Chapter 645: War in the South
Not to mention that the imperial physician lives in the palace, which is the Empress Dowager's Shoukang Palace. There are many palaces where concubines live nearby, and there are a lot of palace maids coming in and out. This is totally against the rules.
Speaking of the Empress Dowager's favor, there were many things good for her to give gold, silver, and official titles, but she had to let the young son of the imperial physician go to the palace to attend elementary school. There was something fishy about it no matter how you looked at it.
"Tang Ning, what's wrong with you?"
Rong Yue noticed Tang Ning's expression was a little strange when she was halfway through her words. She asked worriedly, "Is there something wrong with the Queen Mother?"
Tang Ning pondered: "I can't explain it either. The Queen Mother's health seems to be getting better, but I always feel that something is wrong.
The wife of Marquis Wenxin looked at her and asked, "What's wrong?"
Tang Ning hesitated: "I can't say."
She paused and whispered:
"The Empress Dowager had been ill for over six months, taking medications one after another but still unable to recover. Not only had all the doctors in the Imperial Medical Bureau examined her, but even Sister Qin had been invited to the palace to see her, yet she still wasn't getting any better. How could she seem to be fully recovered in just a few days?"
It couldn't be that they had cleared away the bad luck for the Empress Dowager because of the so-called astrological predictions, and she suddenly got better?
Tang Ning did not disbelieve in astrology. After all, she herself had had a wonderful adventure and had the opportunity to take control of her own life again. Others might also have the miracle of turning life and death around. However, she still felt that the Queen Mother's matter was a little strange.
Rong Yue frowned tightly: "Have you ever seen Doctor Wu?"
Tang Ning shook her head: "No, he wasn't in the Queen Mother's Palace when I went there, but Sister Zhou and Madam Liang had seen him before."
"I've tried to get their information, and I know that Doctor Wu is indeed highly valued in Shoukang Palace. Not only can he come and go freely, but the Empress Dowager has also given him many rewards."
"On several occasions, when they went to attend to the sick, they saw the Empress Dowager talking to Imperial Physician Wu. The Empress Dowager had great trust in Imperial Physician Wu's advice, and the palace maids in Shoukang Palace also respected him very much. On several occasions, it was Nanny Ran who personally escorted Imperial Physician Wu out."
Nanny Ran was the empress dowager's confidant and the most powerful palace maid in the entire Shoukang Palace. Even she was respectful to Imperial Physician Wu. It was only he who cured the empress dowager and gave Shoukang Palace "hope".
Rong Yue's brows furrowed even more tightly: "According to this, the Queen Mother is really much better now."
Tang Ning sighed softly: "Perhaps, the Queen Mother's illness was not that serious."
"You mean, the Queen Mother pretended to be seriously ill so that she could take the opportunity to let us enter the palace to take care of her?" Rong Yue asked in a low voice.
Tang Ning said "hmm".
Rong Yue frowned. "That's strange. If she really wanted to use her illness as an excuse to have you come to the palace to take care of her, in order to force you to agree to the title of Princess, she could have just gone to you alone. Why would she have to bring so many people into the palace?"
"And if she truly wanted to show goodwill, to demonstrate her and His Majesty's sincerity, then why has she been so cold to us all this time? She frequently summoned others but ignored you entirely. It couldn't have been just to intimidate you."
Tang Ning pinched her fingertips. This was also something that puzzled her. She always felt that what the Queen Mother had done in the past few days was somewhat inconsistent with what she said today. This made her feel even more weird and uneasy.
The voice of Qian Qiyue talking to someone could be heard outside, and footsteps could be heard approaching.
Tang Ning said to Rong Yue, "No matter what the Queen Mother wants, we must be allowed to leave the palace after the banquet tomorrow."
"Yuejian, find a chance to tell my brother what the Queen Mother said today. Tell him that I'm a little worried and ask him to investigate that Imperial Physician Wu. Also, there's a banquet at Shoukang Palace tomorrow. See if you can let a few people in."
Rong Yue's eyelids twitched. "Are you suspecting that there's something wrong with tomorrow's palace banquet, and that the Queen Mother is planning to hold a Hongmen Banquet?"
Tang Ning's expression was solemn. "I don't know, but I have a feeling the palace went to all this trouble, not just for today's incident. Whatever the Queen Mother wants to do, or whether she has other plans, it's always better to be prepared."
As she spoke, she turned her head and said to Yue Jian:
"Tell this to my brother, he knows what to do."
Yue Jian nodded: "I will arrange for someone to send a message out of the palace."
Qian Qiyue came in just in time and happened to see Yuejian going out. She was curious: "What is Yuejian going to do?"
Tang Ning didn't answer, but said to Qian Qiyue: "Sister Yue, come here."
"What's wrong?"
Qian Qiyue came over with a look of curiosity on her face, and Tang Ning pulled her to sit beside him.
Tang Ning didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "I'm telling you about the banquet that the Queen Mother is hosting at Shoukang Palace tomorrow. When you get there, remember to stay with me and my aunt. Don't go alone, and don't trust the people in the palace too much. Don't believe anything they say. Be careful."
Qian Qiyue was startled by the caution in her words, and the smile on her face faded: "Tang Ning, what's wrong with you?"
She whispered:
"What will the Queen Mother and the others do?"
Tang Ning shook her head: "I don't know either, but it's better to be cautious. We have been very careful these past few days. Let's not make any mistakes during tomorrow's banquet. As long as we can get through tomorrow's banquet, we can leave the palace safely."
Although Qian Qiyue didn't understand why Tang Ning was so cautious, she remembered her parents' instructions before entering the palace.
Listen to Tang Ning in everything.
Qian Qiyue nodded seriously: "Okay, I will follow you and my aunt tomorrow."
…
It was not easy for the palace to pass on messages to the outside, but it was not a difficult task for Xiao Yan. He had been operating in the palace for many years. Even if the Empress Dowager and Emperor An were on guard, what happened in Shoukang Palace during the day would only reach Xiao Yan's ears when it was getting dark.
Xiao Yan, Qian Baokun and Cao Dejiang were discussing the war in the south.
Marquis Wenxin and his men had arrived near Longkang a few days ago. General Yin was holding the rear while Marquis Wenxin led the vanguard troops in the front.
Marquis Wenxin led his men in a sudden attack, dispersed and infiltrated into Longkang City, and joined forces with the garrison commanders in Longkang to achieve the first major victory at a very small cost. Not only did they recapture the already shaky Longkang, but they also captured alive a deputy general under the command of King Pingshan.
This was the first good news to reach the capital after Prince Pingshan's rebellion.
Marquis Wenxin and General Yin were both very prestigious in the army, and had tiger talismans and imperial edicts in their hands. When the army reached Longkang, it had grown from more than 30,000 people when it left Beijing to nearly 100,000 people.
With Longkang as their rear base, the two led their troops to fight against King Pingshan, successfully curbing the offensive of King Pingshan's palace that was originally advancing into the heart of Wei. This forced King Pingshan to temporarily lead his troops to retreat to Shuipan and Yuanchuan.
The war in the south was in full swing, and the capital was also not at peace. Some people with ulterior motives wanted to use the war to stir up trouble in the court as they had done in the past, but this time they were directly suppressed by Xiao Yan, Cao Dejiang and Liang Guangyi.
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