Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 231 The Prince Dies, There's Something Wrong with the Palace!
In February, the fragrance of plum blossoms is subdued.

The light rain, like gossamer threads, evokes a sense of melancholy.

Jiang Mansion.

On a small wooden table about ten feet long, there were jujube cakes, rice noodles, fried meat, sesame cakes, seven-treasure vegetarian porridge, and clear mutton soup.

Jiang Zhao, Jiang Huaijin, Jiang Heng, Jiang Xun, Sheng Hualan, and Sheng Shulan, the six of them, ate in silence, chopsticks in hand.

"call."

Jiang Zhao blew on the slightly hot mutton soup, took a small sip, and let out a long breath.

In February, as the snow gradually melts, a bowl of steaming hot mutton soup is sure to warm one's stomach.

In no time, the bowl of mutton soup was finished.

"clatter."

Jiang Zhao gently placed the porcelain bowl down and slowly stood up.

Jiang Huaijin, Jiang Heng, and Jiang Xun put down their bowls and chopsticks at the same time. Jiang Zhao looked at the children and said calmly, "I have to go to the palace to observe mourning. Please eat slowly."

Only three days after the imperial officials arrived in the capital for their inspection tour, news of mourning arrived from the palace.

To be precise, there were actually two pieces of news, one good and one bad.

Good news! A prince has been born to the Empress, named Zhao Shen.

Bad news! One of the princes has died young. He was the son of Consort Hua of Yaohua Palace, and also the son of the late Empress Gao—Zhao Jun, the Crown Prince!
The death of one son and the birth of another were separated by less than half a day.

Suddenly, the palace was bustling with activity.

The emperor issued an edict to suspend court for five days in mourning.

Among them, cabinet ministers and privy councilors may wear plain clothes and enter the palace to observe five days of mourning; ministers of the third rank and above, as well as ministers of the imperial clan from the lineage of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, shall wear plain clothes and observe three days of "light mourning"; all officials below the third rank and local officials shall refrain from playing music for three days and shall be prohibited from wearing "auspicious ornaments".

As a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, a position of immense power and influence, Jiang Zhao was naturally required to wear mourning clothes and enter the palace to observe mourning.

"Officer."

Sheng Hualan and Sheng Shulan stood up one after the other, one picking up the umbrella and the other bowing respectfully.

Jiang Zhao nodded, opened his oil-paper umbrella, and stepped outside.

The Eastern Palace, Duancheng Hall.

The candlelight flickered, burning gently and slowly.

In the main position, there is a catalpa coffin about six feet long and three feet wide, lacquered black and carved with cloud patterns and intertwined branches. It is supported by a ebony pillar about a foot long and covered with a plain curtain, on which hangs a memorial banner inscribed with "The Spirit of the Late Tang Ai Xian Wang".

Several eternal lamps were laid out around the coffin, and a five-foot incense table was set up, on which were placed jade tablets, everyday clothes, a golden book of titles, as well as tripods, gui vessels, dou vessels, and two sacrificial animals: a sheep and a pig.

The hundred or so Imperial Guards, carrying halberds and swords, stood solemnly and dared not utter a sound.

"I trouble you to inform the noble sir," Jiang Zhao said calmly, standing outside the hall.

Li Xian, the Grand Eunuch in charge of the Imperial Secretariat, was startled and quickly bowed, saying, "Greetings, Grand Secretary Jiang."

As a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion and the most favored person since the beginning of the emperor's reign, he was actually addressed as "Zhongguiren" (a title for a minor official), which made him feel extremely honored.

Li Xian gestured and said, "His Majesty has ordered that there is no need for notification; the Grand Secretary may enter."

In this era, there was a strict hierarchy between rulers and subjects, and even mourning was governed by the concept of "qualification."

Those who were not powerful ministers or high-ranking officials did not even have the right to observe mourning.

When the young prince died, all the officials who were qualified to enter the palace to mourn him were either imperial relatives or high-ranking officials in purple robes. In total, there were only about fifty or sixty people.

These fifty or sixty people could be recognized by both Li Xian and the emperor, and they were only entering the palace to observe mourning, not to report on state affairs to the monarch.

Therefore, there is no need to report to each individual, simplifying the cumbersome reporting process.

The emperor knows who came and who didn't!
Jiang Zhao nodded and walked inside.

At a glance, it was clear that many officials had already bowed down, with Grand Chancellor Han Zhang at the head.

Zhang Fangping, Zhang Heng, Wu Zhongfu, Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, and others had all entered the third rank and were qualified as purple-robed ministers to observe three days of mourning.

At this moment, all the civil and military officials bowed their heads and remained silent, appearing to be in mourning.

However, despite their grief, no one wept.

Since ancient times, Confucianism has advocated that "funerals should emphasize grief and also value moderation," but it has prohibited excessive mourning.

Therefore, civil and military officials only needed to mourn at specific times, and for the rest of the time they wore plain clothes to show their condolences.

At this time, before the official mourning ceremony has been announced, the officials naturally do not cry.

Of course, the absence of courtiers mourning does not mean that no one else mourned.

To the left of the officials, there was a seven-foot-wide side door leading to a side room, from which faint sobbing could be heard.

It's highly likely that it's the late Empress Gao.

In one corner, there was a plain wooden table with a few documents awaiting approval. Zhao Ceying had his head drooping, his brows furrowed, and he was dressed in plain clothes, exuding an indescribable air of dejection.

After a cursory glance, Jiang Zhao lowered his hands and walked straight towards the first row.

He bowed, sighed softly, and feigned grief, all in one smooth motion!
Afterwards, one or two civil and military officials who were qualified to mourn would enter and prostrate themselves in turn.

Before long, it was already 7 o'clock.

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, holding a document, announced in a clear voice:

"Officials, weep—"

In an instant, all the civil and military officials kowtowed three times in unison, weeping softly, some recounting the prince's virtues to express their grief, others reciting eulogies to soothe his soul.

One incense stick has burned.

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices said:

"Officials, stop crying—"

One glance means the end of the "morning weeping".

Therefore, all the civil and military officials rose one after another, bowed, and took their leave.

The term "crying in the morning and evening" means crying twice a day.

Generally speaking, in addition to crying once at 9 am, one must also cry again at 5 pm.

Since it was the death of a prince, ministers of the third rank and above only needed to weep for three days, or six times; cabinet ministers and privy council ministers wept for five days, or ten times.

Compared to the national mourning that requires 27 days of weeping, the mourning for the princes is relatively mild.

Jiang Zhao bowed and was about to leave when a voice rang out:
"Jiang Qing."

Jiang Zhao was startled and looked up.

In one corner, Zhao Ceying waved, as if calling out.

Jiang Zhao narrowed his eyes, quickly walked over, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty."

"Ugh!"

Zhao Ceying pressed his forehead and sighed deeply: "Tell me, as soon as I ascended the throne, I made great achievements in expanding the territory, so why didn't my ancestors protect me? Even a two-year-old child died young?"

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and an official brought over a small stool.

“Sit down,” Zhao Ceying sighed.

The ruler and his ministers faced each other.

Zhao Ceying sighed and asked, "I have been on the throne for less than two years, yet I already hold great power, command respect throughout the land, and have even achieved the feat of expanding the territory. Such a monarch would be considered above average in the history books, wouldn't he?"

"The Emperor's decisiveness is truly rare," Jiang Zhao echoed.

In just a few breaths, he understood why Zhao Ceying had called him aside to complain!
And, to dispel my worries about the future!
In the past two years, Zhao Ceying has gained power and control of the country with unstoppable momentum since his ascension to the throne.

This time, the sudden death of the eldest prince, Zhao Jun, was a real blow to Zhao Ceying.

The death of a prince is a scene all too familiar.

The late Emperor Zhao Zhen had long faced the problem of his imperial heirs dying one after another and having no sons in his old age, ultimately leaving no one to inherit the throne, which allowed Zhao Ceying to seize the opportunity.

Who would have thought that the young prince would also fall seriously ill and die young?
To fall ill for no reason, to be left untreated for no reason, to die young for no reason.

This scene is so similar to that of the late emperor.
This undoubtedly stirred up some turmoil in Zhao Ceying's ambitious heart, adding a few unspeakable worries.

Actually, if we're really talking about it, Zhao Ceying might not have had this worry if it were just the death of his eldest son.

After all, he is not yet thirty years old, and he will definitely have more children. Empress Xiang, for example, gave birth to the little prince Zhao Shen.
The problem is that the late emperor was quite fertile, fathering three sons and thirteen daughters from his youth to adulthood.

But in the end, most of them failed.

In particular, all the princes died young; not one survived.

With the precedent set by the late emperor—whose children all died young—Zhao Ceying was undoubtedly worried about following in his father's footsteps, suffering the loss of his offspring and becoming utterly alone.

The unknown future is always frightening!
"If that's the case, why did Heaven let Jun'er die so young?" Zhao Ceying was extremely annoyed.

Since he was a ruler who ranked in the middle to upper range in history books, it means that he was a "virtuous" person who made contributions to the masses.

Shouldn't Heaven bless such an emperor?

"Or perhaps my ancestors do not approve of me?" Zhao Ceying asked anxiously. "Could it be that because I am a descendant of the founding emperor, I am not approved by my ancestors and have therefore been cursed by them?"

Zhao Ceying was truly puzzled.

It's important to understand that there are essentially two possibilities when a child dies young:
Firstly, there is a congenital disease.

Secondly, acquired diseases.

The eldest son, Zhao Jun, was born without any illness, so he naturally died from an illness that developed later in life.

But shouldn't illness be related to clothing, food, housing, and transportation?
One is more likely to get sick if one is poorly dressed, poorly fed, poorly housed, and has to travel long distances.

However, even in ordinary scholarly families, it is rare for children to fall ill or die young, let alone princes.
The so-called high probability of early death only includes children from humble families and ordinary people. Among the children of the powerful and wealthy, only one or two out of ten die young.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, princes, who enjoy the best food, clothing, housing, and transportation, should grow up healthy and live a life free from illness and worry.

How could she suddenly fall ill so soon after birth?
Unless, of course, our ancestors don't protect us!

"this--"

Jiang Zhao was surprised and replied, "Your Majesty ascended the throne with the high expectations of the late Emperor. You have the bearing of an emperor for all ages and must be a monarch who is protected by Emperors Taizu, Taizong, and Zhenzong."

"Perhaps there's more to the story?" Jiang Zhao pondered.

Given his position, he is qualified to say some "shocking" things.

For example, there is a problem with the imperial palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty!
The early death of a royal heir can only be attributed to two possibilities:
Either the palace intrigue was too fierce, leading to the prince's death at the hands of a woman; or there were problems with his living environment.

Coincidentally, he had indeed heard some accounts regarding the early deaths of princes in the Northern Song Dynasty.

The most plausible explanation is that "there were problems with the construction of the palace."

Based on what he has seen in recent years, that is indeed the case!

Palaces were often painted with red lead pigment, which produced vibrant colors that were not easily faded.

Palaces often fall into disrepair, and spices are usually sprinkled on them to mask some of the odors.

The walls were plastered with cinnabar, the floors were covered with lead and mercury, and spices filled the air, ultimately leading to the death of children.

In addition, concubines in the imperial harem may have used lead-containing cosmetics for extended periods.

Children who are exposed to this for a long time will naturally get sick.

In fact, the people of Da Zhou were already aware of the dangers of lead; the more lead was used in cosmetics, the more easily people aged.

Many women from scholarly families have gradually stopped using cosmetics containing lead.

The fact that women from scholarly families gave up using lead-containing cosmetics does not mean that women in the imperial harem also gave up using them.

The competition for favor in the imperial harem was so fierce that the more beautiful the better. Lead was excellent in cosmetics, so it naturally became a major target for lead-based cosmetics.

"Ok?"

"Is there something else going on?"

Zhao Ceying was taken aback and looked over.

“Historically, if a prince does not have a congenital disease, there are only two possibilities for his early death.” Jiang Zhao held up two fingers and slowly said, “First, the palace intrigue is too fierce, leading to the prince’s death at the hands of a woman.”

"Secondly, the prince's living environment was problematic."

Zhao Ceying frowned and nodded.

“Jun’er’s illness has lasted for a year and a half, and it was not caused by the harem.”

"Besides, she has been kept in the Eastern Palace for the past six months, and it's difficult for a woman to do anything." Zhao Ceying pondered for a moment, glanced at the deep palace, and said solemnly.

As a powerful and assertive monarch, his control over the harem was no less than that over the court.

It is not surprising that concubines occasionally vie for the emperor's favor.

But to say that they would dare to lay a hand on the young prince is absolutely impossible.

Jiang Zhao nodded; he knew, of course, that it wasn't a problem with the harem.

However, some things still need to be guided through Zhao Ceying's analysis, rather than being conveyed in a "preaching" manner.

Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Then it could be an environmental issue."

"Is there a problem with the palace?"

Zhao Ceying was somewhat surprised and quickly asked, "Jiang Qing, do you have any clues?"

Regarding the young prince's early death, various officials, both inside and outside the court, offered differing accounts.

If it's the imperial physician, say that the young prince is in poor health and there is no cure.

If it were an imperial censor, they would say that the emperor was too ruthless and had lost his benevolence, and that Heaven would punish him.

There's something wrong with the palace!
This was the first time he had ever heard such a statement.

Throughout history, emperors have only thought about living in the palace, but none of them have considered whether there are any problems with the palace itself.

Zhao Ceying was the same, naturally.

"I am merely analyzing the situation and am not certain whether the prince's living environment is truly the problem."

Jiang Zhao looked thoughtful and asked, "I wonder if there are any documents or records in the palace regarding the descendants of the previous emperors?"

"If all the children of the previous emperors, whether princes or princesses, died young, then it means that the problem lies in their living environment."

Generally speaking, princesses are not involved in the struggle for the throne and are not of much value in palace intrigue.

In terms of survival rate, princesses are definitely much more likely to survive.

This was true for the Eastern Han, Western Han, Wei-Jin, and Tang dynasties.

If even princesses die young without discrimination, then there must be something wrong with the environment.

"Have."

Zhao Ceying's eyes lit up, and he quickly waved his hand, ordering someone to bring the relevant documents.

No one wanted to know why the prince was ill more than he did.

The example of the late emperor truly gives us deep concern.

A short while later, the documents were brought in.

The emperor and his minister began to examine the documents, bit by bit.

The more I looked, the more frightened I became.

Emperor Taizu had four sons and six daughters. Two sons and four daughters died young, which means that about 60% of his children died young.

Emperor Taizong had nine sons and seven daughters. One son and four daughters died young, meaning that about 30% of his children died prematurely.

Emperor Zhenzong had six sons and two daughters. Five sons and two daughters died young. Only the late emperor survived as a prince, and none of the princesses survived. Nearly 90% of the princes died young.

The late Emperor Zhao Zhen had three sons and thirteen daughters. Three sons and nine daughters died young, and none of the princes survived. Nearly 80% of the princes died young.

The infant mortality rate is quite alarming.

It is important to know that the infant mortality rate of princes in the Han Dynasty was less than 40%, and that of princes in the Tang Dynasty was less than 30%.

The Great Zhou Dynasty is almost 80% complete!
Crucially, the Han Dynasty includes the "Eastern Han Kindergarten," and the Tang Dynasty includes the "Late Tang Dynasty"!

The most crucial point is...
“Princess and prince both died young. There must be something wrong with the palace!” Zhao Ceying stared at the record, his body trembling.

The early death of imperial heirs in the Great Zhou Dynasty was not limited to princes; even princesses suffered from premature death in many cases.

Furthermore, in terms of the mortality rate of princes and princesses, there was almost no difference.

In other words, both are examples of the premature death of "equality".

Then it's definitely not a problem of palace intrigue, but rather a problem with the palace itself.

Zhao Ceying nodded repeatedly.

Compared to the excuses and blame offered by the imperial physicians and censors, the claim that "there is a problem in the palace" is undoubtedly more reliable.

This statement also explains why the probability of imperial heirs dying was higher in the Zhou Dynasty than in the Han and Tang Dynasties.

The key point is that this statement was a result he himself put forward.

"Jiang Qing, what do you think is wrong with the palace?" Zhao Ceying wiped the sweat from his face and let out a long breath.

Now that we know where the problem is, things are much easier to fix!

"Cinnabar for plastering the walls, lead and mercury for paving the floor," Jiang Zhao said calmly, bowing slightly.

"Cinnabar, lead, mercury?"

Zhao Ceying was startled, and his brows furrowed.

There is no written record of lead being harmful.

However, the fact that using lead in cosmetics caused premature aging, and that almost no artisans who cast iron and lead coins died a good death, gradually made people aware of the dangers of lead.

The harmful effects of mercury were documented as early as the Tang Dynasty.

As to whether cinnabar is harmful or not, there are two main schools of thought: one believes it is non-toxic, and the other believes it is toxic. There is still no definitive conclusion.

"I want to rebuild the palace," Zhao Ceying said solemnly.

Cinnabar, lead, and mercury were all quite common items in the palace.

It goes without saying that lead and mercury are harmful.

Whether cinnabar is poisonous or not is a matter of debate.

Since there is controversy, it is even more unacceptable to send it to the palace; what if it causes harm?
"Rebuild?" Jiang Zhao was surprised.

How much money will that cost?

"Rebuild it again," Zhao Ceying said emphatically.

Cinnabar, lead, and mercury were almost everywhere in the palace. The only way to avoid their influence was to rebuild it.

"You don't have any money, do you?" Jiang Zhao asked tactfully.

Zhao Ceying paused for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Then let's renovate for now."

"If the laws are changed, I will reform them!"

(End of this chapter)