Song Yi

Chapter 399 Dosing
After Eunuch Jiao went in, after a while, the Empress Dowager came out with Concubine De.

Du Wenhao hurriedly stepped forward to salute.After the empress dowager granted her seat, Du Wenhao saw that Concubine De's description was even haggard and her expression was in a trance. When he saw Du Wenhao, he didn't seem to see him.I don't feel sad.

The Empress Dowager said to Du Wenhao: "You came just in time. Ai's family was planning to send someone to call you, but you just happened to come." ——Have discussed with the ministers of government and the princes, count the date, and confirm that it will be three days later Faci, buried in Yongyu Mausoleum. You are responsible for the relevant precautions."

Du Wenhao hurriedly bowed and agreed: "Please don't worry, Queen Mother, I will definitely handle everything properly."

"That's good, what do you want to do with Concubine De?"

Du Wenhao pondered for a moment, since the empress dowager asked, he still decided to talk to the empress dowager first, so as to lay the groundwork for the future.Then he said in a low voice: "When the emperor passed away, Wei Zhan, the imperial physician of the imperial hospital, was imprisoned for drinking and misbehaving. I want to find out what happened."

The empress dowager was slightly surprised: "What's the matter? Is there any problem?"

Du Wenhao got up and walked to the side of the empress dowager, and said in a low voice: "The report is too thick, Wei Zhan's mother and wife swore to the minister, saying that Wei Zhan had not drunk a drop of alcohol for many years because of his poor health. It's impossible for me to be greedy. As the head of the imperial physician, if such a big incident happened to my subordinates, if I don't find out, I will have trouble sleeping and eating."

The Empress Dowager nodded, and said in a low voice: "That makes sense, well, then you should investigate and deal with this matter carefully, and if there is anything wrong, report it directly to Ai's family."

"Wei minister leads the order!"

The Empress Dowager turned her face to Concubine De who was standing beside her and said: "General Du has something to ask you, please answer it politely, Ai's family will go in first."

Defei Fuli replied: "Yes!" Her voice was hoarse, barely audible.

The empress dowager took a look at Du Wenhao, turned around and entered the mourning hall.The matter Du Wenhao wanted to investigate was of great importance, Eunuch Jiao waved his hand, called all the maids and eunuchs out, and closed the door.

Even though Du Wenhao was given the seat by the Empress Dowager, he still didn't dare to be so presumptuous in front of Concubine De, so he didn't return to his seat, stepped forward and bowed: "Sister! Don't be too sad, I hope that my condolences will change!"

Concubine De listened to him, her wandering thoughts finally found their home, she slowly turned to look at him, her eyes finally brightened: "Wen Hao! Is that you Wen Hao?"

Du Wenhao was even more sad, Concubine De cried so much that her eyes were swollen and she couldn't see clearly, no wonder she just saw him as if she didn't recognize her.He hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Yes, sister, I'm Wen Hao!"

"Wen Hao!" Concubine De shook her body, suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm, sobbing in a hoarse voice: "Wen Hao..., you! Why did you come here! The emperor..., the emperor..."

Concubine De choked up her words, her body kept shaking, as if she was about to fall to the ground at any moment, Du Wenhao wanted to hug her, but the Empress Dowager was next door, if she saw her, it would be no joke, just It's also very inappropriate to be like this now, so he quickly supported her arm and let her sit down on the chair.Then he walked to the opposite chair and sat down, so he was relieved.

Concubine De was still weeping in a low voice, complaining that Du Wenhao was late.Du Wenhao could only listen and did not dare to defend himself.

After a while, Concubine De gradually calmed down.Du Wenhao said: "Just now the Empress Dowager authorized me to investigate the matter of Wei Zhan, the Imperial Physician, when the Emperor passed away. I heard from Eunuch Ning that when the Emperor passed away, you were by his side. Can you tell me what happened at that time. "

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have persuaded him to take the medicine, or else..." Concubine De was sobbing.

Du Wenhao was a little surprised: "What does my sister mean by this? Is there something wrong with the medicine I prescribed?"

"It's not your medicine. You've been taking your medicine for more than half a year, and it's been fine all the time. Why is there a problem? I'm talking about the medicine you added."

Du Wenhao was even more surprised: "Adding medicine? Has any other medicine been added to my medicine?"

"Um……"

"Du Wenhao's heart sank: "Who added it? "

"Lord Yong!"

Du Wenhao's heart skipped a beat, he didn't know whether to be excited or scared by this discovery.He asked anxiously, "What medicine did you add?"

"I don't know, but it's been a long time. Not long after you left, the emperor was unwell. Zheng Gu, the envoy of the imperial hospital, checked the prescription you left when you left, and said that the prescription was prescribed. It's very good. As long as you keep taking it, it should be cured completely. But the emperor always thinks of taking medicine when he is not feeling well. He doesn't listen to me no matter how much I persuade him. He will take the medicine obediently when I am around. I don't drink once in a few days, no matter how much I cry or beg, it's useless..."

Du Wenhao heard her talking and went off topic again, and hurriedly said: "Sister, you can talk about adding medicine first, okay? Tell me about the rest when you have time."

Concubine De was in a trance again, she couldn't remember what she said just now, she spread her hands together: "There's nothing to say, that's all."

Du Wenhao smiled bitterly: "Didn't you say that Prince Yong said that other medicines were added to my medicine? What's going on?"

"Oh, that's right, I was talking about this matter just now. When the envoy Zheng Yuan came to treat the emperor that day, Prince Yong also came to visit with news. Hearing what Zheng Yuan envoy said, he took a look at the prescription and said that this prescription He doesn't know how to cure the emperor's illness, so he can't say, but this medicine is missing a good medicine, so it's a pity not to add it. The emperor asked him what the medicine was, and he said it was cinnabar..."

Du Wenhao was taken aback: "Cinnabar? No way! The emperor must not add cinnabar to this medicine!"

Concubine De was also taken aback: "Really? But the envoy Zheng Yuan also said that Prince Yong's words are justified!"

"He knows nothing!" Du Wenhao was furious, and he had already understood what had happened, and he stood up, "It is not a big problem to add cinnabar to other medicines, but it must not be added to the emperor's medicine. In the medicine!"

"Why?" Concubine De asked in amazement, "Isn't cinnabar prolonging life? The emperor also said so."

Ancient Chinese alchemists believed that cinnabar can prolong life and even make people immortal, so many elixirs prepared by alchemists are equipped with cinnabar.Ancient alchemists and doctors believed that cinnabar is not only non-toxic, but also a high-quality medicinal material. "Shen Nong's Materia Medica" even listed it as the top-grade medicinal material.In fact, cinnabar is poisonous, and the mercury sulfide contained in it can cause mercury poisoning. One of the causes of death suspected by Qin Shihuang was that he died of mercury poisoning after taking the elixir containing cinnabar for a long time.

Mercury sulfide in cinnabar can damage various systems of the body, especially the nervous hematopoietic, digestive and cardiovascular systems, and damage internal organs such as the liver and kidneys.Song Shenzong already suffered from severe kidney failure, and now he is being given cinnabar that can seriously damage the kidneys, wouldn't it add fuel to the fire!
Du Wenhao knew that it was almost impossible to change the deep-rooted thinking of the ancients, so he didn't bother to explain the reason, even if he explained it, Concubine De couldn't understand it.Immediately asked: "Since when did the emperor add cinnabar to the medicine?"

"A month or so after you left, it was the time when the emperor fell ill. After Prince Yong said so, the envoy Zheng Yuan also said that adding cinnabar would not interfere with the original medicine. The emperor agreed."

That was almost a year ago, and he asked again: "What's the emperor's reaction after taking it?"

"The spirit is much better. Sometimes I stay up all night to review the memorials and discuss important military affairs. I don't feel tired all night long."

Du Wenhao smiled wryly. Taking a small amount of cinnabar for a long time can indeed make people excited and feel very energetic. This is also the reason why cinnabar can make people feel suspicious about prolonging life. However, long-term use will cause accumulation of poisoning, which is still life-threatening.He said again: "Besides feeling good, the emperor has any bad symptoms? For example, trembling, speaking clearly and so on."

Concubine De concubine thought for a while: "By the way, when the emperor got sick later, his face would keep trembling, and his hands would also be like this, but it will be fine after taking the medicine."

Muscle tremor is one of the typical characteristics of chronic mercury poisoning. Du Wenhao's heart sank, and he asked anxiously: "What else? For example, does the emperor have any peculiar smell in his mouth?"

"Smell?" When Du Wenhao reminded her, Concubine De immediately remembered, "By the way, there is a smell in the emperor's mouth, um... It's like the smell when you lick an iron spoon with your tongue."

Du Wenhao understood that the smell Defei mentioned was metallic, and his heart sank even more. This is also one of the phenomena of chronic mercury poisoning. Defei has been with the emperor for a long time, and she cares about the emperor the most. There should be some clues, but he is unwilling to ask questions directly, so the answers he gets are not very reliable, so he simply asked: "Is there anything wrong with the emperor? You should recall it carefully, it is abnormal. It's never been the same before."

Concubine De bowed her head in thought for a moment, then said hoarsely: "Your majesty... drools a lot, much more than before, sometimes when I wake up the next day, the pillow is all wet. I used to laugh at him saying that your majesty is such a big man." , why are you still acting like a child?"

This is also one of the symptoms of chronic mercury poisoning!Du Wenhao said: "How is the emperor's second stool? Is there anything unusual?"

"Well, the emperor's urine sometimes turns bloody. He once called the envoy Zheng of the Taiyuan Hospital to ask about it. The envoy Zheng said that the problem is not serious. It is a normal phenomenon of taking cinnabar, and it is the result of cleaning the dirt in the body..."

"Bastard!" Du Wenhao couldn't hold back and cursed, "Zheng Gu is the envoy of the Supreme Hospital after all, so he is so stupid!"

He scolded, but he knew in his heart that no one in ancient times knew the toxicity of cinnabar, even the top leader of the imperial hospital like Zheng Gu, could not realize it, otherwise, who would dare to make cinnabar into pills and present it to the emperor take it?
Apart from these, Concubine De can't think of any other abnormalities. However, the emperor has been taking cinnabar in the medicine. It is possible for sure.The question is whether the emperor died of mercury poisoning caused by cinnabar, which has not been directly proved.

How can we obtain direct evidence of the real cause of Song Shenzong's death?The preferred method is an autopsy.

The Northern Song Dynasty had very loose control over autopsy, so the Song Dynasty made remarkable achievements in anatomy. The two most influential human anatomy atlases in ancient China, "Ou Xifan's Five Viscera Map" and "Cunzhen Map" appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty.Among them, "Ou Xifan Five Viscera Map" is the product of a large-scale dissection activity organized by the imperial court. At that time, Guangxi executed 56 rebel bandits including Ou Xifan. The Yamen organized local famous doctors and painters to dissect them one by one. book.During the Huizong period of the Song Dynasty, the imperial court organized such a large-scale dissection activity again, and produced the "Cunzhen Tu" which became a model blueprint of human anatomy for later generations.

Song Ci's "Washing Injustice Records" is also based on the autopsy, which shows that in the Song Dynasty, the court not only did not prohibit autopsy, but advocated it. Du Wenhao knew this history from studying medical history, but the problem is this time he The one who dissected was not an ordinary person, but the current emperor, Emperor Shenzong of Song who had already been encoffined and was about to be buried!This is not a joke. If it is not done well, it will be a death penalty for disrespect.

Therefore, Du Wenhao would rather not be able to find out, nor involve himself in it.It's good as far as you can find out.

At this time, it was late at night, and Du Wenhao was about to leave after his investigation, when a court lady came to report: "General, Prime Minister Wang's daughter said that she is waiting for you at the gate of the palace."

Du Wenhao was both surprised and delighted: "Miss Runxue? Why did she come to the palace?"

"Miss Wang followed her mother to visit the Empress Dowager."

Du Wenhao suddenly understood that Wang Runxue's mother and daughter were among those who talked to the empress dowager inside.A heart suddenly jumped.

Du Wenhao bid farewell to Eunuch Jiao, rushed out of the palace, and went straight to the gate of the palace in a sedan chair.From a distance, I saw a large luxury car parked beside the palace gate, and several guards were guarding back and forth.

He got out of the sedan chair in a hurry, not knowing whether the cart belonged to Wang Runxue, standing there watching, when the curtain of the cart was raised, a little girl poked her head out and waved to him, "General, come here." The lady is waiting for you in the car!"

Seeing that it was the naughty little maid who was going to serve tea last time and didn't come back for half a day, Du Wenhao ran over hurriedly and said with a smile, "Hi, girl!"

"What's so good about us being maids? General, hurry up and get in the car. Our lady has something to tell you."

Du Wenhao got into the car, opened the curtain, and saw Wang Runxue wearing a Xiaying gauze rose-scented corset as thin as cicada's wings by the palace lanterns outside the palace gate, with a green and flowery soft smoke skirt around his waist, and a cloak. A piece of white plum blossom organdy that stretches across the floor.The waist is like a thin willow, and the shoulders are like a shave. She smiles sweetly and looks forward to her beautiful eyes. Du Wenhao's eyes are straight.

Wang Runxue pursed her lips and smiled: "General, please sit down."

The big car is quite spacious inside, covered with soft cushions, Du Wenhao sat cross-legged, and said awkwardly, "Miss, what do you want me to do?"

"Well, I just heard from the Empress Dowager that the Yongyu Mausoleum will be launched in three days. The general is in charge of guarding. I wonder how the general is going to perform his duties?"

Du Wenhao was stunned for a moment. He really didn't have any experience in security for large-scale events. He originally wanted to go back and discuss with Master Shen. Hearing Wang Runxue's question, he felt that there was something in her words, so he cupped his hands and said, "I'm I am troubled by this, please give me advice."

"Don't dare, it's just the general's first time taking on this important task, and there are some taboos and rules that the general doesn't know. My father asked the concubine to tell the general once or twice, so as not to make mistakes."

Du Wenhao's heart trembled, burying the emperor and empress dowager, this thing is not a joke, there must be many rules, if he makes a mistake, not only is it inappropriate, but it may also cause trouble, he hurriedly said : "Exactly. Thank you for your trouble."

(End of this chapter)