People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1507: The crown prince ascended the throne in front of the spirit, and Pei Yan became the regent minister.

Li Xuan was wearing a purple brocade robe, a jade hat on his head, and with his hands clasped at his waist, he followed the eunuchs and walked quickly towards the Zhenguan Hall.

He almost came directly from Sigongfang without even taking Tianjin Bridge.

The Xuanren Gate on the east side of the imperial palace, which was rarely opened, was opened directly, and Li Xuan rushed to the Chengtian Gate on horseback.

The Chengtian Gate opened a crack, and Li Xuan followed the eunuch into the palace and walked towards the right side of the Qianyang Palace.

Walking out of the shadow of Qianyang Palace, the Zhenguan Palace, where countless imperial guards were stationed, appeared before our eyes.

On the palace roads on both sides, more than a dozen imperial guards held torches in their hands, making the palace roads brightly lit.

However, the closer we got to the Zhenguan Hall, the fewer torches there were.

In the end, only the lanterns hanging on the eaves of the Zhenguan Hall were flickering with dim light.

Outside the Zhenguan Hall, Crown Prince Li Xian and Minister of the Central Secretariat Pei Yan knelt solemnly on the ground.

The sound of low quarrels could be heard faintly from inside the hall.

Li Xuan walked to the side of Li Xian and Pei Yan, and just as he was about to kneel down, the attendant in front of him whispered, "Your Highness, enter the palace!"

Li Xuan was stunned and glanced sideways at Li Xian and Pei Yan. Li Xian raised his head slightly and nodded with a worried look, but Pei Yan didn't even raise his head.

Li Xuan collected his thoughts and followed him into the Zhenguan Hall.

In the Zhenguan Hall, both sides were dark, except for two gold-thread candles as thick as children's arms burning on both sides of the imperial couch above. The bronze cranes and tortoises in front of the door were reflected in a gray and desolate manner.

"…If you just do it before and after, not only will it fail to detoxify, it will also easily cause the cold poison to break out." Imperial Physician Qin Heming growled angrily at Taoist Zhong.

"Okay, King Peng is here, let's go together, three of us." Imperial physician Zhang Wenzhong pulled Qin Heming.

The other people in the hall looked at Li Xuan who had just entered the hall.

Li Xuan also noticed everyone at the first moment. Qin Heming, Zhang Wenzhong, Li Qianzong, Du Wenyu, Zhong Daoren and others were all surrounding the emperor in front of the imperial bed to diagnose his illness.

Li Xuan couldn't see the emperor's appearance, but he knew that the emperor was terminally ill.

But what is strange is that even at this time, Wei Xuanzhen, Yin Wencao, Huineng, Shenxiu and other great Buddhist and Taoist masters are not here.

Li Xuan only glanced at them, and immediately bowed to Empress Wu who was standing on the side and said, "Your servant, Peng Wang Xuan, greets the Empress."

"Stand up." Empress Wu, wearing a purple skirt, nodded to Li Xuan with a pale face and said, "Your Majesty suddenly fainted at night. I summoned all the imperial doctors to treat Your Majesty, but they said they were short of manpower and insisted that Prince Peng come to treat Your Majesty. Come and see what's going on."

"Yes!" Li Xuan bowed solemnly. At the moment of bowing, Li Xuan's breathing stopped instantly.

At this moment, the sound in the hall couldn't help but become amplified.

In the shadows around the hall, there were not only a few guards, but also those servants and attendants who were not very skilled in martial arts.

They were all still in the darkness, holding up their pens to record everything in the hall.

……

Li Xuan walked forward with his head down. Qin Heming, Zhang Wenzhong and others had already made way for him.

No matter how much they said about the emperor's condition, it would not be as effective as Li Xuan reaching out and feeling his pulse.

Li Xuan was also an expert in medicine, especially when it came to the emperor's illness, he always had surprising methods to deal with it.

Over the years, the pills and herbs presented by Li Xuan have had miraculous effects on the emperor's body.

The emperor has been able to survive until today and can often handle state affairs with high energy and prevent the political situation from getting out of control. Li Xuan has made great contributions in this regard.

Standing in front of the bed, Li Xuan took a look at the emperor's expression.

The emperor's hair was disheveled and his face was slightly flushed, but not serious. His lips were pale and dry, his eyes were closed, and his breathing was intermittent.

There were three silver needles inserted in his forehead and chest respectively, and it was these three silver needles that kept the emperor alive.

Li Xuan frowned slightly. He knew very well what the Five Stones Powder looked like.

The emperor's current condition doesn't look like he has taken the Wu Shi San.

Li Xuan placed his hand on the emperor's pulse. As soon as he did so, a surge of cold air rushed directly into Li Xuan's body from the emperor's pulse.

Li Xuan frowned slightly, and his true Qi circulated, and the cold air was completely dissipated.

In just a moment, Li Xuan knew the true condition of the emperor's body.

For many years, whenever the emperor encountered health problems, he would take medicines similar to Wu Shi San to relieve physical pain.

Other people may not know about this, but the imperial doctors who serve the emperor all know about it.

No wonder the emperor did not allow Buddhist and Taoist experts to come here for medical treatment. You know, the Wu Shi San was abolished under the leadership of Sun Simiao.

Both Buddhism and Taoism support it, but now, the emperor himself is taking it secretly. What is this?

After taking Wu Shi San for many years, a large amount of coldness accumulated in the emperor's body, even to the point of being fatal.

It can even be said directly that if the emperor's death was caused by the wind, it was definitely not the wind, but the cold air accumulated by the Wu Shi San.

But it just so happens that Zhong Lu's life-extending pill is actually a disguised form of the Five Stones Powder.

Feeling the coldness in the emperor's body, like a thousand-year-old iceberg, Li Xuan raised his head with difficulty, looked at Zhang Wenzhong and Qin Heming, and said, "What do you mean?"

"Use silver needles to open the meridians on the chest and back at the same time to guide the cold air out of the body. At the same time, use needles on the head to prevent the wind disease from being triggered." Qin Heming stepped forward, looked at Li Xuan and Empress Wu and said, "It takes three people to act at the same time, Mr. Zhang, this humble official, and the prince. As for the others, they don't have enough power."

"Okay!" Li Xuan nodded, stood up, and bowed to Empress Wu, saying, "Empress, this will allow His Majesty to wake up first."

"Yes!" Empress Wu nodded calmly, as if everything was within her expectations.

"Let's get started." Li Xuan looked at Li Qianzong, Du Wenyu and Zhong Daoren and said, "If there is any mistake, the three of you can take action at any time."

"Yes!" Li Qianzong, Du Wenyu and Zhong Daoren bowed at the same time and then stepped back.

Empress Wu stood aside and breathed a sigh of relief. After Li Xuan arrived, everything began to become orderly.

……

The emperor sat cross-legged on the imperial couch, with Zhang Wenzhong sitting in front, Li Xuan sitting behind, and Qin Heming standing above. The three of them moved in perfect sync and simultaneously inserted a three-inch long silver needle into the emperor's body.

In an instant, the silver needle seemed to pierce into the ice cellar, and the next moment, a surge of cold air rushed directly in.

Li Xuan and Zhang Wenzhong were hit directly in the face by the cold air, and a layer of frost covered their faces.

Waves of cold air rushed out, but the two men's expressions remained unchanged.

Fortunately, after a moment, the cold air that came out of the silver needle quickly weakened and finally disappeared completely.

Li Xuan raised his head and looked over the emperor's shoulder at Zhang Wen Zhong.

There was no joy on Zhang Wenzhong's face, but instead a look of worry.

Li Xuan herself had the same expression.

"Okay, retreat!" After Qin Heming finished speaking, Li Xuan, Zhang Wenzhong, and Qin Heming pulled out the silver needles at the same time.

It was at this moment that the emperor let out a long breath.

Li Qianzong, Du Wenyu and Zhong Daoren hurried forward and carefully helped the emperor lie down.

Li Xuan, Zhang Wenzhong, and Qin Heming walked out of the tent and bowed earnestly to Empress Wu.

Zhang Wenzhong was the most senior, and the other two obviously had no intention of speaking, so he was the only one who could speak: "Reporting to the Queen, we have done our best. It is really difficult to save the situation, but Your Majesty still has three or two hours left."

Empress Wu nodded calmly and waved her hand, saying, "Stand aside."

Li Xuan and the other two bowed at the same time and stood aside.

"Mei Niang... Mei Niang..." The emperor's extremely weak voice was heard, and Li Qianzong, Du Wenyu and Zhong Daoren immediately stepped aside.

"Your Majesty, I'm here." Empress Wu quickly entered the tent and came to the emperor's side.

The extremely weak emperor forced himself to open his eyes, and when he saw Empress Wu, he smiled with relief.

Looking beyond the curtain, Li Zhi saw Li Qianzong, Du Wenyu, Zhong Daoren, Zhang Wenzhong, Qin Heming, and Li Xuan standing at the back.

The emperor took a deep breath and spoke as loudly as he could: "Pei Yan, Pei Yan."

The voice broke into the outside of the hall, and Pei Yan immediately walked quickly into the hall. Li Xian who was behind him was also called in by Wang Fulai.

"Last Will." The emperor looked up at Empress Wu.

The corner of Empress Wu's mouth twitched slightly, and she looked to the side and whispered, "Wan'er!"

"Yes!" Shangguan Wan'er, who was wearing a green skirt and had a childish face but looked very mature, walked out of the darkness, holding a rosewood box in her hand, and walked in front of Empress Wu.

Empress Wu gently opened the box, took out an imperial edict and handed it to the emperor.

The emperor shook his head slightly and looked at Pei Yan.

Empress Wu handed the imperial edict to the side, and Wang Fulai immediately stepped forward, took the edict, walked down quickly, and handed it to Pei Yan.

Pei Yan bowed his head solemnly, his face sad as he sobbed, "Your Majesty!"

Taking a deep breath, the emperor said, "Tonight, I am in poor health and I don't know if I can make it. If God has pity on me and gives me a few more months, I will be very grateful. But if something unfortunate happens, tomorrow you will read the edict. Prince Li Xian will take the throne in front of the spirit, Pei Yan will be the regent, and if there are any military and national affairs that are undecided, please consult the Empress Dowager for advice."

As soon as the emperor said this, the entire Zhenguan Hall suddenly became extremely quiet.

This was the first time that the emperor said in front of everyone the words "The prince will ascend the throne in front of the coffin."

At this moment, everyone had to face the fact that the emperor might really leave today.

In an instant, all the ministers in the palace knelt down at the same time: "Your Majesty!"

Li Zhi showed a bitter smile on his face, but then he calmed down and said calmly: "There is no immortal person in the world, Xian'er."

"Your son is here." Li Xian was already sobbing and choking as he called out, "Father."

"Don't cry." Li Zhi lay on the bed, looking up, and said seriously: "My kingdom will be entrusted to you in the future. Remember, be modest and prudent, avoid greed and anger, and you will succeed. I and your grandfather are watching you from heaven."

"Your son...your son obeys your command." Li Xian choked with sobs and kowtowed heavily.

The emperor took a deep breath and said tiredly, "Everyone, please go down. I want to talk to the queen."

"Yes!" Everyone then bowed and left the hall.

Not only Li Xuan, Pei Yan, Zhang Wenzhong, Li Xian and others, but also all the servants, the attendants, the left and right historians all withdrew.

……

Outside the Zhenguan Hall, everyone couldn't help but stop and look back into the hall.

Pei Yan held the imperial edict in his hand and stood beside Li Xian, looking at everyone else with extreme vigilance.

Li Xuan did not turn around to look at Pei Yan, but just stared straight into the hall with a heavy sadness on his face.

……

In the Zhenguan Hall, Empress Wu helped the emperor up and looked at him with a worried look: "Your Majesty, do you really want to take that medicine?"

"Mei Niang." The emperor opened his eyes weakly and said with a wry smile: "You have seen my condition. If I don't take the medicine, today will be my last day. If I take it, I may still have a chance of survival. Let's give it a try."

Empress Wu's eyes were full of worry. She sat beside the emperor, hesitant for a moment.

The emperor gently patted Empress Wu's hand and said softly, "Go get the medicine."

"Yes!" Empress Wu finally stood up, walked to the inside of the imperial bed, and directly opened the secret door.

There was only a locust wood box left in the entire secret compartment.

Empress Wu opened the box and immediately saw the celadon medicine bottle inside.

Looking back at the emperor, Empress Wu shuddered inexplicably.

(End of this chapter)