Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 526 Li Zhi Di Renjie

Sun Simiao's medical skills are unquestionable. Throughout history, how many people can be called the King of Medicine?
But his greatest strength is not his medical skills, but his medical ethics.

Throughout his life, Sun Simiao practiced medicine, treating everyone equally, regardless of their wealth, age, or whether they were enemies or friends. He responded to requests and went all out to save people, regardless of weather, weather, hunger, thirst, or fatigue. In this cannibalistic feudal society, he regarded human life as the most precious thing, often saying, "Human life is the most precious thing, and is worth a thousand gold coins."

As Sun Simiao's apprentice, Liu Shenwei was deeply influenced by his master and regarded curing diseases and saving lives as his own responsibility.

In his mind, practicing medicine is a very noble profession, but now some people are taking advantage of this noble profession and their medical skills to harm others. He cannot tolerate this behavior.

Liu Shenwei looked at the great Tang emperor who was high above him and added: "I am willing to guarantee with my life and reputation that everything I said is true."

At this time, Li Zhi was still able to laugh out loud, a very light laugh, and said softly: "Of course I trust you, my dear Liu, otherwise I would not have handed this matter over to you to handle. You have worked hard, my dear, you can go down and have a good rest, I will take care of the things here..."

Liu Shenwei bowed and left.

Li Zhi looked at Ming Chongyan calmly, without asking or saying anything, just looking at him...

Ming Chongyan felt an inexplicable fear and his body couldn't help but tremble slightly.

The calmer Li Zhi was, the more suppressed his anger became.

Recently, under Empress Wu's various hints, Li Hong's health has indeed deteriorated. Li Zhi is also worried that his son will go to see the ancestors of Li Tang at the same time as himself, and then leave a mess that cannot be cleaned up. Such a glorious and prosperous era was destroyed in his hands, and he would not be able to face his ancestors in his grave.

However, he had spent a lot of effort on Li Hong, and the crown prince could not be replaced at will, especially now that the court was facing the most powerful enemy since the founding of the country. Changing the crown prince at this time would cause serious turmoil in the court.

Li Zhi had no confidence in his own body. Although Li Xian was intelligent, he was too young and could be easily manipulated. If he established Li Xian now, he was worried that he would not have time to train an administrative team loyal to him.

If I force my own set of skills on him, it will only result in a situation where the minister is strong and the master is weak.

Let’s not talk about anything else, let’s just take Chen Qingsi as an example.

I have been very kind to Chen Qingsi, promoting him from a humble background to the present day. No matter how great his achievements are, I am confident that I can control him. But if it were Li Xian, facing a meritorious official like Chen Qingsi who had made great military and political achievements, what could he do to convince him?
Therefore, Li Zhi did not dare to act rashly.

However, Li Hong had to face his physical condition again and could not escape.

Li Zhi was also thinking about countermeasures and how to solve the difficulties he was facing.

At this time, Li Zhi already had the intention to depose the emperor, but he kept it secret and no one knew about it.

But at this moment, when Li Zhi was thinking about deposing the emperor, he keenly noticed that Li Hong's condition was worsening, causing the other party's health to suddenly deteriorate.

Li Zhi had a keen political sense and immediately became suspicious. He quietly recalled Liu Shenwei, wanting to see whether Li Hong's worsening condition was an accident or man-made.

As a result, Ming Chongyan was really caught.

"I remember that you are in this situation today because you treated me and the Crown Prince. If you can do something to the Crown Prince today, can you do something to me tomorrow?"

Ming Chongyan was introduced by Wu Minzhi to treat Li Hong, and was then introduced to him by Empress Wu.

Ming Chongyan's acupuncture skills are indeed superb. After receiving acupuncture from him, the whole person really feels refreshed and clear.

Li Zhi also summoned Ming Chongyan to give him acupuncture many times, and he still feels scared when he thinks about it now.

As an emperor, Li Zhi lived in the deep palace and rarely encountered danger, and he never thought that he would be threatened. However, Ming Chongyan had the means to put people to death without knowing it, which made Li Zhi feel terrified.

When Ming Chongyan heard this, he was so frightened that he uttered incoherently: "Your Majesty, I dare not. I absolutely dare not be disrespectful to Your Majesty or cause any harm..."

Li Zhi whispered, "You dare to do that to the prince?"

Ming Chongyan kowtowed like crazy: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I don't have any..."

Li Zhi continued, "Even if you don't tell me, I know who it is. You plotted to murder the crown prince, and I should have killed you directly. Now I'm giving you a chance to live. I want to know who instigated the queen to do this? If you help me find out, I can give you a lighter sentence."

This matter was shocking to make public. If it had happened at an ordinary time, given Li Zhi's character, Xu Jingzong would have raised his butcher knife long ago.

But now he didn't want to make a big deal out of it. The Tang Dynasty was fighting a fierce battle with the Arab Empire in the Western Regions, and it needed the support of the whole country to defeat this unprecedented enemy.

If this incident breaks out, the entire temple will be shaken and the world will pay attention to it.

Everyone in the government is in danger, and it will also affect the war on the front line.

Li Zhi didn't understand military affairs, but he had a sense of the overall situation.

You must know that the current situation in the Western Regions is not a problem that can be solved by one general. A person's talent and ability will be limited to the minimum in a confrontation of this level.

The two countries compete in national strength, political stability, foundation and ability to withstand pressure.

The temple must not be in chaos at this time...

There must be someone behind Empress Wu, otherwise it would be impossible for that bunch of useless people in the Wu family to accomplish this under her nose.

Li Zhi was very confident about this. When he decided to reuse Empress Wu, he had suppressed all the capable people in the Wu family. This directly led to Empress Wu having to adopt Helan Minzhi from the Helan family to support the Wu family.

Li Zhi knew about Wu Minzhi's abilities, but he was just a facade and would never amount to anything great, so he just left him alone.

The Wu family does not have the ability to accomplish these things, there must be someone helping her.

Ming Chongyan was sweating profusely.

The conversation between the two people is totally irrelevant.

But Li Zhi didn't listen to any of Ming Chongyan's explanations and just kept talking to himself.

"I'm just asking you once, will you help me?"

Li Zhi's tone was still very light, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry.

But the pressure on Ming Chongyan was so great that he knelt on the ground and said, "I am willing."

Li Zhi simply said one word: "Okay!"
-
Dali Temple.

Zhang Jianzhi and Di Renjie sat on the left and right respectively, and Su Wuming reported the case to them.

"Now everything is clear. Empress Wu colluded with foreign officials and won over Li Chongde, Wan Guojun, Andepeng and others. Li Chongde killed his brother in the past, and the old case was re-examined. In order to prevent the news from leaking out, Wan Guojun was specially sent to kill him. Because the prince was not close to him, he intended to establish the obedient King of Pei. However, the prince was kind and won the emperor's heart, so he secretly bribed Cui Zhe, the secretary of Taicang Office, to put poisonous insects in the fish food eaten by the prince."

"Cui Zhu was touched by the prince's kindness and felt guilty, so he did not want to be associated with him. An Depeng ordered someone to kill him, pretending to be drunk..."

"It's just..." Su Wuming's voice was trembling when he reported the case.

I thought it was a major case that would make me famous in history, and it was related to the life and death of a minister.

As the investigation went on, it turned out that the case was almost ruined.

The Queen was involved, the Crown Prince was persecuted by his biological mother, and was also involved in the dethronement...

Su Wuming looked at Zhang Jianzhi and Di Renjie who were sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai, and muttered in his heart: Where do you get the courage from?

The person who took over this case, the highest-ranking one was Zhang Jianzhi...

Su Wuming once suggested that the matter be reported.

But Zhang Jianzhi rejected it. The current situation should not be reported. On the one hand, it was because of the war in the Western Regions. If it was reported at this time, it would definitely cause an uproar, and then it would be reported to higher levels, and then it would no longer be a secret. On the other hand, it was naturally because Li Yifu was hiding in the dark at the moment, just like a mouse in a deep ditch. If he was startled, it would be difficult to catch him.

Therefore, this kind of shocking case is actually in the hands of these grassroots officials.

Su Wuming calmed down and said, "It's just that Li Chongde is dead. Whether it's Wan Guojun, Andepeng, or even the dead Cui Zha, they are not the main characters. There must be someone who connects them together."

He paused and said, "You can try to check with Li Yifu's former subordinates..."

Zhang Jianzhi and Di Renjie smiled at each other. Su Wuming also investigated Li Yifu, but he did not expect that Li Yifu had faked his death, so he focused his suspicion on Li Yifu's former subordinates.

Zhang Jianzhi said: "You should sort out the details of all the cases. This matter can no longer be delayed. We must report it to our superiors..."

Hearing that Zhang Jianzhi also planned to report it, Su Wuming breathed a sigh of relief and went down.

Zhang Jianzhi looked at Di Renjie and said, "This matter cannot be delayed. It has already affected the safety of the crown prince. If we delay any further, even if we find out everything, you and I cannot bear the responsibility."

Zhang Jianzhi always wanted to find Li Yifu and overthrow the ambitious Empress Wu.

Therefore, he took charge of the cases of Li Chongde and Wan Guojun and did not report them in time.

Later, the Cui Zhao drowning case occurred.

Cui Zhe's drowning case was a perfectly arranged case...

As a son-in-law, Cui Zhu was superior to his wife at home, and the servants in the house also looked down on him and mocked him.

It was common knowledge that Cui Zhu was not happy in the Jing family...

Instigated by someone with ulterior motives, Cui Zhao got upset at home and had a big quarrel with his wife. He then complained to his friends, got drunk on the Qujiang River to vent his anger, and then fell into the water.

This matter caused a sensation in Chang'an...

At first, Zhang Jianzhi and Di Renjie did not know that Cui Zhe was related to Li Yifu, but Chen Qingsi had noticed him in advance and informed them.

So, Di Renjie and Su Wuming investigated the case together, unraveled the mystery, and finally suspected Andepeng.

Just as they were preparing to take a further step, Di Renjie received a letter from Taoist Jingxia...

Cui Zhao was indeed a small figure, but this small figure was in the most critical position and did the most important thing.

Cui Zhu was unaware of the layers of interests behind him, but when he explained what he had done, Di Renjie immediately connected everything together and formed an overall context.

This matter has already involved the safety of Crown Prince Li Hong. Before, they were just suspicions but had no evidence, so they could naturally suppress it. But now that they have evidence from Cui Zhe, they can no longer suppress it.

Di Renjie nodded in agreement and said, "At this point, this is the only way."

"Alas!" Zhang Jianzhi slapped his thigh in anger and said, "The evidence we have is not enough to prove the existence of Li Yifu. We don't know where Li Yifu is. If we report this matter, most of the people involved will not be able to escape, including that person...but he is the only one who escaped, I am unwilling to accept it!"

Di Renjie said: "It doesn't matter, I should be able to find him out."

Zhang Jianzhi asked, "Huaiying, please tell me quickly?"

Di Renjie's eyes flickered, and he said, "After hearing the news about Li Yifu from you, I have been thinking about a question. Li Yifu was a top figure in Chang'an in the past, and there are countless people who know him. Just as you said, since he dared to come back, he must have made sure that he would not be recognized by familiar people."

"How did he change his appearance? As far as I know, Jianghu knights have a special skill called the art of disguise. I even went to learn about it. Even with the art of disguise, it is impossible to turn oneself into another person. Moreover, although he has committed many evil deeds, his talent is indeed real. He was recommended by Li Daliang, Liu Li, and Ma Zhou successively, relying on his own ability, not unorthodox methods. He should not be good at these things, and after entering the officialdom, he should not bother to learn..."

"I just wondered if he had come into contact with this kind of thing when he was demoted, which is why he was able to fake his death."

"At that time, I sent someone to Nanzhong to get information and see if there were any unique disguise methods."

"After a long investigation, I found that there is no unique disguise method. However, there are several cases of disfigurement. There is a kind of poisonous ant in the forest of Nanzhong Mountain. It can secrete a kind of mucus. When it crawls on people, the mucus enters the body and causes the skin to deform, swell and shrink. I wonder if Li Yifu used this method."

"I was not sure at first, until I received Cui Zhe's letter. The content of the letter vaguely confirmed my guess."

"Where did Li Yifu learn the method of using poisonous insects? I think it was from Nanzhong, where he learned the method when he was demoted..."

"I understand!" Zhang Jianzhi said with a blazing gaze, "Li Yifu did not transform himself into a human being, but into a monster with a strange appearance corroded by poisonous insects. It is difficult to find a stranger in Chang'an, but it is not difficult to find a monster, a monster that will leave a deep impression at first sight."

"Huaiying, you are amazing!"

"Your methods are even better than those of the gentleman."

Di Renjie shook his head and smiled bitterly, saying, "I am far inferior to you, sir. At least in terms of judging people, there is a huge gap between us."

Di Renjie was talking about Empress Wu...

Di Renjie had his own political ideas. He did not have much hostility towards Empress Wu. At least he recognized her contributions as empress.

As for Empress Wu's involvement in politics, he also saw that this was Li Zhi's intention, and Empress Wu had no extra choice. Moreover, it is undeniable that Empress Wu did have certain talents and did a good job.

The Crown Prince was young and kind, and it was not necessarily a bad thing that Empress Wu held a certain amount of power.

After all, in history, there were not only Empress Lü and Empress Dou, but also Empress Hexi Deng Sui, Empress Kangxian Zhu Suanzi, and Empress Dowager Wenming Feng. All of them were people who could assist the young emperor in stabilizing the court.

result……

Slapped in the face!

(End of this chapter)