On the evening of the same day, while Qian Mingyi and Wang Gongchen were discussing countermeasures with Song Xiang at his residence, Zhao Zhen and Zhao Yang had just finished their dinner in the Funing Hall in the palace.
Probably at this time, everyone knew that it was not advisable to take a bath immediately after a full meal, so the two of them sat at the table, you looking at me, and I looking at you, a little embarrassed.
In fact, as the emperor of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Zhen's private life after dark could never be boring. However, looking at Zhao Yang's appearance, which looked like he was only fifteen or sixteen years old, he deliberately restrained himself a lot, even though he also knew the reality of this kid. He has also passed the age of weak crown.
Suddenly, Zhao Zhen asked Zhao Yang, "Do you know how to play chess?"
"Go?" Zhao Yang thought for a moment and said, "You can play."
That's fine. Zhao Zhen immediately asked someone to fetch the chessboard and sat down with Zhao Yang to play chess.
During this period, Wang Shougui ordered people to prepare ginseng tea.
The tea group tea popular in the Song Dynasty was more sophisticated than the tea cake popular in the Tang Dynasty, but the main processes of the two were not much different. They both required picking buds, steaming tea, pressing tea, grinding tea, making tea and finally yellowing, that is, drying. , but in the final step of making tea, one uses a round mold and the other uses a cake-shaped mold.
Zhao Yang lowered his head and took a sip. It didn't taste as bad as people said, but it didn't taste very good either, because there was no tea aroma and the taste was almost covered up by the ginseng flavor.
"Tea cake?" Zhao Yang asked.
"Tea cakes were popular in the former Tang Dynasty. Tuan tea was popular in the Song Dynasty, and the craftsmanship was more sophisticated than in the previous Tang Dynasty." Zhao Zhen picked up the tea bowl and blew on the hot air, "How do you think?"
"It's okay, but it doesn't have much aroma. It's still good to fry."
"Speculation?" Zhao Zhen was not angry, but became interested: "What is speculation?"
Zhao Yang shook his head and said: "I don't know the specifics. The general process is to set up an iron pot, light a fire under it, and stir the tea leaves while roasting them to evaporate the water... It is said that the temperature, that is, the heat should be appropriate, not too high or too low. , I don’t know anything else.”
This time, Zhao Zhen was quite satisfied. He turned to look at Wang Shougui and said, "I'll ask the palace servants to try it someday."
"I have taken note of it." Wang Shougui nodded.
Then Zhao Zhen and Zhao Yang started playing chess.
In later generations, the black stone moved first, but in the Song Dynasty, it was the white stone that moved first. As Zhao Zhen raised his hand to indicate that it was time to start, Zhao Yang took the lead in placing the white stone in the middle.
Zhao Zhen looked up at Zhao Yang, but didn't say anything, but as the number of pieces on the chessboard gradually increased, he gradually saw that this kid's chess moves were unorganized, and he frowned and asked, "Didn't you say you know how to play? "
"I mean if you can play it, you probably know the rules."
Zhao Zhen was speechless: "Your hometown...don't you teach?"
"Teaching, but not in school...I mean private school. If you are interested, you can find a private tutor. Of course, you have to pay." After saying that, Zhao Yang looked up at Zhao Zhen and continued: "Answer in advance. A question, this is true for both music, chess, calligraphy and painting."
Every little bit of cleverness comes into play here!
Zhao Zhen glanced at this boy, and then asked curiously: "What do they teach in the school?"
Zhao Yang glanced at Wang Shougui, who was the only one left in the dormitory, and answered unimportantly: "Mainly Chinese, mathematics, biology, physics, chemistry, politics, history... and some others..."
"So many?" Zhao Zhen was a little surprised.
It wasn't like he didn't notice that Zhao Yang was hiding something. He knew that it was inconvenient to say it in front of Wang Shougui.
He had the intention to push Wang Shougui away, but he felt it was inappropriate. After all, he had done this for two consecutive nights. In other words, Wang Shougui was an old man in the palace. He knew how to observe people's words and emotions, and knew what to say and what to keep in his heart. Otherwise, if If word spreads, someone will definitely doubt the origin of the boy in front of him.
But even if Wang Shouli understands the rules, he can't put them aside again and again, which will cause some unnecessary suspicion.
Thinking of this, Zhao Zhen could only suppress the curiosity in his heart and choose the subjects Zhao Yang threw out to satisfy his curiosity: "What is Chinese?"
Zhao Yang paused and explained carefully: "The main thing is to learn Chinese characters, recognize them, and study ancient articles, poems and songs..."
"oh."
Zhao Zhen suddenly realized it, and immediately thought of the scene where this boy once called Fan Zhongyan an "old acquaintance", and smiled knowingly.
"What about mathematics?" he asked again.
"This is complicated. ... Officials can understand it as arithmetic, but it is much more difficult than that."
"Arithmetic?" Zhao Zhen was a little surprised, "Seriously?...What about you, can you do it?"
Zhao Yang thought for a while and said, "It can be calculated."
Zhao Zhen was amused, pointed at the chessboard and said jokingly: "Is it like your chess skills?"
"Slightly stronger than this."
"Oh?" Zhao Zhen was a little surprised. He looked at Zhao Yang doubtfully for a while and said, "I'm going to test you."
He asked Wang Shougui to get a pamphlet, opened it, glanced at Zhao Yang, and wrote the title: "There is a well but I don't know how deep it is. First fold the rope into the well in three parts. The rope is four feet long. Then fold the rope in four parts into the well. The rope is one foot long." Ruler, let me ask: How deep is the well? How long is the rope?"
Zhao Yang was a little surprised, frowned and began to calculate silently.
Seeing this, Wang Shougui turned around to get a pen and paper. Unexpectedly, as soon as he put it down, Zhao Yang said, "The well is eight feet deep and the rope is thirty-six feet long."
Zhao Zhen was surprised: "How did you calculate it?"
"Simple." Zhao Yang explained: "Fold the rope three times into the well, and the rope length is four feet. It can be seen that the rope length is three times the depth of the well and the remaining length, that is, three times the depth of the well plus twelve feet; then fold the rope four times into the well, and the length of the rope is One foot. In the same way, we can know that the rope length is four times the well depth and the remaining length, that is, four times the well depth plus four feet. The rope length is the same. Three times the well depth plus twelve feet is equal to four times the well depth plus four feet. If one subtracts from left to right, we can know the well depth. Eight feet. Since we know that the well is eight feet deep, it is not difficult to calculate the length of the rope, thirty-six feet."
"..." Zhao Zhen was confused after hearing this. He took out the booklet and looked at the answer, with a strange look in his eyes.
"I ask you again, if there are those who have done good deeds, they will take one hundred steps, and those who have done bad deeds will take sixty steps. Now those who have done bad deeds will take one hundred steps first, and those who have done good deeds will chase after them. I ask: How many steps can I catch up with?"
Seeing that there was paper and pen on the table, Zhao Yang took up the pen and wrote a string of characters that Zhao Zhen and Wang Shougui could not understand, and quickly replied: "Two hundred and fifty steps."
Zhao Zhen clicked his tongue in surprise, and then asked a few more questions, and Zhao Yang calculated the accurate answers to them all.
Seeing Zhao Yang's eyebrows slightly raised, looking complacent, although Zhao Zhen was happy in his heart, he couldn't help laughing and scolding: "You are still somewhat useful."
"Actually, this question is still simple."
After making trouble, Zhao Yang calmed down a little. After all, he also knew himself. He asked curiously: "Where did this question come from?"
Wang Shugui explained: "Young Master, I don't know, but this question was written by a Khitan envoy who participated in a Sutra banquet in the Song Dynasty. He said it was to relieve everyone's boredom, but in fact it was to make the banquet master of the Song Dynasty look embarrassed. Fortunately, the banquet master of the Great Song Dynasty fulfilled his mission and did not let the Khitan envoy succeed. ... However, even the banquet master in the pavilion is not as fast as Xiao Langjun."
"Khitan? Liao Kingdom?"
"Yes." Wang Shougui nodded, then smiled and said to Zhao Zhen: "Guan family, if the Khitan envoy comes to be in trouble again in the future, it is better to ask Xiao Langjun to come forward, and the Khitan envoy will be defeated and returned."
"Well, Zhao Yang, are you confident?"
"Let's try it." Zhao Yang thought for a while, but still wasn't sure.
Seeing that the boy answered so conservatively, Zhao Zhen nodded secretly. After all, it was related to his Song Dynasty's face. If the boy agreed too casually, he would not dare to entrust him.
Now it seems that this kid still knows the importance and can shoulder important responsibilities.
In addition to being pleased, Zhao Zhen no longer cared about this boy's poor chess skills and patiently fought him to the end.
It was getting late at this time. At Wang Shougui's reminder, Zhao Zhen took Zhao Yang to the side hall to take a bath and prepare to rest.
When he saw the two bathtubs placed in the hall, Zhao Yang, who had already experienced it twice, habitually stepped forward to check the water temperature. However, to his surprise, the water had been scalding the previous two nights, but today it was scalding. It's warm water.
"Warm?" He looked confused.
At this time, Wang Shougui walked towards Zhao Zhen holding an exquisite brocade box. When passing by him, he smiled and explained: "Today the officials have to take royal medicine, it is not suitable to use hot soup."
"Royal medicine?"
While Zhao Yang was frowning, Wang Shougui had walked to Zhao Zhen's side, opened the box, and revealed several pills placed on silk in the box.
Seeing Zhao Zhen pick up a pill about the size of a thumb from the brocade box and about to put it into his mouth, Zhao Yang quickly raised his hand to dissuade him: "Wait a minute!"
Everyone in the hall looked at Zhao Yang with confusion.
"Royal medicine?"
Zhao Yang stepped forward to confirm again.
"Yes." Wang Shougui nodded without knowing why, "It's a secret medicine refined by the Royal Medicine Academy. It has the effect of strengthening the body."
Zhao Yang stared at the elixir in Zhao Zhen's hand for a moment, then asked, "But are minerals such as cinnabar, realgar, cinnabar, and placer gold added?"
Wang Shougui once served as the head of the Royal Medicine Academy. Although he may not know all the ingredients of the secret medicine, he also knows some of the elixirs. Hearing this, he nodded hesitantly, "...there is indeed some elixir in the elixir."
"What?" Zhao Zhen saw something was wrong with Zhao Yang's expression.
However, Zhao Yang said nothing and just looked at Zhao Zhen seriously.
Zhao Zhen immediately understood and signaled Wang Shougui to send away the eunuchs and maids serving in the palace.
After everyone left, Zhao Yang pointed at the elixir and said to Zhao Zhen: "Cinnabar, realgar, cinnabar, placer gold and the like are all poisonous heavy metals."
"Poison?" Wang Shougui exclaimed, and then quickly covered his mouth with a look of fear on his face.
Zhao Zhen glared at Wang Shougui, frowned and said to Zhao Yang, "Don't talk nonsense!"
Seeing Zhao Zhen's misunderstanding, Zhao Yang shook his head and explained: "I am not saying that this elixir is a poison that can kill people immediately, but I am saying that... the main reason is that the minerals such as cinnabar and cinnabar are toxic in themselves and are harmful to humans. It’s not good, taking too much will cause death.”
Zhao Zhen suddenly understood, and then said in confusion: "But there is nothing wrong with me after taking it, but..."
Zhao Yang interrupted him and said: "On the contrary, it feels like a fairy, and it seems like there is a ball of fire. The whole body is sweating, and the energy is doubled, right?"
"..." Zhao Zhen looked shocked, obviously he was right.
Seeing this, Zhao Yang shook his head and explained: "Having fever all over the body does not mean that the medicine is effective. Even if you have typhoid fever, you will still have fever all over the body. Since the pre-Qin Dynasty, many people have refined elixirs and flying pills for longevity and freedom. In tonics such as ginseng, Mixed with minerals, such as Wu Shi Powder in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, it is said that in the Tang Dynasty, stalactites, amethyst quartz, white quartz, and stone sulfur were used... But the harm is actually the same. In the Tang Dynasty, five pills were eaten to death. Emperor?"
"Seriously?" Zhao Zhen looked solemn.
Zhao Yang nodded and said: "These minerals are difficult to excrete from the body and may not have much impact in the initial stage. However, if taken in too much, they will cause various harms, such as dizziness, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms, which can cause serious damage. Nerves, nerve damage is almost irreversible... If the officials don't believe it, they might as well catch a few fish and feed them food mixed with cinnabar, cinnabar and other substances. Based on the fish's endurance, the results will be seen in a few days. "
"I'll go right away." The flustered Wang Shougui hurriedly asked someone to catch fish, leaving only Zhao Yang and Zhao Zhen with a solemn look on his face.
Suddenly, Zhao Zhen asked in a low voice: "Will this 'heavy metal poison' you call it have any impact on the heirs?"
"This shouldn't be inherited, it can't reach there..." Zhao Yang glanced at Zhao Zhen's crotch with a strange expression, "The only thing that will affect the offspring is usually the mother, that is, the biological mother."
"..."
Zhao Zhen, who had just breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the first half of the sentence, suddenly changed his expression.
Seeing this, Zhao Yang couldn't help but think of a possibility.
As far as he knew, Renzong only had three daughters in his life, and all the other children died in infancy. Could this be related to this?
