It must be clear that no matter how enlightened a monarchy is on the surface, the special treatment enjoyed by the monarch himself will never be lower than that of the heads of other democratic governments.
Fortunately, today, in ancient times, the original intention of many supporting facilities in the Forbidden City was only to serve the emperor himself. Unless other people were favored, the treatment they could enjoy was actually very limited.
The ultra-high-standard special care unit carefully equipped by Taiyuan Hospital has finally come into use. The medical equipment used here is without exception all the most advanced today.
While bulky and inefficient "iron lung" ventilators are still high-end equipment that many hospitals regard as treasures, pneumatic pressure-limiting ventilators that have only been in mass production for more than a year are already in use here. The oxygen it uses is supplied from cylinders, and the appropriate pressure is maintained under the action of two pressure reducing valves. It is ingeniously designed and automatically inputs oxygen under the control of the mechanical structure.
The entire ward is a positive pressure sealed sterile space. Later level four biochemistry laboratories used negative pressure sealing to prevent internal germs from leaking to the outside world. The positive pressure design here is the opposite, purely to prevent outside germs from entering.
After using Dakin's solution and alcohol to disinfect her hands and face, Zhu Lingjing put on a light blue robe, wrapped her hair with a scarf, and finally put on a thick mask before entering.
Thanks to the support of the ventilator, the hypoxia caused by the cerebral hemorrhage was quickly stopped. The emperor's face looked normal, without the bruises of hypoxia, as if he was asleep.
Zhu Lingjing felt like her heart was being pulled, "Are you sure? Is it really a hemorrhagic stroke?"
The hospital judge on the side nodded, "There is no doubt that the hemorrhage lesions can be seen on the X-ray images, which are in the basal ganglia."
"Is the amount of bleeding... heavy?"
"It is estimated to be between twenty and thirty milliliters. The exact amount is unknown."
The basal ganglia is located deep in the brain and consists of the striatum, claustrum, and amygdala. A bleeding of more than 20 milliliters is not as close to death as a brainstem hemorrhage, but it is still a very dangerous situation.
Even if a life can be saved, there is a high probability that there will be sequelae such as hemiplegia and aphasia.
Zhu Lingjing, who was in a daze, felt like her mind was in a mess. Although she had thought about many possibilities before, the cruel fact was now in front of her, and the subsequent shock made her a little overwhelmed.
There doesn't seem to be much that I can do now. The emperor's sudden stroke is still a secret, and the outside world still doesn't know about it.
But there is no airtight wall in the world, and this matter will spread sooner or later.
At that time, it was not just the people within the Ming Dynasty who were upset, the other great powers were not benevolent and kind-hearted people, and they might immediately take the opportunity to try various suppressive measures.
Because of her confusion, Zhu Lingjing didn't even know how she left the special care ward.
He was obviously still next to the hospital bed before, so why was he already outside when he regained consciousness?
A group of cabinet ministers were also waiting here. Lin Xi was in a daze and Li Guangyuan was pacing back and forth. Their expressions were different, some were anxious, some were worried, and some were gloomy.
Seeing her come out, more than a dozen eyes suddenly focused on her.
"Everything in the world is unpredictable." Xie Qinduan, the Minister of Civil Affairs, sighed softly.
Lin Xi looked at Zhu Lingjing and said seriously: "Your Highness, in addition to hoping that your Majesty will escape safely, we must also prepare for other things and not fail to deal with them."
The latter shook his head slightly and denied: "The prince will definitely come back as soon as possible after learning the news. It will only take a few hours. During this period, it is inappropriate to do anything else."
"No, although the possibility is slim, it's just one in ten thousand."
Of course Zhu Lingjing knew what he was referring to. She was simply worried that ambitious people would take the opportunity to cause trouble, so she deployed additional security forces to the Forbidden City in advance to ensure safety.
But this move is too big, and ordinary people will find it strange. Nowadays, there are remote instant communication technologies such as telephones and telegraphs. In just one hour, people all over the world know about it.
"I understand your concerns, but this is not something I can decide." Zhu Lingjing, who looked calm, said calmly: "Wouldn't it be better to wait until the prince returns to Beijing to make plans? In just a few hours, nothing can change the situation."
Although she does not have this power, as a member of the royal family who is engaged in politics, her influence is still considerable. She must make her attitude clear in both public and private matters.
In her opinion, even if Zhu Lizhen just took a leisurely flight here, he would still be able to reach the capital tonight.
This short half-day is not enough time for the careerists to prepare. The Third and Fourth Guards Brigades are not just decorations.
Besides, it’s hard to say whether there are such bold careerists. It’s unlikely that anyone would dare to be so brave.
At this time, Gao Qingkui spoke.
"It is indeed untimely to directly increase troops to the imperial city. All units of the Forbidden Army are put on combat readiness, as are the rest of the troops in the capital. Just pretend that there is an emergency drill and stay in the camp on standby. This is the excuse."
Just like that, half an hour later...
The garrison commander issued an emergency order to all combat units in Beijing, requiring all units to enter a state of combat readiness immediately.
Although the reason given was unexpected, it seemed to make sense - to temporarily organize an unannounced exercise to test the army's adaptability.
Zhou Changfeng and Xia Xiaoshi had just arrived home at this time. Because the latter had a toothache, they went to the hospital.
Diseases do not selectively differentiate between the poor and the rich, the beautiful and the ugly. Naturally, Xia Xiaoshi, who loves sweets, cannot escape the fate of tooth decay.
On the surface, there is only a little black seam, but on the inside, a large area has been damaged. The sharp squeaking sound made by the high-speed rotating dental drill when it touches the teeth, and the accompanying soreness and numbness are extremely uncomfortable.
"Some people are bright and beautiful on the outside, but they are very slovenly in private. Xiao Shi, I asked you to brush your teeth at night but you refused. Do you regret it now? Do you dare to brush your teeth unruly in the future?"
Pushing open the door of the house, the two of them stepped across the threshold one after another and entered. Zhou Changfeng smiled and teased Xia Xiaoshi beside him.
The extremely depressed latter snorted, and suddenly remembered that someone Zhou had mentioned that he also had his teeth filled with cavities when he was in Spain, so he curled his lips and said: "This person also had his teeth filled when he was in Spain. Why is this?"
? ? ?
Good guy, my wife is not very good at doing other things, but she is very good at trying to squeeze in her husband?
Ah! It seems that he has not learned enough lessons!
It's a pity that she is pregnant now, so it is not appropriate to teach her in depth.
"Ding-ding-ding-ding-"
Just at this moment, the phone rang with a short and crisp ringtone. Zhou Changfeng hesitated for a moment, then quickly walked over and picked up the phone.
Xie Wancheng's voice came from inside, "Boss, the superiors suddenly gave an order to conduct some kind of drill. All departments in Beijing immediately went into combat readiness and were on standby in the camp. We must come back as soon as possible."
"Drill? What drill?" Zhou Changfeng asked doubtfully.
"I didn't go into details. I just said it was to check whether the troops and horses in Beijing have adequate response capabilities when encountering emergencies. I guess it means controlling transportation hubs, air defense, transfer deployment, etc."
"Okay, I understand. I'll be there soon."
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Changfeng didn't bother to change his clothes. He trotted and tilted his head and said, "The army has an urgent order. I need to return to the camp immediately. You don't have to wait for me tonight. Xiaoshi, you and Lin Xi, please be safe."
Just like that, he ran out of the house and jumped into the off-road vehicle that had only been turned off for a few minutes and whose hood was still warm.
Immediately, the car and people flew away in a cloud of dust and disappeared around the corner of the street in the blink of an eye.
Xia Xiaoshi, whose eyes were full of melancholy, sighed softly, turned around slowly and walked back to the small courtyard.
At the same time, thousands of miles away in Tokyo...
"How's it going? Are you ready for takeoff?"
"Back to Your Highness, everything is in order. You can take off as soon as you arrive."
A long motorcade was speeding through the streets of Tokyo. In a yellow car in the middle, an anxious-looking Zhu Lizhen was raising his hand to look at his watch.
When people are nervous, they tend to subconsciously repeat various actions, such as picking their nails, repeatedly crossing their legs and then lowering them, raising their hands to look at the watch, etc.
My own father suffered from such a serious emergency. It was very dangerous, so how could I not be worried and anxious?
This is human nature.
However, there was an inherent conflict between the emperor and the prince that was difficult to reconcile. The characteristic father-son relationship of the Ming Dynasty only improved this conflict but could not completely eliminate it.
As for the monarch and the prince, if the former dies, the latter can legitimately succeed to the throne.
That is supreme power and status! What is money compared to that? What does beauty mean?
Therefore, even if Zhu Lizhen had no subjective wish for his father to die early, there was no doubt that such thoughts were implicit in his subconscious mind.
This...is also human nature.
The Youyun II passenger plane that came on board has been filled with fuel, and the mechanic has completed the inspection. At this moment, it is parked quietly at the end of the runway, its nose is slightly tilted upward, and it is ready to go with its head held high.
His inspection of Japan in Tokyo these days went very smoothly. Yong Ren was respectful, and his words and deeds were also approved by Zhu Lizhen.
However, due to this unexpected situation, the trip for the next day was canceled.
He stepped on the gangway and waited for the special plane. The Chinese-style interior decoration was elegant and generous, with zigzag pattern carpets, light-colored bulkhead wall stickers, famous paintings and calligraphy hanging on the wall, and a rosewood small table.
"Your Highness, please take a seat and fasten your seat belt. I will serve you tea later."
The Youyun II passenger aircraft manufactured by Hangzhou Zhongsheng Company is currently the most popular twin-engine medium-range passenger aircraft produced by Ming Dynasty, surpassing the models of other manufacturers.
However, like manufacturers from Britain, France, Italy and other countries, it still cannot compete with Douglas DC-3 passenger aircraft in the international arena.
The slight headwind slightly shortened the taxiing distance. The custom-made special plane took off smoothly and smoothly, then retracted its landing gear and slowly climbed towards the cruising altitude.
Later, two Air Force Type 36 fighter jets also took off one after another to accompany them.
Because the preparation of fighter jets is more troublesome, and now the Crown Prince has to return to the country and Beijing urgently, most of the original six fighter jets are under maintenance, and only two are currently available.
The aircraft maintained its course and altitude after reaching the cruising altitude of 3,200 meters. The first half of the flight was generally smooth. Although it encountered several airflow disturbances, it was generally fine.
Passenger aircraft these days have not yet adopted pressurized cabins, and aircraft manufacturers from various countries are still working hard to test this new technology.
Therefore, whether it is the Youyun-2, the Ju-57, or the DC-3, they cannot rise to the more stable stratosphere - otherwise, the passengers will suffer from severe cold and lack of oxygen.
Although there is no need to worry about temperature and oxygen in the lower troposphere, the airflow in the troposphere fluctuates greatly and is prone to turbulence, which will cause the aircraft to experience strong turbulence and trembling.
At the same time, extreme weather conditions are also prone to occur in the troposphere, which is actually not suitable for passenger aircraft to fly.
Halfway over the Daming Sea, the pilot in the cockpit observed a large thunderstorm cloud directly ahead, so after discussing with the co-pilot, they decided to decrease the altitude instead of turning left or right to avoid it.
Without it, because the scope of this thunderstorm cloud is a bit large, and it takes more time to go around.
In fact, it is more dangerous to fly below thunderstorm clouds at lower altitudes because of the risk of lightning strikes and hail.
But both pilots knew the importance of the transfer of power. No one dared to joke about this, and no one could say that something would not go wrong. For the sake of the stability of the Ming Dynasty, the crown prince must be sent back to the capital as quickly as possible.
I recall that when Zhu Gaochi died and Zhu Zhanji hurried back to Beijing from Nanjing, he was intercepted and killed on the road and surrounded by dangers.
Moreover, passing under thunderstorm clouds is not a rare thing, it is just relatively dangerous. This is similar to what they have experienced many times in their flying careers.
It doesn’t matter, I believe it is made by Daming!
The co-pilot complained: "Come on, this thunderstorm cloud is too big, isn't it? I think it is at least thirty miles wide from left to right and more than ten miles thick from top to bottom."
"It's sparse and unusual." The pilot lowered the altitude of the autopilot to 2,500 meters and said casually: "How did you study meteorology? Did you give it all back to the teacher? It's summer, and the temperature in Nanyang is high and the water vapor is abundant. The north-south airflow collides, and there is often such strong convective weather."
"That's not true. This kind of thunderstorm cloud doesn't exist for a long time. I'm afraid it only lasts a few hours."
"There may be some bumps later. You can explain it later. We can't scare His Highness."
In fact, the two pilots slightly misjudged the relative speed of the thunderstorm cloud and the aircraft, and the aircraft entered the influence range of the thunderstorm cloud before it descended to the predetermined altitude.
At this time, looking from the side, the originally broad sky had been shrouded in dark clouds, and the cabin suddenly became dark.
A young flight attendant stood up and turned on the lights, then quickly returned to her seat and fastened her seat belt.
But at this moment, in an instant, an invisible turbulence passed by the plane from above. The whole plane was like a paper airplane blown by an electric fan, and it suddenly jumped several meters.
The girl who had not fastened her seat belt was thrown up, her back hit the bulkhead, and then she fell heavily.
But...this seems to be just the beginning.
After just a few breaths, dense hail rained down on the fuselage, making a crackling sound.
This may seem scary, but there is nothing to worry about. The solid aluminum alloy body is strong enough to handle these hailstones, and the paint is usually scratched at most.
Suddenly, a ray of light flashed outside, and the cabin was illuminated in an instant - it was lightning!
But there is no need to worry. The carefully designed all-metal body is physically like a Faraday cage and is not afraid of lightning.
But what the pilots didn't know was that the dense hail damaged the plane's pitot tube - an important external instrument for measuring the plane's speed.
The god of death showed his fangs at this moment. The special plane carrying the Crown Prince of Ming Dynasty encountered strong winds that are common in strong convective weather!
The pilot suddenly felt something strange. He and the co-pilot looked at each other. Both of them were confused because the instrument showed that the flight speed had not decreased.
The power remains unchanged, and the speed will naturally decrease when encountering additional resistance, but the standard cruising speed of 220km/h displayed by the instrument pointer tells them that there is no wind.
Could it be that their feelings were wrong? Are they overly nervous because of the turbulence and hail outside?
(End of chapter)
