Speaking of the Eighth Prince Xuan Tianmo, he has always been a man who can take things as they come, and will never be like the Third Prince Xuan Tianye, who would get angry again and again and block himself into a dead end. Xuan Tianmo is very good at maneuvering, just like now, he quickly calculated in his mind: since he has knelt, he cannot kneel in vain, he cannot lose face and not get any good results, at least he must restore his image in the hearts of the people.
So, he put aside his dignity and cleared himself with tears and snot, admitting his fault in a very good manner, and at the same time he pushed all the responsibility onto the Persian, which made the people helpless. Then he went to Jingzhao Yin to receive a hundred lashes, and was beaten to a bloody mess. In the end, even the people couldn't stand it anymore, and left one after another, saying that they would not pursue the matter any more. The Persian man would be beheaded in three days, which was considered an explanation to the people.
But after this incident, the people in Beijing missed Feng Yuheng even more, especially when someone in their family was sick, they missed the time when Baicaotang was still there. Because Feng Yuheng's Baicaotang not only sold pills and tablets to wealthy families, but also provided certain welfare benefits to ordinary people. Those who couldn't afford the medicine could buy it on credit first. As for how to pay it back, there were two ways, one was to send the money within a specified date, and the other was to do hard labor, and the work was to help Baicaotang or Feng Yuheng's other industries do what they could.
Most people would choose to do hard labor, and many were sent to the manors outside the capital to help open up wasteland and plant medicinal gardens. After a while, some people voluntarily stayed there, and after the accounts were settled, they officially started working and could earn wages. Working for Feng Yuheng, whether in the manor or in other shops, there was never a shortage of wages, and some gifts such as fish, meat, and eggs could be distributed during festivals. These things were nothing to wealthy families, but for those who could only earn a little money by working, they were a great help. What's more, all the workers in the industry of Princess Ji'an would get greater discounts when seeing a doctor at Baicaotang, and their families would also benefit from it.
In addition, the Chinese herbal medicine residues will also be made into ordinary tonics, some to strengthen the body, some to relieve cold and fever, some to drive away the cold in winter, and some to relieve the heat in summer. Because they are all made from the residues, the cost is not taken into account, and these will be distributed free of charge to those in need. Everyone knows that the herbs of Baicaotang are good, and the residues are just a little worse in appearance, but the efficacy is the same. Therefore, more people who can't afford to buy medicine will come to get these free ones, which can also relieve many illnesses.
Whenever people thought of this, they would think that Princess Ji'an was the reincarnation of Medicine King Bodhisattva. When they thought that Medicine King Bodhisattva was driven away by those dog officials and the Eighth Prince, people began to weep. Later, no one knew who proposed it, but the people raised funds to build a statue for Princess Ji'an and send it to the temple for worship.
When some noble families heard the news, they were very supportive, because they had also received favors from Princess Ji'an, and even many families of second- and third-rank officials had been cured by the miraculous medical skills of Baicaotang. Without the medical skills of Baicaotang, their family members would not have survived. So, the nobles in the capital contributed money, and the poor people contributed labor. Not only did they carve a statue of Princess Ji'an, but they also built a Medicine King Temple in the northern suburbs of the capital to worship her.
This action was soon reported to the court by officials. No matter which party people belonged to, they did not dare to raise any objections to this matter, because people knew that the emperor doted on Princess Ji'an, who had been successfully squeezed out of the capital. So they would not oppose this spontaneous act of spiritual sustenance by the people.
As expected, Emperor Tianwu agreed with this and even took out 500 taels from his own private silver to be used for the further construction and maintenance of the Yaowang County Lord Temple. With the emperor taking the lead, none of the ministers dared to disobey, so everyone took some symbolic money, not much, 100 taels, 200 taels, 300 taels, in short, no one exceeded Emperor Tianwu's 500 taels, which was considered a small fight and not too much.
Finally, the task was taken by the eldest prince, who sent the money to the temple and personally supervised the construction of the Medicine King Temple. Since then, the Medicine King Princess Temple in the northern suburbs has become a place recognized by the royal family. Not only was it built in a grand manner, but people also felt more at ease when worshipping it.
Of course, this is all later. At present, the Eighth Prince was beaten with a hundred sticks. Although he used his internal force to protect his body, in order to make the play look more realistic, his buttocks were also beaten to pieces. On that day, he was carried back to the Shengwang Mansion from the lobby of Jingzhao Yin. However, within five days, many officials from various provincial governments filed a complaint with the capital, accusing the Eighth Prince of having someone kidnap their daughter.
Xuan Tianmo hated Xu Jingyuan to the core. If Xu Jingyuan hadn't posted the big list everywhere, the daughters of those people would have returned home and the matter would have been over. But everyone knew about this. Regardless of whether it was true or not, there was such a rumor, and people couldn't help but think about it, so they came to the capital to seek an explanation.
However, people were also cautious. After all, they were not officials in Kyoto and did not know much about the situation in Kyoto. The Eighth Prince, like the Ninth Prince, also had military power in his hands. Although the Biannan Army had been handed over to the Ninth Prince, the Eighth Prince also obtained the command of the Imperial Guards in the palace. He was the closest to the emperor. Some people analyzed: "To put it in private, if the Eighth Prince had ulterior motives and mobilized the Imperial Guards to control the palace, even if the Ninth Prince mobilized the army to fight back, it would be too late. By then, the Eighth Prince's throne would have been firmly established. Moreover, fighting in the palace would not affect the people outside the palace, but if the army was mobilized, the people would be the victims. So once this happened, the Ninth Prince would be in trouble."
People were confused: "Then we came here for nothing? Did our daughter suffer in vain?"
Some smarter ones said, "It's useless for us to analyze it by ourselves. We can't come here for nothing. We have to ask someone. I am not talented, but I am an old friend of Jingzhao Yin Lord Xu. He is the father and mother official of Jingdu, and no one has more say than him. Why don't we ask him?"
This opinion was unanimously recognized by all officials, so the man invited Xu Jingyuan to the posthouse. Xu Jingyuan naturally would not speak for the Eighth Prince, but he did not lean too much. He just pointed out to everyone at the end: "The Eighth Prince will do anything to get to the top. Although some people said that the Ninth Prince was moody in the past, everyone with eyes has seen it for so many years. The Ninth Prince loves his country and the people, and he will never do anything that is not good for the people. And what about the Eighth Prince? I'm sure you have heard about the several accidents that just happened in the capital. What kind of thing did he do? Anyway, if you ask me, I think that if someone like the Eighth Prince gets to the top, he will be unsure in his heart. That's the real way to serve the emperor like a tiger!"
When people heard this, they thought that it made sense. Once the Eighth Prince took the throne, the world would be in turmoil. Such a sinister villain, in order to fight with the Ninth Prince, actually sent people to kidnap their daughter. Even if nothing happened, the reputation of an innocent girl who was kidnapped was completely ruined.
People gritted their teeth and cursed the Eighth Prince from head to toe in their hearts, but decided not to pursue the matter. After all, they did not want to cause trouble for Emperor Tianwu. Because the kidnapping was just speculation, the Eighth Prince refused to admit it and only said that he was framed. If they continued to make trouble, Emperor Tianwu would be very annoyed. However, people also made a decision that they would never stand on the side of the Eighth Prince and would never support any of his actions.
Officials from other provinces came to Beijing to pay their respects to Emperor Tianwu and Empress Dowager Cixi, and also sent some gifts. Emperor Tianwu and Empress Dowager Cixi knew what was going on, but they did not point it out. The battle for the throne had reached this point, and their best choice was to sit on the high seat and watch. Especially for Tianwu, the palms and backs of his hands were all flesh, and even if he wanted to favor the Ninth Prince, he could not immediately throw the Eighth Prince into the abyss. After all, that was his son, not Xuan Tianye.
However, there are still officials in the capital who are willing to stand on the side of the Eighth Prince, including those officials from other provinces who have not been persecuted. Recently, they have met with lobbyists sent by the Eighth Prince's mansion one after another. These lobbyists will also find a breakthrough. All the officials they meet have sent daughters to the palace many years ago. As everyone knows, because of the appearance of Concubine Yun, the harem of Emperor Tianwu has become a decoration. Those who are lucky enough to have a prince before Concubine Yun can still have someone to rely on, but those who have not had time to give birth to an heir, or even have not had time to be favored by Tianwu, can only be locked up in the palace for life, lonely and helpless. Because they have no children and no status, they can't help their mother's family. They were sent to the palace as the hope of the family, but gradually became a waste.
But those who were sent to the palace were all noble ladies and legitimate daughters of the family, and they were also the most valued and carefully cultivated children at that time. Such good children became useless. These officials dared not say anything for so many years due to Emperor Tianwu, but once someone brought up this topic, they could no longer stop their grievances and poured them out to those lobbyists bit by bit.
The lobbyists were aiming for this effect, and specifically sought out this type of people, starting with Concubine Yun, and complaining about the Ninth Prince's faults. They even said to the adults, "Think about it, once the Ninth Prince takes the throne, Concubine Yun will be the Empress Dowager. That woman is jealous, and she is only a concubine now, but she has already forced the ladies and nobles in other palaces into this state! If she really becomes the Empress Dowager, the consequences will be..."
The officials all took a deep breath. Although they had given up on their daughters who were sent to the palace, they had put a lot of effort into them. Who wouldn't feel sorry for them? Moreover, the lobbyists said, "It may not be enough to punish those concubines. In order to avoid trouble for herself, the future queen mother may even bear a grudge against you. My lord, please think about your family!"
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