Painting Doctor Jinhua

Xuzhou Pengcheng is located in the north of Weishan Lake, connected to Suzhou in the west and Lianyungang in the east. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. Three hundred years ago, a famous battle in which the outnumbered side defeated the larger force took place here, known in history as the "Battle of Pengcheng". Today, this area belongs to the Northern Qi Dynasty, and Emperor Wenxuan built the famous North and South Xiangtang Grottoes here. There is even a Cizhou kiln with a large amount of magnetic ore here. The firing of porcelain began in the Northern Qi Dynasty, so the magnetic ore shipped from here also brought a lot of wealth to the Northern Qi court.

As the saying goes, "A thousand miles away from Pengcheng, you can make a fortune every day", this place is exactly what it means.

Gao Changgong was ordered to be stationed here, firstly to defend against the invasion of the Southern Dynasty, and secondly to protect the magnetic mines here.

It was already three quarters past eight in the evening, a moonlit night with sparse stars. In a mansion not far from Xiangtang Grottoes, Gao Changgong was standing in front of the window with his hands behind his back, seemingly worried about something. His handsome, somewhat feminine face was filled with a deep sense of loneliness and helplessness.

"Prince..." A voice suddenly broke the quiet and cold silence. A guard came up to him and reported, "Prince, according to your instructions, after a severe torture, those people have confessed."

Gao Changgong turned around and raised his hand to signal him to continue.

The guard continued, "The jade token in the hands of the leading assassin is indeed your Majesty's, but this jade token was given to Lord Lu by your Majesty when he was drunk and playing with the palace maids."

Lady Lu is Lu Lingxuan, who was originally the daughter of a criminal who was confiscated from the imperial palace. Later, she was noticed by Emperor Gao Zhan and became the wet nurse of Crown Prince Gao Wei. Later, she gradually gained Gao Zhan's favor with her clever words and the royal porcelain merchant she managed. She was transformed from a maid into a lady of the fourth rank. It is unprecedented and unheard of for a maid to receive such an honor.

Now the emperor does not care about affairs and only knows how to drink and have fun every day. The court of Qi has been turned into a mess by this woman, He Shikai and Queen Hu. The adultery between Queen Hu and He Shikai is an open fact, but Gao Zhan has turned a blind eye to the matter and favored He Shikai even more than before.

Thinking of this, Gao Changgong sighed secretly: "In that case, these assassins were sent by Lu Junjun. What grudge does she have against those two young men? Why did she send people to kill them?"

"Well... Replying to the prince, I didn't ask in detail, and those assassins didn't say much. How about I go and ask them now?"

The guard left immediately after saying this, but Gao Changgong waved his hand and said, "No need, it's too late for you to ask now. So, have you found out the identities of those two young men?"

The guard looked ashamed and replied, "No, I only found out that the two young men were not from Pengcheng, but seemed to be from Xingyang. Apart from that, there is nothing else."

"You don't know his name, and you don't know where he went?" Gao Changgong asked again.

The guard lowered his head even lower and shook his head again: "Yes, I am useless. The people I sent to follow them have lost them. Prince, do you want me to send more people to search the whole city?"

The guard tried to ask, but Gao Changgong waved his hand again: "No need, he's just a passerby, I'm just asking casually."

"Yes, Prince!"

After the guards left, Gao Changgong sat down beside a table. Outside the window, tree shadows were swaying in the wind. A faint and clear moonlight slanted in from the window edge, casting a layer of light haziness on the white curtains.

With the bright moon above his head and his hometown in his heart, Gao Changgong had no other way to vent his melancholy and helplessness except drinking. No wonder Qu Yuan once said, "I would rather die in exile than do this." The so-called indulgence in exile is nothing more than that he has not met a wise monarch who can give him hope.

After drinking a cup of wine, Gao Changgong smashed the empty cup to the ground. Just as he was about to stand up, he seemed to catch a glimpse of a figure flashing outside the window. So Gao Changgong vigilantly grabbed his sword and ran towards the yard outside the house.

After searching in the yard for a week, he finally saw the boy lying on the eaves of an octagonal pavilion outside.

Unlike the left-fronted Hu clothing that he had worn during the day, the boy at this moment was wearing a very loose white robe, with his long hair half-blown in front of his chest. He looked extremely lazy, yet also had a rather unrestrained and uninhibited style.

He really doesn't look like a kid in his early teens.

However, the Xianbei people matured early, and many of them married at the age of twelve or thirteen.

"How did you break into my mansion without making any noise?" Gao Changgong asked first.

The boy jumped down from the eaves of the pavilion, walked up to him and said, "Your Highness Lanling Prince, the guards in your mansion are not very strict, and you are considerate of your soldiers and don't let too many people stand guard in this mansion. On the other hand, this is also due to your lack of strict military discipline. I have heard that Your Highness Lanling Prince has a deep sense of friendship with his comrades, even sharing fruits and vegetables. But if the military discipline is not strict enough, it will be difficult to dominate the battlefield relying solely on passion and friendship. You may be successful for a while, but you will never have such good luck forever."

"You actually know how to march and fight?" Gao Changgong asked in surprise.

The boy smiled and said, "We Xianbei people have always been famous for our bravery. Why should we learn those false Confucianism? Womanly kindness will only lead to mistakes. This is just my humble opinion."

Lanling Wang smiled and asked, "It's not just Pu Jian. Your words really taught Chang Gong a lesson. What do you want to see me for today?"

"Thank you for saving my life today!" the boy said, and threw something into his hand. "Take a look for yourself! This is something my brother Qing gave you. There is also a pill in it. My brother Qing said that maybe at some point in the future, it can save your life."

After saying that, the boy didn't stop, but jumped onto the eaves of the pavilion again, climbed onto a slanting branch, and leaped out of the house.

At this time, the soldiers guarding the mansion hurried over, and seeing the figure flashing in the air, they hurried to chase after it.

Gao Changgong immediately reached out to stop him: "Stop chasing him, let him go!"

"Your Majesty, who is the assassin?" His trusted attendant knelt down and said, "I am sorry for failing in my duty and frightening Your Majesty!"

"No, he is not an assassin." Gao Changgong explained, and then said no more, "You all go back!"

"Yes!"

The guards were about to leave when they heard him say, "By the way, starting tomorrow, we must intensify our training and not slack off!"

"Yes!"

The guards answered loudly again and retreated.

Gao Changgong returned to the inner room, opened the brocade bag by candlelight, and took out a piece of very fine silk. On it, he saw the words written in extremely beautiful handwriting:

Honor, position and wealth are like temporary guests. They are not permanent, and they cannot be kept away. The rumbling ceases, the brilliant disappears, just like the spring flowers, which wither in a moment. I am not happy when I get them, and I am sad when I lose them. I regret and regret in many ways, and I am worried and trembling. I can't express it in words, and I don't need to do anything. I hope you take care of yourself! I will give you a pill, thank you very much!

After reading it, Gao Changgong's expression changed slightly, and he took out a round pill wrapped in a black shell from the brocade bag.

Gao Changgong's attendant was puzzled and asked, "Prince, what is this? And this letter..."

"The miracle doctor is worthy of her name. She can not only cure diseases, but also understand people's hearts. This letter is to warn me that fame and fortune in the world are just fleeting. Not only are they not worth pursuing, they may even bring about fatal disasters! This pill is given to me to save my life."

After Gao Changgong finished speaking, the chief doctor covered his mouth with his hands and laughed. After he finished laughing, he said, "Prince, do you believe this? Could it be that this miracle doctor can also observe the stars and predict fortunes like the secretary of the Sitiantai? Anyway, I don't believe it."

Unlike the joking expression of the attendant, Gao Changgong had a deep look in his eyes and muttered to himself: "It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. No one will care. What matters is that I believe it."

"Ah? Prince, do you really believe it?"

Gao Changgong stopped talking and smiled in an ambiguous way. He returned to the table and put the pills and silk back into the brocade bag. He thought to himself: Who is she? Should I send someone to follow her and investigate her identity?

After thinking again, he shook his head: No, this is not a gentleman's behavior. If we are destined to meet again in the future, we will surely meet again.