Zhao Zun's long and narrow brows were raised slightly, and he stared at Emperor Xiyue with a complicated expression, not knowing what he was thinking.
Emperor Xiyue stood in front of the window and let out a long sigh, full of melancholy, "Yu'er, your elder brother was brought up by me, do you want me to watch him die? I know I owe you a lot, this time it will be fine." For your big brother..."
Emperor Xiyue choked up, watching Song Zhan's decline was more painful than stabbing his heart with a knife.
"Yu'er, if the ministers and even the subjects of Xiyue know that the crown prince is poisonous, the princes and princes under my knees will definitely be restless, and I am afraid that the war from a year ago will repeat itself."
This is what Emperor Xiyue is most worried about. If Song Zhan falls, someone will definitely take the opportunity to make trouble and stare at the throne covetously. At that time, Xiyue will be bloody again.
If the current balance is broken, the Queen Zhao's family will be implicated firstly, including Queen Zhao, any prince who rises to power will not let the Zhao family go, and Emperor Xiyue knows this best.
In the past, the ministers who followed Emperor Xiyue would also be reshuffled. Emperor Xiyue did not want to break this situation. The best way is to maintain the status quo.
Then let Song Zhan recover from his illness, Xiyue Emperor had even prepared for the worst, remembering what the abbot of the National Temple said a few days ago, two sons must have a death, and Xiyue can only be ruled by one person.
Although Song Zhan's fate is expensive, he does not have the appearance of an emperor. If he insists on it, he will only age prematurely. Only Zhao Zun's evil and murderous aura can suppress his fate.
Zhao Zun sneered, "After all, you still care about this country the most."
"Yu'er, don't you miss your elder brother? Your elder brother is struggling to govern the government every day. Once someone finds out, someone will pull him down immediately and make another heir. Your elder brother's life is in danger. If you replace your elder brother, you Eldest brother can recuperate at ease, let alone your mother in the palace, do you want to watch her die!"
The veins on Emperor Xiyue's forehead were throbbing. The throne behind him was fought so hard by so many princes. Now he handed over to Zhao Zun, but Zhao Zun was very repulsive. The strong contrast made Emperor Xiyue frustrated and helpless.
Zhao Zun pursed his lips and remained silent, unwilling to accept this mess from the bottom of his heart. Xiyue's mess is really annoying.
"You can be a Minister of the Ministry of Punishments in Dongming and relieve Emperor Dongming's worries. Why can't you come to Xiyue?"
Emperor Xiyue's tone softened a lot, but his attitude was unquestionably firm, "Since you're here, go and see your mother and Zhan'er."
Zhao Zun took a deep breath, and followed Emperor Xiyue to the Songzhan Palace. As soon as he stepped into the house, he could smell the strong scent of medicine, and coughing from time to time.
Through the screen, Song Zhan could be vaguely seen sitting in front of the table, with many memorials piled up on the case, Zhao Zun got angry and squinted at Emperor Xiyue, who was so ill that he even asked Song Zhan to review the memorials.
Emperor Xiyue walked around the screen and took a step forward, "Zhan'er, why don't you take a good rest, you don't need to worry about these memorials in the future, and I won't be so old that I can't even read the memorials."
Seeing Emperor Xiyue enter, Song Zhan stood up quickly, his jade-like face was pale and weak, his exquisite facial features were tired, and there was still a light blue color under his eye sockets, which was quite different from the gentle and jade-like Pianpian prince in the past.
"Father, my son and minister are fine." Song Zhan stood aside politely, and suddenly raised his eyes to look at the guard beside Emperor Xiyue. The guard was wearing a mask, although he couldn't see his face clearly, but There is a very familiar feeling.
"What did the imperial doctor say?" Emperor Xiyue randomly picked up a memorial, blocked Song Zhan's sight, glanced at the memorial, and nodded. Government affairs are also well organized.
Song Zhan withdrew his gaze and smiled bitterly, "It's still the same, Imperial Physician Zhong and several other doctors are dispensing medicines for my minister day and night, I'm so disappointed."
Emperor Xiyue patted Song Zhan on the shoulder, "Zhan'er, you are the prince of Xiyue. You have a heavy responsibility and you cannot give up lightly. I will send you away from Shengjing in a few days and call famous doctors to treat you."
"Father, at this time, I can't leave Shengjing..." Song Zhan was slightly surprised. Since the last war, Xiyue is in the recovery stage, and there are still many things to deal with. How can we hand over a bunch of mess to Xiyue God alone.
Emperor Xiyue injured his body when he was young, often had unbearable headaches, and was unable to handle government affairs. Many imperial doctors were helpless, and the delay lasted for more than ten years.
"Zhan'er, how about letting your second brother come to Xiyue?" Emperor Xiyue suddenly asked.
Song Zhan was stunned, "It would be great if the second brother could come, but we owe the second brother too much. Now the second brother is more stable, but because of our private affairs, the second brother is delayed. I feel really sorry."
Song Zhan looked at Emperor Xiyue seriously, "Father, it is not that I am greedy for the position of prince. If my second brother speaks up, I am willing to give up the throne immediately. As long as the stability of Xiyue can be maintained, I will die without regret. .”
Emperor Xiyue smiled gratifiedly, and gave Song Zhan a few words. While speaking, Song Zhan swayed, a mouthful of black blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, his exquisite eyes were tightly closed, and he fell into the arms of the guard.
"Hurry up and invite Dr. Zhong!" Emperor Xiyue's face changed drastically, and the guards immediately went out to bring Dr. Zhong, who knelt on the ground to treat Song Zhan, his face becoming more and more serious.
For a long time, Emperor Xiyue's heart was in his throat, "Doctor Zhong, how is the prince?"
Imperial Physician Zhong sighed deeply, "Your Majesty, we can't delay any longer. The Crown Prince's body is gradually weakening. If the toxins in his body are not controlled, he may be in danger."
Emperor Xiyue's complexion changed suddenly, and his mood was a little unstable, "We must find a way to heal the prince, and we must not let the prince have an accident!"
"Zhan'er!" Empress Zhao just heard these words as soon as she entered the door. With the help of the palace maid, she stumbled all the way to the bed, feeling rather haggard.
"Empress..." Emperor Xiyue was stunned for a moment, he didn't expect Empress Zhao to come suddenly, and he was caught off guard for a while.
Empress Zhao fell to her knees with a plop, tightly holding on to Emperor Xiyue's hand, her voice hoarse.
"Your majesty, my concubine please let Zhan'er leave the palace. The concubine can leave with Zhan'er, and declare to the public that the concubine is not feeling well and needs to rest, and the prince will accompany her."
Empress Zhao was worried every day, and she didn't have a good night's sleep, for fear that she would hear some bad news when she woke up.
Song Zhan is the prince and the most favored son of Emperor Xiyue. For Song Zhan, Emperor Xiyue has been suppressing other princes. Song Zhan not only has to guard against the plotting of other brothers, but also handles government affairs. This is a heavy burden on his shoulders. It is not at all easier than Emperor Xiyue.
As soon as Song Zhan left Shengjing, suspicion would inevitably arouse, and there was no guarantee that someone would not take the opportunity to make trouble. Emperor Xiyue had been hesitating until recently when he heard that Zhao Zun had come to Eastern Chu, and suddenly saw hope again.
"Go back first, I will give you an explanation tonight."
Emperor Xiyue was really reluctant to let Queen Zhao be so desperate. Emperor Xiyue cared no less about Song Zhan than Queen Zhao, not only for the sake of the country, but also for the love of father and son.
Empress Zhao looked at Emperor Xiyue in surprise. Emperor Xiyue had been unwilling to let go before, but now he let go suddenly, which made Empress Zhao very happy.
"Send the queen back to the palace." Emperor Xiyue ordered.
Emperor Xiyue guarded Song Zhan for more than an hour, until Song Zhan woke up quietly, his face became paler, as if transparent, and his expression was a little dazed.
Under the corridor, there were two figures standing. Emperor Xiyue sighed deeply, turned his head and looked at Zhao Zun, "how is it?"
Zhao Zun looked at Emperor Xiyue with complicated emotions, "Why didn't you send someone to tell me about this matter earlier, and dragged it until now!"
"Zhan'er doesn't want to trouble you. I made this proposal at the beginning, and your mother didn't want to involve you. It's because Xiyue owes you too much. This time, I have no choice."
Emperor Xiyue's tone was full of exhaustion, "You killed Song Yao, and Song Yao's military power was divided into five and fell into the hands of the princes. Once Zhan'er leaves Shengjing and is discovered, these people will definitely try to get rid of it. Lost Zhan'er, if Zhan'er stays in the palace, he can only drag his body, and the doctors are helpless, I can't just watch Zhan'er have an accident, Yu'er, I owe you too much."
After a pause, and after a while, Zhao Zundao, "Where are you sending the eldest brother?"
"Going to Wutai Mountain, I have already arranged. There is a cold fire spring in Wutai Mountain. As long as the poison in Zhan'er's body is discharged, Zhan'er's life will naturally be saved, but it will take too much time." Emperor Xiyue sighed, "Jianer, Only Hanhuoquan can save your elder brother's life, this is the last chance."
Wutai Mountain is located in a remote place, few people know about it, because there is a spring flowing from the mountain, it is very cool, and there is a strange rock in the mountain, if it is hot, the branch will burn immediately, and there is no grass around it, and you will feel scorching hot if you take a few steps closer. Winding to the foot of the mountain, the spring water touches the strange rocks, and the day is hot and the night is cool, so it is called the cold fire spring, which has miraculous effects on the body.
Song Zhan soaked in the cold fire spring day by day, accumulating toxins in his body accumulated and released, no matter how bad he was, he could save his life.
If Song Zhan disappeared rashly and someone with a heart knew about it, and directly destroyed the Cold Fire Spring, it would be tantamount to killing Song Zhan.
But if Zhao Zun stood in the way and diverted everyone's attention, no one would suspect anything, so Song Zhan could reduce the danger.
Zhao Zun was silent for a while, looked at Emperor Xiyue, and said in a low voice, "How long will it take?"
"Two years at most, one year at least." Emperor Xiyue was not disappointed, and Zhao Zun really let go.
"Let's make arrangements. Let the elder brother leave Shengjing within two days. As for the queen mother, there is no need to go. It's too ostentatious. I will go out of the palace tonight and return to the palace before dawn."
Zhao Zun couldn't sit idly by on this matter, for no other reason than Song Zhan alone.
Before leaving, Zhao Zun said in a low voice, "I will leave the capital when elder brother is in good health. I don't care about the throne, and I won't steal it from elder brother."
Seeing Zhao Zun's figure leave, Emperor Xiyue was both relieved and helpless, the stone in his heart had fallen to the ground.
"The emperor..."
Emperor Xiyue waved his hand, "Needless to say, he will definitely come back, let's make arrangements, and leave tomorrow night to send the prince away from Shengjing."
"yes!"
Zhao Zun hurried all the way to the post station, but the right minister had already left, leaving only Qin Yu waiting.
Zhao Zun handed the two letters in his arms to Qin Yu, "Pass them to the Prime Minister for me, and the Prime Minister will naturally understand."
Qin Yu looked at Zhao Zun in surprise, "Are you really not going back?"
Zhao Zun rode on the horse and looked not far away, and then said calmly, "Of course I have to go back, but I have to wait for a while. It's not suitable to stay here, you should leave first."
Qin Yu nodded, led his horses to leave the country, and quickly disappeared.
Looking at the sky, Zhao Zun felt a mess in his heart, which couldn't be shaken off, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
It's been a month since I saw each other, and I don't know when the next meeting will be, Zhao Zun sighed helplessly.
Qin Yu chased after him all the way, and finally caught up with Prime Minister Right on the morning of the fifth day. Prime Minister Right raised his eyebrows and looked at Qin Yu, "Master Qin cooperated very well this time. Compared with dealing with the court, Lord Qin is more Fit for the battlefield."
Qin Yu smiled, this battle was really fun, Dong Chu was caught off guard, and even felt a little unfinished.
"Master Xiang, this is a letter from Master Hou." Qin Yu handed the two letters to Prime Minister Right, and Prime Minister Right took it smoothly. One was for Prime Minister Right, explaining the reason, and the other was for Hand it over to Emperor Dongming.
Prime Minister Right tore up the letter after reading it, and asked someone to pass another letter to the guard, "Immediately hurry back to Beijing and hand over the letter to the emperor."
"yes!"
Qin Yu was a little confused, the Weng and his son-in-law were too mysterious to guess at all.
Prime Minister Right didn't mention Zhao Houye at all, and rushed all the way back to the capital city. Every time he passed by, he left a few well-behaved official sons in office, and appointed a moderate official. At Beijing time, there were still twenty people left.
Those twenty really don't value use, and it's useless to keep them.
As soon as the news came out, the families of the legitimate sons who were directly appointed as petty officials were overjoyed and didn't know what to do. They were promoted to be officials by the right minister.
At least to avoid many detours, skip the imperial examination, take office directly, and transfer back to Kyoto when you have achievements in the future, it is also an excellent choice.
No matter how bad it is, without making any great achievements, it is not bad to return to the family to inherit the family business. At least he has been on the battlefield and been supported by the right minister, and the family is also honorable.
All the ministers were overwhelmed with gratitude to Prime Minister Right, and the rest of the ministers who were not selected had their faces flushed. They wished they could go back and catch the rebels at home and beat them up. Such a good opportunity was missed.
The prime minister on the right said, "This is the emperor's intention. As long as all the princes can help the emperor solve his problems, no matter what his background is, those who are able will live here."
Emperor Dong Ming was stunned for a moment, but soon came back to his senses, unceremoniously took the credit for winning the hearts of the people, and took advantage of the opportunity to praise the right minister.
Those who are thankless are right ministers, and Emperor Dongming just needs to follow behind to pick up the bargain.
Emperor Dongming seemed to have thought of something, cleared his throat, "Master Zhao is indeed too shameful this time, and the general will not accept the order of the emperor, but he can't disregard the intention of the prime minister and punish Lord Zhao to guard the border city." For one year in the city, no one is allowed to visit, so Master Xiang calms down, and when Lord Zhao Hou returns, I will definitely punish him severely!"
The right minister also said, "Master Zhao is not suitable to be an official in the court. I think that I can remove Lord Zhao from the post of Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment. In business, it is enough to be named an imperial merchant."
Everyone couldn't figure out what the Right Prime Minister was like, Zhao Houye was the son-in-law of the Right Prime Minister's family.
Emperor Dongming nodded, "According to what Lord Xiang said, Lord Marquis Zhao will be dismissed as Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, and Liu Wei will be promoted to the post of Minister of the Ministry of Punishment starting today."
The minister who was named was stunned for a moment, and then stepped forward happily, "This humble minister will fulfill his mission."
Everyone was even more somber when they heard the words, Prime Minister Right is really ruthless, even his own son-in-law is not spared, and I don't know how Master Zhao offended Prime Minister Right, poor man!
Prime Minister Right looked at Emperor Dong Ming meaningfully, and Emperor Dong Ming understood, "Master Xiang solved Dong Ming's worries and problems, and made countless contributions. I am very pleased. Last time, King Chen's birthday was very unhappy. Concubine Xiao is moved by her filial piety, I want to recognize Concubine Xiao as a righteous daughter and canonize her as Princess Yihe."
Everyone was amazed, the Right Prime Minister made such a great contribution, it is not cost-effective to confer the title of a princess.
Immediately afterwards, Emperor Dongming said again, "I asked someone to combine the horoscopes, and Quanzhou City was the most suitable, so I gave Quanzhou City as a fief to Princess Yihe."
Now many people are not calm, there is too much difference between a fief princess and a false name, once this remark is made, even if some people are not convinced, they dare not raise a word of objection.
"The emperor is wise, Princess Yihe is filial and considerate, and has a compassionate heart. She is a model of noble ladies in Kyoto."
"Yeah yeah… ."
Even the title and fief were fixed, and it was useless for everyone to refute. The clever minister hurriedly congratulated the Prime Minister on the right.
When Emperor Dongming was happy, he gave Xiao Concubine many rewards. Prime Minister Right solved his many years of problems at once, and shot and killed hundreds of thousands of troops, so that those kings of the opposite sex who had evil intentions would not dare to do it again, and took back King An's military power.
King An is dead, King Chen is disabled, and they are imprisoned in a large prison. Even the Queen Mother did not come up when she heard these things early in the morning. Going so straight, there is a sense of elation.