History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 446 Shi'er Kills Yuan Xiang [End of Text]

Ten days later, in accordance with the imperial edict, the Prince of Beihai built a separate residence next to the county government office in the outer city. Yuan Xiang was taken away in an oxcart and placed under house arrest there. At the same time, his position as "Record Minister" was revoked and replaced by Prince Yuan Jia of Guangyang. Yuan Jia's position as "Minister of State Affairs" was taken over by Wei Yao, who had left the Secretariat.

From then on, Wei Yao's career took another step forward, and he became the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a second-rank official, and was called Prime Minister along with the Minister of Personnel!

Among the high-ranking officials in the court, everyone knew that the Prince of Guangyang was a drunkard who neglected his duties. So after the decree for promotion was issued, the heads of the thirty-six departments of the Ministry of Personnel and the three hundred and sixty departments of the external offices rushed to present all their official duties to the office of the Minister of Personnel. Yuan Jia ignored this and Wei Yao's position as prime minister was completely secured.

The affairs of the Ministry of Personnel are numerous and complex, and they are divided into priorities. The first thing that Wei Yao urged on duty was the neighborhood reform that she had previously petitioned for... All officials of Luoyang County are not allowed to reside in the market, and are strictly prohibited from competing with the people for profit!
Immediately afterwards, she petitioned for salt industry reform... Regardless of wealth or poverty, the people were not allowed to produce salt privately, and each prefecture and county was to establish an office to supervise the salt industry, with the imperial court sending officials to the prefectures and counties every year to conduct separate inspections.

Along with the document on salt industry reform, a request was submitted to mint new Wuzhu coins. From then on, these new Jingming coins, along with Taihe Wuzhu and ancient coins, were used in common and promoted outside Sizhou, especially in Xuzhou and Yuzhou. After implementation, people in various places could still barter, but if any merchant refused to accept these three types of coins and hindered the flow of goods, the merchant would be severely punished and the local official would be dismissed.

The change in the salt lake tax policy will enrich the national treasury. Strengthening currency circulation will further promote commerce. Moreover, whenever later generations mention the Jingming Wuzhu coin, they will think of the emperor who ruled the world during the Jingming era. Yuan Ke, thinking of the future prosperous era, could not help but be delighted, and thus readily agreed to Wei Yao's memorial.

The specific implementation of the imperial edict was the responsibility of the Ministry of Personnel. Officials in various departments passed on information to each other, and no one dared to shirk their duties or cheat during the period when Wei Yao was establishing his authority.

In mid-February, Wei Yao, who also served as the Vice Minister of the Court of Justice, determined the death sentences of Yuan Xiang's henchmen Ru Hao, Chen Saojing, and others, and executed all these rebellious officials.

On the same day, Yuan Xiang, the Prince of Beihai, was demoted to a commoner.

In Yuan Xiang's eyes, the moon tonight was exceptionally pale, like a grotesque face that had bled to death. He sat blankly in the courtyard for an unknown amount of time before Shi'er draped a quilt over him. Only then did he come back to his senses, pull Shi'er to sit next to him, and say, "Since I fell into misfortune, you have been by my side serving me. You have worked hard."

"I only regret that I am not capable enough to rescue the King!"

Yuan Xiang chuckled and said, "Save me? To truly save me, you'd need extraordinary abilities. Otherwise, even if you leave this place, you'll be trapped in another. It's good that you have this intention; it shows I haven't spoiled you in vain."

He sighed, “Let me tell you about the court. My nephew likes the ministers to praise his magnanimity, but in reality… humph, he is the most mean-spirited and ruthless person. If I really intended to rebel, how could I have so easily fallen into this situation? My nephew knows, he knows everything. With each new wing he gains, he wants to eliminate an elder.”

“He knows I am greedy, but instead of admonishing me, he hopes I will act recklessly. Doesn’t he know that for every penny I take from local officials, countless people suffer injustice as a result? How can such a ruler dare to aspire to be a benevolent one?”

"In the end, it was my carelessness. I thought this time, when I went to the palace for a reprimand, it would be the same as the time before the New Year."

"However, the thing I regret the most is that I underestimated Wei Yao. I wasn't decisive enough. I should have killed her instead of confronting her in the court."

The Wei Yao he mentioned was not handling official documents in the government office at the moment, but in Suimin Village, which was not far from the annex.

Zhang Longzi, a general of the Imperial Guard, strode in to report: "The traitor who robbed Yuan Xiang has appeared."

Wei Yao handed over a list and instructed, "This was found on the rebels tonight."

Zhang Longzi accepted it: "Yes, this humble official knows what to do."

Wei Yao then instructed, "Protect someone for me, Shi'er, the maidservant of Yuan Xiang."

Zhang Longzi responded "Yes" again. As he stepped back into the night, the elite Imperial Guards, who had been lying in wait for a long time, quietly followed and gradually surrounded the villa.

During this period, Wei Yao had Kou Meng keep an eye on Cheng Lingqiu, the Grand Minister of Agriculture. The official accompanying her tonight was Lu Gongzhi, the newly promoted Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

Lu Gongzhi sighed, "With Yuan Xiang dead, the court should be able to settle down now."

Wei Yao chuckled, thinking to herself, "The real power struggle has only just begun." Yuan Xiang suddenly felt a pang of panic. He looked up at the night sky, unsure of what to think. Indeed, this place was a cage, and even if he escaped, another place might also be a cage. But not all cages are the same.

He gripped Shi'er's hand tighter and tighter, almost breaking her hand bones. He finally made up his mind and muttered to himself, "He has already convicted me of treason. My defense is useless. What's the point of defending myself?"

Just then, a figure appeared on the courtyard wall. Shier raised her other hand and covered her mouth in fright.

More than a dozen men in black jumped over the wall; their muscular builds alone revealed their martial arts skills. These men knelt before Yuan Xiang and whispered, "Your Majesty, the city gate guards have been bribed. Please leave with us immediately."

Yuan Xiang: "What about the Empress Dowager?"

"The imperial court has too many henchmen; we can only have Wang leave tonight."

Yuan Xiang pounded his chest, as if in pain, then gently instructed Shi'er, "There are some coins under my pillow, go and take them."

Shi'er stood up, deliberately twisted her ankle, and bumped into Yuan Xiang's arms. The thin blade she had put in his mouth while covering it had been deeply cut into Yuan Xiang's throat!

With a "bang," Yuan Xiang kicked Shi'er away, but it was too late. No matter how hard he tried to cover his neck, blood still gushed out.

“Kill, kill…” he angrily pointed at Shi’er.

Yuan Xiang was the hope for these men in black to get promoted and make money. Seeing that his hope had been destroyed, he was furious! The leader of the bandits was about to strike Shi'er on the head when an arrow shot out and pierced through his neck.

Zhang Longzi leaped down the wall and rushed towards Shi'er first, while the other elite guards captured the black-clad thief.

Shier pointed the blade at her throat, and Zhang Longzi, not daring to use force, quickly told her, "I was sent here on the orders of the lieutenant."

The blood on Shi'er's lips was partly from her own cuts and partly from Yuan Xiang. She tried her best to explain: "Please tell the lieutenant that I didn't kill Yuan Xiang entirely out of sisterly affection, so the lieutenant doesn't need to feel guilty towards me, nor does my elder sister. Yuan Xiang colluded with corrupt officials and harmed the people, so I killed him when he was in dire straits. This is the retribution he deserved."

With tears welling in his eyes, Zhang Longzi, ready to seize the knife at any moment, advised, "Trust the lieutenant commander. Even if you kill Yuan Xiang, she can still save you."

Shi'er shook her head: "I'm a very stubborn person, and I never want to be a burden to others." After saying that, she exerted force in her hand, and the sharp blade went into her throat.

The news of Yuan Xiang's violent death, along with a list of rebels, was delivered to the palace overnight. Emperor Yuan Ke pondered for a long time and whispered, "Seventh Uncle, don't hate me. After all, you are my uncle."

Then, he wrote the character “勰” on the paper.

"Sixth Uncle, it's your turn next. I know that everyone in the court praises you as a pillar of the state, but the world belongs to me, and who is the pillar of the state is up to me."

Prince Pengcheng, Yuan Xie, had residences in both the inner and outer city. One of his residences was located outside the Jianchun City Gate. To the north of this residence was the villa where Yuan Xiang was imprisoned. During this period, Yuan Xie spent his nights at this residence. Not long after Yuan Xiang was assassinated, he learned of the news and knew that Wei Yao's carriage had carried Yuan Xiang's body through the Jianchun City Gate.

“The prime minister killed the king. Wei Yao, what’s your next step? Will you continue to kill the king, or…” Yuan Xie walked alone, the moonlight bathing the courtyard in white. He walked all the way to the small door in the northwest corner, where the night watchmen lived. A man was led in by a government official.

"Your subordinate pays respects to the Grand Tutor."

If Wei Yao were here, she would be utterly horrified!
Because the official who came to see the Prince of Pengcheng was actually the registrar of the Sizhou office... Gou Qi!
The main story recounts Wei Yao's struggles and triumphs. The subsequent court intrigues and the North-South wars will be presented as separate episodes in the epilogue. Readers who are interested are encouraged to continue supporting the story and patiently await Wukong's next novel. Thank you again to all the new and old friends I've made!