The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 562 Heart Disease
In the upper study room, Li Yuanzheng and several chief physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau had arrived and were standing there in silence waiting for Li Hu to review the medical records.

Jia She also came and was given a seat, but his face was full of fear. He was not pretending. If anything happened to the adopted grandson of the second house, the entire first house would be in trouble, very unlucky!
Glancing at Jia Lian who was kneeling at the door, Jia She sighed silently and then touched his sleeves.

Jia Lian, who was kneeling there, was now extremely frightened and sweating profusely. He was called directly from the duty room of the Ministry of Personnel and had no idea of ​​the specific situation of the little emperor.

After reading the medical records, Li Hu slowly raised his head and said to Li Yuanzheng and others, "You must take the patient's pulse carefully and take good care of him. You should take turns to take care of the patient in two shifts every day. You can't stop."

Li Yuanzheng and the other imperial doctors: "Yes."

Li Hu: "No one is allowed to reveal anything about what happened today."

The imperial doctors all replied, “Yes.” They bowed and retreated.

The study room fell into silence again.

Suddenly, the sound of bronze horses "ding-dong-dong" came from under the eaves of the hall.

Li Hu glanced at the little fat man.

The little fat man smiled and said, "It's been more than ten days, and the wind has finally started to blow. God is still looking after our Tang Dynasty. It will definitely rain in the next day or two."

Li Hu: "Speak less. Let them talk."

Little Fatty: "Yes."

There is no nonsense in officialdom, and a simple sentence often contains a lot of mysteries.

Jia She grasped the key point from the fat man's words. God favors the Tang Dynasty, which means that the second son's adopted grandson is fine.

Jia She felt relieved, but he had to speak up: "It's all because of my poor parenting that things turned out like this. Please, Your Majesty, punish me to uphold your virtue." As he said that, he knelt down from the chair.

Li Hu didn't say anything.

Jia Lian: "No matter how wrong I am, it's all my fault. As long as it can clear your reputation, I ask the emperor to punish me." After saying that, he took off the black gauze hat on his head and put it on the ground.

Li Hu still didn't speak.

Jia She sighed in his heart. He understood that what Li Hu wanted was the black hat on his head.

In fact, he had thought of it a long time ago. For so many years, Li Hu had been shirking his responsibilities with various excuses and reasons, leaving the positions of the first and second assistant ministers in the cabinet vacant. He understood Li Hu's intention to suppress the Jia family.

The current Jia family is known as the number one family in the capital. There is one concubine and one imperial concubine in the harem, a cabinet minister and a minister of the Ministry of Personnel in the previous dynasty, and there is also a Jia Yun in the army. Jia Yucun, the minister of rites, is also a member of the Jia family. Shi Ding, the Marquis of Zhongjing, who leads the troops in the south, is also a relative of the Jia family. In addition, Jia Tanchun gave birth to a prince.

In Li Hu's eyes, the Jia family's power has become too great to be eliminated!
Thinking of this, Jia She closed his eyes, took off his black gauze hat and put it on the ground. Then he took out the resignation letter that he had prepared long ago from his sleeve and held it high above his head: "Your Majesty, I am an old minister with a talent of little use. I am honored by Your Majesty for not abandoning me and entrusting me with important tasks. However, I am old and my eyesight is blurry. I can no longer serve Your Majesty. Please forgive me! I beg Your Majesty to allow me to retire and return home!"

When these words were spoken, Jia Lian was the first to be stunned.

The little fat man was also stunned at this time. He looked at Jia She and then at Li Hu.

Li Hu also looked at him.

The fat boy understood and hurried to Jia She, took the resignation letter, walked back to Li Hu and held it there.

As the resignation letter in his hand was taken away, the last glimmer of hope in Jia She's heart also disappeared.

"Lord Jia." Li Hu spoke.

"I'm here." Jia She answered as calmly as he could.

Li Hu: "The father-in-law can only come to Beijing before the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Everyone understood, and Li Hu agreed.

Of course Jia She understood the hidden meaning of Li Hu's words.

Jia She: "I, this old minister, will work diligently and do my job well, waiting for the emperor's father-in-law to come to the capital."

Li Hu nodded with satisfaction: "After so many years, Jia Lian has gained enough experience, so let him join the cabinet and be appointed as a cabinet member, and let him be the Minister of Personnel."

What does it mean that thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from heaven? Jia She and his son Jia Lian really felt it from the bottom of their hearts.

Jia She and Jia Lian kowtowed almost at the same time: "Thank you."

Li Hu: "Your positions will remain unchanged for now, just do what you need to do."

"Yes."

Jia She and Jia Lian then picked up their black gauze hats from the ground and put them on. Jia Lian stood up quickly, but Jia She supported himself with his hands but could not stand up for a while.

Li Hu looked at Jia Lian and said, "Help your father up."

"Yes." Jia Lian walked a few steps to Jia She and helped him up. The father and son walked out with different moods.

Li Hu: "Send twenty eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department and tell them to keep an eye on it and make sure nothing like this happens again."

Little Fatty: "Yes."

At this moment, a thunderous sound like shaking the sky rolled over the roof of the Qianqing Palace.

Then, there was a flash of lightning, and then the sound of rain like pine waves came.

Li Hu stood up, walked to the window and looked at the rain curtain outside, and said to himself: "Time flies so fast, in a blink of an eye I will be thirty years old."

The ancients believed that people should grow a beard at the age of 30. Li Hu has already grown a beard and a moustache, exuding a restrained and steady masculine charm.

The windows were wide open, and the fragrant spring breeze blew Li Hu's silk gown back.

Behind him, the fat man was holding a stack of official documents and reading: "The Governor of Shaanxi and Gansu reported that the railway track is expected to be laid to Lanzhou in early May, but..."

Li Hu looked into the distance: "What's wrong?"

Little Fatty: "A large number of prisoners of war have died of exhaustion. This may affect the subsequent bridge and road construction plans."

As the Tang army swept across the northwest, many rebels were captured and became low-cost labor for the Tang Dynasty. Prisoners of war in Shaanxi and Gansu were sent to state-owned farms in Heilongjiang to reclaim land, plant crops, and undergo labor reform. As for the prisoners of war who were destroyed by the Tang Dynasty, some were sent to mines in the Mobei grasslands to dig for ore, and the rest became laborers to lay train tracks for the Tang Dynasty.

In order to lay the railway tracks as quickly as possible, hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war worked day and night to lay the railway tracks from Shaanxi to Gansu. The price paid was very high, and the first batch of prisoners of war were all exhausted to death.

Li Hu frowned. "Chen Qiang's Western Expedition Corps has rested in Yumen Pass for more than two months and has basically adapted to the environment there. I ordered them to leave the pass at an appropriate time, wipe out all the indigenous tribes, and send all the prisoners of war to Gansu to build bridges and roads."

The little fat man: "Yes." He answered and took out another official document, and at first glance he showed a strange look.

Li Hu: "What's wrong?"

Little Fatty: "It's an official document from the Guangdong Navy Office."

Li Hu: "What are you talking about? Read it."

Little Fatty: "The U.S. and English merchant fleets clashed in the Guangdong waters. The U.S. used artillery and the Guangdong Navy sank a U.S. merchant ship, captured crew members from both countries, and seized their merchant ships and cargo."

Li Hu snorted and said, "Send a reply to the Guangdong Navy Office to chop off the heads of the leaders of the two caravans and hang them on the flagpole at the port for public display. All the goods on the ships will be confiscated."

The little fat man smiled and said, "Yes."

At this moment, the clock in the corner rang.

The little fat man glanced and said: "Your Majesty, it's time to call a meeting in front of the emperor." Li Hu turned around and said: "Then call them over."

The little fat man said: "Yes." and walked out.

Li Hu walked to the imperial desk and sat down. Just like in the history of the previous life, the United States gained independence through the "Tea War", and then suffered an economic blockade from England, so it sought direct trade with Dashun. More than a decade ago, the "Empress of China" arrived in Dashun with the hopes of the United States and established trade relations with the local emperor Wu family in the southeast.

Chinese people like sandalwood, so the United States cut down almost all the sandalwood trees in Hawaii. Chinese people need all kinds of fur to make clothes and weave cloth, so the United States hunted a large number of otters and sea otters in the Pacific Ocean. Then they shipped a lot of tea back. They not only consumed it themselves, but also acted as middlemen and sold a lot of goods to South America.

At this time, the United States was very humble. They needed trade with Chinese people to boost their economy and break the English blockade.

Li Hu naturally set his sights on the land of the United States, no, the land of the Indians. But the time is not yet ripe, so he will deal with them after defeating Shui Rong and the Western Barbarians.

With the weapons and equipment of the Tang Dynasty, Shui Rong fought back and forth with the Western Yi coalition forces on the territory of the Rakshasa Kingdom, and even overwhelmed the Western Yi coalition forces in momentum at one point.

According to history, Queen Rakshasa will die of illness at the end of this year, and the situation on the battlefield may undergo major changes.

At this time, Lin Ruhai led the two great scholars Shi and Meng and Jia Lian in and knelt down together: "Greetings to the Holy Lord."

Li Hu: "Get up."

Everyone bowed their heads and stood up.

Li Hu: "Today I will tell you one thing. The situation on the battlefield in the west may see major changes by the end of this year. The Tang Dynasty must be prepared to participate in the war. In addition, I will personally lead the troops to the west, so I plan to go to the Central Plains and Jiangnan. First, to see the government affairs and folk customs of each province, and second, to deter some evil-minded scoundrels and further consolidate the rule of the Tang Dynasty."

Jia Lian and the two great scholars Shi and Meng all turned their eyes to Lin Ruhai.

Lin Ruhai asked, "May I ask when the emperor is going to go on tour? Who will assist the crown prince in governing the country? Who will accompany him?"

Li Hu: "I will leave in a few days. I am relieved that the father-in-law and the two old masters are here in the capital. As for the officials accompanying me, Jia Lian and Jia Yucun can just follow."

Lin Ruhai thought for a moment and said, "Yes."

At this moment, the little fat man walked in quickly and silently and reported to Li Hu: "Your Majesty, the vice president of the Royal Academy is here."

Li Hu: "Please come in."

After a while, the fat man came in with the vice-president of the Royal Academy.

The vice president of the Royal Academy came over hurriedly with a roll of blueprints: "Your Majesty, the steam engine tailor-made for ironclad ships has been successfully developed."

Li Hu's eyes lit up: "Oh? Open it and take a look."

The little fat man took the drawing, quickly unfolded it and spread it flat on the imperial desk.

Lin Ruhai, Jia Lian, and the two Grand Secretaries Shi and Meng all gathered around and looked at the blueprint.

Vice President of the Royal Academy: "This steam engine is called a multi-expansion steam engine. It consists of multiple single-acting cylinders with increasing diameters. The steam engine in the drawing consists of three cylinders. If there is a need in the future, a vertical cylinder can be added. When the high-pressure steam comes out of the boiler, it first pushes the first and smallest piston.

As this piston begins to withdraw, a portion of the expanded steam is driven into the second cylinder, pushing its piston, and thus continuing to use the steam expanded in the first cylinder, the third cylinder uses the steam expanded in the second cylinder.

At this point, he smiled and said, "The reason for developing this steam engine is that the current steam engines consume too much water. On land, steam engines can be refilled with water anytime and anywhere, but warships cannot, which seriously limits the range of warships. The steam generated by this new steam engine can be re-entered into the boiler for reheating after continuous decompression during the work process, which greatly saves fresh water!"

Everyone's eyes lit up. In this way, the ironclad ship could travel farther!

Li Hu nodded with satisfaction: "Start production trials immediately, and then replace all the ironclad ships under construction with this steam engine!" Then he looked at Lin Ruhai and said, "First, allocate one million silver dollars from the tax silver paid by Fusang Province to the Royal Academy."

Lin Ruhai: "Yes."

Li Hu also said to the vice president of the Imperial Academy: "All meritorious personnel will be promoted to the third level and awarded one year's salary."

The vice president of the Royal Academy was beaming with joy as he answered loudly, "I, the leader of the research team, would like to thank the emperor for his grace!"

Li Hu: "Okay, everyone go back to your own business."

"Yes." Lin Ruhai led everyone to bow and walked out of the study.

"The Prime Minister stays." Li Hu added.

Lin Ruhai stopped.

Li Hu stood up and walked over, saying with a smile: "The prince is still young, I'll have to trouble you to take care of the affairs of the capital."

Lin Ruhai: "Yes."

Li Hu: "I will take Lin Daiyu with me on this southern tour to Suzhou to pay tribute to my mother-in-law."

"Okay!" Lin Ruhai nodded heavily, was silent for a moment, and said: "If the situation permits, the emperor is in Suzhou."

Li Hu smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will stay with Sister Lin in Suzhou for a few days. When I return to Beijing, I will bring you some Suzhou specialties."

Lin Ruhai bowed to Li Hu and said, "Then I would like to thank the emperor in advance."

Li Hu: "Let's have dinner together tonight. Shouchang misses his grandfather."

Hearing this, Lin Ruhai showed a kind smile on his face: "Okay." Then he walked out.

Li Hu smiled and said to the fat man, "Let's go to Concubine Xian's palace." After that, he walked out.

The little fat man hurriedly followed him out.

As soon as he walked into the palace, Li Hu smelled a strong smell of medicine. He saw Ying'er squatting in front of a small stove outside the bedroom door, fanning herself and boiling medicine.

Li Hu sighed silently. Xue Baochai was ill and had a miscarriage. In addition, she was too sad and mentally distressed. She had been taking medicine for half a year, but her condition did not improve.

Li Yuanzheng said that Xue Baochai had a heart disease and could only be cured slowly.

Li Hu smiled bitterly. Xue Pan's wife gave birth to a son in early August last year. When the child was one month old, he announced the news. Unexpectedly, Xue Baochai was pregnant for more than a month.

Ying'er wrapped the handle of the medicine pot with a piece of cloth and slowly poured the medicine into the medicine bowl.

Li Hu walked over and said, "Let me do it." He took the medicine bowl from Ying'er and walked into the bedroom.

Ying'er followed in hurriedly.

In the bedroom, Xue Baochai sat on the couch in a daze.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor is here." Ying'er walked forward and said softly.

Xue Baochai then came to her senses and was about to stand up and salute.

Li Hu hurriedly said, "Don't move, just sit there." He blew on the bowl of medicine gently, then handed it over, "Take the medicine."

Xue Baochai said obediently, "Yes." She took the bowl of medicine and started drinking it.

All that should be said had been said, and all that should be advised had been given. Li Hu did not know how to start again. After thinking for a moment, he said to Xue Baochai, "I am planning to go to the south to have a look. You should come with me to relax."

Xue Baochai hummed again.

Li Hu was silent for a moment, then said to the fat boy waiting outside the palace door: "Tell the queen that we will leave in three days."

(End of this chapter)