flstandardbreds Chapter 1031 Bad News of Returning to the Capital
Chapter 1031 Bad News of Returning to the Capital
The sound of horses' hooves shattered the tranquility of the capital region.
Li Che and his entourage did not make a big fuss, but even with a simple imperial procession, the emperor's ceremonial guard still exuded a solemn and dignified aura.
Xu Jiezi sat inside the carriage, with several boxes of the most important classical texts and manuscripts beside him.
The wheels rolled over the official road, heading towards the center of power in the world—the imperial capital.
It was already afternoon when we entered the city, and the sunlight gilded the majestic city walls with a golden edge.
Upon seeing the imperial carriage, the guards at the city gate hurriedly stood at attention and saluted, their eyes filled with admiration.
Xu Jiezi observed this and nodded slightly.
Li Che did not delay. After entering the city, he immediately ordered his men to send Xu Jiezi to a quiet residence in the southeast corner of the imperial city.
This place was originally the residence of a retired Grand Tutor from the previous dynasty. After Li Che ascended the throne, he took it over to the inner court and left it vacant ever since.
The house wasn't very large, but its pavilions and towers were exquisite, and what was even more remarkable was that it was adjacent to the palace walls yet had its own unique style.
Xu Jiezi lived here, which made it convenient for him to be summoned, and also prevented him from being bothered by trivial matters of the court.
"Sir, please rest here for now. If you need anything, just tell the steward. The servants here are all carefully selected by the Imperial Household Department and are reliable and discreet."
Li Che personally escorted Xu Jiezi into the main hall, speaking sincerely: "Sir, you must be tired from your journey, please rest first."
"Later, I will have several of Yunmeng Mountain's most accomplished disciples in the capital come to pay their respects, so that you and your master can have a chat."
Xu Jiezi had no requirements regarding his lodgings, and simply nodded: "Thank you for your trouble in arranging this place, Your Majesty. It is very nice."
After settling Xu Jiezi in, Li Che then set off to return to the palace.
At this moment, the Xuanzheng Hall was in the latter half of its daily meeting.
Because the emperor was on a "northern tour to escape the summer heat," the daily affairs of the court were handled jointly by Prince Yan, Li Lin, and the cabinet ministers.
The dragon throne was suspended in mid-air, with a large rosewood chair placed below it. Li Lin sat upright on the chair, listening to the officials from various ministries and departments present their reports in turn.
The atmosphere inside the hall was solemn. Several ministers were arguing about the amount of money to be spent on repairing the canal this year. The ministers from the Ministry of Revenue were frowning and arguing heatedly with the ministers from the Ministry of Works.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the hall, and a guard called out in a low voice:
"Your Majesty has arrived——"
The hall fell silent instantly, and all the arguments came to an abrupt end.
The Vice Minister of Works, who was speaking, had his mouth open, but his voice was stuck in his throat.
Li Lin reacted the fastest, suddenly standing up from his chair and turning his gaze to the slowly opening palace doors.
Sunlight streamed in from outside the door, outlining a tall figure.
Wearing a black casual robe and a golden crown to tie his hair, who else could it be but Emperor Li Che?
"Your Majesty?" Everyone subconsciously rubbed their eyes, almost thinking they were seeing things.
Shouldn't His Majesty be at Mount Li?
The report that arrived just a few days ago said everything was fine, so why did he suddenly return to the capital without any warning?
Li Che stepped across the threshold, glanced at the astonished faces in the hall, and slightly tugged at the corners of his mouth, seemingly finding the scene somewhat amusing.
"What, after just a few days apart, you ministers no longer recognize me?"
Everyone then seemed to wake from a dream, and Li Lin was the first to bow: "Your Majesty, we respectfully welcome you back to the capital!"
Immediately, a thunderous roar of salutes filled the hall: "Your Majesty, we respectfully welcome you back to the capital! Long live the Emperor!"
Li Che walked with ease through the automatically parting crowd to the dragon throne.
As he passed by Li Lin, he nodded and blinked.
Li Lin almost burst out laughing, so he had to quietly step aside and pretend he hadn't seen anything.
After sitting down on the dragon throne, Li Che raised his hand and said, "All of you, rise and sit down."
After everyone had settled down again, Li Che spoke casually: "I rested at Mount Li for a few days, but I couldn't calm down because I was always thinking about the affairs of the court, so I decided to come back."
"While I have been away, has anything major happened in the capital?"
He spoke casually, as if it were just a casual question.
Although he was away from Beijing, he had not relinquished his power and naturally knew that nothing major had happened; otherwise, he would have received the news long ago.
However, once the question was asked, the atmosphere in the hall, which had just become a little more lively, suddenly froze again.
The smile on Li Che's face slowly faded, and his gaze sharpened as he swept from left to right, taking in the subtle, hesitant expressions on the faces of his ministers.
His heart sank slightly.
Something's happened, and it's something I can't bring up in person.
"Hmm?" Li Che lowered his voice slightly, "Judging from the expressions of my esteemed ministers, has something truly happened?"
"Is it that the powerful families are causing trouble again? Or has the epidemic situation changed in Qiongzhou?"
These are the two things he is most worried about.
Powerful families are a major concern, while plagues are a natural disaster; neither can be taken lightly.
Standing at the head of the civil officials, Huo Duanxiao felt the emperor's gaze focused on him and had no choice but to step forward and bow deeply: "Your Majesty, there has been no major turmoil in the capital, and the aristocratic families have been quite quiet lately, with no unusual activity observed."
"The report from the epidemic area in Qiongzhou arrived just three days ago. The epidemic has been successfully contained and has not spread outwards on a large scale."
He was telling the truth, but the more truthful the words, the more eerie the silence around them seemed.
Li Che's brows furrowed tightly, and his unease grew stronger.
If there is no national turmoil, why are these high-ranking officials behaving this way?
He knew these people; unless there was something truly difficult to say, they would never stammer like this in front of the emperor.
"Minister Huo," Li Che's voice had turned cold, "If there's nothing serious, what's the reason for your presence here?"
Huo Duanxiao opened his mouth, his lips moving.
Immediately, his gaze swept quickly toward Prince Yan, Li Lin, who was standing to the side.
Li Lin witnessed all of this and sighed inwardly.
He knew that everyone else was afraid of the Emperor's wrath, and that he would ultimately be the one to expose this matter.
He straightened his robes and stepped steadily out of the queue: "Your Majesty."
Li Che immediately turned his gaze to him: "Brother, what exactly happened? Please tell me."
Li Lin raised his head, met his younger brother's anxious gaze, and slowly uttered a sentence: "It is Elder Qian Bin. He suddenly fell seriously ill three days ago, and the illness came on fiercely."
"The heads and judges of the Imperial Medical Academy have all reviewed it and all agree..."
He paused, but then continued in a low voice, "Everyone says that my days are numbered."
"what?!"
Li Che stood up from the dragon throne, his face instantly drained of color, his eyes filled with shock.
Qian Bin, his teacher!
He was one of the earliest followers of him, who taught him mathematics by hand and was a trusted old minister who managed the rear and raised funds for him when he was still the king.
That stubborn, frugal old man who devoted all his energy to the national treasury!
"How could this be... how could this happen?!" Li Che's voice trembled. "Wasn't Master Qian's health still good before I left the capital?"
"What are the people in the Imperial Medical Academy doing? Didn't I strictly order them to regularly check the pulses and inquire about the health of all officials over sixty years old, and to report any abnormalities immediately?!"
"Master Qian is so seriously ill, why was no one informed of this to me before!"
His questioning was like hailstones falling, causing the temperature inside the hall to plummet.
All the ministers lowered their heads, not daring to meet the emperor's furious gaze.
Li Che no longer cared about the court agenda. He strode down the imperial steps and rushed out of the hall, demanding, "Where are the imperial physicians? Have you sent the best ones?"
"And the medical school, have you sent someone to check on it?!"
Li Lin hurriedly followed, gesturing for Qiu Bai and the others to follow, and replied urgently, "Your Majesty, please don't worry! As soon as I received the news, I immediately dispatched Xu Wei, the Vice President of the Imperial Medical Academy, to lead a team to be stationed at the Qian residence. Xu Jing from the Medical Academy and the Military Hospital also personally visited twice to administer acupuncture and medicine."
"However, Elder Qian is indeed too old. This time, he is suffering from organ failure; his life force is exhausted, and medicine may be unable to save him..."
"I'm going to see my teacher!" Li Che interrupted him, without stopping.
The ministers looked at each other, a wave of sorrow washing over them.
They were not surprised by the emperor's actions.
They knew this emperor all too well; he was loyal and valued those who had been with him all along.
To him, Qian Bin was not only a subject, but also a mentor, a father figure.
Seeing that the emperor had already strode out of the Xuanzheng Hall, Li Lin hurried after him while quickly instructing Qiu Bai: "Quickly dispatch a team of guards, lightly equipped, to escort His Majesty to the Qian residence!"
Qiu Bai clasped his hands in acceptance of the order and disappeared in a flash to make arrangements.
The emperor's carriage left the palace gates at top speed, passing through streets and alleys, heading straight for the Qian family's old residence in the west of the city.
The house was an old and cramped property that Qian Bin had acquired years ago.
After Li Che ascended the throne, he repeatedly bestowed upon Qian Bin a large mansion, but Qian Bin always declined, saying that he was used to living in the old place and that a spacious mansion would make him feel uncomfortable.
Li Che couldn't dissuade him, so he had to let him be, but he would send people to repair it from time to time to ensure it didn't fall into disrepair.
At this moment, the once quiet courtyard is now filled with people.
Qian Bin's children, grandchildren, students, and former subordinates all wore expressions of grief and fear.
More than a dozen people dressed as physicians were gathered in a corner of the courtyard, some standing and some squatting, discussing in hushed tones, their faces full of worry.
The air was filled with a strong, bitter smell of herbs.
The emperor's sudden arrival caused a great commotion among the crowd in the courtyard.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?"
Everyone hurriedly bowed and paid their respects, but none of them dared to raise their heads.
Li Che had no time for formalities. He instantly locked onto the group of imperial physicians, his steps faltering as he uttered a cold, stern question through gritted teeth: "Where is Xu Wei?"
The group of imperial physicians were struck dumb. Xu Wei, who was in the lead, said in a trembling voice, "Your subject, Xu Wei, the Vice President of the Imperial Medical Academy, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
Li Che slowed his pace slightly, looking down at him with a chilling gaze that could freeze a person: "What were your instructions before?"
Xu Wei trembled like a leaf in the wind, sweat pouring down his face: "Your Majesty, you are wise! We dare not neglect our duties. Elder Qian's illness was a sudden and acute ailment, and there were indeed no signs of it beforehand, Your Majesty!"
"No signs?" Li Che's voice rose. "Master Qian is over seventy years old, and his health has long shown signs of decline. You regularly take his pulse, yet you can't see the slightest clue?"
"So you figured it out, but kept it a secret? Hmm?!"
With a cold snort, several timid young imperial physicians almost collapsed to the ground.
Xu Wei's face was ashen; he knew that any attempt to evade the issue would only enrage His Majesty further.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down! I have arrested the imperial physician responsible for taking Qian Lao's pulse regularly and he is being held in the Imperial Hospital awaiting trial."
"They confessed that it was Elder Qian who asked them not to report his health condition to His Majesty, especially not to alarm His Majesty."
"Old Qian said that His Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state and should not be distracted by his old age. They...they respected Old Qian as a person, and in a moment of confusion, they...they agreed..."
Upon hearing this, Li Che suddenly paused in his tracks.