Chapter 2632 No One Can Replace
The emperor immediately stopped looking sad and his expression became more serious. "It doesn't hurt anymore, but my body doesn't feel good either, and my heart feels even worse."
He said, "Whenever I think of your pain, I can't eat. I wish I could take your place."
Even though Wei Zhi knew in his heart that this was just the emperor's sweet talk, he was still a little touched, so he stopped teasing him about pretending to have a stomachache.
The emperor had already glanced at Zhou Man, and Man Bao immediately responded alertly: "The summer heat can affect your appetite, which in turn affects your stomach and intestines. Abdominal pain is also an occasional symptom."
The emperor was satisfied. Wei Zhi had already decided to let the matter go and naturally would not hold on to it any longer, so he nodded slightly.
After dinner, the emperor pointed at Wei Zhi and Zhou Man and said, "Mr. Zhou and Lord Wei, go back and let Lord Wei take a good look at you."
Man Bao agreed, stood up, picked up the medicine box and said, "Your Majesty, the left and right ministers will be here to give you the moxibustion at 3 p.m."
Wei Zhi was stunned when he heard this. After following Zhou Man out, he asked, "Is Your Majesty really ill?"
Manbao nodded, "Master Wei, am I the kind of person who speaks nonsense?"
Wei Zhi didn't make a final decision. He glanced back and saw Bai Shan also leaving. He smiled and said, "We just had lunch. You should go back and rest first."
Manbao thought the same thing, "I'll give you acupuncture in half an hour."
Wei Zhi saw that she didn't understand what he meant and was about to explain, but Man Bao said, "Sir Wei, I am here to see the doctor by order. Please don't be shy about asking for treatment. Otherwise, not only will I be unable to explain to His Majesty, but how will you advise the Emperor in the future?"
Wei Zhi said nothing more and went down the mountain first.
Manbao and Baishan followed behind.
Bai Shan reached out to take the medicine box from Manbao's hand, carried it and went down with her side by side. Changshou Palace was not very far from where they lived. They could walk along a mountain path and turn into the courtyard.
Manbao and Lord Wei lived not far from each other, separated by two courtyards.
In order to prevent him from changing his mind, Manbao did not return to his own yard, but followed him directly into his residence.
Wei Zhi looked helpless and could only follow the couple in.
He did not bring his family with him. Oh, Wei Yu was his youngest son. He did come, but he lived in another palace with Princess Changyu.
The old servant who was serving Wei Zhi saw that the master had brought guests back and immediately asked for someone to prepare the food. Wei Zhi stopped him and said, "We have already eaten upstairs, there is no need to cook anymore. Just make a pot of tea."
The old servant agreed and went to make tea.
After entering the room, Wei Zhi sat on a chair and asked the two of them to sit down. He rolled up his sleeves and asked Zhou Man, "Do you want to watch it now?"
In fact, there was no need to look anymore. Manbao already knew what was going on. She followed here to discuss the next treatment with Wei Zhi and to give him a set of acupuncture.
But it was rare to see him so cooperative, so Manbao didn't mind taking his pulse again. It would be nice to talk about his condition while taking his pulse.
Manbao babble a lot, but Wei Zhi only said one sentence after thinking for a while, "I only have two days of vacation."
Manbao: ...
She didn't quite understand, "Why doesn't Lord Wei cherish his body? Isn't it better to be alive?"
Looking at the somewhat confused Zhou Man, Wei Zhi knew that she was not refuting him, but was genuinely curious, so she smiled and said, "It's good to be alive, but it also depends on how you live."
He said, "I cannot leave the court yet. I can live here for a month, but I can live for ten years after I resign."
Manbao didn't say anything.
He withdrew his hand and said, "You can use the decoction for the next two days. I will ask Xiao Yuanzheng to prepare honey pills for you. You can take one injection every three days. But you must also make sure to rest and don't overwork yourself."
Wei Zhi smiled and nodded.
Manbao wrote a prescription but didn't give it to Wei Zhi. Anyway, the medicine had to be ordered from the Imperial Hospital, so she only showed it to him once.
Manbao took the prescription back to the Imperial Hospital and gave it to Assistant Doctor Duan, asking him to prepare the medicine and send it to Wei Zhi. Then he and Bai Shan returned to his own yard.
Bai Shan took her hand and shook it, comforting her: "Master Wei, please don't be sad, why are you even more sad?"
"It always makes doctors sad and angry to see patients not taking care of their health."
Bai Shan said, "You are the patient's doctor, and Lord Wei is the doctor of the Jin Dynasty. If you judge him by your own standards, you will understand why he refuses to recuperate."
Man Bao frowned, "There are many capable officials in the court."
"There are many capable ministers in the court, but there is only one Lord Wei." Bai Shan said, "If you count carefully, there is only one prime minister in the court right now, Lord Wei. The positions of the head of the Secretariat and the Shangshu Province are both vacant. Once the position of the head of the Ministry of Personnel becomes vacant, there will definitely be many people in the court vying for it."
Who among the officials in the court doesn’t want to be granted a title or become a prime minister?
Especially for civil servants, becoming a prime minister is their lifelong pursuit.
Manbao frowned and said, "With His Majesty here, there won't be any chaos, right?"
"It won't be chaos, but the successor may not share the tacit understanding between Lord Wei and His Majesty. Moreover," Bai Shan paused, "Among all the civil and military officials in the court, Lord Wei is the only one who dares to truly face His Majesty's wrath and persist in admonishing him."
Although the ministers would impeach the emperor whenever he made a mistake, and everyone seemed to be honest and upright, that was because they knew that Wei Zhi was there. Even if their impeachments were not right, the emperor could not do anything to them. Wei Zhi would not allow the emperor to punish the censors. This would make the officials in the court feel fearful and cut off their channels of speech.
"If it weren't for Lord Wei, once His Majesty got angry, they would have taken advantage of the situation and accepted the advice. After one or two times, His Majesty would have become more confident."
Bai Shan had been with the emperor for more than a year. Apart from distributing memorials to the emperor, the most he did every day was to sit with the attendant and watch the emperor and other ministers discuss matters, and occasionally take notes in case the emperor asked questions.
He may not understand the attitudes of his ministers as well as the emperor, but he certainly sees them more carefully and comprehensively than ordinary ministers.
Moreover, "No one can understand one's own political intentions better than oneself," Bai Shan said in a low voice, "Lord Wei must have many things in mind. He won't think of leaving the court until those things are completed."
Manbao said, "He won't have that time."
The operation of a country cannot be changed overnight, nor can it be accomplished in one or two years. Given Wei Zhi's physical condition, if he continues to work so recklessly, he will not be able to live for many years.
Bai Shan sighed and said, "It's better than just leaving. Besides, Dajin really can't do without Lord Wei right now."
The Emperor also said the same thing to the Empress, and sighed, "Wei Qing had just recently secretly discussed with me about reforming the salt tax, intending to proceed gradually. I didn't expect him to become seriously ill now."
"The salt tax needs to be reformed. It will take three to five years to achieve results. I...can't do without him."
The Queen asked softly, "Who in the court can replace him?"
The emperor shook his head, "No one can replace him."
Those who have Wei Zhi's character and integrity do not have his ability, while those who have his ability do not have his character and prestige, so he is the only one who can do this.
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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