Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 164 Case Closed and Pill Abandoned (First Update)
The first hint of dawn appeared in the east.

The glazed tiles of the Forbidden City were still covered with morning frost, and the furnace in the alchemy room of the Qianqing Palace was still burning brightly.

Zhu Houcong held the "Winged Fire Serpent" diary.

I've watched it three times already, over and over again.

The more I looked, the more shocked and angry he became.

But when he returned to his desk in the Qianqing Palace, he took a deep breath, regained his composure, and looked at Lu Bing: "Wenfu, you did a great job this time. The Liyuan Society... these traitors can no longer hide!"

Lu Bing was extremely excited: "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and is protected by Heaven. Such petty tricks are nothing but underhanded schemes. How could they possibly shake the mighty mountains and rivers of my Great Ming!"

Zhu Houcong didn't want to hear empty words, but rather the specific steps of the investigation: "Tell me in detail how these traitors were discovered."

"Yes!"

Lu Bing was actually summoned by Yan Shifan midway through the process. He was alerted after Hai Yue prepared to arrest the Jinyiwei captains. Fortunately, he was aware of the cause and effect and reported it to Yan Shifan in detail.

Zhu Houcong would ask a few questions from time to time, especially wondering why Haiyue was taking the medicinal wine so seriously.

Lu Bing did not hide anything and explained with shame, "Mingwei mentioned it to me last year. He felt that the Imperial Physician Li Shaoting's 'Gastrodia Powder' was strange and seemed to be related to some witchcraft and sorcery in Southeast Asia. At that time, I was only focused on interrogating the traitor from the Princess's residence and was somewhat negligent in this matter..."

"Nanyang witchcraft and medicine—it's fortunate this boy comes from Qiongzhou Prefecture that he knows these rumors!"

Considering Haiyue's background, Zhu Houcong nodded, revealing his sincere approval: "If she weren't devoted to me, she wouldn't have kept this matter in mind. She is indeed a capable and fortunate minister!"

Zhu Houcong was indeed satisfied with the progress of the Liyuan Society, and felt even more confident in his discerning eye regarding the achievements of the Yixin Society.

Back then, when Wang Zuo reported this secret society, seeing that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had made no progress, he arranged for people to investigate quietly. However, the progress was still minimal, only slightly better than the Embroidered Uniform Guard. At least they knew that the secret society was called the Liyuan Society, and claimed to be the masters of the common people.

The name of the organization can change at any time; what is really important is to understand the specific situation within the organization and the distribution of personnel.

Obviously, for a secret society that has reached a certain size, sending secret agents to investigate would only be counterproductive. Instead, they would make a big show of it, recruit talent, and achieve a breakthrough in just a few months.

Major breakthrough!
Not only did they successfully capture the spy that Li Yuanshe had planted within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but they also learned about the organization's structure from him and identified two key members.

Zhou Shi'an, nicknamed "Well Wood Herdsman," and Sun Da Niang, nicknamed "Winged Fire Serpent."

Sadly, both of them are dead...

Zhou Shi'an is one thing, but he died of illness more than a year ago.

The death of Granny Sun was inevitably somewhat coincidental!
"This diary entry is too detailed. Is there some other conspiracy at play, or is it just alarmist talk?"

Since they failed to capture anyone alive, Zhu Houcong, who was naturally suspicious, had to think about it further: "'Winged Fire Serpent' committed suicide out of fear of punishment, but left behind clues in his diary. Was it a mistake in his meticulous planning, or was it intentional?"

"Your Majesty, this matter is of utmost importance. It is better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't!"

Lu Bing had actually considered this point, and he was well aware that His Majesty had begun taking elixirs made by Taoist priests in recent years, which is why he couldn't wait to enter the palace to report it.

If Li Yuanshe were to mix the "White Tiger Star Pill" into the medicine and give it to His Majesty, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Zhu Houcong's earlier shock and anger stemmed from this, but there were some things he couldn't say. Even Lu Bing, with whom he had grown up, couldn't say that he couldn't have a son now and that he was taking the elixir in order to have one...

Now that there is still no hope of having offspring, such a shocking event has occurred. It is not that Zhu Houcong does not believe it at all, but he does not know what to do after abandoning his Taoist practice.

Should we forward the message to the imperial physician?
Hmph! Is the Imperial Hospital really that clean?
Liu Wentai caused the deaths of two emperors, Emperor Xianzong and Emperor Xiaozong. Not to mention that the former emperor had already died from his medical treatment, how could he possibly have the right to treat the latter? Such a serious crime was only punished by being sent to the border.
In addition, Emperor Wuzong's death was somewhat mysterious, and there were many rumors circulating in the palace. The young emperor's health also deteriorated rapidly in a short period of time, which inevitably aroused Zhu Houcong's suspicion.

Compared to the Imperial Medical Academy, which was already part of the officialdom, the Taoist priests of Longhu Mountain also valued fame and fortune, but at least they were less entangled with worldly affairs. I never expected that even the elixirs of Taoist priests could not be trusted now...

Lu Bing, unaware of the man's thoughts, was willing to dispel his hesitation: "Your subject will never blindly believe what the diary says, and will definitely investigate thoroughly to verify its truth!"

"very good!"

Zhu Houcong said in a deep voice: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard should quickly investigate whether the effects of the medicine are as terrifying as described in the diary. I will make my own decision!"

Because the list was so detailed, the investigation progressed quickly.

Before long, a file was compiled on the people in the capital who had taken "Tianma Powder" and "Baihua Niang" in the past two years, along with their effects, and placed on the desk in the Qianqing Palace.

When Zhu Houcong discovered that the chronically ill Secondary Minister Gui'e was being treated with "Gastrodia Powder" to suppress his pain, but no matter which medicinal wine he took, the pain could not be cured, and as time went on, his cravings grew stronger and stronger, and he became increasingly dependent on it, Zhu Houcong took a deep breath and finally completely abandoned any hope of recovery.

He may not have a son, but at least he's still alive.

He died after taking so many pills!
at the same time.

The atmosphere inside the alchemy room was oppressive.

The elixir, originally refined with morning dew, had long since lost its potency, turning into a pile of dregs lying in the furnace. Normally, the dregs would have been removed and carefully preserved, but neither the two uneasy young Daoists nor the old Daoist silently chanting scriptures paid any attention to such matters.

Just then, as the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty walked in, the furnace suddenly exploded with a piercing cracking sound.

The distorted elixir energy within the cauldron was instantly reflected in Zhu Houcong's dark eyes.

This is no auspicious omen at all; it's clearly a menacing demon!

"These sorcerers..."

The thought of being controlled made Zhu Houcong want to kick over the alchemy cauldron like a monkey, but after assessing his own physique and the weight of the cauldron, he refrained from such an unwise act and coldly ordered: "Send them all to the imperial prison for rigorous interrogation!"

The old Taoist priest trembled violently, and the two young Taoist boys fell to the ground in terror: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The boys are innocent! The boys are innocent!"

Zhu Houcong ignored him and continued, "Issue an imperial decree to close all alchemy workshops immediately and to prohibit alchemy from being practiced in the palace!"

Not to mention the two young Taoists trembling with fear, wondering how overnight they had gone from being the envy of everyone in the Taoist temple to becoming prisoners in the imperial jail.

The old Taoist priest bowed and barely managed to maintain his composure: "I have failed Your Majesty's high expectations and should be punished. However, my sect has dedicated itself to assisting the Holy Dynasty, spreading the teachings and protecting the country. I hope Your Majesty will understand!"

The "Zhiyi Zhenren" refers to Shao Yuanjie, a Taoist priest of the Zhengyi sect from Longhu Mountain. He was summoned to the capital in the third year of the Jiajing reign (1524), and in the fourth year of the Jiajing reign (1525), he prayed for rain and snow, which proved quite effective. In the fifth year of the Jiajing reign (1526), ​​he was appointed as the "Zhiyi Zhenren" and put in charge of the three palaces of Chaotian, Xianling, and Lingji in the capital. Now he is the first person in charge of Taoism in the official sense.

Shao Yuanneng gained the trust of Emperor Jiajing for two reasons: first, by promoting the doctrine of "establishing a religion based on stillness," which won the emperor's approval; and second, by praying for rain and snow through sacrificial rites.

The good thing is that Shao Yuanjie didn't practice alchemy.

The old Taoist priest realized that the emperor had become averse to alchemy for some reason. He couldn't argue with him now, as the more he argued, the angrier the emperor would become. But since the alchemy had failed, he couldn't let the emperor completely hate Taoism. So he brought up the True Man Zhiyi.

"Take it down!"

Zhu Houcong had a good impression of Shao Yuanjie, and waved his hand in response.

The fierce guards entered and dragged the three Taoist priests out. The rising sun pierced through the clouds and shone on the mess of talismans scattered all over the alchemy room.

The cinnabar-painted cloud seal script gradually faded, like a faded dream.

Zhu Houcong flicked his sleeves, strode out, and never looked back again.

……

"Did this case cause Jiajing to stop practicing alchemy?"

For people of this era, the emperor's ban on alchemy was merely a matter of giving up a hobby, nothing serious.

But for Haiyue, it was a huge historical turning point.

Can you believe that the Jiajing Emperor stopped practicing alchemy?

Of course, emperors are often fickle. Just because someone abandons an emperor now doesn't mean they will always dislike him. They might just suddenly become fond of him again someday.

However, Haiyue knew that Jiajing's fascination with Taoism was not without reason.

Initially, it was because she was weak and sickly in her youth, and she used Taoist health preservation methods to strengthen her body and cultivate her vitality. Later, it was for the purpose of having children.

It was now the tenth year of the Jiajing reign. Three years later, Jiajing told Shao Yuanjie that he was nearly thirty and still had no son. Shao Yuanjie replied that he would have one, and sure enough, that year, Jiajing gave birth to his first son.

Emperor Jiajing was overjoyed and attributed the credit for the birth of the prince to Shao Yuanjie, granting him the title of Minister of Rites and a first-rank salary.

One account states that Shao Yuanjie and Tao Zhongwen, who was later favored, presented a prescription during the process of Jiajing Emperor having a son, which enabled the Emperor, who had been unable to conceive, to have seven or eight children in the following years.

Another theory is that Emperor Jiajing was physically weak in his early years, which caused his concubines to miscarry and not be able to keep the pregnancies. It was not until he was nearly thirty years old that his health finally improved, and he began to have more children.

However, the reason why Taoism was so deeply rooted in Jiajing's heart and why he became increasingly devoted to it was inseparable from his early desire to have offspring.

Later, when Jiajing truly wanted to attain immortality, he found his sons displeasing again. He decreed that "anyone who mentions the heir apparent shall be executed," especially towards Prince Yu. In the TV series, Prince Yu is portrayed as using the young Wanli to cultivate a grandfather-grandson relationship with Jiajing, but this was not the case in history. When Wanli was born, Prince Yu was so frightened that he dared not report it, resulting in his son remaining unregistered and without a name until Jiajing's death. It was only in the first year of the Longqing reign that four-year-old Wanli was finally given the name Zhu Yijun.

"Cultivating the Tao, cultivating the Tao, in the end, one loses all humanity and ceases to be a human being!"

"It's good as it is now. As long as the imperial heir can be born normally, the superstition surrounding Taoism can be completely shattered!"

Haiyue was satisfied with the conclusion of this case. Such a change affected not just one or two people, but, without exaggeration, an entire era.

This is also a huge opportunity for the Yixin Society.

Before even leaving the Imperial College, he saw Lu Bing standing under a tree not far away, giving him a bright smile:
"Mingwei, His Majesty's commendation for the Yixin Society has arrived!"

(End of this chapter)