History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 430 Wei Yao, Yuan Zhi

Kou Meng's judgment was correct; the other person he suspected was none other than Du Sichong, the strategist in Xiao Liang's assassination attempt on Wei Yao.

Just as Kou Meng hesitated about who to capture first, two Xiao Liang spies acted in quick succession, less than a breath apart. First, Du Sichong shouted, "Look..."

What he wanted to shout was, "Look, that person is a spy!" But after only two words, Zhao Cao made his move!

The stone was thrown from his palm, and the sharp end struck Zhao Sengbiao directly in the left eye. The people who witnessed this terrible scene screamed in horror.

Erzhu Maizhen didn't care about Zhao Sengbiao's life or death. He glared angrily at Zhao Cao, pulled on the reins, turned his horse around, and ordered, "Make way! The government is arresting thieves!"

Twenty cavalrymen followed closely behind, roaring, "Make way! Make way—"

"The government is catching the thief! The government is catching the thief!"

People crowded together.

The soldiers patrolling Tongtuo Street rushed here.

Zhao Cao was unwilling to be captured, so he risked everything to escape. He showed no mercy to the people he had captured and grabbed a child and threw him behind him. Fortunately, Erzhu Maizhen was prepared and managed to leap over the child.

"Neigh—" The warhorse seemed to have a spirit, its neigh echoing its master's anger.

The cavalrymen behind bent down and scooped the child onto their horses, continuing to follow the recruits in pursuit of the spies.

On the other side, Du Sichong harmed himself before he harmed others. He had just chosen a route to escape south of the city when he felt a sharp pain in his lower back and was injured by a punch from Kou Meng who had approached him.

Du Sichong reacted extremely quickly. In the instant he fell forward, he half-sided, pressing one hand to the ground and raising the other hand to throw up white ash.

Kou Meng used his right arm to shield his eyes and kicked his opponent.

Du Sichong rolled over on the ground, then raised his hand upwards again, this time as a feint.

Kou Meng was tricked and dodged again, but instead of being angry, he was pleased, because he was certain that this person was no ordinary person, so he didn't need to hold back his strength.

He withdrew his elbow, clenched his fist, gathered his inner strength, and shouted, "Come with me to the government office for questioning!"

Du Sichong was truly terrified when he saw a huge fist coming at him, impossible to dodge or defend against, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see archers closing in on him.

"Ah—" He cried out in despair, "I can't escape!"

At the same time, Zhao Cao was shot in the back by Erzhu Maizhen's arrow. The pain spread to his upper body. He had heard about the methods the Suolu used to torture spies and did not want to suffer such torment. So, the moment he fell to the ground, he dug his fingers into his throat like pestles.

In his crimson vision, countless soldiers gathered above him.

Zhao Cao was truly unwilling to accept his fate. Before he breathed his last, he was filled with regret. If he had known he would die such a pathetic death, he should not have listened to Du Sichong's dog idea. He should have disregarded everything and killed Wei Yao.

Some went to their deaths, while others clung to life.

Kou Meng captured Du Sichong alive. Under the torture instruments such as branding irons, Du Sichong confessed everything. He was a confidant of Cao Jingzong, the newly appointed governor of Yingzhou in the Xiao Liang dynasty. The task of assassinating Wei Yao was arranged by Cao Jingzong. Fifty soldiers accompanied him to Luoyang, who were disguised as Confucian scholars, farmers, and merchants. These fifty soldiers were all cunning, unruly, and vicious. They gathered in two places in Luoyang... east of Tongtuo Street in the inner city and around the ruins of the Imperial Academy in the south of the city.

Du Sichong also confessed that the rebellion of the Luyang barbarians against Wei was jointly planned by Cao Jingzong, Wang Mao, and Lü Sengzhen, ministers of the Liang Dynasty. Wang and Lü were killed, and Cao Jingzong was guilty of dereliction of duty. Because he was afraid of being punished by Emperor Xiao Yan of Liang, he took the initiative to request to go to Yingzhou to take up a post and fight against the Wei female general Zhao Zhi.

After giving his confession, Du Sichong pleaded, "I am willing to surrender. I will do anything you ask, just spare my life."

As long as the prisoners weren't utterly heinous criminals, the imperial court would not only spare their lives but also appease the island's civil and military officials with favorable policies. Wei Yao's pettiness didn't lie in this; she didn't resent the other party for coming to Luoyang because of her assassination attempt. Instead, she spoke matter-of-factly: "I will report your situation to the Emperor. Await further news." Even though Zhao Cao, the most skilled assassin, was dead, Wei Yao remained vigilant. The remaining forces were still extremely vicious. Once those fifty ruthless soldiers confirmed their strategist's capture, they were highly likely to wreak havoc on the people during the New Year holidays and retaliate against the government.

However, it was the end of the year, and all the government offices were busy. The number of idle military officers in the Sizhou Office and the Court of Justice Office was insufficient to deploy a comprehensive network in the inner city and the southern part of the city.

She was also worried about something else. The mastermind behind Xue Zhixiao had not yet surfaced. The other party had many henchmen. If they found out Du Sichong's confession, they might use those fifty fierce soldiers to cause trouble. If that happened, Luoyang would be in chaos, and the people would be injured or killed. His Majesty would definitely be angry with her for not handling things well.

After thinking of a good plan, Wei Yao led Kou Meng back to the palace. Just as they passed through Duanmen Gate, they saw General Yuan Zhi of the Martial Guard leading his troops on patrol.

Yuan Zhi's official rank was third grade, and Wei Yao's position as Attendant-in-Ordinary was also third grade. Yuan Zhi bowed to her from a distance, without the arrogance of other imperial relatives and ministers.

Wei Yao smiled and returned the greeting, addressing the other party as "General Yuan".

Yuan Zhi approached her and asked in the tone of a low-ranking official, "Is there something you need, Attendant Commander?"

He was the most robust among the civil and military officials; compared to him, Kou Meng appeared short and thin.

Wei Yao asked, "I wish to petition His Majesty to ask the general for his assistance in apprehending the spies of Xiao Liang. This mission is not particularly dangerous, but it will not be easy to capture all the traitors in one fell swoop. If the general is willing, he may accompany me to pay homage to His Majesty."

Yuan Zhi, his expression unchanged, nodded and said "Okay".

He remained silent on the way, following a step behind Wei Yao. When they arrived at Qinghui Hall, the two princes, Jingzhao and Guangping, were standing outside the hall as punishment. When Prince Yuan Huai of Guangping saw Wei Yao, he acted as if he had seen an enemy, baring his lips but not daring to utter a sound as he cursed at her: "You wait, I'll kill you!"

Wei Yao scoffed coldly, guessing the reason, and deliberately stopped to ask the fellow, "Lu Kai went to the Prince's Palace to take up the post of Inspector?"

Why bring up the sore spot! The Prince of Guangping's face was contorted with rage. The reason he was being reprimanded by His Majesty today was none other than that old scoundrel Lu Kai! This damned Lu Dianshi, as soon as he took office, investigated the Prince's Palace's accounts and wrote down the discrepancies in the amounts of land and money in his confession. Lu Kai actually respected Yuan Huai quite a bit and showed it to Yuan Huai first.

Yuan Huai was utterly dumbfounded, and tore the memorial to shreds with a few quick rips.

He threatened Lu Kai: "You old scoundrel, if you complain about me, I'll tear you apart!"

Lu Kai was never afraid of threats. He immediately ran to the gate of the Prince's Mansion and loudly recited the contents of the memorial. None of the other officials were of any use. They tried to surround and block him but could not catch Lu Kai. This amused the passers-by and the clerks.

As a result, Prince Guangping tore up the memorial in vain and was summoned to the palace by the emperor and severely reprimanded. Lu Kai was recommended by Wei Yao, and now that she was mentioning Lu Kai, even if Prince Guangping was foolish, he would understand that she was doing it on purpose.

"The king did not answer, it seems he is extremely satisfied with Master Lu, ha."

The Prince of Jingzhao, who was watching the spectacle from the side, grinned wickedly. This crooked grin was a new style of gesture that originated in Luoyang and made him appear dashing and debonair.

Wei Yao turned her head to look at the Prince of Jingzhao and asked, "Did Your Majesty and the Princess quarrel again? Poor thing, you even slapped your mouth crooked."

"Ha." This time it was the Prince of Guangping's turn to gloat.

The Prince of Jingzhao's murderous intent rose: "Wei Yao! You're looking for..."

Wei Yao cut off the other party's harsh words and asked fiercely, "What am I looking for?"

The Prince of Jingzhao's cheeks tightened.

"You're asking for death! You're asking for death, you're asking for death!" He finished saying the harsh words in his mind, but what he said aloud was: "You're looking for His Majesty? His Majesty is inside the palace."

"You don't need to tell me." Wei Yao flicked her sleeves and turned to leave.

"Eh—" The Prince of Jingzhao lowered his head and shook it. If he didn't squeeze out his hatred through his teeth, he would go crazy!