"Your Highness is awake!" The eunuchs and guards cheered together.

"Long live Grandpa, he's awake!" Cheers quickly spread throughout the garden.

However, when Zhao Hao heard the good news and supported Duke Cheng Guo and rushed from the Feicui Pavilion to the outside of the Jujing Pavilion, he found that the atmosphere here was a bit weird.

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, who were on night duty, were still outside the pavilion, with expressions of both joy and worry on their faces.

"What's going on?" Zhao Hao asked his father-in-law in a low voice.

"Your Majesty has woken up, but..." Zhang Juzheng pointed to his temple and whispered, "Something seems to be wrong here."

"..." Zhao Hao thought to himself that Li Shizhen was right.

In fact, when Li Shizhen first came to diagnose the emperor in March, he privately told Zhao Hao that according to the symptoms described by Zhang Xianggong, the Portuguese spirochete may have invaded the emperor's brain.

The emperor's nonsense when he went to court in the leap month of February was a sign.

Although the emperor later regained consciousness, Li Shizhen and Wan Mizhai both judged that if the emperor had any sequelae, it was most likely a problem with his brain...

And this time, it's permanent.

"Don't play me. This is clearly my Ximen Mansion. How did it become the Imperial Palace?" At this moment, a hoarse voice suddenly came from the pavilion: "Laibao, Laixing, where have you been? Where is Yue Niang?!"

"Your Majesty, don't you recognize us?" Then there was a woman crying and Feng Bao screaming:

"Hurry up and hold the emperor down, don't let him fall off the bed!"

~~

The university scholars outside were all knowledgeable and talented. Although Master Zhao and Duke Cheng had little education, they had read a lot of pornographic books, and they were stunned when they heard what they heard.

Duke Chengguo nodded and said with difficulty: "Zhuang Zhou dreamed of... a butterfly?"

"Alas." Zhang Juzheng sighed and whispered, "Your Majesty thinks you are a character in a book..."

"This, this is temporary, right?" Gao Yi was so scared that he stuttered. If this didn't work, wouldn't the emperor of the Ming Dynasty become Ximen Qing?

Young Master Zhao is sweating like a waterfall. Well, the emperor is finally living the life he wanted most...

Only Gao Gong knelt on the ground, speechless in pain, his lips bitten...

The ministers waited until dawn before they saw Wan Mi Zhai coming out with tired steps.

"Mr. Wan, how is the emperor?" everyone surrounded him and asked.

"After the injection and medicine, he fell asleep." Wan Mizhai replied.

"Then..." Gao Gong asked with a glimmer of hope: "Did the emperor have hysterics last night?"

"You can say that." Wan Mi Zhai said.

"Then you and Mr. Li can definitely cure it, right?" Gao Gongba looked at him and asked, "Such a serious disease, you can save it..."

"The human brain is the most complex and incomprehensible part." Wan Mi Zhai shook his head slowly and said, "If it is a symptom of liver qi stagnation, phlegm and blood stasis blocking the orifices as diagnosed by traditional medicine, there are still ways to treat it."

After a pause, he sighed and said, "But as I said before, this is caused by the disease entering the brain and damaging it. This is an irreversible process... At least with the level of Jiangnan Hospital, I don't know how to treat it."

"Then, what will happen?" Gao Gong asked in a hoarse voice.

"The early manifestations are personality changes, anxiety, irritability, and even personality changes..." Wan Mi Zhai explained in a low voice: "The emperor, who thinks of himself as another person, can be regarded as the last type."

"So how will it develop in the future?"

"Usually, memory, calculation and cognitive abilities decline, and intelligence levels deteriorate severely. In the late stage of the disease, severe dementia, paraplegia, and even vegetative state may occur." Wan Mi Zhai said solemnly: "However, it is also possible that through long-term treatment, a certain level of intelligence can be maintained and the condition will not deteriorate. But in short, now, we must not stimulate the patient and create the best recovery environment for him, otherwise the condition will deteriorate quickly."

"..." Gao Gong nodded with a complicated expression and did not ask any more questions.

"Then Your Majesty, have you always regarded yourself as a high-ranking official?" Zhang Juzheng suddenly asked.

"It's more likely to be intermittent," Wan Mizhai replied, "but as the disease progresses, it's hard to say. We need to observe further."

"Oh my God! What are you going to do to our emperor?" Gao Yi said with tears in his eyes.

Duke Chengguo also said tremblingly that he would go to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices and ask God to give His Majesty a chance to live.

Wan Mi Zhai tried to hold back, but still couldn't help saying, "Being able to save the person is already a miracle among miracles. I really can't ask for too much more."

"You don't understand." Several princes and ministers shook their heads and sighed.

~~

Over the next few days, Longqing's illness progressed just as Wan Mizhai had said.

Sometimes he would regain consciousness, but suddenly become crazy again, thinking he was Ximen Qing...

And as time went on, the emperor's normal time became shorter and shorter, and the time he spent as Ximen Qing became longer and longer...

In addition to the two miracle doctors, the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau and even the doctors from the Zhairen Medical Association also examined the emperor, but they were all helpless.

The two empresses tried all kinds of treatments in desperation, including inviting monks and Taoist priests to exorcise the evil spirits for the emperor, but of course it was of no use.

This made the ministers worried and heartbroken. But they couldn't keep wasting time like this, so the three university scholars decided to take turns to send one person to guard here, while the other two returned to the cabinet to handle state affairs and look after the prince's studies.

Although Duke Chengguo had suffered a stroke, he was still very sensible and took the initiative to join the shift duty, which could reduce the burden on the grand secretaries.

Zhao Hao also wanted to join, but unfortunately he was not qualified.

And so it came to June.

On June 16th, the sky was gloomy, humid and hot without a trace of wind.

Zhang Juzheng and Gao Yi were reading memorials in the cabinet when Zhang Dashou suddenly ran in and said that the emperor had summoned two grand secretaries to see him immediately.

When they left Wenyuan Pavilion, they saw the crown prince being led out of Wenhua Hall by Du Mao. The two university scholars had a premonition that the emperor might have something important to order...

When the group arrived at the Jujing Pavilion where the emperor was recuperating, Feng Bao, who was waiting at the door, let them in directly.

Zhang Juzheng and Gao Yi entered the pavilion and went to the inner bedroom. This was their first time here.

After entering, they finally saw the emaciated emperor, with dark red scars on his face and neck. Those were the marks left by sores that healed, and they were shocking.

No wonder the emperor has been unwilling to see anyone...

The Empress and Imperial Noble Consort stood on the left side of the couch and knelt before it with their heads held high. The eldest princess stood beside the couch and fanned the Emperor gently.

"Father..." the prince called out timidly, lying on the ground not daring to look at the emperor.

He is scared.

Longqing did not blame him, but asked him to stand up to the right of the couch. After Zhang Juzheng, Gao Yi, and Duke Chengguo who came later, knelt beside Gao Gong, the emperor slowly waved his hand.

Feng Bao held a yellow-covered imperial edict in his hand, but he didn't dare to read it. He just knelt down and cried bitterly. "Your Highness, please think twice. The prince is still young..."

This caused several women to cry, and the little fat boy was so scared that he started crying too.

"Don't disturb His Majesty, he can't stand the stimulation." Li Shizhen, who was serving on the side, quickly spoke up to stop them. Fearing that the emperor would turn into a high-ranking official, he even gave Longqing an injection.

Everyone was frightened into silence.

"I know my own illness, I don't blame anyone, it's all my own fault..." Long Qing spoke slowly, pointing to his head with difficulty, "This place has become a mess, I don't know when I will become another person, and I don't know... if I can become myself again. So I have to take advantage of my sobriety to explain the important matters of the country."

He said sternly, "Read it!"

"Yes..." Feng Bao had no choice but to wipe his tears and said in a trembling voice:

"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: I have inherited the throne of my ancestors for only six years. I have contracted this disease by chance. Fortunately, I am still alive, but my spirit is damaged and my mind is difficult to recover. I think I cannot fulfill the trust of my ancestors. I want to relieve myself of this heavy burden and prolong my life. I have made a decision as soon as possible."

Feng Bao paused, then raised his voice, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and continued:

"The Crown Prince may ascend the throne. I shall be called the Supreme Emperor and shall retire to the Guanghan Palace. The new Emperor is still young, so I shall entrust him to the care of Duke Chengguo Zhu Xizhong and the two Dukes Zhang Juzheng and Gao Yi in the cabinet. They shall follow the ancestral system and safeguard the imperial plan. Your contributions to the country shall be remembered for eternity! I decree this!"

Duke Chengguo and Zhang Juzheng bowed their heads to the ground in grief. The three men wept bitterly and said, "We have received great kindness from the High Emperor and we swear to repay it with our death. Although the Crown Prince is young, the laws of our ancestors are still in place. We must do our utmost to assist the Crown Prince. If there is any reason why we cannot do so, we dare not die for him. We sincerely hope that the High Emperor will be indifferent, take care of his mind, and recover soon!"

As he spoke, he burst into tears. The two palaces and the crown prince also started to cry. Longqing scolded him again, "I am not dead yet..."

The crying stopped abruptly.

After the three regents had paid their respects to the successor, Zhang Juzheng said, "Your Majesty, is the name of Gao Gelao included in the imperial edict?"

"This edict was written by Master Gao, and he was the one who insisted on removing his name..." Long Qing finally shed tears and said, "This cruel old man insisted on abandoning my father and me. I can't keep him, what else can I do?"

"Your Majesty is magnanimous and has pardoned my sins..." Gao Gong burst into tears and choked up, "But I, a sinner, cannot forgive myself. My heart is withered and I have lost all hope. I can no longer serve the new emperor..."

"Alas..." Long Qing waved his hands helplessly. He knew that Master Gao was avoiding disaster. But he couldn't protect him with his ghostly appearance. If he reluctantly kept him in the cabinet, he would be an eyesore and would not have a good ending...

It would be better to agree to his voluntary retirement, so that all parties will not fall out and Master Gao's later years will not be too bleak.

He actually wanted to keep Gao Gong with him, but when he thought of the experiences of Chen Xuanli and Gao Lishi in history books, he did not act selfishly.

Just like a child, he begged: "Then you must come to see me often..."

"Yes, I will come to pay my respects to the Emperor often!" Gao Gong cried so hard that his nose was running, and he kowtowed to Longqing with all his might.

He knew that this was impossible. Today's farewell would be forever. He would never be able to return to the capital in this lifetime, let alone see them again.

Then the emperor said to the crying princess, "You will be the eldest princess from now on. You must take good care of the emperor for me!"

The eldest princess knelt down and cried bitterly as she received the order.

"By the way, where is that kid Zhao Hao? He hasn't done what he promised to do to me yet?" Longqing looked around and asked again.

p.s. It’s so difficult for me.