History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 454 The Power of the Yu Family

The tenth day of the intercalary fourth month.

Emperor Yuan Ke's anxieties from his years on the throne came true. His younger brother, Yuan Yi, took a letter from home about his illness to Yangzhou, but it not only failed to help, but also brought back news that put him in a dilemma.

"Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor is injured and should not travel long distances. The Grand Tutor said... if Your Majesty is concerned about him, you may go to Yangzhou to visit him."

Yuan Yi concealed something. His sixth uncle's original words were: "If Your Majesty is as sincere as you wrote in the letter and truly cares about me, then come to Yangzhou to see me."

Yuan Xie used his injury as an excuse to have his staff write his reply. Yuan Ke read it over and over again. The unfamiliar handwriting first transformed the family letter into a document devoid of any uncle-nephew affection, and then into sharp bricks that struck his brow.

"Sixth Uncle, you're too lazy to even appease me, which proves that my suspicions about your attempts to seize power over the years have been correct."

The eunuchs quietly added more candles to the palace.

Extinguish the candle.

The emperor spent the entire night in deep thought, unable to find a solution. He was now caught in a dilemma. If he didn't go to Yangzhou, the false uncle-nephew relationship would become widely known, making it impossible for him to summon Yuan Xie back to the capital under any pretext. If he did go to Yangzhou…

"Then I will be the second Gao Xian."

He died in Yangzhou in a muddle, and then Yuan Xie returned to the capital to take charge of the government!
When Wei Yao arrived at the imperial archery range with the eunuch Yang Fan, the guards had just replaced the targets with new ones. The emperor, with a cold face, used the new bow to fire arrows one after another. From the second arrow onwards, each arrow struck the target squarely in the face.

Only after the emperor put down his bow did Wei Yao take the handkerchief from the guard and hand it to the emperor to wipe his hands.

Yuan Ke sighed, "The vast sky and light clouds make human beings seem even more insignificant."

Wei Yao quickly said, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and the power of the Son of Heaven is the power of Heaven."

Yuan Ke smiled outwardly, but inwardly he couldn't laugh. He said, "Last night I dreamt of the late Emperor. He scolded me for my incompetence, for not managing the court and the harem well enough. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to ask him any questions before I woke up. Wei Yao, today we're not about ruler and subject. Tell me whatever comes to mind. What did the late Emperor warn me about in that dream?"

After a moment's thought, Wei Yao replied, "I believe that... the affairs of the court are proceeding in an orderly manner, the imperial children have entered the Four Gates Primary School, the Imperial Academy is under construction, and the wars against the south have been victorious time and again. Your Majesty has not only accomplished what Emperor Xiaowen could not, but has also surpassed the achievements of your predecessors in just a few years on the throne. So, Emperor Xiaowen's dissatisfaction must lie in the inner palace. Could it be that... Heaven is warning Your Majesty through a dream that you should consider the imperial heir?"

After speaking, she presented a memorial she had prepared in advance, saying, "Ever since Your Majesty was slightly unwell last time, I have been worried every day. After much thought, I have decided to advise Your Majesty to expand the number of noble ladies in the harem so that the imperial offspring may prosper."

Yuan Ke opened the memorial and saw that Wei Yao's name was not signed. He asked, "Why is it not signed?"

"This memorial was proposed by General Yu Jin, which is superior to my proposal. Yu Jin is the Empress's father. He suggested that Your Majesty establish more concubines to show the Empress's tolerance. In the future, no matter who conceives a prince first, the Empress's magnanimity and virtue will be credited."

Yuan Ke understood that Wei Yao was reminding him that the power in the harem was entirely in the hands of the Empress. If he allowed the Empress to hold power, he could not let her be jealous. Otherwise, no matter how many beauties he took in, it would be difficult to raise princes smoothly.

He handed the memorial back to Wei Yao, tapped it heavily a few times with his fingers, and said, "Give it to Yu Jin and tell him the truth." If he didn't tell him the truth and explain the reasons to Yu Jin, Yu Jin wouldn't be afraid and wouldn't relay all the advantages and disadvantages to the Empress.

Wei Yao knew perfectly well why she had been suddenly summoned to the imperial archery range. The emperor, feigning that Emperor Xiaowen had appeared to her in a dream, clearly wanted to use her to bring up the issue of expanding the imperial harem at the next court assembly, hoping to garner the support of the officials. However, expanding the harem was merely the prelude to the emperor's true objective. What the emperor found difficult to decide was that the position of Commander of the Imperial Guards had to be finalized!
First, he used the pretext of recruiting concubines to warn the Empress that since the Yu family members were not capable of being trusted, they should behave themselves and not cause trouble in the matter of the Imperial Guards!

The position of Commander of the Imperial Guards required the ability to command hundreds of thousands of Imperial Guards and Tiger Warriors. Since the emperor did not trust the imperial family and ministers, the only military officers in the court could be chosen from two people: Li Chong, the Minister of War, and her mother, Zhao Zhi.

If the task is handed over to Li Chong, her mother will have to continue confronting the Liang army in Nanyang. In the future, she may very well end up like Yuan Xie, amassing a large army and posing a threat to the emperor! So last month, Wei Yao deliberately spread rumors that Emperor Xiao Yan of Liang had appeared in Yingzhou, hoping to make the emperor hesitate. If he was wary of her mother, he would summon her back to the capital. In that case, Li Chong would have to go to Nanyang, otherwise he would not be able to deal with Xiao Yan.

In short, no matter what the emperor decides about the position of commander of the Imperial Guards, the Yu family is doomed.

As Wei Yao had predicted, the next day, Yu Jin was advising Consort Guang on the Empress Dowager's visit in the court when he was summoned by imperial decree to take up his post in Dingzhou. At the same time, Yu Zhong, who was observing mourning at home, was appointed as a Gentleman Attendant and sent with imperial authority to the northern prefectures and counties to supervise corrupt officials.

Empress Yu Baoying sat there blankly, while her younger sister, the Princess Consort of Jingzhao, sobbed softly beside her.

"Sister, Father has to leave the capital tomorrow morning. Please think of a way to stop him from leaving. He is too old to go to such a far place."

The Empress snapped out of her reverie and asked, "Have you asked Yuan Yu about Father's matter?"

Yu Baofei replied sadly, "He never cares about my affairs. What's the point of bringing it up? It just makes him humiliate me for nothing."

The Empress’s voice was cold as she instructed, “Remember, no matter how scoundrel he is, he is still His Majesty’s brother. Since you are not divorcing him, you should regard him as your husband and share weal and woe. Discuss everything with him first and let him know that you are willing to respect him, so that he will respect you in return.”

Yu Baofei shook her head, crying, "If it weren't for the family, I would have left him long ago! To ask me to respect him is worse than death!"

"Come here." The Queen put her arm around her younger sister, patted her back gently, and said, "Alright, I won't force you. Don't cry, don't cry."

Consort Yu was overcome with grief and couldn't stop crying. She hugged the Empress tightly and said, "Sister, how wonderful it was when we were in Woye Town, so free and carefree. Luoyang is bustling, but it suffocates me. I miss my childhood so much. Sister, do you think I can ever live those happy days again?"

"Yes, I can. With me here, I'm sure I can." After saying this, the Empress hummed a folk song from her hometown in her native accent. How could she not miss her hometown?

She had worked very hard after entering the palace. She only hoped that the emperor would have a little affection for her. She wanted to be a virtuous empress in the emperor's eyes and an empress in the Yu family's eyes. She learned from Wei Yao's way of handling things and did not confine her heart and eyes to the Yongxiang Palace. But why was she still a pawn that the emperor could discard at will, no matter how hard she tried?

What does it mean to expect her to be tolerant and forgiving? Does she not understand? The emperor has abandoned the Yu family, so it's time for her, the Empress Yu, to make way for the throne.

A palace maid came in and reported, "The Prince of Jingzhao said there is something going on at his residence and asked the Princess to return home."

Yu Baofei cursed, "You tell him, what nonsense is this!"

The Empress said, “Go back now. The fact that Yuan Yu is asking you to go back at this time shows that he has become sensible and is willing to take care of you.”

"Sister, I don't understand what you're saying."

The Empress smiled gently and urged, "Let's go back."

Meanwhile, in Yingzhou of the Xiao Liang dynasty, the newly appointed governor, Wei Rui, welcomed the emperor, who was disguised as a commoner.

"Why has Your Majesty come here?"

Xiao Yan's eyes were like a galaxy, and he was as handsome as an immortal, making it impossible for anyone to see what was going on deep within those starry eyes.

In front of his old subordinates, Xiao Yan was as approachable as ever. He patted Wei Rui on the shoulder and said, "Wei Ting has spread rumors that I have come to Yingzhou. I suspect that something has changed in Wei Ting. Perhaps Yuan Ke will send someone to replace Zhao Zhi."