Jiuxi

Chapter 791:789 [Death of the Imperial Physician]

Beijing, Pingkangfang.

In the side hall of the front house of the Li Mansion, Ding Hui, the Minister of War, frowned and said in annoyance, "Does this Li Tianrun have the ability to predict the future? He has been ill for so long, and Li Liangyu has been working in the court, but he has never made a fuss about resigning and going home. He should have resigned before Lu Chen returned to Beijing, which is too coincidental!"

Many days have passed since he met Li Tianrun in the palace that day, but Ding Hui still can't let it go.

Originally, he wanted to perform well in front of Li Shizhi, but Li Tianrun didn't give him the opportunity at all.

Of course he didn't believe that it was Li Liangyu's own idea. The so-called filial piety was just a perfect excuse.

On the other side, Li Shizhi sat in the armchair, holding the teacup in his left hand and gently stirring the bowl lid with his right hand, and said slowly: "Li Tianrun is not only good at fighting."

Ding Hui could only sigh.

Li Shizhi continued, "The so-called conspiracy is essentially a secret calculation. Once it is exposed, it will not work. Li Tianrun may not be as smooth as Xiao Wangzhi, but he was most famous for his extremely sharp insight when facing complex battles. I didn't expect that he could still maintain such a cautious mind under the premise of suffering from illness. This is my problem, you don't need to blame yourself."

Ding Hui's expression improved, but bigger questions arose in his mind.

Why could Li Shizhi accept this change so calmly?

Did he think from the beginning that there was a possibility that the other party would notice?
After a slight hesitation, Ding Hui suppressed his doubts and asked, "Brother, what should we do next?"

According to the previous discussion between the two, the main purpose of taking action against Li Liangyu was to strike at Lu Chen's power in the court. At the same time, it could also send a clear signal to all officials, thereby helping the emperor clear some obstacles in advance.

Now that Li Liangyu has left the court, even Li Shizhi cannot directly target the Duke of Wei's Mansion.

Li Shizhi said calmly, "Be patient. Since Li Tianrun has noticed something, you have to be more cautious next time. Remember not to be caught by the other party. I know that your family has made a lot of money in the past two years. Although the Ministry of War doesn't make much money, you have a lot of connections in the Beijing camp, and many people have come to you for help. This matter is not a big deal, but it is not a small matter. After Lu Chen enters the capital, if someone uncovers it, I may not be able to protect you, so you have to deal with it as soon as possible."

Ding Hui was startled. He thought he had been careful enough, but he still couldn't hide it from Li Shizhi, so he said in awe: "Brother, don't worry, I know what to do."

Li Shizhi stopped at that point, and after pacifying the fellow, he ordered him to leave.

Not long after Ding Hui left, his confidant Li Jinshan appeared in front of Li Shizhi and whispered, "Master, I have found out everything."

"speak."

"Lieutenant Fengguo's residence is loose on the outside but tight on the inside. Not only is there a spy from the Textile Bureau patrolling day and night, but there is also another rather mysterious force, probably someone from the palace."

Li Shizhi's eyes narrowed slightly, and after a moment he said with a half-smile, "It seems that His Majesty finally knows the torment of being controlled by others. However, he is impatient to set up the secret guards before he even fully controls the Textile Bureau. It can be seen that he is still not calm enough. The other mysterious force you mentioned should be the secret guards in the palace secretly formed by Yuan Yuji."

Li Jinshan said with conviction: "Master, you have a keen eye."

Li Shizhi smiled faintly and asked, "Where are those hidden confidants of the Third Brother? Where is Xu Ruqing from the Xu family?"

Li Jinshan replied concisely: "Nothing unusual."

Li Shizhi couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

After a long while, he said softly, "I've said before that if Your Majesty lets the Third Prince out, it means he has murderous intentions. With the scheming shown by Queen Mother Xu and the Third Prince over the years, they may not realize this. You keep someone watching, so that if Your Majesty changes his mind, I can prepare in advance."

"Yes, sir."

Li Jinshan responded respectfully.

Li Shizhi picked up the teacup to moisten his throat, and suddenly asked, "What's going on at the old house recently?"

Li Jinshan replied, "My Lord, everything is normal. Since Qin Tiju left for the south, the old master has been listening to music or appreciating flowers every day. His life is very leisurely and his body is very strong."

The reason why he specifically mentioned the last sentence was because Li Shizhi had already explained it.

At this extremely critical moment, Li Shizhi certainly does not want his old father to have any health problems, because as the eldest son he must abide by the ethics of family and filial piety.

If Li Daoyan reaches the end of his life, Li Shizhi will have to observe a three-year mourning period. Perhaps the emperor can reinstate him, but the problem is that this will create a big flaw, and Li Shizhi cannot accept this uncontrollable accident.

"Listening to music and appreciating flowers..."

Li Shizhi frowned slightly and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

He knew his father very well. He was loyal to Da Qi but could not give up the hundreds of years of foundation of the Jinlin Li family. That was why he felt conflicted and awkward. It was also the reason why he chose to remain silent even though he knew that Li Shizhi had done something.

But at this moment, Li Shizhi suddenly felt uneasy, but he couldn't figure out where this feeling came from.

"master?"

Li Jinshan looked at him with concern.

Li Shizhi came back to his senses and said calmly, "We still need to send someone to keep an eye on the old house, but remember not to disturb the old man's peace and quiet."

Li Jinshan bowed his head and said, "I understand."

Li Shizhi slowly stood up and walked outside to the corridor. He looked up at the sky in the north and said meaningfully, "After today, the capital will be bustling."

Li Jinshan echoed, "Yes, the Duke of Shanyang entered the capital today. I heard that Duke Rong went out to greet him personally. Many military heroes went to the outskirts of the city, including the female general from Duke Wei's mansion."

"It looks like a happy event is coming soon."

Li Shizhi said this without a trace of smile on his face.

……

In the palace, Li Zongben was rarely free, so he took advantage of the court's rest day today to chat with Queen Ning, but he was obviously a little uneasy. Queen Ning stopped the previous topic and said softly, "Your Majesty, do you want to go to the back hall to rest for a while?"

Li Zongben smiled apologetically and shook his head, "No need."

Queen Ning probably knew what the emperor was thinking, so she smiled and said, "Your Majesty, are you thinking about the Duke of Shanyang returning to the capital today?"

Although Li Zongben was a lonely man, he still had a few people he could trust, such as Li Shizhi, Han Zhongjie and Yuan Yuji, and the dignified and elegant lady in front of him was even better than them.

The emperor and empress supported each other, especially during the ten years when Li Zongben was most depressed, when it was Empress Ning who soothed his depression with tenderness and patience.

Li Zongben laughed at himself and said frankly: "I suddenly feel a little uneasy. I wonder if letting him enter the capital is a wrong decision."

"What's wrong with your majesty?"

Queen Ning was slightly puzzled, and then said: "Shanyang County Duke has made great contributions to the Great Qi, shouldn't he return to the capital to receive the reward? Moreover, His Majesty said that the internal situation of Jing State is in chaos now. If our dynasty wants to determine the next strategy, a military hero like Shanyang County Duke should return to the capital to discuss it together."

"Having said that..."

Li Zongben hesitated to speak. Although he trusted Queen Ning, there were some things that he could not speak out.

Empress Ning guessed something and asked softly, "Your Majesty, do you want to adjust the military power in his hands when he returns to the capital?"

She chooses her words carefully, modulating rather than undercutting them, so that they don’t sound unnerving at least.

Li Zongben hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "The safety of the border depends on him, how could I make such a foolish decision? Well, let's not talk about this today. Didn't you just mention the strange marriage in the Pingning Marquis's Mansion? Continue to tell me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Queen Ning agreed meekly, but the moment she lowered her head, worry was evident in her eyes.

……

For many well-informed people in Beijing, today is indeed an extraordinary day.

Lu Chen, the Grand Commander of Dingzhou, who had not returned to the capital for more than a year, arrived at the outskirts of the city with thousands of his personal guards and elite cavalry after leading the border troops to another great victory.

Duke Rong Xiao Wangzhi led a group of military heroes to greet him in person.

Even the Emperor and the Minister of Personnel are so concerned about this matter, how could the young and old men in the capital miss such excitement.

Although the streets were not completely deserted, this had become the hottest topic in the city. In teahouses, taverns, brothels, and theaters, as long as there were people gathered, they would be talking about how powerful Lu Chen was, how brave the border troops were, and in the meantime, they would make fun of the bosses in the Beijing camp, which caused everyone to laugh.

In such a noisy atmosphere, there was a person who locked himself in the room.

This is an official residence located in a secluded area in Xicheng District. The plaque on the gate reads "Gui Zhai". The lanterns hanging under the corridor seem to still retain the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

There were not many people in the mansion. Apart from the male owner's family, there were only a dozen servants.

Perhaps it was because the male master was too busy and tired in the Imperial Hospital, he liked to be alone when he returned home and hated being disturbed. Therefore, no matter his wives, concubines, children or servants, they never dared to enter the study without permission.

At this moment in the study, the man was sitting in front of a large desk, muttering to himself in a very light tone.

He is over fifty years old, but perhaps because he takes good care of himself, he looks younger.

“Maybe this is the only thing I can do…”

He looked at the piece of paper on the desk, stuffed it back into the envelope, and placed the envelope inside a pile of files. From beginning to end, his hands were very steady, without any shaking.

However, the next moment when he put his hand into his arms, the hand that had used the golden needle method to treat the late emperor countless times and had never made any mistakes suddenly trembled.

He took out a small porcelain bottle from his arms and poured out a pill with trembling hands.

He stood up and placed the porcelain bottle on a shelf with many similar medicine bottles. He returned to the desk and stuffed the pill into his mouth with great difficulty. Then he spread out a medical book and pretended to copy it down.

A moment later, the middle-aged man's body twitched violently and his face turned pale in an instant.

He covered his chest with both hands and tried to struggle to stand up but to no avail. He could only shout with all his might, his voice was extremely shrill and sharp.

The effect of the pill was so strong that the middle-aged man suddenly fell to the side and fell heavily to the ground.

When the two servants heard the noise and rushed in, the middle-aged man was already dead.

"Oh no, something happened to the master!"

Panic shouts penetrated the layers of houses, and soon mournful cries were heard in the mansion.

Almost everyone couldn't believe what they saw. How could the old man, who had always been in good health, suddenly die?

But whether they believe it or not, the death of the middle-aged man is a fact.

At 2 o'clock in the afternoon of that day, Gui Qiuliang, the director of the Imperial Hospital, suddenly fell ill and died suddenly in the study room of the mansion.

Almost at the same time, three thousand frontier cavalrymen escorted Lu Chen and appeared on the official road in the northern suburbs of the capital.

……

……

(Today is the third update, I wish all book lovers a happy holiday!)
(End of this chapter)