Song Yi

Chapter 386 The Empress Dowager Summons

When Cai Jing came out, he heard that Pang Jinghui was still talking to his daughter, so he decided to go back first.Du Wenhao kept sending Cai Jing outside the main entrance of Tianshui Hutong.

Before Cai Jing got on the sedan chair, when he turned his head and said goodbye, he looked up and saw the empty gate of Du Wenhao's mansion, and sighed: "My virtuous brother is an important minister of the imperial court, this mansion is too simple, and there is no good plaque. On the day of the newly-purchased mansion, if Brother Yu’s graffiti can still catch your eyes, you should write a plaque for your brother to congratulate him!"

Du Wenhao's heart moved. He remembered that in "Water Margin", in order to rescue Song Jiang who was trapped in Jiangzhou, when Wu Yong planned to find someone to imitate Cai Jing's calligraphy, he told his brothers that the four popular fonts at that time were Su Dongpo, Huang Luzhi, Mi Yuan Zhang, Cai Taishi four fonts.Known as "Su, Huang, Mi, and Cai", they can be called the four wonders of the Song Dynasty.Among them, Cai Jing's calligraphy is actually at the top. Wu Yong deliberately put it at the end and said that Cai Jing's calligraphy is even inferior to the arrogant Mi Fu.Cai Jing, the governor of Kaifeng, boasted that his calligraphy was good, and offered to write a plaque for himself. It is likely that the treacherous minister Cai Jing.

At that moment, Du Wenhao clasped his fists and said: "I have heard for a long time that Brother Yuan's calligraphy is the best in the world, and he is a rare genius in ancient and modern times. Su Huang Mi Cai is the first among the four calligraphers. To get Brother Yuan's calligraphy is really brilliance." ah!"

This Cai Jing was indeed the later treacherous minister Cai Taishi. At that time, his calligraphy was already well-known far and wide, and he had already been praised by four famous writers, Cai Su and Huang Mi. So, let’s say goodbye, let’s say goodbye!”

After all, he got on the official sedan chair and walked away all the way.

Du Wenhao looked at his official sedan chair going away, feeling really depressed in his heart, he never thought that he would travel to the Song Dynasty and call this treacherous minister his brother and brother, it's really bad luck.

When he returned to the inner house, Pang Yuqin and Ke Yao were still waiting for him, and they had to compete.Du Wenhao didn't have the heart to talk about medical skills with them at this time, and listened to them barking like a puppy, he just said that they could read books better when they went back, and come back the next day.Seeing that Du Wenhao was absent-minded, they didn't dare to say more and went out.

Du Wenhao wandered around the study thoughtfully, looking forward to Master Shen's return, but after noon, Master Shen still hadn't shown up.

Just after lunch, the servant came to report, and another distinguished guest came to visit, this time it was the old minister Sima Guang!
When Du Wenhao heard that Sima Guang was coming, he came out in a hurry. Fortunately, he had not taken off his official robe just now, and he didn't need to change.

When I came to the living room, I saw Sima Guang standing in the middle of the living room with the support of the housekeeper Sima Dao, holding an ebony walking stick in his hand, standing hunched over, seeing Du Wenhao coming in, holding the walking stick in his arms, He clasped his hands together: "Brother Du! You're back!"

Du Wenhao hurried over to help him: "Brother Sima, please sit down quickly. You have just recovered from a serious illness, so don't be too tired. I'll help you with a follow-up visit."

After helping Sima Guang to sit down, Yingzi brought fragrant tea.

Du Wenhao took his wrist to examine his pulse, looked at his tongue, and then asked about his daily feelings, diet, sleep and bowel movements, etc., and found that although Sima Guang had no signs of further spread of cancer cells, he also had no obvious signs of recovery. However, For Sima Guang, an old man who was already judged to die in three months, it was already a remarkable victory to survive for nearly a year after the operation and maintain the status quo.

Sima Guang didn't care about his body, with a serious face, he watched Du Wenhao diagnose him, the butler Sima Dao saw that Du Wenhao had finished his diagnosis, bent down and asked, "Master Imperial Physician, our master's illness...? "

"Have you been eating the Cordyceps sinensis I sent back last time?"

"I've been taking it all the time, according to your instructions, I haven't dared to miss anything, and I've been taking the medicine as you prescribed before."

Du Wenhao nodded and said: "Brother's illness is no longer in danger, but I am old and have been worrying for many years. Before the operation, my body was already weak several times, and the trauma caused by this operation made me feel sick. Righteousness in the body is getting weaker, and we need to be more careful at this time, we must take care of it carefully, and we must not overwork."

Speaking of this, Du Wenhao paused, and patted Sima Guang's hand: "Brother, your body is your own, so you should cherish it! To be honest, your recovery is far from what I expected. It must be that this Over the years, have you worried a lot?"

Sima Dao said: "That's right! The master just got better these few months, and he started to sort out his books again. He was busy until late at night, and he didn't listen to any persuasion."

Du Wenhao knew that what Sima Guang was sorting out was his masterpiece "Zi Zhi Tong Jian".Said: "Brother Sima, you really take care of your body. If you exhaust your body, the loss will be great."

Sima Guang smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Forget it, I will talk about these things later. I am very happy to hear that you are back, brother. I came to visit today. First, I came to see you. Second, there is another important thing I want to talk to you about." Discuss." After finishing speaking, he turned his head and glanced at Sima Dao.

Sima Dao walked out the door knowingly and closed the door.

Sima Guang said: "After the death of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, do you know about the inheritance of the throne?"

"Know a thing or two." When Du Wenhao heard about this incident again, he became vigilant. Even though he trusted Sima Guang's character, he still had to be careful.So it's more subtle.

"Well, according to the orthodoxy of inheriting the throne in the past dynasties, the sixth prince should inherit the great treasure. There is no objection to this, but King Yong stepped in and said boldly that he would inherit the throne. This is simply ignoring the legacy of the ancestors. Li! Cough cough cough..."

Speaking of excitement, Sima Guang leaned on a cane and bent over, coughing non-stop.

Seeing this, Du Wenhao immediately understood that Sima Guang was someone who supported the side of the sixth prince.Don't dare to interrupt randomly, just wait for him to continue talking.

Sima Guang stopped coughing and panting for a while, picked up the teacup and took a sip, and said, "Brother Yunfan, brother, I came this time to ask you something, you must agree, after much deliberation, only you This matter can be done! If it can’t be done, if that wolfish and ambitious King Yong succeeds, what face do we have to meet our ancestors..."

Du Wenhao thought to himself, what's the matter, isn't there Song Taizong among the dead ancestors? Didn't he just violate the eldest son inheritance system and inherit the throne from his elder brother himself? Didn't he do a good job? Why do you have to stick to that tradition?

But this was something he couldn't say, he listened quietly to Sima Guang sighing while leaning on his crutches in his rough clothes.After a long while, Sima Guang said, "The only person who can decide the succession to the throne is the empress dowager. But the empress dowager is weak by nature, so I'm afraid that she won't be able to withstand the softness and toughness of her son King Yong. My brother Ben Those who want to meet the empress dowager to speak up, the empress dowager’s first treatment after leaving the customs last night is that no ministers will be seen unless they are summoned, and they are not allowed to enter the palace to speak. Alas!"

Du Wenhao knew in his heart that the empress dowager wanted to hide, this was a common problem of women, when a woman was in trouble, the first thought was to run away and go around.Even if this matter cannot be circumvented or avoided at all, I will try my best to delay it.

Du Wenhao said: "After the emperor passed away and before the empress dowager retreated, why didn't you advise her?"

"Why not!" Sima Guang stomped his feet and said, "The emperor had just passed away, the left prime minister, Wang Gui, my elder brother, and other ministers went to the empress dowager, asking her to follow the ancestor's instruction and designate the sixth prince to inherit the throne. It happened at this time , King Yong stood up and said that he wanted to inherit the legacy of Emperor Taizong, that he would inherit the throne from brother to brother. Cai Que and other ministers followed suit. I knelt down and begged the Empress Dowager, crying that this matter must never happen , the throne can only be inherited by the prince, this is the orthodox. There was chaos at the top, the empress dowager retreated, and then announced the appointment of four princes and ministers who would temporarily act as state affairs and government affairs, saying that she would retreat and chant scriptures for the emperor and the empress dowager Praying for salvation. No one was seen. So I hid and didn’t leave the customs until last night.”

"Then did you go to admonish last night?"

"Go, people on both sides are waiting outside the gate of the palace, but the empress dowager has issued a decree saying that we must be recruited, so we all dispersed."

Du Wenhao smiled wryly and said: "Since the Empress Dowager has issued an order that she must not be seen, then it is the same for me. I will not be able to see the Empress Dowager."

"You can see me! When the Empress Dowager left the customs yesterday, the first thing she said was to ask if you came back. I will definitely summon you soon!"

Du Wenhao's heart trembled. It was obvious that the Sixth Prince also had someone beside the Empress Dowager, and they got the news almost at the same time.This made Du Wenhao more vigilant. If this is the case, then he needs to be more careful in his conversation with Sima Guang. It is impossible to guarantee that Sima Guang and his camp will not have people from King Yong. Once the content of the conversation is revealed, it will cause trouble.

So Du Wenhao smiled and said: "Perhaps the empress dowager came to me just to see a doctor. The emperor and the empress dowager passed away. She should be very sad. It is also possible to ask me to help her recuperate her body."

"That's enough! As long as you can meet the empress dowager and talk to her, you will achieve your goal! The empress dowager needs someone to help her make a judgment at this time, and you have saved her life, and your main job is to defend her. The doctor, who manages Changping Warehouse and raises prisons, is also in the local area, and has no obvious stake in the two factions, so he is the most suitable candidate. Therefore, if my brother is right, she will definitely summon you to ask you Idea!"

Du Wenhao said with a dry smile: "Hey, if I have any ideas, I will see a doctor. I really don't know anything about this important national issue."

Sima Guang stared at Du Wenhao and said, "I just want to ask you first: do you support the sixth prince, or assist the King Yong who is trying to usurp the country?"

Du Wenhao hesitated for a moment, and said with a very frank smile: "Brother Sima, to be honest, who will be the emperor, the empress dowager must have already made up his mind, and the conclusion will be reached soon! We just need to wait patiently."

Sima Guang thumped his ebony walking stick: "Brother, why are you so smart and so confused for a while! If the Empress Dowager had an idea, she wouldn't hide in the palace and recite sutras for seven days without going out, and she wouldn't give an order to disappear! She has no idea! If there is no sensible person to wake him up at this time, once the decision is wrong, then my Da Song Jiangshan will mess up the orthodoxy! This is a big deal, brother! Cough cough cough... …

Sima Guang coughed violently again, almost out of breath.

Du Wenhao hurriedly comforted: "Brother, don't worry, don't worry, speak slowly!"

"Speak slowly? If you speak slowly, it will be too late!" Sima Guang leaned on a cane and began to give Du Wenhao a history lesson. But he talked on and on for more than half an hour, and Du Wenhao's head was like a bucket of paste when he said it, so he stopped, panting and asked: "Brother, look, the eldest son inherits the general rule, and it is the general rule." Ethical orthodoxy, don’t mess with the patriarchal clan! Don’t you think so? Brother.”

Du Wenhao nodded again and again.However, remembering that I had promised King Yong to help him ascend the throne, if I promised Sima Guang to persuade the empress dowager to let the six princes inherit the throne, once the news leaked and let King Yong know, the result would be predictable. Besides, comparing them Of the two, Du Wenhao really felt that King Yong was more suitable to be a monarch, leading the weak Song Dynasty to face the upcoming fierce battle.So still no comment.

Sima Guang saw that Du Wenhao obviously wanted to stay out of the matter, so he turned around in a hurry, and said, "brother, at this time, only you can save the orthodoxy of the Song Dynasty and not leave others behind. To do a few feats that shock the world and weep ghosts and gods, isn't it worthy of the heaven and the earth...!"

As soon as I said this, I heard someone knocking on the door.

Du Wenhao frowned and shouted, "Come in!"

The door opened with a creak, and it was Yingzi, the servant girl. Fuli said, "Master! The Empress Dowager has arrived, and I want you to receive the order in the main hall!"

Both Du Wenhao and Sima Guang were startled. Sima Guang threw away his crutches, clasped his fists and said, "Brother! I beg you, brother today, please make sure that the country is orthodox...!"

When the imperial decree came, Du Wenhao didn't dare to delay it, it was a good opportunity to escape, he cupped his hands, and hurried out to the front hall.

The person who came to deliver the decree was actually Eunuch Jiao, who was beside the Empress Dowager, wearing filial piety clothes, with a sad face on his face. Seeing Du Wenhao coming in, he said loudly, "The Empress Dowager ordered the criminal officer Du Wenhao to see him!"

"The minister leads the order, thank you!"

Du Wenhao got up, bowed and said: "Eunuch has worked hard to pass the decree, please go inside and have tea?"

"No, the empress dowager is still waiting, let's enter the palace together."

"Yes!"

Du Wenhao looked around, but he still didn't see Master Shen's shadow. At this time when someone needs to make up his mind the most, but this Zhi Duoxing never came back, he was really anxious to death.

Du Wenhao also changed into filial piety, and followed Eunuch Cao to the door, where a large luxury car was parked. After the two got into the car, they lowered the curtain.Du Wenhao then asked in a low voice: "Eunuch Jiao, how did the Holy Majesty and the Empress Dowager die?"

"No sign at all!" Eunuch Jiao sighed, "Early in the morning, the emperor was eating, when he suddenly stood up, his whole body twitched, and then fell to the ground. No one knew what happened. He urgently called the imperial physician for diagnosis and treatment. When the imperial physician arrived, the emperor had already I died, and I didn't even leave the will..."

"Any symptoms?"

"Our family was not there at the time. We were with the empress dowager. When we arrived, the emperor had already passed away. At that time, the empress dowager couldn't do it anymore. She clutched her heart and fell limp on the ground. Everyone panicked and put the empress dowager on the ground. The empress dowager was carried back to the bedroom, the empress dowager was already unconscious, she couldn't even drink the soup, and in the afternoon, she also went with the fairy, oh..."

Du Wenhao asked urgently: "Does the Empress Dowager have any symptoms?"

"It's nothing else, but after clutching my heart and falling limp, I stopped talking, and my breathing was intermittent, and it was gone in the afternoon."

"Do you have any symptoms of vomiting, headache, irritability?"

Eunuch Jiao thought for a while: "It's not like that, anyway, he seemed to be asleep, and he didn't even frown."

"Did she faint and lose consciousness suddenly, or did she feel dizzy and unconscious, and then she lost consciousness?"

"It was sudden, and it fell down in one fell swoop."

"What was the Empress Dowager doing before? Was there no discomfort?"

"The Empress Dowager was planting flowers in the garden before."

"Did she not eat?"

"No, the Empress Dowager has breakfast in the flower garden after taking care of the flowers and plants in the flower garden every morning. I haven't had time to eat that day."

"Didn't you drink anything? Like decoction?"

"No! King Yong and others have repeatedly inquired about the Empress Dowager's situation before. At that time, there were a group of female eunuchs following the Empress Dowager. Everyone could see clearly. After the Empress Dowager dressed in the early days, it was customary to look at the flowers and plants first. Then drink tea and have breakfast, it’s in the flower garden, so I didn’t even drink tea that day, so I went to the flower garden.”

Du Wenhao pondered, the evidence of the emperor's death is unknown, but the evidence of the empress dowager is obviously not poisoning, because the ancient poisons are almost all arsenic, the so-called crane top red is actually a kind of arsenic, the main cause of arsenic poisoning Symptoms are of the gastrointestinal type, i.e. nausea, vomiting, restlessness, and are easily discernible.The way the Empress Dowager died as if she was asleep was completely different from arsenic poisoning, and she hadn't eaten in the morning, so the possibility of poisoning could basically be ruled out.

Could it be that someone poisoned him with his own anesthetic?Du Wenhao quickly ruled out this possibility. At present, his anesthetics are decoctions, which must be taken orally to be anesthetized. Eunuch Jiao has made it clear that the Empress Dowager did not take any medicine or eat anything. The effect of anesthetics is slower than that of Western medicine anesthetics. There is a process of loss of will, and it is impossible to suddenly lose consciousness like this.

Judging from what Eunuch Jiao said, the empress dowager's symptoms were more like an acute sudden death such as myocardial infarction. It was likely that the myocardial infarction was caused by seeing the emperor's death and the great pain.This kind of sudden death caused by cardiovascular disease is difficult to predict in advance under modern medical conditions, and it is generally too late to rescue. Even if I was by the side at the time, I am afraid that there is nothing I can do.

Du Wenhao said: "Didn't the Empress Dowager say anything at the end of her life?"

"No, but before that, the empress dowager kept talking about you. At that time, she always felt uncomfortable and flustered. Our family once persuaded her to issue a decree to invite you back to serve the doctor, but the empress dowager said that you and Bai Yi The affairs of the society and the matter of leading the army without authorization made the emperor very unhappy. We can't get you back at this time, otherwise the admonishers at Yushitai will not let you go.

Du Wenhao was sad in his heart, and said with tears: "The Empress Dowager treats me..., the kindness is as great as a mountain!"

"Yes!"

Du Wenhao wept silently, and the two were speechless for a while.

When the carriage stopped at the gate of the heavily guarded imperial city, Eunuch Jiao said, "Lord Du, there is something... I don't know if I should say it or not."

(End of this chapter)