Chapter 148 Cooking (Part 1)

Under extreme circumstances, people can always unleash their potential. According to the usual practice, cabinet ministers had to rush from all directions to the mansion for a gathering, which would take at least half an hour; but today, when the news came out, the effect was so great that in just half a quarter of an hour, important ministers from all over rushed back at all costs. When they rushed into the cabinet duty room, they were sweating profusely, still panting, and their faces were flushed - riding horses or sedan chairs was not allowed near the duty room, and after the ministers got off the sedan chairs in front of the gate, they ran all the way inside!

Gao Suqing and Zhang Taiyue were still okay, but Lord Yan and Lord Xu were really about to pass out; the two old men were slumped in their seats, their faces uglier than white paper. Even after taking a few deep breaths, the blood vessels on their temples were still throbbing, and their veins were swollen frighteningly - it was a good thing that the road to the cabinet's duty room was smooth, otherwise the two elders would not have been able to get up in one breath, and would have died first, waiting for the Lord in the underworld.

There was really no time to rest now. Elder Yan swallowed his saliva and spoke reluctantly:

"Where-where did the news come from?"

"The eunuch from the Imperial Household Department." The prince said, "After you finish speaking, return to the palace immediately. There is no more unnecessary words."

Elder Yan's eyes opened wide, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. Although his heart was pounding and his head was buzzing from running, the Prime Minister's thoughts were still clear. The emperor was ill in his old age, so it was not unusual for him to have some seizures, but the strange and mysterious behavior in the palace made people nervous, especially considering the various signs that the current emperor had been seriously injured and ill a few years ago...

In an instant, a thousand thoughts turned around and a "Tongjian" flashed through his mind, and Lord Yan took a deep breath. Immediately made up my mind:

"Go to the palace immediately!"

There was total silence in the cabinet, only the sound of breathing could be heard, but there was absolutely no questioning. All those present were great scholars well-versed in classics and history. If they simply recalled the history of the dynasty over the past hundreds of years, they would immediately realize how critical the current situation was. If something big had really happened in the Western Garden, then at this time of earth-shattering and landslides, whoever could control the emperor would control everything - the palace was deep and deep, with red walls and locks, and as long as a small piece of paper was passed out of the Western Garden, it could turn the world upside down and decide the outcome; they were guarding the duty room without knowing what was going on, and if something happened inside, they would have to sit and wait for death.

However, the rules of Xiyuan are strict and you can't just enter if you want to. Except when the emperor personally summoned him, foreign officials who wanted to pay their respects to the emperor could only go to the door in person and hand in a sign requesting an audience, and the time would be arranged after approval by the Imperial Household Department. But now that important matters are imminent, there is obviously no time to follow the procedures. The people gathered in the pavilion thought for a moment and immediately looked at Prince Yu who was sitting in the middle.

Prince Yu was dragged in by Gao Suqing. After entering the room, he just breathed heavily and slumped in the armchair, unable to move. His hands and feet were still shaking. It was unknown whether he was too tired or too scared to control himself. But no matter what, at this critical moment, he finally reacted in time, reached out to pull the sleeve of Master Gao, and nodded slightly.

Without hesitation, Gao Xueshi spoke on behalf of Prince Yu:

"If something big really happened in the palace, how can a son not go to take care of the sick? The love between father and son is natural. Even if there is something taboo, it can't be taken care of now!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's faces relaxed and they breathed a long sigh of relief.

This sentence is so crucial! The palace system is strict, if a minister from outside the court enters without permission, he will be directly charged with the crime of treason and has ulterior motives, and he cannot even argue; but the situation is extraordinary, and the actual crown prince entered the palace to visit in the name of filial piety, and no one could find any flaws with him!

With one word, all the connections were opened; the people gathered in the duty room no longer hesitated. The young prince and Zhang Taiyue each helped up the old man who was still gasping for breath, Gao Suqing half-hugged and half-supported Prince Yu, and everyone went straight out the door.

·

The cabinet duty room was only half a cup of tea away from the Western Garden. When the important ministers arrived outside the palace gate, they could see guards patrolling back and forth, and their behavior seemed completely normal. But when Gao Suqing stepped forward to announce his purpose, something strange immediately became apparent - the Han general on guard just took a close look at Prince Yu and actually ordered the door to be opened.

Seeing the door open, the faces of the important officials in the central government suddenly changed and they almost lost their composure. They have served in the cabinet for a long time and know the temper of the current Feixuan Zhenjun Wanshou Emperor too well; the emperor is mean and suspicious by nature, and attaches great importance to the safety of the palace, and the regulations are extremely strict; even if Prince Yu comes forward to guarantee, the guards at the gate should make repeated requests before they are ordered to release the person. Now that the guards can open the door directly, it means that there is probably no one in charge of the palace anymore, the power system is in chaos, and it is difficult to maintain the existing rules; the people below are terrified, so they will give the prince a break and are willing to give in.

At this point, it is no longer possible to predict the shocking changes that will occur in the palace!

Everyone's heart was lifted. Everyone knows very well that now that the imperial power is crumbling, it is also precisely the time when the power structure is the most fragile and sensitive. Even though the people outside the palace gate were powerful and influential, if there was any conspiracy in the palace, there was no need to alert the imperial guards in the capital. A few strong palace maids could control them and make them unable to live or die. They could only sigh helplessly...

Such fear lingers in my heart and creates tremendous pressure. But things had come to this point and there was no turning back, so the few of them walked into the palace gate silently. However, after passing the guards' checkpoints, they couldn't help but look around, fearing that an ambush might emerge from somewhere.

Fortunately, the only one who was qualified to play Xuanwu Gate was Emperor Taizong of Tang. After entering the West Garden, they felt the same as usual, except that it was exceptionally quiet and serene on all sides. After they passed through the flowers and willows and a small pavilion, they heard a chaotic noise behind the screen wall - outside the emperor's bedroom, the palace maids were kneeling on the ground, crying like a ball!

Prince Yu staggered and almost fell down, but Master Gao was quick to support his disciple.

At this critical moment of life and death, all reliance has been stripped away, and then one can really see the strength of each person's maneuvering - Gao Suqing and Zhang Taiyue stared blankly without saying a word, obviously they were relying on their physical and mental strength to hold on; the three elders Yan, Xu and Li were obviously out of breath, but they recovered immediately after a moment of distraction, their old eyes were still shining; as for the prince of Duke Mu... the prince was still looking around, probably didn't understand the current situation at all.

Several people stood behind the screen wall and surrounded Prince Yu as they walked forward. Sure enough, the eunuchs and guards everywhere were prostrating themselves in a daze, and no one stood up to stop these uninvited guests. After entering the palace gate, they were greeted by a damp and hot medicinal smell. The palace was in chaos, with spilled medicine and ashes from burning wormwood everywhere. Several imperial doctors knelt in front of the imperial couch, their clothes soaked.

Gao Suqing pinched Prince Yu fiercely and pushed him forward with great force. Prince Yu then staggered and knelt down:

"father!"

This was a groundbreaking statement. Except for the imperial physician who was still working hard for the nine clans, the people kneeling outside the bed all raised their heads and saw Prince Yu, who was struggling on his knees and crawling with a miserable look on his face, behind the smoke. Princess Sishan, who was kneeling at the innermost, twitched her eyes slightly, then regained her composure; while Li Zaifang, who was kneeling at the outermost, suddenly widened her eyes, with a look of obvious astonishment.

The important officials behind Prince Yu were so perceptive that even though they also prostrated themselves to match the atmosphere, they still quickly caught the subtle expression of the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department. In an instant, a storm arose, and the elders immediately realized the key:

The news that "the emperor is seriously ill" sent from the palace was not instructed by Li Zaifang!

This is truly astonishing. Based on the common sense of Yan, Xu, Li and others, they originally thought that after the vacancy of the imperial power, it was Li Zaifang, Huang Shanggang and others who were in control of the overall situation and manipulated the inside and outside, and they sent people to deliver the message in order to cooperate with the cabinet; but now it seems that this message was definitely not from the eunuchs, and the court brains did not even grasp the whereabouts of the cabinet!

Under normal circumstances, this oversight would not have been a big deal; but when mountains were collapsing and people were in doubt and panic both inside and outside the palace, this was a fatal mistake and an irreparable loophole - this loophole meant that the eunuchs had no control over the situation in the palace at all; faced with this sudden change, even the eunuchs as the Imperial Household Department and the Eastern Depot, who were close to the situation, were caught off guard and unable to seize the initiative.

This omission was so important and so crucial that even someone as calm and experienced as Li Zaifang was stunned for a moment after realizing it. However, he could only be stunned for a moment - after hearing Princess Sishan crying loudly beside him, Li Zaifang immediately reacted. He crawled over quickly on his stomach and hugged Prince Yu in tears:

"Master, Master, you have to hold on! The foundation of our ancestors depends entirely on me!"

The eunuchs in the palace were the emperor's household slaves, and they only addressed the emperor as "Emperor" and the crown prince as "young master". The rest of the clan members were addressed by their titles, and the same was true for Prince Yu. Now, everyone calls him "Master", and the meaning is self-evident.

When Prince Yu heard this, he immediately fell to the ground with his head on the ground, crying bitterly, in great sorrow and pain. The important officials who were kneeling behind him hurried forward to wipe Prince Yu's tears, stroke his chest, and massage his forehead. Prince Yu cried for a while in the arms of Gao, Xu, and others, and finally asked with sobs:

"Eunuch Li, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this is..."

Li Zaifang kowtowed repeatedly and could only try to be tactful: "It's a sudden illness. The imperial doctors have already examined it."

"What was the result?"

"They said...they said we have to wait for Li Shizhen to come before we can give the medicine. Someone has been sent to summon Li Shizhen."

What else is there to say? Li Shizhen lived in a small courtyard on the outskirts of the city, and it took him at least an hour to travel back and forth. What disease could ordinary doctors be helpless against that required disturbing Doctor Li for a decision? It's just that the condition is really serious, and only Li Shizhen is qualified to say this!

When this sentence came out, everyone knew what was going on. Prince Yu struggled to stand up and staggered to the bedside to check, but when he looked up, he couldn't help but burst into tears - Feixuan Zhenjun, Wanshou Emperor and Qingmiao Emperor were lying on their backs on the bedding, their faces were pale and their eye sockets were sunken, and they seemed to have lost consciousness; the imperial physician pried open their teeth and poured medicine into them, but most of the medicine flowed out from the corners of their mouths, overflowing and staining everywhere, and they couldn't even swallow it.

What is the difference between the once powerful and unpredictable Supreme and a rotten wood now?

This scene touched people's hearts; when Prince Yu cried, everyone could only cry with him, to express their affection between the monarch and his subjects. Only the prince sobbed and covered his face with his hands, and after sobbing, he pulled the hand of the imperial physician beside the bed and asked with swollen eyes:

"Is Your Majesty still awake? You must - you must say something!"

It's about saying something. Before the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, the world belonged to everyone in the world; after the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, the world belonged to one family and one surname. No matter how many ancestral rules, rituals, laws and disciplines there are, the succession to the throne is decided by the emperor.

Of course, to make a decision, there must always be such a sentence. Even if the emperor could regain some consciousness and reluctantly nod his head after seeing Prince Yu, it would be regarded as "entrusting important matters to the emperor before his death" and he could explain it to the world.

The imperial physician was sweating profusely and could hardly speak. He could only lie on the ground and answer:

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty's illness came too violently, and the heat and poison accumulated in the heart, and it cannot be cleared for a while. If you want to wake up, I'm afraid you have to take strong medicine..."

Gao Suqing's own interests were at stake, so he immediately wiped his tears and asked, "What kind of strong medicine?

"Using aconite and monkshood as the guide, supplemented with red stone, it may achieve a 100% effect."

After these words were spoken, even Prince Yu stopped crying for a moment. Several people present had some knowledge of medicine and knew that Aconite and Monkshood were both very pungent and bitter in the pharmacopoeia, and were half medical and half poison. If such a strong medicine is boiled into a soup and taken, there may be a one percent chance that it can reverse the course of time and awaken the comatose emperor. But the remaining ninety-nine percent possibility is that the emperor will be unable to bear the burden and will die directly!

What is this? Didn’t the Imperial Medical Bureau directly prescribe medicine to kill the emperor?

Fifty years ago, the Imperial Medical Bureau had already poisoned Emperor Wuzong to death, and now they dare not repeat the same mistake with the current emperor. Besides, if Prince Yu agreed to this prescription, wouldn't it be tantamount to pushing his own father into a dead end just for an oral order to inherit the throne?

No one present could bear such a great act of filial piety that would go down in history forever and such a terrible crime that would cause the sky to fall and the earth to collapse. So after a moment's silence, everyone prostrated themselves without hesitation, and the crying suddenly rose an octave.

Cry, cry, as long as you cry until you are dizzy and half dead, then you don’t have to face such a terrible ethical dilemma, being forced to make a choice between Prince Yu and Zhenjun, being pulled in both directions by father and son - how can a minister of another surname withstand the grinding of such a whirlpool!

However, what needs to be said still needs to be said. After crying for a long time, Yan Ge Lao supported himself on the ground with both hands, raised his head with all his strength, and fulfilled his duty as the Prime Minister:

"The situation of the Holy Body is particularly worrying. Since the Imperial Hospital has run out of tricks, should we order each province to seek out famous doctors?"

According to Da'an's hundreds of years of practice, the central government sent edicts to all provinces to solicit famous doctors, which was a hint that the imperial physicians were helpless, the emperor was in imminent danger, and preparations for subsequent mourning and sacrifices should be made. Therefore, once this decree was issued, the entire old power system collapsed. All the subjects, from top to bottom, knew tacitly that Lord Feixuan, who was now barely lingering on the throne, was a thing of the past who was no longer able to control the situation. With the transfer of power, his status was left to be determined.

Given the decades of intimidation from the current emperor, drafting an edict that is tantamount to seizing power is extremely stressful. But now that things have come to this, there is no time for hesitation. Prince Yu's eyes are red and swollen, and he can only nod his head reluctantly:

"Let's do it tomorrow!"

After hearing this, Li Zaifang immediately fell to the ground, knowing that the situation was set and could not be reversed. The cries of the crowd grew louder, and some even bowed down to Prince Yu, expressing their absolute obedience and support for him with this gesture of grief. They backed the transfer of power at the critical moment. The Imperial Household Department was speechless, and the Cabinet was in submission. The important event of the court was decided with these words, and there was no turning back.

As for the emperor who theoretically holds the highest power... everyone was busy surrounding Prince Yu to create an atmosphere, and no longer cared about the honorable Master Feixuan.

·

Of course, it is not to say that the emperor was completely ignored. For example, the Prince of Mu, who had been covering his face and crying, quietly crawled on his knees to change his position, and cried beside Zhenjun's bed again after hearing the imperial physician clearly state that the emperor had no chance of recovery; when everyone gathered around Prince Yu and comforted him in unison, he was the only one closest to the emperor and could see some strange signs with his own eyes - for example, after Prince Yu said the two words "Mingfa", the emperor's drooping hands suddenly twitched, his fingers spasmed and veins bulged, as if he was struggling to raise them; but this burst of power disappeared in an instant, and was soon pressed down by the imperial physician next to him, who carefully inserted two silver needles.

...Obviously, although the disease came suddenly, the anger and external evil only damaged the emperor's motor neurons; in the hours after the onset of the disease, he gradually lost control of the muscles throughout his body and could only collapse like a piece of wood; but his hearing and mind were still intact, enough to distinguish the current situation, and he became a living person trapped in a dead body...Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine how furious, desperate and uncontrollable the True Lord was after hearing that his own son had colluded with the cabinet to deprive him of his power.

Unfortunately, at this point, no amount of rage will help. The speechless emperor was no different from the previous emperor. The cruel law of power finally fell upon the most noble man in the world.

The prince sighed and lay down quietly. Using the robe to cover his eyes, his fingers slid across the hidden paper on his chest.

[Redeem system function]

[Secret voice communication channel has been established]

"Your Majesty, do you have anything else to tell me?" he asked calmly.

·

Obviously, the damage to the motor neurons was not enough to threaten the emperor's sanity for the time being; in fact, after being trapped in a silent and immobile body for such a long time, Zhenjun's thinking became more extreme due to mania and anger; at least after Mu Qi opened the channel for communicating with his mind, he was bombarded with a barrage of words - many of which were in Hubei dialect, which was indistinguishable; it seemed that the emperor was in imminent danger and could not even care about basic decency.

Mu Qi lay there silently, waiting until the scolding in his ears subsided a little before he spoke softly:

"Your Majesty, why do you have to do this? Although I have concealed something, how have I ever wronged Your Majesty?"

"you--"

"Your Majesty, please think carefully. Whether in public or private, when have I ever harmed your interests?" Mu Qi interrupted him directly: "If we talk about public affairs, I have been in the cabinet for several years. I dare not say that I have been supporting the collapsing building. At least I can explain the past internally and externally. If we talk about private matters, Your Majesty has been free and easy in recent years, spending money without restraint, and has never complained about lack of money. May I ask where all this money comes from?"

These words were spoken neither humbly nor arrogantly, but they may have been more irritating to the emperor than insults and provocations. As a seasoned and ruthless politician, even at this critical moment, Zhenjun was still keenly aware of the sinister intention behind these words.

"If you want to take it, you must first give it." He panted, "Rebel, traitor..."

"Even if I am really a traitor, do I have the final say on the affairs of the world?" Mu Qi asked him, "Since Your Majesty has seen the repercussions, he should know the direction of the future. The country has come to such a state of collapse and earth-shattering. Is it because the ministers are not dedicated, or is it because the emperor is too foolish? With Your Majesty's love for his eldest grandson, what kind of foundation can withstand his destruction? On the contrary, if the monarchs of later generations have one-tenth of the talents of Emperor Taizu Hongwu, what can I do even if I have a thousand tricks!"

Under the monarchical system, the quality of the emperor is the lifeline of the country's rise and fall. As long as the emperor is determined to give up, a thousand Zhang Taiyues cannot defeat the rebellious Bai Zong; on the contrary, if he had met a wise, intelligent and decisive sage like Gaozu, Mu Qi would have been able to do nothing but sigh - the chance of victory or failure often depends on people; if there had not been a monarch like Feixuan Zhenjun who was obsessed with profit and ruled his people with power, the reform would never have been possible; if there had not been a monarch like Hao Jinsun who was willing to make money by doing whatever he wanted, the potential energy accumulated from decades of reform would never have been able to spread like wildfire and reach that point.

To be honest, the grandfather and the grandson were in harmony with each other, and they were a perfect match made in heaven. How could it not be fate that the reformer would meet such a pair of living treasures?

Of course, the emperor would not like this fate. Nor would he argue with a rebel about responsibility for the collapse of power. Instead of wasting time on yourself, blame others. The emperor roared out the sharpest and most severe accusations:

"You are ungrateful! You have forgotten your ancestors! A mansion that shares the same fate with the country has produced a traitor like you. When has my Zhu family ever treated you unfairly? You are so shameless that you want to do such an immoral thing! The ancestors of the Mu family for eighteen generations would not tolerate you in the underworld. If you are rude, why don't you die quickly? You, you want to do something like Sima Zhao..."

Halfway through his speech, Zhenjun's voice became hoarse and he could only breathe heavily. It was obvious that his condition was worsening and he could no longer maintain his consciousness. However, ruthlessness lies not in the words. Although they were just a few weak words, they made Mu Qi's face change slightly and he was greatly stimulated.

Naturally, he did not care about the accusation of forgetting his roots, but the accusations of "Sima Zhao's affair" and "a traitor came from the Duke's Mansion" were still too much. The political lethality was more powerful than any insult and was truly intolerable. He broke into words:

"Your Majesty accuses me, I dare not refute. But I can guarantee to Your Majesty that from the beginning to the end, I have never had the slightest intention of plotting against the throne! If I break this oath, the heavens will hate me, the heavens will hate me!"

Political intrigues have come to such a point that perhaps a mere oath is no longer enough. But as the eldest son of Duke Mu - no, a "fallen immortal", the oath he swore to the heavens somehow had some weight. Emperor Wanshou, the True Lord Feixuan who has practiced Taoism for many years, probably cannot help but believe it to some extent.

He panted and spoke in a slurred voice: "You, what exactly do you want to seek..."

"I don't want to seek anything." The prince said, "Your Majesty, don't you believe in fate? Then I will make it clear. I came here with this "divine book" to declare my intention - the emperor's destiny has ended, the era of imperial power has ended; I was ordered to end this system of one person ruling the world, not to be an enemy of your Majesty's family. Whether the throne belongs to the Zhu family, the Zhao family, or the Borjigin family, the result will not be any different. Or, precisely because your Majesty's surname is Zhu, I have to make some pretexts..."

He breathed slowly, lowered his head, and used his robe to cover any possible facial expressions, isolating himself from the outside world:

"I know that Your Majesty hates me and cannot let it go. But even if no outsiders intervene and everything is left to the royal family, can Da'an last forever? Since Your Majesty likes to spy on the future, I might as well tell you frankly - even if I stand by and do nothing, Da'an will only live for seventy or eighty years; by then, the sky will collapse and the earth will split, and the Jurchens will move south. It will no longer be just a change of dynasty, but a major event of the sinking of China, the bloody Central Plains, and the destruction of the world! Let's not talk about anything else. What was the fate of the Sima family in the Western Jin Dynasty after the Five Barbarians' Invasion? I'm afraid that the situation of Your Majesty's descendants will be thousands of times worse than that of the Sima family!"

"The foundation of the world is not yours alone, but the foundation of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong. If you really cling to power and don't guard against it, your descendants will be exterminated and the incense will be cut off. Your descendants will become barbarians and the Han clothing will not be preserved. How will your Majesty face Emperor Gaozu in the afterlife after he dies?"

"You, you have the nerve to promote the emperor..."

"Why can't I improve the emperor?" Mu Qi said sternly, "Since your majesty knows that I hold the Book of Heaven, do you really think that I don't have drastic measures? Why should I work so hard and pretend to be nice to your majesty until now? It's simply because the great achievements of the Emperor Gao in expelling the Tartars and restoring China cannot be erased, so I must do everything I can to preserve the bloodline of the Emperor! If your majesty insists on doing it his own way, then your descendants will not be able to be saved; if my plan succeeds, there may be a glimmer of hope. Your Majesty should be able to understand which is more important."

This sentence was stern, not only a strong rebuttal, but also a vent for the frustration of many years of being afraid to act - modern people are actually best at turning the table over, but because of various concerns and constraints, he had to blend in with the chaos in the court and try his best to adapt to the twisted and oppressive system of the feudal era. Now that I have been repeatedly questioned, I finally speak freely and let out my heart:

Even in terms of personal favor, he has done his best to ensure long-term peace, which is worthy of the grace bestowed by the Zhu family on the Mu Guogong Mansion!

I don’t know if it’s because I’m too righteous to respond, or because my mind is broken and I can no longer understand the signals from the outside world. There were a few unclear sounds in the inner voice channel, and finally it returned to deep silence. As for the emperor's final mood, he can probably only seek it in the vast wilderness.

Mu Qi sighed deeply and bowed again.

·

More than half an hour later, Li Shizhen finally rushed to the scene, his head and face still covered with dust. He pushed everyone aside and entered, reached out his hand to test the emperor's nose, then placed it on his wrist for a moment, his expression changed in horror. He looked back at the people crawling on the ground and slowly shook his head.

In an instant, there was a loud cry in the pavilion, and it seemed that even the palace was shaking!