Volume 2 Clouds Chapter 27: The Hero's Decline
The man named Zhongxun by Cao Bin saw a group of people rushing in. He recognized two of them and bowed, saying, "Pan Mei, the envoy of Shanzhou, greets the governor Han and everyone else. Doctor You is treating Duke Zheng in the room. If you want to visit, please wait a moment."
Han Lingkun didn't know Pan Mei, but he felt that she looked familiar and thought he had seen her somewhere before, so he nodded.
After listening to his self-introduction, Luo Youdu carefully looked at the famous general of the Song Dynasty with a tragic color in front of him.
His tragedy did not come from himself. He was a general and a prime minister, and held the high position of Grand Tutor. He died of old age and was honored in the temple of Emperor Taizong. It can be said that he lived a glorious life.
However, he was only secondarily responsible for Yang Ye's death. Moreover, because he was the commander-in-chief at the time, later generations used him as a template to create a treacherous prime minister, Pan Renmei, for the sake of plot , and he was scolded for no reason for hundreds of years.
Historical books of all dynasties rarely record people's appearance, unless they have very special features, such as being particularly handsome or ugly.
Pan Mei was a particularly handsome man, and was known in history as a handsome and suave young man.
He has a tall and sturdy figure, with clear and deep facial features, especially the pair of phoenix eyes, which give people a sense of majesty without even being angry.
Compared with Cao Bin's great wisdom and cautiousness, Pan Mei's emotional intelligence is obviously higher.
Seeing that Luo Youdu was almost standing shoulder to shoulder with Han Lingkun, he knew that Luo Youdu had an extraordinary status, so he signaled Cao Bin with his eyes to introduce him to him so as not to be rude in front of others.
In his early years, when Guo Rong ascended the throne, he was appointed as the prefect of Kaifeng, and Pan Mei served as Guo Rong's attendant.
Because Cao Bin was related to Guo Wei, he also served under Guo Rong.
The two of them, one hot and one cold, get along well.
Cao Bin explained the identities of several people.
When Pan Mei learned of Luo Youdu's identity, his expression froze, and he bowed deeply, saying, "Pan Mei was reckless, and almost neglected you, sir. I am honored to meet you today, and if you can give me some advice, I will have no regrets in my life."
Luo Youdu was a little flattered by these words. He first bowed in return and then said, "Zhongxun, please don't believe the rumors. I am just a layman and cannot bear such praise. Now is not the right time to visit Duke Zheng. Let's find another time and call Guohua to discuss in detail."
Pan Mei bowed and said yes.
Zhe Yuxun and Zhe Saihua had long wanted to inquire about their grandfather's condition.
But they are the younger generation and it is not easy for them to interrupt.
Seeing Luo Youdu return to the topic in time, Zhe Yuxun and Zhe Saihua said almost at the same time: "Pan Yinjin, Family Ancestor, what is the situation now?"
Pan Mei pursed her lips and said in a low voice: "Not optimistic."
When Emperor Taizu of Zhou Guo Wei established the Later Zhou regime, he appointed Zhe Congruan as co-prime minister and transferred him to be the governor of Baoyi Army, with the army stationed in Shanzhou. Later, because the Pheasant Tribe invaded the border, Guo Wei transferred Zhe Congruan to be the governor of Jingnan Army and stationed him in Bingzhou to deal with the Dangxiang.
Shanzhou has an extremely important geographical location. It is located at the foot of Mount Xiao, a remnant of the Qinling Mountains. The ancient Hangu Pass stands within its territory.
Guanzhong had suffered great damage from the war, so whenever troops were mobilized, food and rations had to be transported from the Central Plains via Shanzhou into Guanzhong.
In order to facilitate his actions, Zhe Congruan recommended his trusted general Wu Lin as the military commander of Shanzhou before he went to Bingzhou to garrison.
At the beginning of this year, Zhe Congruan felt unwell and submitted a petition to the court requesting someone to replace him, which was granted.
After completing the handover, Zhe Congruan returned to Shanzhou to reminisce with Wu Lin.
Pan Mei happened to be the envoy of Shanzhou and was a subordinate of Wu Lin.
Pan Mei, a person with high emotional intelligence, can get along well with others wherever he goes. She is highly regarded by Wu Lin and is qualified to accompany him at the banquet.
Unexpectedly, Zhe Congruan fell ill in Shanzhou. The doctors in Shanzhou were helpless and even asked Wu Lin to prepare for his funeral.
Pan Mei once served as the deputy envoy of Xishanggemen, responsible for advising princes, prime ministers, officials, presenting memorials, announcing imperial edicts, etc. He once summoned an imperial physician with excellent medical skills, knowing that he was living in seclusion in Luoyang, and suggested going to Luoyang to seek medical treatment.
Wu Lin sent someone to Fugu to inform the Zhe family, and asked Pan Mei to send Zhe Congruan to Luoyang for medical treatment.
Pan Mei experienced the whole process of Zhe Congruan's illness and knew the details. He said, "He was fine a few days ago and could still talk and laugh. But recently he has been a little confused and often says he has a headache. He even mistook me for Zhe Jiedushi. He had an attack less than half an hour ago and the doctor is giving him acupuncture for emergency treatment."
Zhe Yuxun tried to remain calm.
Zhe Saihua's eyes were red, but she tried hard to hold back the tears.
There was a moment of silence in the hospital, as everyone waited for the doctor's diagnosis.
After about an incense stick of time, the door opened and two people came out one after another.
The one walking in front was a sixty-year-old man with white hair and a youthful face, looking a little tired. He must be the Doctor You that Pan Mei mentioned.
Behind him was a middle-aged man, not sure if he was the old man’s son or apprentice, who was following behind with a large medical box in his hand.
Zhe Yuxun and Zhe Saihua went to meet them.
Zhe Yuxun bowed and said, "Doctor, how is our ancestor now?"
Doctor You nodded and said, "The pain is relieved by acupuncture. Duke Zheng is old and his body can't stand the old injuries caused by years of fighting. At his age, it is not suitable for strong medicine. Only mild medicine can relieve it. If he wants to recover, the chances are slim."
Zhe Yuxun bowed again: "Thank you, doctor!"
His voice had changed a little, but he still remained rational.
Zhe Saihua covered her mouth with her hands to prevent herself from crying.
Luo Youdu asked, "Is it inconvenient to visit? Will it disturb Duke Zheng's meditation?"
Doctor You replied, "It's no big deal. Duke Zheng has severe tinnitus and it's hard for him to hear what's being said. Even if there's a heated fight going on outside, he can't hear a word. It's better to chat with him while he's still conscious. It'll be more effective than leaving him alone."
Luo Youdu bowed and said, "Thank you, doctor."
A group of people walked into the house one after another.
The room was filled with the smell of medicine. An old man was curled up on the bed, moaning softly.
The pain is just relieved, it does not mean it is gone.
As if sensing someone coming in, the low moaning sound disappeared, and the slightly cloudy eyes looked outside the house. Seeing his grandchildren, Zhe Congruan's expression changed instantly, and he said hoarsely: "Yu Xun, Sai Hua, you are here..."
"grandfather……"
Zhe Yuxun and Zhe Saihua strode forward.
Zhe Yuxun asked with concern: "How do you feel now?"
Zhe Congruan answered irrelevant questions: "Where is Wei Zhong? I miss him."
Zhe Weizhong is the son of Zhe Yuxun, and is less than one year old this year.
Zhe Yuxun opened his mouth and said, "Zhong'er is accompanying his father in Fugu."
Zhe Congruan suddenly realized and said, "Oh, he is on the way. Yes, yes, he is still young and cannot bear the burden."
Zhe Yuxun had no idea how to respond.
Zhe Congruan looked at Zhe Saihua again and said, "You are not young anymore, it's time for you to get married. Grandpa still wants to hold his great-grandson..."
With tears in her eyes, Zhe Saihua nodded and choked up, "Okay, I'll listen to Grandpa."
Zhe Congruan was pleasantly surprised and said, "She's already married? Why didn't you inform Grandpa..." He looked behind him and landed on Luo Youdu, saying, "You're a good young man, your vision is much better than your brother's ."
