Practicing Medicine in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 61

Different from Wu Yi's dumbfounding situation of a villain trying a big case, what Zhang Qiren is facing is Zhang Wenguan, the highest official of Dali Temple, a core member of the Donggong Party, and the leader of the dynasty.

At the same time, this is also an old friend who was thinking about wine with him a few hours ago.

Zhang Qiren didn't wear shackles either, because without the cane, he was an old man who couldn't even stand firmly. If another shackle was put on him, it might directly crush his fragile back.

It was the first time Zhang Wenguan sized up his old friend with a condescending gaze. Zhang Qiren took off the heavy crane feather cloak, and the body exposed underneath was as thin as a skeleton. Through the thin prison clothes, one could almost count them Every rib on his body is like a dagger that is about to pierce the prison uniform, which makes people feel a little vigilant in addition to sympathy.

Zhang Qiren's sick and old body could not mobilize Zhang Wenguan's compassion, he knew very well what kind of wolf-hearted dog lung was wrapped in this seemingly weak body.

The only thing he didn't understand was that he asked himself that Donggong had never owed Zhang Qiren for several years, and he really didn't know why this old man who was almost seventy years old would choose to submit to the rooster of the morning, and even sacrificed his life for her.

When Zhou Xing arrived, he saw this situation. Two gray-haired old men sat at the two ends of a rotten table and looked at each other. Those who didn't know thought they were playing chess, but it was their turn. Zhang Wenguan thought hard about what to do next.

"Your officer has met Mr. Zhang."

The Zhang Gong that Zhou Xing said was obviously Zhang Wenguan.

Zhang Wenguan raised his tired eyes from his swollen and drooping eyelids. This was his subordinate with excellent grades. Although I heard that he was a little vicious, he was still the best among his peers. Perhaps his viciousness could just make up for himself. soft-hearted.

He thought about it and decided to use this young file.

"Zhou Xing, you are here to interrogate Dr. Zhang." He walked away, leaving only one instruction, "No matter what he said, you must tell this old man immediately, and if this matter is done well, this old man will recommend you to His Majesty." .”

Zhang Wenguan's promises are of the utmost importance, of course it is not a simple polite remark.

Zhou Xing covered the corners of his smiling lips with his raised sleeves: "Your Majesty obeys."

-

Facing this young man, Zhang Qiren, who had been silent for a while, seemed to suddenly open the conversation box, and before he could use any means, he confessed his crimes clearly in one breath.

"During the trip to Meizhou, I mixed the sputum of the dead patient into the slurry planted by the prince to replace the dead body disease. Then, I quietly added wine glutinous rice into the decocted medicinal soup to make it It's getting worse."

"It's really a clever strategy, so how did you expose it?"

"At that time, my disciple Xu Rong found out about this matter and reported it to Zhang Gong. In order to get rid of the crime, I gave Wu Yi the prescription of Yuehua Wan, because I knew he was a very motivated young man. I will definitely go to find the prince's medicine dregs to understand the prince's condition, so he almost became my scapegoat."

"Aren't you afraid that Wu Yi will confess you?"

"Wu Yi is Shen Hanshan's disciple, what's more, this is a good opportunity for the Donggong Party. Zhang Gong will never allow him to open his mouth to tell the truth."

"You almost succeeded, but what is your intention in murdering the prince?"

"To avenge Li Tang's royal family, and to commemorate my descendants who died in battle."

One question and one answer, like a perfect answer sheet, almost no loopholes can be found.

"One last question." Zhou Xing raised his hand and ordered the jailer who was writing the record to suspend the work in his hand, and his eyes settled on those sagging shoulders, "Why do you want to leave evidence? This is not a very stupid thing Ordinary people have committed a crime, and they will try to destroy the evidence that can prove their guilt."

The corners of Zhang Qiren's drooping lips raised up rarely. Instead of answering the question with an obvious answer, he asked Zhou Xing for the first time: "Don't you think this question is a bit redundant?"

Unexpectedly, Zhou Xing was asked a rhetorical question by him. After thinking about it for a moment, he immediately understood the meaning behind Zhang Qiren's question.

This question was definitely not what Empress Wu wanted to see in Zhang Qiren's crimes. How to answer it was Zhang Qiren's business, and whether to ask or not represented Zhou Xing's own choice.

Zhang Qiren is asking him this question, do you want to choose to act according to Empress Wu's will, and from then on the road will be prosperous, and the sky will rise; ?

Facing the nearly invulnerable old man in front of him, Zhou Xing suddenly felt that their roles were reversed, as if the person being tortured was not Zhang Qiren who had committed suicide, but him, the little jailer who was ordered to act.

He couldn't help but gasped, and then slowly calmed down his throbbing heartbeat, showing an almost grateful smile.

"It's too much, let's continue, Dr. Zhang."

-

Coming out of Zhang Qiren's cell, Zhou Xing ordered the guards to continue to light the candles in this room to make it look like someone was still interrogating inside, and then he exited the Dali Prison without even having time to put him in prison. The dialogue between the two was compiled into a fluent judgment [1], and the paper was first quietly handed over to Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan's gaze was colder than Zhou Xing's whip: "Why don't you hand it over to Mr. Zhang first, he is the Minister of Dali Temple."

Zhou Xing's expression was serious: "I think Mr. Zhang might be biased in handling this matter, and the crown prince is the queen's legitimate son. She will definitely handle this case fairly."

Pei Yuan couldn't help sneering: "Isn't it because Zhang Gong's recommendation is not as good as the queen's promotion?"

Zhou Xing just smiled and didn't answer. Although Pei Yuan's words were harsh, they couldn't pierce his thick skin.

Pei Yuan saw that he was seasoned and oily, so he changed the question: "How did you know you were looking for me?"

Pei Yuan was indeed one of the closest attendants to the prince, but Zhou Xing knew that he was a sword given to Li Hong by the Empress Wu, and the sword's edge was in Li Hong's hands, so naturally it would be invincible; but the hilt was always in the palm of the Empress Wu Now, if he is asked to turn his head and cut to Li Hong's heart, he will not hesitate to show his sharpness honed by his court career over the years.

But there is still a flattering and flattering smile on his face: "I am a junior, and naturally I have no chance to meet the queen. After thinking about it, only you, the young general, are upright, so please run this trip, and don't let innocent people suffer in vain. Injustice."

Pei Yuan tested again and again, and confirmed that Zhang Wenguan's old department really wanted to surrender, so he took the paper that was a foregone conclusion, and smiled faintly at Zhou Xing.

"I will tell the queen the truth."

When Pei Yuan rode away on Feichen, Zhou Xing put away the stiff smile on his face, and wiped the cold sweat from his hair with his sleeves.

Although Pei Yuan's question was harsh, it was also very realistic. He had thought it over and over in his mind for countless times, and the answer he got was always in the affirmative.

Even the Holy Majesty tried to promote him several times but failed because of the obstruction of the censors. Under such circumstances, Zhang Wenguan, who was about to collapse, was really not a reliable candidate.

In this situation where the two saints are in court, the only one who can save him from the prison that also imprisoned him is Empress Wu.

He was convinced he had made the right decision.

-

Unlike Zhou Xing, who had already made up his mind, Wu Yi had a stack of old letter papers in front of him.

The yellowed edge proves the years they have accumulated, while the vigorous handwriting on it proves the name of its owner-Li Sujie, King of Poyang County.

Wu Yi never expected that the letter from Yuanzhou, which he had been looking forward to but never expected, would be delivered to him on such a bizarre occasion through two noble children.

"Everything is safe in Yuanzhou, but Jing'er misses you all the time, so that the dormitory is uneasy..."

"I heard that Wu Gong's son-in-law Xu entered Zhang Gong's family, and you entered Shen Gong's family, this matter is quite strange, you must pay attention..."

"The road to Chang'an is long, and the swan geese often stop, but I can feel at ease if I can say one or two words..."

Wu Yi carefully read these belated letters word by word. All the worries he owed in the past two years have arrived at this moment. He has mixed feelings in his heart and doesn't know what to say.

Li Jing spoke for him to avoid this embarrassment: "Brother Yi, don't worry, my parents and younger brothers and sisters are all very well, but I haven't received any letters from you, so I am a little anxious. Until I came to Chang'an, even I wrote They also lost their letters from time to time, and they became suspicious."

"But why were these letters found in Dr. Zhang's mansion?" Taiping tilted his head, unable to read all the words on the paper, only vaguely aware of the strangeness of this matter.

Wu Yi smiled wryly. At that time, he wondered how Wu Ji, who had always been cautious, would do such a thing to offend Zhang Qiren. It turned out that Wu Ji and Wu Xu took the blame for Zhang Qiren.

"Brother Yi, even Confucius said, 'Repay grievances with honesty, repay virtue with kindness'. Dr. Zhang has treated you like this. Do you still want to cover up his crimes for him?"

Li Jing was dying of anxiety, and Zhang Qiren almost blew himself up to win back the city for Empress Wu. At this juncture, if Wu Yi refused to tell the truth, it would be tantamount to dragging himself to be buried with Zhang Qiren.

Wu Yi put down the letter paper in his hand, looked deeply at the anxious-looking child in front of him, and said without hesitation: "He pushed me to the gate of Shenhan Mountain that day because he was afraid that what happened today would involve me. If he wanted to repay his virtue, I should How to do it?"

"But..." Taiping suddenly intervened in the conversation between the master and the student, "If he had anticipated this day and pushed you to the door of Imperial Physician Shen in order to protect you, then you are living up to his expectations now. Yet?"

Wu Yi's expression was shocked, and he suddenly remembered that Zhang Qiren's expression of eager expectation and confession from the bottom of his heart when he was in Zhang's residence that day was not a lie.

"Yes." Seeing that his expression was loose, Li Jing hurriedly said, "Doesn't Dr. Zhang just hope that you can live well?"

Wu Yi traced back Zhang Qiren's words and words that day, and finally understood the outer strings of the old doctor's words that day. He hoped that Wu Yi would be a person who would repay his kindness and repay his kindness to his master.

That was not Li Hong, but Empress Wu.