The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 257 Shocking Change
As the sun gradually set, the blood-red sunset outlined the surrounding palaces, while clusters of dark clumps, indistinguishable as night or shadow, huddled in the corners and under the eaves.

As the group of cabinet scholars headed out of the hall, Li Xianmu heard the emperor call his name.

He looked back in confusion and saw Emperor Zhu Gaochi walking towards him, his chubby face glistening with sweat. "Your Majesty?"

Zhu Gaochi held his belt with his hand, while Zhu Zhanji supported him from the side.

"Mingda, I wanted to ask you this during the meeting in the palace today."

In the past, you always planned things out carefully before acting, taking your time. But lately, I feel like you're in a hurry. For example, recently, you've been pushing out a lot of policies directly. Now, the six ministries and five offices of the court are so busy they can hardly stop.

This isn't like you at all. It's like you're afraid something might be too late. But what happened?

Li Xianmu was first startled, not expecting the emperor to be so perceptive and knowledgeable about him. Then he felt a pang of pain in his heart, but he could not show it.

He said with difficulty, appearing calm: "Your Majesty, the world is plagued by many problems. I have waited so long for you to ascend the throne. Ten thousand years is too long. We must seize the day and get things done quickly."

Please rest assured, Your Majesty, although the implementation is urgent, it is all within my control and will not fizzle out.

Zhu Gaochi then realized what was happening, and with a cheerful smile, he patted Li Xianmu on the shoulder and instructed him, "You are still very young, don't rush, take good care of your health. Now the Li family depends on you to support it, and the Ming Dynasty and I both need you to have a healthy body."

"Your Majesty's kindness is appreciated, I understand."

After exchanging a few more words, Li Xianmu stepped outside the palace; it was already quite late.

He looked far into the distance.

The sun had almost set below the horizon, and from a distance, only the very top arc of its rays remained visible, scattering its golden-red light. Patches of brilliant fiery clouds hung in the sky, reflecting a sea of ​​red that fell upon the palace walls. For a moment, it was impossible to tell whether the light was illuminating the palace walls or the palace walls were reflecting the sky.

Cangshan is like the sea, and the setting sun is like blood.

Li Xianmu couldn't help but recall the phrase his father often repeated. He walked down the steps and then turned around. There were two figures in front of the palace gate: the emperor and the crown prince. Behind those two figures, the palace lights up, and there were many figures behind them.

What were the emperor and crown prince thinking as they watched their officials leave the palace?

Li Xianmu didn't think about it anymore and turned around to leave the palace, but suddenly he heard shouts of alarm from the palace gate on the steps. He vaguely heard someone calling out "Your Majesty" and someone panicking.

A wave of immense fear and unease washed over him instantly, sending shivers down his spine and making his fingers tremble uncontrollably.

It is now the second day of the fifth month of the first year of Hongxi's reign, and there are only ten days left until the emperor's death sentence given by his father!

After waiting and waiting for over a hundred days, it has finally arrived!

Li Xianmu stopped leaving the palace almost without hesitation, turned around, lifted his robes, and strode towards the Huagai Hall.

He had already reached the left side of the Fengtian Hall. He turned around and ran back, climbing up the steps one by one. The tall and majestic palace stood before him like a giant beast.

In the western mountains, the sun had completely sunk below the horizon, its golden and red hues, like sacredness and blood-red, vanishing without a trace, and a deep darkness swept across the sky and the earth.

The brightly lit Huagai Hall is like a lighthouse in the darkness, giving people a sense of peace.

Li Xianmu ran up the steps without much fatigue and immediately saw the emperor collapsed in the crown prince's arms, supported by several eunuchs. He quickly stepped forward to help and asked anxiously, "Your Highness, what happened to His Majesty?"

Zhu Zhanji was also stunned by this sudden change. After all, he was standing and watching Li Xianmu leave the palace one second, and then he fainted the next. He said blankly, "I don't know. I've already sent someone to call the imperial physician."

Several people carried the emperor into the hall, and Li Xianmu then took a closer look. The emperor's legs were twitching involuntarily, indicating obvious discomfort. His face turned pale and red in turns, and beads of sweat kept flowing out.

Li Xianmu felt his face turn pale. Even though he had prepared himself, when this scene actually happened in front of him, he realized that some things are useless no matter how many times you prepare.

The emperor had fallen into a deep coma and could not be awakened no matter how loudly they called him. Before the others could examine him closely, the eunuch arrived with the imperial physician. The physician examined him, beads of sweat dripping down his face, but he could not diagnose the problem at all.

"Your Majesty, I will prescribe some medicine for you later. After the medicine takes effect, I will give you acupuncture. If you are lucky, Your Majesty may be able to wake up."

When imperial physicians treated nobles, they never gave definite answers; they were always ambiguous.

Li Xianmu understood. It all boiled down to one word: endure. If you can endure it, you'll wake up; if you can't, you might remain unconscious until you die. All he could do was prescribe some medicine.

Zhu Zhanji angrily rebuked the imperial physicians for being useless. He was in a state of panic at the moment. His father had only been on the throne for less than a year, so how could he suddenly be seriously ill and incurable?
Li Xianmu raised his head and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, should we inform the Empress about His Majesty's condition?"
As for matters outside the palace, I suggest we keep them confidential for now. According to the imperial physician, although His Majesty is temporarily unconscious, his health is relatively normal, and the probability of him waking up is high. We should discuss specific matters after His Majesty awakens. What does Your Highness think?

Zhu Zhanji gradually came to his senses and immediately instructed the eunuch serving Zhu Gaochi: "Go and inform the Empress Dowager about this matter, then lock the palace gates and order the palace guards to be alert and patrol carefully."

After saying that, he looked at Li Xianmu and said, "Teacher, I'll trouble you and your nephew to take care of Father Emperor tonight."

Li Xianmu nodded solemnly.

Today, the Huagai Hall is brightly lit, illuminating almost every corner of the hall in minute detail.

Fearing that moving the emperor arbitrarily would have negative consequences, the emperor was placed on a couch in a side hall, and several palace maids and eunuchs came forward to serve Zhu Gaochi his medicine.

Li Xianmu and Zhu Zhanji stood side by side, looking at the emperor with difficulty even opening their mouths. In just a short while, whether it was due to the worsening of his condition or the excessive brightness of the lights in the hall, the emperor's face became increasingly pale, even to the point of being bloodless.

Li Xianmu turned his head to look and saw Zhu Zhanji unconsciously twisting his hands together, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, his face showing a forced restraint of the turmoil in his heart.

Less than a year after one emperor's death, another emperor also passed away, and the crown prince, in his twenties, still had no children. Such a thing would be quite shocking in any dynasty.

Although Zhu Zhanji's position as heir apparent was secure and he had been learning from the late emperor for many years, he was still a young man in his twenties. It would be impossible for him not to feel pressure.

"Your Highness need not worry, His Majesty is a lucky man and Heaven will always protect him," Li Xianmu comforted him softly.

Zhu Zhanji suddenly relaxed a little. Things hadn't reached the point of no return, and his father might not necessarily be in trouble. Even if something did happen, there were still many trustworthy ministers in the court, and the country wouldn't ultimately fall apart. The two exchanged a few words when they heard hurried footsteps coming from outside the hall. Before the group even entered, Li Xianmu heard sobbing, and then the Empress rushed in with tears in her eyes.

Immediately, another group of people knelt in the hall. Empress Zhang disregarded everything and rushed to the emperor's sickbed, where she immediately saw the emperor, who was in a coma and whose life or death was unknown.

Fear swept over her mind like the darkness of night, and she swayed so badly she could barely stand. Zhu Zhanji reached out and supported his mother, "Mother."

Empress Zhang had already learned the general situation on her way here, and at this moment she was speechless, with only terrifying speculations running through her mind.

By this point, Empress Zhang and Zhu Zhanji had basically accepted reality. The emperor's health had not deteriorated overnight; rather, problems had been brewing for some time. Otherwise, the late emperor would not have told the Prince of Han, "The heir apparent is often ill; you should encourage him."

Having survived the entire Yongle era with ailing health, his ascension to the throne was already beyond many people's expectations. Looking back now, his current illness is quite understandable.

It was just that, as a close relative, Empress Zhang couldn't accept it.

Although Zhu Gaochi had a poor image, he was a man who could protect the Crown Prince and suppress the Ming Dynasty. If something happened to the emperor, what would become of the great Ming Dynasty?

"Please cheer up, Your Majesty. His Majesty is still in good health and may wake up soon."

Zhu Zhanji helped Empress Zhang to sit down beside him. The hall was very quiet, and one could even clearly hear the crackling of the lamps and candles, as well as the emperor's restless breathing despite his unconscious state.

Awakening from that overwhelming emotion, Empress Zhang finally had the energy to greet Li Xianmu, "Thank you for your trouble, Mingda. But why didn't you leave the palace, Mingda?"

Empress Zhang naturally knew that the Emperor and the Cabinet had been discussing matters in the Hall of Literary Glory all day, since they even had lunch there.

Now that the other cabinet ministers are not present, they have naturally left the palace, leaving only Li Xianmu behind.

"Your Majesty, I chatted with His Majesty a bit before leaving the palace, which is why I lagged behind. When I reached the Huagai Hall, I heard a commotion and shouts coming from inside, so I turned back and am here now."

Empress Zhang exclaimed with deep emotion, "Fortunately, Mingda is here."

She glanced at the emperor sadly again, then hesitated before saying, "If..."

If His Majesty fails to capture the emperor tonight, what will become of the Ming Dynasty?

These words weighed heavily on Empress Zhang and Zhu Zhanji's hearts like a boulder. Li Xianmu knew that the emperor would not die tonight, but in order to appease the two, he still said solemnly in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, I believe that His Majesty is blessed by Heaven and will be fine tonight."

However, if things are truly not going well, the Crown Prince was already the grandson of the Crown Prince during the Yongle era, and is still the rightful Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, the Crown Prince will inherit the throne.

With a multitude of ministers in the court, the Ming Dynasty remains as stable as Mount Tai. If any treacherous individuals seize the opportunity to cause chaos, even imperial princes will have to step over the corpses of my ministers!

Upon hearing the words "Imperial Prince," the Empress and the Crown Prince showed obvious signs of relief, as they both knew that Li Xianmu was referring to the Prince of Han.

This is also what the Crown Prince and Empress are most worried about. The Prince of Han has never given up his ambition to seize the throne. If something really happens to the Emperor, the court and the country will inevitably be in chaos. If the Prince of Han takes the opportunity to cause trouble, it is hard to guarantee that the old story will not repeat itself.

It should be noted that in order to dismantle the power of the King of Han, the emperor directly exiled the Duke of Qi to Jiaozhi to guard the border, and also used the restoration of his title to place his own people in the ranks of the nobles. All of this was because of his fear of the King of Han.

If the emperor were to encounter problems, Li Xianmu's status would be greatly enhanced.

Li Xianmu's strong statement reassured Empress Zhang and Zhu Zhanji. Among all the officials, Li Xianmu was the minister they trusted and were closest to the most.

"Your Majesty need not worry. I see that His Majesty's complexion has improved considerably. The imperial physician's medicine is effective."

Li Xianmu pointed at the emperor and comforted the empress. Empress Zhang immediately turned her head to look and saw that the emperor's face had become slightly flushed. She immediately summoned the imperial physician and asked sternly, "How is Your Majesty?"

After examining His Majesty, the imperial physician said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, I used licorice to stop the foul breath in His Majesty's body."

Your Majesty's vital signs are relatively stable and there is no immediate danger to your life. However, the risk tonight is very high. Licorice can not be used again for a while. If Your Majesty falls into a coma with the same symptoms again, I will be helpless.

"I will administer acupuncture to Your Majesty shortly to see if you can wake up."

Empress Zhang had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that her life was out of danger, when she heard the imperial physician say that there was really nothing that could be done next time, and her vision went black again.

The imperial physician knelt tremblingly on the ground, even closing his eyes and preparing to die. Since ancient times, being an imperial physician has been a dangerous job. Since the Hongwu era, countless imperial physicians in the palace have been killed.

Emperors are the most troublesome group when it comes to medical disputes, often turning their imperial physicians into Louis XVI—it's baffling.

Li Xianmu spoke up at the opportune moment: "I trouble the Imperial Physician to stay by His Majesty's side and treat him immediately when the time is right to administer acupuncture. We must do our utmost to wake His Majesty up."

An emperor who leaves a will is far too important.

Even if he really couldn't hold on any longer, he must summon those important officials before his death and make arrangements for some things.

Especially now, with so many affairs in the court and among the people, it's a complete mess, and the emperor really needs to make some arrangements.

At the very least, a future person in charge should be appointed.

The Imperial Physician knew that Li Xianmu was trying to save his life, and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I will go and take care of you immediately."

Empress Zhang was so overwhelmed with grief that she no longer cared about the trivial matter of the imperial physician.

Zhu Zhanji was also somewhat stunned. He had a premonition that his father might really be in big trouble this time. Even if he could wake up tonight or tomorrow morning, his coma today was due to a problem with his body, and the imperial physicians were helpless in dealing with it!

child time.

The night was deep and dark, with no dawn in sight. By candlelight, the imperial physician inserted silver needles one by one into the emperor's acupoints.

The silver needle trembled, flashing with a gleam!
(End of this chapter)