Chapter 170 170 First Rank Official
The incident happened so suddenly that everyone was stunned.
Until the eunuch in the tattered jacket had a hideous look on his face and yelled hysterically, "Go to hell!"
The hatred in his tone woke everyone up from their dreams. They were so frightened that they quickly retreated in all directions with Cao Yuan as the center.
Screams and exclamations filled the air, drowning out the sound of fireworks.
Fu Rui subconsciously stood in front of Emperor Qingyuan and shouted loudly: "Protect the emperor! Protect the emperor!"
The imperial guards stationed near the Bixiao Palace swarmed forward, protecting Emperor Qingyuan behind them. Each of them held a long sword, with the sharp blade pointed at the crazed eunuch.
"If you hadn't used me as a pawn, treating me as a scapegoat, I wouldn't have offended her at all, let alone become a eunuch, suffering bullying and spending all day on the toilet!"
"Die! Die! Die! Die!"
Every time the eunuch spoke, he would stab the dagger in his hand into Cao Yuan's body.
Blood gushed out, staining Cao Yuan's purple official robe into a shocking dark color.
No matter how cunning and shrewd Cao Yuan was, he never expected that someone would assassinate him at the palace banquet on the Wanshou Festival.
The moment the sharp blade entered the body, fireworks burst into life, and golden light illuminated the appearance of the murderer.
It turned out to be Guo Qian, whom Cao Yuan had sent people to look for for a long time.
In a flash, Cao Yuan suddenly realized and looked in the direction of Du Qingtang.
It's her!
It must be her!
Du Qingtang must have hidden Guo Qian in the palace, waiting for an opportunity to assassinate him!
Xia Ming was also involved, otherwise Guo Qian would not have disappeared from this world completely as if he had evaporated from the face of the earth.
Regret and murderous intent surged like a tide. The severe pain made Cao Yuan tremble all over, and his face turned pale.
The strong desire to survive prompted Cao Yuan to struggle desperately, but he completely forgot that he was no longer young.
He was an old man who was already over 70 years old. His physical functions had declined and his strength was not as great as before. He was unable to compete with a strong man.
All his struggles and resistances were in vain. Cao Yuan could only let Guo Qian grab his neck from behind and stab him several times.
"Father!"
Empress Cao lost her usual gentleness and virtuousness. Her eyes were bloodshot and her voice was sharp: "Wang Cheng, I order you to quickly capture the assassin and rescue my father!"
The commander of the imperial guards, Wang Cheng, held a sword in front of Emperor Qingyuan and subconsciously looked at him.
Empress Cao gritted her teeth, lifted her skirt, and knelt at the feet of Emperor Qingyuan. She clutched the corner of the bright yellow dragon robe and pleaded bitterly, "Your Majesty, my father has worked so hard for the Great Xia Dynasty. You cannot stand by and watch him die!"
The fifth prince held a walnut in his palm, his eyes shifting between Emperor Qingyuan and Cao Yuan.
Without waiting for him to kneel down and beg, Emperor Qingyuan nodded slightly.
Commander Wang raised his hand, and his imperial guards rushed towards the assassin.
"Don't come over here!"
"If you dare take another step forward, I will drag this old man down to hell with me!"
Guo Qian blocked Cao Yuan in front of him, pointed the dagger at his neck, and threatened him loudly.
The imperial guards barely stopped and did not dare to act rashly.
Commander Wang whispered a few words to the imperial guards beside him, who then clasped their fists, took his orders, and left.
With the cold and sharp dagger pressed against his neck, Cao Yuan felt his body going cold, his legs going weak, and he could hardly stand, as if his life was slipping away.
Cao Yuan pinched his palms hard to prevent his heavy eyelids from closing.
How could he die at the hands of an unknown person when his lifelong pursuit had not yet been fulfilled?
He can't die!
He must survive!
"I want to leave the palace." Guo Qian stared at Emperor Qingyuan, "Prepare me another ten thousand taels of gold, or I will kill this old man!"
Emperor Qingyuan stroked the dragon pattern on the jade ring and pondered in silence.
Empress Cao's heart was filled with hatred, and her face was full of sorrow: "Your Majesty..."
Emperor Qingyuan's expression was unpredictable: "Okay, you release Cao Aiqing first."
Guo Qian laughed heartily: "Do you think I'm a fool? If I let him go, I'll be dead!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a sound of breaking wind tore through the air and whistled towards Guo Qian.
The arrow was shot from behind, and Guo Qian was caught off guard. By the time he noticed it, it was too late.
The arrow with a cold edge pierced Guo Qian's throat and then went through Cao Yuan's left shoulder, and blood splattered everywhere.
Guo Qian widened his eyes in surprise, his body shook twice, and the dagger fell to the ground with a thud.
The imperial guards seized the opportunity, rushed forward, cut off the arrow, and rescued Cao Yuan.
"Bang!"
Guo Qian fell straight to the ground, holding his throat, twitching all over and spitting out blood.
His vision was shrouded in blood, and he struggled to search the crowd, trying to find Du Qingtang.
Phineas...
His son t......
His only son...
"Imperial Physician! Call the Imperial Physician!"
"Father, please hold on, the doctor will be here soon!"
Emperor Qingyuan twirled his jade ring and coldly watched Cao Yuan being escorted to the side hall of the Bixiao Palace. He calmly ordered, "Capture the assassin and interrogate him severely. I want to know who dared to assassinate my subject right before my eyes!"
Commander Wang clasped his fists in agreement, and the imperial guards took away the assassin, who had been shot in the throat but had not died on the spot and was lying in a pool of blood, barely breathing.
Empress Cao ordered someone to call the imperial physician. When she turned around, she saw the assassin being taken away. His blood-soaked feet left a trail of blood. He tightened his hands in his sleeves and his eyes dimmed slightly.
If nothing unexpected happens, this person will definitely die tonight.
Everyone knows who the real culprit is, but they all keep their mouths shut and pretend to be deaf and dumb.
Empress Cao suppressed her panic at the uncertain future, wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, stepped forward, bowed, and said softly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving my father."
Emperor Qingyuan gave her a false helping hand and said, "The Empress was frightened just now. Why don't you return to Kunning Palace first? The imperial physician here will treat Lord Cao."
Empress Cao was unwilling to do so. She would not give Xia Ming, the beast, the chance to completely eliminate him. She lowered her head, unable to make out her expression, and spoke in a gentle tone, "My father's life is hanging by a thread. As a child, I should stay by his side."
Emperor Qingyuan responded and allowed Empress Cao to stay. He then turned to the princes and officials and said, "Tonight's birthday banquet has been ruined by an assassin. I will give you an explanation one day. The banquet is over, and you may return."
Everyone lowered their heads and responded in unison. They bowed to the emperor and empress, and left the palace with their families.
Du Qingtang attended the banquet alone, and Princess Zhaoyang happened to be there too. The two met on a narrow road and decided to travel together.
After leaving the palace, Princess Zhaoyang boarded the carriage of the Marquis Wen'an Mansion, and the carriage of the Princess' Mansion followed behind.
Inside the carriage, Princess Zhaoyang skillfully pulled a plate of dried fruit from under the small table and ate it with a noisy crunch. Her embroidered shoes swayed childishly beneath her skirt. "Is this what Xianyu meant when she said that day that there's another use for it?"
Du Qingtang thought about it for a moment, vaguely recalling what he had said in June at the Princess's residence. He hummed softly, a hint of laughter in his voice: "It's a very meaningful birthday gift, isn't it?"
Princess Zhaoyang's right cheek was bulging from eating so much, and she stared at the person sitting opposite her.
The flickering candlelight shone into Du Qingtang's eyes, sparkling and bright beyond words.
"Father will love this birthday gift from you," Princess Zhaoyang commented, then changed the subject, "But I'm curious. Cao Yuan used Guo Qian, and Xianyu also had a deep feud with him. Why did he only kill Cao Yuan?"
Du Qingtang said calmly, "He thought that his illegitimate child was in my hands."
Guo Qian became a eunuch and had only one son, Guo Wangfei, in his life.
Unless he wants to have no descendants, he would not dare to act rashly.
Princess Zhaoyang knew that Du Qingtang had already sent the illegitimate child out of Xiajing. She chuckled for a while and asked, "Xianyu, do you think... Cao Yuan will die?"
Du Qingtang poured a cup of tea, sipped it leisurely, moistened his throat, held it in his hand, and kicked the ball back: "What do you think, Your Highness?"
Princess Zhaoyang poked at the dried fruit and said with regret, "They say that disasters can last for a thousand years. Guo Qian barely managed to injure Cao Yuan's vitals. I'm afraid..."
Du Qingtang noticed it as well, and drank the tea in his cup in one gulp, saying calmly, "It doesn't matter if he's alive. Illness is like a mountain falling. Our Prime Minister is old and I'm afraid he can no longer serve Your Majesty."
Princess Zhaoyang lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, looked out at the dark night, and said in a low voice: "I hope he is dead, but I don't want him to be dead."
Cao Yuan shouldn't have died so hastily.
He deserved to die at her hands.
Skinning and pulling out the tendons, dismemberment by five horses, or turning into a human pig, any of them is fine.
Only in this way can she relieve the hatred in her heart.
Emotions surged in Princess Zhaoyang's brown eyes, making people feel inexplicably depressed.
Du Qingtang remained silent and just stuffed a candied fruit into her hand.
Princess Zhaoyang lowered the curtains and let herself lean against the carriage as if she had no bones, putting the candied fruit into her mouth.
“Sweet.”
"Um."
Du Qingzhu loves sweet things, so the candied fruits she makes are of course very sweet.
Eating sweet things will make you feel good.
"Offer jade."
"Um?"
Princess Zhaoyang put down the small plate, turned around, and sat down next to Du Qingtang.
Du Qingtang felt her left shoulder sink. Princess Zhaoyang leaned on her shoulder and whispered softly, "Present the jade."
Du Qingtang: "Yeah."
Princess Zhaoyang exhaled a breath of foul air, her chest rising and falling slightly: "I'm so tired."
Du Qingtang placed the teacup back on the small table and adjusted his posture so that Princess Zhaoyang could lean on him more comfortably. "If you're tired, go to sleep. There's no problem that can't be solved with a good night's sleep."
Princess Zhaoyang's eyelashes trembled slightly and she slowly closed her eyes.
Half an incense stick later, the carriage stopped at the gate of the princess's mansion.
Princess Zhaoyang was still asleep, and her hairpin was pressed against Du Qingtang's neck, feeling cold.
Du Qingtang tilted his head slightly. The skin under Princess Zhaoyang's eyelids was bluish, and it was unknown how long it had been since she had had a good rest.
Her Royal Highness the Princess carries too much on her shoulders.
I don’t know the specific hatred, or the beautiful country of Daxia.
They all live hard.
......
Du Qingtang did not wake up Princess Zhaoyang.
When she opened her eyes, it was already an hour later.
The surroundings were quiet and silent. Under the dim candlelight, Du Qingtang held the book and flipped through it quietly.
Princess Zhaoyang blinked, slowly sat up straight, and said in a hoarse voice: "Xianyu, why didn't you wake me up?"
Du Qingtang put down the book, handed Princess Zhaoyang a cup of tea, and said seriously: "I am a good person and would not do anything evil that would disturb someone's sleep."
Princess Zhaoyang couldn't help laughing and drank the tea in her cup. "Thank you for your hospitality, Xianyu. It's late now. Please go back."
Du Qingtang watched Princess Zhaoyang enter the palace and tapped the carriage with his fingers.
The driver cracked his whip, and the carriage rumbled away into the endless night.
-
The next day, in the Golden Palace.
Emperor Qingyuan, clad in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat high on the dragon throne and spoke in a deep voice, "Last night, I ordered a rigorous interrogation. The assassin was the second son of the former prefect of Linjiang Prefecture. When his house was raided, he escaped by studying abroad. Three years ago, he infiltrated the palace, awaiting an opportunity to assassinate Lord Cao and avenge his father."
Everyone can judge for themselves what is true and what is false.
Some people believed it. After all, if the Cao family had not tried to win him over, the former prefect of Linjiang Prefecture would not have been convicted and died.
Some people don't believe it.
For example, the Grand Secretary of the Dongke.
If he really was the second son of the prefect of Linjiang Prefecture, why didn't he sneak into the mansion of Duke Cheng'en but instead sneaked into the palace?
As we all know, entering the palace means enduring the pain of castration.
That person is not a fool, why would he go to such great lengths and bring trouble upon himself?
The Grand Secretary of the Dongke wanted to scream, to throw a tantrum, to question.
But he didn't dare.
Cao Yuan was assassinated last night, and the imperial guards sent him to a side hall of the Bixiao Palace to receive treatment from the imperial physician. Until now, no specific news has been released.
Is Cao Yuan dead or alive?
If he died, what would happen to those Cao party members who were attached to the Cao family?
With your majesty's thunderous methods, you will definitely eradicate them completely.
The Grand Secretary of the Dongge Academy did not dare to anger Emperor Qingyuan at this critical juncture, for fear that his life would be in danger.
Fortunately, Emperor Qingyuan took the initiative to mention Cao Yuan's current condition: "After four hours of rescue efforts by a group of imperial physicians, Lord Cao is now out of danger."
Cao's party breathed a sigh of relief.
"only--"
Cao Dang's heart, which had just calmed down, was lifted up again.
"Lord Cao has injured his spleen. Although he was stitched up promptly, the damage is still fundamental and may shorten his lifespan."
Cao Dang's face gradually turned pale.
Will it affect your lifespan?
Doesn't that mean their good days are over?
No!
Their good days are long gone.
But once Cao Yuan passed away, they would face a situation even worse than they are now.
Although there was a charcoal brazier burning in the Golden Palace and it was as warm as spring, Cao Dang felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave and despair swept over his body.
In front of all the officials, the Fifth Prince's face turned grim for a moment. He simulated the action of rolling a walnut with his fingers and took a deep breath, barely suppressing the anger in his heart.
The eldest prince, the sixth prince and the seventh prince did not miss the change in the fifth prince's expression and were secretly delighted.
Without Cao Yuan, the pillar of the family, the Cao family was like a tiger with its teeth pulled out, and its decline was only a matter of time.
Without the full support of the Cao family, and considering Emperor Qingyuan's attitude towards the Cao family, the fifth prince will undoubtedly lose in this battle for the throne!
So, there were only three of them left.
The eyes of the eldest prince, the sixth prince and the seventh prince met, and sparks flew.
......
After a morning court session, the emperor's party was in high spirits, while Cao's party was in deep sorrow.
Du Qingtang was also in a good mood.
Cao Yuan's retirement was a foregone conclusion, so this could be considered as revenge for last year's incident.
Back at the Ministry of Works, the officials stopped and bowed, "Sir."
Du Qingtang walked as fast as the wind and disappeared at the end of the corridor in a blink of an eye.
Everyone straightened up and talked in low voices.
"If the Prime Minister retires, I don't know who will take over."
"Most likely those cabinet ministers."
"No matter what, there will be a vacancy in the cabinet. Do you think our Shangshu has the possibility..."
The person who spoke pointed to the southeast direction of the palace, where the cabinet was located.
Everyone looked at each other with different expressions.
"Although the possibility is low and it sounds ridiculous, Zhang hopes it is her."
"Even if he doesn't join the cabinet, it would be best if he were transferred to another place. The Ministry of Works is just a low-paying government office and can't afford to support such a large Buddha statue."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone showed a painful expression.
In June, Li Jiao and his five companions neglected their duties and gossiped behind others' backs, and were caught red-handed by the Shangshu.
The Shangshu was furious and punished them on the spot.
Since then, everyone in the Ministry of Works has been living in fear all day long, with a string always on edge in their heads, fearing that they would make mistakes and be ostracized. It is really miserable.
Now, in their minds, Du Qingtang is comparable to a Rakshasa with a green face, fangs, three heads and six arms, and everyone avoids him.
They didn't care that Du Qingtang was a woman, had little experience and was unworthy of the position. As long as this big Buddha was sent away, even if His Majesty promoted her to the position of Prime Minister, they would agree with it wholeheartedly!
"No more talking, I'm going to sort out the paperwork."
"Tonight I have decided to kneel before the Bodhisattva all night and pray for the Shangshu. I hope the Bodhisattva will see my sincerity and help my wish come true."
"That's exactly what I meant."
"And me and me."
Everyone muttered to themselves and scattered like birds and beasts in an instant.
Du Qingtang was unaware of his subordinates' earnest expectations. When he opened the door of the duty room, he saw five stacks of documents half a person's height.
Three of the piles were from yesterday, but they were not processed in time due to the Wanshou Festival.
Just as he moved the pile that needed to be dealt with urgently onto the desk, Zhang, the director, came over with a pile of documents: "Sir, this must be dealt with today."
Du Qingtang: “…”
Don't want to talk.
Du Qingtang wrote quickly and finished processing six piles of documents in three hours. He then rushed to the research institute without stopping.
Riding a horse and passing by a public bus, Du Qingtang subconsciously looked into the carriage.
The carriage was so crowded that people were standing close to each other even in the aisles, as packed as sardines in a can.
After a quick glance, I still couldn't see the familiar yet unfamiliar face that I saw last time.
Du Qingtang tightened the reins and left the city without looking back.
Arriving at the research institute, Du Qingtang had just tied up Zhuifeng when Zhang Fu came running over: "Sir! Sir!"
Zhuifeng snorted and kicked his front hooves.
Du Qingtang rubbed her thick mane and looked at Zhang Fu: "What's wrong?"
Zhang Fu grinned, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes filled with traces of time and hardship, but his expression was truly happy. "Sir, I tried to grow a small plot of rice in July. I harvested it yesterday. I asked Sir Liu to help calculate the yield. It's about 400 kilograms per mu."
The rice yield per mu in Daxia is about 300 kilograms. The rice cultivated by Zhang Fu is 100 kilograms more than the former, which is a very gratifying figure.
"How many acres of land have you planted?" Du Qingtang asked.
"Because I wasn't sure at the time and worried about wasting seeds, I only planted four mu of land." Now that the results have come, Zhang Fu can't help but feel a little regretful. "I should have planted more. Late rice is ready in July at the latest, and it's almost the twelfth lunar month now. I can only wait until next year."
Du Qingtang knew that rice favored warmth and humidity, and was best planted from March to July. It was obviously not suitable now. "You go ahead and do your work. I'll think of a way to plant rice in the twelfth lunar month."
Zhang Fu was overjoyed: "Thank you very much, sir. I will go and deliver the rice to the granary right away!"
Du Qingtang waved his hand and walked towards the laboratory while thinking about what to do.
She thought of the greenhouse.
However, due to the limited conditions in ancient times, it was extremely difficult to produce polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride and make plastic film.
However, there are always more solutions than problems, and you can always find a cheap alternative to plastic film.
Just at this moment, two researchers came towards us.
"Yesterday, my wife came to visit with her daughter and son. She said that Liulifang was having a promotion at the end of the year, so I gave her all my bonus from the second half of the year and asked her to buy two pieces. I'll keep one in the house and put the other away. When my daughter gets married in a few years, I'll give them both as a dowry and send them to her in-laws' house. It will definitely make her look very proud."
Du Qingtang paused. Liuli?
Known: Glaze = glass
Du Qingtang suddenly remembered that in addition to plastic greenhouses, there is another type of greenhouse made of glass.
That is, a glass greenhouse.
Du Qingtang's eyes lit up and he immediately returned the same way and headed straight for the Liulichang next door.
The answer was right in front of her, but she went far away and racked her brains to think of a substitute for plastic film.
Glass greenhouses have good light transmittance and thermal insulation performance, aren’t they better than the plastic film alternative?
Du Qingtang went to see the general manager of Liulichang and explained his purpose.
The chief steward's expression froze for a moment. "Sir, are you saying that we should build a house with colored glaze and use it to grow rice?"
Du Qingtang nodded.
The chief steward was a little embarrassed: "This glass is worth a thousand gold coins per inch, isn't it a bit of a waste of material?"
Du Qingtang frowned, "Food is the foundation of people's survival. How can it be said that it is a waste of talent?"
The general manager saw that Marquis Wen'an had a cold expression and dared not say a word.
"It's settled. I'll send the blueprints over later." Du Qingtang didn't give the other party any chance to refuse. "Once the glass greenhouse is completed, the cost will be based on the market price."
This money was deducted from the research funds of the institute, but it was not a big problem, it was just going from the left pocket into the right pocket.
The general manager knew that the person in front of him was a man of his word, so he had no choice but to agree.
Du Qingtang returned to the research institute, went to the rice fields, and told Zhang Fu about the glass greenhouse.
Zhang Fu was shocked when he heard this. "I heard that things in the Liulifang are extremely expensive. A palm-sized item can sell for hundreds of taels, which is enough for an average family's lifetime expenses. If I build a Liuli house according to your description, how much would it cost?"
Du Qingtang didn't mention that the cost of glass was extremely low and that the high price was intended to squeeze money from the wealthy. He simply said, "If we can cultivate high-yield rice and ensure that the people of the world have enough to eat, it would be worth it even if it costs a mountain of gold and silver."
Zhang Fu was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes: "It is a blessing for the people of Daxia to have an official like you!"
Du Qingtang smiled without saying anything, returned to the laboratory and continued the research that he had not completed last month.
After the steam engine, Du Qingtang planned to build a generator.
In the early stages of building trains, Du Qingtang had thought about using electricity to drive the trains, but electricity was not as stable as steam and was prone to problems, so he finally chose the steam drive.
However, after this incident, the idea of "electricity" has been lingering in Du Qingtang's mind, popping up from time to time to seek a sense of existence.
After the train trial was successful, Du Qingtang put the generator on the agenda.
With electricity, there is no need for candles.
In addition to electric lights, electric fans can also make a lot of money from princes, officials and wealthy merchants.
At first, Du Qingtang planned to build a hand-cranked generator, which would be simpler than those mineral, hydro, and wind power generators.
However, the hand-cranked generator had low wattage, and the person responsible for cranking the generator could not keep it up for long, so it was rather useless. Du Qingtang had to give up and choose a mine-powered generator instead.
Daxia is rich in mineral resources, especially coal.
Even if one day every household uses coal-fired generators, the imperial court can definitely afford the supply and can also take the opportunity to increase revenue for the national treasury.
By October, the coal-fired power generator had a rough outline, and only the final step was needed to complete it.
In mid-October, Du Qi and Du Ba brought news that they had discovered tungsten mines in Yunnan Province.
Now the tracks have been laid across most of Daxia. You can first take the official road, and then take the Xiasheng train in the name of the research institute, and you can reach Xiajing in early December.
Before that, Du Qingtang planned to improve the generator first, and then find a way to make tungsten filament.
——Du Qingtang was not sure whether he could make it, but he had to give it a try to find out.
......
Just as Du Qingtang was working hard to develop the country through science and technology, Cao Yuan, who had been in a coma for nearly nine hours, finally woke up.
Realizing that he was still alive, Cao Yuan felt relieved.
"Sir, you are awake." The imperial physician who was standing by came forward and said, "Please allow me to take your pulse and examine your injuries."
Cao Yuan's entire body was numb with pain. He allowed the imperial physician to move. It took him a long while to regain his voice. His throat felt like it was filled with gravel, and every word he spoke was dull and painful. "How is this official...?"
The imperial physician's back was covered in cold sweat. He secretly looked at Cao Yuan's expression, swallowed his saliva, and told the truth -
If the root is damaged, you must not suffer any consequences, otherwise it will affect your lifespan.
Cao Yuan: “…”
If this person was not the Cao family's usual imperial physician, Cao Yuan would have thought that Xia Ming had the imperial physician say this on purpose in order to expel him from the court.
Cao Yuan closed his eyes, his heart seemed to be immersed in ice water, powerlessness and despair swept over his body.
But more of it is hatred.
Du Qingtang!
Xia Ming!
In the end, Cao Yuan underestimated the despicableness of these two people.
The sight of blood at a birthday banquet is a bad omen.
In order to deal with him, Xia Ming was willing to take action at the Wanshou Festival banquet.
There was also Du Qingtang. Earlier, she had caused a big disturbance in the Cheng'en Mansion, causing him to lose a useful staff member and the Ministry of Revenue official he had recruited with great difficulty. Cao Yuan thought that the matter had ended there and was over.
Who would have thought that Du Qingtang was so petty and vindictive.
He lay dormant for several months, just to deal him a fatal blow on his birthday.
Seeing Cao Yuan's pale face, heavy breathing, and rapidly rising and falling chest, the imperial physician cautiously advised, "Sir, your health should be your top priority. Once you recover, everything will be easy to handle."
Cao Yuan took a deep breath and asked again, "Your Majesty, have you found out the identity of the assassin?"
The assassination of the prime minister of the time caused a lot of controversy, and the subsequent investigation results naturally attracted much attention.
The imperial physician had heard something about this, so he responded fluently: "He is the second son of the former prefect of Linjiang Prefecture."
Cao Yuan laughed out loud, as if his laughter point was poked, and he was out of breath from laughing, and the imperial physician's face showed horror.
The Prime Minister...could it be that he couldn't bear the blow and went crazy?
Cao Yuan laughed for a long time, then took two deep breaths and raised his hand with difficulty: "Help me up."
The imperial physician had a look of disapproval on his face: "My lord, you are injured. Last night, the head of the hospital sutured your spleen. It is best to rest in bed to prevent the wound from cracking..."
Cao Yuan's patience ran out. He supported himself on the bed with his elbows and sat up in pain.
The doctor's expression changed drastically: "Sir!"
Cao Yuan pushed him away, the arrow wound on his shoulder split open, and blood instantly soaked his clothes.
The doctor's face turned pale with fear, but he didn't dare to step forward. He rubbed his hands anxiously and said, "Sir, where are you going?"
Cao Yuan's nostrils flared, and he leaned against the headboard for a long moment, "The Imperial Study."
The imperial physician's eyelids twitched wildly, and he wanted to say something, but Cao Yuan glanced at him lightly. The words got stuck in his throat, and his face turned red. He could only watch Cao Yuan put on his clothes, cough three times with every step, and leave the Bixiao Palace.
The Bixiao Palace was located on an island in the middle of a lake. It took Cao Yuan a full hour and a half to leave by boat and walk to the imperial study.
When he arrived at the door of the imperial study, Cao Yuan was panting like a cow, his legs were unsteady, his vision was blacking out, and he almost fell to the ground.
Fortunately, the eunuch was quick to catch him and hold him up, calling out, "Hey, my lord, why are you here? You're still injured and bleeding so much, you should stay in bed to recuperate. His Majesty is already worried about you so much that he can't eat or sleep. You'll be so uncomfortable when you see him later!"
Cao Yuan's face, frozen by the cold wind, twitched slowly twice, and he coughed twice. Every inch of his flesh was in pain. "I want... cough... to see His Majesty."
Yu Jue curled his lips imperceptibly and called two eunuchs over: "You two, serve well. My lord, please wait a moment while I go in and pass on the message."
Cao Yuan gathered his cloak and stood like an old tree rotten from the roots.
Yu Jue quickly returned and lifted the heavy door curtain with a smile: "Sir, His Majesty invites you in."
Cao Yuan entered and knelt down to pay his respects: "Your Majesty, your humble servant pays respects to you."
Emperor Qingyuan held a red brush in his hand, a smile on his round, elegant face. "Lord Cao is injured, so why bother with such a grand ceremony? It's freezing outside. If Lord Cao gets hurt, it will be my fault."
Having said that, he never shouted.
Cao Yuan lowered his head, a sneer on his lips as he stated his purpose directly: "I am old and frail, and this assassination has damaged my very foundation, which will shorten my lifespan. I fear I will not be able to shoulder great responsibilities in the future. I hope Your Majesty will have mercy on me and allow me to retire and return home to recuperate."
Emperor Qingyuan frowned and sighed, "Lord Cao has served three dynasties, assisting my grandfather, my father, and me. Half of the credit for Great Xia's success today belongs to you, Lord Cao. I truly cannot bear to let you go."
Cao Yuan banged his head against the ground, pulling the wound in the process, causing a sharp and intense pain.
The more pain he felt, the calmer Cao Yuan became.
"The Prime Minister is the head of the civil service and should lead by example. However, I, a humble minister, cannot bear the burden. I fear that I would be considered derelict in my duty. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to retire and return home to recuperate."
Emperor Qingyuan sat upright behind the imperial desk, looking down at Cao Yuan condescendingly.
After a long pause, he stroked his beard and sighed softly, "Well, since my dear Lord Cao has made up his mind, I will allow you to resign from the position of Prime Minister."
Emperor Qingyuan paused, then added, "In consideration of your devoted service to Great Xia, I will confer upon you the title of First Rank Grand Tutor, to serve as a role model for all generations to come."
As we all know, Taifu is an honorary title, usually held by a civil servant of high moral character and prestige.
Highly respected.
Cao Yuan recited this word silently and sneered in his heart.
Even at this time, he still doesn't forget to use some unacceptable means to disgust people.
"Your humble servant thanks the Emperor for his grace."
......
Cao Yuan left the palace and returned to Duke Cheng'en's residence. He ignored his serious injuries and blood-stained clothes and summoned his confidants: "Have you found the person I asked you to find?"
The confidant knelt down and apologized: "Because the face of the person is so similar to that person, I dare not make it public. I only sent people to search for him quietly, but there has been no news so far."
Cao Yuan's face darkened slightly: "Twenty sticks."
The confidant kowtowed and was about to go down to accept the punishment when he heard Cao Yuan say, "Send a message to Hanzhong Prefecture, and make preparations."
The confidant was stunned for a moment, then he was ecstatic: "Don't worry, Master, I will go and deliver the message!"
As he turned around, his confidant thought of something else: "Master, should we inform the Fifth Prince?"
Cao Yuan closed his eyes, feeling the strong smell of blood in his nostrils: "No need."
Anyway, he wasn't the one sitting on the throne in the end, so why bother himself with trouble?
-
When the news spread that Cao Yuan had begged to be buried, resigned from the post of Prime Minister, and taken up the honorary title of First-Rank Grand Tutor, Qi Lianmao gasped and accidentally knocked over his teacup.
The thing he feared most happened.
Over the years, Emperor Qingyuan allowed him to continue serving as the second assistant in order to contain Cao Yuan.
Now that Cao Yuan has resigned from the post of Prime Minister and only holds an honorary title, Qi Lianmao can retire with honor.
But if he withdrew, what would happen to the Qi family? What would happen to the Duke of Changguo's Mansion?
More than ten years ago, the Duke of Changguo's Mansion was brutally wiped out, and only one in ten of the direct and collateral branches survived.
The only ones left are some misshapen and cracked things, none of which can be used.
If he retires, there will be no more descendants of the Qi family in the court, and the decline of the Changguo Mansion is only a matter of time.
When he passes away to the underworld a hundred years later, how will he have the face to meet the ancestors of the Qi family?
Qi Lianmao regretted for the umpteenth time that he had allowed the second son to kill the eldest son.
If the eldest brother were still alive, with his talent, why wouldn't he be able to bring honor to the family and continue the Qi family's century-long glory?
When the gong sounded for the end of his shift, Qi Lianmao returned to the Duke of Changguo's Mansion in a daze. He had dinner without any taste and fell asleep with a lot on his mind.
After falling asleep, Qi Lianmao had a dream.
In the dream, he was sitting in the study, with his confidant kneeling below him, reporting in a very serious manner.
"News came from Yanqing Prefecture that Du Qingtang, the magistrate working under the eldest young master, was a woman disguised as a man. The eldest young master discovered her identity a while ago and faked her death, and is keeping her away."
Qi Lianmao heard his own voice: "How could the Qi family be guilty of deceiving the emperor? Tell this to the second son's wife. She will know what to do."
The confidant received the order and withdrew.
Then, the scene changed.
The confidant knelt below, still reporting: "The Second Madam revealed this to Miss Xue San. Miss Xue San fell in love with Du Qingtang at first sight. When she learned that she was a woman, she turned her love into hatred and forced Du Qingtang to drink a pot of poisoned wine."
Qi Lianmao was secretly surprised.
Why would he have such a dream out of the blue?
Not to mention that Du Qingtang had never served in Yanqing Prefecture, his most promising grandson, Qi Heming, had never had any interaction with Du Qingtang.
Before Qi Lianmao could explain, the scene suddenly changed, as if returning to that night ten years ago.
Mu Tingyu was covered in blood, stepping on the flesh and blood of Qi's descendants, approaching him with a sword.
The long sword pierced his chest. The moment the severe pain came, Qi Lianmao was horrified and woke up from his dream.
Qi Lianmao suddenly opened his eyes and sat up in bed.
Before he could sit down, he suddenly felt a black screen in front of his eyes and fell backwards.
......
The next day, at three quarters past three in the morning.
The servant who served Qi Lianmao knocked on the door on time: "Master, it's time to get up."
On weekdays, there will be a response after just two knocks.
I knocked for a long time today, but there was no response from inside the house.
The servant had an inexplicable premonition of something bad happening, so he mustered up his courage and decided to break into the house.
After entering the door, the servant went straight to the inner room.
"Ah!" the servant screamed, tumbling and crawling out, "Oh no! Something's happened to the master!"
On the bed in the inner room, Qi Lianmao's eyes were wide open, with a hint of fear in them, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying in the last moment of his life.
He was scared to death.
Die with eyes open.
......
After the Prime Minister Cao Yuan asked for his remains, the news that the Second Prime Minister Qi Lianmao died of illness spread throughout Xiajing again.
The next day, in the Golden Palace.
The Left Censor-in-Chief stepped forward, holding a tablet and saying, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Emperor Qingyuan raised his hand: "Approved."
The Left Censor-in-Chief leaned forward and asked respectfully, "Your Majesty, there are two vacancies in the cabinet. Which two gentlemen do you think would be most suitable to take over?"
According to regulations, only the vacancies of the cabinet ministers, such as the positions of Grand Secretary, Associate Grand Secretary, Minister of the Six Ministries and Left Censor-in-Chief, can be included in the promotion candidates.
As soon as these words were spoken, the officials who were expected to be promoted were all cheered up, their burning eyes cast on the jade steps, their hearts filled with a mixture of excitement and uneasiness.
The two assistant ministers of the Ministry of Works rolled their eyes and muttered to themselves.
"Please, God bless you and allow the Minister to join the cabinet."
"Even if she can't join the cabinet, transfer her to the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Personnel. It's really a waste of her talent to stay in a low-paying government office like the Ministry of Works."
Du Qingtang heard the two people whispering, but didn't hear the specific content. He just glanced at them lightly and then focused his attention on Emperor Qingyuan.
The Prime Minister retired and the Second Prime Minister passed away, leaving two vacancies in the cabinet. I don’t know whether she can join the cabinet this time.
Emperor Qingyuan pondered for a moment, then spoke solemnly, "Minister Shi and Minister Yan have served as Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet for many years. During this time, they have performed their duties diligently and conscientiously. I am deeply pleased. I hereby promote Minister Shi to the position of Chief Minister of the Cabinet, and Minister Yan to the position of Second Minister of the Cabinet."
Shi Zishan and Yan Tiande were both stunned when they heard this.
In terms of ability, everyone in the cabinet is a capable minister.
In terms of seniority, the most senior person in the cabinet is the Grand Secretary of Zhongji Palace, who is over 70 years old and has been in the cabinet for more than 20 years.
However, the order had been given, and it was a golden word with no room for reversal. The two men stepped out and knelt to thank the emperor for his grace.
"Also, the position of Grand Secretary of Wuying Palace will be taken over by the Minister of Works, and the position of Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion will be taken over by the Minister of Revenue. They will take up their posts immediately, without delay."
Du Qingtang's heart fell back to its place, and he stepped out of the group and knelt down, "Thank you, my Lord, for your grace!"
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