Chapter 253 The Medicine God is Madam Xiao
"Military intelligence leaked!"
The 50,000-strong army on the eastern front of the Muru River was completely wiped out. It turned out that someone was colluding with the enemy!
After hearing this, the prince stood up suddenly, with veins bulging on his forehead.
"Your Highness, please calm down and listen to me."
Seeing the prince's anger, Zhou Yin tried to dissuade him, and everyone else also stood up to persuade him. After a long time, the prince finally calmed down. Seeing the prince sit down, Zhou Yin leaned forward and said:
"Our spies found the dying commander of the Eastern Front, General Zhang Jidong, in Canglong Mountain south of Mulu River. After rescuing him and revealing his identity, we asked him about the defeat on the Eastern Front. General Zhang said that it was General Zhenbei's confidant who revealed our army's whereabouts to the Shanrong people."
"General Zhenbei! Why is General Zhang so sure?"
"Your Highness, General Zhang was defeated and fled with his deputy general who was injured. When they reached Canglong Mountain, after the Shanrong people retreated, General Zhenbei sent people to search the forest. When they saw that they were his own people, the deputy general was particularly excited and was about to ask for help, but was stopped by General Zhang. The two were afraid of a trick, so they kept hiding in the dark and observing. After eavesdropping on the conversation of several people, they realized that those people were General Zhenbei's confidants. They searched the mountain under the banner of rescuing General Zhang, but in fact they did so to silence him. Not long after General Zhang set out, he was surrounded by troops that were several times his size. It was obviously an ambush set in advance. The marching route was a top secret. General Zhang originally suspected how the Shanrong people could grasp our army's high-level military intelligence. It turned out that General Zhenbei was colluding with the enemy. Later, in order to save him, the deputy general stepped forward to lead away General Zhenbei's confidants. General Zhang watched with his own eyes as the deputy general was killed by General Zhenbei's people..."
After hearing Zhou Yin's words, the prince's face turned pale, his fists clenched tightly, and he asked through gritted teeth:
"How is General Zhang now?"
"We originally wanted to send him back to Pingyang, but General Zhenbei set up many checkpoints and conducted a strict search. He was temporarily hidden in a farmyard to recuperate."
"As long as he's alive, we must protect his safety. Send a message to General Zhou to beware of General Zhenbei collaborating with the enemy again. After the army reaches the Mulu River, find a way to send General Zhang back to Pingyang and hurry to collect evidence of General Zhenbei's collaborating with the enemy."
"Yes, I will deliver the message tomorrow morning."
Seeing the prince's gloomy face, Li Zan said:
"Before Your Highness came back, I, Brother Zhou, Brother Qian and others analyzed the current situation. In my opinion, General Zhenbei was colluding with the enemy under the orders of King Yan, and his target was you."
"how do I say this?"
“Your Highness, ever since the Prince of Yan wanted to use the omen of great misfortune to force the Prime Minister to death and weaken your power in the court, his moves have become more ruthless and merciless. I think the Prince of Yan saw that the Queen Mother would not live long, and was afraid that once the Queen Mother passed away, the Emperor Jin would attack the Queen Mother’s relatives, so he took advantage of the astronomical phenomenon of Mars guarding the heart to launch the attack in advance. I guess that the Prince of Yan must have been jealous when he saw that the Emperor wanted you to offer sacrifices to the heaven on behalf of your father, so he planned to make a big event that would shock the court and the public after your sacrifice, preparing to frame you for immorality and be punished by heaven for your sacrifice, so he ordered General Zhenbei to suffer a not-so-small defeat…”
Yes, the arrangement of the King of Yan has come true in the future. I just didn’t expect that even the heavens would help the King of Yan this time. After he offered sacrifices to the heavens, not only did the frontline fail, but the heavens also showed strange signs again. The plague spread in the territory of Da Qi, causing him to be caught in rumors and struggling on the edge of dethronement. These days, the ministers in the court have all attached themselves to the King of Yan. If it weren’t for the consolation of Su Peng, Nan Huaizhong, Li Zan and others, he himself would have doubted whether he had really lost his virtue and angered the heavens! After hearing what Li Zan said, the prince couldn’t help but nodded and said bitterly:
"An army of 50,000! The whole army was annihilated, and many families lost their loved ones. Just for the boundless greed and supreme authority, he actually ignored the people of the world and the country, and let the blood of the people of Da Qi flow like a river. With such wolfish ambitions, he deserves death. How can we hand over the world to this man!"
"Your Highness is absolutely right. If it weren't for Master Jingyun's advice, I'm afraid that under the urging of the Queen Mother, the Prince of Yan's trick would have succeeded this time. I heard that the Prince of Yan has sent more people to the south to look for the God of Medicine. He wants to control Yichuntang through the God of Medicine and grab the first credit for treating the plague in the south. In my opinion, the Prince of Yan has already burned his boats and is going all out this time. He has not even let go of the Prime Minister, and I'm afraid he will not let go of Yichuntang and the Xiao family, unless Yichuntang obeys the Prince of Yan. For now, we have no choice but to find the God of Medicine first and cure the plague in the south. By then, when General Zhou's 300,000 troops reach the Muru River and control General Zhenbei, we will have a chance to settle accounts with the Prince of Yan. If the plague is not cured, rumors will have already spread among the people. I'm afraid that if it gets out of hand, your position as the crown prince will really be in jeopardy."
After Li Zan finished speaking, Zhou Yin continued:
"Li Zan is right. I am also worried that when you go to the south to issue the imperial edict tomorrow, the King of Yan will not give up. It is hard to say whether he will immediately turn hostile and attack Yichuntang, force the God of Medicine to show up, and seize control of the God of Medicine first. The most urgent tasks are, first, to send more people to protect Yichuntang overnight, and second, at the morning court tomorrow, Your Highness must find a way to get the Emperor to issue an imperial edict to protect Yichuntang."
"Brother Zhou is right. Your Highness, tomorrow morning you will tell Yichun Hall that there have been reports of rioters recently. In order to allow Medicine God to serve the country with peace of mind, please ask Your Majesty to issue an order to preserve Yichun Hall."
After listening to Zhou Yin and Li Zan's words, Qian Zhong said without waiting for the crown prince to speak:
"All of these are easy to say. The most important thing is to find the Medicine God. Although Your Highness is the Medicine God's sworn brother, he has never revealed his whereabouts to you. It is quite troublesome to meet him. Rescuing a disaster is like putting out a fire. If the Medicine God refuses to show up this time and the Prince of Yan seizes the opportunity, Your Highness's great cause will be ruined!"
After hearing this, the prince looked at Li Zan and saw that his lips were moving, as if he wanted to say something. He raised his head and said to the crowd:
"We can discuss this at Yichun Hall tomorrow. It's getting late, so let's go first."
Seeing that the prince had ordered them to leave, several people hurriedly stood up and said goodbye, and walked out one after another. When the prince gestured to him, Li Zan deliberately slowed down his pace, followed the crowd from a distance, and stood at the door. When he saw that everyone had gone far away, he turned around and came back. The prince waved his hand, sent away the servants in the room, and then asked:
"Do you have any clues about the Medicine God?"
"Your Highness, I am sure of the identity of the God of Medicine?"
The prince's eyes lit up, revealing a strange look, and he asked impatiently:
"who?"
"Just as the prince guessed, she is Xiao Jun's wife!"
After hearing this, the prince's eyes darkened and he murmured:
"Is it really her?"
Seeing the disappointed look in the prince's eyes, Li Zan sighed secretly. Thinking of the look in the prince's eyes when he mentioned that he found the God of Medicine was a woman, he understood the prince's longing for the God of Medicine. He didn't expect that his concubine already had a husband. Seeing the prince's gloomy expression, he muttered to himself, coughed and said:
"Ever since Your Highness told me that you found Madam Xiao in Yichun Hall very much like the Medicine God, I also recalled that year when Xiao Jun and his wife went to Jingyun Temple to burn incense and passed by me, I also had a familiar feeling. When I turned back, she had already boarded the carriage. I was puzzled until I heard your words and recalled that in the past two years, the Medicine God claimed to have traveled around the mountains and rivers, but we searched all over Da Qi and still couldn't find her whereabouts. She must be hiding in the inner house, and there is no other place, but we just ignored her."
Seeing the prince nod, Li Zan took a sip of tea and continued:
"Considering that Li Du has so much wealth, his sister is worth a lot of money, but he refused to redeem her and was willing to be a slave in the Xiao Mansion. Why? Unless the master she serves is particularly powerful, there is no other reason. I have made appointments with Xiao Jun and his wife several times, but Xiao Jun declined because his wife was not feeling well. I am more convinced of this."
"That day, Madam Xiao wore a black veil, and with Xiao Jun blocking the view, we vaguely felt that they were similar in spirit, but their skin colors were very different."
"Your Highness, the skin color can be painted black. The most suspicious thing is that Madam Xiao was resurrected from the dead. The medicine was sent by Li Du's sister. I heard that she became a servant again after sending the medicine. How could this be such a coincidence? I was afraid that there was something wrong. I remembered that Master Tao had met Madam Xiao and often praised her talent. So I painted the appearance of the God of Medicine in women's clothes and asked Master Tao to identify her. When Master Tao saw her, he nodded repeatedly, so..."
After Li Zan finished speaking, he saw the prince frowning and couldn't help but shouting:
"Your Highness"
The prince murmured:
"If it is true as you said, the Medicine God is Madam Xiao. I really can't understand why she was poisoned a few days ago and made Xiao Jun kneel down in Yichun Hall."
"Your Highness, I don't know about this either, but both Master Xiao and Xiao Jun went to Yichun Hall to kneel down. There is only one possibility, the Xiao family didn't know that the God of Medicine was in their house."
"Xiao Jun once asked me to introduce him to the God of Medicine. I also guess that the Xiao family is not aware of this. But she is a woman living in the inner house. Where did she get such excellent medical skills?"
"Your Highness, I heard that wherever Li Du went, as long as he saw a good book or a rare book, he would spend a lot of money to buy it. I also gave him many rare books. I originally thought that Li Du loved books, but later I learned that the Medicine God loved reading. Maybe the Medicine God is naturally smart and can learn everything by reading every day without a teacher."
Glancing at Li Zan, the prince nodded and shook his head, muttering to himself:
"If the Medicine God is really Madam Xiao, how can I take her to the south?"
"Your Highness, originally according to your idea, at this time, you should try your best not to reveal the identity of the God of Medicine, and the King of Yan would have no way to attack Yichuntang. But the situation is forced. Not to mention that you must take the God of Medicine to the south, just looking at the means of the King of Yan, he is desperate and almost crazy. The next step will definitely be to attack the Xiao family and Yichuntang. Sooner or later, the Xiao Mansion will become a place of right and wrong. It would be better if the God of Medicine can get out of it as soon as possible. Choose the lesser of two evils. You must confront Xiao Jun as soon as possible, expose the identity of the God of Medicine, and try your best to persuade Yichuntang and the Xiao family to reach a consensus. You and Xiao Jun must take the God of Medicine south before the King of Yan takes action. This is the best policy."
After hearing what Li Zan said, the prince nodded, pondered for a long time, and murmured:
"I really don't know how the Xiao family will react when they find out that the God of Medicine is in their house. I remember Xiao Zongzi mentioned before that Madam Xiao was a concubine's daughter who married into the Xiao House. Her status is contrary to the ancestral precepts of the Xiao family. I wonder if I can incite the Xiao family to divorce her?"
"Your Highness, you must not do this. As the saying goes, it is better to destroy ten temples than to break up a marriage. Not to mention that Your Highness is in need of someone right now and cannot turn against the Xiao family, being divorced is a huge insult to a woman. Medicine God will not be able to hold her head up in Da Qi if she bears the identity of a divorced woman."
After looking at Li Zan, the prince murmured:
"Tell me, will the emperor allow me to marry a divorced woman?"
“Your Highness…”
After hearing what the prince said, Li Zan turned pale with shock and cried out. The prince waved his hand to stop him and said:
"Okay! Just as you said, tomorrow this king will go to the Xiao Mansion in person. Make good preparations in the next two days. After convincing the Xiao family, this king will immediately go south with Xiao Jun and Yao Shen. You and Qian Zhong will stay in Pingyang..."
