The last conscience of the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 142 Who Lost Who?

Liang Xin looked at the draft of the edict and couldn't help but sigh.

Cao Tan: "Husband?"

Liang Xin looked at Cao Tan: "Did the throne delay him, or did he lose the throne?"

Cao Tan said, "You have been reading this edict, but I am thinking that the Empress is in charge of military and state affairs, and this document is just a draft. Why can't it be understood that he is just using this to win the Empress' praise. If it is true , the weather is turning cold at this time, and there are many lonely and helpless people in Bianjing City, did he even mention it?"

When Cao Tan asked, Liang Xin was speechless.

Cao Tan continued: "You said he is the god of hundreds of arts, I believe it. But these are all for fun, which one is serious?"

Liang Xin: "What is serious business?"

Cao Tan pointed at himself: "Before I got married, I was the daughter of the Cao family. I want to protect the stability of the Cao family and do my best. At this time, what I want to protect is the stability of the Liang family. As the Liang Mansion Madam, I want to take care of the livelihood of thousands of people, whether the farms, shops, and servants are living well, and whether they care about the Liang family."

That's right.

Cao Tan is right.

Given her status, what she said was serious business.

Cao Tan: "Take the Tao Inkstone as an example. If it was not for my husband, and it was named Tao Inkstone, but it was actually used to build roads for the Western Army and the capitals of the western states to increase trade, then just this Tao Inkstone, my husband would know , how many people’s bones can’t even be found buried, he only cares about whether there are stones delivered to him.”

Liang Xin asked: "So, what do you mean?"

Cao Tan picked up the tea cup: "Since the price of coal will not increase, we are such good people and our good reputation will be lost. I would like to see if the rumors in Bianjing City can be spread to the palace? My husband may be worried about Taoyuan Pavilion, so he It depends on whether Yu Xuan sincerely surrenders to you? Or if he is fake, he will be buried in a mass grave outside the city."

Liang Xin picked up the teacup and thought for a moment: "Then, it's what the lady said."

"Very good." Cao Tan.

After saying this, Cao Tan took out a few pieces of paper.

Liang Xin recognized that this was the list of medicinal materials that Zhao Ji had given to her, asking her to quietly prepare them.He handed it over to Xu Shizhen, and it was no surprise that it was now in the hands of Cao Tan.

Cao Tan said: "There are several medicinal materials on it, all of which are toxic. Shizhen calculated all the prescriptions that 'he' might use. The dosage of these toxic medicinal materials is a bit too large, especially the raw white aconite. Use with caution. So it’s hard not to make people think about irrelevant things and make people suspicious.”

Liang Xin didn't know much about medicinal materials, so she took the list and looked through it.

Cao Tan felt that Liang Xin didn't understand, so he simply said more straightforwardly: "Husband, it has been nine years since I opened the treasure."

Nine years since Kaibao?
Liang Xin doesn't quite understand.

Cao Tan said it directly: "There are rumors: the sound of an ax and the shadow of a candle. But my Cao family's secret records record that the founder of the Song Dynasty died of poisoning. I asked Shizhen, and she told me that there is a kind of poison that is colorless and odorless. It tastes like almonds, which is consistent with the poison used in the records.”

When she heard the words "sound of ax and shadow of candle", Liang Xin lost her grip on the tea cup and fell to the ground.

That's right, it's nine years since Kaibao was born.

Cao Tan's tone was extremely calm: "At that time, the imperial doctor should have been present, but no one was there. The living officer did not record a single word. Meng Chang, the leader of the Later Shu Kingdom, Li Yu, the leader of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and Qian Chu, the leader of the Wuyue Kingdom, these three people How did he die? My husband may not know, but my Cao family knows that they all died of poisoning."

"Who used the poison to kill these three people? Our Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty."

Liang Xin asked: "Isn't it the legendary one, with an axe?" Cao Tan replied very definitely: "It's poison. There is a secret book in my Cao family ancestral hall that records everything that my great-grandfather saw at that time. The funeral was hastily organized. As a younger brother, But he immediately ascended the throne regardless of everything, what about the prince?"

Liang Xin knew: "Zhao Dezhao was 26 years old at the time, Defang."

Cao Tan mentioned two key figures at the time, one named Wang Jien and the other Cheng Deyuan.

Liang Xin had heard of these two people. The former was a eunuch and the latter was an imperial doctor.

Cao Tan: "Empress Song immediately asked the palace to send someone to inform the King of Qin, but the people in the palace were stopped. Wang Jien went to see the King of Jin (Zhao Guangyi). Cheng Deyuan was just a medical officer. Why did he become the prime minister? The Zhao family , from this time on, I have an inexplicable distrust of my clan members. My husband should be able to hear all about the injustice case during the Shenzong reign from Bai E."

Cao Tan: "After the Battle of Gaoliang River, some people wanted to support King Qin to ascend the throne. My Cao family and Pan family hid. That year, the ordinary Wu Xun family shed blood."

"The King of Qin died, and one after another died from grief and illness."

Liang Xin: "A good one, but he died of illness due to worry and palpitations."

Cao Tan said: "Intrauterine medication is very strict. Many medicinal materials that are inherently toxic will often be replaced with other prescriptions. It is really irreplaceable. The imperial doctor also has a strict set of storage procedures. It makes people have to Worry."

Liang Xin shook her head: "Motive, everything must have a motive. Madam, you think too much."

Cao Tan didn't think so: "In the past hundred years, has there ever been peace within this palace wall? This is an ominous place, whether it is people, within the palace walls, or the throne."

Historically speaking, there was indeed a lot of trouble and trouble in the palace of the Northern Song Dynasty, and in Cao Tan's understanding, it was ominous.For example, Rensong had no descendants, Yingzong died strangely, Zhezong died at the age of only 24, etc.

Liang Xin suddenly asked: "How much do you know about black tin (lead)?"

Why is this so important? Cao Tan thought for a while and then replied: "Well, I know a little bit. If you mix it into copper, it will become a copperware."

Liang Xin said: "I was in the palace and no one stopped me. I saw many things. For example, some palace maids mixed black tin powder with rouge and applied it on their faces to make them look white and rosy. But there are dangers How big is it? After using it for a long time, it will weaken the five powers of heaven and man. What’s even more terrifying is that I have read some information in the Zhaowen Museum."

Cao Tan asked: "What information?"

Liang Xin replied: "During Renzong's time, in order to make the wooden pillars more beautiful and more red, craftsmen mixed cinnabar into the red paint. Some cinnabar can extract mercury, which is highly toxic."

Cao Tan exclaimed.

She had heard that when there was a fire in the palace, Zhenzong overhauled the palace, but it took seven years to complete it.Renzong succeeded to the throne and moved into the new palace. Renzong was 13 years old that year.

After that, a few years later, there was another fire, and it was rebuilt again.

Next, neither of Renzong's two empresses could conceive children. All of Zhang Guifei's daughters died in infancy. It was also difficult for other concubines to conceive. Even if they did become pregnant, they would either have miscarriages or die in infancy.

There were all kinds of bad rumors at the time.

Hearing what Liang Xin said at this time, Cao Tan understood that it must be related to the two major renovations of the palace in a row, and the materials used to build the palace.

Think deeper.

Zhenzong's brother went crazy for no apparent reason, and Zhenzong also died soon after because of the incoherent speech of the important officials in the court. Zhenzong's sons, except Renzong, all died young.

(End of this chapter)