Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 280 A Single-Minded Person Turns into a Double-Dealer [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"what happened?"

Yan Maoqing immediately had a very bad premonition. He quickly gulped down the medicine in the bowl and lifted the carriage curtain to inquire about the situation.

"Reporting to your question, sir, it seems there are people blocking our way ahead."

The driver had already stood up from his seat, craning his neck to look ahead.

"They've really got some nerve, daring to block the master's carriage at will. If they disturb the master, can they bear the consequences?"

The driver wasn't wrong.

In this era, there is a clear distinction between the noble and the lowly. Yan Maoqing is now a Duke, second only to the Emperor. Under normal circumstances, no one should dare to stop Yan Maoqing's carriage.

Moreover, there were scouts leading the convoy. These scouts would first carry the travel permits and explain the situation to the city gate guards, so the convoy would be allowed to pass without even having to stop.

But Yan Maoqing felt...

The more he was stopped under these circumstances, the more serious the problem became, and it was highly likely that some unexpected event had occurred to prevent him from leaving the capital!
"Husband, let the servants handle it. You don't need to deal with it personally in public, lest it lower your status."

Seeing that Yan Maoqing's expression wasn't good, Bailu didn't think much of it. She simply tugged at his sleeve and softly advised him.

"If anyone dares to disrespect you, just remember their name. After all, the guards are also part of the military. When you return from Jiangxi, you, as a noble duke, will have plenty of opportunities to make things difficult for them. Are you afraid you won't be able to deal with them?"

“That’s not what I’m worried about…”

Yan Maoqing held Bai Lu's fair and delicate hand and shook his head with concern.

Then the personal guard commander quickly ran from the front of the convoy, stood beside the carriage, saluted, and said:

"Lord Biguo, it was the Embroidered Uniform Guard who stopped us. They said they were acting on the Emperor's orders to ask you to postpone your departure from the capital. Commander Lu has already arrived with the Emperor's secret decree and will personally explain the situation to you."

"It's the Embroidered Uniform Guard again!"

Yan Maoqing's heart trembled; at that moment, he felt an almost physical aversion to the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The last time he took his travel permit to return to his hometown, it was Shen Lian, who was then a centurion in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who forcibly stopped him, and this stop lasted for more than a year.

This time, he was just taking his travel permit to visit his hometown, but the Imperial Guards came to ruin his plans again!

The only difference is that now that he is the Duke of Biguo, no one dares to let him enjoy the treatment of a junior Grand Secretary anymore; they simply ripped off the roof of his carriage.

Even the person who came to stop him was Lu Bing, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who was second only to the emperor.

While talking.

"Faster! Faster! Faster!"

Suddenly, an impatient voice came from the back of the convoy.

Yan Maoqing simply lifted the carriage curtain, jumped down from the carriage, and looked back.

But then they saw a sedan chair carried by four men, led by a servant, urging the bearers to hurry toward Yan Maoqing.

The servant's name sounded familiar; Yan Maoqing had seen him a few times while he was with Lu Bing.

Therefore, without a doubt, this must be Lu Bing's sedan chair...

Yan Maoqing already had a physical aversion to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and seeing Lu Bing so eager to ride in a sedan chair and urging the sedan bearers to run as fast as they could, he couldn't help but scoff.

Can't I ride a horse?
If all else fails, can't you just ride in a horse-drawn carriage like me?
Is the sedan chair really that comfortable to sit in?
Lu Bing, you were once a military officer who served as the commander of a garrison. You have failed your family's generations of honor as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and you have failed to live up to your title of a military scholar...

However, now is clearly not the time to criticize Lu Bing.

Actually, Yan Maoqing's biggest complaint right now is about himself.

He wondered if he shouldn't have opened champagne halfway through when he showed off his travel permit to Shen Lian a couple of days ago, and he shouldn't have made such grand promises and set such a high bar.

This triggered an unseen and intangible mysterious force, which led to the trouble and caused another failed attempt to return home.

He even suspected that someone had set up a restriction in the capital.

If he is leaving Beijing on official business, then he can leave smoothly.

If he wants to return to Jiangxi, he will definitely encounter numerous obstacles, perhaps even an invisible barrier that he can never overcome...

When thinking about this.

Lu Bing's sedan chair had already stopped in front of Yan Maoqing. The sedan chair bearers were all sweating profusely and leaned on their knees as they stepped aside to catch their breath.

The servant, still panting, eagerly stepped forward and lifted the sedan curtain for Lu Bing.

Although Lu Bing wasn't panting, he wasn't as calm and collected as one might expect. On the contrary, his expression was unusually solemn, and his face was pale.

Upon seeing Yan Maoqing, Lu Bing hurriedly climbed out of the sedan chair, grabbed his arm, and pulled him aside to a secluded spot before speaking in a low voice:

"Lord Biguo, something terrible has happened! Something terribly serious!"

"Let me make this brief. The Crown Prince has suddenly gone mad, is incoherent, has a high fever, and even his pupils are dilated. This is probably very bad."

"The imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy all rushed over, but not one of them recognized the illness, let alone knew how to treat it."

"His Majesty is currently in a state of extreme anxiety and has ordered me to come here immediately to stop you and rush to the palace to investigate. We must protect the Crown Prince at all costs; there is no room for error!"

"What did you say?!"

Upon hearing Lu Bing's words, Yan Maoqing immediately showed a look of astonishment, and his voice became somewhat off-key.

He had considered a million possibilities, but he never imagined that the reason he was stopped would be this.

Because of his preconceived notions about history, he always believed that Crown Prince Zhu Zaiyi would suddenly die after his coming-of-age ceremony at the age of fourteen.

That was nearly ten years later. By then, even if he couldn't retire and return to his hometown, he would have certainly become a leisurely duke, otherwise it would seem that he was too incompetent. By then, whether there was a conspiracy behind the death of Crown Prince Zhu Zaiyi, or whether he had any chance of surviving, would naturally be of little concern to him. He couldn't care less about it, nor was it his responsibility.

To his utter surprise, this event happened nearly ten years earlier than expected, just when he was still unable to extricate himself from the court!
the most important is.

He is still unsure whether this event is the same as one that happened nearly ten years later in history, and whether the outcome will be the same.

After all, it is common for young children to fall ill, and if they recover soon afterward, it is not impossible that this incident will not be recorded in history.

If that's the case, then his being forcibly stopped by Zhu Houcong and ordered to rescue Zhu Zaiyi means he can get a huge credit for nothing...

But what if this is something that should have happened nearly ten years later?

That would involve a lot of problems, and he would naturally be drawn into a new and even more brutal political struggle!

And this possibility is actually not small.

After all, if the "Renyin Palace Coup" that happened to Zhu Houcong could be transformed into the "Xinchou Palace Coup" in advance, then other things could also be changed, or even brought forward by nearly ten years.

Judging from Zhu Houcong's reaction...

This time, Crown Prince Zhu Zaiyi's condition must be very serious, otherwise it would not have been possible to specially send Lu Bing to recall him.

This is simply a desperate measure!

After all, aside from some simple first aid measures, Yan Maoqing was genuinely clueless about medicine and had never demonstrated any medical skills in front of Zhu Houcong before.

If the imperial physicians hadn't been completely unreliable, and if there had been even the slightest possible solution, Zhu Houcong certainly wouldn't have, and wouldn't have dared to, entrust the crown prince's life to this layman.

Perhaps Zhu Houcong made this decision with a metaphysical mindset.

Having gone through all that before, Zhu Houcong most likely already regarded him as a "lucky general," and sent him to bring some "good fortune" to Zhu Zaiyi.

"well--!"

Thinking about all this, Yan Maoqing sighed in frustration, then turned back to the carriage and said something to Bailu inside.
"Madam, it seems we won't be able to leave this time. You should take your men back to the manor to rest first. We'll talk again after I've finished the tasks the Emperor assigned."

"My husband, there's no need to push yourself too hard. Nothing in this world can do without you. You must prioritize your own safety. I'll wait for you at home."

Bai Lu's worried voice could be heard from inside the carriage.

Although she didn't know exactly what had happened, she could tell that it was no small matter, so she could only give her a special instruction.

"Don't worry, Madam, I know what I'm doing."

Yan Maoqing nodded helplessly, then ordered someone to prepare another carriage, which, along with Lu Bing's sedan chair, headed straight for the palace, quickly leaving Lu Bing out of sight.

"This……"

As Lu Bing watched the carriage disappear into the distance, and listened to the heavy breathing of the sedan chair bearers outside, he couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.
"Has Yan Maoqing never ridden in a sedan chair before... Oh, it seems he's only ridden in one once, and it was probably the Duke of Yi's sedan chair."

"This carriage is fast, saves manpower, and saves money on sedan chair bearers."

"No wonder Yan Maoqing still rides in a carriage every day even after becoming the Duke of Biguo. I'll get one too. The dignified Duke of Biguo rides in a carriage. Am I afraid of being ridiculed and losing face if I ride in one?"

……

Zhongcui Palace.

"Say something, won't you?!"

Looking at the group of imperial physicians standing with their heads bowed and unable to move forward, Consort Wang's tear-streaked face regained its fury, and her voice became hysterical.
"The imperial court supports you with high-ranking positions and generous salaries, are you just here to stand there pretending to be mute?!"

"Provost Xu, His Majesty treated you so well before, not only granting you the same salary as the Minister of Works, but also frequently bestowing upon you delicacies, gold belts, and silver seals. Is this how you repay His Majesty?!"

"I'm telling you, if anything happens to the Crown Prince today, I won't live either!"

"However, before I leave, I will definitely report you to the Emperor on charges of conspiring to kill the Crown Prince, and I will take you both with me to be buried with my daughter. None of you will escape unscathed!!!"

"Your Highness, I truly..."

Xu Shen was pale-faced and on the verge of tears.

Thump! Thump! Thump...

He felt his heart pounding in his head, and the frequency was extremely abnormal, accompanied by waves of dizziness.

Having said all that, the one truly being put on the hot seat right now is actually him, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy.

Others might be able to shirk responsibility.

But he, as the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, was the first to bear the brunt.

He not only knew how much Consort Wang valued His Highness the Crown Prince, but also understood the weight His Highness held in the Emperor's heart.

If something really happens to the Crown Prince this time...

If he, as the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, and even the entire Imperial Medical Academy, cannot diagnose the illness or come up with a prescription that addresses the symptoms, then he will certainly incur the wrath of the Emperor and Consort Wang.

But if he tries to prescribe a remedy for the prince even though he can't diagnose the illness, and the prince still doesn't recover...

He would also incur the wrath of the Emperor and Consort Wang!
When people are in a fit of rage, they are capable of anything, especially when it is the Emperor and Consort Wang in a fit of rage; the consequences will surely be extremely serious.

This is a classic case of being stubborn and getting stuck on both ends.

Thump! Thump! Thump...

My heart was beating faster, the dizziness was more intense, and it was even accompanied by bouts of headache and inexplicable tightness and pain in my chest.

He certainly didn't know that he had faced the same situation in the "Renyin Palace Coup" in history. Although he managed to save the emperor's life, he himself died a few months later from excessive shock.

(End of this chapter)