one
In the Kangning Palace of the Imperial Capital, Shang Rui read the news sent back by Qi An. The letter was written very simply, straightforwardly, without any emotion. Qi An's small calligraphy was written very beautifully even in the hasty situation. There was a line in the letter - Xu Jingye hanged himself in Fenghui Town, and his body has been returned to Xu's army.
Shang Rui stared at that sentence for a long time, and his heart was surprisingly calm, neither happy nor sad. After all, he personally sent Xu Jingye on this path.
Then he went to the Empress Dowager's Chengfu Palace.
The empress dowager did not rest. As she was old, she went to bed early and always woke up in the middle of the night. Now she could not sleep, so she got up and went to chant in front of the Buddhist shrine.
Ever since the last argument, she has been refusing to see Shang Rui.
Now that she knew Shang Rui had suddenly come at midnight and was waiting outside the palace, she already had some premonitions in her heart, so she quickly changed her clothes and called him in.
As soon as Shang Rui sat down, he told her the news of Xu Jingye's death. He felt that it was better for the empress dowager to hear the news from his own mouth than from someone else.
The Queen Mother was stunned and sat quietly for a long time before she spoke: "Emperor, please do not forget your promise to me." After saying this, she wiped her moist eyes with a handkerchief.
Shang Rui nodded.
The Queen Mother cried silently for a long while. After wiping away her tears, she paused and cleared her throat: "The weather is nice this spring. I want to stay in the palace in Shunzhou."
"Now that the south is not settled, I am afraid that I will encounter unruly people on the road and offend my mother. It is better to wait."
"I am just an old woman, what is there to be afraid of? In the past, the evil spirits in the capital could not do anything to me, let alone a mere unruly citizen."
Shang Rui said calmly: "My son is unfilial."
The Queen Mother sneered: "You are extremely filial by sparing my life."
Shang Rui knew that the Queen Mother had a stubborn personality and the more he tried to persuade her, the less likely she would get any help, so he stopped talking.
As soon as he stopped, the atmosphere became even worse.
The Queen Mother added, "After I leave, don't spoil the Queen too much. Take care of the Wang family, and don't spoil them so that they become another Xu family."
"My son will remember your mother's teachings."
He left Chengfu Palace in the darkness, walked around Liubo Lake, and walked aimlessly. The eunuchs and palace maids following him didn't know where he was going, so they had to follow him from a distance. Minglian stepped forward to hold the lamp for him, but he refused.
The sky was pitch black, without a single star.
It was late at night and all the lights were off. Only a light could be seen on the corner tower from afar.
For some reason at this moment, he seemed to have the illusion that he was the only one inside the dark palace walls.
Xia Yue had been studying medicine with Li Ji for a few days. She was a little depressed at first, but later she devoted herself to treating Zi Jin.
Yao Chuang saw this in the dark and felt relieved.
He didn't expect that Shang Rui's method last time was so effective. The two sentences, one soft and one hard, just hit Xia Yue's soft spot.
Li Ji was a very methodical person, and he was very clear about teaching. Xia Yue wrote down Zi Jin's symptoms in detail, and he glanced at it briefly, saying nothing, and just started teaching from the very beginning.
I had a basic understanding of the twelve main meridians, eight extraordinary meridians, fifteen collateral channels, and twelve collateral channels he talked about before summer, so it didn't take me much effort to learn them.
Next, he taught her the rules of various meridians and how to use acupuncture.
Li Ji said, "In ancient times, pure gold and silver were used to make needles. Gold needles are usually 80% gold and 20% copper. They are soft and easy to bend. If you don't practice internal strength, ordinary people can't use them. But they are better than silver needles for acute and serious diseases." He unfolded several types of needles for Xia Yue to see. "When silver needles are used, they can be bent concavely and pushed forward without breaking, so they can be used for deeper acupuncture points."
"I've also seen iron needles." Xia Yue thought of Mu Yuanzhi's needle before.
"Yes, it is the piece of pure iron on the horse's bit, called a horse bit."
"Can't other irons be used?" Xia Yue asked.
Li Ji shook his head: "Gold in iron can hurt people's sharpness. It is recorded in the Materia Medica that horses belong to the fire element at noon, and fire overcomes gold, so the gold element must be removed before it can be used on people."
The two of them were in the study, asking and answering questions, and before they knew it, it was already dusk. Seeing that Xia Yue wanted to continue, Li Ji said, "Miss Min, when studying medicine, you must not rush for quick success. It's better to take it slow."
Xia Yue felt ashamed that her thoughts were seen through, so she took the medical book given by Li Ji and left. She walked a few steps and then stepped back: "Sir, why did you suddenly agree to teach me medicine that day?"
Li Ji was not good at playing coy with others, so he said directly: "I was also entrusted by someone, and it was not a momentary act of kindness."
When Xia Yue came back from Li Ji's place, she saw He Xiang sitting in the room with an uncertain look on her face.
"What happened? She was fine before going out on the street." Xia Yue asked. Now she was under house arrest and could not leave Li Ji's house, but fortunately He Xiang could come and go as she pleased.
With tears in her eyes, He Xiang looked up and said, "Miss, do you still remember the Yu sisters who sang in Cuiwei Tower before?"
"Yu Yin'er and Yu Hua'er?" Xia Yue naturally remembered.
"Today I went out to the street and saw Yu Yin'er crying out for justice. She stopped an adult's sedan chair and said she wanted to seek justice for her sister."
Xia Yue had a bad feeling and asked hurriedly, "What happened to her sister?"
"I heard her say from afar that her sister was forcibly taken back to Wang Gan's mansion and then beaten to death by him. She had no place to file a complaint, so she went to the street to stop the sedan chair to appeal for justice."
When Xia Yue heard the name Wang Gan, she felt as if a needle had stung her heart, and her lips trembled: "Wang Gan is also in the Imperial Capital?"
He Xiang didn't notice Xia Yue's expression. She wiped her tears and said, "That should be the case. I heard from Yu Yin'er that it happened in the past two days."
"Whose sedan did Yu Yin'er stop?"
"I don't know, but that gentleman is not a good official. He said at first that he would make the decision for Yu Yin'er, but later when he heard that the other party was Wang Kui's son, he became cowardly and scolded Yu Yin'er, saying that she was bribed and chose this time to slander the Wang family and the queen."
Xia Yue listened, clenched her fists, and remained silent for a long time.
He Xiang asked again: "Is Wang Gan really a relative of the Queen?"
Xia Yue sneered: "Of course it can't be wrong."
He Xiang was afraid that she was hungry, so she took out the snacks she had just bought from the street and poured her a cup of hot tea.
Xia Yue wiped her hands: "What happened next?"
"Later, the master's servant pushed Yu Yin'er aside and left. But there was a kind-hearted person nearby who collected some silver and gave it to her. I didn't dare to go up to her for fear of causing trouble for the young lady, so I asked someone else to secretly give her all the change that the young lady had given me to buy things. In the end, she refused to take it. She said she didn't care about the silver, she just hoped that there would be justice in broad daylight."
He Xiang started crying again after she finished speaking.
The next day, Wei Shangrui threw the impeachment memorial to Wang Kui in front of him in Qiantai Hall and said, "Take a look for yourself."
Wang Kui picked up a book and read it with a trembling voice, and defended himself by saying, "Although my son is young and ignorant, he would never do such a thing. I am innocent." He had just been transferred back to the capital for a few days, and he was convinced that these were definitely the despicable tactics of his political enemies.
"You are still quibbling," Shang Rui narrowed his eyes, "I saw and heard with my own eyes what your son did. Could it be that I have wronged you?"
“Your humble servant… Your humble servant…” Wang Kui had no idea what Shang Rui meant by seeing it with his own eyes. He wiped the sweat off his face and did not dare to respond.
"I guess you don't have the courage to listen to what he said in front of me." Having said that, Shang Rui was no longer angry and looked coldly at Wang Kui in front of him.
Wang Kui knelt on the ground, his whole body limp.
At this time, someone came in to report that the queen had arrived.
Shang Rui sneered, "She came quickly."
When Wang Kui heard this, he was like seeing a savior, and he immediately became energetic. In fact, Wang Kui knew that the situation was not good before he came, so he sent people to Jinde Palace for help.
Wang Xiaoxiang walked into the hall, bowed to the emperor first, then picked up the four or five memorials on the ground one by one and put them back on the imperial desk in an orderly manner.
"The Queen has arrived at the right time," Shang Rui said, "Is this what the Queen told me about Wang Kui's good parenting? Now that the Xu family has changed power, I am afraid that the court will be unstable. Not only are you not cautious, but you also do such things to bully men and women... You are really assholes."
He was originally cursing Wang Gan, but when he said the four words "bullying men and women", the expression on his face froze and he suddenly felt uncomfortable. So he paused and casually added "what a bastard" to end the conversation.
Ming Lian, who was standing next to him, knew the reason and lowered his head, not daring to move.
Wang Xiaoxiang looked embarrassed and said, "I was deceived by your ignorance and believed it. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
"You really should wake up. That evil creature used your name to do evil things everywhere, and there are people who told me that he has good character," Shang Rui sneered, "I really regret not chopping him off with a knife in the restaurant that day."
Wang Xiaoxiang said to Wang Kui, "Master Wang, go back and ask Wang Gan to surrender at the Supreme Court."
Wang Kui wiped his sweat again and said, "Reporting to the queen, this evil boy...has not returned for two days."
"Where did you go?" Wang Xiaoxiang asked.
"I really don't know." Wang Kui quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Shang Rui, saying, "I dare not deceive your majesty and your majesty at all."
Shang Rui glanced at Wang Kui, not having the time to figure out whether his words were true or not, and said directly: "I will give you three days. If you can't hand over the person within three days..."
Without waiting for Shang Rui to speak, Wang Kui said hastily, "I will go to the Supreme Court to plead guilty myself."
"I am not such a tyrant. Although Wang Gan is your adopted son, the murder he committed was not committed by you, so the crime of murder and adultery does not implicate you. It's just that you did not teach your son well, and you should have been punished long ago."
Wang Kui didn't dare to breathe and could only say yes repeatedly.
Shang Rui added: "Let the matter be submitted to the court for investigation. If the evidence is conclusive, I will not forgive him."
As soon as Wang Kui and Wang Xiaoxiang left, Helan Xun arrived.
"Your Majesty." Helan Xun came over hurriedly, "This is the secret letter I just received."
Shang Rui took the letter and glanced at it quickly, then said to Helan Xun, "Yu Ranyu wants to have a private talk with me."
Helan Xun asked hurriedly: "Where is it?"
"He is coming to the Imperial Capital." Shang Rui replied.
Helan Xun was overjoyed: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, for winning the battle without a single drop of blood."
"Without bloodshed, people from far and near surrender?" Shang Rui looked at the teacup on the table, raised his hand, dipped his index finger in the tea, and then traced circles on the rim of the cup with his fingertips.
Lost in the clouds and found again.
This was the riskiest move he had ever made, and now that victory was within his grasp, he was not as happy as he had expected.
Xu Jingye has been removed, the Queen Mother has moved into the imperial palace and no longer cares about state affairs, the fate of the Prince of Huai is over and he is in danger of losing his life. Even Yu Ranyu is willing to help him. It seems that there is nothing in this world that he cannot get, but...
He thought of the hands rubbing his fingers in the swaying and bumpy carriage, and of the night when he lost control after a fit of rage.
At this moment, his heart suddenly felt like it was being held in someone's hand, and he couldn't control his heartbeats. As an adult, he had to control even the emotions on his face, so this had never happened before. The finger that was still circling the cup suddenly exerted force, and the cup fell over, spilling water all over the table.
Ming Lian hurriedly used his sleeve to block the tea that was about to drip onto Shang Rui, and quietly called for someone to come in and clean up.
Shang Rui stood up from his chair and watched quietly as the palace maids and eunuchs wiped the table dry and spread out the soaked documents one by one.
Seeing that he looked unhappy, Helan Xun bowed and called him "Your Majesty".
Shang Rui gathered his thoughts, turned around and asked, "How is the matter going with the posthumous conferring of the title of Emperor Xian on the Crown Prince and moving the couple to the ancient Shun Emperor Mausoleum?"
"I and the Taichang Temple have proposed several possible temple names and would like to ask the emperor for his decision." As he said this, he handed over the prepared memorial.
Shang Rui took a glance and closed it again: "Let Ran Yu make his own decision when the time comes."
Helan Xun added: "There are still some people in the court who are dissatisfied with this matter. If the former crown prince succeeds to the throne, then how can the emperor rule the country for the past ten years?"
Shang Rui raised his eyebrows: "People are talking nonsense. If I want to intervene, I can only intervene temporarily, not in the future. Why bother yourself with troubles? Let them be."
Helan Xun took the letter back and put it in his sleeve.
"In addition," Shang Rui said, "there is one more thing. The late emperor loved Ran Yu and made him the King of Yanping, but it was an empty title without any fiefdom. Can you guys tell me which place would be best for him?"
Helan Xun thought for a moment and immediately asked, "Your Majesty, do you want to keep him by your side or send him far away?"
Shang Rui understood his concerns and said, "You are a good person in every way, except that you like to think in roundabout ways."
Helan Xun did not refute: "Your Majesty..."
"I think it's good to be in the clouds, rich and free."
"Yunzhong? That was the fiefdom bestowed upon the Emperor by the late Emperor when he was in hiding."
"I should pay him back what I owe him." Shang Rui said calmly.
"I think it is inappropriate. Liangzhou, Wuzhou and Yunzhong are not far from each other. If one of them becomes disloyal and they unite, I am afraid there will be another Huai Wang Rebellion."
Shang Rui paced a few steps with his hands behind his back: "I have been thinking about this for many days, so I have an idea. Although it is not urgent at this moment, I can still talk to you in private now."
Helan Xun listened attentively: "Your humble servant is willing to share the emperor's worries."
Shang Rui frowned: "The incident with Prince Huai is a lesson for me, and it makes me want to abolish this vassal state system."
Helan Xun was shocked and stood there in a daze. He was so surprised that he asked after a while, "Is the emperor really going to abolish the feudal system?"
Shang Rui smiled: "I didn't dare to think about it at first, but among these princes, Prince Huai is the most powerful. Now he has been taken action. It seems that it is not a bad thing to gnaw on this hard bone first." Prince Huai ended up like this, so others dared not act rashly.
Helan Xun suddenly understood why Shang Rui said "I'm afraid that the Prince of Huai won't rebel". It turned out that Shang Rui had already anticipated this step after Xu Jingye and the Prince of Huai. He himself was a minister of two dynasties. When he was young and energetic, he had such thoughts, but no one dared to mention it. If you don't pay attention to the matter of abolishing the feudal lords, it will lead to a great sin for all ages, so everyone just muddles by and avoids it. The disaster of the feudal lords has a long history, but no one expected Shang Rui to have such courage.
Thinking of this, Helan Xun felt something stirring in his chest.
"My grandfather, Emperor Taizong, once advocated the saying 'establish many princes and reduce their power', and instructed the late emperor to establish more vassal states, so that they would weaken each other and keep their countries small and prevent them from having evil thoughts. I dare not say that Emperor Taizong is wrong, but I don't want to continue to let things go like this during my reign. The vassal states are separatist in all directions, and the imperial orders are blocked. Foreign countries in the Western Regions are eyeing our dynasty covetously and are ready to fight day and night. If we want to eliminate the troubles of future generations and ensure peace in the world, the only way is to reduce the size of the vassal states." At this point, Shang Rui paused slightly and asked, "Bo Luan, are you willing to help me?" Bo Luan is Helan Xun's name.
After he asked the question, he waited for a while, but did not hear Helan Xun speak. Instead, he saw the other party lift up his robe, kneel on the ground, and kowtow solemnly.
Helan Xun was usually a man of clever words and good debaters, but he kept silent for a moment. After a long time, he responded in a loud voice: "As the emperor wishes, I will follow you till death." There were tears in his eyes.
Shang Rui waved his hand and asked Ming Lian to help him up. He smiled and said, "Of course, I'm not a fool. Now is not the right time, and it's too early to bring this up. But I have this idea, so I want to let you know first. This is something only you and I know. Keep it in your heart for now, and don't rush it."
"I understand."
After a moment, Helan Xun asked in confusion: "Since the emperor is determined to reduce the power of the princes, why did he confer the title of King of Yanping?"
"There are already more than ten of them, so he is not one more. I will naturally give him what others have."
Before they knew it, it was lunch time, so Shang Rui asked Helan Xun to stay for lunch. After lunch, Shang Rui said, "Don't rush to leave the palace. I'll change my clothes and go with you."
"Your Majesty, what is this?"
"Go to Li Ji's house."
Helan Xun hesitated and said, "Your Majesty... I have something to say, and I hope Your Majesty will not blame me."
Shang Rui guessed what he was going to say and glanced at him: "Since you know that speaking out is a sin, then don't say it."
Helan Xun sighed. He was afraid that Shang Rui, who was so smart and talented, would be ruined by the word "love".
two
Li Ji continued to teach Xia Yue how to use needles in the study. In the middle of the room stood an incense burner, with a few wisps of light smoke rising from it.
"This toad needs to be caught in summer and autumn. After washing it, squeeze out the juice behind its ears and on its skin and dry it in the sun to make toad venom. When it is ready to use, melt the toad venom in wine and then quench it on the tip of a needle."
"Does Toad Venom have the same effect as Ma Fei San?" This was Xia Yue's voice.