Still waiting for Zhaoyang

Chapter 7 You Should Find This Way to Xiaoxiang (1)
一
In the blink of an eye, it was February of the next year, and for the Empress Dowager's birthday next month, Shang Rui fretted a lot by saying one sentence on the left and one sentence on the right.As soon as he came back from the Empress Dowager Chengfu Palace, Shang Rui was in a hurry to let the eunuch change his clothes.

Minglian asked tentatively: "Your Majesty, what is this?"

"We're leaving the palace."

The Cuiyan Lake in the south of the city is known as a famous scene of the Imperial Capital, and the several painted boats moored in the center of the lake are the famous flower boats of the Imperial Capital.

In the rainy season of autumn, the hazy rain shrouds the lake like a veil on the face of a girl, making the delicate and beautiful appearance appear and disappear from time to time, making it even more attractive.

The sound of the qin came from inside the boat, and a woman from Wusun from the west was singing a moving story in her local accent.Although I can't quite understand it, but from her expression, it's nothing more than who loves who hates, who thinks who misses and so on.

Shang Rui suddenly said to the people beside him: "You said that this Wusun man has been violating our border for a long time so hateful, but this Wusun woman is beautiful." After speaking, he smiled heartily.

The laughter attracted the attention of the woman from Wusun who was playing the piano, and she happened to meet Shang Rui's eyes, so she lowered her head shyly.

The fragrance of Sophora japonica flowers on the shore of the lake opened the gauze curtain with the moist breeze, and the rare warm sun in the imperial capital in spring also shone in, falling on Shang Rui's smiling eyebrows, as if there was a warm brilliance Lined on the face, he is so handsome that people can't keep their eyes open.

At night, the Empress Dowager was about to go to bed, but Ming Fu bumped in with an ashen face and knelt on the ground with a "plop".

"What's the matter?" This servant has been with her for more than twenty years, and he is rarely so reckless.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." Ming Fu's hands were trembling.

"You said it!" The queen mother was slightly angry.

"The emperor is ill."

The Empress Dowager stood up abruptly, and she knew it was not as simple as just being ill, and while ordering someone to change clothes, she asked: "Who reported the letter, what's going on?"

The person who came to deliver the news was someone from Jinde Palace. After seeing the Queen Mother, he hurriedly said: "The emperor came to Jinde Palace for a while, and he fell unconscious."

"Where is the imperial doctor?" the queen mother asked.

"Li Ji is on duty at Tai Hospital, and he is already prescribing medicine."

The queen mother quickly got into the sedan chair, without saying a word all the way.Arriving in the Jinde Palace, the originally calm old lady saw her pale son lying on the bed with his eyes closed, his feet were almost weak, "My son—"

"Mother's queen." The queen stepped forward to support her.

"Tell me, what's going on?" She suddenly stared at the queen.

"The emperor was reading a book earlier, and then it was time to go to bed, but he told his concubine that his legs were numb and he couldn't get up, so the concubine sent someone to call for an imperial doctor. Later, Lord Li came, and the emperor didn't take long..."

"Xiao Lian was almost harmed by the wind and cold, and Ai's family saw him during the day and he was still fine." The queen mother leaned over and tried the temperature of Shang Rui's forehead with the back of her hand, her voice trembling slightly.But when she turned around, she withdrew her expression, and asked the group of imperial doctors who were anxious like ants in a hot pot: "When are you going to discuss?"

One of the slightly older imperial doctors stepped forward with a distressed face: "I have something to say, I don't know if I should ask it?"

"Speak!" The Empress Dowager sat on the embroidered pier beside the bed and spit out the word crisply.

"The ministers are afraid that the emperor is not sick, so I would like to ask the holy majesty about all his whereabouts during the day." The man bowed and asked.

The Empress Dowager understood the pros and cons, so she thought for a while: "The emperor went down to the Aijia Palace for lunch, and then left. Minglian, what happened next?" This Huang Minglian has been Shang Rui's personal servant for many years. Neither leave the body.

"Later, the emperor was reading in the imperial study." Ming Lian replied.

"Oh?" The queen mother asked again, "He is so honest, usually he can't rest for a moment, and takes you and Hongwu out of the palace to have fun whenever he is free? Don't think that Ai's family doesn't know anything, next time he will go to those If you fool around with people, I will take your head first."

The empress dowager stared at Minglian as she spoke, the sharp eyes made Minglian feel like Ling Chi: "Your servant, your servant dare not lie to the empress dowager, the emperor did not leave the palace, he just read in the imperial study, and then..."

"Continue to talk." The Queen Mother ordered sharply.

The queen accepted the words: "Then, the emperor came to Jinde Palace."

"Then I have the guts to ask the queen again, what did the Holy Majesty use for dinner?" the imperial physician surnamed Lan asked again.

The empress had already had this premonition in her heart, and had already summoned all the people who were presenting the imperial meal in Jinde Palace tonight outside the palace.Now let the imperial doctor and the servant go out to question one by one.

At the same time, Li Ji in front of the bed was administering acupuncture for Shang Rui after taking his pulse.

He injected the needle and asked again: "My minister dares to ask again, the last time the emperor ate, what did he eat?"

How perceptive the queen is, she said sternly: "Lord Li, you are the head of the imperial hospital. Now the emperor is seriously ill. If you want to ask anything, please don't beat around the bush. Save time."

Li Ji bowed again: "Has the emperor ever used unusual things? What does this humble minister mean is that someone tested poison?" He glanced at the queen and stopped, really couldn't think of any proper words that could be less sharp .

"I drank the lotus seed soup made by myself an hour ago. On weekdays, the emperor often eats lotus seeds, and he didn't feel any discomfort. Today, he tested the poison..." The queen suddenly stopped at this point, her face turned pale.

"Is there any left in the bowl? Can Weichen taste some?"

"The emperor didn't have anything left, and the bowl was taken away early." This is natural, not to mention that Shang Rui just ate something in anger with her, how could the empty bowl be left there for more than an hour? tidy.

She thought for a while, and told the maid beside her, "Ningzhu, go and see if there is still that lotus seed soup in the kitchen."

"Wait." The queen mother who hadn't spoken for a long time gently brushed away a lock of hair on Shang Rui's forehead, and said to the accompanying eunuch, "Mingfu, you two go get it together."

Watching the people who took the bowls close the door one after the other, the queen mother slowly got up: "Li Ji, tell the Ai family clearly what is going on with the emperor."

"If you go back to the Queen Mother, it seems to be—"

"What is it? But it doesn't matter." The queen mother asked.

"It's poisoning." The imperial doctor Li Ji spat out these words, and couldn't help but glance at the queen.

Although she was vaguely prepared in her heart, when she heard these two words, the Queen Mother's eyes were still dazzled, but fortunately she did not fall down by holding on to the railing of the bed with both hands.

"What poison?" the queen mother raised her head and asked.

"The emperor's limbs are numb, the whole body feels cold, and he doesn't vomit blood. The illness is very strange, and the ministers are so ignorant that they can't diagnose it. But when the emperor was still awake, he had already taken a lot of mung bean and Huoxiang soup to dilute the poison."

After the queen mother heard it, she was silent for a while, and suddenly called Huang Minglian's name in a deep voice.

"The slave is here." Ming Lian kept kneeling on the ground, so he walked forward with his back and knees bent.

"Are you convicted?" The Queen Mother's tone was slow, revealing an unstoppable cruelty and severity.

Minglian slammed his head on the ground with a "plop": "The slave girl just let the emperor eat it without testing the poison first. The crime of dereliction of duty is a crime worthy of death."

"Of course you deserve death!" The queen mother suddenly raised her voice, stood up and said angrily, "You are safe and sound now, but the master who is serving you is lying there uncertain of life or death. How dare you, a slave, live!"

Her originally suppressed anger seemed to erupt suddenly because of the sound of "he deserves death", and at the same time, there was unstoppable sadness gushing out.This woman originally thought that after so many years in the court, she would just pass by with a calm smile. Her emotions seemed to have become an appendage of life. exist as needed.She didn't know until now, no.

"The servant is willing to lead her to death." Ming Lian still bowed his head and said.He didn't whine for mercy or tried his best to justify, but said such a sentence firmly.

The queen mother became even more angry when she heard about it, she picked up the belongings at hand and threw them on his shoulder: "What a good one who is willing to lead you to death. It is not a pity for you to die a thousand times or ten thousand times. But what about the emperor who mourns his family?"

The Empress Dowager seemed to stand on the basis of the world of motherhood, a pillar for the future rise and fall of the Xu family, and suddenly turned into a mother, and a thin layer of mist was quietly covered in her eye sockets.

"Queen mother, calm down." The queen supported her and persuaded, "It is also the fault of the concubine. It was the emperor who was angry with the concubine just now. The emperor didn't let Huang Minglian test the poison when he was angry."

The queen mother sighed: "The emperor usually likes to laugh and play with people and not do his job. I know you don't like it, but you are more sensible than him. You just let him do everything. You have to preach to him. Of course he will be angry with you, queen." You, you! Forget it, it’s useless to say that.” The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes slightly, and then said with a serious expression, “If someone really has such evil intentions and wants to harm my son, no matter who it is, the Ai family will definitely make him worse off. die."

After a while, Mingfu and Ningzhu hurried back holding a celadon porridge bowl with bead pattern: "This is the leftovers."

Li Ji dipped a little bit of residual soup with his little finger and put it into his mouth, and said to everyone in the Imperial Hospital behind him, "It's gourd vine." After a brief discussion, he quickly wrote down the formula on the paper, and there were only four simple flavors on it. Medicine: Scutellaria baicalensis, Coptis chinensis, Cortex Phellodendron, Licorice.

Seeing the people decocting the medicine leave in a hurry, the Empress Dowager finally couldn't help asking: "Can this detoxify?"

Li Ji explained: "Report to the Empress Dowager, the ministers and others have poor medical skills, so that's the only way to go, the key... depends on the emperor himself." The tone was not without regret, "The emperor is poisoned by the poison of the gourd vine, which grows in the southern region , the local people often use it to relieve pain. But once the dosage is excessive, it will be incurable. The symptoms after poisoning are not obvious, but the whole body is exhausted, the limbs are numb, breathing is difficult, and the pulse will be fast at first and then slow until..." He Did not dare to finish the sentence, because everyone already understood.

The bright candlelight shone on Shang Rui's peaceful face, he seemed to be in a deep sleep, his brows stretched, and even the smile that never left his body disappeared from his sleeping face.

Li Ji cupped his hands and asked, "Queen, I would like to ask who made this lotus seed soup?"

The queen sighed: "I made it myself, and I ordered Ningzhu to bring it to the emperor on the way."

Ningzhu hastily knelt down on her knees: "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, your servants don't know anything."

The queen said: "Ningzhu, she..."

Li Ji looked up at the Queen Mother's face.

The Empress Dowager ordered coldly: "First take Ningzhu, Huang Minglian and other relevant people into custody. As long as the matter involving the emperor is not a trivial matter, the case should be handed over to Dali Temple for a thorough investigation. The Ai family wants to see who is going to turn against them." God!"

The Queen said nothing.

The queen mother grabbed the queen's hand and said: "Queen, you don't have to worry too much, I believe you!"

The four words mother-in-law suddenly made the queen startled, and then burst into tears.It's just that she, who is naturally sensitive, has long understood that the moment when the queen mother was silent just now was already a gap, a gap that the two families of Xu and Wang can never fill.

After the Queen Mother fed Shang Rui the second soup and medicine spoon by spoon, it was already halfway through Yinshi.The pulse and breathing showed no signs of further weakening, as if the condition had stabilized somewhat.Li Ji bluntly said that thanks to the insufficient amount of poison, as long as the emperor can still administer the medicine, there is hope.

After all, the queen mother is very old, so she persuaded her to take a nap for a while.

All the imperial physicians from the Taiyuan Hospital came to Jinde Palace with orders. Some waited in the imperial dining room to cook the medicine for the third time, while others went back to the Taiyuan Hospital to check the classics. retreated to the next door.

Ming Fu was ordered to guard Shang Rui, not daring to blink his eyes.

The queen tucked in the quilt for her husband, sat down on the embroidered pier beside the bed, looked at the face on the couch, and felt various feelings in her heart.

The Wang family is a family of important ministers and nobles for generations. The family is noble. The mother is Princess Suying who married into the Wang family. She has been gentle and elegant since she was a child.

Since she was born, she seemed to be a woman who lived to enter the palace.She didn't understand at first, until she met the first reserve at the age of 14.

On that day, the mother was seriously ill, and the prince was ordered to visit the married aunt on behalf of the emperor.

The maids were chattering and excited, all hiding in the dark and peeping.People often heard that Prince Shangning was gentle and refined, although she was also curious, she just dared to stay obediently in the boudoir, listening to the movement in the garden next door.

Later, her grandfather called her to the main hall, but she met an oncoming man on the bridge of Xiangyuan.He was wearing a loose and light plain robe, and there was a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.

Although she didn't know her identity, she was also a distinguished guest at home from the looks of her clothes, so she gave a little courtesy to let him go first.When passing by, the man stopped and said, "Are you Xiaoxiang's cousin?"

She was startled for a moment, but then suddenly understood, she bowed down and said, "His Royal Highness, all blessings." Her mood seemed to be disturbed by a gust of wind.The ignorance and ambiguity of the palace was lifted at once, followed by an indescribable joy and joy.

Unexpectedly, the fate between two people is just one side.Later someone told him that in that year, the crown prince asked for an order to make his only son King Yanping and his mother Crown Princess.

In the 27th year of Yongqing, the people of Wusun invaded the David Dynasty from the border. Xu Huiyong led his troops to defeat Wusun and jumped to the rank of Taiwei, controlling half of the world's troops.And Xu Huiyong's daughter was Concubine Xu, who was favored by the emperor at that time.

In the 31st year of Yongqing, from the beginning of the first lunar month, the emperor was bedridden due to wind and cold, and ordered the prince to supervise the country.

In April, Zhezi secretly reported that the prince intended to rebel. After investigation, the Holy Majesty withdrew the imperial power and ordered the prince to be temporarily confined in the mansion and not to go out.

In May, the emperor passed away, leaving an edict to pass on the throne to Shang Rui, the ninth son of the emperor born by Concubine Xu Gui.That night, the prince's mansion caught fire, and there were more than a hundred people in the mansion, and none of them survived.

Everything about that man was lost in the world, and no one even dared to mention his name again.When I went back to my natal home the year before last, I was shuddered when I recalled his face on the Xiangyuan Arch Bridge. Such a handsome man is rare even in Tianjia.Unfortunately, only one side.

When she was just over 17 years old, before she had time to feel melancholy over the end of this unrequited love, she heard her grandfather say that the new emperor wanted to make her his queen.

An emperor who was about to get married at only 13 years old, perhaps what he urgently needed was not a wife, but a backing.Growing up in the prime minister's mansion, she naturally knew what kind of deal it was, but she could only bear it quietly with lowered eyebrows and eyes.

Seeing that the green brows on the couch had faded, she sighed softly and got up to push open the window.The stars and the moon under the sky have lost their light, and the night is terribly dark.

two

After dawn, the empress had just gone to the side hall to change the clothes she had worn all night when she heard Yubi rushing to report, with a happy expression on her face: "Your Majesty, the emperor has woken up."

When the queen arrived, Shang Rui had already been lifted up and leaned on the soft cushion.

The maid fed him soybean milk according to the imperial doctor's order, saying that it could remove the residual poison left in the body.He frowned, and looked away reluctantly.

"I just said why I feel so disgusting. It turns out that Li Ji gulped me down yesterday when I was unconscious." He didn't eat soybeans when he was a child, so he also included soybean juice, tofu, bean cake, etc. Forget it.

The queen couldn't help but smile at first, but seeing that he was actually so weak that even turning his head was extremely laborious, she felt a bit shy, and lowered her head.

A eunuch was the first to see her, and said: "The empress is a thousand years old." Others followed suit.

After waiving the ceremony, she took the bean juice from the maid's hand and sat on the edge of the bed.

Seeing her haggard and tired face, Shang Rui murmured, "Xiaoxiang, I'm sorry."

The queen slightly raised her eyes to look at Shang Rui, without saying a word, took a spoonful and put it on her lips habitually, tried it again, and brought it to Shang Rui's mouth.

Shang Rui still frowned: "Zhen..." Just as he was about to refuse, he met the queen's eyes. He looked at the white thick soybean juice in the bowl, and then at the queen. He struggled for a while, but finally he was helpless sighed.

"Ok."

On the same day, after his condition stabilized, Shang Rui ordered Huang Minglian to be released and moved from Jinde Palace to Qiantai Palace.

At night, Ningzhu, who was detained in the prison, disappeared out of thin air as if by magic for some reason.It is said that some old palace people said that the appearance of the condensed beads is quite similar to "Sequence".What they were talking about was not Shang Rui's biological mother, Empress Dowager Xu, but the late emperor's "Empress Wending", the mother of the first crown prince Shangning.It is said that Empress Wending loved white plums the most during her lifetime, and the clusters of white plums in Jinde Palace were all planted by herself when she was young.

Rumors spread that the palace was haunted.

The queen mother was furious about this, and for the first time complained about the queen's ineffective management of the harem.

(End of this chapter)