will help you even if I have to give up being the Princess Consort of Jingzhao!"

The Queen immediately felt warm.

"I don't need you, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

In the afternoon, at the hunting grounds deep in the forest.

Wei Yao, Yuan Yu, and the Seventh Prince struggled to lead their horses through the forest. Someone was definitely up to no good; the horses assigned to them were as timid as mice. They would turn weak at the sound of wolves howling and run away at the sound of bears roaring. Sometimes they would pretend their hooves were stuck in the vines and remain motionless like dead turtles, and other times they would be as stubborn as donkeys, trying their best to go down the mountain.

As they walked, Yuan Yu would occasionally turn back to instruct his nephew and Wei Yao: "Let me tell you, before you run away from a wild beast, wound your horse first, then run away, let the smell of blood hold the beast back. Don't shake your heads, listen to me, in times of crisis, human life is more important than horse life."

Wei Yao walked at the very back, still shaking her head, while Yuan Ruo took two big strides forward and whispered to his fourth uncle, "Tiger, there's a big tiger ahead."

In the blink of an eye, Yuan Yu's back was covered in sweat!

Meanwhile, in Nanyang County.

In the dense forest of the hills, Lü Sengzhen, a trusted minister of Emperor Liang Xiao Yan, hurriedly walked out of the mountains. The retreat route had been scouted by Liang spies in advance, avoiding the nests of wild beasts, snakes, scorpions, and poisonous bees, as well as the pits and traps dug by the barbarians.

Suddenly, that feeling of fear that made the hairs on my back stand on end returned!
At this moment, Lü Sengzhen had no need to pretend. He grabbed a barbarian as a shield, blocking his vitals and looking behind him.

The remaining barbarian soldiers, confused, also looked back.

A huge wolf with a donkey's head came running towards them and stopped when it was more than ten feet away.

It must be said that Lü Sengzhen possessed an exceptionally keen sense of danger. Seeing only a lone wolf, he not only did not lower his guard but also did something extraordinary: he grabbed the barbarian and immediately turned back...

However, it's too late!

He only heard a sharp sound, and couldn't even see what kind of hidden weapon was attacking him with lightning speed. He only saw a hole in his forehead and his body fell to the ground.

When Lü Sengzhen died, the barbarians who were escorting him were so frightened that they all fled towards the bandit camp.

The soft rustling of falling twigs and leaves signaled the slayer of the Liang general: General Zhao Zhi, the Guardian of the East! (End of Chapter)