Chapter 35: Fei Zhong Sends Horses, Chao Ge Falls Ill with Epidemic Disease

  "Your Majesty!" Huang Feihu was overjoyed to see Zhang Emperor Xin return, and in his excitement, he kicked a table and chair out of the way as he rushed towards him, not even noticing the pain. "Your Majesty, you've finally returned! Someone, prepare food for us!"

  "General Lao is worried and has been working hard for these days." As they spoke, the wine and dishes were already prepared. Zhang Emperor Xin had to drink with Huang Feihu for a while. Before long, suddenly heard outside the sound of horses neighing, the servant came in a hurry to report that the Northern Sea Army had arrived!

  "Hurry to welcome!" As soon as Huang Feihu heard that the troops were about to arrive, he was overjoyed. "Your Majesty, may I go with you to take a look?"

  How can it be so fast? Zhang Emperor Xin heard the arrival of the military horses and frowned. From Beihai to Chaoge, even if you drive a cloud, you need three days' journey. With tens of thousands of horses, if you arrive at Yunmeng, it will take at least ten days or half a month!

  "Hey... King Wu Cheng, what do you think of this war horse?" As soon as Huang Feihu came out, a stout and round man rushed over, his fat body almost touching the ground. After running ten steps, he was already panting and sweating profusely, "This trip has almost killed me!"

  Huang Feihu ignored Fei Zhong and walked forward to watch, this horse was indeed tall and majestic, with a well-proportioned build, a small and agile head, large bright eyes, a high-held neck, strong limbs. At this time, the sunlight shone dimly, highlighting the glossy coat, making it exceptionally handsome. A long mane flowed like silk, as if the horse was stepping on flying swallows.

  "This horse is quite good, but..." Huang Feihu saw it and couldn't help but feel disappointed. Although this horse was handsome, it wasn't a good breed for military use. It was tall, fast, but lacked impact, and once it got excited, it was hard to control on the battlefield. Moreover, when facing long spears, even if you tried to retreat, it would be too late. This horse was quite impressive in appearance, but in battle, it would be a burden."

  "Hmm?" Wen Zhong saw Huang Feihu's face reveal a displeased expression, and he stroked his long mustache, humming softly, "Your Majesty says this horse is very good, but the King of Wu Cheng doesn't thank Heaven's grace, instead showing an attitude of refusal. Isn't that disrespect towards Heaven? If I report this to the court, I wonder how the other officials will react!"

  "Fei Zhong... you..." Huang Feihu's heart was angry, but he couldn't refute it. This was the emperor's order, and a military officer had to die if ordered to do so. Moreover, being awarded horses was an honor, so he could only kneel down and say, "Thank you for the emperor's great kindness, I will devote myself fully."

  Fei Zhong saw this and his already small eyes narrowed into a slit. Huang Feihu received the order, and his own interests were now secured.

  Fei Zhong had previously been complaining about being demoted to the position of Imperial Stables Supervisor, but he hadn't expected that this place would have such a lucrative opportunity. This trip's military horse business has already earned him a fortune!

  "Is this the horse from Beihai?" Fei Zongguan was delighted, but heard someone ask, and he replied: "This horse is so fine, where can it be fake? If not by imperial order, how could we get it?"

  "Come on! Drag Fei Zhong out and behead him!" Zhang Emperor Xin heard this and became angry. The horses of Beihai were sturdy, with a coarse and dense body, large head and wide forehead, deep and long chest, short but powerful legs, and thick and dense coat, complex in color, absolutely not like the one before his eyes.

  Fei Zhong had just been overjoyed, but as soon as he heard the words "beheaded", he was suddenly shocked. He opened his eyes to see Zhang Emperor Xin in front of him, and hastily knelt down on the ground: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This is indeed a fine horse from Beihai, please examine it carefully!"

  "How dare you quibble! What is the origin of this horse from Beihai? How could I, a humble person, not know?! Fei Zhong also wanted to muddle through, but Zhang Emperor Xin coldly sneered, 'This horse is fine and handsome, it's a western breed, how can it be a horse from Beihai? You still want to quibble this time?!'"

  Fei Zhongyi heard Zhang Disin say that the horses he led were out of the ground, his face suddenly turned white, and he cried bitterly: "Your Majesty, spare your life! This... this is not something to blame on me!"

  "The last time I went to Beihai, Yuan Futong had already sold the horse from Beihai to Xiqi. I then went to Xiqi and bought it back. Now, I have brought it here!" Wen Zhong saw that Zhang Emperor Xin was giving him a chance to explain himself, so he continued, "The horse from Beihai that Xiqi spoke of is precisely this one. I truly did not know!"

  What a glib-tongued Feng Zhong! Zhang Emperor Xin secretly hated him, drew the sword from his waist and chopped it to the ground: "How many miles is it from Chang'an to Beihai? You've been on your way for several days. If you can tell me, I'll let you go. If not, don't let me see you again!"

  "This... Your Majesty... is... is a humble person's greed, I directly... directly from Xiqi brought the horse..." Wen Zhong saw the knife and knew he had already leaked the truth, so he stopped telling lies and directly knocked his head, saying, "When King Xiping heard that Your Majesty needed horses, he gifted some... This humble minister... supplemented the remaining amount, only then did I arrive here, still... still please spare my life, Your Majesty!"

  Xiping Wang, it turned out to be another trick of Xiqi. Zhang Emperor Xin was furious in his heart. Fei Zhong saw the emperor like this and became even more flustered, continuing to plead: "This horse... This horse is a gift from Xiqi. Your Majesty... spare my life, I will go to Beihai to buy horses, all expenses will not require the imperial court's allocation..."

  "You're quite skilled at logistics, aren't you thinking of taking these military horses and selling them elsewhere to profit from it?" This Fei Zhong was indeed a good calculator, if placed in later generations, he would be a famous merchant. Although Zhang Emperor Xin was annoyed in his heart, he didn't think of killing this person. Some things were not convenient for officials to handle personally, so it was better for people like him to do it. "Can you deliver the military horses within a month?"

  "Your Majesty... I... I dare not sell it, this thing should be offered as a tribute. Within a month, I will definitely send the war horses!" Wen Zhong's thoughts were broken again, and he had even more respect and awe for the emperor in his heart, no longer daring to tell lies, only hoping to spend money to save his life.

  "You may be spared the death penalty, but you can't escape punishment. I was thinking of having you severely punished again, but I'm afraid it would delay national affairs. If you provide for Cloud Dream Mountain for half a year, I'll hand it over to you. Is that acceptable?" The wealthy master thought, if he didn't make him spit out some blood and sweat, wouldn't it be a waste of a good opportunity? Zhang Emperor Xin considered himself a leech, only sucking once, but wanting to suck until full.

  Fei Zhong handed over the handle to Zhang Di Xin's hand, where can't help but follow, thinking that Yunmeng Mountain has only a few hundred people, and Fei doesn't need much expense.

  After finishing all the matters, Emperor Zhang Xin came out and had been away for a long time. He couldn't stay any longer, so he bid farewell to everyone and headed towards Chang'an. On the way, he found that there were very few travelers on the road. Even when they met someone, their faces were pale and thin, which made him suspicious in his heart.

  He rushed to Chang'an, already in the depths of night. Emperor Xinzong returned to the Wude Palace (formerly the Shouwang Palace, renamed after the emperor's ascension), and saw that the lights inside the palace were sparse and there were very few people around. He hastily entered the palace, but was stopped by Jiang Ying (Jiang Wenjuan's servant girl): "Your Majesty has returned so late, the Empress has been ill for many days!"

  "Are you ill? How can one fall ill in the Wude Palace, tell me how it happened?" Zhang Di Xin scolded while walking into the palace, "Still not hurrying to summon the imperial physician, if anything happens to Her Majesty, I'll see how you all end up!"

  "Your Majesty, please slow down! Your Majesty, please slow down! The Empress is suffering from a contagious disease, you can't approach her lightly!" Contagious disease? Chao Ge had always been in good health, when did she contract a contagious disease? Zhang Emperor Xin didn't even raise an eyebrow, nor did he heed Jiang Ying's warning, and stepped forward as if nothing was wrong.

  As soon as he entered, he smelled the pungent smell of medicine. Although there was a new fragrance in the hall, it couldn't cover up even a bit. Jiang Wenchang, who was lying on his bed, heard Zhang Emperorxin enter and hastily shouted: "Your Majesty, stop in your tracks! This illness is highly toxic, Your Majesty's kindness is appreciated, just speak from the doorway!"

  "This is why!" Jiang Wenchang, although not Zhang Dixing's chosen wife, was a person he held in high esteem. As she spoke, she moved forward.

  Jiang Wenchang saw this and was deeply afraid that Emperor Zhang would contract an illness, whereupon he leaned on one hand against the bed railing: "Your Majesty, if you advance again, I will..."

  Jiang Wenchu finished speaking, and suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, her body went limp, and she fainted. Zhang Disheng hastily rushed forward, seeing that her face was very pale, her forehead slightly greenish, and her body had an additional layer of coolness: "Wenchu, what's wrong with you?"

  "Your Majesty... Your Majesty is confused, I am already like this, what are you coming back for?" Jiang Wencui forced out a smile, weakly pushing Zhang Disen away. "Your Majesty... Hurry and leave, if you get sick, my fault will be even greater..."

  "This..." Zhang Di Xin grasped Jiang Wenyu's hand, only feeling a pulse that was sometimes there and sometimes not, but didn't know what illness it was, "Have you invited the imperial physician?"

  "Your Majesty, please calm down. Why don't you go see Flying Swallow first? She's been thinking of you anxiously." Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhang De Xin was taken aback. He had only known that Jiang Wenyue was ill, but hadn't expected Huang Feiyan to be the same: "Don't worry, I'll go right away."

  After comforting Jiang Wencan to sleep, Zhang Disen went to the Shangwu Palace. Along the way, thinking about the people he saw today, his brow furrowed even more tightly. The palace originally had no miscellaneous diseases, how did these illnesses suddenly appear? This matter, it's likely that someone intentionally caused it.

  He arrived at the Shangwu Palace, Huang Feiyan had already fallen asleep. This person's body was originally better than Jiang Wenchong's, and his condition was slightly lighter, but his complexion was still pale and made people feel uncomfortable to look at.

  Zhang Di Xin couldn't bear to disturb him, so he retreated, thinking that this matter was extraordinary. Why didn't Zhong Zuo report it earlier? He didn't even care about the time of day and hurriedly rushed to the Taishi Mansion.

  "Your Majesty... this old minister, this old minister is incompetent..." The emperor had already heard that the Grand Tutor was bedridden with a serious illness. Seeing Zhang Emperor Xin arrive, he forced himself to get out of bed and bow, "Some time ago, after returning from Yunmeng Mountain, the imperial song was already like this. Although your subject has some knowledge of medicine, it can only alleviate the symptoms, not cure the disease."

  "Be careful, Taishi..." Zhang Di Xin did not expect that in just ten short days, Chao Ge would end up like this. "Taishi, do you know the cause of this illness? Can you give me a clear direction, so I can escape this predicament as soon as possible?"

  Wen Zhong heard the words, but only shook his head: "This disease is complex and I don't know its reason. I have ordered Yang Ren to return to the mansion, he is familiar with medical principles and should have a plan to break the illness. If it doesn't work, we can also ask for help from our respected teacher Qingxu Daode Zhenjun, this person's medical skills are outstanding and should have a rescue plan."

  Qingxu Daode Zhenjun? Zhang Di Xin heard the name and felt a sense of familiarity, thinking carefully, he realized that it was one of the people who fought with Kong Xuan earlier. His heart couldn't help but feel a chill, if he found this person, would they be willing to help him or not?

  Thinking of this, Emperor Zhang's head became big with worry. This illness was very urgent and couldn't be delayed for long. If it couldn't be cured, even if he had to be tied up, he would have to tie up Qingyu Daode Zhenjun as well. Hearing this, Zhong saw him and spoke out to comfort him: "Your Majesty, this matter is not something that can be accomplished in one day, just calm your mind and wait."

  Zhang Di Xin, although anxious, could only nod in agreement. Wen Zhong, seeing this, did not persuade him further and held out a small box saying: "This is the Huan Xing Zhu, left by the Third Prince when he departed, I entrust it to Your Majesty."

  PS: I ask all readers to give more recommendations and rewards if possible. Today, the city is locked down, and I don't know what you think about it.