Lady Zhao

Chapter 70

The next day, the news of Wang Bowen's arrest in the Hou Mansion was widely known in the world. For some reason, even the previous story about Wang Bowen and Wang Xueyuan framing Zhao Yuanli for going mad and beating people was re-discussed. The truth was revealed, and the Wang family was shamed , Wang Bowen was detained in prison, waiting for the trial. During this period, Marquis Anyuan went to beg the Holy Father several times, but all of them left the imperial study with a dark face.

In the Ci'an Palace, there were a lot of flowers, and there was no sign of coolness. After the emperor and the queen mother greeted each other, they left a dish for lunch, and Gong'e Lianbu brought the plate.

The color is crystal clear, the white jade hoof flower that is soft and rotten in the mouth, the bird's nest Ruyi fat chicken, the deer tendon and meat, and the fresh shrimp balls...all are specially made by the imperial dining room according to the emperor's taste, and the sweet but not greasy white fungus eggs are served at the end Milk soup and golden chestnut crisps are served as snacks after dinner.

"The emperor hasn't had dinner with Ai's family for a while. I heard that you have been staying in the imperial study for the past two days. The state affairs are busy, so you have to take care of yourself." Empress Dowager Dou said quite distressed.

"I made the empress worry. I was really troubled by something before. Fortunately, there was someone to help and the matter was resolved satisfactorily. Why don't I come to accompany the empress now?" Twisting the corners of his mouth, he was very satisfied.

"Oh? Looking at the emperor's expression, he seems to appreciate it very much. May I talk to Aijia about it."

"Speaking of which, the empress mother also recognizes Zhao Yuanli, the eldest son of Duke Zhao's mansion. He has a lot of troubles in his life, but he is persevering. He has an amazing talent, which is really rare."

"Look at what you're boasting, is it really that good?" Queen Dowager Dou pursed her lips and smiled when she heard the words, and she was also happy in her heart to support the success of her descendants.

The emperor had the idea of ​​suing, put down his chopsticks and talked with Queen Dowager Dou, Wang Bowen was only one part of the private loan issue that Zhao Yuanli found out, and many court officials were involved, especially the household department in charge of the treasury, who was related to the queen. The relationship is very deep, and it affects the whole body, but he can't let it go on without doing anything. He was furious because of this matter, but it was more of a headache.

The Huainan flood affected the allocation of funds from the national treasury, and the Ministry of Household Affairs took the opportunity to fill their own pockets, cheated the world, and lent money abroad, which hurt the foundation of the national treasury.The birthday banquet is about to come, and all countries come to celebrate. Human relations and management have become problems. I just ordered that exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes will be exempted for three years. You are not joking, but the deficit of the national treasury is really worrying.

Zhao Yuanli's note was just a solution to the urgent need, the case must be dealt with, and the death of a running horse is not a pity.As for the short-lived state treasury, Zhao Yuanli proposed to issue it in the form of financial order, and use the name of the emperor's birthday to encourage merchant officials to buy it. , Franchise orders, etc. can be bought back after the national treasury is full.

And these vigorous means and opinions made the emperor appreciate him very much, Longxin was very happy, and he looked at Zhao Yuanli with admiration.

This morning at the court, he issued this order. With Zhao Hongsheng taking the lead, they all donated money and purchased the first batch of financial orders, which made a great start. However, they usually only make flattering and flattering voices. Compared with each other , the emperor's heart is like a mirror.

The queen then went to the royal study to plead guilty, saying that her father was too old to know people and couldn't make a recommendation, which caused a catastrophe. After some words were reasonable, she quickly cleared up the relationship, showing that they were all defending the emperor's holy decision, and the emperor cursed inwardly. The old fox, however, heaved a sigh of relief, in this way, the matter of punishment will be more handy.

"In this way, Yuan Li has indeed put in a lot of effort, and the old Duke Quan must be gratified to know." Empress Dowager Dou said with emotion.

"Brother Yuan Li, what did you do?" A delicate voice came in through the veil, and Yongping lifted the curtain to greet the two of them. "Father, imperial grandmother."

Empress Dowager Dou glanced at her own little granddaughter Huaichun, and nodded her head angrily, "The girl is not allowed to stay." Obviously she knew about sneaking to the Imperial Academy every day, read Seeing that the presence of the emperor was not exposed.

Yongping stuck out his tongue, showed the empress dowager a fawning expression, and called out to the emperor's grandmother.

The emperor raised his eyebrows, and for a moment of doubt, he heard Yongping complaining in a low voice that Zhao Yuanli had lost his talent in the Imperial Academy. It's not bad, but this incident helped me solve a big trouble, so it should be rewarded."

"Well, brother Yuanli likes calligraphy and painting books, and...uh..." Yongping held back for a while and didn't have the nerve to say it. He blinked his eyes and stared at his father with a righteous face, "Don't be stingy, father!"

Hearing the words, the emperor looked at Yongping more carefully, and shrank back from seeing the latter, with a blush on his face, the emperor suddenly dropped his weight and said, "Yongping likes that kid from the Zhao family , want to marry him?"

The first son of the Zhao family became the boy of the Zhao family, Empress Dowager Dou glanced at him, a little unpredictable.

Yongping was touched and blushed, but now he met the emperor's calm eyes and said without flinching, "Father also said that brother Yuanli is a talented person, and brother Yuanli values ​​love." Even more than belongings outside of the body, this minister wants to win over the royal father, and it is also for the sake of the royal father!"

"..." The emperor told her to linger and choke her. After a long while, he sighed and touched the girl's soft hair, and said in defeat, "Father, I have to thank you."

"That's not necessary." Yongping waved his hand quite generously, blinked his bright eyes, and said seriously, "Father, just think about it carefully."

The co-author was forced into marriage by his own daughter.The emperor had an inexplicable feeling of irony in his heart, thinking of Zhao Yuanli's gentle temperament, matching Yongping... Heh, it's better for Yongping to be in a hurry, but in the future...

Empress Dowager Dou looked at her words and saw that the emperor was not displeased at all, so she changed the topic by presenting Yongping's favorite almond cheese.

In the dark cell, Zhao Yuanli stood in front of Wang Bowen again, and the latter really became a prisoner.The Queen pulled back to protect himself, what he had thought was cut off completely, and he became the chicken that the Holy Majesty wanted to kill to show the monkey, so embarrassed.

In just a few days, his eyes were blue and black, his beard was sloppy, and he seemed to be a different person. "I want to see my dad...I want to go out...Dad..." These two words were repeated upside down, and I didn't know if it was too much of a blow.

When he saw Zhao Yuanli again, he rushed over suddenly, grabbed the iron gate railing, and made a sound of struggling, which echoed in the cell very ear-piercingly. "Let me out, Zhao Yuanli, let me out."

"I'm here to tell you that the verdict has been handed down, and you will be executed immediately after the spring. There is not much time left, so you can do it yourself."

Wang Bowen froze as if struck by lightning, his face full of astonishment, and then he opened his eyes wide and murmured in disbelief, "What... what did you say?"

"The Marquis of Anyuan was demoted to the fourth-class viscount, and he stayed behind closed doors. The matter is a foregone conclusion. You should have thought of today when you did it."

Wang Bowen staggered back two steps, and shed two lines of muddy tears. The mentality of falling from being a noble son of an aristocratic family to being a prisoner turned into a deep fear in the face of death. , from the moment Zhao Yuanjin approached him, it seemed that everything could not be brought back, Zhao Yuanjin...

"I did it myself, and your younger brother is not a good thing." Wang Bowen, who was squatting on the ground, covered half of his face, snorting and laughing. I don't have to worry about it, but why should he bear it for others. "It was your younger brother's idea to slander your reputation. I just gave him a helping hand and passed on a sentence for me. When I go down below, I will often look for him to talk about the old days."

Zhao Yuanli took a deep look at Wang Bowen, who seemed to be melting into the darkness, and responded almost inaudibly, no longer staying, and left the cell.

Back at Duke Dingguo's mansion, it was already evening, and the sky was getting darker. Zhao Yuanli went to Xiangzhu Garden first. Zhao Wenwan was terrified of what Zhao Wenwan had done for him. If Fang Zimo hadn't happened to pass by...

In the room, Zhao Wenwan squinted his eyes and looked pensive. Seeing Zhao Yuanli come in, he showed a bright smile, "Brother, why did you come back so late today? Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet, come and see you first."

Zhao Wenwan frowned when she heard the words, knowing that her elder brother was still in shock for that day these two days, she sighed and comforted her, "I'm not made of porcelain, I'm not that fragile, I'm fine now." Just be careful, and a little bit of doubt. When she was pushed in, it seemed that someone blocked the sword, but Fang Zimo and the two servants were not injured so badly. Could there be someone else?
"In short, it's better to go out less in the future, and even if you go out, you have to bring enough people."

"Yes, I understand." Zhao Wenwan obediently responded, "Have you visited Nayun, brother? Is the child all right?"

"It looks better under the care of the neighbors, and the funeral has been taken care of. The family who took care of Nanyun has nothing to do. They are quite familiar with Nanyun's family. They feel sorry for what happened to Nanyun and proposed to adopt him. , I asked Nan Yun what she meant, and she agreed, you can rest assured that someone will take care of you."

Zhao Wenwan smiled reassuringly when he heard the words, and suddenly remembered what happened during the day, and hurriedly pulled Zhao Yuanli and said, "Brother, I heard that Zhao Yuanjin fell ill after being asked by the yamen for questioning, and it seems to be quite sick. It's still contagious, Mrs. Ye has sealed up Mo Yuanju completely, looking very nervous."

Zhao Yuanli looked at his younger sister's black eyes, and frowned, "Whether it's true or not, take a good rest and don't get involved." No matter how strange Zhao Yuanjin's illness was, it was not as important as Wan Wan's. There is no rush.

Zhao Wenwan nodded in agreement to reassure him, but he had other plans in his heart. Zhao Yuanjin and Wang Bowen cheated his eldest brother together, and now Wang Bowen got the punishment he deserved, but he left everything behind. How could such a cheap thing happen.Zhao Yuanjin was ill at this time, contacting the various versions spread in the mansion, Zhao Wenwan believed that his Hualiu's illness had worsened, and he was about to lose it, so Ye Shi was so nervous to seal the yard.

How could such a good opportunity be missed.

In Moyuanju, there is a three-foot plaque hanging on the black lacquered door leaf. It was once an inscription written by Zhao Laogong’s best friend. Because of the word "Yuan" in the name of his best friend, this courtyard is called Moyuanju, which has a strong meaning. it is good.Now, for Zhao Yuanjin, the courtyard seems to have taken over the meaning, turning into a dark abyss. The winter scenery outside the window is bleak, and the room is so dull that people can't breathe, which makes Zhao Yuanjin lying on the bed feel even more gloomy.

But he couldn't get out of bed, he had a high fever for a few days and was so weak that he could only stare at the top of the bed with a pair of ashen eyes. It was a decadent look.

Seeing the handkerchief tightened tightly, Mrs. Ye hated and felt pain. She refused to listen to what she had persuaded many times, but now she is in such a rough state, who can blame her?

There were three or two young servants waiting on the bed carefully, and Mrs. Ye sat on the edge of the bed with a gloomy expression. Seeing this, Zhao's mother called the maids in the garden outside, with a ruthless expression, and beat them several times carefully, letting them It is not allowed to talk nonsense about Zhao Yuanjin's illness. He only said that he was almost cured from the wind and cold. It was only a few months before Chunwei, so he simply sealed off the yard, saying that the second young master had to concentrate on preparing for the exam.

Zhao Hongsheng also believed it, and said with a stern face that it should have been like this a long time ago. Although the words were a little tough, he still looked at his grown-up son in pain, and wanted to take a look at him when he was sick. In the end, Mrs. Ye found a reason to prevaricate In the past, it was only when the wind and cold were getting better that it was most likely to be contagious, and after a while, Zhao Yuanjin would go over to pay his respects in person.Hearing this, Zhao Hongsheng also said that indeed, he went in and out with Yuan Li, if he caught the cold, it would be bad to pass it on to Yuan Li, which made Ye feel chilled.

In front of the bed, Mrs. Ye stared at Zhao Yuanjin with dim eyes, and said after a long while: "You are useless, how many times has my mother told you so earnestly to make you pay attention to restrain yourself, what did you listen to!" Even though it hurts Extremely helpless, people have become like this...

Thinking of seeing Zhao Yuanjin in a coma and almost unable to wake up the day before, Mrs. Ye still had lingering fears. At first, when he heard that he was ill, he thought it was because of Zhao Yuanli's affairs, but after getting the letter from Zhao's mother, he realized that he was really ill. , because of the willow disease a few days ago, how many times have I talked about it, and I always say that I know it is wrong, but I didn't listen to it in my heart!
The servant handed over the wet and hot handkerchief that had been wrung out, and Mrs. Ye took over and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The thought of beating and scolding him to teach him a lesson stopped after seeing the man in this state. Full of disappointment and panic.

Lying on the bed, Zhao Yuanjin felt powerless, his eyes were spinning like a stranded fish, and his whole body was in terribly uncomfortable pain, tearing and screaming, pulling Ye Shi's sleeve and screaming , but couldn't tell where it hurt, and fell asleep again after moaning for a while.

Although Mrs. Ye hated that iron could not be made into steel, but after all, she was born in October, and there was only such a son-in-law. She placed high hopes on it, but she didn't expect to be so unfruitful. The anger in her chest took two days to see After Zhao Yuanjin woke up, he looked at his lifeless and empty eyes and swallowed them back. Even if he wasn't a doctor, he could see how dangerous this illness was.

She didn't dare to invite Doctor Yuan to come to the garden to have a look, so she asked people from her natal family to find a doctor in this field hastily, but they couldn't do anything.Ye's heart was exhausted, her face was exhausted, seeing Zhao Yuanjin fell asleep again, sobbing and crying while hugging her son on the bed, how could she not feel distressed.

Seeing this, Zhao's mother anxiously persuaded her, "Ma'am, don't cry anymore. The second young master has a good fortune, so he will be fine. The old slave has asked Zhao Sheng to go outside to find someone. The second young master must be ill." cure." Because the doctor was unable to do anything after seeing Zhao Yuanjin, he sighed and asked them to go to the street to try those quack doctors, maybe they could meet a good one, so they had to go to the street to find someone and die. The horse is treated as a live horse doctor.

"If something happened to Yuan Jin, how would I live?"

Mother Zhao sighed, "It's useless for Madam to be anxious now. For the present plan, it's better to hide it from the master first. If the master and the old lady find out, our second young master really has nothing to fight with the young master." Madam, all these years of hard work and forbearance will be in vain."

Hearing this, Mrs. Ye was naturally not reconciled, opened her red eyes, pondered for a while, pulled out of the momentary fragile state of mind, cheered up, and only hoped that Zhao Sheng could find the 'miracle doctor' as soon as possible.

At noon, Zhao Sheng came in in a hurry. He was sweating all over in the winter. When he saw Mrs. Ye, he said, "Ma'am, good news, the little one has found someone! I saw too many barefoot doctors. The stall of that one was full of people, and the people who asked for medicine almost crowded the stall. I heard that a cripple could walk like a normal person after taking the medicine, and a middle-aged man said that his father took it The medicine prescribed by the doctor was half a foot into the coffin, but now it can grow melons in the ground, anyway, it will cure many difficult and miscellaneous diseases. I asked in private, and they said it can cure the second young master's disease. Invite them right away."

Ye's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said eagerly, "Hurry up and invite me in."

Zhao Sheng replied: "I have already waited at the back door outside the mansion. If Madam thinks it is feasible, I will invite people in now."

Mrs. Ye has been anxious for several days, but she still remembers that quack doctors are not necessarily reliable, so she just said please come in and let him have a look first, and if she is not allowed, then she will be kicked out.

The quack doctor who came was only in his [-]s or [-]s, dressed in a broad robe, with a somewhat fairy-like appearance and a goatee beard. He frowned as soon as he entered the room, shook his head slightly, and straightened the leaves. Shi was startled when she saw it, and quickly said, "Genius doctor, show me quickly."

According to the doctor's words, the doctor went to the bed and sat down, looked around and asked about everything. In addition to the same way as the previous doctors, he also touched a few places on Zhao Yuanjin's face and neck. After a while, the spots that were touched showed a lighter color. Cyanosis comes.

"What's going on here?" Mrs. Ye couldn't help exclaiming, always feeling that the color was dark and ominous, and her face was even more worried.

The goatee doctor frowned at being interrupted suddenly, showing displeasure, and Mrs. Ye shut up embarrassingly.The former held it for a while before letting go, put the utensils back into the small box, stroked his short beard and said thoughtfully, "Except for the rash on the palms of your son, I'm afraid it's on the soles of your feet and on your body. It doesn't hurt or hurts." Itching, symmetrical distribution, foul smell coming from the lower body, accompanied by pustules, it may have been a month or two, if you come to me a few days later, I am afraid that Hua Tuo will be hard to save."

Mother Zhao pulled Ye Shi excitedly, and whispered, "Ma'am, what the genius doctor said is exactly right." Then she rolled her eyes, and whispered to her master: "This old slave seems to be feasible, Madam quickly ask him to give it to you." The second young master should be cured."

Mrs. Ye also believed it, and urgently said: "The genius doctor, save my son quickly. If you want any medicinal materials, just tell me. The Duke's Mansion has everything. If you can cure the child's illness, you will definitely be rewarded."

The quack doctor laughed heartily after hearing Haha, "I have a prescription here, but...the introduction of the medicine is a bit special." Then he spread two bags of medicine wrapped with hemp rope on the table, and the doctor opened it, only to see one of them was It was black powder with a fishy smell, and the other pack was gray powder. He pointed to one of the packs and said, "This medicine requires two taels of black chicken blood, three taels of jade spirit slices, and six taels of powder ground from century-old pine bark. , mixed with this package of medicine to form a paste and applied externally. The other medicine needs to be taken internally, but the medicine primer is hard to find."

"You can tell me what you need, Mr. Ye." Mrs. Ye's attitude when she asked this person to enter the door dispelled some doubts, and after listening to his diagnosis, she was even more trustworthy, and said hastily.

"Three or five drops of blood relatives in the same blood as your son, you have to be a boy."

This... isn't Ruige'er the only one who meets the requirements?Ye searched around in her mind and passed this idea.

Mrs. Ye hesitated, and asked Mother Zhao to discuss, "It's too risky to ask Brother Rui to cut the blood. If he comes back and mentions this in the old lady's ear, how should he explain it?"

Mother Zhao comforted: "Brother Rui is only four years old, bumps and bumps are unavoidable, when the time comes to coax the child with delicious candy, and play with it for a while, he must have forgotten everything, Madam, if you hesitate again Go on, the second young master can't hold it anymore."

Mrs. Ye glanced at Zhao Yuanjin who was still in a coma. His face was pale and terrifying. He gritted his teeth and made up his mind, "Let Zhao Sheng do it, and report it when there is no one around. Don't let anyone find out."

In this room, Zhao Wenwan was sitting at the table drinking tea leisurely, Xueyan hurriedly came to report that Brother Rui was taken away by the maid arranged by Zhao Sheng, and the porcelain cup with crabapple flowers and butterflies between his jade fingers was clear and clear, reflecting Zhao Wenwan's deep feelings With a smile, "When I enter Mingxu Garden for a cup of tea, you should follow the plan and don't miss it."

Xueyan nodded in response, "Yes, Miss."

Zhao Wenwan got up and asked Baochan to follow them to Mingxu Garden. At this time, after the old lady had a nap, Zhao Hongsheng went to say hello. When they passed by, they met unexpectedly, and the father and daughter entered the house together. Even though he was close, Zhao Hongsheng had changed his view of Zhao Wenwan a long time ago, and he was not as preachy as before. When he asked about the current situation, his words were quite caring.

Mrs. Zhao asked Mother Yang to serve tea to the father and daughter. She was very happy when she saw the happy atmosphere. Suddenly, she saw the servant girl who was guarding Brother Rui rushing in regardless of the rules. The young master brought a bowl of sweet-scented osmanthus soup, but he didn't notice anyone. Later, he asked some sisters all the way, but they couldn't find any traces. It happened that Sister Lamei saw and said that... Zhao Sheng went to the second young master's Moyuan residence with his arms."

"What, went to Moyuanju?" Zhao Wenwan was surprised at the right time, and then turned to his grandmother, "What is this Zhao Sheng doing there with Brother Rui in his arms?
Mother Yang was really worried. The time she stayed with Rui Geer in Mingxuyuan was not short, and she loved this cute little guy very much. Her tone was tinged with urgency, "Isn't the second young master suffering from the cold?" He's still sick, Brother Rui is young and weak, in case he gets stained with something unclean... let's hurry up and pick it up."

"Grandmother, I'll go." Zhao Wenwan took the initiative to invite Ying, frowning slightly, also worried about the little guy.

Zhao Hongsheng was also surprised to hear this, so he said that he would go together and take a look at how Zhao Yuanjin was doing.

Zhao Wenwan secretly smiled with satisfaction, and nodded calmly.

Mrs. Zhao, who had not spoken all the time, had deep eyes, "The old lady also wants to visit Yuan Jin, let's go together."

Mrs. Zhao wore thick outer clothes, surrounded by many people, and a group of people moved to Mo Yuanju in a mighty manner.

(End of this chapter)