Early in the morning.
The young eunuch arrived as promised and carried Li Qing to the Zhenfu Division. The soft sedan was bumpy and quite comfortable.
No matter how big or small their official positions are, officials in the capital always travel in sedan chairs. Even if they live in poverty, they will still make a fool of themselves by pretending to be fat. After all, they are officials and they have a lot of face.
In fact, with the salary of the governor, it is not a problem to raise a few bearers, but Li Qing feels that it is not necessary. It is not far from the Yamen and the palace, so there is no need to spend that money, and there is not enough room for so many people in the house.
Fewer people means more private space.
In one morning, Li Qing recruited nearly 400 people, bringing the total number to over a thousand, so he started to mess around in the afternoon.
The confiscation of the house was handed over to Zhang Jing. He was now free and at ease. Lao Zhu had promised to recruit 3,000 people in two months. Under the propaganda of the 'recruitment revelation', it was not a problem at all, and there was no need for him to rush.
During the lunch break, Lianxiang shyly entered Li Qingwu to make up for her mistake last night.
In the afternoon, Li Qing drank tea and read the Ming Dynasty Rules, which was pleasant and fulfilling.
Now that "the limelight is getting tight", he can't go to the palace for the time being. He can only stay at home and enjoy listening to the rain with begonias, fishing by the stream, playing the flute under the moon, and walking around the flower stream... It's plain and interesting.
During this period, Wan Ling also had the courage to shyly enter his house, but he drove her back.
It's too small to get rid of.
Ordinary days, time always flies by, and before you know it, it is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Jin Yiwei has recruited enough three thousand people, and they can start training when Liu Qiang and the others come back.
The persimmons in the yard were bright red. The girls climbed up the ladder to pick two large baskets and put an apple on them. They would be ready to eat in two days.
After picking the persimmons, the three girls 'dressed up' again, went out to buy wine, food, and moon cakes, and came back. They worked all afternoon and cooked a lot of dishes.
In the evening, the four of them drank in the courtyard, admired the moon, played the piano and played music, and shared moon cakes...
Li Qing liked this slow-paced life very much, but he also knew that if he wanted to maintain such a life, he had to finish his errands first, so he entered the palace the next day.
Empress Ma was in a very good mood. Her daughter was no longer looking for life and death. She spent the Mid-Autumn Festival together with her children and grandchildren last night, and she no longer cared about Li Qing's faults.
"Mother, the next stage of acupuncture will be carried out tomorrow." Li Qing reminded, "You can no longer travel at will during the acupuncture period. If you have anything to do, do it quickly!"
"So fast?" Queen Ma asked in surprise, "Li Qing, honestly speaking, how is my health now?"
"fine."
Queen Ma frowned, "What are you talking about? I'm asking how much time is left?"
Li Qing smiled bitterly, "What do you mean by this minister? Many situations are uncontrollable. Your Majesty, you are forcing yourself to do something difficult."
"Give me a rough idea." Queen Ma said, "I have the right to know how long my life will be, right?"
Li Qing was helpless, "Ideally, it would be during the Chinese New Year."
"What if it's not ideal?"
"Around the twelfth lunar month."
Queen Ma nodded lightly, "In other words, I only have about three months left?"
"Um."
"It's so short!" Queen Ma sighed, and then she felt relieved, "That's good. If it weren't for you, I would have been buried."
Seeing that she was in a bad mood, Li Qing comforted her: "As long as you stay in a good mood, you may be able to have spring next year."
Empress Ma smiled bitterly, "By the way, if your master comes, can you extend my time for me?"
"It's difficult." Li Qing shook his head, "He is also a human being, and he is far less divine than the rumors say."
"Yes, doctors can cure diseases, but they cannot cure lives. It's because I am greedy." Empress Ma sighed slightly and said seriously: "There is only so much time left, and I don't want to stay in the palace all day waiting to die.
I want to go out often and spend time with my children and grandchildren. "
Li Qing suddenly felt a headache, "Mother, if you want to do this, maybe..."
"This is my choice!"
"..." Li Qing couldn't resist her, so he had to say, "Then I will go back and revise the treatment plan again."
"Yes." Queen Ma's expression softened a bit, "Don't worry, no matter what, I will give you peace before I die, and I will not let the emperor blame you."
"Thank you, empress."
Outside Qianqing Palace, Li Qing let out a long sigh, feeling quite heavy.
In fact, if Queen Ma is willing to obey, he is sure to let her survive this year, but then...she will suffer from illness.
However, he respects Queen Ma's choice.
Comparing his feelings, if it were him, he wouldn't want to lie in bed waiting for death.
"Li Qing." Zhu Biao walked over quickly, "How is your mother's condition?"
"Your Majesty's phoenix body is safe for the time being." Li Qing cupped his hands, "The next stage of treatment is about to begin."
Zhu Biao frowned and said displeased: "What did you do? My mother was clearly about to recover some time ago, so why is her condition getting worse now?"
"..." Li Qing was silent for a moment, and then told part of the truth, "Your Highness, the empress's body has been damaged for a long time, and she can only maintain it for now."
"What?" Zhu Biao was furious, "Didn't you say it can be cured?"
"It can be cured, but it's not curable." Li Qing said truthfully, "Your Highness, so many doctors in the imperial hospital are helpless. I really tried my best."
"you……"
Zhu Biao was so angry that he wanted to hit someone, but he quickly calmed down and asked, "How long can it last?"
"This minister is not sure either."
"Let's go with Gu to see the emperor."
"I still have something to do." Li Qing waved his hands repeatedly. He really didn't want to face Lao Zhu.
Zhu Biao didn't care whether he wanted to or not, so he pulled him towards the imperial study room.
In the imperial study room, Zhu Yuanzhang learned that his sister was going to die soon, and he immediately panicked. He was not as gentle as Zhu Biao, so he opened his mouth and said:
"If you can't cure me, don't live anymore."
When Li Qing saw this situation, he simply showed his cards directly and took a precaution in advance, which was better than telling the truth after Empress Ma's funeral.
"Your Majesty, even if you kill me, you still can't save the empress." Li Qing was very calm, "Wei Chen is just a common man, not a god. Human life will eventually end..."
"We don't care about that." Zhu Yuanzhang said murderously, "The day when the Queen is buried will be the day when your head falls to the ground."
Li Qing was too lazy to argue. Even if he was full of words, what could he do if he encountered an unreasonable person?
Zhu Yuanzhang was incompetent and furious for a while, and then gradually regained his senses.
"How much time does the queen have?"
"About...two months!"
"What?" Zhu Yuanzhang, who had just calmed down, roared again: "Only two months?
Do you fucking know how to see a doctor? "
When Li Qing saw Lao Zhu looking like this, he felt a little glad that he had told the truth at this moment.
Otherwise, when Lao Zhu gets angry, he might actually behead him. Now, no matter how angry Lao Zhu is, he will not kill him easily. It will be fine if he slowly accepts it.
"The queen must be allowed to live for another ten years." Zhu Yuanzhang said domineeringly.
Li Qing was silent.
"Then five years."
Li Qing remained silent.
"Two years, no more." Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, "Don't challenge our limits."
Do you think this is a vegetable market where you can still bargain? Li Qing looked sad: "Your Majesty, I forgive you for being rude. Your Majesty is already terminally ill. It will be the same for anyone who comes."
"Fuck you..." Zhu Yuanzhang was annoyed, pulled out the sword next to the throne and greeted Li Qing.
Damn it! ! !
Li Qing was startled. He didn't have the mentality of 'If you let me die, I will have to die', so I quickly dodged.
The Longquan sword was extremely sharp, and Lao Zhu was angry. If he was struck by the sword, he would be disabled or even dead.
It’s not easy to get angry!
The more he hid, the angrier Zhu Yuanzhang became, and his sword rushed towards his vital points. Zhu Biao could not persuade him even if he wanted to.
Li Qing hid and ran out of the hall, shouting: "The Master said: The small stick is accepted, the big stick is taken away.
The emperor is the father of the Ming Dynasty. How can a humble minister, a subject, bring the emperor and father into injustice?
I am not afraid of death, but I want to protect your father’s reputation..."
There was wind under his feet, and he ran so fast.
Lao Zhu was over fifty, so he couldn't catch up. After a while, Li Qing disappeared.
"Bastard, bastard..."
Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he chopped down the tree randomly.
Li Qing no longer cared about court etiquette, and ran all the way through the palace. After leaving the palace gate, he ran straight home, locked the door, and leaned against it, panting.
Too broad to be afraid~
After waiting in fear for more than an hour, but still no imperial envoy delivering the order, Li Qing's heart finally returned to his stomach. It seemed that Lao Zhu had calmed down.
"Sir, what's wrong with you?"
"It's okay." Li Qing waved his hand gently, "I'm being hunted."
"My lord is now the governor, who dares to chase you." Lianxiang put her hands on her hips and hummed, "I'm really tired of living."
"..." Li Qing rolled his eyes, "Your Majesty."
Three girls: (⊙o⊙)…
"Don't be afraid, it's actually nothing." Li Qing comforted, "It will be fine when the emperor's anger has subsided."
Wan Ling asked worriedly, "Sir, are you really okay?"
"Don't worry, I would have run away if something happened." Li Qing smiled and said, "Go cook!"
Seeing that he was still in the mood to joke, the three women felt relieved and went to work with the vegetable baskets.
After these days of practice, the three women's cooking skills have become increasingly better, and their meals have become more presentable and delicious.
After lunch, Li Qing began to study treatment options...
