Chapter 44
Long before Gu Fuzhou's first resignation letter was sent to the capital, the emperor and his trusted ministers had discussed the matter for a long time. Some people believe that Gu Fuzhou has commanded the army for many years and is very popular among the soldiers and has a high prestige. If this continues, I am afraid that the soldiers will only obey military orders and not the emperor's orders. Since Gu Fuzhou has asked to return to the capital and give up his military power, the emperor can just follow his wishes and take the opportunity to take back the military power, which will also eliminate a hidden danger for Dayu.
Another faction, led by Xiao Cheng, scoffed at this statement. Now that the war in the northwest is at a stalemate, letting Gu Fuzhou come back will only shake the morale of the army and give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage. Gu Fuzhou was stationed in the northwest border for many years and won countless battles. His name alone is enough to intimidate some enemies. If Gu Fuzhou was not in the northwest, the Western Xia army would certainly take the opportunity to attack the city and capture the stronghold. Let Zhao Mingwei guard it, can he do it?
The emperor had been slow to make a decision, and Gu Fuzhou's resignation petition had changed from once every five days to once every three days, and in recent days, he had been sending one every day. At the same time, Zhao Mingwei's impeachment memorials against him increased from one every five days to one every ten days. He was impeaching him for a while, but suddenly stopped, and even said in the memorial: Although the general is very lazy, he can lead our army to victory again and again. That’s enough. I don’t want to pursue it any further.
While the messenger soldiers were running desperately between the capital and Yongliang, the Western Xia army was not idle and attacked the city three times within a month. As long as the emperor's approval was not received, Gu Fuzhou would remain the General of the Western Expedition for one day. Every time the enemy attacked, he would curse and complain for a while, then reluctantly get up from his bed, plan his strategies in front of the sand table, and win the battle thousands of miles away.
What? The Emperor asked General Gu why he didn’t go into battle and kill the enemy himself? That is absolutely impossible. Let’s put it this way, the Qingyun Jiuzhou Spear bestowed by the emperor has long been gathering dust in a corner, and the once-in-a-century Ferghana horse has also been fattened up by him and given an ugly nickname.
But what is puzzling is that Gu Fuzhou always led them to victory. Not only can we win, but we can also win beautifully. There was even one time when Gu Fuzhou, while commanding the city defense, dispatched a team of elite soldiers and took advantage of the enemy's full-scale attack to launch a surprise attack on the city where they stored military supplies. No one knew how he calculated that the enemy's food and wages were stored in a small city only a day's ride away from Yongliang. In short, when the enemy army was halfway through the siege, news suddenly came from the rear that food and money had been stolen. They could neither advance nor retreat, and in the end they could only lose both the wife and the army.
This was the first time Gu Fuzhou took the initiative to attack after clearing out the remaining poison. Everyone thought that he had changed again, and that their highly respected General Gu, who was admired by everyone day and night, was coming back. Who would have thought that Gu Fuzhou had only worked diligently for one day, and after winning, he said, "Let everyone rest for two days first," and then lay in the tent for two days.
The generals were confused and heartbroken, but they had to accept the result. In any case, for the soldiers on the battlefield, the most important thing is to win the battle and reduce the number of casualties. Only then did Zhao Mingwei write in his memorial: Forget it, forget it, we don’t want to impeach us, and Your Majesty please don’t pursue it.
Who would have thought that after Gu Fuzhou learned about this, he specifically found him and said earnestly: "You can't give up halfway, General Zhao. A journey of a hundred miles begins with a single step. Maybe if you submit another memorial, you can succeed in impeachment."
Zhao Mingwei said embarrassedly: "The general has led us to victory so many times. Although the way of winning is very different from before, it's enough to win. We don't ask for much."
Gu Fuzhou looked at him reproachfully, and said angrily, "You are so useless. Don't you want to push me out and take the position yourself?"
Zhao Mingwei sighed and said, "General Gu is extremely talented and wise. I am ashamed of myself. You should take the position of the general."
Gu Fuzhou almost vomited blood: "You...can't...do...this...to me."
When the good news reached the capital, the emperor decisively rejected Gu Fuzhou's resignation letter. Don’t be fooled by Gu Fuzhou’s constant claims that he doesn’t want to fight anymore and wants to return to Beijing to retire. If he is really forced to the battlefield, he will be able to win the battle for everyone to see. In that case, let him continue to stay in Yongliang. The emperor even issued a special decree, ordering Lin Yuanpan to stay by his side to ensure the general's safety and to find out the reason for his sudden change in temperament.
Gu Fuzhou fought the war unwillingly while continuing to resign from the emperor. Half of the documents on the emperor's dragon desk were filled with his resignation letters. Finally, he could no longer bear it and summoned all the ministers to the Qinzheng Hall to discuss the matter.
The emperor was furious and everyone was silent, no one dared to touch this bad luck.
The emperor frowned and said in a cold voice: "I have already rejected Gu Fuzhou's memorial, but he keeps telling me the same thing. He is so arrogant. Does he really think I can't bear to touch him?"
The ministers were all complaining in their hearts. The war in the northwest is raging, and it is indeed not a good idea to move Gu Fuzhou at this juncture, but who dares to tell the truth to the emperor now?
In the end, the prince stood up. Xiao Cheng picked up the scattered memorials, put them back on the table, and said, "Father, please calm down. I think that since Gu Fuzhou can win, it is better to let him stay in Yongliang. Now is the time to use people, and those who can be used should be used in a big way."
The emperor slammed the table and said, "How can he guard the northwest for me when he is so eager to return home?"
"Then wait until he really loses, then it won't be too late to change players."
The ministers exchanged inscrutable looks. The Minister of War asked, "If General Gu really has to come back, will he deliberately lose to the enemy?"
Xiao Cheng curled his lips and smiled: "If he deliberately loses the battle and loses the city, causing his soldiers to suffer continuous casualties, how can he still gain a foothold in the army? When the emperor wants to take back the military power in his hands, who among the generals will speak for him?"
The emperor slowly sat down on the dragon chair: "This is a solution."
"Besides, Gu Fuzhou is so eager to return to the capital, it must be not just for retirement." Xiao Cheng said, "I beg you, father, to send the Tianji Camp to investigate the reason."
The emperor was quite pleased, rubbing his forehead and said, "Let the prince handle this matter."
Seeing this, Xiao Cheng asked with concern, "Is your father in poor health?"
The emperor closed his eyes and said, "It's an old problem, it's okay."
Everyone said in unison: "I hope your majesty takes care of himself."
The emperor waved his hand, signaling them to leave. Xiao Cheng walked out of the Qinzheng Hall, called Xue Ying, and asked, "Father, have you had headaches recently?"
Xue Ying said: "That's right, Your Majesty is worried about the war in the northwest."
"Then let Chu Zhengde show it to Father."
Xue Ying said: "I will send someone right away."
Chu Zhengde is the deputy chief judge of the Imperial Medical Bureau. He is already 65 years old and the most experienced person in the entire Imperial Medical Bureau. However, he has always been suppressed by Chief Judge Lin and has served as the deputy chief judge for ten years.
Medicine, like poetry and swordsmanship, has different schools. Chu Zhengde and Lin Yuanpan belong to different factions and have had different political views for a long time, so it is inevitable that they have some complaints in their hearts. Because of this reason, he did not have a good face towards Lin Yuanpan's son.
After Lin Qingyu arrived at the Imperial Hospital, Hu Ji took him to meet his colleagues and seniors one by one. No matter how others thought of him, they were polite to him on the surface. Only Chu Zhengde asked right away, "Are you the kid who wrote the prescription for the epidemic?"
Lin Qingyu said: "Yes."
Chu Zhengde stroked his beard, shook his head and sighed, "If others want to enter the Imperial Hospital, they have to study hard for decades, take the Imperial Medical Bureau examination, and then study in the Imperial Medical Bureau for at least three more years. But you are a man whose husband just died. With a prescription that is not sure whether it is true or not, you didn't even take the examination, but you entered the Imperial Hospital before you were twenty... The world is going downhill."
Hu Ji said, "Doctor Chu is wrong. Heroes have always emerged from youth. When Lin Yuan was admitted to the Imperial Hospital, he was only 20 years old. Besides, it's not that I don't know whether Doctor Lin's prescription is true or not. It is indeed effective against the epidemic."
Chu Zhengde sneered and said, "Everything must be done step by step. The more miraculous the effect, the more we should worry about the harm. I am afraid that even if Doctor Lin's prescription cures the epidemic, it will bring a lot of trouble to the patient."
Lin Qingyu said: "The premise of the root of evil is that the patient is still alive."
Chu Zhengde's face darkened and he was about to argue again when he was called away by Xiao Songzi from the Qinzheng Hall. Hu Ji said, "That's how Doctor Chu is. Don't take it to heart."
Lin Qingyu nodded: "After all, I have been a deputy judge for ten years, so I can understand it."
He had heard his father mention Chu Zhengde before. Father Lin recognized Chu Zhengde's medical skills, and also believed that based on his qualifications alone, Chu Zhengde should be the judge. But ten years ago, Chu Zhengde was ordered to protect the pregnancy of a favorite concubine. The emperor had few children, and his favorite woman was pregnant, so he attached great importance to this pregnancy. Unexpectedly, despite Chu Zhengde's careful care, the favorite concubine still had a miscarriage for unknown reasons. Chu Zhengde was questioned about his dereliction of duty. No matter how skilled he was in medicine, he could only be a deputy judge.
Chu Zhengde's emotions were written all over his face, there was nothing to worry about. On the contrary, those colleagues who appear to be smiling and talking to him on the surface should be more careful.
Lin Qingyu had just arrived, so this day was relatively free. After finishing his duty at the Imperial Medical Bureau, he left the palace through the north gate, came to the Imperial Medical Bureau, and went straight to the library.
It was late at night and the library was empty, with only two guards standing at the door. The emperor allowed Lin Qingyu to enter and leave the Imperial Medical Office freely. Even during curfew, the guards still opened the door for Lin Qingyu and handed him a lantern: "Doctor Lin, call us if you have any instructions."
Lin Qingyu pushed the door open and walked in. Rows of two-story high bookshelves appeared in front of him, stretching as far as the eye could see. Rumor has it that it would take decades to read all the medical books in the Imperial Medical Bureau's library. Lin Qingyu held the lantern and walked around twice before finding several books from previous dynasties that had long been lost among the people.
At the end of the library there is a locked iron door, behind which should be the royal family's pulse records dating back hundreds of years since the founding of the Dayu Dynasty. Opposite the library is Qiancao Hall, where you can find any rare and precious herbs you want.
This is the Imperial Medical Bureau, which is the culmination of all the medical knowledge in the world.
Lin Qingyu stayed in the library for an hour and it was already four o'clock in the morning when he came out. He remembered that he had a medicine that he could not find anywhere in the capital, so he went to Qiancaotang again.
As soon as he entered the door, he saw a person walking towards him in the hall. This person should not be a student of the Imperial Medical Bureau, but judging from his calm steps, he does not look like a thief.
The man also noticed him and asked in a deep voice, "Who?"
Lin Qingyu just felt that this person's voice sounded somewhat familiar. He smelled a strong smell of blood and knew that the man was seriously injured. "The Imperial Hospital's Imperial Physician, Lin Qingyu."
The man suddenly paused.
Lin Qingyu raised the lantern and looked towards him. The first thing he saw was a black robe stained with blood and a blood-stained blade.
After seeing the man's face clearly, Lin Qingyu's heart moved and he said, "It's you."
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