Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 273 Before the Great Change
"Wang Shouwen was defeated?"

On July 28, the 13th year of the Dazhong period, when Ma Gongru learned that the rebellion of Wang Shouwen and Wu Wei had been suppressed, there was no expression of joy on his face.

At this moment, he was standing outside the side hall of the Zichen Palace, and the hall was filled with a strong smell of medicine.

Ma Gongru walked into the side hall, where all the high-ranking officials of the Northern Department were standing.

In front of the dragon bed, the imperial physician Li Yuanbo and others surrounded the bed, apparently checking the emperor's condition.

Ma Gongru walked into the team on the left side of the dragon bed and stood at the first left position. Facing him was Wang Zongshi, the lieutenant of the left army of Shen Ce.

Counting from Wang Zongshi onwards, they are Qi Yuanshi, deputy envoy of the left army, and Qi Yuanjian, envoy of the Northern Court of Xuanhui.

Facing the three men were Privy Councilor Ma Gongru, Privy Councilor Wang Guichang, Xuanhui Southern Courtyard Envoy Wang Jufang, and Right Army Lieutenant Wang Maoxuan.

As everyone was looking at each other, footsteps were heard outside the hall, followed by the sound of singing a ceremony.

"His Royal Highness Prince Kui requests to see His Majesty..."

"Let Shiro in."

A voice came from the dragon couch, although it was weak, it was still the emperor's voice.

Upon hearing this, Ma Gongru and others showed joy on their faces, and then sent Wang Jufang to convey the message.

Wang Zongshi and the other two had grim expressions on their faces and could only watch Wang Jufang bring Kui Wang Li Zi into the palace.

At the same time, Li Yuanbo and others also walked out of the dragon bed.

When a few people walked out, what appeared in front of everyone was that they had to lie on the couch, with several small bumps the size of fingernails on their backs.

These small lumps were swollen and red, forcing Li Chen to not lie down to rest and could only lie on his stomach.

"Aye!"

Seeing this scene, Li Zi not only did not avoid it, but walked forward crying and knelt in front of Li Chen's bed.

"Shiro, don't cry..."

Li Chen's face was pale, but he still comforted Li Zi.

"Doctor Li, Your Majesty, this is..."

Ma Gongru and others rushed forward, surrounded Li Yuanbo and others and questioned them.

Li Yuanbo's expression was solemn, which made everyone nervous.

"Your Majesty, this is a back carbuncle caused by external rheumatism and fire poison, which has caused internal accumulation of damp heat and fire poison, resulting in heat accumulation in the internal organs, stagnation of qi and blood, disharmony between the Ying and Wei, and evil blocking the skin..."

"Back abscess?!"

Everyone gasped. To them, back carbuncle was like a terminal illness. Those with good luck could live a few more months, while those with bad luck could only live for ten days or half a month.

In response, Li Yuanbo said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty's back abscess is red, swollen and painful. If it is not suppressed, it will definitely turn into pus."

"When the abscess bursts, the external evil will surely enter the body, Your Majesty..."

Li Yuanbo did not dare to continue speaking, and could only say:
"The only way now is to stimulate the carbuncle on the back and dig out the carbuncle with a sharp knife. Only then will there be a chance of survival."

Li Yuanbo was quite skilled. Many doctors were at a loss as to the method of digging out carbuncles on the back.

"How sure are you?"

Ma Gongru could not help asking, but Li Yuanbo avoided the question and said, "Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune, so you will naturally succeed..."

Seeing that he was guilty, Ma Gongru and others looked unhappy.

"Doctor Li..."

"Chen is here!"

When Li Chen's voice came, Li Yuanbo hurriedly responded: "Your Majesty, I am here!"

"Is this a major issue for me?"

When the carbuncle on his back appeared, Li Chen was still worried about what Li Yuanbo had told him about the "long-term hurdle".

Li Yuanbo was also dumbfounded. He didn't expect that the emperor still remembered this matter, but he couldn't deny it, so he could only nod and say:

"Your Majesty, this disease is a long-term problem."

"If you can make it through, even if you can't live to be a hundred, you can at least live to be 80 years old."

Upon hearing this, Li Chen's face changed, but he still couldn't make up his mind to remove the carbuncle on his back.

"Are you sure about the removal of the carbuncle on your back?"

"This……"

Li Chen's words made Li Yuanbo hesitate. After a moment, he said, "Even if we are fully prepared, we are only 70% sure..."

“Seventy percent?” Li Chen’s face looked grim.

After a moment, he slowly said, "Let Ma Shumi handle this matter. All the herbs you need can be taken from the inner storehouse."

"I accept the decree..."

Ma Gongru and Li Yuanbo bowed one after another, while Li Chen looked at Wang Zongshi and others, and finally turned his gaze to Li Zi.

Seeing that Li Zi was still crying for him, Li Chen's eyes softened, and then he said:

"I will take a rest for a while, you can leave first."

"I will take my leave now. May you live for tens of millions of years..."

All the ministers took their leave, and even Li Zi was comforted by Ma Gongru and led out of the side hall.

Everyone was waiting in the main hall outside the side hall, and Prince Yun Li Wen, who lived in the Sixteen Princes' Mansion, arrived at this time.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness Prince Yun!"

"Lieutenant Wang, His Majesty..."

As the ministers sang, Li Wen glanced at Li Zi, and then continued to look at Wang Zongshi.

Wang Zongshi did not respond, but bowed and turned aside: "Your Highness, please go and ask His Majesty about this matter."

"Okay!" Li Wen reacted. If Wang Zongshi told him about the emperor's illness in front of everyone, wouldn't it mean that he had someone to talk to?
Thinking of this, he hurried to the side hall and spoke to the closed door:

"Your Majesty, your son Li Wen requests to see you!"

In the side hall, Li Chen frowned when he heard Li Wen's voice.

At this moment, he was considering who to make the crown prince and to whom to pass the throne.

In terms of dynasty stability, he should have made his eldest son Li Wen the crown prince. After all, Li Zi was only fifteen years old, too young, and easily be bewitched by eunuchs.

But from a personal emotional point of view, Li Chen had only one simple idea, which was to let his favorite prince Li Zi ascend the throne.

This kind of abnormal succession to the throne, apart from being legally confirmed by a will issued by the person himself, also requires the help, support and suppression of powerful ministers.

Although Linghu Tao, Xiao Ye, Jiang Shen and others were important officials, they tended to be conservative.

Even if they didn't express their opinions, Li Chen knew what they were thinking.

If they had to choose a crown prince, they would rather choose the eldest son Li Wen than the young Li Zi.

Because of this, I can't choose them.

After eliminating them, there aren't many candidates left for me...

In order to allow the fourth prince to ascend the throne smoothly, Li Chen thought for a long time and finally planned a layout that he thought was perfect.

Among the Southern Court and the Northern Court, the Northern Court was dominated by the Four Nobles, and among the Four Nobles, Wang Guichang, Ma Gongru and Wang Maoxuan all supported Li Zi.

Together with Wang Jufang, the Southern Court Envoy of the Xuanhui Huihui, who also supported Li Zi, the situation in the Northern Office was dominated by the three nobles suppressing Wang Zongshi, the only noble.

As long as he handed over the affairs of the palace to Ma Gongru and Wang Maoxuan, Wang Zongshi would not appear in front of him, and nothing would go wrong.

If the Northern Division is stable, it will be difficult for the Southern Division to make mistakes.

But even so, Li Chen did not dare to relax.

Because of this, he had already prepared himself.

In the court, among the civil officials of the Southern Court, Zheng Zhang, the Imperial Counselor, Li Ye, the Military Doctor, and Yao Xu, the fifth-generation grandson of Yao Chong, were either the tutors or the teachers of King Kui.

These people had already taken sides with Li Zi under the help of Li Chen and had also won over many officials to help Li Zi.

As long as there are no problems in the Northern Office, there shouldn't be any major problems in the Southern Office either.

The power over the inner court, outer ministers, and palace guards was all under control. In Li Chen's view, even if something unexpected happened to him, Li Zi's accession to the throne would be foolproof.

As Li Chen was thinking this, he heard Li Wen's voice asking for a meeting again.

"Your Majesty, your son Li Wen requests to see you..."

Li Wen's voice continued to sound, and Li Chen's face darkened when he heard it.

Li Wen was also his child, but there was only one throne, so he could only feel sorry for Li Wen.

Thinking this way, he did not respond to Li Wen's request for a meeting.

His behavior instantly stimulated Li Zi, Ma Gongru, Wang Guichang and others.

At the same time, the mood of Li Wen, Wang Zongshi and others also sank to the bottom.

At this moment, they all knew very well what the emperor was thinking.

The attitude shown by the emperor now is enough to explain everything.

Li Wen knelt in front of the side hall in a daze. He did not stand up until the palace gate was about to close. He then hunched over and walked out of the Purple Palace.

Li Zi, Ma Gongru and others were laughing at him, while Wang Zongshi, Qi Yuanjian and the other two remained silent.

Li Wen was old, so he had to leave the palace and live in the Sixteenth Prince's House.

After he left in a daze, Wang Zongshi and others also left one after another.

Their backs are very heavy, this is the result of standing in line.

Compared to them, Li Zi's side was overjoyed.

Even so, Ma Gongru still took a few others and followed Li Zi to the palace where he lived.

When everyone was seated, Li Zi immediately said to them:
"Aye's love for me is all due to your help."

"I swear to you all that if I can ascend to the high position of the Golden Platform, I will definitely put you all first!"

"Your Highness, what are you talking about..."

Ma Gongru, Wang Jufang and Wang Guichang hurriedly responded humbly, but Wang Maoxuan was less thoughtful and was a little slower.

Li Zi saw it but didn't say anything. Instead, he smiled and said, "Wang Zongshi and his men helped my elder brother but not me, and yet I got this high position. I feel very uneasy..."

Although he had not yet ascended the throne, in order to consolidate his position, Li Zi still brought up the topic of cleaning up Wang Zongshi and others.

Hearing this, Ma Gongru spoke first:

"Your Majesty's heart is with Your Highness, so Wang Zongshi can't make any waves."

"Once Your Majesty has successfully removed the carbuncle on his back, we will petition to depose Wang Zongshi and his followers and send them to remote areas as military supervisors!"

Ma Gongru's suggestion was recognized by everyone in the hall.

In this regard, Li Zi also solemnly said: "The military power of the Shen Ce Army must be handed over to someone who is trustworthy!"

After all, he was only a fifteen-year-old boy, and Li Zi exposed his thoughts unknowingly.

Ma Gongru and the other two looked at Wang Maoxuan, who was nearly sixty years old.

Seeing that the other party actually nodded in agreement, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief.

In order to deal with Wang Zongshi of the Zuo Shence Army, they spent a lot of effort, and with the emperor's help, they were able to win over Wang Maoxuan.

Without Wang Maoxuan's support, even if they could take down Wang Zongshi, it probably wouldn't be that easy.

Thinking of this, Ma Gongru and others quickly tried to smooth things over:

"The three of us don't know how to fight. The military power can only be exerted if it is handed over to Lieutenant Wang."

"Of course!" Li Zi also reacted and quickly made amends.

Wang Maoxuan was calm and just talked with everyone about how to deal with Wang Zongshi and others. It was not until midnight that he slowly left the palace where Li Zi lived with Ma Gongru and others.

At the same time they left, Wang Zongshi and the other two had already left the Daming Palace and gathered at Wang Zongshi's residence.

"Your Majesty is pleased with King Kui. If this happens, all our efforts over the past few years will be wasted!"

"Wang Maoxuan has the Right Shen Ce Army under his command, and its strength is no worse than ours. If a fight really breaks out, the situation may not be favorable to us!"

Qi Yuanshi, the deputy envoy of the Left Shence Army, was indignant, and Qi Yuanjian, the envoy of the Northern Court of Xuanhui, also said solemnly:

"If King Kui ascends the throne, given what we have done in the past few years, I'm afraid it will not end well..."

"That's what I'm worried about." Wang Zongshi said with a dark face:

"We can't just sit there and wait for death. We must find a way to break the situation!"

"Why can't we do what Yu Chaoen and Wang Shoucheng did in the past?"

Wang Zongshi looked at Qi Yuanjian and Qi Yuanshi coldly, saying:
"I don't believe that the Right Shence Army is united, nor do I believe that there are no officials in the Southern Court who support Prince Yun."

"Your Majesty, it took only about a month to remove the carbuncle on your back."

"Before that, I have to break the impasse!"

"Whether we can break through the impasse depends on you two..."

"Don't worry, Lieutenant!"

Qi Yuanjian and Qi Yuanshi bowed in response upon hearing this, and then left according to Wang Zongshi's instructions.

At the same time, the news that the emperor's condition worsened spread throughout the court in the following days, making all officials worried.

Although they were well prepared, the officials still felt panicked when they heard the news.

If the matter of succession is not handled properly, it can easily lead to war.

During war, no matter how high one's rank is, one cannot avoid losing money.

Because of this, those who hold military power in Chang'an City have basically become popular.

Zhang Yichao even became one of the candidates that the Southern Court and the Northern Court were vying to win over.

However, in the face of everyone's attempts to win him over, Zhang Yichao always remained neutral and impartial.

At the same time, the Jinzouyuan in various towns stationed in Chang'an were also very busy. The intelligence they sent out in recent times was more than in the past six months.

Fast horses from the Jinzouyuan of various towns kept entering and leaving Chang'an, and Li Chen's back carbuncle began to fester over time.

At midnight on the sixth day of the eighth month, Li Zi, Ma Gongru, Wang Guichang, Wang Jufang, Wang Maoxuan and five others were summoned to the Purple Palace.

At this moment, the dragon bed was covered with silk and satin, and one could barely make out the outline of the emperor lying on the bed.

Among them, the carbuncle on the emperor's back had obviously become much larger, and the emperor's voice had also become much weaker.

"I summoned you here, I believe you know why."

"Tomorrow at midnight, I will work with the imperial physician to remove the carbuncle on my back."

"If I cannot get through this, you must support King Kui to ascend the throne with the imperial edict without delay..."

For Li Chen, who is obsessed with power, giving up power is indeed a difficult thing.

But before his life and death came to a head, he didn't have time to think too much.

"Aye..."

"The ministers and others lead the decree..."

Li Zi cried, while Ma Gongru and others were excited inside but still looked sad.

Li Chen's gaze passed over Ma Gongru and others and looked directly at Wang Maoxuan who was at the end of the team.

For him, Wang Maoxuan is the most important part of his plan and he must not let him fail.

Because of this, he said to Wang Maoxuan:

"Lieutenant Lao Wang, come forward..."

"Your Majesty, I am here!"

Wang Maoxuan knelt forward and held the hand that was stretched out from the silk.

"I have heard the story of Zhou Bo, so I hope you can become Silang's Zhou Bo."

Li Chen compared Wang Maoxuan to Zhou Bo of the Western Han Dynasty, and Zhou Bo was a meritorious official who assisted the new master. This statement was indeed a serious one.

Wang Maoxuan shed silent tears, and then he saw Li Chen instructing Li Zi:

"Lieutenant Wang is loyal, you must treat him well..."

"Don't worry, Father... your son... your son..."

Li Zi sobbed softly, while Li Chen continued:

"I am tired, Silang, do you have anything else to worry about?"

"Your son..." Li Zi turned around and looked at Ma Gongru, and saw that Ma Gongru and Wang Guichang both made mouth movements.

Seeing this, Li Zi said, "I would like to ask Father to transfer Wang Zongshi to be the military supervisor of Huainan Road."

“This is not an easy matter and needs to be handled with caution.”

Li Chen seemed to have guessed what everyone was thinking, and agreed without hesitation, and taught:

"Tomorrow you will announce that my back carbuncle has been completely removed and I have passed the long-term hurdle. Then you can convey the imperial edict to Wang Zongshi in my tone."

"If Wang Zongshi does not obey the imperial edict, the Right Shen Ce Army will capture him."

"If Wang Zongshi agrees, he will be ordered to leave the city to avoid any more trouble."

Li Chen was worried that Li Zi and others could not handle the situation, and was even more worried that Wang Zongshi would do something desperate, so she arranged everything and only required Li Zi, Ma Gongru and Wang Maoxuan to do it.

The three of them kowtowed upon hearing this, and Li Chen also waved his hand and said:
"I am tired, please leave..."

"I'm waiting to retire."

Everyone agreed upon hearing this and then left the Purple Palace one after another.

After they left, Li Chen sent people to summon Zheng Zhang, the Imperial Counselor, Li Ye, the Military Doctor, and Yao Xu, the fifth-generation grandson of Yao Chong.

He did not summon them together for a lecture in order to prevent some officials from the Southern Court and the Northern Court from being prepared and to prevent them from colluding with the others and undermining Li Zi's position.

In order for Li Zi to successfully ascend the throne, he also needs to leave behind a force that is strong enough to restrain Ma Gongru and others.

This force is the people he just summoned.

Half an hour passed quickly, and Zheng Zhang, Li Ye and others also came to the Purple Palace and saw Li Chen in his current state.

Everyone was very surprised to learn that Li Chen was suffering from a terminal illness, carbuncle on the back. What surprised them even more was that Li Chen wanted Li Zi to ascend the throne.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. We will definitely follow your Majesty's will!"

Zheng Zhang, Li Ye and others expressed their opinions one after another, and Li Chen also coughed and said:
"Silang is kind and benevolent, all thanks to your teachings."

"But Silang is still young after all. If he is bewitched by the eunuchs, he will inevitably do evil things."

"I summoned you all here today for this purpose."

Li Chen's words were concise, leaving Zheng Zhang and others with countless room for imagination, especially the idea of supervising the actions of Ma Gongru and others.

"Your Majesty, rest assured that we will do our best to assist His Royal Highness Prince Kui!"

Zheng Zhang and others expressed their opinions one after another, and Li Chen also explained:
"I have already made arrangements for the affairs of the inner court. As for the affairs of the outer court, I will entrust them to you."

"His Majesty……"

Zheng Zhang and the others wept quietly, and the imperial physicians Li Yuanbo, Yu Zizhi and others also took the initiative to speak:

"Gentlemen, His Majesty needs to rest. Please leave."

"Your Majesty... I will take my leave..."

Zheng Zhang and others left the Zichen Palace sobbing.

However, after they walked out of the Purple Palace and the Daming Palace, the sadness on their faces disappeared, replaced by solemnity.

"Back carbuncle is a terminal disease. Your Majesty favors alchemists such as Li Yuanbo and Yu Zizhi, so there may be changes."

"If there is any change in your majesty, we should do our best to assist King Kui!"

"It's natural!"

After walking out of the palace, everyone no longer felt sad, but only planned, and this was exactly what Li Chen needed.

In his opinion, his layout is already perfect and things will go forward according to the situation he has arranged.

It's just that he overestimated his own means and underestimated people's hearts...

(End of this chapter)