Chapter 161

Ciqing Palace Warm Pavilion.

Zhu Yijun slowed his pace and walked gently into the pavilion.

A stove fire was burning in the pavilion, and a pillar of sandalwood incense was burning on the table, with curling blue smoke.

Princess Yanqing was squatting in the corner, constantly teasing the cat with something in her hand; the latter turned a blind eye, stretched, and continued to curl up in the corner for a nap.

Empress Dowager Chen sat behind the desk, one hand supporting her side face and tilting her head in boredom, while the other hand was particularly busy, sometimes flipping through the books on the table, sometimes stroking the fox on her lap, and sometimes extending her fingers to push the hair by her ear back.

"Mother."

Zhu Yijun called out gently.

Empress Dowager Chen looked up at the sound, and seeing the person coming, she closed the book and sat up straight: "The Emperor is here."

It is against the rules for the Emperor to break in without notification, but unfortunately, it is no longer the time when she could block the Emperor outside the palace with the excuse of sleeping.

As she spoke, Empress Dowager Chen called Princess Yanqing over to salute.

The princess was still young, only four years old, and her salute was stumbling.

Zhu Yijun didn't urge her, and waited quietly for his sister to finish the salute before touching her head encouragingly, and then took out an amulet from his arms and handed it to his sister.

He took out another amulet, presented it to Empress Dowager Chen with both hands, and laughed with a sincere and relaxed expression: "Mother, this is an amulet I sought for the two mothers, and for my younger brother and sister, when I went out of the palace the day before yesterday, hoping that Mother will have everything go as you wish."

Empress Dowager Chen took it silently, didn't mention the Emperor sneaking out of the palace, and nodded in thanks.

Although she only said one thank you, her expression became visibly softer: "Did the Emperor come to find me for something, or to see Bai Yang?"

Zhu Yijun touched Princess Yanqing's head and replied: "I was passing by on the way, so I came in to see."

He paused: "I heard that Li Baiyang suddenly fell ill; what did the imperial physician say?"

Empress Dowager Chen just took it as chatting and comforted: "It's just some dizziness, coughing, and chest tightness; after the fever subsided this morning, there is no major obstacle. The imperial physician said it is a cold; she should go out less during this time and recuperate for a period of time."

Zhu Yijun sneered in his heart.

A cold? I'm afraid it's an "allergy" to cinnabar.

He realized something was wrong as soon as he saw the wall of cinnabar outside the hall.

Don't look at cinnabar as sounding romantic and looking magnificent; it is actually highly toxic!

Its main component is mercuric sulfide, and it is also the main material for making good medicine for calming the nerves recorded in the "Shennong Herbal Classic."

How does it calm the nerves? Later generations generally call it the symptoms of mercury poisoning.

Zhu Yijun had occasionally glanced at how cinnabar causes poisoning and couldn't remember it very clearly; it seemed to say that although cinnabar is stable in nature, it can react with certain substances in the air to form something like methylmercury.

Entering the lungs and brain directly through breathing, it attacks the body, and because it is colorless and odorless, it is truly a unique secret recipe for sterilization.

It would be strange if the body didn't have problems after soaking in a cinnabar room.

Even the imperial physician instructed not to go out; no wonder they were all expelled by Emperor Shizong at the beginning.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun shook his head: "She was fine when she was in the West Garden."

Empress Dowager Chen seemed to realize something, hugged the fox on her lap to Princess Yanqing, and let the palace servants take it aside.

Only then did she look at the Emperor, her beautiful eyebrows slightly furrowed: "Is there anything wrong?"

Zhu Yijun didn't answer, but asked: "Mother, why don't you use red clay for the reconstruction of Ciqing Palace this time?"

What he is most suspicious of now is whether someone did it intentionally?

Zhu Sha is a natural mineral, but it can be made long ago, called spirit sand, and the output is not small.

So it is obviously common knowledge that cinnabar contains mercury, as for the point that it is toxic...

On one hand, major medical books state in black and white: "(Zhu Sha) contains true mercury, not hot but cold, highly toxic."

On the other hand, sage emperors and Daoist priests often take it, calling it a miraculous medicine.

So, it is common knowledge in Zhu Yijun's heart that cinnabar is toxic, but for the eunuchs at this time, it is really hard to say which one they believe—the conclusion of this thing is still between two possibilities in the Ming Dynasty.

It is even possible that everyone wanted to show their filial piety and intentionally used expensive materials.

This is where the entanglement lies.

It makes sense if it's correct, and it's the same if it's reversed; saying someone did it intentionally also has traces to follow.

The gilding of the Forbidden City requires mercury, and the gilding process is high-temperature; every time, one or two craftsmen will be poisoned to death by inhaling a large amount of steam, and even if they don't die, they will be covered in injuries and illnesses and can no longer reproduce.

This is also common knowledge, at least common knowledge for the internal officials and craftsmen who supervise the construction of palaces.

It's hard to say whether anyone was inspired by this and wanted to try it on the Emperor.

Anyway, cinnabar can be used for decoration, and no one can pick out any faults.

Empress Dowager Chen heard this and didn't understand, so she said: "The reconstruction of the palace after the fire is mostly like this."

"Firstly, cinnabar is expensive and has always been said to contain spiritual energy, which is good for suppressing the evil spirits of the palace fire."

"Secondly, it is said that in order to catch up with the construction period, cinnabar is easier to find than red clay."

"Another consideration is that often after a big fire, many insects and ants will crawl out, and everyone knows that cinnabar is better at preventing insects."

"So the reconstruction after the fire has always been painting walls with cinnabar."

Zhu Yijun frowned.

What Empress Dowager Chen said is also reasonable; catching up with the period and preventing insects are all realistic considerations.

The problem is... as soon as he heard that the palace reconstruction after the fire in the Forbidden City was all painted with cinnabar, he immediately associated it with the frequent fires in the Forbidden City.

Coincidence? Or a one-stop ghost method?

Frequent fires, frequent wall refreshing?

It shouldn't be calculated to this point...

But then again, the Qianqing Palace should have burned once at the end of last year.

In history, Wanli's old problem of oral and dental erosion, besides the possibility of tooth decay, seems to be one of the symptoms of chronic mercury poisoning...

The more Zhu Yijun suspected, the tighter his brows furrowed.

Thinking about it, he found that Empress Dowager Chen was staring at him, and only then did he realize that he had been thinking for a long time.

Sigh, he sighed silently in his heart.

This is the coldness of being high up.

It is really not easy to be an Emperor, and his suspicion has almost inevitably become heavier and heavier.

He came back to his senses, his expression relaxed slightly, and he picked up the topic the two had just discussed: "Does Mother like cinnabar?"

Empress Dowager Chen looked at the Emperor and said meaningfully: "I can not like it."

Zhu Yijun was silent for a moment and nodded slowly: "Then Mother doesn't like it."

"Please ask Mother to inform the internal officials later, just say that cinnabar is too extravagant, and all the interior decoration in the palace will be changed to earth red in the future."

He didn't know if it was someone's calculation or an unintentional mistake, so he could only treat it as if nothing had happened.

Zhu Yijun didn't want to appear that he attached great importance to it.

He couldn't just start a big case at the slightest sign of trouble.

Empress Dowager Chen seemed to understand and shook her head immediately: "No need to find any reason."

Zhu Yijun was stunned.

"Not liking it is purely not liking it; in the future, cinnabar and mercury are not allowed in the palace." Empress Dowager Chen suddenly smiled, "I am a woman, outsiders will understand."

Zhu Yijun was relieved: "I will have people repaint the walls of Ciqing Palace."

Empress Dowager Chen nodded slightly to show agreement.

Instead, she asked: "Should I return to the West Garden, or move to the Qianqing Palace?"

This is asking whether the Emperor is returning to the Forbidden City or staying in the West Garden.

The Emperor cannot return to the Qianqing Palace and drive the Empress Dowager back to the West Garden; that would put the charge of unfilial piety on the Emperor.

Zhu Yijun glanced at Empress Dowager Chen.

He wondered if he should loosen the eyes and ears of her close officials, so as to avoid making inappropriate suggestions due to closed information.

Thinking in his heart, Zhu Yijun stood up and bowed in prayer: "Please ask Mother to return to the West Garden to continue lingering, so that I can serve you with peace of mind."

Perhaps he is suspicious, but in this situation, it is better to stay in the West Garden.

Empress Dowager Chen nodded.

Seeing that the two reached a consensus, Zhu Yijun bowed and withdrew.

Zhu Yijun walked out two steps, then stopped, turned around and explained: "Grandfather once told me that cinnabar and mercury are highly toxic when tested personally; I do this for Mother's safety."

"I am going to see Li Baiyang, please Mother also pay attention to recuperating your body."

Empress Dowager Chen turned her head away, her expression unclear: "No need to explain, I believe you."

"Since the imperial physician said Li Baiyang has a cold, the Emperor should just watch from afar outside the door..."

When she turned her head again, she found that the Emperor had already left.

Zhu Yijun walked out of the warm pavilion, and Zhang Hong greeted him for the first time.

The latter was about to speak, but seeing the Emperor not stopping at all, he had to follow quickly, speaking at a very fast speed while walking: "Your Majesty, I went to ask about this matter just now."

"Replacing cinnabar with red clay is an old example of reconstruction after several fires during the Jiajing era, and no one deliberately replaced it with red clay."

The Internal Palace Supervision manages the construction of national palaces and tombs.

Ciqing Palace was rebuilt with funding from the internal and external seven-three, and the Internal Palace Supervision and the Ministry of Works' Construction Office jointly pointed out this matter.

Zhu Yijun didn't look back: "Jiajing old example? What about before Jiajing?"

Zhang Hong followed behind the Emperor, only feeling that as the Emperor grew older, his heavenly power became more and more unpredictable, and he still didn't understand why the Emperor was angry until now!

He hurriedly explained: "Your Majesty, in the first month of the ninth year of Zhengde, the Qianqing Palace caught fire, burning the palace, and it was all gone from the second drum to dawn."

"Afterwards, it was also rebuilt with cinnabar painting walls."

Zhang Hong said this and added: "Only during the Hongzhi era, Emperor Xiaozong reduced palace expenses, and the Internal Palace Supervision used red clay and not cinnabar."

Zhu Yijun stopped, and everyone stopped behind the Emperor, looking at each other.

Not long after, the Emperor acted as if nothing had happened and continued to walk: "I know, no need to continue to investigate."

It means he let it go lightly.

But Zhang Hong looked at the Emperor's back, and his mood didn't feel any lighter.

The Emperor's words were short, his joy and anger were unknown, and the atmosphere inevitably became more and more depressed; Zhang Hong followed behind carefully, only feeling that the pressure was getting greater and greater.

Fortunately, this pressure didn't last too long.

When Zhu Yijun walked to the warm pavilion of the West Side Hall, he took a deep breath, letting his not-so-good complexion relax.

Only then did he let people wait outside and walked in alone.

Li Baiyang's current status is actually a bit awkward.

When Li Chunfang sent his granddaughter into the palace, although it was in the name of a princess's companion.

But everyone with eyes knew it was aimed at the position of the harem.

And the Emperor, who should have been the most active about this matter, delayed expressing his attitude—not to mention the grand wedding, at least giving a name as a lady would do.

If the Emperor avoids it, he avoids it; if he avoids it to the end, everyone understands what attitude they should have towards her.

But the Emperor maintained an attitude of keeping her at a distance.

Some time ago, Li Baiyang was driven back to Ciqing Palace by the Emperor from his side, but today she fell ill, and the Emperor came to visit in person.

Especially the group of eunuchs and palace maids around Li Baiyang became neither up nor down.

Before being driven out of the warm pavilion by the Emperor, they all lowered their heads and peeked at the Emperor's expression, wanting to see the reason.

Unfortunately, the Emperor had no expression, and the servants couldn't figure it out.

Zhu Yijun pulled a chair and sat by Li Baiyang's bed.

Li Baiyang was about to get up to salute, but was pressed back by the Emperor, so she had to lie half-way on the bed, covering her mouth and nose with her hands, as if afraid of infecting the Emperor.

Only a pair of eyes that made one pity her, and lively eyebrows that trembled, were left.

Zhu Yijun didn't say any warm-man words about mercury poisoning not being contagious, but instead went straight to the point: "I don't know what your grandfather Li Chunfang instructed you when he sent you into the palace."

"Give Me the bottom line today."

Li Baiyang was stunned for a long time when she saw the Emperor's attitude.

Her watery eyes seemed to dim for a moment.

She covered her mouth, turned her head away, and said softly: "When I entered the palace, Grandfather didn't give me any instructions, only said..."

"When he was teaching the Emperor in the court, he saw that the Emperor's appearance was pleasing."

"And seeing the Emperor's actions before and after ascending the throne, he must be a top-notch hero of the time, so he thought I would definitely fall in love."

Zhu Yijun sat on the chair, his elbows on his thighs, his hands crossed and supporting his chin, watching Li Baiyang answer quietly.

He has lived two lives, walking on thin ice; floating and sinking in the officialdom, trembling with fear.

His heart had long been cold and hard like iron.

Women?

Heh.

Zhu Yijun stood up slowly and sat by Li Baiyang's bed, forcing her to look directly at him.

He ignored Li Baiyang's somewhat panicked expression and said sternly: "Then I will give you the bottom line today."

"The position of Empress is impossible to leave for you, but I can leave you a copy of the golden book and golden treasure."

He tried to slow down his tone and said softly: "Is that okay?"

The golden book and golden treasure were originally exclusive to the Empress; concubines only had the golden book by example, not the golden treasure.

So there was an institutional innovation.

Ranking above concubines and below the Empress, enjoying the golden book and golden treasure, is the Imperial Noble Consort.

Seeing the Emperor sitting so close, it was meaningless to cover her mouth and nose.

Li Baiyang's eyebrows trembled slightly, and her delicate skin, when slightly ill, appeared even fairer and weaker.

She looked up at the Emperor sitting on the edge of the bed, looking like a heart of iron and stone.

Not knowing what she was thinking, she bit her lip gently and complained resentfully: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhu Yijun nodded with great satisfaction.

She was still very easy to communicate with, and her appetite wasn't too big.

He patted Li Baiyang on the shoulder earnestly and approved: "Choose a talented lady first, and when I take personal control of the government, I will change it to Noble Consort."

The maids who were chosen into the palace but had no name were called "Selected Maids."

But they were also in the Emperor's harem, belonging to a name without a name.

Li Baiyang coughed deliberately and inadvertently pushed away the Emperor's old-fashioned hand on her shoulder.

Her heart became more and more depressed.

She lowered her head, broke her fingers and said dully: "Everything is at the Emperor's disposal."

Zhu Yijun stood up with satisfaction and prepared to leave.

Suddenly he saw Li Baiyang look up: "Is the Emperor preparing to take personal control of the government?"

She looked at the Emperor who was about to leave after saying no more than three sentences, and found a topic to talk about by coincidence.

Zhu Yijun's steps, which were about to turn, stopped, and he was surprised to meet Li Baiyang's gaze: "Why do you say that?"

Li Baiyang rarely saw the Emperor show interest in her, and it was because of this, so her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

She forced herself to sit up straight and said gently: "Didn't the Emperor avoid me before to avoid taking personal control of the government?"

"Since you speak to me like this today, it is clear that you have already made up your mind."

Zhu Yijun was silent.

He was indeed stimulated today and prepared to take personal control of the government in advance.

As for what stimulated him, it was not for this woman to say.

Although political marriage has no common language, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but look at her highly.

He admitted frankly: "I will choose a show this year, follow the steps, and take personal control of the government next year."

In history, Wanli's selection was delayed again and again, and even after marriage, he was still forced to kneel all day, not to mention taking personal control of the government.

But his situation is very different now.

As soon as he opens his mouth, it will be overwhelming.

Whether it is the two palaces or the cabinet and the six ministries, they will not stop him.

Actually, he didn't intend to take personal control of the government so early.

Zhang Juzheng can live for at least eight or nine years, and it's quite good for him to control the overall situation behind the scenes and touch fish.

However, sometimes the development of things does not shift by human will.

Zhu Yijun found that thinking this way before was still underestimating the profession of Emperor.

People want peace, and he, the Emperor, is no exception.

He cannot guarantee that the things he encountered today are really coincidences.

What if?

So, although he pressed the cinnabar matter on the surface and didn't investigate further, his mentality changed involuntarily.

Li Baiyang saw that the Emperor was interested, and the steps that were heading out moved back, and she couldn't help but feel some joy in her heart.

She played with her fingers, her eyebrows lowered, looking at the Emperor timidly, continuing to strive for the time when the Emperor rarely looked at her directly: "Does the Emperor feel that the cause of my illness this time is perhaps man-made?"

Zhu Yijun had just looked at her highly, but at this time he couldn't help but slightly furrow his brows.

This woman's mind is a bit too exquisite.

No wonder the ancestral rules don't take the daughters of noble families; if she wants to seize the position for her son in the future, it's not a good thing.

He didn't want to continue talking about this, and his face naturally turned slightly cold: "Don't think too much, just recuperate well."

As he said, he pressed Li Baiyang, who was sitting up, back, and pinched the corner of the quilt, covering her fair neck, directly sealing her up.

Li Baiyang saw that the Emperor's attitude had obviously changed and he would comfort her to recuperate.

The resentful expression just now turned from cloudy to sunny, showing a smile, and she said "um" happily.

She looked very lively and cute.

Her mind became active again, and she boldly requested the Emperor: "Please ask the Emperor not to inform my family of my illness, so as to avoid unnecessary worry at home."

Zhu Yijun was thinking about things, and hearing this, he was reminded by Li Baiyang.

Since he ascended the throne, he has been suppressing the South Zhili.

From investigating salt taxes, to moving the Governor of Jiang to Anqing, and even opening sea transport to weaken the Huaihe grain transport, they are all political signals that are extremely easy to trigger North-South disputes.

After all, North-South disputes have been lingering since the founding of the country and are deeply rooted.

In order to prevent the Southerners from misjudging and making unwise moves, he compromised with Li Chunfang—ignoring the ancestral rules and putting his granddaughter into the harem.

Even, if you really think deeply in the direction of conspiracy, is it aimed at Empress Dowager Chen, or does someone want this woman to be sterilized or even die of illness?

If this woman dies inexplicably in the palace...

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun turned his head, looked at Li Baiyang, and said seriously: "Don't take the medicine prescribed by the Imperial Hospital for now, I will send someone to pick you up back to the West Garden later."

After saying this, he was about to continue to instruct something, when he suddenly saw this woman smile brilliantly there, revealing two tiger teeth, inexplicably.

Well, the dimples are quite cute.

It's a pity that her mind is too heavy; suspecting that she might be involved in some danger, she specifically pointed out her own value.

Zhu Yijun pinched her lower face and finally warned meaningfully: "Wisdom hurts the body, beauty is a disaster; being smart and looking good may not be a good thing, don't get the use wrong."

After speaking, he was about to leave.

As soon as he turned around, he heard a sentence from behind.

"Your Majesty... you also look quite good."

Zhu Yijun turned his head in a daze, only to see this woman pull the quilt to the top, shrinking her whole head back into the quilt, leaving only two feet that were stretched out to fight.

Crazy, she doesn't even know how to pick high-level vocabulary to flatter.

Zhu Yijun muttered a sentence and finally stepped away.

At night.

A light snow began to fall in the Forbidden City.

Jiang Keqian stepped on the snow that had not yet formed, one footprint at a time.

Duke of Ding, Xu Wenbi, followed Jiang Keqian all the way to the West Garden.

If the Duke of Cheng is the most prominent lineage among the nobles conferred by the founding Emperor.

Then this eighth-generation grandson of the King of Zhongshan, Xu Da, who inherited the title in the second year of Longqing, Xu Wenbi, is the most prominent lineage among the nobles conferred by the founding Emperor—it is worth mentioning that the Duke of Ding lineage in the capital and the Duke of Wei lineage in South Zhili are both from the same Zhongshan King family.

Well, or rather, the founding heroes who were not taken away by the founding Emperor and could be passed down to today are legends themselves.

Xu Wenbi is forty-three this year, at the peak age of a noble.

But the Duke of Ding lineage is not close to Shizong, Muzong, or the current Emperor.

Not to mention being conferred as one of the three dukes and in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, even the rewarded silver is not half of the Duke of Cheng—when the Duke of Cheng was rewarded with forty taels of silver, he could only huddle in the crowd and "twenty taels of silver and two tables of silk" to muddle through.

Usually, there are only some sacrificial tasks that can be assigned to him, and besides that, there are few opportunities to see the Emperor.

But unexpectedly tonight.

The Emperor summoned him late at night.

After entering the night, it was snowing outside, which was a bit cold, but it was warm as soon as he entered Wanshou Palace.

However, perhaps because of the private summons, Wanshou Palace was very dark, and he didn't see any guards or eunuchs along the way.

The wind outside was whistling, and the hall was quiet and peaceful.

Xu Wenbi followed closely.

Finally arrived at the main hall.

The Emperor was writing something at the desk.

Xu Wenbi hurriedly saluted: "Minister Xu Wenbi, pays respects to Your Majesty!"

He thought a lot along the way, guessing his good and bad luck, recalling the Emperor's personality, and guessing the purpose of his summons.

But when the Emperor spoke, Xu Wenbi was still caught off guard.

"Master Xu, you will be the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and go set a fire to the Qianqing Palace for Me."

(End of chapter)