Bright Spring

"I'll go and see elder brother first." Zhu Gaoxu said, "Go to the door and ask the guard Jin Yiwei to find the doctor."

Gao Sui nodded.

"Third brother." Zhu Gaoxu called him again, "Tell the captain of Jin Yiwei, first tell the fourth uncle (Xu Zengshou). I heard that the fourth uncle likes to associate with strangers in the world, maybe there is a way."

"I'll go now."

Zhu Gaoxu also walked out of the room afterward, and suddenly a wave of heat hit his face.I remember that when I first lived here, it was still rainy and rainy that is common in spring.In the blink of an eye, the weather has become so hot.

Walk west along the inverted house for a while, and you can see the entrance hall of the inner house.Zhu Gaoxu slept outside at noon, so Gao Sui just asked him why he fell asleep here.

The brick walls of a row of overhanging hilltop houses have absorbed gray and black deposits, and there is a stale and smoky smell in the air.Since King Yan was entrusted to Beiping, most of the time this huge mansion was unoccupied, only three or two servants looked after it.

Zhu Gaoxu walked to the entrance hall and looked back.There is nothing under the banana tree in the corner of the outer wall, and the small white flowers that once bloomed there have disappeared.

... The son was sick, although Jin Yiwei was asked to tell Xu Zengshou first, but Xu Huizu came first.Xu Huizu and a companion surnamed Qu followed the imperial doctor of Taichang Temple to visit his condition.

The imperial doctor looked at the symptoms carefully and cut the pulse, but he couldn't ask Shizi himself, as Shizi was already groggy and could not speak clearly.The imperial doctor only confirmed that the son's illness was "true".

That afternoon, more than a dozen imperial doctors came immediately!The son's illness was real and serious, and the imperial court immediately paid special attention to it.

More than a dozen imperial doctors with the most superb medical skills in the Ming Dynasty were unable to diagnose Shizi's illness!Some people think that it is summer heat, which causes symptoms such as fever, rash, and vomiting all over the body, but the slow pulse cannot be explained.

Some people thought it was poisoning, but they couldn't tell what kind of poison was in it... and when it came to poisoning, the imperial doctors all had worried expressions, and most of them remained silent.

Outside the prince's bedroom, Xu Huizu stopped a maid who had just come out with a copper basin.Xu Huizu asked: "Usually, when the prince eats, the servants around him bring it over?"

The servant girl lowered her head and said falteringly, "The servant girl is not very clear, most of the time."

Xu Huizu immediately asked again, "The son is inconvenient to move, and their brothers are harmonious, except for most of the time, the third prince... the king of Gaoyang County will also serve the son to eat?"

Or because of the mention of brotherhood, the maid immediately nodded and said: "Yes."

Xu Huizu asked again: "Your Majesty seems to be vomiting, where is the filth?"

"The slaves have already been cleaned up and thrown away."

"Oh..." Xu Huizu waved his hand, "You tell the people who serve the son, if the son vomits again, don't throw away his things, the imperial doctors may be helpful."

"Yes." The servant hurriedly knelt down and said, "The servant will leave."

The companion next to Xu Huizu didn't say anything, just stood aside and listened to his question silently.Xu Huizu greeted, "Let's go to the kitchen and have a look."

This companion, surnamed Qu, was named Qu Neng, a capable military general who had assumed the post of commander of the Sichuan capital and made a lot of contributions in Sichuan. He only returned to Beijing to report on his duties not long ago.Qu Neng, a general who has nothing to do with the government, has a better relationship with Xu Huizu.

The two walked all the way to the kitchen in the outer courtyard. Xu Huizu looked around, with a look of disappointment on his face.Now is not the time to cook, there is no one in the kitchen, and the pots and pans are all neatly packed.Xu Huizu turned around and looked at a gutter outside the kitchen, which led from under the wall to the outside of the mansion, and the gutter had also been washed by water.

At this moment, I suddenly saw Zhu Gaoxu walking towards this side alone, met Xu Huizu's eyes, and heard Zhu Gaoxu say: "A gentleman of human nature is far away from the kitchen, and my uncle has an honorable status, why did you come to the kitchen?"

Xu Huizu was slightly embarrassed, and said, "I'm here to see if the kitchen is not clean, I'm afraid the prince will spoil his stomach."

Zhu Gaoxu nodded, looked at the person next to him, "This is..."

Qu Neng, who was wearing a gray robe, hurriedly cupped his fists and said, "I will command Qu Neng to meet the King of Gaoyang County."

Zhu Gaoxu's expression was calm, and there was no sign of panic, and he bowed his hands in return, "General Qu, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Today Xu Huizu didn't put up the airs of an elder, nor reprimanded him, he looked at his nephew in front of him, and there was a bit of equality in his eyes.Although Zhu Gaoxu was tall and strong, he was only in his teens after all, and there was still a hint of childishness on his face.Only those eyes, bright with a kind of experience, are not commensurate with their age.

Maybe it's just an illusion.Xu Huizu felt incredible in his heart.

On a whim, Xu Huizu sighed softly, "Many people do things, it's very interesting..."

Zhu Gaoxu asked with great interest: "Why don't you tell me, what's so interesting?"

Xu Huizu said with a half smile but not a smile: "Test."

"Oh?" Zhu Gaoxu turned his head slightly, "What does uncle want to test?"

Xu Huizu shook his head, took a breath through his teeth, and frowned thoughtfully, "Maybe because I don't know everything, and I can't confirm other people's thoughts, so I do a little, watch a little, and keep speculating and confirming it. It's safe... ..."

After he finished speaking, he stared at Zhu Gaoxu's face without blinking his eyes.

Zhu Gaoxu looked bewildered, and said, "Is uncle talking about hooking up with the young lady?"

Xu Huizu was stunned for a moment, embarrassed again, and immediately said with a straight face, "Your Majesty is seriously ill, you are not in good shape as a brother, yet you still think about that obscene thing!"

Zhu Gaoxu hurriedly stood there with his fists cupped.

"Hmph!" Xu Huizu flicked his robe sleeves, lifted his legs and left.Zhu Gaoxu's voice came from behind, "Uncle, General Qu, go slowly."

Xu Huizu and Qu Neng got out of the mansion and left on horseback.

Qu Neng told his entourage to walk slowly, patted his horse to catch up, and asked: "Duke Wei met Gaoyang County King in the kitchen, what is the meaning of those words?"

Xu Huizu looked back to the left and right, and said in a deep voice: "I just realized today that Gao Xu killed that official last month, maybe it was a deliberate plan to test the court!"

"This..." Qu Neng pondered.

Xu Huizu said calmly again: "Just now I went out, I want to ask the captain of Jinyiwei at the door to check, is the prince poisoned? But it's useless to say, now Jinyiwei has no right to torture and arrest, unless he first asks the court, Jin Yiwei will search the palace only after the order from above. So I held back and didn’t say anything.”

Qu Neng responded, but was noncommittal.It was inconvenient for the two of them to say more, and they quickly fell silent.

Xu Huizu had an intuition in his heart: Gao Xu may have been responsible for the son's poisoning!

But there is a lack of evidence in it, and there are some unreasonable things, so he will not speak out rashly.He thought to himself: This is the case in the world, when others are suspicious of themselves, they are also suspicious of others.

Thinking of this, Xu Huizu smiled wryly and shook his head.

Qu Neng looked at him suspiciously, not knowing why.

Xu Huizu immediately recovered his serious expression, looked back at Qu Neng, stopped talking about the son's condition, and said instead: "My nephew Gao Xu was cunning and fierce when he was young. Later, he went to Beiping with his father to learn the art of archery, horseback riding and archery." He often teaches soldiers to form formations. I heard that the weak crown has followed his father to the north many times. He often acts as a forward general, which is not easy.

When I came to the capital this time, I paid special attention to him.Looking at it now, it is worse than before, and it is a bit... scary! "

Qu Neng was a little surprised by Xu Huizu's words, and quickly echoed: "After all, the king of the county is of the blood of Taizu, and he is more powerful than ordinary people."

... Xu Huizu had just left on the front foot when Xu Zengshou came on the back foot.After Zhu Gaoxu arrived in Nanjing, he had never seen the two brothers appear at the same time.

After that, the son-in-law Wang Ning and Wang Ning's eldest son Wang Zhenliang came to the mansion.We are all relatives, so we can't help asking questions and expressing our concern.

Xu Zengshou also brought a monk, saying that he was trying to drive away evil spirits.

Zhu Gaoxu asked the monk's background, and privately said that he was a monk at Qingshou Temple.

Qingshou Temple?Zhu Gaoxu remembered that there was a counselor by his father's side, he was a monk, his dharma name was Daoyan, and his name was Yao Guangxiao.And Yao Guangxiao happened to be the abbot of Qingshou Temple.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at Xu Zengshou with meaningful eyes several times.What uncle Xu Zengshou is doing behind his back seems to be more interesting.