Chapter 72 Radical [Happy Dragon Boat Festival]

Li Shizhen packed up the medicine basket and walked out of the bedroom door, planning to go to Wenyuan Pavilion to check the medical books in the inventory of past dynasties while it was still early. More than ten days ago, the emperor issued a special decree, allowing Li Shizhen to freely access the collections of the Imperial Medical Bureau and the Wenyuan Pavilion and Hanlin Academy with a token, so as to supplement his "Compendium of Materia Medica" (yes, this medical book was finally blessed by the emperor and named "Compendium of Materia Medica"); Li Shizhen cherished this opportunity very much. Whenever he had free time, he would check books in the Wenyuan Pavilion. He also often visited famous doctors in the capital. His schedule was quite tight.

But just as he walked out of the bedroom, Huang Shanggang, who served the emperor, came hurriedly, tugged at Li Shizhen's sleeve, and whispered:

"Please stop, Mr. Li. I have something else to ask you."

Doctor Li was stunned for a moment, then shook his head:

"I know what you mean, sir. But no matter how many times you ask, I have only one thing to say: Your Majesty's illness can only be cured slowly, it is impossible to see results in one or two days."

Since Li Shizhen took over the emperor's medical care, his miraculous healing skills have indeed been extraordinary. Over the past ten days, Master Feixuan's injuries had gotten better day by day. Although he still couldn't summon ministers for a long time to review official documents and exercise his imperial power, he could already speak a few words and get out of bed to walk around to relax. However, the disease is like a thread that is easily removed. No matter how advanced the medical skills are, it is still difficult to completely eliminate the sequelae of head hemorrhage. But the True Lord was eager to gain power, and always sent people to test the doctors in explicit and implicit ways, which of course made Doctor Li quite unhappy.

The doctor-patient relationship in the royal family is difficult to handle. Treating such a giant baby is more difficult than treating fifty patients in Hubei and Hunan.

Huang Shanggang said quickly: "Mr. Li, what are you talking about! We have all remembered Mr. Li's instructions, how dare we speak carelessly! It's just...it's just that I have been serving you for the past few days, and I always feel that His Majesty's behavior is quite strange. I am afraid that his condition has worsened..."

Li Shizhen frowned slightly: "Please tell me more, sir."

The emperor's illness was certainly not something that could be disclosed, not to mention that it was particularly embarrassing. Huang Shanggang looked around before quietly explaining that he had been on duty serving in the past few days, but he often felt incredibly confused during his conversations with Master Feixuan. For example, a few days ago, the True Lord was clearly alone, but he suddenly chuckled, revealing a weird, peculiar, and creepy contentment.

Li Shizhen: "...Satisfied?"

"That's right." Eunuch Huang nodded carefully: "The emperor also asked me if I knew what to do if there was too much food..."

Li Shizhen was dumbfounded. He was stunned for a while and looked at Eunuch Huang. They were undoubtedly thinking the same thing:

There is really something wrong with the emperor!

After a long silence, Doctor Li spoke with difficulty:

"And then what?"

"Then His Majesty asked me if I knew what 'England' and 'Spain' were. My family is quite familiar with the sea merchants in the capital, and they reported back that these should be Western countries. After hearing this, His Majesty laughed for no reason and said something like 'the foreign vassal is so sensible!' He told me to keep an eye on these people in the future..."

At this point, Eunuch Huang paused unconsciously, with a look of bewilderment that was almost panic-stricken - obviously, the sudden sunny and joyful expression of Feixuan Zhenjun and Wanshou Emperor, who were always weird and didn't speak human language, really caused considerable psychological harm to the palace servants who were close to them.

Is it going to rain red rain from the sky? !

Eunuch Huang was still frightened. He took a breath and continued to explain:

"The emperor also said that when he recovers from his illness, he can write a plaque with the words 'Do Nothing, Do Nothing' and send it to the Western barbarians. This can be considered as a little grace from the great country of China. The emperor said that although these Western barbarians are ignorant and cannot understand the essence of his 'rule by doing nothing', they still have good hearts after all and can be tolerated a little."

Li Shizhen: …………

To be honest, if it was an ordinary patient, Doctor Li would probably only have the Bian Que three-line method, asking the family to take good care of the patient and let him eat whatever he wants - after all, there is really no way to deal with herbal medicine and acupuncture nowadays - but the emperor is the emperor after all. Li Shizhen was stunned for a long time, and finally managed to say:

"This is probably just a momentary trance after the collision. Please prescribe some more medicine to calm your mind and spirit."

·

The palace door creaked, and Huang Shanggang walked into the bedroom carrying a medicine jar. He tested the temperature of the medicine pot, took a Jun kiln porcelain bowl from the rosewood beside him, washed it several times with clean water, and then wiped it carefully with a silk scarf. He poured a small bowl of hot medicine from the medicine pot and held it in front of the imperial couch with both hands.

The condition of Master Feixuan and Emperor Wanshou has indeed improved significantly. Not only was he able to sit up from the bed and lean leisurely on a pile of soft cushions, he even had the energy to speak as his hermaphrodite - although his words were still very vague, but he could still understand them:

"Li Shizhen has another brilliant idea?"

"Yes." Huang Shanggang couldn't kneel down while holding the medicine, so he could only lower his head: "Imperial Doctor Li listened to the emperor's condition and changed a new prescription."

The emperor stood up slightly, took a sip of the medicine from Huang Shanggang's hand, but frowned unconsciously:

“Why is it so bitter?”

The so-called decoction for calming the mind and spirit must contain a lot of coptis root and wormwood. Three bowls of water are boiled into one bowl of thick soup, which is so bitter that it makes people shiver. Li Shizhen also repeatedly warned people not to eat candied fruits or candies after taking this medicine, for fear that it would spoil the medicinal properties, which would of course make it even more difficult to swallow. Huang Shanggang had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak:

"Your Majesty, it is indeed bitter. I tasted half a bowl of it after I boiled it, and it was also extremely bitter. But medicine is never delicious. I just hope that after drinking it, Your Majesty will have a healthy body, and then I won't be afraid of the bitterness."

At this point, Huang Shanggang couldn't help but feel nervous. He knew the temper of Master Feixuan and Emperor Wanshou. Even if his illness forced him to drink such bitter juice, his temper would definitely not improve after drinking it, and he might even have another weird outburst. But unexpectedly, Master Feixuan made a sound but did not show any displeasure. On the contrary, he pondered for a moment and actually smiled - a smile that was so relaxed, leisurely, and happy that it made Huang Shanggang tremble in his heart!

Oh my god, I’m afraid the medicinal properties of this bowl of medicine are still not enough!

"Li Shizhen's medical skills are good." The emperor said, personally praising him: "But he is still a mortal after all, and his practice is not enough. If he wants to understand my meaning and perceive my intentions, he still needs to cultivate."

What to repair? How to fix it? ——Huang Shanggang’s hair stood on end and he dared not say a word.

"But then again, how many people in the world understand my heart?" Although the trusted eunuch said nothing, the emperor continued to talk to himself: "There are so many civil officials and military generals in the court, some are obedient and some are rebellious, and none of them are my soulmates. After counting them, probably only the child of the Mu family can understand a little bit of my meaning... But he is too young after all, and he still needs experience. However, when etiquette is lost, it is sought in the wild. I never expected that those useless people in the court who are well-read in the books of sages could not understand my intentions, but the foreign vassals in the west understood a little bit..."

Huang Shanggang:? !

The more he spoke, the crazier it became. He didn't dare to say a word. But fortunately, the emperor didn't need him to answer. After mumbling to himself, a strange and peculiar expression appeared on Master Feixuan's face - he seemed happy, as if he was about to ascend to become an immortal, but he had to endure it and could not express it freely.

As the emperor's close attendant since childhood, Huang Shanggang was very familiar with this look. Decades ago, Emperor Wuzong passed away, and the throne of the Da'an Dynasty fell on the head of the unprepared Prince Xingxian. After receiving the imperial edict from the capital, the emperor showed this kind of half-smile, half-joy, half-happiness expression, and had to forcefully suppress the excitement in his heart.

But is there such a big happy event now? Is now the time to be happy?

Huang Shanggang's hair stood on end and he couldn't help but shiver!

·

After drinking the medicine, the emperor waved his hand to let his trusted eunuchs leave, and he half-lay down in the quilt again. After sitting like this for a while, he finally couldn't bear it any longer, and quietly opened the screen of the heavenly book again, reading the content that he had reviewed many times and could almost recite the entire text.

And the reading experience is very similar every time. No matter how familiar he was with this set of texts, when he read "noble restraint" and "lofty character", the emperor still felt relaxed and unobstructed all over, and a breath of fresh air flowed from the top of his head to the soles of his feet, as if he had been enlightened - if it weren't for the heavy idol burden he had after ascending the throne for so many years, Master Feixuan would have wanted to roll into the bed, bite the sheets and feel so comfortable that his whole body trembled!

Foreign flattery is powerful, it’s overwhelming, it has a different flavor, and only takes a few words to flatter us Lao Deng from the bottom of our hearts!

Oh, of course, this doesn’t mean that we are always worshipping foreigners and only like foreign flattery but not local flattery. In fact, the flattery of the Central Plains is exquisite in metaphors, profound in allusions and euphemistic in wording, which can never be compared with that of foreign vassal states; but precisely because it is too implicit and euphemistic, it inevitably loses the strong impact of being straightforward and unconcealed. Besides, the flattery of the foreign missionaries was not done against their will because they wanted to ask for something from others, but was genuine and sincere. How could old Deng, who was used to hypocrisy, not exclaim in admiration at such a sincere, earnest and unpretentious way of flattery?

Li Zaifang and Huang Shanggang praised the emperor as a holy ruler, but that was out of selfish favoritism towards the emperor; Yan Fenyi and Xu Shaohu praised the emperor as a holy ruler, but that was because they wanted something from the emperor; but now even unrelated Westerners are praising the emperor, doesn't that just show that Feixuan Zhenjun Wanshou Emperor is indeed the most holy, wise, benevolent and just, the greatest holy ruler of ancient and modern times?

True Lord, there is truth!

This kind of mental massage was so stimulating that the emperor, who had just opened the heavenly book for the first time, could not help laughing out loud in front of several eunuchs. His voice was so joyful and sweet that it was sickening, and he almost scared the eunuch Huang who was serving him. He could barely bear it in front of others, and after dispersing everyone, the emperor nestled in his little quilt and read the essence over and over again. He really wanted to jump up immediately, put on his Taoist robe and green leaf crown, and dance a great dance to express his joy!

It really can't be blamed on the True Lord for having a low threshold and jumping for joy when he got some good news. It's just that the amount of information given by the Heavenly Book is too large and powerful, and it suits the True Lord's appetite too much. No matter how mean, sarcastic and vicious, the Emperor's sharpness is never doubted. It is precisely from those shallow and vulgar flattery of the Westerners that the Emperor noticed three important keys:

First, Master Feixuan still holds power tightly, and his authority is even expanding; otherwise, the Westerners would not have such a deep impression of him.

Second, although we still don’t know what the “Jiayin Reform” was, it was undoubtedly a huge success. It made enough money, stored enough food, and even appeased the people. It was a three-pronged approach, which was much better than Yang Tinghe’s.

Third, this successful reform did not hinder Feixuan Zhenjun Wanshou Emperor from enjoying life. The True Lord can still hide in the Western Garden and leisurely pursue enlightenment and cultivation, hold the power and comfortably enjoy the results of the reform without having to worry too much.

In short, without being busy, tired or troublesome, you can successfully reform yourself and become an emperor of all ages - who the hell doesn't like that? !

Even though Zhenjun looks like this now, he was actually ambitious when he first sat on the throne. Even though things have changed and his bottom line has collapsed, he still has the desire to work hard to govern the country when he wakes up in the middle of the night. Of course, if you want Zhenjun to restrain himself, return to propriety, accept advice with an open mind, spend all his energy and eliminate the accumulated evils, then he will probably give up. But if you can become a sage and benevolent ruler just by lying down, then Zhenjun will definitely be interested!

Of course, simply saying "lie" is too crude and lacks aesthetic appeal. Zhenjun strongly agreed with the theories of these foreign Taoist priests and believed that this was the result of his consistent policy of "ruling by inaction". As for why the consistent policy of governing by doing nothing only became so effective after the Jiayin Reform, it was of course because the ministers ruined his good intentions - Yan Fenyi, Xu Shaohu and others were all in charge of government affairs, so how could they do anything? I can’t do anything about it. I don’t have the ability to do so, you know? It’s because of these useless people occupying important positions that the government is running messed up!

Facts have proved that Master Feixuan's past evaluation of himself was too low-key and too conservative. He originally thought that he was slightly inferior to Emperor Taizong of Tang, but now it seems that he is actually not much worse than Li Er. Li Er's Zhenguan Reign at least had Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng and Zhangsun Wuji, so what did he have? He was able to successfully carry out reforms while dragging such a group of demons and monsters. Doesn't this show his ability?

Zhenjun rolled over in the bed contentedly, fully experiencing the joy of being in a trance. His mood was now complete and fulfilled to the extreme. The only shortcoming was probably that vague anxiety - eight years was too long after all, and Zhenjun, who was eagerly waiting for money to spend, was a little impatient.

He pondered for a moment and made up his mind quite naturally:

"You can give Mu Qi more responsibilities! This kid can still be of great use. As for the others like Zhang, Hai, etc., just let the Imperial Household Department quietly consider and take a look at them."

If it works well, use it to the fullest extent. This is the style of our Lao Deng.

·

"I always feel that the progress is too fast." Mu Qi said: "If it can develop to this point in eight years, then the progress of things has far exceeded my plan, and adjustments must be made..."

Liu Li, who was sitting opposite the screen, rolled his eyes and said rudely:

"Are you at Versailles?"

Mu Qi glanced at him lightly and Liu Li stopped talking.

No matter how outrageous the so-called historical echoes were, the few words in them did give Mu Qi great inspiration, as well as some unspeakable worries. This kind of worry could not be revealed to others, so he could only confide it to a few idiots who shared the same pain as him. Of course, as the most ignorant of the three, Liu Li, who had the honor of reading the full text, immediately grasped the key point and started to ridicule things like "madness" and "soy milk", laughing so hard that he rolled over and over, unable to contain himself.

However, Mu Qi was well prepared and hit the opponent's pain point steadily and accurately - Liu Li also had historical echoes on his hands, and according to the leaked words, his reputation as the prime minister was even greater after the success of the Northern Expedition, and even the tablets of Liu Li and his father Emperor Zhaolie were enshrined in the Wuhou Temple.

To put it in a positive way, this kind of thing is called worshipping the emperor and his subjects together; to put it in a more sarcastic way, it is called taking advantage of the incense. You can cling to others' thighs when you are alive and live off their incense when you die. It's worth it for you, the Liu family, to live off their kindness!

Liu Li at least had some sense of shame, and he didn't dare to lie down and roll around shouting that his father-in-law's free food was delicious, so after being retorted by Mu Qi, he had to shut up, and now he felt a little wilted.

Mu Qi waved his hand and a new map popped up on the screen. This is the industrial zone development chart that he exchanged for historical deviation values. It uses dots of various colors to mark the changes in the number of various types of factories in Da'an after the Jiayin Reform. Liu Li looked at it carefully and was a little surprised:

"The layout of your factory..."

No matter how stupid they are, they still have basic strategic vision. Now, a quick glance at the factory distribution area will immediately tell that something is wrong.

"Why is the distribution of industrial zones like this?" Liu Li frowned and said, "Civilian industry and arsenals are completely mixed together, and light industry and heavy industry are also arranged quite close to each other; and the location of this industrial zone..."

He stretched out his hand and clicked, and the longitude and latitude boundaries on the map disappeared one by one, and the industrial areas gathered everywhere began to flash. After eliminating the interference of terrain, the situation becomes clear at a glance. These industrial zones are basically scattered in economic centers and strategic locations with dangerous terrain, especially several large production bases in the north, which almost lock the throat of the capital from south to north.

Due to the lack of experience, the production distribution in the early stage of industrialization must have been quite messy. The fact that it could show such obvious patterns must have been due to someone deliberately guiding it.

Mu Qi said: "I think this must have been deliberately arranged by my future self."

"Why?"

"Of course it's for my long-term goal." Mu Qi said calmly: "Why, do you think I work so hard to develop productivity just to serve Master Fei Xuan?"

Liu Li was about to speak, but suddenly he shuddered - he suddenly remembered that among their trio, Mu Qi had always been the most extreme, the most crazy, and the one least willing to compromise. He is absolutely pure, without any doubt, a radical.

Would such a radical and desperate person be content to serve a harsh and cruel feudal emperor and honestly create a vague so-called "reform"?

...Of course, for Master Feixuan, there will be a prosperous age, there will be wealth, and even boundless power can be maintained; however, the gifts given by the radicals are always priced in secret.