Chapter 199: Loyalty and Filial Piety Cannot Be Compatible
Emperor Liang feigned pity and said, "Left Prime Minister, are you still mad at me for taking the Hussars? I have no other choice. I've taken every precaution, even incorporating the Hussars into the Imperial Guards and more than doubling the number of guards at the palace, and yet the Empress Dowager is still missing! How can I send anyone to you?"
The left prime minister's face was a little grim. He had never seen anyone do things without tools! Could it be that he was just an old man? As expected, Emperor Liang was still cold and ruthless!
But if I refuse this, the two imperial edicts I just issued will definitely be retracted by Emperor Liang. No matter what I say, no one will be able to take the meat from my mouth! Especially the King of Loyalty and Bravery, I have been looking forward to it for many years!
After pondering it over, the Left Prime Minister said, "I wonder if Your Majesty still remembers that the Duke of Zhenguo once had an army, but after the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was ransacked, that army has been left unattended. If Your Majesty wishes, I am sure Your Majesty will send this army to help me eliminate the traitor Liang Jingyao!"
Emperor Liang certainly did not forget that the army was called the Iron Cavalry Army, which had followed the Duke of Zhenguo since the time of the previous emperor. The reason why he did not let the Iron Cavalry Army be incorporated into other armies was that he wanted to use it for his own use!
However, in order to prevent others from thinking that he was eating in an ugly way, he had always ignored it. Now that the Left Prime Minister brought it up, it gave him an excuse!
Emperor Liang smiled and nodded, saying, "Of course you can, but the Iron Cavalry has always obeyed the Duke of Zhenguo, so they may not obey you!"
The Left Prime Minister confidently said, "Your Majesty, you are the ruler of a country! They may not obey me, but they must obey you! Therefore, as long as I am doing your bidding, not only the Iron Cavalry, but all the armies under heaven must obey your command."
Emperor Liang was delighted by what he said and nodded in agreement, "Okay, I will issue an imperial decree, appointing you as General Zhongyong. Lead the Iron Cavalry and quickly wipe out the traitor Liang Jingyao!"
The Left Prime Minister kowtowed excitedly and thanked the Emperor, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
At this time on Yangming Mountain, Lin Xiaoyue was called back to the bamboo courtyard. She stood in the yard anxiously waiting for the door of the east room to open.
Chen Yunyun held her hand and comforted her, "Sister Lin, don't worry. The Queen Mother is blessed with good fortune, and nothing will happen to her!"
Lin Xiaoyue recalled the time when the Empress Dowager was carried in unconscious, and said fearfully, "Luckily, my godfather and godmother sent my father back before the Empress Dowager arrived, otherwise I would have been in trouble! After this, I must focus on learning medicine from my father. Otherwise, if something like this happens again, what should I do? You can't have both loyalty and filial piety!"
Chen Yunyun sighed and whispered, "Sister Lin, I know your difficulties. You are thinking about your uncle's safety, and your uncle is thinking about everyone. You are both right. Anyway, there is no time to waste now, so don't think too much. Let's go to the kitchen to prepare food!"
Lin Xiaoyue nodded and said, "Let's make some light porridge, and I'll make some appetizers."
As she spoke, she and Chen Yunyun went back into the kitchen.
The kitchen is new. Fortunately, Lin Xiaoyue had planned from the beginning to move all the edibles in the teahouse to the bamboo courtyard. Otherwise, now she would be in a dilemma!
Lin Xiaoyue washed some rice and poured it into a large iron pot to cook porridge, then went to the cellar to get some meat, radishes and vegetables.
To take care of the empress dowager, who was old and ill, Lin Xiaoyue added the chopped meat to the egg custard and steamed it together. Then she cut the radish into cubes, sprinkled some salt and sesame oil on it, and mixed it into a cold dish.
Then, she walked outside and said to Zhan Ying, "Zhan Ying, go to the street and buy some more crucian carp. The Queen Mother is ill, and drinking more crucian carp soup is good for her health. Also, there are soybeans in the teahouse. You can bring some too. I also need to make tofu."
Zhan Ying nodded and said, "Okay, I obey your command!"
At this time, the door of the east room opened, and the drunkard was carried back to the west room. Liang Jingyao and the eldest princess still stayed in the east room to accompany the empress dowager.
Lin Xiaoyue went back to the kitchen to say a few words to Chen Yunyun, then slipped away to the west room.
"Dad, how is the Queen Mother? What medicinal herbs does she need? It's not convenient for you now, so let me make the medicine!" Lin Xiaoyue said with concern.
The drunkard's face was filled with a look of vicissitudes. He handed the prescription to Lin Xiaoyue and said with emotion, "When I left the palace, the empress dowager was in very good health. Her old illness wouldn't have killed her at all. I didn't expect that after just a few years, her body would be so weak. Let's follow this prescription for now. I can only do my best. Whether she can recover completely depends on her fate."
Lin Xiaoyue glanced down at the prescription. It contained mostly common warming and nourishing herbs. Confused, she asked, "Dad, I heard from Brother Liang that Emperor Liang seemed to have poisoned the Empress Dowager, which is why her health is deteriorating. Aren't you going to detoxify her first? Or has the poison already been removed?"
Jiu Laoguai was very pleased that Lin Xiaoyue asked these questions, which showed that she was learning hard.
Then, the old drunkard explained, "There's still some poison left. It's very toxic, and the antidote we need is also very strong. But the Queen Mother is too weak, so she needs to recuperate first, otherwise her body won't be able to withstand it."
Lin Xiaoyue nodded in understanding and replied, "So that's how it is. I know. Dad, are you angry with me?"
The drunkard laughed dumbly and said, "How can I be so childish? Although you are very smart, you are still young. I still hope you can understand me. Whether it is Jingyao or Prince Rong, they are all related to the future of Dongsui Kingdom. I have no reason to compromise!"
Lin Xiaoyue sighed helplessly and said, "I know that loyalty and filial piety cannot be achieved at the same time. I was reckless this time, but I would do the same thing again. However, I will learn medical skills from you beforehand, so you don't have to work so hard!"
The drunkard laughed and said, "Good boy, your father loves you well! Go and boil the medicine quickly. The Queen Mother can only eat light food recently."
Lin Xiaoyue smiled and said, "Yunyun and I have already cooked in the kitchen, don't worry, Dad! I'll go boil the medicine first."
After leaving the west room, Lin Xiaoyue first went to the warehouse to get the herbs on the prescription, and then returned to the kitchen to start decocting the medicine.
At this time, Liang Jingyao came out of the east room. He walked into the kitchen and looked at Lin Xiaoyue's busy figure, feeling distressed.
He pulled Lin Xiaoyue up and pressed her to sit on a chair beside him. He rubbed Lin Xiaoyue's cold hands and said, "I heard everything. Why are you so reckless?"
Lin Xiaoyue thought Liang Jingyao was blaming her for sending the drunkard away, and quickly explained, "Brother Liang, I was selfish. But the situation was urgent and we didn't have enough manpower. I didn't know if Emperor Liang would chase you and attack Yangming Town, so I wanted to take care of Dad first. I really didn't know the Queen Mother was so ill and needed Dad's care."
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