As Empress Dowager Gao returned to power, Zhao Xu resumed his previous life.
Go to court! Next court!
Listen to the minister’s lectures and practice Cuju!
However, in this seemingly normal life, Fan Zheng saw a hint of absent-mindedness in Zhao Xu.
"The official seems to have something on his mind?" When the two were alone, Fan Zheng asked worriedly again.
Facing Fan Zheng's inquiry, Zhao Xu remained silent for a long time and finally sighed:
"When can I truly take charge!"
Facing Fan Zheng, Zhao Xu finally confided in his heart that although he was dissatisfied with the fact that the Empress Dowager had been controlling power before, he didn't feel too much.
During this period, Empress Dowager Gao finally became bedridden, and he had great power in the court and issued two decrees in succession.
He was highly praised by officials and received rave reviews from the public, which made him excited.
Just when he was high-spirited, Empress Dowager Gao returned to the court and easily regained power. Although she had won the respect of all officials, she was quite disappointed when she gained and lost power.
Fan Zheng frowned, knowing that Zhao Xu was addicted to power, but he did not persuade him directly. After all, it was the supreme imperial power, so how could he be persuaded by just one or two words.
"There is a minor minister who can let the officials take charge of the government as soon as possible!" Fan Zheng thought about it and thought of a good idea.
Zhao Xu couldn't wait to ask: "Doctor Fan, please tell me?"
Fan Zheng came closer to Zhao Xu and joked: "The official family is now getting married. If we can give birth to a prince as soon as possible and have the next generation of heirs, wouldn't it be one step closer to being in charge?"
When Zhao Xu heard this, his face turned red immediately. He did not expect that Fan Zheng would come up with such a evil recipe.
However, he knew that although Fan Zheng's prescription was evil, it was not unreasonable.
Part of the reason why Renzong did not take office until he was 23 years old was that Renzong had no heirs and did not have his eldest son until he was 27 years old. Unfortunately, he still died young.
If the queen is pregnant, it means that she has truly grown up and will be a great help to her in governing.
"The official and the queen have been married for a year, why haven't you conceived yet?" Fan Zheng suddenly frowned, thinking of the rumors in the palace that Queen Meng was appointed by the Empress Dowager. The official was very unhappy. Could it be that the official disliked her? Due to the Queen.
"I…………."
Zhao Xu opened his mouth but stopped talking.
"If the officials don't like her, why would they marry her? How could the queen enter the palace without your majesty's approval!" Fan Zheng persuaded, "Besides, the real fault is not with the queen, nor with your majesty, nor with the empress dowager, but with the empress dowager. It’s this marriage custom. There are many blind marriages and arranged marriages in the world, and it’s not just an example among officials.”
Zhao Xu said gloomily: "Mr. Fan can stand and speak without hurting your back. You got your wish and finally got married to the most talented woman in the world, but I can only marry a woman I don't love."
Fan Zheng retorted: "How could your Majesty not be aware of Wei Chen's situation? Wei Chen and Qing Zhao's love for each other still caused an uproar. If Wei Chen and Qing Zhao weren't a bit talented, I'm afraid they still wouldn't be able to escape this disaster."
Zhao Xu was speechless for a moment. Fan Zheng and Li Qingzhao made a private decision for life, which caused an uproar. The two even wrote love poems to each other, and achieved their love with one eternal famous poem. However, it was the Empress Dowager who appointed Meng. As the queen, he did not dare to resist.
Fan Zheng added: "Even in the eyes of Wei Chen, the real misfortune is not the official family, but the queen. In the future, the official family will have three palaces and six courtyards. They will definitely be able to find their beloved, but the queen may have to marry someone else." People who love themselves are doomed to a life of tragedy. "
When Zhao Xu heard this, he was shocked and thoughtful.
Fan Zheng looked at Zhao Xu and said bluntly. As men, since we marry her, we must be responsible for her. The official and the queen are already married, and the fate and honor of the two of you have been tied together. If there is anyone in the world who wants the official to rule the country most, I think Queen Meng should be the first. Because she has no way out. "
Zhao Xu's expression changed, and he finally gritted his teeth and said: "I will naturally be responsible for the queen, but it's not that I don't like the queen, but that the queen is very likely to be infertile!"
"The queen is infertile?" Fan Zheng looked surprised!
Zhao Xu looked embarrassed and said: "That's right, otherwise how could a normal couple have been in the same room for a year without getting pregnant!"
He is also a young man with a strong temper, how can he withstand the temptation between husband and wife, and being newly married, he is not neglecting the queen.
Fan Zheng looked at Zhao Xu with a strange expression and said, "Infertility between men and women is not necessarily the woman's responsibility. It may also be..."
"Impossible, I am very strong!" Zhao Xu said angrily in embarrassment.
After this period of training, Zhao Xu has indeed become much stronger. However, Fan Zheng did not say it clearly, because many times this kind of thing does not depend on whether he is strong or not.
"Have you ever seen an imperial doctor?" Fan Zheng asked.
Zhao Xu shook his head, looked at Fan Zheng and said strangely: "Who still sees the imperial doctor now?"
"Well!"
Fan Zheng was speechless. When did imperial doctor become a derogatory term?
However, he understood what Zhao Xu meant. Nowadays, the medical skills of traditional Chinese medicine hospitals are well-deserved to be the best in the world. Many dignitaries' first choice for medical treatment has changed from imperial doctors to traditional Chinese medicine hospitals.
"When it comes to infertility, the female doctor Zhang Youniang is the most convenient. The officials can call her into the palace for diagnosis and treatment." Fan Zheng suggested.
"Thank you, Doctor Fan!" Zhao Xu finally nodded cautiously.
The next day, Fan Zheng and Zhao Xu were exercising normally, when suddenly a palace maid came to report: "To inform the officials, Female Doctor Zhang asked Imperial Doctor Fan to go to Longyou Palace with the officials."
"Longyou Palace?"
Fan Zheng couldn't help but be stunned. You must know that Longyou Palace is the palace of Queen Meng, and today Zhang Youniang entered the palace to diagnose and treat Queen Meng. Could it be that the problem has really been found?
At this moment, Fan Zheng looked at Zhao Xu who was standing aside.
Zhao Xu spread his hands and signaled to Fan Zheng that it was indeed Queen Meng who was unable to conceive.
At that moment, Fan Zheng said solemnly: "Okay, I, the imperial physician, will go with the officials right now."
Soon, the two arrived at Longyou Palace. Fan Zheng saw a dignified and virtuous woman in palace clothes weeping. She was none other than the current Queen Meng.
"I have seen the official family!" Queen Meng saw Zhao Xu arriving and quickly wiped her tears and saluted.
Queen Meng was not extremely beautiful, but rather dignified in appearance and abiding by etiquette in her behavior, which did not make Zhao Xu fall in love.
Zhao Xu didn't like Queen Meng's seriousness, but after Fan Zheng's persuasion and the husband and wife's kindness, he stepped forward to help Queen Meng and comforted her: "It doesn't matter, I'm here for everything."
Zhang Youniang on the side shook her head and said: "Don't worry, officials, there is nothing wrong with the Queen!"
Zhao Xu, who was comforting Queen Meng, stiffened when he heard this, and couldn't help but think of the strange look Fan Zheng gave him just now.
"Impossible, I..." Zhao Xu said with a red face.
Zhang Youniang frowned and said: "This is also where I am confused. It is extremely rare for two young men and women to be infertile for a year, so I am helpless. Dr. Fan once found out that infertility occurred in close relatives, so he invited Dr. Fan to help."
Fan Zheng frowned and said: "There are only a few causes of infertility. In addition to the causes of both parties themselves, what has been identified so far is the possibility of incest marriage, which obviously the officials and the queen can rule out, and pills." Drugs like these can also cause infertility!”
Zhao Xu shook his head and said: "This is impossible. The queen and I are young, how can we take medicines such as elixirs."
Suddenly Zhang Youniang and Fan Zheng frowned.
Zhang Youniang hesitated and said: "Could it be that the official family and the queen were not close to each other? After all, there are many cases where a woman has not been pregnant for a year."
Fan Zheng suddenly thought of Zhao Xu's failure in the future, and suddenly said with a solemn expression: "No, there is definitely something wrong!"
Zhao Xu and Queen Meng were suddenly startled and immediately looked at Fan Zheng nervously.
"Has Doctor Fan made any discoveries?" Zhao Xu asked.
Fan Zheng nodded heavily and said: "Have the officials noticed that since Zhenzong, it has been difficult for emperors to have heirs? Most of the princes born in the palace died in infancy. There is no such coincidence in the world, and it is not like this among the people. The royal family still has medical skills. There is definitely something wrong with the superb medical treatment.”
Zhao Xu's expression changed, and he gritted his teeth one last time and said: "This is a curse from the royal family. It is widely said that the Zhao family has gained the country unfairly and has been punished by this heaven."
Fan Zheng shook his head and said: "In the eyes of doctors, the curse theory is nonsense. There must be some unknown evil magic at work. If the reason is not found, the officials may repeat the mistakes of previous emperors."
Zhao Xu's heart was shocked, and his whole body became cold. He was the emperor, so he naturally knew his own affairs.
Zhenzong had six sons, five of whom died early, leaving only Renzong.
All three sons of Renzong died, and eight princesses died early, leaving no successors.
The father also lost five sons in a row. After he survived by chance, several younger brothers and sisters subsequently died in infancy.
If he makes the same mistake again, he may suffer the pain of losing his children continuously, or he may end up like Renzong.
"Please also ask Dr. Fan to save me!" Zhao Xu said with a solemn salute.
Fan Zheng returned the courtesy and said: "We are honored by Your Majesty, so it is our duty to do so. This evil has been rampant in the palace for hundreds of years without being discovered. We need helpers who are proficient in medical skills, preferably from outside the palace."
"I will issue an edict if Imperial Physician Fan needs help from anyone." Zhao Xu said without hesitation.
Fan Zheng said solemnly: "Wei Chen needs the assistance of Su Dun, a forensic doctor who is proficient in solving crimes, and Sai Huatuo and Yang Jie."
"Yes!" Zhao Xu said with a big wave of his hand. At this moment, he naturally did not believe the people in the palace. Su Dun and Yang Jie were the most suitable candidates.
At that moment, Zhao Xu told the personal eunuch on the side: "Go and convey the order immediately. At the same time, please ask the Empress Dowager to come. Remember to keep it confidential."
"Yes!" the eunuch said.
"From now on, Longyou Palace is not allowed to enter or leave at will without any decree." Zhao Xu ordered decisively.
……………………
An hour later, Su Dun and Yang Jie hurried to Longyou Palace, only to hear the needle drop in Longyou Palace and covered with dark clouds.
"See the Empress Dowager, see the official family!" The two of them were confused and didn't know why they were summoned into the palace.
Empress Dowager Gao said in a heavy voice: "Fan Aiqing, please explain the situation to the two miracle doctors."
Fan Zheng nodded, walked to the two of them, and placed a royal genealogy in front of them.
"This is impossible?" Seeing the high infant mortality rate in the royal family, the two people exclaimed almost at the same time.
Such a high rate of premature death is extremely rare even in the private sector, let alone in a palace where imperial doctors gather.
A trace of pain flashed across Empress Dowager Gao's face. She had always thought that the failure of the royal family's heirs was a curse from the Zhao family, or that the emperors had bad fortunes. However, the evil doctors, miracle doctors, and forensic doctors of the time all agreed that there was something wrong. I'm afraid there must be a big problem.
"Please also ask your three beloved ladies to find out this evil spell." Empress Dowager Gao said solemnly.
The three of them nodded heavily.
Soon, Su Dun took the lead and said: "First of all, the evil magic must be within the palace. Taizong's sons were not born in the palace, so their survival rate is extremely high, while Zhenzong's descendants have begun to die in large numbers, so much so that Renzong has simply died out."
"Although Yingzong was adopted by Renzong in the palace, he was out of the palace for a period of time afterwards. The sons of the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager were also born outside the palace. Three of the four sons were born, and the late emperor..."
Su Dun's words were not over yet. Everyone was feeling cold. It was obvious that all the princes outside the palace could survive, but all the princes born in the palace had a bad fate.
Yang Jie quickly looked through the medical records and medical prescriptions of the princes who died in infancy in the past, and finally breathed a sigh of relief and said: "There is nothing wrong with the medical prescriptions prescribed by the imperial physicians of the past dynasties. The evil magic does not belong to the imperial physicians."
Fan Zheng nodded and said: "Yes, I once suspected that it was cholera in the harem. However, I saw that the princes died young in the past queens, and the same happened to the concubines, so the suspicion of the harem was also ruled out."
When Queen Meng heard about cholera in the harem, her face turned pale. Then Fan Zheng ruled out the suspicion and breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
The Empress Dowager looked at Zhao Xu and said meaningfully: "The royal queens in all dynasties have always given top priority to their moral character."
Zhao Xu was silent for a moment. Except for her slightly inferior appearance, Queen Meng was impeccable.
"Is there a doubt here? Most of the surviving princes are born to concubines with low status. This is true for Renzong and the same is true for officials. This shows that this evil spell is mainly targeted at the emperor and the eminent queen and concubines." Su Dun said with a frown.
The Empress Dowager could not help but be stunned. She had always looked down on Concubine Zhu, who was of low birth, but she did not expect that it was Concubine Zhu's low birth that allowed the official family to be preserved.
Yang Jie also nodded and said: "In the past, it was difficult for officials to have heirs. Many of the sons in the harem died just after birth, but they were not completely infertile. This shows that the problem was with the bodies of the officials and the harem concubines. This unknown thing that affects fertility is in the palace, causing officials and the queen to be chronically poisoned."
Queen Meng suddenly staggered. It had been more than a year since she entered the palace and she had not been able to conceive yet. She was probably plotted against her.
Fan Zheng nodded and said: "There are only two reasons why people can be poisoned without knowing it. One is that the place where they live all year round is poisonous, and the other is that the food they often eat is poisonous."
At that moment, the three of them looked at each other and immediately understood that they were getting closer to the truth.
Su Dun took a deep breath and said: "It is said that the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin used mercury to drain the rivers and seas. Mercury is so volatile that no grass grows on the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin. Cinnabar has always been used to repel insects in the construction of palaces. Cinnabar is used to refine mercury. Ingredients, maybe……………….”
Zhao Xu and others were frightened when they heard this. They lived in the most magnificent house in the world, but they were almost lying on a pile of poison.
Fan Zheng shook his head and said: "There is not much cinnabar used to repel insects, and it has been a hundred years, so its toxicity is minimal. Moreover, the symptoms of cinnabar poisoning are obvious, and it is impossible for the imperial doctors of the past dynasties not to notice it."
Yang Jie frowned and said, "Then there is only one possibility."
"Imperial Room!"
The three of them said in unison.
(End of chapter)
