Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Brother Seven, Brother Jing...
The empress dowager's carriage had already returned to the palace, and Xu Qing'an rode his horse at full speed to Taiji Palace.
On the way, he kept thinking about Shangguan Li's words -
The antidote is taken once a month, but if the medication is stopped, the person will not survive for more than a month.
How is this possible? How could this be possible!
"Gee!" A loud shout along with the sound of hurried horse hooves broke the silence of the night.
——
Because of Zhang Fan, Xu Qing'an had a token to enter and leave the palace all these days. After showing the token and dismounting at the location, he went straight in the direction of Xun Yang.
"Pack your things and follow me!"
Xun Yangfang opened the door, and Xu Qingan went straight into the house. He went to the table where the medical instruments were placed, opened the medicine box, and picked up the medical instruments on the table and put them inside according to his memory.
Xun Yang had just finished washing up and was about to go to bed when he saw a man rushing into his room in such a hurry. After saying just one sentence, he started packing up his things with a bang.
Xun Yang didn't understand.
"What's going on? Why are you in such a hurry? Did something happen to Mr. Zhang? But isn't his condition stable now?"
"Not Mr. Zhang."
Xu Qing'an paused for a moment and stood up to look at him: "It's her."
Xun Yang raised his eyebrows in surprise: "The one from Lizheng Palace? What happened to her?"
"She was poisoned by Su Wang."
"ah?!"
"Shangguan Mingyue said that the antidote should be taken once a month. On weekdays, you'll be fine, but if you miss the antidote even once, you won't survive more than a month."
Xu Qing'an turned around, picked up the medicine box, and quickly pulled Xun Yang along as they prepared to leave. "Go and help me see if there's a way to make the antidote."
"Wait, wait." Xun Yang stopped him and asked first, "She was poisoned. When did it happen?"
Xu Qing'an treated this as part of Xun Yang's medical consultation: "Probably a few years."
"A few years!" Xun Yang was even more shocked and pondered again.
Xu Qing'an's eyes were red, but he was puzzled: "What's wrong? Is it because the longer the poison lasts, the harder it is to cure?"
Xun Yang shook his head and muttered, "But I just took her pulse and found nothing wrong."
Hearing this, Xu Qing'an's anxious heart calmed down a little, but he was still worried. "But Shangguan Mingyue said that normally there's nothing unusual to notice."
Xun Yang explained, "Whether it's visible on the surface or not and whether it can be seen on the pulse are two different things. Just like you, you also take the poison-slowing pills regularly. As long as you take the medicine on time, who can tell that there is residual poison in your body? However, if a being who understands pulse conditions comes to see it, then the problem in your body will be difficult to hide."
"And you said she's been poisoned for several years. Even if she takes antidotes every month, her pulse and other parts of her body will show symptoms over time. But when I took her pulse, I didn't notice anything abnormal, including her other outward symptoms."
"Or, as you did last time, you could take extra medicine to temporarily stabilize the pulse, so that it can be as normal as a normal person's for a short period of time. But you also know that doing so would be extremely harmful, and the stability wouldn't last very long. Let me ask you, does she know she's been poisoned?"
Xu Qing'an pondered: "Probably not knowing."
Xun Yang said, "That makes perfect sense. She asked me to take her pulse on a whim. It's impossible for the person who poisoned her to give her medicine to stabilize her pulse in such a short time. Unless you tell me that Qinghe beside her is a spy planted by someone else."
Xu Qing'an affirmed, "No, Qing He has been with her since she was a child. It's not like someone else planted this person here."
And if she was really bribed, then she should have passed the news to Su Wang directly when they attacked him, asking him to take action, instead of waiting until recently...
"Are you sure her pulse is normal and there are no symptoms of poisoning? Are you sure there is no poison in this world that can be taken without anyone noticing, and that you can't tell even by taking her pulse?" Xu Qing'an confirmed again.
Xun Yang said: "Of course there are poisons that can be taken without anyone noticing in the short term. As for long-term effects... there might also be some."
After he finished speaking, Xu Qing'an's heart, which had just calmed down, sank again.
"However, I haven't found any yet." Xun Yang added, "I only say this because there are always people who are better than you. As a doctor, I can't say anything for sure. But anyway, I haven't come across that kind of medicine yet."
Xu Qingan: “…”
The surroundings were strangely quiet, with only the sound of breathing caused by the rise and fall of chests.
Xun Yang looked at the man in front of him staring at him coldly with every breath he took, and felt that he was going to kill him with a knife the next moment because of his heavy breathing while speaking.
Xun Yang couldn't help but cough lightly, avoiding his gaze and said, "Didn't you ask me to go take a look? To be on the safe side, I think your suggestion makes sense. Let's go take a look."
After saying that, he glanced at the man again.
"Hey, go go go!"
Xun Yang simply pushed the man and went with him.
——
In Lizheng Hall, Shangguan Xugang had temporarily woken up under the acupuncture of the imperial physician, but her emotions were too volatile and she was still menstruating, so her body was inevitably weak. Now she was lying on the bed and even her lips looked pale.
After Xu Qing'an took Xun Yang to ask Qinghe about the situation, he asked her to pass the message to Shangguan Xu.
The two were brought into the bedroom.
"Why are you here?"
Shangguan Xu saw the figure of the person coming through the gauze curtain and asked.
Xu Qing'an and Xun Yang bowed to her first.
Xu Qing'an: "When I saw the Empress faint just now, I was worried and wanted to come and see her. I also heard that the Empress had not summoned the imperial physician to treat her since returning to the palace, so I thought of calling Shang Ziyang to see her."
Shangguan Xu said calmly, "They are just some minor issues. The accompanying imperial physician has already examined them. There is no need to trouble Doctor Xun again."
Xu Qing'an insisted, "The situation just now was inevitably urgent, and we were in the carriage. I'm afraid the accompanying imperial physician wouldn't have had time to make a diagnosis for the Empress. So I thought of asking Ziyang to take another good look at the Empress. Fortunately, the Empress is resting now, so it will be easier for the doctor to make a more comprehensive diagnosis."
Shangguan Xu was silent for a moment.
"Come forward."
Xu Qing'an nodded to Xun Yang.
Xun Yang stepped forward, took out a pulse diagnosis instrument from the medicine box and placed it beside the bed, and asked the person in the tent to put his hand on it.
A slender white wrist stretched out from the gauze curtain.
Xun Yang placed his fingers on the patient and began to take his pulse.
There was no noise in the hall during the entire process, until Xun Yang slowly raised his head, looked into Xu Qing'an's eyes and shook his head.
"What did you do after I left Shangguan Mansion?" After noticing Xun Yang's actions, Shangguan Xu also asked Xu Qing'an.
Xu Qing'an replied without hesitation, "After the Majesty fainted, Lord Su from the Ministry of Rites also arrived at the Shangguan Mansion, so I went to look for him after the Majesty."
"Su Xubai went too..." Shangguan Xu murmured, then asked, "Then do you know why he went to the Shangguan Mansion?"
Xu Qing'an lowered his eyes. "I wanted to ask him the same question, but when I went back and found him, he left without staying for long, so we didn't get to talk."
"Who is he going to see?"
"Found... Lord Shangguan."
The hall fell silent again.
After a moment, Xu Qing'an said, "My Lady, perhaps Lord Shangguan's matter..."
"Your Majesty, Lord Su is requesting an audience outside the palace."
Before Xu Qing'an could finish his words, a palace servant came in and interrupted him.
——
On the eve of March 3rd of the seventh year of Xining, a loud bang of the table broke the silence in Su Wang's study, which was always quiet in the Su Mansion, accompanied by a question from the young man.
"You just have to do this?!" Su Shang leaned in front of Su Wang's desk, and his words and actions completely lacked the respect that a son should have for his father.
Su Wang raised his eyes to look at him. Although his movements were slow, he could see the cold anger suppressed in his eyes. "What do you want to do?"
Su Shang then pointed in the direction of Taiji Palace and shouted, "That's the Lord! That's the Emperor! Do you know what a heinous act you've committed?"
Su Wang shouted, "So you knew you had to publicize this so loudly?"
Su Shang sneered, "Father, since you're about to do it, why are you afraid of others knowing? It will be recorded in history books in the future that father still wants to be a wise prime minister? A traitor becoming a wise prime minister, that would be a huge joke."
A loud slap landed on Su Shang's cheek, knocking his face sideways.
A blush quickly appeared on the young man's beautiful skin. Su Wang's eyes flickered for only a moment before he continued, "What do you know? In ancient times, Yi Yin exiled his lord, and Xu Xianzhi deposed and killed a mediocre lord. They still enjoyed the reputation of being wise ministers. I am just imitating their behavior now. What's wrong with wanting to be stupid?"
"A fool? You're saying that the person now is a fool? Ha, this is the most bizarre thing I've heard in recent years." Su Shang raised his eyes, not shying away from the oppressive gaze. "You want to kill him, but is it because he's gradually gained power in recent years and his reputation is about to surpass yours? Or is it because he's blocking your path to becoming an eternally wise minister?"
"Shut up!"
Su Shang continued, "So what are you going to do? Attack at the Water Festival? But there are Imperial Guards all around us, how can you possibly do anything? Oh—I see, there are people in the Imperial Guards who have joined forces with you, right?"
Su Wang didn't respond to his words, but said, "As the saying goes, those who are righteous will have many supporters. Qilang, don't you understand?"
Su Shang wanted to say that traitors and villains are all from the same nest, but he knew that this sentence would be meaningless except to anger the prime minister who was high above him.
He chuckled a few times, "How interesting! It turns out the words of the sages are used in these places." But his face suddenly darkened, "But I'm telling you, I won't join you! You're guilty of the Ten Evils. What gives you the right to drag the entire Su family into gambling?"
"This isn't a gamble! After Shangsi, the entire Su family will only rise to a higher level. From now on, the names of our descendants will be recorded in history books! Even after ten or a hundred generations, future generations will be proud to be descendants of our Su family!"
Su Shang glared at the man in the lead for a few moments, then suddenly turned and left.
"Where are you going? Are you going to expose me?" Su Wang questioned, "If I am unfaithful in your eyes, then you are unfilial in your eyes!"
Sushant stops.
The voice behind him continued, "I know what you're worried about. Although we're operating on a cruise ship on Shangsi Night, my purpose is clear. I promise you, I won't implicate any innocent people."
Su Shang actually stopped moving his feet.
He said, "Is that how you think of me? Who taught me to be loyal to the emperor and love my country?"
"But loyalty must be to the ruler who can be loyal and to the ability to be loyal. Otherwise, it would be foolish loyalty. My trip does not involve the country. The Great Jin will still be the same Great Jin! I am doing this for a better Great Jin!"
Su Wang softened his voice: "Qilang, if you don't believe me, just wait and see if what I say is true. It doesn't matter if you don't understand me now. You don't have to be with me. You might as well be a bystander and wait for the final result. That way you don't have to be disloyal or unfilial."
Su Shang turned around and sneered, "Father is indeed worthy of being a prime minister. Every word he says is watertight, and even his sophistry is irrefutable. When you asked Fourth Brother to commit suicide, you said a lot of these things to him, right?"
Su Wang's face froze: "So you really want to betray your biological father for your own righteousness?"
"Do I still have a chance to betray? Can I still step out of this mansion?" Su Shang asked back.
Su Wang lowered his eyes and said, "Let the kitchen boil some eggs for you to put on your face."
That afternoon, it rained heavily in the capital, and the sound of raindrops falling could be heard inside and outside the house.
Su Shang found a place to get out of the house and went directly to the palace in the heavy rain.
He asked for an audience with the emperor.
At that time, Zhou Jingzhi and Shangguan Xu were discussing the arrangements for Shangsi Night in Lizheng Hall.
Su Shang was taken out by the eunuch.
"Sir Su, His Majesty and Her Royal Highness the Queen are both in the palace. Since you came in the rain, you should wipe off the water with this long handkerchief first."
Su Shang took the long handkerchief and wiped it outside the door. A voice came from inside the hall: "Brother Jing, this year's Shangsi Night, besides the water sacrifice and praying for blessings, what other plans do you have?"
"Hmm... I haven't thought about it yet. Do you have any ideas?"
"Uh, no." The girl laughed twice.
"I suddenly remembered that I haven't made rabbit lanterns in years. Why don't we prepare some in advance and then set them off with the people of the city after the water festival is over?"
Su Shang stopped wiping.
"Well, it's a great festival, and it's great to be able to enjoy it with the people."
"That's settled then! By the way, if this happens, will the subsequent regulations also need to be changed? Wouldn't that be troublesome?"
"But we can release the rabbit lanterns once we get off the boat. It won't take too long. I plan to choose General Zhang as the captain of the Imperial Guards this time. He's experienced and capable, and I think he'll be able to help a lot with the implementation of the process when we get there."
"That's perfect."
The voices in the hall came clearly into his ears, Seventh Brother, Brother Jing... He had asked why he was called Xu Chi, while that person was called by his name.
"Well...he's the crown prince, so I can't call him Sixth Brother, right?"
Crown Prince, if we can't address him by his seniority, can we just address him by his name?
Su Shang didn't ask this question. She was young and innocent at the time, and he couldn't embarrass her like this, so he said, "Why don't you call me Brother Shang too?"
But she pursed her lips and said a little embarrassedly: "But I'm used to calling you Seventh Brother. Don't you like me calling you that?"
He lowered his eyes and said nothing more.
Rabbit Lantern...Su Shang remembered that he was the one who gave her her first rabbit lantern, and he also helped guide her in making the first rabbit lantern.
But the first one she folded was given to the person next to her on New Year's Day that year.
First come, first served doesn’t seem to be the case.
That day, Su Shang, wearing a soaked robe, reported on the recent important matters of the Ministry of Rites in Lizheng Hall. Zhou Jingzhi sympathized with him for coming in the rain, so she had someone prepare clothes for him and also planned to keep him to stay for dinner, and she also invited him.
However, he refused.
Back in the mansion, Su Ran came up to greet him in fear: "Qi Lang, you... went to the palace?"
Down the corridor, Su Shang raised his long, still-damp eyelashes to look at Su Ran, saying coldly, "Tell father I'm neither disloyal nor unfilial, so you two can handle yourselves; I won't get involved. But I'll still offer one more gentle word of advice. It's not too late to stop now before anything happens. The person who personally guarded the emperor on Shangsi night was Zhang Ding'an. With him around, you won't be able to succeed."
"Also, make him remember the promise he made to me: no matter what the outcome, he will never implicate innocent people."
The rain was pouring down from the eaves, and Su Shang returned to the room.
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