Mrs. Tan took the lead to greet him and asked anxiously: "Doctor, how is the master now?"
The doctor shook his head and said: "Madam, Tan Yushi's heat poison has invaded the internal organs, making him extremely ill and unable to save himself. I... I have tried my best." He sighed and kept shaking his head.
Xue Poye walked up quickly and said in a deep voice: "Doctor, as long as you can cure Yushi Tan, no matter how much money you have, it won't be a problem."
The doctor sighed: "To be honest, Tan Yushi can't hold on for long. No matter how much money he has, he can't be cured. Hey, if you have anything to say, please say it quickly. It's too late... I'm afraid it's too late."
"Sighing, he walked away quickly.
The entire Tan family burst into tears, and Mrs. Tan burst into tears.
Xue Poye didn't hesitate anymore, stepped forward quickly, pushed open the door, and entered. A strong smell of medicine hit his nostrils. He thought it was the smell left behind by Tan Ziqing taking too many medicines recently.
In the middle of the room, there was a big bed, and a coughing sound came from the bed. The coughing sound made people worry that the patient was coughing out his heart and lungs.
After coughing, I heard Tan Ziqing's voice singing softly with some difficulty: "... I can only teach the wind and thunder... to move through the sky... when will I taste... what I wish for...!" The voice could not say anything.
of desolation.
Xue Poye only felt a sore heart. He walked gently to the bedside and saw Tan Ziqing with his eyes closed, singing softly. He was covered with a quilt, but his face was skinny. It was very different from before, and his eyes were sunken.
, extremely old, and completely different from the calm and self-respecting person of the past.
"Teacher!" Xue Poye felt his eyes moisten for a while. He walked to the bed and called softly: "Poye came to see you."
Tan Ziqing's singing stopped suddenly, he slowly opened his eyes, and saw Xue Poye beside the bed. He was a little surprised, but he quickly smiled, stretched out his withered hand, held Xue Poye's hand, and said warmly: "You finally
Here we go, good...good...!"
"Teacher, you...why are you so sick?" Xue Poye felt that Tan Ziqing's hands were also cold and there was no heat at all. It seemed that he was extremely weak.
Tan Ziqing smiled and said warmly: "I'm... very happy that you can come today... I'm very happy...!"
Xue Poye sat down by the bed, held Tan Ziqing's hand tightly, and looked at the old man's eyes, which were lifeless but with joy.
"Po Ye... the fate between you and my master and apprentice is God's will...!" Tan Ziqing said softly: "When I accepted you as my disciple, my master had... selfish motives...!"
Xue Poye understood that there was a reason why he, a person without any background, was favored by Tan Ziqing and accepted as his disciple, taking care of him in every possible way. Perhaps he could solve the mystery today.
"Do you know why... my teacher suddenly fell ill?" Tan Ziqing stared at Xue Poye and asked softly.
"Why?"
"Because... I'm afraid... I'm afraid...!" Tan Ziqing sighed and said with a wry smile: "I'm afraid of the Holy One."
"Are you afraid?" Xue Poye was startled and confused, not understanding what Tan Ziqing's words meant.
Tan Ziqing knew that his time was coming, so he did not dwell too much on it and said directly: "I have been following the Holy Master since I was twenty-six years old. It has been nearly thirty years now... Hey, thirty years is too long.
Such a long time is enough for me to know too many secrets, and those secrets... include things that the Holy One doesn't want me to know...!"
Xue Poye listened quietly.
"The cunning rabbit dies, the lackeys are cooked, the birds are gone... the good bow is hidden!" Tan Ziqing whispered: "I understood this truth a long time ago, and I also know that one day... the Holy Emperor will definitely take action against me...
…!”
"At that time, I just wanted to find a young and promising junior... to help him find a place in the court... This person must value love and justice, because... I want to entrust my family to him after death.
He...I have served the Holy One all my life and have offended too many people. Once I die, the Holy One will not implicate my family...but my enemies will definitely be eradicated...so I chose you...I hope you
To be able to achieve a great career in the court...and then protect my family after my death...!" Tan Ziqing coughed, and then continued after he calmed down: "It's just that I didn't expect...you will go more smoothly than I expected...
!”
Xue Poye sighed. If he hadn't met Xiao Shitou, everything would have been a completely different situation.
"I thought... Your Majesty would have to wait for a few more years... but I didn't expect it to be so soon... Your Majesty faked his death... I knew everything had begun...!"
"Teacher, do you also know that the Holy One is faking his death?" Xue Poye asked.
Tan Ziqing smiled bitterly and said: "I have been with him for nearly thirty years, and I know him better than he knows himself... I am probably the only one in the world who knows that he faked his death...!"
"The Holy Lord faked his death... naturally to deal with the royal family, but he had a well-planned plan. In fact, he had already included the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the Kyoto Prefecture... This time, he not only wanted to get rid of the royal family... but also completely destroyed the creation he created
The inspector and the Kyoto Prefecture...because he knew that once he really died, no one would be able to control these two yamen...so he had to get rid of them...and I am the Zuodu Yushi of the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
, get rid of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and then they will get rid of me... so I am afraid... I have been afraid since the day I found out that he was pretending to be dead...!" Tan Ziqing's voice was filled with fear.
.
Xue Poye sighed and said: "Teacher, you have followed the Holy Master for so many years, he... he may not attack you. It's just you who thinks too much."
"No!" Tan Ziqing shook his head and said: "I know him too well... He doesn't trust me. He can only give the successor a clean court by killing me... He has killed many people... even
He is his biological son...!"
Xue Poye smiled bitterly. He admitted that in terms of methods, Emperor Deqing's methods were cruel and ruthless. Since he could even attack his own son, let alone a minister who was following him.
…
…
Tan Ziqing seemed very tired. After saying these words, he closed his eyes and rested for a while, but he never let go of his hand. He held Xue Poye's hand tightly. After a long time, he asked softly: "Poye,
Is that child...is he...the sixth prince?"
Xue Poye was startled and looked at Tan Ziqing doubtfully. He was quite surprised and whispered: "Teacher, you... know?"
Tan Ziqing sighed softly: "It seems that the Holy One has told you. Hey...the Holy One has worked hard for so many years, isn't it all for him?"
"It turns out that the Holy One has told the teacher about Xiao Shitou's identity." Xue Poye said softly: "It seems that the Holy One still trusts the teacher very much."
"Tell me?" Tan Ziqing shook his head gently: "No, I guessed it."
"You...you guessed it?"
"For so many years, Your Majesty has been preparing. My trip to Hangzhou is just part of the preparation... You know, Jiangnan is the silver warehouse of Dachu, and it always needs to be controlled. That's why I urge you to meet with He Ru Join forces to control Hangzhou... But I have never understood who the Lord spent so much time paving the way for?" Tan Ziqing said softly: "It wasn't until you skyrocketed that I realized that maybe the kid next to you , it’s the Holy One... Hey, I always thought that Liu Jin was Ye Qingyao’s son and had died in Liuheyuan, but I didn’t expect that the Holy One fell into his trap and the real sixth prince was actually... Xiao Shitou...!"
Tan Ziqing has followed His Majesty the Emperor for more than twenty years. Even if he doesn't want to know, he knows some things. Just like the Queen Mother knew that Ye Qingyao's son was hiding in Prince Qian's Mansion, he also knew it, but like the Queen Mother, he was confused by Emperor Deqing's layout. , everyone thought that Liu Jin was Liu Zichan, but who knew that the little servant next to Liu Jin was the real sixth prince, and Liu Jin was just a shield.
Xue Poye sighed: "Teacher, you have a thorough understanding of the civil and military affairs of the dynasty. Perhaps you are the only one who understands the Holy Sage." He leaned over and whispered: "Teacher, in your opinion, what should I do now? ?Although Your Majesty favors me now, will you...will you take action against me in the future?"
Tan Ziqing's eyes showed a look of relief, and he said warmly: "You are prepared for danger in times of peace, which shows that you are a very cautious person. I chose you...you have a good sense..." He said softly: "The Holy One will not do anything to you...because he is for the sake of his successor. When you think about it, you must leave an arm for your successor... What you have to think about is in the future... maybe five years, maybe ten years, or maybe... twenty years...!"
Xue Poye didn't take this seriously. His relationship with Xiao Shitou was extremely deep. Since Xiao Shitou became the emperor, it would naturally be smooth sailing for him.
"Po Ye, my time is approaching... The Tan family will be handed over to you from now on...!" Tan Ziqing may have talked too much and consumed a lot of energy.
Xue Poye knew very well that everything was for these words.
He knelt down beside the bed and said respectfully: "Teacher treats me like a son. Without the teacher's advice, Poye would not be what he is today." He glanced at Tan Ziqing and saw him looking at him expectantly. He said sternly: "As long as I am alive in the night, I will do my best to protect the teacher's family, so the teacher can rest assured."
Tan Ziqing often breathed a sigh of relief. This sentence was what he wanted most.
"Zhang Hu has been following me for so many years...the other three guards have died in the battle, and he will follow you from now on...!" Tan Ziqing's voice weakened, as if he had exhausted all his strength: "Following you, there will always be some future. …!”
At this point, Tan Ziqing coughed violently again. Xue Poye hurried over, but with a "wow" sound, Tan Ziqing had already spurted out a large mouthful of blood.
"Teacher!" Xue Poye was shocked and turned pale. He saw that Tan Ziqing's face was pale, his eyes were tightly closed, and his teeth were clenched. It was obvious that he could not hold on for long.
Xue Poye's screams were heard by the Tan family outside. Mrs. Tan came in first, followed by a large group of family members. Seeing that Tan Ziqing was dying, they all knelt on the ground, wailing and grief-stricken.
Tan Ziqing muttered in his mouth, muttering to himself: "Your Majesty... I'm here... I'm down there... But... I won't serve you... I'll serve you...!" He exhaled in one breath and stopped breathing.
…
…
Tan Ziqing's death certainly shocked the court, but what was even more shocking was that on the same day, even more shocking news came out of the palace.
The Queen Mother suddenly suffered from an emergency, and dozens of royal doctors were called in overnight. However, before the first batch of royal doctors could diagnose and treat the disease, the Queen Mother passed away.
The news came out of the palace early on the next morning. His Majesty the Emperor was so grief-stricken that he was bedridden. Lan Wuqing, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, gathered the ministers and led Taichang Temple to hold a state funeral.
The whole country mourned for three days.
Naturally, no one doubted the death of the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother was old and experienced a dangerous mutiny. Her body could not bear it and she died of a sudden illness. This is quite reasonable.
That night after the Queen Mother died, Chou'e, who had been serving the Queen Mother for decades, left the palace and never knew her whereabouts since then.
His Majesty the Emperor did not kill Chou'e. First of all, it was because he was seriously ill. Although he was a warrior of the Nine Paths, he was unable to kill Chou'e, a warrior of the Eight Paths. The most important thing was that Chou'e followed the Queen Mother, but
It was to repay the Empress Dowager's kindness in the past. Once the Empress Dowager died, Chou'e, as a warrior of the Eight Paths, would naturally not miss the big prison of the palace, and she had no intention of getting involved in the court disputes of the Great Chu Kingdom. She drifted away without a trace.
No trace.
When he learned that Tan Ziqing also passed away on the same day, Emperor Deqing stood in front of the window blankly for two hours, and finally sighed.
Perhaps, this is a good ending, at least in this way, the righteousness of the king and his ministers is fulfilled.
After the national mourning of the Empress Dowager, Emperor Deqing braced himself and issued several national edicts, but he reduced the taxes of some poor states and allowed the people to rest and recuperate.
Secretly, Emperor Deqing did not forget the tens of millions of taels of silver missing from the household department.
The loss of the money itself may not be considered the sky is falling, but the secret behind the money plunged the court into a silent fear.
Tens of millions of taels of silver disappeared from the national treasury. The forces that did this are certainly terrifying, but their conspiracy is even more terrifying. If these forces really possess tens of millions of taels of silver, they will never be able to threaten Da Chu.
It could be as simple as a mutiny and rebellion by the royal family. The shock power they brought was enough to plunge the entire court into the biggest conspiracy since the founding of the country.
Emperor Deqing's health was deteriorating day by day, but he still secretly ordered Wei Shantai to lead the remaining forces in purple clothes to trace the whereabouts of the silver.
In addition, Cao Muyan, the prime minister of Chu, wrote to retire, and Emperor Deqing issued an edict, and Lan Wuqing succeeded him as prime minister.
Nowadays, the old ministers in the imperial court are killed, that's all. Although it cannot be said that all the ministers above the court are honest officials, in general, it can be regarded as a clean court. Lan Wuqing succeeds as prime minister, but he gets
It was unanimously recognized by the civil and military ministers.
On the sixth day of May in the eighteenth year of Deqing's reign in the Great Chu Dynasty, Emperor Deqing once again vomited blood and fell into a coma in the court hall. After waking up, he ordered Lan Wuqing to take charge of the court affairs and lead the six ministries to consider and handle the court affairs. The military affairs of Kyoto were all controlled by the capital.
It was put in charge of Xue Poye, the chief guard of the Yulin Guards. Xue Poye also had the authority to control even the Kyoto garrison.
…
Late at night on the eighth day of May in the eighteenth year of Dachu Deqing's reign, His Majesty's physical condition took a turn for the worse and he could no longer move in bed. The once all-powerful emperor was already suffering from torture.
Late that night, Emperor Deqing woke up from a coma and secretly summoned Xue Poye to lead Xiao Shitou into the palace.
Xue Poye received the order and understood in his heart that Emperor Deqing wanted to recognize Xiao Shitou and his son at the last moment of his life and entrust the country to him.
Xiao Shitou didn't understand all this. Since You Shaoqing came from Hangzhou, Xue Poye was not in a hurry to find an official position for him. You Shaoqing just spent the whole day with Xiao Shitou, telling stories about Da Chu.
Some folk interests, and then taught him some seemingly useful knowledge. Xue Poye was busy with official duties every day, and Xiao Shitou and You Shaoqing got along very harmoniously.
Naturally, Xiao Shitou had never entered the palace before. Following his master, he walked under the golden bricks and jade tiles of the palace. Everywhere was splendid and resplendent. It only made him extremely excited. But he didn't know that these things would soon become his.
thing.
Entering the emperor's palace, he saw that the place was extremely heavily guarded. Xue Poye knew all this. These imperial guards, Yu Lin, were all personally selected by him to protect His Majesty the Emperor. It was just the first time that Xiaotou saw the palace's tight underwear.
The guards were quite scared.
After the eunuch in the chamber went in to report, he came out and said: "Master Xue, your Majesty has summoned you to go in first. This little brother will announce it later."
Xue Poye nodded, letting the little stone stay outside to make people optimistic, and then entered the emperor's bedroom.
Although it was night, the dormitory was full of lights and hundreds of first-class pearls were placed everywhere. It was like daytime. Following the eunuchs inside, Xue Poye finally saw the dragon bed where the emperor slept.
Apart from the emperor, there were quite a few people in the dormitory.
The queen sitting beside the bed, the elegant and refined eldest princess, and the old-looking Prince Qian. These four are the core figures of the royal family and the true leaders of the royal family today.
"Xue Aiqing!" Emperor Deqing looked slightly better tonight. He was half leaning on the bed, drinking the light porridge fed by the Queen Mother. When he saw Xue Poye, he pushed away the porridge bowl with an excited look in his eyes: "He...
…come yet?"
Xue Poye stepped forward and knelt down, and said respectfully: "Go back to your Majesty, the little...sixth prince is waiting outside now."
After Xue Poye said this, he glanced at a few people secretly, and saw that the other three were also extremely calm. The eldest princess was lazily leaning on the chair, while Prince Qian was half-squinting his eyes and looking calmly.
The few people here now know the existence of the "Sixth Prince".
…
Emperor Deqing was silent and did not speak for a while. After a while, he whispered softly: "Xue Aiqing, you... go and tell him my story. Today, he has the right to know everything that happened to him... Well, say
,Don’t hide anything...!”
"I obey the order!"
Xue Poye knew that His Majesty the Emperor looked a little better today, which was probably what people often call a return to health. Once this situation occurred, the Emperor's life was already in danger.
It was impossible for the emperor to have too much energy and physical strength to tell the story to Xiao Shitou again, and he couldn't bear to face it. Therefore, it was the best choice to tell the whole story by himself.
As soon as Xue Poye exited the palace, the eldest princess said calmly in an extremely lazy voice: "Queen, you are tired too. It's time to rest. We can take care of the emperor's brother."
The queen was startled, her hands shook, and she almost dropped the porridge bowl. Her face changed slightly, but she quickly smiled and said: "That's fine, you stay here with the Holy One. I'll take a rest first and come back to take care of the Holy One."
She was the mother of a country, but she seemed to be very afraid of the eldest princess. She said softly to Emperor Deqing: "Your Majesty, I will retire first."
Emperor Deqing said softly: "Go and have a rest. Don't exhaust yourself."
The queen smiled brightly and slowly retreated, avoiding a few people with a cold expression on her face and a cold smile on her lips.
After the queen went out, Emperor Deqing said softly: "Qiong'er, she is the queen, you should respect her."
The eldest princess said calmly: "Brother Emperor, the queen in your heart is not her, so why should you deceive yourself?" She gently picked up the teacup next to her, took a sip, and sighed: "I'm afraid to this day, I still hate this woman in my heart. your."
With these three people left in the palace, the atmosphere was quite special.
The emperor was silent and did not answer.
"Qiong'er, don't say those words anymore." Prince Qian finally said: "Your Majesty, have you really decided to pass the throne to this son?"