Yan Wan is reborn as a legitimate wife: Curing Ruyi's Douyi syndrome

Hongli announced at the morning court that he would send a member of the royal family to inspect the levee in person.

The ministers looked at each other, and then started arguing.

This is a great opportunity to gild yourself! Inspecting the dam, at most you just walk along the river, there's no need to go down to inspect it. Just go once, and when you come back, it will be a great achievement!

He had a huge quarrel with Prince Hongzhou, Prince Shen's party (the Empress Dowager's brother-in-law), Prince Guo's party (the Empress Dowager's own son), etc. Hongzhou and Hongli grew up together in the Old Summer Palace, and their relationship was extraordinary among the royal family, but Hongzhou was lazy and didn't want to go.

However, the ministers who supported Hong Zhou were arguing over it, and Hong Zhou did not want to let their kindness go to waste, so he did not object.

Naqin, the leader of Prince Guo's party, was engaged in a debate with many scholars. Prince Guo was already sixteen years old this year and could already attend the court. As long as he went to inspect the river, wouldn't it be legitimate for him to come back and participate in politics?

As long as Prince Guo participates in politics, the Queen Mother and her party will definitely reach a higher level!

The more Naqin thought about it, the more beautiful it became, and the more fierce the argument became. He even tried to get Gao Bin's party to support Prince Guo in inspecting the river. After all, Gao Bin's party were all from the river, so their words would be more effective.

However, at Gao Bin's instruction, Gao Bin and his party turned a deaf ear to what was happening outside and ignored any olive branches offered by anyone.

Hongli asked Gao Bin who he supported in inspecting the river. Gao Bin humbly said, "Inspecting the river is a priority. I will obey the emperor's order."

Hongli was confused. What was Gao Bin up to?

In the end, because of the endless debate, Hongli dismissed the court.

Cining Palace

The Queen Mother was very surprised when she received the news. She asked, "What did you say? The Emperor wants to send one of the royal family to inspect the river?"

Fujia: "Yes, Queen Mother, I sent a message asking for our help to make Prince Guo the imperial envoy."

The Queen Mother frowned and said, "But Hongzhan is only sixteen. Although inspecting the river is an easy job, he still needs to walk along the river. I am afraid Hongzhan can't handle it."

Fujia supported the Queen Mother and said, "Lord Naqin said that he would arrange for someone familiar with the river to accompany Prince Guo and ensure that nothing happens to Prince Guo."

The Queen Mother: "Is that what my dear brother said?"

Fu Jia: "Yes, Queen Mother, as long as Prince Guo pretends to do something and gets some credit, that's all that's needed."

The Queen Mother thought about it and thought that if she only needed to walk around the river and pretend, she could gain some merit and participate in politics. With Prince Guo in the front court, she would not have to be so timid in the harem. Thinking of this, the Queen Mother agreed.

However, this matter was so popular that Prince Shen also came to ask the Queen Mother for help, and the Prince Party was also arguing with the former court.

The Empress Dowager could no longer sit still. Not only did she reward Gao Bin generously, she also invited Hongli to the Cining Palace for dinner to discuss the matter while openly forming a clique for personal gain.

No matter how reluctant others are, it is useless. After all, not everyone's biological mother is the empress dowager.

Prince Guo shouldered the heavy responsibility and went down to the river to inspect.

The river is Gao Bin’s base camp. Prince Guo’s inspection of the river this time is like a sheep walking into a tiger’s mouth.

as expected

When Prince Guo was on his way back, he passed by Kaifeng. He ignored the advice of the attendant minister Hu Bian and went down the river on his own and was swept away by the rapids. The attendant minister Hu Bian hurriedly informed the minister Gao Heng (Xiao Gao's younger brother) who was guarding the dike.

Gao Heng was experienced and sent several sailors who were good at swimming to wait in a narrow area of ​​the water downstream and rescued Prince Guo. However, Prince Guo had been in the water for too long and was breathing more than in when he was rescued.

He could only rest where he was and could not return to Beijing until Prince Guo recovered from his injury. Gao Heng quietly put Shanghan San (a very cold poison) in the tea on the table.

Gao Heng stayed on the pretext that the prince was seriously injured and he needed to personally watch Prince Guo recover. It was not until he saw Prince Guo regain consciousness and drink several gulps of tea until he had finished it that he looked even more satisfied.

The other people present were completely unaware that there was nothing wrong with only a few sips of water in the teapot. After seeing that the teapot was not producing water, Gao Heng asked someone to bring in another pot of water. The teapot was replaced, cleaned by Gao Heng's personal servant, and then filled with tea and put back in its original place.

Prince Guo, the only one who could notice the water's strange taste, was groggy and still not fully awake. Everyone stared at him anxiously, not caring about anything else.

The imperial physician who accompanied Prince Guo on his southern tour was the Empress Dowager's confidant, Imperial Physician Wei. However, before Prince Guo fell into the water, Imperial Physician Wei was left in Zhengzhou by Prince Guo to treat local officials.

Even if Doctor Wei rushed over at full speed, it would take until tomorrow. The doctor treating Prince Guo now was a famous local doctor. Although the doctor was experienced in rescuing drowning people, he could not diagnose other cases.

By the time Doctor Wei arrived, it was too late to treat the patient; the Shanghan Powder had already taken effect.

Imperial Physician Wei could only diagnose: "Prince Guo was in the water for too long, causing cold to enter his body and damage his heart and kidneys. I'm afraid he's going to get sick."

Everyone was shocked. If anything happened to Prince Guo, none of them would be able to escape!

Cining Palace

The Empress Dowager was all smiles. During Prince Guo's southern tour, he personally went down to the river to inspect the situation and also sent imperial physicians to treat officials passing through the states. He received widespread praise for his love for the people and his consideration for his subordinates.

The opposition of court ministers to Prince Guo became less and less, and some officials even suggested that Prince Guo should go to court to participate in government affairs after returning from his southern tour.

Little Yunzi crawled in, shouting, "Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, something bad has happened! An urgent letter has been sent from Kaifeng: Prince Guo strayed into the river and fell into the rapids. His life or death is unknown!"

The Queen Mother snatched the letter and read it word for word. She almost collapsed and was helped by Fu Jia to sit down slowly. Suddenly she realized what was happening and shouted, "Hong Zhou, Hong Zhou! I want to see the Emperor!"

Yangxindian

Hongli was also anxious. He even regretted cooperating with Gao Bin to push Prince Guo to go on the inspection tour. If Prince Guo returned safely, then wouldn't it be legitimate for Prince Guo, whom he had suppressed for so long, to participate in politics?

Wang Qin: "Your Majesty! Something bad has happened to Your Majesty!"

Wang Qin: "Urgent letter from Kaifeng: Prince Guo secretly crossed the river and fell into the rapids. His life or death is unknown!"

Hongli: "What?!"

Hongli took the letter, read it quickly, and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Gao Bin had succeeded.

Hongli heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Wang Qin, go summon Gao Bin, Naqin, and Zhang Tingyu... to the palace."

Wang Qin: “Yes”

Hongli frowned. Fucha Ma Qi had fallen seriously ill some time ago. Jingqin had asked him for a royal physician, otherwise it might have been better to call Ma Qi.

Hongli was waiting for the ministers to enter the palace when Li Yu reported: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has arrived."

Hongli: "Let the Empress come in."

The Queen Mother was helped in by Fu Jia, and she said with tears in her eyes: "Your Majesty, Hong Zhou..."

Hongli comforted her, "Don't worry, Empress Dowager. I've allowed my relatives to enter the palace, and the imperial physician has already left. Once Hongzhou recovers, he will return to the capital immediately. There's no need for him to make further inspections."

The empress dowager was helped to sit on the couch. She nodded when she heard Hongli's words and waited anxiously for the court officials to enter the palace.

(Some readers might ask, how could the Empress Dowager be here when Hongli was meeting with the court officials? In the drama, when Zhang Tingyu suspected the cause of Yixiu's death, the Empress Dowager and Ruyi did not avoid him and explained to Zhang Tingyu face to face. The rule that the harem should not interfere in politics seems to be only aimed at Yu Yanwan's party.)

After Gao Bin and others arrived, they began to discuss the suspicious points about Prince Guo falling into the water.

Naqin: "Before Prince Guo set out, I specially arranged for a minister named Hu Bian to accompany him. Hu Bian is a flood control expert and would never allow Prince Guo to put himself in danger."

Zhang Tingyu: "The letter said that it was Prince Guo who went down to the river without permission, which caused the disaster."

Naqin: "Impossible, Prince Guo is not a three-year-old child, how could he go to the river secretly regardless of the danger?"

……

Naqin argued with the scholars and was determined to conclude that this matter was a frame-up. After all, if Prince Guo was really injured because of his own playfulness, it would not only damage Prince Guo's reputation, but he, who had tried hard to get Prince Guo to inspect, would also be hated by the Queen Mother.

Others may not know how narrow-minded the Empress Dowager is, but doesn't her own brother know it?

While the ministers were arguing, another letter arrived.

Hongli opened it and handed it to the empress dowager with surprise. The empress dowager fainted after reading it.

The ministers also came over to take a look.

"Prince Guo has woken up. The accompanying Imperial Physician, Wei Taiyi, diagnosed him as drowning for too long, causing a cold to enter his body. He will have difficulty having children in the future..."

I will investigate the reason why Prince Guo fell into the water..."

The letter detailed the entire process of Prince Guo falling into the water, and explained everything clearly. Prince Guo said that he fell into the water accidentally because he was in a good mood.

Hongli had no choice but to ask Prince Guo to come to Beijing immediately after he recovered from his illness. At Prince Guo's strong request, he sent two ministers from the Ministry of Justice to investigate.

After Prince Guo returned to Beijing, he was carried to Prince Guo's Mansion for treatment. The Empress Dowager was worried, so Hongli specially ordered the Empress Dowager to visit Prince Guo's Mansion.

(Family members, please don’t delve into this. Historically, the Empress Dowager was basically not allowed to leave the palace. Hongli agreed because he wanted the Empress Dowager to go see Prince Guo in person and ask him for the answer.)

Prince Guo's Mansion

The Queen Mother watched Wei Lin perform acupuncture with a nervous look on her face. After Prince Guo fell asleep, the Queen Mother asked Wei Lin, "Doctor Wei, are you sure you can cure Hongzhou's cold?"

Wei Lin shook his head helplessly and said, "Empress Dowager, the prince has been in the water for too long, and the cold energy has accumulated too deep. We can only take it slowly."

The Queen Mother didn't want to believe it, and thought of Gao Xiyue again, and asked: "The Imperial Concubine also has a cold, she can also cure it."

Wei Lin: "The Imperial Concubine's cold was acquired from her mother's womb. She has been treated for over twenty years but has seen no improvement. The Empress Dowager knows how difficult colds are to treat."

The Queen Mother opened her mouth but didn't say anything: Gao Xiyue could be cured, but she asked Qi Ru to give her strong medicine again.

The Queen Mother was not without suspicion of Gao Bin, but she felt that it was unlikely. Gao Bin had originally intended to appoint the Prince of He for the Southern Tour, and had even told her that this matter required a steady person. It was only when she threatened Gao Xiyue that Gao Bin agreed to take care of Hongzhou on the Southern Tour.

This time when Hongzhou fell into the water, she asked him carefully, and Hongzhou insisted that it was his own carelessness. She suspected the local officials who accompanied him, but Hongzhou said that after he fell into the water, it was the officials who risked their lives to save him and held him up so that he would not drown.

The whole thing seemed to be a huge coincidence. Gao Bin also asked Gao Heng to take care of Hongzhou. After Hongzhou fell into the water, it was Gao Heng who arrived in time to rescue Hongzhou.

The Empress Dowager's mind was in a mess, so she could only put these things aside and concentrate on taking care of Prince Guo.

Yangxindian

Hongli looked at Gao Bin with a playful expression and asked, "Do you have any opinion on the matter of Prince Guo falling into the water?"

Hongli: How did you do that?

Gao Bin shook his head: "Prince Guo is young and does not know the seriousness of the matter. He must be extremely cautious when inspecting the river."

Gao Bin: He is young, naive and easy to deceive.

Hongli and Gao Bin had a cordial and friendly conversation.

Not only was Prince Guo, Hongli's biggest enemy, completely eliminated, but he also had Gao Bin's fatal weakness in his hands. He was in a very happy mood and no longer rejected Gao Bin as before.

After all, Gao Bin framed Prince Guo and gave him a big handle, and Gao Bin loved his daughter dearly, and his beloved daughter was also in his palace, so what was he afraid of?

Gao Bin also left with satisfaction. He had his own plans. This time he avenged his daughter and gained the trust of the emperor. It was a sure win. As for worrying that the emperor would use this to expose him?

It's impossible. If the emperor hadn't made it so easy for him, it wouldn't have been so easy for him to do so. If the incident of Prince Guo was pinned on him, the emperor would also be accused of excluding dissidents. The one who benefited the most from this incident was the emperor, not Gao Bin.

Why would I, Gao Bin, harm Prince Guo for no reason? It must have been the Emperor's orders. I'm a loyal minister, acting with the Emperor's best interests at heart.

With the joint efforts of Hongli and Gao Bin, the case could only be concluded as Prince Guo accidentally falling into the water.

No matter how hard the Empress Dowager investigated, she could not find any clues, but the Empress Dowager was not the type to settle matters peacefully. As long as she calmed down and thought about it, she would know that Hongli was the biggest beneficiary.

As for Gao Bin? In the eyes of the Queen Mother, Gao Bin had no reason to attack Prince Guo, and it was completely unexpected that he was the one who did it.

But what could the Queen Mother do? Hongzhou had already been deposed, and she still had Lingxi, who was still unmarried. She couldn't afford to offend the Emperor, so she could only take her time.

Suddenly, the Queen Mother thought of someone - Ruyi. The Queen Mother believed that Ruyi had the ability to harm the Emperor.