Chapter 256: Clouds Clear
The chief eunuch acted almost instantly, faster than his brain could think, and said, “What are you all standing there for? Lead the way ahead. If you fall, watch out for your heads!”
After the palace maid realised what was happening, she quickly lowered her head and dared not look again.
On the way, Emperor Taicheng spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
“What happened today must not be spread outside.”
Facing the emperor’s murderous eyes, the eunuch’s back was instantly wet with sweat.
Ignoring him, Emperor Taicheng endured the discomfort and returned to Chengming Palace.
He has only been on the throne for more than half a year. If he summons the imperial physician on New Year’s Eve, it will probably arouse suspicion from others. Emperor Taicheng does not want to see such a scene, so he waited until the next day, when the director of the Imperial Medical Bureau came to check Ping’an’s pulse as usual, and then he slowly spoke.
“How? Do you know what caused it?”With secret guards watching him all day long, Emperor Taicheng was not too worried that anyone would reach into the palace.
The fifth, seventh and eighth brothers do not have such ability yet, but Emperor Taicheng still has some confidence in this.
But if they hadn’t done it, then there must be something wrong with his body… Thinking of this, Emperor Taicheng’s heart sank.
After the doctor of the Imperial Hospital finished examining his pulse, he immediately fell to his knees.
Seeing this scene, what else did Emperor Taicheng not understand?
In the end, he naturally issued a gag order and sent the Imperial Hospital Director away. Emperor Taicheng sat there alone, his mind full of what the Imperial Hospital Director had just said –
He said that he had not taken good care of his health since he was a child, and had been busy during his youth, which damaged his foundation. He also did not pay attention to maintenance during his youth, and was eager to have a child, so he indulged himself during this period. Over the years, he became ill from overwork and completely damaged his body.
If a person endures this all day long, even the best medicine will be of no help.
Emperor Taicheng never thought that all his efforts would turn into sharp arrows and reflect back at him at this moment.
But on the surface, Emperor Taicheng remained calm. When dealing with the fifth, seventh and eighth princes, he became more ruthless and merciless.
For a time, the fifth prince, the seventh prince, and the eighth prince were suppressed like dead dogs and looked extremely embarrassed.
With Emperor Taicheng’s current momentum, let alone the other fifth or eighth prince, even the eldest prince would have to keep a low profile and behave himself.
Because the eldest prince discovered that he really did it!
The eldest prince suddenly became obedient and no longer dared to challenge his younger brother. Emperor Taicheng sneered in his heart, but was also satisfied with his tact.
If the eldest prince didn’t make trouble, he could save a lot of effort.
In addition to madly suppressing several princes in the court, Emperor Taicheng privately began to look for prescriptions and medicines everywhere, and even went so far as to pray to gods.
Emperor Taicheng had been extremely rational since he was young, but now he is no longer rational.
When Ye Shuo, who was far away in the south, received the news, it was three months later.
When Ye Shuo heard that the new emperor had hired a group of Taoist priests who were refining elixirs in the palace every day, his first reaction was disbelief. ꞦаƝÓВËS
How could Xiao Ming, such a rational person, believe these things? If Xiao Ming was older, it might be understandable, but he was still so young, how could he –
For some reason, Ye Shuo felt a little uneasy in his heart.
After thinking about it, Ye Shuo finally sent him a letter. There was no need to think too much about the content of the letter. It was naturally advising him not to believe those Taoists, as they were all liars. The cinnabar in the elixir was even poisonous, so he was told not to eat it.
Ye Shuo’s words were sincere, and one could sense his inner anxiety even through the letter.
Even when his younger brother was studying, he had never written so many words. If he were in a different situation, Emperor Taicheng would definitely feel very pleased, but now…
Holding the thick stack of letters in his hand, Emperor Taicheng slowly closed his eyes.
It’s too late. It’s too late…
Perhaps it was really as he said, those pills were poisonous and those Taoists were even some evil ones, but the pills they refined were indeed effective and could make people excited, and could also allow Emperor Taicheng to maintain his current state.
Otherwise, those people below might make some small moves again. Just like flies, they can never be completely hit or killed, and it makes people feel annoyed.
Emperor Taicheng remained silent in the end and did not respond at all.
Ye Shuo thought that he had not explained himself clearly enough, so he sent out several more letters. The explanations in the letters became clearer and clearer, and the letters became thicker and thicker.
Seeking immortals and asking for the way is not the right path. Self-cultivation is the key. Throughout history, many emperors have died tragically. There are many examples in the dynasties before the Great Zhou Dynasty. Why did Xiao Ming get confused about this matter? Ye Shuo couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard he tried.
If it were someone else, they would have hoped that he would lose his mind so that they could push him off the throne. Who would have asked him any more questions? Most of the ministers in the court also advised him not to believe in the evil ways, otherwise there might be disasters caused by the evil ways.
However, no one among them said that this medicine was bad for his health.
No one knows? Not necessarily. It’s just that no one thinks in this direction.
Only Xiaojiu’s first reaction was to worry about himself.
Just when Ye Shuo was hesitating whether to go back, Emperor Taicheng finally showed mercy and told him to get out and stop interfering in other people’s affairs, otherwise don’t blame him for being rude.
After Ye Shuo received the letter, he was almost angry to death.
What kind of person is this? He took my kindness for granted!
However, after calming down, Ye Shuo thought about it and felt that it was really unlikely that Xiao Ming would do this. Unless he was suddenly possessed by someone, how could a person change so much in less than a year?
Then Ye Shuo asked him if he had encountered any difficulties, and told him not to be depressed and that taking good care of his health was the most important thing.
Xiao Ming has been weak since childhood. It would be difficult for a normal person to eat so much cinnabar, let alone him. With his physical condition, it is estimated that he will be completely ruined within two years. There is really no way to live forever in this world, so he should not be confused.
Ye Shuo would only dare to say this in public. If he were to say it face to face, he really wouldn’t have the courage to do so.
It’s just that my grandfather’s family has to bear a lot of pressure…
But after all, it was he who said this. Xiao Ming might be angry, but he shouldn’t take the risk of implicating others.
Even if Xiao Ming has changed, there are still Zou Wu and others in the court, so it won’t be a big problem.
However, what Ye Shuo didn’t know was that when Emperor Taicheng received the letter, instead of being angry, he felt extremely sad and almost cried.
Sick people are particularly vulnerable, and even the emperor is no exception. Emperor Taicheng, who had been holding on alone, almost collapsed at this moment.
Keeping a secret all by yourself, with no relatives to turn to, and having to bear it all by yourself, even the strongest person will want to have someone to rely on at this time.
And the one you rely on is either your parents, or your wife and children…you can’t be alone.
Emperor Taicheng finally understood why his father was so dependent on Xiaojiu during his last days when he was seriously ill.
However, Emperor Taicheng was born without a mother and was never very close to Emperor Jingwen. As for his wife and children… As the granddaughter of Prime Minister He, the Queen was involved in too many things. She was not only the Queen of the Great Zhou, but also a woman of the He family. As for Jin’er, he was really too young.
For a moment, Emperor Taicheng almost told Xiaojiu everything about himself, but after just a moment, he gave up.
As an emperor, everyone can be weak, but he himself must always remain invulnerable.
Some things really…can’t be said.
Emperor Taicheng naturally refused in the end.
After two times, Ye Shuo understood that Xiao Ming was determined. There was no other way, so Ye Shuo could only settle for the second best. No matter how Xiao Ming behaved, the people were innocent after all, so he must not do anything bad.
Then…Emperor Taicheng agreed.
Ye Shuo couldn’t help but ask again, is it really impossible not to believe in things?
As expected, there was no news from Emperor Taicheng again. Seeing this, Ye Shuo almost collapsed.
“Forget it, forget it, I can’t do anything about it.” It’s going to rain, who can stop it?
He asked the students to help him find out, but it was hard to find a loophole for Emperor Taicheng. In the end, they returned empty-handed.
Ye Shuo had no choice but to give up.
After a while, around the summer of the following year, news suddenly came from my eldest cousin that Emperor Taicheng had promoted him to an important position. He asked what was going on. Was it a trap? Was Emperor Taicheng planning to liquidate his family?
Ye Shuo was a little stunned when he heard this.
My grandfather’s family, who had never been given important positions during the reign of Emperor Jingwen, suddenly saw the light of day at this time, during the reign of Emperor Xiao Ming.