The courtiers also felt that the emperor had been acting strangely lately, becoming impatient for quick success and instant benefits, irritable, and unpredictable, and had also started to frequently visit the inner palace.
There's nothing wrong with entering the harem. Ministers with sisters or daughters in the harem even prayed that their bellies would be strong enough to give birth to a prince. But the strange thing is the frequency.
Previously, when Zhao Yuning was favored, the emperor would only visit her three to five days a month, and the other concubines would visit her for no more than five days in total. Now, however, he visits her almost every day.
The imperial physicians would regularly examine the emperor and members of the imperial family and record their examinations in medical records. However, the emperor's medical records were top secret and could not be seen by ordinary people. Several senior officials, including the Chamberlain, went to ask the Imperial Physician.
Inquiring about the emperor's health was a matter of great importance, but the imperial physician was unsure whether such a request would reach the emperor's ears and cost him his head. He dared not speak.
The old ministers were displeased, and just then they saw the notoriously dim-witted Imperial Physician Sun. They were all surprised and doubtful that this stubborn mule was still alive.
They pretended to give up and walked to a corner. When Physician Sun passed by, they pulled him aside. After making sure no one was paying attention, the attendant asked, "Physician Sun, how has His Majesty been lately?"
Physician Sun glanced at them and said with shame, "His Majesty's headache flared up two months ago, and we have no solution at the moment."
As a result, the Imperial Medical Academy underwent a series of personnel changes.
How serious is it?
"During an attack, the pupils dilate, the whites of the eyes turn red, the pulse is pounding like a drum, and the body temperature..."
"Stop with the nonsense and get to the conclusion."
"When it flares up, he becomes ruthless and violent, showing no regard for family or friends." Physician Sun was quite outspoken, which frightened the questioner so much that he turned pale.
Several senior officials exchanged bewildered glances and pressed for an answer: "Your Majesty was always in good health, why is he suddenly like this?"
"This...I am incompetent and have failed to discover the cause of the illness."
Are there any signs of poisoning?
Physician Sun shook his head: "His Majesty has examined us all, and no one has noticed anything."
The attendants immediately felt confused, but knowing that this person wouldn't lie, they could only give up.
"Your Majesty's frequent visits to the inner palace, can your body handle it?"
"His Majesty's health is primarily the responsibility of the Imperial Physician, and I am not aware of this matter. You gentlemen should inquire with the Imperial Physician about it."
...
When Di Xiu learned on his journey that the emperor had beheaded the Minister of Revenue, he frowned. However, he only knew a few words and could not determine who was responsible. Worried about the safety of the Wei family, he went to the nearby Xuanji Pavilion to rest at night.
He first inquired about the Grand Secretary's affairs and learned that Wei's father, seeing the situation was not good, had immediately resigned and returned to Nanling with his family after receiving news from Consort De in the palace. He breathed a slight sigh of relief.
001 clicked his tongue in admiration: "If he were this clever in the original timeline, how could the Wei family have been wiped out by the female lead?"
After learning about the situation in the capital, Emperor Xiu asked, "Do you know why His Majesty's temperament has changed so drastically?"
"Princess Zhao Yuning of Dongqing Kingdom is skilled in making incense. If one smells it every day, one will become dependent on it. If one does not smell it for a few days, one will become mad and irritable. This incense is unique and even the imperial physicians cannot identify it."
001 frowned: "What fragrance? Isn't this a reading product?"
After a moment of contemplation, Di Xiu took out a plaque engraved with the character "Xuan": "Ten days later, send a secret letter to the emperor, saying that He Ming is Wei Zixiao."
That was the original plan; they would need to move the nails planted in the palace to make everything go smoothly. Now that the emperor has had this incident, the fate of the nails is unknown. To be on the safe side, he still placed an order with Xuanji Pavilion, since he had previously obtained quite a few tokens from Yanling.
The person from Xuanji Pavilion who was in contact with him took the plaque, verified its authenticity, and then said in a serious tone, "Adding up all the issues and rounding down, it comes to 80,000 taels of silver. How does this young master intend to pay?"
Emperor Xiu: "..."
Why would he carry so much silver when he goes out? So he was given another Xuan-level commission token.
The man looked him up and down, then cupped his hands and said with a smile, "So you are Young Master Wei. I've heard so much about you. Since you are a friend of our Pavilion Master, I'll pass on another message to you."
"The Wu family is plotting a rebellion."
001: "!!!" They actually stole our mission.
After leaving Xuanji Pavilion, Di Xiu quietly returned to the camp and set off as usual the next day.
If all goes smoothly, the army should arrive in Zhaodu in ten days.
The journey went smoothly until they arrived at Zhaodu, only to find the city gates tightly shut. The deputy general, puzzled, shouted to the imperial guards on the city wall, "General Zheng Nan has been ordered to return to the capital. Why are the city gates not open?"
His response was a barrage of arrows drawn in unison. The lieutenant was terrified at the sight, and Di Xiu immediately ordered the vanguard to form a shield wall with their shields.
The range of the bows and arrows is about 100 meters. With 400,000 troops behind them, they only need to block the front.
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the city wall: "Fire the arrows!"
A hail of arrows rained down, and the faint cries of soldiers in pain could be heard.
Di Xiu deflected the incoming arrows with his sword, flicked the reins, and stepped forward, his face filled with anger. He raised his voice and demanded, "What is the meaning of this?"
A figure in bright yellow slowly walked up the wall. It was only early spring, and the air was still chilly. Yet the emperor, who was almost forty, was wearing only a single garment, as if he did not feel the cold at all.
He pointed at Di Xiu and angrily cursed, "Wei Zixiao, you despicable and cunning scoundrel, how dare you deceive the emperor and play tricks on me! Soldiers below the city, listen to my command! Whoever can take Wei Zixiao's head will be appointed as a Grand General by me."
His voice was so loud that only the soldiers at the front could hear it. They were momentarily stunned, and looking at the person being pointed at, the lieutenant tentatively asked, "General Wei?"
Di Xiu glanced at him, sighed softly, removed his mask, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the emperor, and said loudly, "It is not that I am deliberately deceiving Your Majesty. When I traveled to Wangyue Mountain, I was repeatedly chased and killed. On one occasion, I was even forced to jump off a cliff, which is why I resorted to this desperate measure. Later, when I heard that the small country of Wandan was harassing the border of my Tiansheng, my passion was not extinguished, so I took the initiative to recommend myself to General Yan to join the army."
The lieutenant looked like he'd seen a ghost, and the others weren't much better off.
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