prosperous age

Before long, Zhang Hong, Zhang Cheng, and Chen Ju appeared in the duty room.

After all, they were all on duty in the palace during the day.

They all have fixed offices in the palace, so they are easy to find.

If we go later, they might have already left and be busy somewhere. It will take a lot of effort to find everyone.

Take Zhang Cheng for example. Although he spends most of his time at the Imperial Horse Stable, he still leads the palace guards and occasionally goes to the military camps next to the palace.

Although Zhang Hong focused his main efforts on the Directorate of Ceremonial, he also controlled the palace's eunuchs and conducted them from time to time.

It can be said that the greatest power in the hands of the palace boss was actually the military power in the palace given by the emperor, that is, the command of this Qing army.

If you control this group, you can do whatever you want in the palace.

After all, the emperor's personal guards were responsible for guarding the palace grounds, but not for guarding the inner palace.

That was a place even the royal guards couldn't enter.

"Please trouble Dean Ma to explain the situation in detail."

This time, Wei Guangde did not overstep his bounds, but instead instructed the Imperial Medical Academy to explain the situation.

So, after the academy envoy explained the situation, it was obvious to the naked eye that both Zhang Hong and Zhang Cheng turned green.

A new emperor brings a new court. Although the Wanli Emperor now has two sons, neither of them has made any preparations in this regard.

Yes, given their advanced age, they shouldn't even think about serving a new master after Wanli.

Naturally, all they need to do now is serve the Wanli Emperor wholeheartedly.

If you save face in the present, you'll be well taken care of when you're old and leave the palace.

But unexpectedly, the elixir that the emperor ate every day actually contained opium.

None of the three of them were unaware of that thing.

In fact, Zhang Cheng personally went to see how the death row inmates were addicted to opium before informing the others.

If Emperor Wanli had also taken elixirs to that extent, they could not atone for their sins even if they died ten thousand times.

Most importantly, it could even implicate their own family.

Eunuchs may have been forced into the palace because of poverty, but they still had families outside.

Even if a homeless person accidentally wanders in, it is extremely rare.

Moreover, although eunuchs were disabled, because they served the emperor in the palace, their families back home would often consider adopting a son from within the clan to continue the family line.

If they were truly implicated because the emperor was poisoned, their entire clan would likely be plunged into an abyss of eternal damnation.

"That bastard Zhang Jing is a complete scoundrel."

Zhang Hong had already cursed angrily.

Don't think that just because eunuchs are cultured and have high status they are well-mannered; it's all for show.

In private, eunuchs did indeed have a somewhat androgynous manner of speaking and behaving, so they wouldn't use metaphors or sarcasm like scholars when they cursed; instead, they would just open their mouths and spew random insults.

"Zhang Cheng, how many pills does His Majesty still have? We must go there immediately to collect and destroy them. We absolutely cannot let His Majesty take any more."

Zhang Hong had already anxiously gotten up and was about to leave when he said to the head of the Imperial Medical Academy and the imperial physicians, "All of you, come with me into the palace and check on His Majesty's health."

"Eunuch Zhang, are you planning to tell His Majesty the whole truth directly?"

Wei Guangde hurriedly stopped Zhang Hong and asked.

"My lord, at this point, can we still keep it from the Emperor?"
"If we don't explain things clearly to the Emperor, and he continues to take those pills, damaging his health, we'll be doomed."

Zhang Hong slapped his thigh and said something.

"But given His Majesty's temperament, and the fact that the elixir can indeed cure His Majesty's current leg ailment..."

Wei Guangde couldn't help but grit his teeth; Emperor Wanli's leg pain was indeed getting quite serious.

If we can't find a remedy to relieve his pain, there's no guarantee he won't continue taking those pills.

"Academician Ma, does the Imperial Medical Academy have any new pain-relieving prescriptions recently?"

Wei Guangde suddenly turned his head, looked at the people in the Imperial Medical Academy, and asked.

"No, these are all prescriptions used in previous generations, and they are all effective. However, His Majesty has also used them, and the results were not good."

As soon as Ma Yuanshi finished speaking, everyone in the Imperial Medical Academy decisively lowered their heads.

It wasn't that they felt ashamed on their own, but rather that it was a habit—an action they all took in response to those in positions of power.

"I think we should not tell His Majesty about the elixir for the time being."

However, we can't let him take that pill anymore.

Find a way to steal the elixirs from the palace and dispose of them. The Imperial Medical Academy should continue to formulate new prescriptions.

This problem needs to be prevented, and only when there is a medicine that can truly solve His Majesty's leg pain can people feel at ease.

Otherwise, even if we clarify things today, we'll still have to get rid of the pills.

But later, when His Majesty's leg ailment flared up again, he still couldn't resist sending people to find that elixir.

What Wei Guangde said is about human nature. Even if people know that the substance is poisonous, most people will still choose to use it when they can't stand it anymore, just taking it one day at a time.

"Then, Chen Ju, you'll handle this. When we go to the Qianqing Palace to deliver the memorial later, you'll gather all those pills and send them to the Imperial Hospital for disposal."

Imperial Medical Academy, prepare some pain-relieving pills immediately so that His Majesty can take them first.

However, you must develop a new prescription as soon as possible.

Even if it can't be better than that elixir, it at least can't be too bad.

besides"

Zhang Hong turned to look at Wei Guangde, cautiously remaining silent. Instead, he waved to the people from the Imperial Medical Academy and said, "Go and prepare the pills. Be quick, and bring them here as soon as they're ready."

"Yes."

Clearly, they were being asked to leave, and the people from the Imperial Hospital hurriedly bowed and took their leave.

After everyone left, only the five of them remained in the room. Zhang Hongcai whispered, "Grand Secretary, do you think we should arrange for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate the source of that medicine, how it ended up in the palace through Zhang Jing, and how it was given to the Emperor?"

At this moment, Zhang Hong's mind was filled with thoughts of whether there was some other conspiracy.

The potential for opium addiction was mentioned in earlier medical books, but no one had actually tried it at the time; it was only discovered by some doctors during actual use.

Therefore, it can be determined that this substance is poisonous and should be used with caution.

It's not that the palace hasn't used opium, but the Imperial Medical Academy never dares to use it continuously; the quantity is always small, and they always report it to the authorities.

However, after testing the toxicity of opium, its use became even more cautious.

He never expected Zhang Jing to plot against the emperor, since the honor and disgrace of eunuchs depended on the emperor.

It can be said that in the current environment, if Zhang Jing lost the emperor's trust, he would be truly doomed.

Because the other senior eunuchs in the palace would definitely try to get rid of him.

He offended quite a few people because of the Wanli Emperor's favor.

Even if they join forces with Zhang Cheng, everyone knows the unspoken truth and they can't truly open up to each other.

Zhang Jing even betrayed his own sect; who would dare to trust him?

By attacking Zhang Jing, we can curry favor with Zhang Hong and Chen Ju.

Although Chen Ju had never had a direct conflict with Zhang Jing, he knew that Zhang Jing and Wei Guangde were not on good terms.

Given the relationship between Wei Guangde and Chen Ju, he would certainly be happy to see everyone kicking a man when he's down.

Zhang Hong's words actually struck a chord with Wei Guangde.

Even if Zhang Hong didn't say anything, Wei Guangde would have secretly ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to "investigate" the matter.

However, Wei Guangde believed that once the Embroidered Uniform Guard conducted a secret investigation, even if it was just a coincidence, it would definitely not be so easy to get over.

If Wei Guangde didn't try to link this matter to the White Lotus Sect, he felt he was missing a good opportunity to bring down Zhang Jing.

Don't say the monk who made the medicine was innocent. Why would a monk not be meditating and chanting scriptures in the temple, but instead try to make medicine like a Taoist?

He brought it on himself.

If the White Lotus Sect gets involved, Zhang Jing is doomed.

Anyone connected to the White Lotus Sect should be killed rather than let go. Besides, getting involved in other matters would be troublesome, but if it's said that monks are connected to the White Lotus Sect, that couldn't be simpler.

Members of the White Lotus Sect have often disguised themselves as high monks and traveled around.

Some wicked people in Buddhism also like to use the White Lotus Sect's methods of bewitching people to satisfy their own selfish desires.

However, he only thought of this after hearing people from the Imperial Medical Academy mention it; he definitely didn't tell anyone else.

At this moment, he looked into Zhang Hong's eyes, which seemed cloudy, but a glint of intelligence shone within them.

He understood.

Zhang Hong also had this idea and wanted to take this opportunity to clean house.

For ordinary crimes, Zhang Jing could probably get away with it by simply crying in front of the Wanli Emperor.

Even if it was unintentional, Zhang Jing would never be forgiven by the Cining Palace for being associated with the White Lotus Sect.

Even if the emperor wanted to grant a pardon, the empress dowager would absolutely not agree.

The best outcome might be being exiled to Nanjing.

Wei Guangde didn't reply, but nodded knowingly, looking rather reluctant to the others.

A tacit understanding was reached in those brief few seconds.

It can only be said that no one who sits in this position is clean.

Everyone uses dirty tricks behind the scenes.

When it comes to enemies, you should slander them, and slander them to the point of destruction.

Take that man who was once second only to him and should have been in the position of second assistant minister, for example. He was repeatedly harmed by Wei Guangde and is now recuperating in his hometown.

That was a real illness; it was said that he was not going to survive.

As for his son, a newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), he was also directly dismissed by Wei Guangde and did not even get a position as an official in the capital.

To the outside world, he also used this opportunity to demonstrate that he was impartial and did not favor his junior colleagues just because they were former colleagues.

In fact, Shen Shixing's son was arranged by Shen Shixing to go to the prosperous Jiangnan region after he chatted with Shen Shixing.

In any case, neither of the two sons of the cabinet ministers who passed the imperial examinations stayed in the capital.

Zhang Hong sat down again, but the topic of discussion inevitably turned to medicine.

In fact, most educated people have read miscellaneous books on medicine.

The saying "a scholar is useless" refers to those who can't even pass the county-level imperial examinations. They really put all their effort into studying the Four Books and Five Classics and the eight-legged essay.

Those who pass the county-level examination, regardless of whether they pass the provincial-level examination, will read some miscellaneous books for entertainment.

Miscellaneous books include not only vernacular novels, but also medical books.

Although there are differences between them and real doctors, they can still talk about medical principles.

Only after the Imperial Medical Academy delivered the pills did Zhang Hong and his group take their leave.

As soon as they left, Wei Guangde sent Lu Bu to invite Liu Shouyou.

The dirty and tiring work would definitely be done by the Imperial Guards.

"What's the situation with Geng Yilan's case? Don't tell me your Embroidered Uniform Guard hasn't been paying attention."

When Liu Shouyou arrived at the duty room, Wei Guangde sat down in a chair and slowly asked.

"Grand Secretary Wei, this case is largely as described in his petition."

The monk Deqing received a reward from the Empress Dowager and went to Laoshan to build a Taoist temple. However, he took a fancy to the Taiqing Palace where the Taoist Geng was secretly cultivating.

He used his connections with the palace to seize and plunder other people's temples, turning them into his own.

The surrounding prefectures dared not interfere because of his relationship with the palace.

The fact that Taoist Geng dared to go to the capital to appeal to the emperor suggests that Taoist temples in the capital were likely assisting him.

Previously, after arriving in Beijing, he briefly stayed at Baiyun Temple.

In his earlier years, he had also studied the doctrines of Taoism there.

Judging from recent activities of Taoists in the capital, they have put a lot of effort into this, all because of the lavish rewards and honors bestowed upon temples by the imperial court in recent years.

Liu Shouyou's words were vague, but Wei Guangde roughly understood them.

The Empress Dowager's devout Buddhism provoked discontent among Taoists.

However, the root cause was that the so-called high monks in Buddhism were too greedy.

For the sake of so-called auspicious feng shui sites, they actually seized Taoist temples, so it's no wonder that Taoism secretly united to target them.

"You know that Monk Deqing can refine elixirs; I think you mentioned it before."

Wei Guangde looked at Liu Shouyou and asked with a smile, his face relaxed.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

He refined many elixirs while in the capital, and they were all stored in Xishan Temple.

"If Your Excellency requires it, I will send someone to fetch it."

Liu Shouyou thought Wei Guangde had his eye on the elixir made by the monk, so he immediately volunteered to fetch it for him.

After all, we didn't know in the past, but Zhang Jing had previously sent people there to retrieve some pills, which were then sent directly to the palace and given to the emperor.

If even the Wanli Emperor consumed elixirs, then the things that the monk Deqing refined must have been extraordinary as well.

Upon hearing this, Wei Guangde simply stared at Liu Shouyou without saying a word.

"Grand Secretary Wei, I misspoke."

Although Liu Shouyou couldn't figure out the way, he immediately apologized.

"I thought I had a grudge against you, that you would use that elixir to harm me."

Wei Guangde said in a cold and stern tone.

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shouyou was greatly alarmed, and a layer of sweat broke out on his back.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is to conduct a full investigation into anyone connected to Monk Deqing, especially those elixirs. Have people keep a close eye on them."

I've heard he attained the perfect understanding of Guanyin's hearing, and is a person of great supernatural powers. Why then does he choose to concoct poisonous elixirs?

Wei Guangde continued.

When Liu Shouyou heard these words, it was like a bolt from the blue.

"That can't be right."

Liu Shouyou was greatly alarmed.

The elixirs were all sent to the emperor, so how could they be poisonous?
If the emperor took it, wouldn't he also be poisoned?
Several questions popped into Liu Shouyou's mind in quick succession, which was enough to scare him half to death.

This is a matter of life and death.

"That pill contains opium. I believe no one knows better than you what will happen if you take that stuff for a long time."

Before you arrived, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy and a group of imperial physicians were both with me.

After Wei Guangde explained the reason and pointed out the presence of opium, Liu Shouyou finally understood.

The testing of poison could not possibly be conducted in the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review; it was done by the Embroidered Uniform Guard when they extracted death row inmates and in the prison of the Northern Garrison Command.

Those unlucky guys are still locked up in jail, wailing all day long, sounding like they've been tortured.

The reason it wasn't treated was because the imperial physicians were researching how to cure it.

Naturally, this is unlikely to yield any results.

If there were a real solution, future generations wouldn't have such difficulty quitting drugs.

“The White Lotus sect in the vicinity of the capital should be targeted at temples, as they can often roam around posing as monks.”

In the end, Wei Guangde finally pointed out the crux of the matter.

"Both Zhang Hong and I believe this matter should be thoroughly investigated." (End of Chapter)