Ciqing Palace Nuan Pavilion.
Zhu Yijun slowed down and walked gently into the pavilion.
There was a fire burning in the pavilion, and a pillar of sandalwood was burning on the table, with green smoke curling up.
Princess Yanqing was squatting in the corner, constantly teasing the raccoon slave with the things in her hands. The latter turned a blind eye, stretched and continued to curl up in the corner and take a nap.
Queen Mother Chen was sitting behind the case, with one hand resting on the side of her face and tilting her head in boredom. The other hand was particularly busy, sometimes flipping the books on the table, sometimes stroking the fox on her legs, and sometimes stretching out her fingers to brush the hair around her ears.
Dial back.
"Mother."
Zhu Yijun called softly.
Queen Mother Chen looked up following the sound. When she saw the person coming, she closed her book and sat up straight: "The emperor is here."
It was against the rules for the emperor to barge in without warning. Unfortunately, it was no longer the time when she could excuse herself to sleep and keep the emperor out of the palace.
With that said, Empress Dowager Chen called Princess Yanqing over to salute.
The princess was still young, only four years old, and she was very stumbling in the ceremony.
Zhu Yijun didn't rush her, and waited quietly for his sister to finish her salute, then he touched his head encouragingly, took out a talisman from his arms, and handed it to his sister.
He took out another talisman and presented it to the Queen Mother Chen with both hands. She smiled sincerely and relaxedly and said, "Mother, this is the talisman I asked for from the palace before the sunrise for my two mothers and younger brothers and sisters. I hope that everything will go well for my mother."
Empress Dowager Chen accepted it silently, not mentioning the emperor's sneaking out of the palace, and nodded in thanks.
Although he only said thank you, his expression softened visibly: "Did the emperor come to see me for something, or did he come to see Bai Yang?"
Zhu Yijun touched Princess Yanqing's head and replied: "I was passing by and came in to take a look."
He paused: "I heard that Li Baiyang suddenly fell ill. What did the imperial doctor say?"
Empress Dowager Chen just went about her daily routine and said with relief: "I'm just a little dizzy, coughing and having chest tightness. After the fever subsided this morning, I'm no longer in serious trouble. The imperial doctor said it was wind and cold. It's just a matter of going out less these days and recuperating for a while."
Zhu Yijun sneered in his heart.
Wind and cold? I’m afraid it’s because I’m allergic to cinnabar.
When he saw the cinnabar on the wall outside the temple, he immediately realized something was wrong.
Although cinnabar sounds romantic and beautiful, it is actually highly poisonous!
Its main component is mercury sulfide, which is also the main material recorded in the "Shen Nong's Materia Medica" to make a good medicine for calming the nerves and calming the nerves.
How to soothe the nerves? Later generations generally call it a symptom of neurotoxicity.
How does cinnabar cause poison? Zhu Yijun took a look at it occasionally and can't remember clearly. It seems that although cinnabar is stable in nature, it can react with certain substances in the air to form methylmercury.
It penetrates directly into the lungs and brain through breathing and stimulates the body. In addition, it is colorless and odorless, making it a unique recipe for sterilization.
It would be strange to have no physical problems if you soak in a cinnabar room.
Even the imperial doctor told him not to go out. No wonder he was expelled by Emperor Sejong.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun shook his head: "It was fine when I was in Xiyuan."
Queen Mother Chen seemed to realize something, so she held the fox on her lap to Princess Yanqing and asked the palace officials to take her aside.
Then he looked at the emperor and frowned: "Is there anything wrong?"
Zhu Yijun did not answer, but asked: "Mother, why don't you use red clay on the walls when rebuilding Ciqing Palace this time?"
What he is most surprised about right now is whether someone did it intentionally?
Cinnabar is a natural mineral, but now it can be made. It is called Lingsha, and the output is quite large.
So it is common knowledge that cinnabar contains mercury. As for the fact that cinnabar is toxic...
On the one hand, there are black and white words in major medical books: "(Cinnabar) contains real mercury, which is not hot but cold, and is very poisonous."
On the other hand, it is a sage emperor, and Taoist priests outside the country often take it, saying it is a panacea.
Therefore, it was common knowledge in Zhu Yijun's mind that cinnabar was poisonous. For the eunuchs at this time, it was hard to say which one to believe - the conclusion on this matter was still between two opinions in the Ming Dynasty.
It is not even possible to say that the superiors and subordinates intentionally used expensive materials to show their filial piety.
This is where the confusion lies.
It makes sense to say it is true, but it is also true vice versa. If someone does it deliberately, there are also traces to follow.
The gilding in the Forbidden City requires mercury, and the gilding process involves high temperatures. Each time, one or two craftsmen will be poisoned to death by inhaling a large amount of steam. Even if they do not die, they will suffer from injuries and will no longer be able to conceive.
This is also common sense, at least the common sense of the ministers and craftsmen who supervised the construction of the palace.
It's hard to say if anyone has been inspired by this and wants to try his hand at the Emperor.
Anyway, cinnabar can be used for decoration, so no one can find fault with it.
When Queen Mother Chen heard this, she was a little confused and said, "This is often the case when palaces are rebuilt after a fire."
"First of all, cinnabar is precious and gold, and it is said to contain spiritual energy, so that it can suppress evil spirits when the palace is in trouble."
"The reason for both is to meet the construction deadline, and cinnabar is easier to find than red soil."
"Another consideration is that after a fire, many insects and ants will crawl out. It is known that cinnabar is better at preventing insects."
"So the walls have always been painted with cinnabar when rebuilt after fires."
Zhu Yijun frowned.
What Empress Dowager Chen said is reasonable and reasonable. It is both to meet deadlines and to prevent insects. They are all practical considerations.
The problem is... when he heard that the walls of the palaces after the Forbidden City fire were all painted with cinnabar, he immediately thought of the frequent fires in the Forbidden City.
Coincidence? Or a mysterious trick?
Frequent fires and frequent wall refreshes?
It's not as if the calculations have gone to this level...
But having said that, the Qianqing Palace should have been burned down at the end of last year.
Wanli's old oral problems in history, tooth erosion, in addition to the possibility of dental caries, also seem to be one of the symptoms of chronic mercury poisoning...
The more suspicious Zhu Yijun became, the tighter his brows furrowed.
As he was thinking about it, he found Queen Mother Chen staring at him, and then he realized that he had been thinking about it for a long time.
Alas, he sighed silently in his heart.
This is how cold it is at high places.
It is really not easy to be an emperor, and my suspicions almost inevitably become more and more serious.
He came back to his senses, his expression relaxed a little, and he continued the topic they had just talked about: "Does the Queen Mother like cinnabar?"
Queen Mother Chen looked at the emperor and said meaningfully: "I don't have to like it."
Zhu Yijun was silent for a moment and nodded slowly: "The Queen Mother just doesn't like it."
"I also asked my mother to consult with the ministers later, and she said that the cinnabar was too extravagant. From now on, all the palace decorations will be replaced with earthy red."
He didn't know if it was someone's plan or if it was an honest mistake, so he could only pretend that nothing happened.
Zhu Yijun didn't want to appear to take it seriously.
You can't let the slightest clue lead to a big case.
Queen Mother Chen seemed to understand and immediately shook her head: "There is no need to find any excuse."
Zhu Yijun was startled.
"If you don't like it, you just don't like it. From now on, cinnabar is not allowed in the palace, just mercury." Empress Dowager Chen suddenly smiled, "I am a woman, outsiders will understand."
Zhu Yijun was relieved: "The children of Ciqing Palace will let people repaint the walls."
Queen Mother Chen nodded slightly to show her agreement.
Then he asked again: "Should I return to Xiyuan, or move to Qianqing Palace?"
This is asking the emperor to return to the Forbidden City or stay in Xiyuan.
If the emperor returned to the Qianqing Palace and rushed back to Xiyuan for his aunt, then the charge of unfilial piety would fall on the emperor.
Zhu Yijun glanced at Queen Mother Chen.
I wonder if I should let her loosen the ears and eyes of her neighbors, so as not to make some inappropriate suggestions because of lack of information.
Thinking in his heart, Zhu Yijun stood up and bowed and prayed: "I would also like to ask my mother to return to Xiyuan and continue to linger, so that the child can serve her with peace of mind."
Maybe he was suspicious, but in this case, it was better to stay in Xiyuan.
Queen Mother Chen nodded.
Seeing that the two of them had reached a consensus, Zhu Yijun bowed and left.
Zhu Yijun took two steps outside, paused again, turned around and explained: "The imperial grandfather once told the child that he personally tested cinnabar and mercury and they were very poisonous. The child did this as a plan for his mother's safety."
"My son has gone to see Li Baiyang. Please pay attention to your mother's health."
Queen Mother Chen turned her head away and couldn't see her expression clearly: "No need to explain, I believe in you."
"Since the imperial doctor said that Li Baiyang is suffering from cold, your majesty might as well watch from a distance outside the door..."
When he looked back, he found that the emperor had already left.
…
When Zhu Yijun walked out of Nuan Pavilion, Zhang Hong greeted him immediately.
The latter was about to speak, but saw that the emperor did not stop, so he had to follow quickly, speaking very quickly as he walked: "Your Majesty, I just went to ask about this matter."
"The red soil was replaced with cinnabar, which was the old practice of rebuilding after several fires during the Jiajing period. No one deliberately replaced the red soil."
The inner palace supervisor is in charge of the construction of palaces and mausoleums in the country.
Ciqing Palace was rebuilt with funds from the Internal and External Seventy-Three Corporations, and the Palace Supervisor of the Inner Court and the Food and Beverage Department of the Ministry of Industry jointly raised the matter.
Zhu Yijun didn't look back: "The old rules of Jiajing? What about before Jiajing?"
Zhang Hong followed the emperor, feeling that as he grew older, his power became more and more unpredictable. Until now, he still didn't understand why the emperor was angry!
He quickly explained: "Your Majesty, in the first month of the ninth year of Zhengde, there was a fire in the Qianqing Palace, which burned down the palace and burned it down from the Second Drum to the Ming Dynasty."
“Then the walls were painted with cinnabar and rebuilt.”
Zhang Hong said this and added: "Only during the Hongzhi period, Emperor Xiaozong reduced the palace expenses, and all the inner palace supervisors only used red clay instead of cinnabar."
Zhu Yijun stopped, and everyone stopped behind the emperor and looked at each other.
After a while, the emperor seemed as if nothing had happened and continued to move forward: "I understand, there is no need to study further."
It means to let go gently.
But Zhang Hong glanced at the emperor's back, and his mood did not relax at all.
The emperor's words were brief and his emotions were unclear, and the atmosphere inevitably became more and more gloomy. Zhang Hong followed carefully behind him, only to feel the pressure growing.
Fortunately, this pressure did not last long.
When Zhu Yijun walked to the Nuan Pavilion of the West Side Hall, he took a deep breath to soothe his unsightly expression.
Only then did he wait outside and go in alone.
Li Baiyang's current status is actually a little embarrassing.
When Li Chunfang sent her granddaughter to the palace, it was in the name of the princess' companion.
But anyone with a discerning eye will know that they came here for the position in the harem.
But the emperor, who was supposed to be the most active in this matter, has yet to express his position - let alone a wedding, at least give him the title of a lady.
If the emperor avoids it, then he should avoid it. If he avoids it to the end, everyone will understand what their attitude should be toward him.
But the emperor maintained a distant attitude.
Some time ago, Li Baiyang was driven back to Ciqing Palace by the emperor. As a result, he fell ill today and the emperor came to visit him in person.
Especially the eunuchs and maids around Li Baiyang became restless.
Before being driven out of the Nuan Pavilion by the emperor, they lowered their heads and carefully peeked at the emperor's expression, trying to figure out what was going on.
It's a pity that the emperor's face is expressionless and his servants are really unpredictable.
Zhu Yijun pulled out a chair and sat beside Li Baiyang's bed.
Li Baiyang originally wanted to stand up and salute, but the emperor pushed him back. He had to lie half down on the bed, covering his mouth and nose with his hands, as if he was afraid of infecting the emperor.
Only a pair of pitiful eyes were left, as well as lively eyebrows that trembled and trembled.
Zhu Yijun did not offer any comforting words such as mercury poisoning should not be passed on to other people. Instead, he got straight to the point: "I don't know what your grandfather Li Chunfang told you when he sent you to the palace."
"Give me a clear answer today."
Li Baiyang was stunned for a while when he saw the emperor's attitude.
Shui Ling's eyes seemed to darken for a moment.
She covered her mouth, turned her head away, and whispered: "When my daughter entered the palace, my grandfather did not explain anything to me, he only said..."
"When he was giving lectures to His Majesty in the court, he saw that His Majesty looked very happy."
"I also see that His Majesty's actions before and after he ascended the throne must be the most heroic figure in the world. I think your Majesty will definitely fall in love with you."
Zhu Yijun sat on a chair, resting his elbows on his thighs, crossing his hands and supporting his chin, and quietly watched Li Baiyang reply.
In his two lifetimes, he was like walking on thin ice; he was always wary of the ups and downs of officialdom.
A heart has long been as cold as iron.
woman?
Oh.
Zhu Yijun stood up slowly and sat beside Li Baiyang's bed, forcing the latter to look directly at him.
Ignoring Li Baiyang's somewhat flustered expression, he solemnly said: "Then I will explain to you today."
"It's impossible to leave the queen's position to you, but I can leave you a copy of the golden book and treasure."
He tried to slow down his tone and said softly: "Is that okay?"
The golden book and gold treasures were originally exclusive to the queen. As a rule, the concubine only had the gold book and no gold treasures.
So there was an institutional innovation.
The person who is above the concubines and below the queen, and who enjoys the gold book and treasures, is the imperial concubine.
Seeing the emperor sitting so close, there was no point in covering his mouth and nose.
Li Baiyang's eyebrows trembled slightly. His already delicate skin looked even fairer and softer when he was slightly sickly.
She raised her head and looked at the emperor sitting on the edge of the bed, looking stone-hearted.
Not knowing what she was thinking, she bit her lip gently and said resentfully: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Zhu Yijun nodded with satisfaction.
He is still very communicative and his appetite is not too big.
He patted Li Baiyang's shoulder earnestly and said in approval: "Let's choose a talented person first, and then change the title to a noble concubine after I take charge."
The maids who are selected into the palace but have no title are called selected maids.
But it is also among the emperor's harem, and it is a status without status.
Li Baiyang deliberately coughed and inadvertently pushed away the emperor's old-fashioned hand that slapped his shoulder.
My heart became increasingly depressed.
She lowered her head, clasped her fingers and said muffledly: "It all depends on His Majesty's orders."
Zhu Yijun stood up satisfied and prepared to leave.
Suddenly Li Baiyang raised his head: "Your Majesty is ready to take charge?"
She looked at the emperor who was about to leave after saying only three sentences, and somehow found something to say.
Zhu Yijun was about to turn around and stopped when he met Li Baiyang's gaze with some surprise: "Why did you say that?"
It was rare for Li Baiyang to see the emperor show interest in him, but because of this incident, he couldn't help but have mixed feelings in his heart.
She forced herself to sit up straight and said softly: "Your Majesty avoided the courtiers earlier, wasn't it just to avoid the matter of pro-government?"
"Since I spoke like this to my daughter today, it is obvious that I have made up my mind."
Zhu Yijun was silent.
He has indeed received some stimulation today and is preparing to take office in advance.
As for what kind of stimulation she received, it is not enough for the female Taoist.
Although political marriages have nothing in common, Zhu Yijun can't help but take a high look at them.
He admitted frankly: "I will be drafting this year, follow the steps, and I will take charge next year."
In Wanli history, a draft was delayed again and again, and even after marriage, they were still punished by kneeling all day long, let alone discussing the matter of pro-government.
But my situation is very different now.
As soon as he opens his mouth, he is immediately overwhelmed.
Neither the two palaces nor the six cabinet departments will stop him.
In fact, he did not originally intend to take office so early.
Zhang Juzheng can live for at least eight or nine years, and it would be good for him to control the overall situation from behind.
However, sometimes the development of things does not depend on human will.
Zhu Yijun realized that he had underestimated the emperor's profession when he thought so before.
People have peace of mind, and he, the emperor, is no exception.
He couldn't guarantee that what happened today was really a coincidence.
What if?
Therefore, although he openly suppressed the matter of Cinnabar and did not delve into it further, his mentality still changed involuntarily.
Seeing that the emperor was interested, Li Baiyang moved back from the steps he had taken outside just now, feeling a little happy in his heart.
She twirled her fingers, looked at the emperor timidly with lowered eyebrows, and continued to fight for the rare time for the emperor to look at her seriously: "Your Majesty thinks that the cause of my concubine's illness this time may be man-made?"
Zhu Yijun had just taken a high look, but now he couldn't help but frown slightly.
This woman's thoughts are a bit too refined.
No wonder the ancestors made it a law not to marry the daughter of a wealthy family. This would not be a good thing if you want to seize the throne for your son in the future.
He didn't want to continue talking about this matter, so his face naturally turned slightly cold: "Don't think too much, just take good care of yourself."
After saying that, he pushed back Li Baiyang who was sitting up, picked up the corner of the quilt, covered his white neck, and sealed it directly.
When Li Baiyang saw the emperor's obvious change in attitude, he would comfort himself to recover from his illness.
The expression that was still somewhat resentful just now turned dark, and he smiled and gave a happy hum.
It looks very lively and cute.
Her thoughts became vivid, and she boldly asked the emperor: "Your Majesty, please don't inform your family about your concubine's condition, so as not to worry your family."
Zhu Yijun was thinking about something when he heard this and was reminded by Li Baiyang.
Since he came to the throne, he has been suppressing Southern Zhili.
From the imposition of salt tax, to the relocation of Governor Cao Jiang to Anqing, and even the opening of sea transportation to weaken the Huaihe River water transportation, these are all political signals that can easily trigger the dispute between the North and the South.
After all, the struggle between the North and the South has been going on since the founding of the People's Republic of China and is deeply rooted.
In order to prevent the southerners from misjudgment and making unwise actions, he compromised with Li Chunfang - disregarding the laws of his ancestors and putting his granddaughter into the harem.
Even more, if you really forget the direction of the conspiracy this time and think deeply, is it aimed at Queen Mother Chen, or does someone want this woman to be sterilized or even die of illness?
If this woman died in the palace for no reason...
Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun turned his head, looked at Li Baiyang, and said seriously: "Don't take the medicine prescribed by the Taiyuan Hospital. I will send someone to take you back to Xiyuan later."
After saying this, he was going to continue to give some instructions, and suddenly he saw this woman smiling brightly, showing two tiger teeth, which was inexplicable.
Yeah, the dimples are pretty cute.
Unfortunately, he was too scheming. He suspected that he might be involved in some danger, so he pointed out his value.
Zhu Yijun pinched his face, and finally gave a meaningful warning: "Humanity is harmful to the body, beauty is a disaster, intelligence, and good-looking are not necessarily good things. Don't use it for the wrong purpose."
Having said that, he was about to leave.
As soon as he turned around, he heard a word coming from behind him.
"Your Majesty... you are also quite good-looking."
Zhu Yijun turned around in confusion, only to see the woman pulling the quilt to the top and retracting her entire head into the quilt, leaving only her two stretched legs fighting back and forth.
He's so nervous that he can't even pick up some advanced vocabulary when trying to flatter someone.
Zhu Yijun muttered and finally walked away.
…
At nightfall.
Light snow began to fall again in the Forbidden City.
Jiang Keqian took one step at a time, stepping on the unformed snow.
Xu Wenbi, Duke of Dingguo, followed Jiang Keqian all the way to Xiyuan.
If we say that Cheng Guogong is the most prominent lineage among the nobles canonized by Chengzu.
Then Xu Wenbi, the eighth grandson of Zhongshan King Xu Da who ascended the throne in the second year of Longqing, is the most prominent lineage among the nobles canonized by Taizu - it is worth mentioning that the lineage of Duke Dingguo in the capital is closely related to Nanzhi
He belongs to the lineage of Wei Guogong and comes from the same family as the King of Zhongshan.
Well, in other words, it is a legend in itself that the founding fathers were not taken away by Taizu and were still passed down to this day.
Xu Wenbi is forty-three this year, which is the age at which a nobleman reaches his peak.
However, the Dingguogong lineage cannot be said to be close to Shizong, Mu Zong, or today.
Not to mention being granted the title of Three Dukes and being in charge of the royal guards. Even the reward of silver taels was not half as good as that of Duke Cheng. When Duke Cheng was rewarded with forty silvers, he could only join the crowd and say, "Twenty taels each."
Cai Ke is confused and confused.
On weekdays, only some sacrificial work can be assigned to him. Other than that, there are few opportunities to meet the saint.
But tonight was unexpected.
The emperor unexpectedly summoned him at night.
After nightfall, there was light snow falling outside, and it was inevitably a little cold. Fortunately, it warmed up immediately after entering the Wanshou Palace.
However, it seems that because of the private summons, the Wanshou Palace was very dark, and no guards or eunuchs were seen along the way.
The wind howled outside, but the hall was quiet and peaceful.
Xu Wenbi followed suit.
Finally came to the main hall.
The emperor is writing something at his desk.
Xu Wenbi quickly saluted: "Your Majesty, Xu Wenbi, pays homage to you!"
He thought a lot along the way, speculating on his own good and bad luck, recalling the emperor's character, and trying to figure out the purpose of being summoned.
But when the emperor spoke, Xu Wenbi was still caught off guard.
"Xu Qing, the commander of the Jinyi Guards has asked you to do it and set fire to Qianqing Palace for me."
Chapter completed!