Chapter 32 second quarter

Pei Du sighed and said: "At the beginning, the Holy Majesty ordered me to kill Cui Miao in the name of Cui Miao's life experience." In the decree Pei Du received, the emperor clearly pointed out that Cui Miao's mother was a former female medical officer in the Daming Palace, named Yaolan.Yaolan was born in an unknown family of genius doctors.The family has been an imperial physician since the Han Dynasty, and later was used by the royal families of various dynasties. They have been serving in Chang'an Palace since the founding of the Tang Dynasty.Yao family's medical skills are quite superb, but because they have never practiced medicine among the people, their names are not well-known. Even their surname - "Yao" was given by the emperor of the Han family, and their real surnames cannot be verified.

The core of Yaojia's medical skills is a magical prescription book handed down from generation to generation, and Yaojia protects this book like protecting their lives.Throughout the dynasties, there have been people who have tried the idea of ​​this book, but they have all failed.Because in addition to the prescription book itself, the pharmacist also has a special method for recording and interpreting the prescription, so even if someone gets the prescription book, it is useless if they can't read it.However, the Yao family was bound by the royal family because of this, and they were not allowed to step out of the palace for generations.

In Yaolan's generation, she is the only one left in the whole family.And because Yaolan is a woman, she often walks around in the harem.The crown prince of the East Palace was often ill. Wang Liangdi often asked Yaolan for prescriptions for recuperation and supplements. The two girls of similar age formed a personal friendship because of this. A few recipes. Many years later, it was with these prescriptions that the Empress Dowager recognized Cui Miao's identity. Pei Du said: "Cui Miao's own memories have also confirmed that he should be Yaolan's son after she fled Chang'an. The question is, why did Yaolan flee back then?"

According to the emperor, Yaolan tried to poison the prince's medicine, but fled in a hurry after being found out.The emperor even insisted that the reason why the former emperor was seriously ill, that he abdicated due to serious illness not long after he came to the throne, and then drove west of Hexi only a few months later was all due to the poison of Yaolan. Han Xiang asked: "So Yaolan succeeded in poisoning? Then she was not found out, why did she run away?" Pei Du nodded: "Good question. There are still other doubts about the statement that Yaolan poisoned the first emperor. If you think about Cui Miao's age, he was born in the seventh year of Zhenyuan, which means that Yaolan escaped from the palace. The time must be earlier than the seventh year of Zhenyuan. At this time, there are still fifteen years before the death of the first emperor. May I ask, what poison in the world will wait until fifteen years later to take effect?"

"That's right!" Han Xiang agreed, "So the death of the first emperor cannot be directly related to Yaolan. If Yaolan was really poisoned back then, she must have been discovered. But if that is the case, how could she escape? How about getting out?" "Unless someone helps her." "Help her? Who?" Pei Du said: "You might as well think about another question, who poisoned Yaolan?" Han Xiang pondered: "Yaolan is just a female doctor in the palace, there is no reason to poison the prince. There must be a mastermind behind this matter, who could it be?" He looked up at Pei Du, expecting to see from the prime minister's face find out.

Pei Du's face sank like water, but the suspicion in Han Xiang's heart was like a frozen lake that was about to melt away... The position of prince means the highest power in the future, and it has been a very dangerous position in all dynasties.Since it is the highest power, someone must want to fight for it; since it is the future, it means that there is no clear guarantee and everyone has a chance. Seizing the heir apparent may not be the only reason for poisoning the prince, but it is definitely the reason that needs to be considered first. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, many princes have been unable to escape the tragic end of being deposed and killed, which is the result of the tragic struggle for succession.The first emperor stayed on the crown prince for a full twenty-six years. He was the crown prince who lasted the longest in the Tang Dynasty so far and finally ascended the throne.In these long twenty-six years, he has faced major crises several times, and these crises are all inseparable from one person-Shu Wang Li Yi.

Shu Wang Li Yi is the son of Zhaojing Prince Li Miao, the nephew of Emperor Dezong and the cousin of the first emperor.Li Yi's father died when he was young. Emperor Dezong took special pity on him and raised him personally, and later adopted him altogether.Among the several princes of Emperor Dezong, Shu Wang Li Yi ranked second. The first emperor was the eldest son, and the position of the crown prince should have been unbreakable, but Emperor Dezong's unusual preference for Li Yi became the biggest shadow.Shu Wang Li Yi received more awards than the crown prince, and was granted by Emperor Dezong, and even the guard of honor when going out was above the East Palace.During the mutiny in Jingyuan, Emperor Dezong fled to Fengtian in a hurry, and ordered King Shu to be the pioneer, but let the prince cut off the heir.Later, in the name of King Shu's outstanding military exploits, he was named the Grand Marshal of the World's Soldiers and Horses.Although this is only an honorary title, it has always been designated as the prince, so when King Shu received this title, the rumors that Emperor Dezong was about to abolish the prince and replace him with King Shu became more and more widespread.Emperor Dezong didn't think it was chaotic enough, so he simply asked King Shu to move out of the sixteenth king's house and live next to him in Daming Palace.

Therefore, the first emperor's 26-year career as a crown prince has always been under the threat of King Shu's seizure of the heir apparent.Although the two of them acted cautiously and never broke their faces publicly, if someone really wanted to kill the prince back then, King Shu was indeed the biggest suspect. Could it be that Yao Lan was ordered by King Shu Li Yi? Thinking of this, Han Xiang became worried again, would his series of speculations be too taken for granted?It should be known that the secret history of the palace has never been known to outsiders.Both Emperor Xian and King Shu had passed away more than ten years ago, how dare I rashly speculate about a murder that might have happened many years ago without any evidence?

He hesitated and said to Pei Du: "Pei Xianggong, if Yao Lan was ordered to poison the late emperor, then it should be the mastermind behind the scenes who helped her escape?" But Pei Du said: "Your thoughts are still too simple. Just think, Yao Lan didn't complete her mission, should the mastermind behind the scenes let her go, or kill her to silence her?" Han Xiang fell silent.Court struggles have always been one of the bloodiest struggles in the world, and since Yaolan is involved, no matter whether she succeeds or not, what awaits her is death.But she escaped from the palace alive, how did she do it?

Pei Du said in a deep voice: "I think it was the Queen Mother who helped Yaolan escape back then." "Empress Dowager?" This was a conclusion that Han Xiang couldn't even think about. "As far as I can deduce, Yaolan was ordered to poison the prince when he was treating the illness, but she didn't do that. Instead, she chose to tell the inside story to Wang Liangdi, who was friendly to her." "Why did Yaolan do this?" "Think about it carefully, no matter whether you succeed or fail in poisoning the prince, you will inevitably end up being silenced in the end. Yaolan's family has served the royal family for so many generations, as long as they are involved in the vortex of power struggle, they may not be able to survive. So I believe that in addition to the medical skills passed down from generation to generation, they must also have ancestral precepts passed down from generation to generation that go beyond power and right and wrong, but for some reason, Yao Lan, as the only remaining heir of the family, was involved. I think, very It is possible that she came to her senses at the last moment. In addition, both the late emperor and the empress dowager were known for their benevolence. The late emperor stayed in the East Palace for more than 20 years, and he was cautious in his words and deeds, and Wang Liangdi was also gentle and honest. Yao Lan must have known their virtues. It can be seen in her eyes. From the bottom of her heart, she is definitely not willing to hurt these two good people, so she is determined to ask the prince and his wife for help."

Han Xiang nodded again and again: "Yes! So when the Empress Dowager recognized him from Cui Miao's prescription, she let him go. Because to some extent, Yaolan actually saved the late emperor, and she was kind. For the Empress Dowager. But—" He stopped again in confusion.In this way, Yao Lan is even more benevolent to the current Holy Majesty, why does he insist on killing Cui Miao? With a thought in his mind, Han Xiang tentatively asked: "Since Yaolan has successfully escaped from the palace and is pregnant, it stands to reason that she should hide and give birth? Why did she stay out alone and end up in the plight of giving birth in an inn? Why isn't her husband by her side?" Pei Du was silent for a long time, but his expression gradually changed from sullen to endlessly sad. He finally opened his mouth and said: "During the long conversation between Cui Miao and the old man, he not only mentioned the relationship between the empress dowager and her biological mother. He also mentioned two things. These two things are also closely related to his life experience, but for example The mystery of the book is even more puzzling. First, Cui Miao mentioned that on the last page of the Fang Shu left by his mother, there were a few words scrawled: Outside the Chunming Gate, Jia Chang. And he, precisely because of these words With the guidance of words, he rushed to the capital all the way, and stayed in Jia Chang’s old man’s small courtyard outside the Chunming Gate, where he met Xuan Jing. Cui Miao always thought that if she found Jia Chang, she would be able to find clues about her parents, but it turned out that He was very disappointed. As far as I know, after the Anshi Rebellion, Jia Chang worshiped the master and worshiped Buddha outside the Chunming Gate, and never stepped into the palace again, so it is impossible for him to have any connection with Yaolan." Han Xiang was getting more and more confused, but he felt that there was another deep meaning in Pei Du's words. Pei Du continued: "When I was in Chang'an, Xuan Jing told me how you searched for Yulongzi, and mentioned that Concubine Yang's maid, Jia Guiniang, was Jia Chang's younger sister. The two brothers and sisters were the most trusted by Emperor Xuanzong and Concubine Yang. People. So Xuanjing suspected that Emperor Xuanzong had given Jia Chang the secret words to ask for the jade dragon son. When the first emperor was in the East Palace, he specially built a courtyard for Jia Chang and tried to support him, so Xuanjing boldly inferred that the first emperor was the From Jia Chang's mouth, I learned the code word to ask for Yulongzi. Judging from this clue alone, could the words 'outside the Chunming Gate, Jiachang' refer to Yulongzi?" "Could it be that Yaolan also knows about jade dragon seeds?" Han Xiang was dumbfounded, "What does she want jade dragon seeds for?" "Good question. A female doctor got involved in the fight for an inheritance for no reason. What does Yulongzi have to do with her?" "Speaking of 'seizing the heir'..." Han Xiang muttered, "This Jade Dragon Son can play a role." It was still that person—Shu Wang Li Yi.King Shu and the first emperor fought openly and secretly for more than 20 years. There were several opportunities to replace him, but in the end he passed by the throne.Does the writing on Fang Shu indicate that Li Yi is also looking for Yulongzi, and has already found Jia Chang's head?It may also be that Yao Lan found out about Jia Chang from Wang Liangdi, but turned against him at the last moment, and did not tell King Shu the secret, making King Shu lose the good opportunity to capture Yulongzi? Han Xiang felt that his head was about to split open. With so many entangled and complicated past events, how could he see the light of day? "One more thing, Cui Miao didn't mention it on purpose, but he said it inadvertently." Pei Du was a little hesitant to speak but stopped, "...When he mentioned his name, Cui Miao explained that 'Cui' followed suit. The adoptive father's surname, 'Miao', was given by his adoptive father according to his mother's dying last words 'water'." water? Han Xiang pondered, did Yao Lan want to name her son something related to "water"?If Yao Lan had not been born in the court, Han Xiang would have wondered if her hometown was by the water?But the Yao family has been in the palace for generations, and this conjecture does not seem to be true.Water, could it be just Yaolan's thirsty raving when she was dying? "The Holy Majesty changed his name when he canonized the crown prince, do you remember?" "Rename?" Han Xiang was taken aback, "Of course I remember." The emperor of the Tang Dynasty had the custom of changing his name when he was canonized as a prince or when he ascended the throne.Some are changed to a more "according to the sky" name after the calculation of the Book of Changes; some are changed to an easier to avoid taboo because the emperor's name will be taboo for all the respected people in the world, so from the perspective of convenience for the subjects.For example, the current prince's original name was "You", but he was renamed "Heng" after he was crowned prince.Another example is that the original name of the current emperor is "Chun", but it was changed to "Chun" when he was canonized as the prince.With his change, all brothers of the same generation must follow suit.For example, King Tan's real name was "Huan", but it was changed to "Jing"; King Ju's first name was "浼", but it was changed to "Shu"... Han Xiang looked at Pei Du in shock—the original names of the emperor himself and his brothers were all next to "water", and they were changed to next to "纟" with the emperor later!Why did Pei Du mention this?What is he implying? Pei Du met Han Xiang's terrified gaze, and nodded slowly but forcefully. "Cui... Cui Miao is from the royal family?" Han Xiang still couldn't believe his guess. This time, Pei Du neither nodded nor shook his head. Han Xiang sat blankly, no longer knowing what to say. Why did the family of genius doctors who served the court for generations break the ancestral precept not to participate in court struggles when the last female heir was born?Why did Wang Liangdi help a woman who was ordered to poison her husband to escape?And why did she let her son go after many years?How could the orchid beaded in the dark, and why was it produced in a remote area?On the last page of her Fang Shu, how could she write down the name of Jia Chang who has a close relationship with the royal family?Why did she refuse to reveal her son's life experience until she died, but gave him a name with "water"? Finally, and the most critical question: Why did the emperor insist on putting Cui Miao to death? Han Xiang could only think of one answer: Cui Miao's father was the one who fought against the former emperor all his life, but was finally defeated - King Shu Li Yi! I don't know how long it took before Han Xiang managed to break free from the turbulent waves of the truth, and asked in a low voice, "Pei Xianggong, is Cui Miao... still here?" Pei Du smiled bitterly: "Not long after that conversation, Cui Miao left. For more than a year, I have been trying to find him, but so far there is no news." "You told him about his life?" "Of course not." Pei Du said angrily, "I'm not old-fashioned yet." He sighed, "I can only tell him the rhetoric in the imperial decree." "Does he believe it?" Han Xiang thought, with Cui Miao's intelligence, how could he easily accept such a clumsy explanation? "He didn't explicitly express whether he believed it or not, but when I mentioned the prescription he left in the medicine shop of Song and Qing Dynasties, he insisted that this prescription is by no means a colorless and odorless poison, but a kind that can make people feel sick. He lost his mind and left the incense at the mercy of others. He left the formula of the incense to the shopkeeper Song Qing, just wanting to use this rare prescription as a reward, to thank the shopkeeper Song Qing for taking care of him all the time, but unexpectedly gave it to the shopkeeper It caused disaster, so I feel deeply annoyed." After a pause, Pei Du said with a wry smile, "Other than that, he doesn't care about his so-called life experience. What he really cares about is——" "Jing Niang." Han Xiang blurted out. "Yes. He just wants to know Xuan Jing's whereabouts." "What did you tell him?" "I couldn't bear to lie to him, so I told him truthfully that the Holy Majesty ordered Xuan Jing to go to the palace to practice Taoism. I said this to dispel his other thoughts." Pei Du sighed, "Cui Miao is absolutely sincere to Xuan Jing. , but he still has reason after all, and he should understand what the palace ban means. Even though he has great abilities, it was pure luck that he was able to enter the Xingqing Palace and see the Queen Mother, and it was still very dangerous. The same thing, he It’s impossible to do it again. So for Xuan Jing, he can only give up on it.” Han Xiang said sadly: "You just want him to give up." "However, it seems that I still failed. After that conversation, Cui Miao was quite quiet for a while, as if thinking about the future. However, one morning, a servant suddenly came to report that Cui Miao had disappeared. It turned out that his quietness It's all pretending, just to confuse me and lure me to relax my vigilance. In fact, he has been researching ways to escape, and finally managed to escape." "Maybe he has figured it out, and has since hidden himself in the world and lived his own life?" Pei Du looked at Han Xiang: "What do you think?" Han Xiang was speechless. Yes, Cui Miao will never give up.When it comes to persistence, he and Pei Xuanjing are like twins. Cui Miao inevitably returned to the life of a desperado.Only this time, how will he break through the strict palace ban and save his beloved?