History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 456 The Emperor at His wits' end

Rewind to a moment before.

Wei Yao followed the guards into the Shiqian Hall. Yang Fan, the emperor's most trusted eunuch, greeted her and led her into the bedchamber, whispering, "It was just getting dark when His Majesty suddenly developed a headache and fever. He took some medicine and managed to fall asleep, but then he fell into a nightmare."

Wei Yao didn't ask the foolish question, "Why not wake His Majesty?" because the Empress was already there, as were Cui Yu, the Imperial Censor, Yuan Yi, who was on duty in the Secretariat, and Yuan Cheng, who was on duty in the Imperial Library.

Furthermore, during her journey into the Shiqian Hall, she saw that Yang Daye, Wang Zhongxing, and Yuan Yao, the three military officers in charge of the Imperial Guards, were all on duty. Such a deployment could only have been assigned by the Emperor. From this, Wei Yao concluded that the Emperor's illness was difficult to cure this time, because only a mental illness can be cured by a mental remedy, and the only remedy for the mental illness was for the Grand Tutor to return to the capital.

"Minister of the Imperial Secretariat".

"Paying homage to the Empress."

"Prince of Qinghe, Prince of Rencheng."

When Wei Yao greeted Yuan Yi and Yuan Cheng, she addressed them as "Your Highness" rather than by their official titles. The Empress immediately became alert, beginning to consider the worst-case scenario: if the Emperor's fever persisted or worsened… could she, as Empress, still control the inner palace? If she could intervene in court affairs, then she would have to recall her father and cousin to the capital…

While Empress Yu was lost in thought for a few moments, Imperial Physician Cui approached Yu Yao and quietly inquired, "This humble official may use acupuncture to briefly rouse His Majesty and administer the medicine. However, His Majesty has not slept for two nights in a row..."

Upon noticing the Empress's displeasure, Wei Yao immediately raised her hand slightly to indicate that she understood and told Cui Yu to shut up to save his life.

Physician Cui's words had two layers of meaning. First, the emperor's illness this time came on fiercely, and even if acupuncture brought him back to consciousness, he would still be in a deep sleep. Currently, the emperor was not sleeping peacefully, but he was not yet delirious. Once he awoke, it was crucial to quickly assign tasks to ministers—who would be in charge of state affairs, who would assist him, and whether the empress could interfere in court matters during this period.
Another layer of meaning is, who should convey the "good advice" to the emperor to rest and recuperate? If the emperor were to become angry and take the opportunity to vent his frustration at being subdued by the Grand Tutor, who in the palace would be willing, and who could bear the consequences of being demoted?

The Empress questioned, "Minister Wei, His Majesty trusts you the most and has entrusted you with the affairs of the entire Ministry of Personnel. Yet you have caused His Majesty to worry to the point of illness. Do you know your crime?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the emperor frowned and mumbled a few words in his sleep.

It is very tiring to shout in one's sleep. Everyone saw that the emperor was exerting all his strength, as if he were climbing out of a deep pit, and sweat was visibly coming from his forehead to his neck.

Yang Fan quickly stepped forward, took a clean towel to wipe his sweat, and when he stepped back, he was the one covered in sweat.

Wei Yao replied, "The Empress's criticism is correct, but the most important thing right now is to ensure His Majesty's well-being."

As she suspected, the Empress indeed suggested, "Cui Yu's medical skills are not good enough; let's summon Wang Xian back."

Yuan Yi said, "The imperial edict summoning Wang Xian back to the capital was issued yesterday."

The Empress was taken aback.

Both Prince Rencheng and Wei Yao nodded.

This shows that the emperor issued a secret edict through the Secretariat!
Wei Yao was indeed unaware of the matter of summoning Wang Xian. Fortunately, she had taken precautions in advance. Back at the banquet at the Yong Prince's Mansion, she had made an agreement with Grand Tutor Yuan Xie that as long as she gained control of the Yangzhou military, she would immediately send someone to Xiangzhou to "invite" Wang Xian.

The Empress's idea of ​​using Wang Xian to interfere in court affairs was brilliant. However, there's always someone better. Wang Xian's journey back to the capital was cut off a month ago!
The emperor seemed to have changed his dream; he no longer struggled or showed anger, but instead appeared confused and raised his arm to grab at things haphazardly.

Prince Rencheng: "If only I could hear what His Majesty is saying, perhaps I could find the right words to awaken His Majesty."

Yuan Cheng's words at this moment must have a deeper meaning. As Wei Yao pondered, she looked at the emperor, and for some reason, she recalled the scene of her first meeting with Yuan Ke.

At that time, she was a ninth-rank proofreader in the Secretariat. That night, she was searching for notes in the storeroom. In order to read them quickly, she tied a small lantern to her forehead, which made her sway and not see Yuan Ke's face clearly when he entered the storeroom.

Wei Yao still remembers it clearly. The emperor, unusually playful, tilted his head to avoid the lantern and looked at her. She didn't know what he was thinking at the time. What she was thinking was... a few wooden tablets from the old palace of Pingcheng, and letters buried in the old courtyard of Yuan Ke.

She found answering riddles on wooden tablets amusing, but it nearly cost her her life. Fortunately, her mother and uncle joined forces and used Zhang Wenzhi's life to save hers.

As for those letters, their contents are even more unthinkable. When the deposed Crown Prince Yuan Xun was alive, Yuan Ke dared to use only a fool like Zhao Xiu to form an alliance with Empress You, who had become a nun. After the deposed Crown Prince died, he was immediately chosen by Empress You and persuaded Emperor Xiaowen to bring him into the Luoyang Palace to be raised.

Yuan Ke never expected that his birth mother would be murdered on the way to Luoyang. The hatred for his mother's death was ultimately borne entirely by Empress You. The only letter that recorded Yuan Ke's involvement was buried forever in the old palace, and few people knew about it. This was probably why Yuan Ke did not ask Wang Xian to do his best to investigate Zhao Xiu's "disappearance".

The emperor raised his hand again, seemingly intending to grab something, and this time his shout was quite clear. Wei Yao stopped her wandering thoughts and asked, "Who heard what His Majesty said?"

The attendants in the hall all lowered their heads, staring at their toes, and no one dared to speak.

"Who are you?" the emperor shouted again.

Only when the emperor and his ministers have been together for a long time can one see that the emperor's impatience contains anger and a pent-up desire to kill!

Wei Yao made a quick decision and ordered Cui Yu: "If Your Majesty continues like this, it will probably harm your health even more. Let's get you treated."

Prince Rencheng: "To diagnose and treat."

Yuan Yi agreed: "Treate and treat."

The empress remained silent and yielded her seat.

Cui Yu slowly inserted the needle, gently twisted it, and quickly pulled it out!

The moment the emperor opened his eyes, Wei Yao retreated and dodged to the side, hiding behind the empress.

The three-eyed monster that suddenly appeared in the dream, about to devour people, turned into the empress who was closest to him, instantly sending a chill down the emperor's spine!

All the long-held fears, suspicions about the factions formed by the imperial clan, hatred for the lack of a replacement for General Yu Lie, disgust for the incompetent members of his maternal clan, and deep apprehension towards his uncle Yuan Xie, were transformed into the Empress the moment Yuan Ke opened his eyes!
Empress Yu noticed it, but she didn't know why, and habitually lowered her head.

This lowering of the head was another grave mistake! In the emperor's eyes, it was interpreted as a guilty conscience.

"The Empress departs."

The emperor's command, though spoken softly, struck like a thunderbolt.

As soon as the Empress left, the Emperor urged Prince Qinghe: "Fourth Brother, urge Prince Xian as well."

Yuan Yi quickly accepted the order and said, "Yes."

The emperor glanced at Wei Yao and said weakly, "Handle the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel well."

With tears welling in her eyes, Wei Yao made a tearful promise: "Your Majesty can rest assured that I will handle all matters with utmost care."

She added, "The flower branch Your Majesty bestowed upon me last time has sprouted. I will bring the flower branch tomorrow to bring Your Majesty good fortune and ward off illness."

A smile appeared on the emperor's lips as he said, "I know this illness came on fiercely and requires rest. Yuan Cheng, I hereby appoint you as Minister of Works. For the next half month, you will handle state affairs together with Minister of Education Yuan Yu, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Wei Yao, and Attendant-in-Ordinary Yuan Yi. Do not cause me any worry."

The three ministers accepted the order in unison.

The Emperor said, "I want to go outside for some fresh air. Yuan... Wei Yao, come with me."

The emperor changed his mind when he saw Wei Yao about to burst into tears. He had originally intended to give Yuan Cheng some instructions, but instead, he asked Wei Yao to stay with him. Yuan Cheng and Yuan Yi dared not stray too far and stood on the steps outside the palace, watching and waiting.

The nights were not cool at this time of year. The emperor looked up at the bright moon and recalled the monster with a bright third eye in his dream. He had just been angry with the empress, but now the emperor's mind was clear. The monster that had frightened him was actually his sixth uncle, Yuan Xie.

"Wei Yao, during my illness, whether the Grand Tutor requests grain, weapons, or warhorses, try to delay it."

Wei Yao pretended to think before replying, "Yes."

The emperor's use of "delay" was not just a simple matter of delaying! It meant that she should neither actually delay the war in the south, nor allow the Grand Tutor to take the opportunity to incite the soldiers and generals of Yangzhou to discontent with the court.

In other words, the emperor was at his wit's end and planned to use his illness to avoid the Grand Tutor's inevitable coercion of the court, thus leaving the burden of how to resolve the situation to Wei Yao!