History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 448 If only I had been reborn a decade or so earlier

February 16th, late at night.

A small door in one corner of Yuan Xie's residence opened, and Gou Qi, the chief clerk of the Sizhou office, was led into the house by an official from the office.

"Your subordinate pays respects to the Grand Tutor."

"sit."

Although Yuan Xie was only thirty years old, his military achievements were built on mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Therefore, wherever he sat, that place became the court for deliberation. If he gave an order, no one dared to disobey.

Otherwise, why would the emperor be so wary of this uncle?
He rose and bowed again before daring to sit. Earlier, when his family was in dire straits, it was Prince Pengcheng who recommended him to work as a clerk in the Luoyang County government. It can be said that without the favor shown to him at that time, he would never have the future of being the current registrar of Sizhou.

So many years have passed, and the king still remembers a lowly official like him. How could Gou Qi not have many thoughts? From the moment the king's official summoned him until he stepped into this room, he had been thinking about how many officials had suffered the same fate as him and had been granted a position by the Prince of Pengcheng. If this was intentional, wouldn't it mean that... the staff of local government offices in various prefectures and counties all had the prince's people!
"Do you know why I'm only seeing you tonight? It's because you have many relatives by marriage, and there are more than ten babies born in the following year alone."

Gou Qi broke out in a cold sweat as he listened to these words, his mouth slightly open and then pursed. If he couldn't even understand the threat of extermination, he would have wasted his education!
“Your subordinate is guilty. I should have paid my respects to Your Majesty upon returning to Luoyang, but I was worried that my humble status might cause Your Majesty to forget me, and I was also worried that my position as the Registrar of Sizhou would give Your Majesty cause for slander. That is why I waited for Your Majesty to summon me. Your subordinate will always remember that I am Your Majesty’s man. From now on, whatever Your Majesty asks of me, I will do. I will never dare to be disloyal, nor will I dare to be unworthy of your attention!”

Yuan Xie: "Sit down and answer me. I called you here for two things. First, in a few days, the Prince of Gaoyang will recommend you to enter the palace and go to the province."

"Your subordinate thanks Your Highness for your cultivation!" Gou Qi's surprise was only three-tenths genuine; the rest was all trepidation. Because anyone who paid attention to the situation at court knew that the emperor's greatest fear was the Prince of Pengcheng! The Prince of Gaoyang, Yuan Yong, was also the emperor's uncle and the Prince of Pengcheng's fifth brother. He had been transferred back to the capital from Jizhou last year. Unexpectedly, the two princes' relationship had reached the point where they could recommend officials for each other to enter the capital or go to the provinces.

You must know that the Secretariat is the official department that directly receives the emperor's orders and is in charge of all secrets! So, did the Prince of Pengcheng's association with the other princes deceive the emperor?

Gouqi forced himself to calm down, not daring to think too deeply in front of the other person.

The world is bustling with activity, all driven by self-interest. Yuan Xie has given Gou Qi such a great benefit; naturally, he wants to reciprocate with even greater rewards. "You are Yuan Zhi's confidant. How much do you know about the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Wei Yao? How much do you know about her mother, Zhao Zhi? Tell me about Wei Yao when she was studying in Pingcheng."

"Yes." Gou Qi knew that this was the second reason he had been summoned tonight, and also the reason why the Prince of Pengcheng had remembered him and was using him.

When Wei Yao entered the palace to report to the emperor that the Prince of Beihai had died in the infighting among rebels, Gou Qi happened to tell the Prince of Pengcheng everything she had experienced during the Pingcheng period, including how the emperor sent Xue Zhixiao on a secret mission, which resulted in the death of a former palace maid, and the reason why more than a hundred lives of the Hu family in Anding were buried.

Yuan Xie had only learned about the massacre of Hu Guozhen's family from his eldest son, Yuan Zizhi. After hearing the details, he cursed the fool again! At the same time, he was grateful for his rebirth, which made him realize that he would never continue to be blindly loyal and virtuous. If he had been reborn a few years earlier, he would have killed Yuan Zhi and Gou Qi, those two scoundrels who dared to play tricks on his sons!

The oppressive atmosphere in the room was terrifying. Gou Qi could hardly sit still when Yuan Xie asked again, "When Yuan Zhi wholeheartedly helped Wei Yao's family, was it because he had some agreement with Zhao Zhi? Or did he think Wei Yin had a promising future?"

Gou Qi: "None of that, it's just because Prefect Yuan... is fond of General Zhao."

Yuan Xie never expected it was because of this!
"Yuan Zhi has fewer eyes than others, but more lewd eyes."

Gou Qi, who had followed Yuan Zhi for many years, was unwilling to let Yuan Zhi be scolded, so he shifted the blame, saying, "I have noticed that the palace guard Kou Meng also has feelings for General Zhao. It has happened several times and he can't hide it."

Yuan Xie raised his right eyebrow, chuckled almost inaudibly, and changed the subject, saying, "The imperial physician Wang Xian has many spies working for the supervisory officials. Now that Wang Xian has left the capital, these spies must have been taken over by Wei Yao. How much do you know about this?"

Gou Qi: "In the process of assisting her in the investigation, I noticed that she had a great deal of access to information from all sides. If we're talking about the possibility of her being a spy, I know that the old man selling pancakes north of the Sizhou office is suspicious. However, the Minister of War is very cautious, and what she made me aware of must not be a secret that needs to be hidden."

Yuan Xie: "Tell me all the cases she investigated and those yet to be investigated." Gou Qi: "Yes. Initially, a corrupt official in the Prince of Guangping's mansion confessed to a murder case, which led to the discovery of Xue Zhixiao, who had faked his death..."

The next day.

After the court session ended, the officials left the Taiji Hall one after another as usual. Now, the actual affairs of the Ministry of Personnel were all managed by Wei Yao. She stood very close to Yuan Xie during the court session, so they naturally walked together when leaving.

Yuan Xie: "Someone submitted a memorial to me, impeaching the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat for taking advantage of the neighborhood reform to grant Prince Gaoyang, Yuan Yong, a prime piece of land for his residence in the inner city."

Wei Yao feigned confusion, but was inwardly astonished! She was astonished that such a thing was indeed true, but bewildered as to who had impeached her? She had tried her best to keep her dealings with Yuan Yong secret, and when they discussed giving him the land, she was certain that it was just the two of them!

She thought of a way to deal with it in a moment and said, "To be honest, Grand Tutor, it's not fair that those few acres of land are being fought over by powerful figures. It's not fair to give it to anyone. When Prince Gaoyang returned from Jizhou, he promoted an official named Li Daoyuan, who was recommended by the Minister of Rites. Now that Prince Gaoyang is asking the Ministry of Rites for a few acres of land, I can't just go and disturb the Minister of Rites' peace and quiet over this matter."

Prince Yuanjia of Guangyang drank all day long. He used to ignore the affairs of the court. Even after becoming the highest official in the Ministry of Personnel, he still did not change his drinking habit. Wei Yao blamed Yuanjia for this. Even if Yuan Xie confronted this muddle-headed old prince, the words of a muddle-headed person who was prone to drunken talk would not be counted.

But Yuan Xie had another trick up his sleeve.

“Another official impeached Yuan Yong, saying he was incompetent and that the request he submitted last year to build the capital was not his idea, but rather yours.”

Just then, Prince Yuan Yong of Gaoyang passed by Wei Yao and her companion from behind and greeted them with a friendly smile: "Chatting."

Wei Yao and Yuan Xie, like a small and a strong fox, temporarily put aside their distractions and smiled at Yuan Yong.

Then Wei Yao said to Yuan Xie, "Nothing can be hidden from the Grand Tutor. However, the Grand Tutor took the initiative to approach me because he does not want me to be reprimanded and is willing to help me correct my mistakes in time."

Yuan Xie maintained a smile, thinking to himself, "What a clever young woman! How come she's not his daughter, but Zhao Zhi and Wei Yin's? If only I had been reborn a decade or two earlier, I could have found a way to switch the newborn Wei Yao with my own..."

Wei Yao: "The Grand Tutor once managed the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel, so he must have some experience in governing to teach me. It's a pity that this is not a place for a proper discussion."

Yuan Xie: "Yes, so many eyes in the court are watching me. The higher one's position, the more cautious one must be in one's actions."

Wei Yao: "If the Grand Tutor trusts me, let's discuss the location and time at length, and I will make the decision."

"Ok, I will wait for you."

Having said that, one headed east to the Ministry of Personnel, while the other left the palace directly.

Wei Yao returned to the official residence, filled with doubts!
It's possible that Prince Gaoyang, Yuan Yong, leaked the information about wanting that plot of land because he himself couldn't keep his mouth shut. As she said, those few acres of land wouldn't be good to give to any particular prince, but it would be fine to give them to anyone.

As for the memorial to build the capital, it was indeed written by her. She entrusted it to Yuan Yong to make a contribution because she saw that this prince was wealthy but not talented, and did not have much ambition. Befriending him would only bring benefits and not harm.

Yuan Xie, a prince with such a deep mind, should have been able to think of these two points. So why threaten her face to face with something that is not enough to threaten her?
Unless, there's some other purpose behind it!