Chapter 50 050 I recognize people.

The carriage was spacious, and the road was slightly bumpy.

For the paralyzed King Chung, traveling was a torment.

Compared to Kang Fu, this torment was nothing. Even the grievance of having his son dismissed was something that Prince Zhong could swallow.

At this moment, the Prince of Zhong was afraid that unforeseen complications might arise, preventing him from successfully reaching Xianling.

When the carriage was stopped, the Prince of Zhong's heart leaped into his throat.

The ones who stopped the Prince Zhong's carriage were the Imperial Guards and the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, who was sweating profusely.

The Prince of Zhong did not show his face, but his chief secretary, with a smile on his face, asked why.

The Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices let out a sigh of relief. After all, he was from the Prince of Zhong's household, and even if he was exiled to the frontier, he still had to be given face. Although he was filled with anger deep inside, he still had to put on a smiling face. However, his tone slightly betrayed his resentment as he said, "Your esteemed household invited my Assistant Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices earlier. I wonder where he is now?"

The Chief Secretary of the Prince of Zhong looked completely bewildered. How could their Prince's Mansion associate with a mere eighth-rank Assistant Musician? He chuckled, "Perhaps you've misremembered?"

The Grand Master of Ceremonies frowned and uttered three words: "Meng Yize".

The name did ring a bell for the Prince Zhong's Chief Secretary. After a moment of careful recollection, his expression suddenly turned strange. Wasn't Meng Yize the "Sacred Hand of Yanlu"? How was she connected to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices? She wasn't an ordinary doctor, but an official of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices? She was still being held captive in the basement of the Prince's residence; he wondered what her condition was. Unauthorized imprisonment of an official would trigger the Great Yong Law! If it got out—the Prince Zhong's Chief Secretary dared not think further. He shuddered, forcibly suppressing any thought about Meng Yize's whereabouts, and feigned calmness, saying, "Never heard of her."

The Grand Master of Ceremonies' face darkened. After Meng Yize disappeared, the Grand Master of Ceremonies had searched for many people and confirmed that he had been taken away by the Prince's Mansion! How could the Prince's Mansion deny it? He turned to look at the Thousand Ox Guards who represented the Emperor's decree and said, "We have witnesses. Someone saw it with their own eyes."

The Imperial Guard glared at the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Zhong and raised his voice, saying, "Meng Yi is the person His Majesty wants to see. If there is any concealment, then it is deceiving the Emperor."

The Chief Secretary of the Loyal Prince felt a chill run down his spine; the more things seemed this way, the less he dared to reveal the truth. It would be better to let Meng Yize die in the basement of the Prince's residence; eventually, the matter would fade away. He resolved not to budge, only saying, "There is no such person." The Imperial Guard smiled enigmatically and led the Grand Master of Ceremonies to question the servants and slaves of the Prince's residence. The Chief Secretary of the Loyal Prince broke out in a cold sweat; those who had summoned the King's physician were all trusted confidants, and he hoped they could remain calm.

On the other side.

Although Zhao Jialing sent someone to stop the carriage of the Prince of Zhong's residence to ask questions, he actually dispatched secret guards to search the residence.

It's freezing cold outside; if the Loyal King were to torture people in this perverse way, it would be dangerous.

"Lord Zhong is incredibly audacious to imprison an official of the imperial court without authorization." Zhao Jialing's face turned cold. Although he hadn't found the person, he had already convicted Lord Zhong.

Xie Lanzhao lowered her eyelashes and said, "It is also the dereliction of duty by the officials of the Prince's Palace."

Zhao Jialing glanced at Xie Lanzhao's expression and understood immediately.

Her act of granting Prince Zhong's request to guard the late emperor's mausoleum was benevolent, but doing anything more would easily invite criticism. She had no reason to harm the officials of the Prince's residence, and as for Prince Zhong, she could only imprison him in Xianling under the guise of care. However, if the officials of the Prince's residence made a mistake, that would be a different matter.

They need to be severely impeached by the censors.

The Prince Zhong's family has all left, but since the Prince's residence has not been abolished, a few people still need to be left to look after it.

Seeing this, those who were left behind could no longer hide anything. They didn't know about Meng Yize, but they knew bits and pieces from living in the Prince's mansion, and quickly pointed out the location of the basement to the secret guards.

The guards quickly found Meng Yize, who was on the verge of death.

In the dead of winter, depriving her of food and clothing and locking her in a cold cellar is clearly an attempt to kill her!

Upon receiving the news, Zhao Jialing hurriedly ordered a medical worker to diagnose Meng Yize, fearing that something might happen to her.

As for the Loyal King's convoy—

Enraged, Zhao Jialing gave an order to detain all the officials, guards, and servants of the Prince's residence, leaving only the Imperial Guards to escort Prince Zhong and his entourage to Xianling.

At first, the Loyal King did not know the reason, but when he received the news, he was so angry that he almost vomited blood.

If he had known that the physician Yan Lu was a Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, he wouldn't have dared to detain him!

This matter could not be kept secret from the censors. No sooner had Prince Zhong and his entourage left the capital than the censors began writing a memorial, nearly a thousand words long, citing classical texts to denounce Prince Zhong. From the arrogant and unrestrained behavior of the princes to the dereliction of duty by the officials in the prince's residence… everything mentioned was thoroughly criticized, using harsh and vicious language that could make one's heart pound. Finally, the censors concluded that Prince Zhong had betrayed the deep trust of the late emperor and the current emperor, and should be sent back to Chang'an to recuperate and reflect on his mistakes in his residence.

Of course, the censors knew that Prince Zhong could not be severely punished, since he was crippled and paralyzed; his "weakness" was actually a get-out-of-jail-free card. So who would take the blame for Prince Zhong? The answer, of course, would be the officials of the Prince's palace.

It is outrageous that someone who receives the emperor's salary cannot share his burdens!

Those who should be dismissed should be dismissed, and those who should be demoted should be demoted; someone has to take responsibility.

As for right and wrong, that's not really important.

The Emperor's ruthless methods didn't fall on Prince Zhong, but the ministers who witnessed these events knew all too well that Prince Zhong's lineage was utterly finished. Prince Ping'en, who had previously only been suspended from his studies at the Imperial Academy, was now completely confined to the Xianling Mausoleum, growing up in a state of unbridled chaos.

However, everyone has witnessed the miracles at Xianling, so will the Loyal King's leg recover?

If it is not restored—

In the palace.

Zhao Jialing was also discussing this matter with the Wise Ruler System.

[The miracles are obvious to all. If the loyal king's leg cannot be restored, won't future auspicious omens be questioned?]

Zhao Jialing herself may not believe it, but she wants others to have unwavering faith in the things she uses to uphold the authority of the wise and enlightened emperor.

[When the Loyal King is virtuous, auspicious omens appear; as for the lack of good fortune... isn't that because he lacks virtue? What does it have to do with the late Emperor? If you have any objections, then go ask the late Emperor.]

If you can't go up, then go down underground.

People always need to learn to "improve".

Just as the court officials were tense over the matter of Prince Zhong, Meng Yize, who was being carefully cared for by the physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau, slowly awoke.

Although still somewhat weak, he was able to get out of bed to meet the emperor and express his gratitude.

Besides the physicians, Meng Yize also met her colleagues from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. She was well-liked at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, after all, she possessed superb medical skills; whenever an elderly person had an injury, calling her over always resulted in a cure. Her straightforward nature was only revealed when treating patients; in daily interactions, she was gentle and kind, like a spring breeze, so her colleagues naturally wanted to be close to her.

It was from his colleagues that Meng Yize learned the whole story.

How could a mere eighth-rank official like her get His Majesty to send out secret guards?

"His Majesty cares about you quite a bit," a colleague added.

Meng Yize was overwhelmed by the honor, and even somewhat frightened.

Her official rank was so low that it was almost impossible for her to meet His Majesty. However, she still had to show her gratitude. Meng Yize thought that His Majesty might send an official to send her back, but to her surprise, the official invited her to the Zichen Hall, where the ministers discussed important military and state affairs.

Although Meng Yi was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), she had no desire to become a high-ranking official. Her family felt that practicing medicine was not good enough and that one needed to have an official title to be respected by the people of the time. In reality, those from aristocratic families were not really on the same page as her. Even those who had passed the imperial examinations in the same year did not value the friendship of being from the same year and were unwilling to associate with her, the daughter of a physician from Yanlu.

Meng Yize walked cautiously, his heart filled with trepidation.

The Emperor and the Prime Minister were both in the Zichen Palace.

Meng Yize bowed respectfully and then remained silent.

She didn't know why His Majesty wanted to see her, but it wasn't her place to ask.

Zhao Jialing said, "Please take a seat."

She hasn't fully recovered from her illness yet, so don't overwork her.

"Three three?" Zhao Jialing urged in his heart.

[Congratulations, host, on completing the mission and achieving the "Good and Evil Will Eventually Be Rewarded" achievement. You are hereby rewarded with a copy of "The New Thousand Gold Prescriptions".]

["New Qianjin Prescription"? 】

Yes, this is a medical book! It contains many medical prescriptions, including methods for smallpox vaccination and traditional penicillin extraction...

Realizing that Zhao Jialing might not understand these terms, the system added: "These prescriptions can reduce the incidence of smallpox, prevent infection, and treat malaria, etc..."

Zhao Jialing listened patiently, while Xie Lanzhao, sitting beside him, had bright, piercing eyes, her breathing becoming slightly rapid! The arts of acupuncture and medicine are rarely practiced, and the methods of pulse diagnosis are seldom mastered. Once infected with those epidemics, few medicines can cure them. If this is the case even for noble families, what about ordinary people? With no one to seek medical help, everyone resorts to praying to gods and Buddhas, ultimately resulting in more than half dying! The *New Thousand Gold Prescriptions* is definitely not just about the few prescriptions the system mentioned; if this method can be promoted, countless people will benefit.

An eerie silence fell over the hall.

Meng Yize couldn't hear her own thoughts and didn't know what was happening. She glanced at Xie Lanzhao discreetly and keenly caught the look of disarray on her face. Meng Yize grew increasingly uneasy, and cold sweat broke out on her back despite the freezing weather.

After a long silence, Zhao Jialing finally asked, "Is your family a family of physicians for generations?"

Meng Yize held his breath and nervously replied, "Yes."

Zhao Jialing said, "Yanlu has a great reputation, and even people from the Prince Zhong's mansion have come here because of his name."

Upon hearing the words "Prince Zhong's Mansion," Meng Yize knew something was wrong and dared not speak, filled with fear. She thought she had been drawn into the vortex of imperial power, and her knees buckled, causing her to kneel down again. She carefully said, "Your Majesty, I did not know you were from Prince Zhong's Mansion."

Zhao Jialing said, "I don't mean to blame you." He paused, then added, "I just feel that a minor position like Assistant Musician is a waste of your talents. Would you be willing to join the Imperial Medical Bureau as the Chief Physician?"

Was it because of her medical skills? But Meng Yize of the Imperial Medical Bureau secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his straightforward temper flaring up at this moment. She didn't get up, remaining prostrate on the ground, and said in a respectful tone that was quite ungrateful: "Your subject is unwilling."

Zhao Jialing: "?"

The Wise Ruler System explains: [She didn't go to the Imperial Medical Academy because physicians were considered corrupt officials; instead, she chose to take the imperial examinations.]

Zhao Jialing: [How about giving her another official position and concurrently serving as a physician? Hmm, how about promoting her to the position of Registrar of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices?]

Xie Lanzhao frowned upon hearing Zhao Jialing's thoughts.

Since Your Majesty is prepared to break down the boundaries between the pure and the impure, how can you promote Meng Yize to a position of high rank simply because he is unwilling to serve as an official in the Imperial Medical Bureau?

Xie Lanzhao said, “I have heard it said, ‘A good doctor guides the body with medicine and heals with acupuncture; a sage harmonizes with virtue and assists with human affairs, thus the body has curable diseases and the world has disasters that can be averted.’ Medicine is the business of Shennong, and it is also the right path.” She turned to Meng Yize, her eyes cold and stern, “Meng Xielu’s family has inherited the art of medicine, and he travels among the common people. Why is he unwilling?”