History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 415 Breaking the Counter-Espionage Plot

The emperor and his ministers sat around the stove, with Yang Daye guarding the door, and no one was allowed to approach the office.

The emperor's gentle expression turned serious as he asked Wei Yao, "What are your thoughts on the assassin's origins? You can speak now."

"Yes." Wei Yao tried to be concise in her speech: "I believe the assassin was instigated by two forces, and I am worried about the second assassin."

"The assassination of the minister was not a spur-of-the-moment act of a wandering knight; it must have been a premeditated plan. If he only wanted to take my life, why would he use an arrow regulated by the court? I suspect that after killing me, the other party had other plans."

"If rumors of my assassination by the imperial soldiers spread, will the island spies use these rumors to spread further rumors to my mother in Nanyang County?"

Having received this reminder, the emperor and his ministers all understood.

Wei Yao continued, "My mother eliminated two of Xiao Yan's generals in Nanyang County. Xiao Yan will not tolerate this and will surely retaliate. Based on this person's past experiences, we know that he is skilled in trickery, especially counter-espionage!"

Yuan Zhi and Yuan Shao both knew this. Yuan Zhi said, "Some time ago, rumors suddenly surfaced in the capital that Prince Rencheng and General Li Chong were communicating with the enemy country. It must have been all Xiao Yan's doing. Unfortunately, those spies were all suicide agents. When they were arrested, they all committed suicide by poison."

Yuan Shao: "If General Zhao learns that her daughter was assassinated by the imperial soldiers, even if the murderer is caught, it will be difficult to quell her hatred. The brilliance of this counter-espionage plan lies in the fact that even if we guess the other side's plan, we cannot control our suspicions. At that time, the emperor will doubt his ministers, and the ministers will doubt the emperor. No matter what the outcome is, the island barbarians will benefit from it."

Yuan Yu: "Even if His Majesty and Zhao Zhi don't fall for it, Zhao Zhi only has one daughter, Wei Yao. Without her daughter, do you think Zhao Zhi will continue to serve as an official?"

Wei Yao: "If my speculation is correct, the counter-espionage plan will not be interrupted just because the assassin failed. Either there will be another assassination attempt, or some court officials will be bribed by spies and ostracize me in court, or there will even be rumors that my mother disobeyed military orders."

She bowed to Yuan Yu and Yuan Shao and pleaded, "Your Majesty's visit to me late at night is a counter-espionage tactic. This tactic is effective, but I am a woman, and I am afraid that despicable rumors may spread against me. As the saying goes, 'three people can make a tiger.' If such rumors do occur, I hope you two can be my witnesses."

"A knife kills, but slander is even more deadly than a blade," the emperor instructed Yuan Zhi: "If any rumors arise that are detrimental to the military campaign against the barbarians, investigate them thoroughly! It is better to arrest the innocent than to let the guilty go free."

The act of harmony between the emperor and his ministers was over. Wei Yao and the others saw the emperor off. Before he mounted his horse, the emperor kept Wei Yao behind and asked, "Who ordered the first assassin? Do you have any suspects?"

Wei Yao: "Yes. This person is very cunning. I suspect he is planning a very big scheme. The most urgent task is to break his plans."

She dictated her petition: "Due to time constraints, I have not had time to write a formal memorial. I wish to recommend Lu Kai and his two sons. Lu Kai is upright and virtuous, and can serve as the headmaster of the Prince of Guangping's residence, guiding Yuan Huai to reform his ways and dismiss the corrupt officials in the residence. Lu Kai's eldest son, Lu Wei, can serve as the chief clerk of the Prince of Jingzhao's residence, knowing the affairs of the residence, and will patiently admonish Yuan Yu, gradually changing his bad habit of acting arbitrarily. His second son, Lu Gongzhi, is learned and can withstand the trials of life. Because he is young, I wish to have him assist in handling cases, observe his potential, and then report to Your Majesty for official appointment."

The emperor's departure from the palace tonight was intended to demonstrate his great favor towards Yu Yao. Of course, he granted her request and said, "I'm leaving Kou Meng in your care. While you're on your duties, be careful at all times."

Wei Yao: "Your Majesty's instructions have always been in mind: only by preserving one's life can one be loyal."

"Hmm." The emperor mounted his horse, took a few steps, glanced back, and then ordered the troops to move quickly.

In this drama of harmony between the emperor and his ministers, regardless of how much sincerity the emperor had, Wei Yao achieved her goal. She and her mother became the emperor's most trusted ministers, their positions unshakeable. As for recommending the Lu family father and son, it allowed her to legitimately interfere in the promotion and demotion of officials in the Guangping and Jingzhao Princes' mansions, which was equivalent to interfering in the most powerful department of the Ministry of Personnel.

The so-called "minor prime minister" was never her goal!

In the early morning, the food stalls along the Qushui River were bustling with business. The people who came to eat breakfast were all officials from the surrounding government offices. Whenever there was new news from the court, just like today, the number of diners would increase, and they would chat in twos and threes while eating.

The officials from the Ministry of Personnel were the most numerous. "Look, Right Chancellor Yuan! Look, why is he with Attendant-in-Ordinary Wei? They're coming this way, let's quickly lower our heads and pretend we didn't see them."

"Oh dear, that fat official looks like the Prince of Rencheng."

"That's him, he's coming this way too. Quick, duck down, shh—don't speak yet."

"You should shut up first."

One of the food stalls here is skilled at making cheese curds, which have a faint aroma of roasted wheat. Wei Yao, Kou Meng, and Yuan Shao sat down, and Er Zhu Mai Zhen, who was waiting there, stepped forward to report on the situation along the Chaqu River last night.

"The Sizhou Prefecture troops and the Imperial Guards searched east and west respectively. There were no water stains or signs of trampling on the shore. All the boatmen on the boats that were moored at night were questioned, but no one was found to be suspicious. However, the assassin could not have escaped by water, so I noted which boatmen the prefectural troops questioned."

Wei Yao praised, "You've made progress; you're more meticulous in your work now."

She then instructed, "Go back and give the list of ward officials and boatmen in Yijing to Clerk Gou. If Clerk Gou finds any clues, inform me immediately."

Ren Chengwang borrowed a wide stool from a nearby stall and moved it over, along with the food tray and breakfast. During this process, the cook at the stall deliberately banged on the iron pot to express his dissatisfaction.

Yuan Shao rarely ate at these open-air stalls. Smelling the aroma of the meat pie in front of Prince Rencheng, he asked, "Is it a marrow pie?"

Marrow cakes were a type of cake made by the Xianbei people. They were made by adding animal marrow, fat, and honey to the dough, then baking it in an oven. However, as the royal family and nobility embraced Buddhism and Taoism, the Xianbei people followed suit with changes in their diet, and these fragrant and rich marrow cakes became less common among merchants.

The Prince of Rencheng was also a Buddhist. He replied to Yuanshao, "It's made of tofu and smells like marrow."

Yuan Shao: "I'll try it."

He chewed a few times and exclaimed, "Bullshit! What kind of tofu is this? It's not just bone marrow, it's cow bone marrow!"

Prince Rencheng said in a low voice, "We've already eaten, so don't ruin their business."

With Wang Xian gone from the capital, the hawks and henchmen of the Censorate were all under the command of Wei Yao. Naturally, the Prince of Rencheng no longer needed to deliberately avoid Wei Yao as before. His next words indicated that he already knew about Wei Yao's assassination attempt last night and was not afraid of Yuan Shao, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, overhearing.

“The enemy has their eye on you and won’t give up easily. Your mother isn’t in the capital. If you encounter any difficulties, you can send me a message.”

Wei Yao bowed and thanked him, then said with a smile, “I do have a difficult matter. His Majesty has already granted permission to restore the ancient rites at the Four Gates Elementary School, to worship the sages with the ‘Shicai Ceremony,’ and has allowed the court to discuss this matter before the end of the year. However, there are many official duties before the end of the year, and I am afraid that the court discussion will be delayed. If the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat is willing to submit a memorial on this matter, it will surely inspire the other ministers.”

Not to mention the Prince of Rencheng, even Yuan Shao was surprised and said, "How come I didn't know about such an important matter?"

His ignorance means that not many people in the Ministry of Personnel know about it.

The officials from the Ministry of Personnel who were having breakfast around them all leaned slightly to eavesdrop, their minds no longer on their food.

At this moment, five riders came from the horse path beside the bridge. The leader looked somewhat like Yuan Shao. He surveyed Yuan Shao's position from his elevated position, his gaze clearly hostile.