Half blood

Chapter 56

After the winter solstice, the weather suddenly turned cold. First there was a heavy rain, and then the wind picked up.Li Xuan changed into light fur and sat by the stove to warm up the fire. He stretched out a hand, and the red coals in the stove reflected his palm.He said to himself: "The wine and meat of the Zhu family stinks, and the door has bones to death from starvation."

Suddenly a servant rushed in and exclaimed to Li Xuan: "It's not good, it's not good, something happened in the palace."

Li Xuan was taken aback, and asked, "What happened?"

The boy shook his head and said, "I don't know, but the princess wants you to go back to the palace immediately."

Although Li Xuan felt a little strange in his heart, but thinking that Li Fei was fine, he would not be so eager to ask him to enter the palace, so he immediately got on his horse and entered the palace.

As soon as he arrived outside the palace, he saw the eunuchs and maids in a hurry, shuttling back and forth in the palace as if facing an enemy. Li Fei also stood outside the palace with a heavy face, wrapped in a cloak in the cold Fengli was anxiously waiting for something.

Li Xuanxuan got off his horse, walked over quickly, grabbed Li Fei's arm and asked in a low voice: "Sister, what's the matter?"

Li Fei replied: "It's Concubine Xiang, something happened to Concubine Xiang..."

"What happened to her?"

In Li Xuan's memory, He Xiang's appearance was a pair of sly eyes exposed from the veil covering his face that day, those eyes shone brightly under the slightly wrinkled brows, secretly looking at the banquet People with different complexions and different thoughts.It was a kind of pride of having succeeded, and the complacency from the bottom of my heart was uncontrollably revealed from the eyes.

But now that something happened to He Xiang, Li Xuan couldn't imagine how He Xiang would look with his eyes closed, as if he was out of breath, as if he was dead, and as if there was no hope.

Li Fei's hand stirred her cuffs trimmed with gold thread, and said: "No one knows what's wrong now, but I heard that she woke up this morning and said she was not feeling well. Please come to the imperial doctor for a look. The imperial doctor said that there is nothing wrong. It's a big problem, nausea in the morning is normal. And now suddenly it's something wrong."

Li Xuan lowered his voice and asked, "Did something happen to the child in my stomach?"

Li Fei looked around sideways and saw that the eunuchs and maids were too busy to overhear any gossip, so she replied in a low voice: "Probably so, I just saw the pots and pots from the concubine Xiang's bedroom. The blood is moving outside."

"What about the father? Does he know about this?"

"Father knows, he is asking the imperial doctor in the hall."

Li Xuan pointed to the door behind him, and asked, "Behind this door?"

Li Fei nodded and said, "I've been inside for some time."

Li Xuan put his ear on the door and listened for a while, but he didn't hear anything, the hall was completely silent.Li Xuan sighed softly, moved his ears away, stood up straight, and said, "This...was it an accident or was someone trying to harm her?"

Li Fei shook her head and said: "I don't know, maybe it was an accident, or someone hurt her, but it doesn't make any sense now." Li Fei looked up at Li Xuan, and said: "The important thing is the result , the important thing is whether the child can be kept."

Li Xuan was shocked by the emptiness in Li Fei's eyes, he looked away, looked up at the dark clouds in the sky, and said: "Speaking of which, this child is still our younger brother, or What about my sister?"

Li Fei didn't speak, and stood quietly beside Li Xuan.The two of them are twins of dragon and phoenix, so it is reasonable to say that their hearts are connected, but at this time Li Xuan felt that he couldn't see through his sister at all.Why is it that she and He Xiang are both women, but they don't feel sad for the common fate that this woman cannot escape.And like a Buddha, after seeing all the suffering in the world, he no longer feels pain.

Li Xuan gently pressed his chest with his hands, and said, "But why do I, don't feel anything here?"

"Because you don't want him to come to this world from the bottom of your heart," Li Fei replied silently, "But even if he didn't come, it's not a bad thing."

Suddenly there was a loud noise from the door behind him. It was the sound of a bronze tripod falling to the ground and hitting the ground.Li Xuan hurriedly turned around, and saw that the door of the hall was suddenly pushed open. Li Zhengya stood in the center of the hall, raised his right hand, made a gesture, and said, "Drag people down."

Several guards swarmed up from behind Li Xuan, grabbed the imperial physician's arm, and pushed the imperial physician to the ground.The imperial doctor stretched his neck and said sharply: "Your Majesty, I really didn't do it, I, I really don't know why this thing is in my medicine, I really, really don't know... "

Li Zhengya said: "I'm not an unreasonable person, but you just explained for a long time, I only heard your cover-up, this is not a lie, what is it?" The face of the imperial physician.Then he raised his hand and made a gesture, dragging the person down.

The imperial physician was crying and shouting, seeing Li Xuan standing outside the door, he hugged Li Xuan's leg, and shouted: "His Royal Highness King An, His Highness King An, you, please say something to me... …I really don’t know, I really don’t know where this medicine came from. Your Highness King An, I made the medicine for you when you were sick when you were a child, and I gave you the things you don’t like to suffer Find a way to make the medicine taste sweeter. I, my thoughts on you, on the Holy One, the world can learn from the world!"

Li Xuan squatted down and said: "Then the imperial doctor quickly explained the matter clearly, why did this thing get mixed into the medicine you prescribed to Concubine Xiang this morning?"

The imperial doctor was asked by Li Xuan, his eyes were red with anxiety, his hands were twisted backwards, he could only stretch his neck on the ground and kowtow heavily to Li Xuan, while kowtowing, he said: "I really don't know, really do not know."

"Enough!" Li Zhengya yelled in the hall, "What else are you talking to him? The matter is now clear!" Li Zhengya suddenly sneered, and said: "I gave you a chance, if you recruited truthfully , you can die more quickly. But I really didn't expect that you are really loyal, but you are loyal to another master!" After speaking, Li Zhengya slapped heavily on the table in front of him, making a loud noise.

The imperial doctor's face changed slightly, and he began to kowtow again, his forehead gradually oozes blood, and the blood flowed wantonly along the lines on his forehead, making his face scarlet red a little scary.

At this time, a young eunuch came forward tremblingly. He had only entered the hall a few steps before his legs softened and he knelt on the ground.The eunuch prostrated himself and said in an inaudible voice: "My Majesty, Concubine Xiang, Concubine Xiang's child is gone..."

This inaudible sound penetrated into the ears of everyone in the hall, and everyone heard it, but no one dared to make a sound, and no one dared to show a single expression on their faces.These words were like a stone thrown into a deep pool, it sank with a gurgling sound, and there was no sound after a while. It was obvious that the water was full of waves, but on the surface it was as quiet as a bronze mirror.

"Drag on." Li Zhengya's cold voice broke the dead silence in the hall.

The imperial physician threw himself on the ground and burst into tears, saying: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I really didn't do it..."

Li Zhengya said lightly: "Whether you did it or not is meaningless now. They won, and you won."

The imperial doctor was dragged like this, and his knees knocked on the steps under the palace, making a dull sound without knocking.Just when the imperial physician was about to drag it out, the imperial physician suddenly said loudly: "I said, I said, it's the queen, the queen asked me to do it."

All the people present were stunned. Li Zhengya sat on the dragon chair with a cloudy expression, but she didn't make a sound for a long time.Li Xuan was furious, grabbed the imperial physician by the collar, and shouted: "You are talking nonsense! You are talking nonsense!"

The imperial doctor stared at Li Xuan with blood-red eyes, and squeezed out the same two words from his mouth: "Queen, the queen asked me to do it."

Children cannot enter the ancestral temple, so they can only be buried on the back mountain.It was buried by a young eunuch, at the place where Li Xuan used rocks to press the grass when he was young. The eunuch dug a hole in the ground with a small hoe, put the small bag of meat in, covered it with soil, pressed it It's true.The little eunuch said to the little maid beside him: "Did you know that flowers and plants grow very well in places where people have died?" The little palace maid turned pale with fright, she tapped the little eunuch's shoulder with her fist, and said sharply: "You are so annoying, you scared me to death!"

The imperial doctor was locked in the dungeon. Every day, he held the iron pillar on the door with both hands, and looked at the jailer outside eagerly. As long as the unlucky jailer looked back at him, he kept asking: "Someone came to see me today?" Is anyone coming to see me?"

The unlucky jailer slammed the chopsticks in his hand on the table, and shouted, "Can you let me have a bite of food?"

The imperial doctor was so drunk that he shivered and said, "Isn't anyone coming to see me today?"

"No one is looking at you! Don't count on it, stay in prison for a few days, let me tell you," the jailer snorted from his nose, looked at the imperial doctor contemptuously from top to bottom, and said, "You also There are not many days to live."

After hearing this, the imperial doctor lowered his head, and his head drooped on the edge of the door frame, like the head of a hanged ghost.

Suddenly a person came in from outside the door, he said a few words to the jailer, escaped from his cuff and stuffed a package into the jailer's hand, the jailer put away the heavy package, bent down with a flattering smile, and withdrew. go down.

There were only two people left in the cell, that person turned around, walked outside the imperial physician's cell, and asked, "Who are you waiting for to see you?"

The imperial physician lowered his head, trembling slightly, and said, "Anyway, I'm not waiting for you."

"I know," the man replied, "you are waiting for Lord Wang, right?"

The imperial doctor didn't speak for a long while, and leaned against the door frame stiffly, motionless, only barely sticking out his tongue to pretend to be a hanged ghost.

"Governor Li, what exactly do you want?"

"I didn't think about it, I just wanted to see you." Li Xiuqi replied.

The imperial physician sneered and said, "Come and see me? Do you want to see if I'm dead?"

Li Xiuqi nodded, and said: "Yes, it's a pity that you didn't die. But..." Li Xiuqi paused, and then said: "It's almost the same."

The imperial doctor said: "Governor Li, there is one thing that I have never been able to figure out. With Governor Li's ingenuity, no matter what, I would never make such a stupid mistake. Everyone is clear in their hearts like a mirror, and the throne of King An is useless." Yes, why does Governor Li still insist on his side?"

Li Xiuqi smiled and said, "Why should I tell you?"

The imperial doctor said: "Is it because I am a dying person?"

Li Xiuqi said: "Since he is about to die, there is no need to tell you."

The imperial doctor said: "Then I will tell you, you made the wrong choice, you must have made the wrong choice, and when the time comes, you will not be any better than me." The imperial doctor suddenly raised those sad eyes, Looking at Li Xiuqi like a snake, he said: "At that time, you will regret it, regret it, regret why you have to go your own way. Who do you think you are? How could everyone be wrong, but you are right? You are too much Arrogant."

Li Xiuqi said: "I never said that I want to choose the right one."

The imperial physician was slightly stunned, and said, "What do you mean?"

Li Xiuqi said: "You don't need to know, and you don't need to know. I didn't come here today to tell you these things."

"What did that say?"

Li Xiuqi took out a jade pendant from his sleeve, threw it on the ground, and said, "That's it."

The jade pendant rolled to the imperial physician's feet, the imperial physician picked it up, and asked in amazement, "Where did you get this thing?"

Li Xiuqi asked blankly, "What do you think?"

Beads of sweat oozed from the forehead of the imperial doctor, his hands trembled a little, clutching the jade pendant, and asked in a low voice, "Where is he now?"

Li Xiuqi said: "You don't have to worry about this imperial physician for the time being, your son is fine now."

"Where is he?" The imperial physician raised his voice and asked again with angry eyes.

"You don't need to know this, you just need to know, if you don't answer the next question carefully, I can't guarantee that your son will remain as unscathed as now."

The imperial physician gritted his teeth on the back bed and refused to speak.

Li Xiuqi went on to say: "My son really has the demeanor of an imperial physician back then, especially his hands. Even if he doesn't hold needles like an imperial physician to practice medicine in the future, he can still hold a pen and write. You said that there are five white and long fingers on these hands. Which one should I cut off first and show it to the imperial physician, so that the imperial physician can believe it? Oh, yes!" Li Xiuqi seemed to think of something, and said: "I forgot that the imperial physician's medical skills are so good, there must be a way to treat it. The son's finger was sewn back, hey, I made a mistake..."

The imperial doctor's face gradually lost its color, his lips trembled for a while, he smiled self-deprecatingly, and said, "Governor Li, you are so cruel."

Li Xiuqi smiled slightly, and said: "Who is this? Threats are more powerful than temptations. I'm not Mr. Wang. I can't lure you with much gold and silver treasures. I can only use this method, but this method is true." Works, doesn't it?"

The imperial physician took a deep breath and said, "What does Governor Li want to ask?"

"I want to know a flaw."

"flaw?"

"Yes, a flaw, no matter how clever a strategy is, there is a flaw. But I don't have time to find your flaws right now, so I want you to tell me directly."

"No," said the imperial physician, "this time there is no flaw. The medicine was specially transported from Qingzhou, and I tortured the medicine myself, without passing through the hands of another person. Only Master Zhu and I know about this whole thing. I won’t say it, and Master Zhu won’t either.”

Li Xiuqi said: "Every scheme has flaws, and this time there is no exception. Who did you buy your medicine from?"

The imperial physician smiled slightly, and said, "I picked the medicine myself. I started preparing for this matter three months ago, and there will be no loopholes."

Li Xiuqi thought slightly, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous, he never thought about what he would do if he couldn't find anything against Wang Yuan from the imperial physician.Li Xiuqi said: "Very good, very good, I will bring you your son's index finger tomorrow, the imperial doctor probably figured out a loophole."

The imperial physician was taken aback, and said, "Really not, why doesn't Governor Li believe me?"

Li Xiuqi smiled and said, "Trust you? Based on your performance in the hall yesterday, who would dare to trust you?"

The imperial physician lowered his head and did not speak.

Li Xiuqi waved his cuffs and said: "Since the imperial physician has a bad memory and cannot think of it today, I will bring your son's right hand over tomorrow to help the imperial physician think about it." After finishing speaking, he was ready to leave.

"Wait a minute," the imperial physician called, his eyes quietly looked at the snow-white soles of Li Xiuqi's black boots, and said, "That medicine is not from Qingzhou..."

"go on."

"I went back to my hometown in the south three months ago, but I couldn't reach Qingzhou, so the medicinal materials I picked were not from Qingzhou, but from the southern border."

"What's the difference between the two medicines?"

The imperial doctor said: "There is only one small difference, no one will notice at all...the medicinal herbs in Qingzhou have one more leaf."

"Very good," Li Xiuqi nodded, he couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief.Bravado is really useful, as long as you are brave enough, you can sing an empty city plan to scare them off even if you are in front of thousands of troops. "The doctor understands what to do next?"

The imperial physician nodded and said, "I understand, and I also thank Governor Li for saving my family's life."

Li Xiuqi said: "Don't worry, the imperial physician, your son is fine. It is impossible for General Wang to pursue this matter to the imperial physician. As the imperial physician said, only you and I know about this flaw."

The imperial physician suddenly laughed, and said: "He probably wouldn't have guessed that you would do such a thing, he just thought you were too smart."

Li Xiuqi didn't answer, he took out another small porcelain bottle from his cuff, and said in a low voice: "The poison|medicine in it can make the imperial physician less painful."

The imperial physician did not reach out to take the porcelain bottle, and said, "No need. I have my own solution."

Li Xiuqi put away the porcelain bottle, turned around and prepared to leave.

The imperial physician stopped him suddenly and asked, "Where is my son?"

Li Xiuqi replied: "It's fine at home."

After hearing this, the imperial doctor was stunned for a while, then suddenly raised his head and laughed loudly, and said, "Oh, I should have thought of it, heh..."

Li Xiuqi said: "The imperial doctor dare not bet with me on your son's life, the bet is inevitable."

The imperial physician wiped his face and asked again: "What about this jade pendant? Where did you get this jade pendant?"

"It was stolen," Li Xiuqi replied flatly, "Your son is good at everything, but he is a big drunkard. Stealing from a drunkard is really easy."

"Okay...very good..." The imperial physician laughed a few more times, the laughter became more and more bitter, and finally turned into a heart-piercing howl.

On the second day, the jailer found that the imperial doctor had hanged himself on the beam by his trouser belt, with half of his tongue sticking out, really looking like a hanged ghost.

General Wang came to the dungeon, and he personally watched the jailer drag the imperial doctor out of the cell and put him in a sack.He pulled the jailer and asked, "Has anyone visited him in the past few days?"

The jailer shook his head and said: "Go back to Master Zhu, no one has ever visited him."

"Really do not have?"

The jailer said: "There is no one, I am still wondering why his family didn't come to see him... If his family had come to see him, he, he might not be so hard to think about it..." He said , the jailer wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his cuff.

Wang Yuan nodded and said, "Very good." After saying that, he took a heavy silver ingot from his sleeve and gave it to the jailer.

The jailer lowered his head, suppressed a smile, and put the silver ingot into his pocket, thinking: "Master Li is really amazing, so I can really get another silver ingot!"