Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 86: Empress Wu participates in politics?
Yang Yuchen looked at the familiar Chang'an City, then looked at Sun Simiao riding on a donkey behind him, and tears almost came out.

He was originally a son of a noble family. He entered the officialdom through family connections and served as an ordinary Qianniu Guard.

He loved gambling all his life, and because he was optimistic that Wu Zhaoyi would ascend to the throne, he took a big gamble and attached himself to Zhang Duohai, a eunuch under Wu Zhaoyi.

Later, Wu Zhaoyi became the queen, and Zhang Duohai was promoted to Shaojian. He was also rewarded and promoted to Qianniu Beishen.

Last November, Zhang Duohai assigned him a task, which was to invite a miracle doctor to Beijing.

He thought it was a trivial matter and never dreamed that this task almost cost him his life.

Now, after much haste, we have finally brought the Buddha Sun Simiao back to Chang'an. It feels like a lifetime ago.

Sun Simiao smiled and said, "Xiao Zhao, why are you crying? Crying is harmful to your health and will shorten your lifespan."

He was a little old man with white hair and beard, and a rosy face. It was hard to tell that he was almost a hundred years old.

Yang Yuchen forced a smile that was uglier than crying and said, "Divine Doctor Sun, please come with me to the palace immediately. I'm afraid Her Majesty the Queen must be getting impatient."

Sun Simiao smiled and said, "I must go into the palace, but I need to take a bath first. I can't go to see Her Majesty the Queen smelling stinky, right?"

Yang Yuchen said anxiously: "But the deadline is still..."

Sun Simiao said, "Isn't there still two days left? We've already reached Chang'an, are you still afraid that I'll run away?"

Yang Yuchen had no choice but to agree.

After the two entered the city, Yang Yuchen was about to take Sun Simiao to his home when he suddenly saw a fat man walking on the street.

Yang Yuchen was startled and quickly walked over to him, saying with a smile, "Young Master Zhang, why are you here in person?"

Zhang Duohai didn't even look at him. He walked straight up to Sun Simiao and bowed, saying, "Excuse me, are you Dr. Sun?"

Sun Simiao glanced at Zhang Duohai, bowed and smiled, "So you are a noble man. I am honored to meet you."

The Zhong Guiren refers to the eunuchs in the imperial palace.

Zhang Duohai was secretly shocked and wanted to ask him how he knew his identity, but Empress Wu was waiting next to him, so he didn't dare to say anything more.

"Dr. Sun, please follow me. A distinguished person wishes to see you."

Sun Simiao smiled and said, "Okay, please lead the way."

Zhang Duohai brought Sun Simiao to an empty alley where there was a horse-drawn carriage parked. It looked ordinary, but Sun Simiao had guessed that there was a very noble person sitting in the carriage!

He bowed towards the carriage and said, "I, Sun Simiao, pay my respects to Her Majesty the Queen!"

After a while, a clear, pleasant and majestic voice came from the car.

"I have the audacity to invite the Divine Doctor Sun to Chang'an. It is truly presumptuous. The Saint has a headache, and I beg the Divine Doctor to take the trouble to accompany me to the palace."

Sun Simiao had already guessed that he had come to Chang'an to treat the emperor, so he bowed and said, "I obey your order."

Behind Empress Wu's carriage, there was another carriage.

Zhang Duohai, Yang Yuchen and Sun Simiao all got on the carriage and followed Empress Wu's carriage towards the palace.

Finally, Zhang Da Hai had the opportunity to answer the questions in her heart.

"Dr. Sun, it's not surprising that you could tell I was a palace eunuch. Many people can tell that. But how did you know it was Her Majesty the Queen in the carriage?"

Sun Simiao smiled and said, "The carriage just now looked ordinary, but the step stool on the front shaft was carved with a phoenix pattern."

Zhang Dahai suddenly realized, "You are indeed a miracle doctor. You observe every detail very carefully. I believe you can cure His Majesty's headache."

Sun Simiao did not speak.

He knew best how difficult headaches were to treat, especially when the patient was the emperor. Many risky treatments were useless.

A drop of cold sweat fell on Meng Shen's forehead.

He is taking the saint's pulse.

Behind him, Concubine Zheng, Xu Chongrong, and Liu Chong'e all had their eyes on his back, as if three knives were hanging over his head, making him feel extremely pressured.

After all, Meng Shen was the head of the Imperial Pharmacy. Although his medical skills were not the highest, he could read many precious medical books in the palace by virtue of his position.

He thought for a long time, and finally figured out something, so he let go of the hand that was taking the pulse.

"Meng Yufeng, how is His Majesty?" The first person to ask the question was Concubine Zheng. She was weak to begin with, and when she learned that Li Zhi had a headache, she became extremely anxious and her face turned pale as paper.

Meng Shen hesitated for a moment and said, "Reporting to the Imperial Concubine, I am not sure at the moment and need to discuss it with the other imperial physicians."

At this moment, footsteps were heard. It was Empress Wu who came in with her attendants. She said sternly, "I have invited the miraculous doctor Sun Simiao. Please have him examine Your Majesty."

Meng Shen was slightly startled. Sure enough, he saw an old man behind Empress Wu. He was delighted and bowed to the man, saying, "Mr. Sun, it's great that you came in person."

Sun Simiao smiled slightly, and because he didn't know him, he just bowed to him.

Then he turned his gaze and bowed to the other two elderly imperial physicians, saying, "Imperial Physician Zhen and Imperial Physician Yang, I am honored to meet you."

Although these two old men were just ordinary imperial physicians in the palace, they were world-renowned medical experts.

The tall old man is named Zhen Guangxiou, and he is the nephew of the miracle doctor Zhen Quan.

Zhen Quan was a master of medicine, as famous as Sun Simiao. The former was known as the "King of Needles" for his acupuncture, while the latter was known as the "King of Medicine" for his medicine. Zhen Guangzhou inherited all the medical skills from Zhen Quan, and his acupuncture skills were unrivaled in the Tang Dynasty.

The shorter old man was called Yang Shangshan. He was not originally a doctor, but a scholar who studied ancient books. Just because he learned many ancient secret recipes while studying ancient books, he was summoned to be an imperial physician, and at the same time he also held the official title of a direct scholar of the Hongwenguan.

Both of them had abilities that Sun Simiao admired. When Sun Simiao was compiling the medical book "Qian Jin Yao Fang", he sought advice from them and had a friendship with them.

The two also admired Sun Simiao and returned the greeting.

Meng Shen stood up and stepped aside, allowing Sun Simiao to take the emperor's pulse.

After Sun Simiao finished, he glanced at Zhen Guangzhou and said, "Imperial Physician Zhen, you should be able to use acupuncture to wake His Majesty, right?"

Zhen Guangzhou frowned and said, "Indeed, you can, but you should know that this will be harmful to His Majesty's health. It is better to wait for His Majesty to wake up naturally."

Sun Simiao smiled, said nothing more, and continued taking the patient's pulse.

Concubine Zheng and others nearby were relieved to hear that Li Zhi could wake up at any time.

Meng Shen nodded secretly, knowing that Sun Simiao said this deliberately to reassure the Queen and the others. He thought to himself, "As expected of a senior who could talk and laugh so calmly in front of the late Emperor, he is truly extraordinary."

Sun Simiao quickly stood up, looking thoughtful.

Wu Meiniang hurriedly asked, "Dr. Sun, what's the situation?"

Sun Simiao's expression was solemn as he slowly said, "Your Majesty is most likely suffering from vertigo. Fortunately, it was discovered in time. The current symptoms are mild. With proper care, you should be able to recover."

Meng Shen looked at Sun Simiao again, his heart pounding.

He also held the same view in his heart, but he did not dare to express it as directly as Sun Simiao.

Xu Chongrong asked, "How should I recuperate?"

Sun Simiao hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "Forgive my bluntness, Your Majesty, forbid your usual overwork. You need to rest more. Also, you should soak in hot springs more often, ideally once every three days."

Xu Chongrong was shocked and couldn't help but worry secretly.

Wu Meiniang said slowly and firmly, "Your Majesty's health is the most important thing. When Your Majesty wakes up, we should all advise Your Majesty to rest and recuperate."

Concubine Zheng frowned and said, "But the princes are still young, and His Majesty has not appointed a crown prince. Without anyone to govern, how should the government be managed?"

Wu Meiniang glanced at her and said, "Your Majesty has the final say on this matter. How can we make such irresponsible remarks?"

Concubine Zheng glanced at her, lowered her head and said nothing.

……

Late at night, Duke Zhao’s Mansion.

Changsun Wuji was sitting in his spacious study, flipping through a law book in his hand.

Chang Sun Chong suddenly knocked on the door and walked in with a strange expression on his face. He said, "Father, Han Xianghe is here to see you!"

Chang Sun Wuji frowned and said, "Didn't I tell them not to come again? No!"

Chang Sun Chong said, "They brought news that Your Majesty's headache has recurred. Are you really not going to see him?"

Zhang Sun Wuji stood up suddenly and stared at his son closely. After examining him for a moment, he realized that his son was not lying. He then slowly sat back down and said in a deep voice, "Please let them in."

After a while, Han Ai and Lai Ji entered the study together. Both of them looked a little nervous, with a look of joy mixed with worry.

Changsun Wuji asked the two to sit down and said straight to the point, "How is your Majesty?"

Lai Ji sighed and said, "According to the Shang Pharmacy, His Majesty has fallen into a coma, but the Medicine King Sun Simiao has already entered the palace, so he should be fine."

Han Ai smiled faintly and said, "Ever since you retired, Grand Marshal, Chang'an has become increasingly chaotic. His Majesty must have been deeply worried, and his headache has recurred. Now, he should finally understand your importance."

Changsun Wuji pondered in silence.

Lai Ji said, "We both believe that His Majesty will reinstate the Grand Marshal, so we came to you to see if you need our cooperation."

Zhang Sun Wuji shook his head and said, "You are wrong. In this situation, His Majesty will not use me."

Han Ai's face turned pale and he asked, "Why is that? You're the only one who can control the situation right now!"

Changsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty was already wary of me when he was in court. Now that his headache has recurred, he will only be even more worried about me."

Han Ai asked, "Then what else can Your Majesty do? Keep holding on? Aren't you afraid your health will get worse?"

Zhang Sun Wuji's expression was solemn as he slowly said, "Under the current circumstances, His Majesty might make use of Wu and have her handle some of the government affairs for him."

Lai Ji's expression also changed, and he said, "No way, isn't Your Majesty also afraid of the Wu family?"

Zhang Sun Wuji said slowly, "Mrs. Wu's power all comes from Your Majesty. Even if she were to seize power, she wouldn't be a threat to Your Majesty. But I am different."

Lai Ji and Han Ai looked at each other, their eyes filled with fear.

"Father, if the Wu family takes control of the government, we will all be dead without a burial place!" Chang Sun Chong said anxiously.

Zhang Sun Wuji narrowed his eyes and said, "Hold your composure for now and wait and see how the situation develops. If Your Majesty really allows the Wu family to participate in government affairs, it won't be too late for you and me to make plans later!"

(End of this chapter)