Practicing Medicine in the Tang Dynasty

"Just like I am the princess of the Tang Dynasty, and you are also the queen of the Tang Dynasty. The princess of the Tang Dynasty must not be wrong, and the queen of the Tang Dynasty must not be wrong, otherwise someone will do it for her."

Taiping poured out the words taught by Shen Hanshan in one breath.

"So, once Wu Yi pleads guilty, everyone will guess who he did the wrong for. At that time, whether it is your fault or not, everyone in the world will attribute the root of the fault to you. So Wu Yi You must not be guilty, otherwise you will be implicated in it."

As soon as the words fell, it was like a gust of gentle wind blowing through the autumn water, causing an imperceptible ripple in the eyes of Empress Wu who was used to seeing the wind and waves.

The turmoil at this moment quickly returned to a gentle smile: "I heard from your brother Hong last year that when you asked to go to Meizhou, you couldn't even recite the words taught to you. Now it seems that you have really improved a lot." Less."

Taiping blushed, and her fingers wrapped around her skirt: "This... This is also my daughter's idea. It is useless for a daughter to believe that her mother will not harm Brother Hong, but it is useless for her to believe in you, because you are not only my mother, She is also the mother of all peoples in the world.”

After listening to her words with a smile, Empress Wu nodded her nose with half relief and half melancholy: "This is more useful than what Shen Hanshan taught you earlier. It seems that you can't underestimate my little princess in the future."

"The imperial physician brother..."

Empress Wu gave a faint smile: "You are the most honorable princess in my court, and of course you can get what you want."

-

The Zhang residence also has visitors tonight.

The dishes are always plain and simple, and they are not extravagant because of the arrival of distinguished guests. Four meat and four vegetables are put together in a pleasing shape, and there is a light chrysanthemum chrysanthemum soup in the middle, which is the most healthy meal.

Even the wine is Xungufeng wine brewed by Zhang Qiren himself. The faint astringent taste melts into the clear aroma of the wine, and when it is poured into the cup, it makes people's throat itchy.

Zhang Wenguan took the wine glass and put it down again, heaving a long sigh: "In the past, General Li Ji liked to drink your jar of Xungufeng wine the most, but now the wine is still there, but the man is gone."

Zhang Qiren knew that he had a good relationship with Li Jisu. When Li Ji entered the court in the past, Zhang Wenguan hosted a banquet with two other courtiers. Li Ji gave the other two sabers and jade belts, but Zhang Wenguan did not give any gifts.

When Zhang Wenguan asked him why, Li Ji told him that he possessed both the perseverance and determination represented by the saber, and the self-denial and courtesy represented by the jade belt.

This matter quickly spread in Chang'an, and it became a good story for a while to give good words instead of beautiful things.

As expected, Zhang Wenguan was on the rise as Li Ji had expected. He ascended to the imperial court and became prime minister.

A glass of fine wine reflected the past, Zhang Wenguan looked at his old face in the glass, and couldn't help smiling wryly: "We are all old."

Zhang Qiren also focused his eyes and pondered for a long time, before he said a word of relief: "The public is only in the year of the ear, and the days to come are still very long."

"Mr. Zhang is a master in internal medicine. Don't you know how many years this old bone can live?" Zhang Wenguan said to himself, "We are all half-buried in coffins. Even if I die tomorrow, I will die." Nothing to be sorry about."

He hurt himself for a moment before mentioning the purpose of today's visit: "We are old, but His Royal Highness is only over [-] years old. Is it true that we are going to go ahead of us old bones?"

Zhang Qiren looked into his eyes, and nodded heavily: "Even if we try our best to use all the abilities of all the capable people in the Imperial Medical Office, it is enough to extend our life for five years at most."

Zhang Wenguan's palm trembled, and even the face in the wine shook suddenly for a moment, and after a while, he returned to calm.

"If it wasn't for your apprentice Xu Rong, who has a sharp eye and a careful heart, noticed something wrong in the medicine and informed me, we old people would still be kept in the dark! It's a pity that even if we take advantage of the situation to bring down Empress Wu, if the prince is gone , both sides will be ruined, and in the end it is just taking advantage of others."

He neither moved his chopsticks nor drank alcohol, but his lips and teeth had a bitter taste: "God will not bless the prince and make him suffer from an incurable disease. Do we really want us to abandon the prince and embrace King Pei?"

Decades of political experience told him that it was time to abandon the crown prince who was even more ill than his father, to support a new master and form a new party.

Only in this way can Li Tang's imperial power be consolidated so that it will not be touched by the foreign family.

But Li Hong is the child he watched growing up with his own eyes, and he has spent more than ten years pouring out his painstaking efforts. Energy, far better than his own children and grandchildren.

The relationship between them has already surpassed the relationship of power and position, and they have become friends, mentors and apprentices, and they can even say that he treats the prince as if he treats his own son.

It is obviously not a decision that can be made overnight for him to abandon Li Hong who is on the sick bed and support a young and healthy Li Xian.

And to bring down Empress Wu is indeed the most important thing right now, and having this important thing to resist in front of him can be considered as a temporary distraction from his troubled mind.

Empress Wu has requested to mobilize Wu Sansi and Wu Chengsi to return to Chang'an to inherit their father's title. I think they will be seen in the court next year. Once these foreign relatives take root in Chang'an, it will be even more difficult to get rid of Empress Wu. .

After a short time, his mind was already turning a thousand times, and looking at Zhang Qiren again, he also had a bitter smile on his face.

Zhang Wenguan's difficult decision was obviously a heavy burden for Zhang Qiren who had taken care of Li Hong for several years.

He was about to ask about Prince Pei's physical condition, when he heard footsteps outside the door like raindrops, like fallen leaves piercing a pool of still water, gently brushing his already chaotic mind.

He couldn't help frowning: "It's already the curfew time, why are there still people walking around outside the house?"

Zhang Qiren shook his head, expressing that he didn't know, and then said slowly: "Actually, we are not both hurt."

Zhang Wenguan's eyes lit up with hope: "Does His Royal Highness still have medicine to cure?"

"No." Zhang Qiren shook his head again, the smile on his face cooled down, "I mean, Empress Wu won't fall."

Zhang Wenguan was startled: "Mr. Zhang means..."

Zhang Qiren still raised his eyes to look at him, and the other party's slightly shocked expression was reflected in his eyes: "Although she has lost her left and right arms, she still has the last chess piece in her hand."

The sound of footsteps gradually approaching, as if the gentle wind and drizzle suddenly changed into a violent storm, the sound of approaching step by step knocked into Zhang Wenguan's ears like a drum beating, even though he was old and deaf, he could tell that this was not the running of ordinary people.

After a brief scream, the door of Zhang's mansion was kicked open, the young man in charge looked frosty, and the cold moonlight was reflected in his eyes.

"Little General Pei broke into Zhang's mansion at night, what exactly did he intend to do?!"

Before Zhang Wenguan finished speaking, Pei Yuan raised his right hand and exhibited an imperial edict.

"Following the Empress Dowager's order, the imperial physician Zhang Qiren plotted to poison the crown prince. His intentions are to be punished! Now according to his order, search Zhang's mansion, and if anyone resists, he will be killed on the spot!"

Zhang Wenguan slapped the case violently, like a thunderclap: "This minister of Dali Temple is here, who would dare to make a mistake?"

Pei Yuan raised his eyebrows, like a knife about to be unsheathed: "Don't Mr. Zhang want to know who murdered His Highness the Crown Prince?"

This sentence obviously has no deep meaning.

Zhang Wenguan turned his head in disbelief, but saw Zhang Qiren standing up leisurely from the table, his face was like a pool of stagnant water, as if the two guests tonight were not unusual at all.

"Since it is the Queen's order, General Pei should search carefully."

-

Pei Yuan was always clean and quick in his work, and after a whole night, he had already thoroughly checked Zhang's residence.

In front of the two Zhang Gongs was a well-sealed porcelain vase.

Zhang Wenguan's heart, which was still hanging in his throat, suddenly relaxed: "Isn't this the scab left by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who was inoculated during the trip to Meizhou that day?"

Pei Yuan smiled coldly, and looked at Zhang Qiren: "His Royal Highness's disease of passing corpses, did you get it after the trip to Meizhou?"

Zhang Qiren stood with his hands behind his back, his face full of sincerity: "That's true. When the crown prince had acne that day, the two imperial physicians, Shen and Li, also checked his pulse, and they didn't find any symptoms of passing corpses."

The words of the two, like a sharp sword, cut off the messy thoughts in Zhang Wenguan's mind and opened up the matter.

"Little General Pei means that it was Zhang Gong who tampered with the vaccinated pox that day, which made the crown prince suffer from the deadly disease?"

Pei Yuan nodded: "In order to protect the safety of His Royal Highness, Zhang Qiren took care of everything by himself. If he wanted to mix something else into the acne cream, wouldn't it be easy?"

Zhang Wenguan's heart turned cold, and he looked at Zhang Qiren blankly, as if he couldn't believe that his old friend of decades was actually the last pawn in the hands of Empress Wu as he said.

"Thinking about it more carefully, you can hide it for nearly a year by tampering with the medicinal soup. Unless Zhang Qiren himself intends to do it, who else can do it?"

Pei Yuan played with the porcelain bottle he found in his hands, as if it was not a small container, but a sharp awl, which could immediately break Zhang Wenguan's frozen expression.

"Mr. Zhang, I know that you and Zhang Qiren are old friends. Right now, Dali Temple is interrogating Wu Yi. When he explains clearly, the matter will come to light."

Looking at Zhang Qiren's calm face, he continued: "As for this bottle of acne scab, Empress Wu ordered to plant it on the bodies of several death row prisoners. It was he, Zhang Qiren, who made the prince suffer from an incurable disease."

As soon as these words came out, Zhang Wenguan already knew that there was no room for change.

Zhang Qiren is not only a chess piece of Empress Wu, but also an abandoned piece that can be discarded at any time. Once the poisoning of Li Hong is exposed, this abandoned piece will take the initiative to detonate himself and bear all the responsibilities.

He couldn't help but look deeply at the old doctor who had gained his deep trust, as if asking with his eyes: Why?