Ashes

Huang Taiji finished drinking the medicine unhurriedly before saying: "Not bad, what's the matter?"

Jierhalang suspected that Huang Taiji looked fine at first, but Dorgon asked him to take medicine. Isn't it a little strange to say that he is sick now?Today, Dorgon is in full swing, with one person under ten thousand, but Huang Taiji keeps mentioning his status again and again like a ghost. What did Dorgon do?Since he was a child, he was not willing to be the queen, did he want to replace him?

Thinking of this, Jierhalang felt cold, and glanced at the empty medicine bowl again.

"What did you think of?" Huang Taiji asked.

Jierhalang originally wanted to express his doubts, but his words were empty, and Huang Taiji would probably not pay attention to it, so he might as well investigate secretly and find some clues.

After staying with Huang Taiji for a while, Jierhalang left.Back at the mansion, he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, still thinking about Huang Taiji's medicine in his mind.

If Dorgon is really poisoning the emperor, you can't just watch him do it.

As he was thinking this way, a doctor who was familiar with him in the palace was heard.

"I have something that I want you to check for me."

"Prince Zheng just give orders."

"I want you to keep an eye on the medicine that the emperor is drinking. From prescription, medicine collection, decoction to delivery, every process will help me watch closely."

The doctor said suspiciously: "Prince Zheng, this is..."

"Just do what you're asked to do, don't ask too much." Jierhalang said with a sullen face, "Remember, don't tell anyone, tell me everything you've seen."

After exhorting the doctor, Jierharang still couldn't feel relieved.

Among them, there must be fraud!Jierharang is sure.

But on Huang Taiji's side, they got the news immediately.

"Prince Zheng summoned him into the mansion as soon as he returned, and he spoke for a long time before coming out." Andarihui reported.

"He really became suspicious." Huang Taiji murmured.Seeing that Jierhalang's expression was wrong before he left, he guessed it seven or eight points, and asked people to follow him secretly.

"Could it be that Prince Zheng really suspects that Prince Rui poisoned you?"

"Besides this, what else could it be?" Huang Taiji smiled wryly, and said to himself, "Actually, so what if it's poison?"

"Prince Zheng observes meticulously, has a sensitive mind, and he also cares about the emperor, so there is such a guess."

"You don't need to tell me about his loyalty. It's just that he really doesn't care about it."

"Does the emperor want to pass on the doctor?"

Huang Taiji thought: "No need, you tell him for me, don't talk nonsense in front of Prince Zheng, so as to provoke my relationship with Prince Rui."

"The slave will do it now."

Knowing Jierhalang's move, Huang Taiji didn't know whether to be happy or to sigh. The happy thing is that Jierhalang is loyal. He has been vigilant for himself for so many years and has never changed. , The relationship between him and Dorgon was so incompatible.

Over the past few days, Huang Taiji's illness has not improved at all, instead it got worse day by day.

Dorgon couldn't take off his clothes, and spent almost all his time with Huang Taiji. He didn't leave the palace for a few days, and he lost a lot of weight.

"You endured so hard, I feel so sorry for you." Huang Taiji frowned.

Dorgon yawned: "If you really feel distressed, get well soon."

"I've been thinking about a question for the past few days. Sometimes, I really hope that if I stay this sick all the time, I can let you stay with me forever and never leave." Huang Taiji joked.

When Dorgon heard this, he panicked: "What nonsense are you talking about? It is right to recover as soon as possible. Every day you are sick, things will be delayed for one more day. There are so many things in the whole country waiting for you to deal with. How much do you want to do?" Play lazy."

Hearing him mentioning the serious matter, Huang Taiji couldn't help saying seriously: "That's true, with so many things backlogged, I don't know how many opportunities will be delayed, and getting sick really delays things."

Dorgon breathed a sigh of relief, and when he heard his words of self-pity, he felt ominous in his heart. If he had a tired heart and lacked the will to overcome the illness, he might really get sick.Only by using the country that he cares about the most can he arouse his belief in a speedy recovery.

However, the fact that Huang Taiji was seriously ill was before his eyes, his limbs were weak, and his energy was lax. After watching the memorial for a while, he would have a splitting headache.

I used to look forward to his death every day, wishing to kill him with my own hands, but later I felt that he was indispensable, just like air, I didn't need to deliberately feel it, it was natural.But when he really fell ill, when his departure would really become a possibility, the fear pinched Dorgon's heart as if it had substance.

If Huang Taiji is really gone, what will happen to my life?What should I do when I wake up one day and find that I can't see him anymore?Dorgon can't imagine that when a person's existence becomes a habit, once he loses it, he will suddenly feel helpless.

Dorgon was so worried that he couldn't sit still anymore, as if he was in a sea of ​​fire.

"Why hasn't the medicine arrived yet? I'll go and see myself." Dorgon said and hurried away.

Because he went there often, Dorgon rushed to the pharmacy and saw Huang Taiji's medicine was being decocted on the stove, and the maid and the doctor on duty were standing by.

Everyone bowed to greet each other, Dorgon glanced at him and said, "Why hasn't this medicine been cooked yet? What time is it?"

Several people looked at each other, and the doctor boldly said: "Prince Hui Rui, the time for the emperor to take the medicine has not yet come, but it will be ready soon, and it will be delivered as soon as it is fried."

Is it because you are too impatient, so you feel that life is like a year?No matter how sick Huang Taiji was, he couldn't bear it.

"I'll just wait here, and I'll send it over." Dorgon said persistently.As he stood there, the atmosphere in the entire pharmacy became tense, and everyone didn't know where to put their hands.

Dundari observed his words and asked someone to move a chair immediately: "My lord, sit down and wait."

After a while, the medicine was cooked, probably because of Dorgon's staring, the girl who made the medicine was in a hurry, rubbing her hand on the medicine urn, it was so hot that she almost spilled the medicine.

Dorgon got up abruptly, and scolded: "I'll do it, useless thing!"

He put the handkerchief on his hand, supported the cover with one hand, and carefully held the handle with the other hand, his movements were extremely skilled.When the dark brown medicinal juice flowed from the urn into the bowl, he suddenly remembered that every time he was injured, Huang Taiji would bandage himself, and the movements were so skillful.Although the two had nothing to do with each other, Dorgon couldn't help recalling that at that time, his hands were big and warm.

"Dorgon! What are you doing!"

A sharp shout interrupted Dorgon's thoughts, he put down the medicine urn and looked back, it was Jierhalang.

"Prince Zheng is here too?" Dorgon said casually, wiping his hands with a handkerchief casually.

Ji Erhalang rushed to Dorgon in a few steps, glaring at Dorgon fiercely.

Dorgon was puzzled: "What is Prince Zheng doing?"

Jierhalang said to the rest of the people: "You all go out!"

Seeing that the situation was not right, everyone left impatiently, for fear of harming Chiyu, Dundali wanted to leave too, but Jierhalang said: "Dundari, you stay."

"I'm going to deliver medicine to the emperor. Prince Zheng has something to do. Let's talk about it later."

Jierhalang grabbed his wrist: "You really are poisoning the emperor!"

Dorgon was stunned, and it took him a long time to react. He sneered and said, "Poison? Tell me, what kind of poison did I inject?"

"The emperor was in good health, why did you give him medicine, what else could it be if you were poisoning him, otherwise how could the emperor suddenly fall ill?"

"You don't want to spit blood, you want to talk about evidence! What's more, why should I poison him?"

"For so many years, you have been obedient on the surface, but in fact you have always held a grudge against the emperor. You have been hoping for his death! Others can't see it, do you think I can't see it too? You formed a clique to build your own in the court. Power, using power to win over the backbone of the banners, what do you want to do, do you still want me to say? The emperor tolerates you on weekdays, so I also let you. If the emperor treats you with kindness, you will serve him faithfully, but I didn’t expect You still want to kill him!"

Dorgon couldn't refute what he said for a while.It is an undeniable fact that his actions to form a party are getting bigger and bigger, and his desire to fight for the throne is becoming more and more obvious. Huang Taiji reuses him and trusts him. No matter how you look at it, he is the most likely and most likely to poison Huang Taiji .

But now, how could he murder Huang Taiji again?If you don't care about him, his lifespan is only a few years, so why bother?If you don't want him to live a long life, why bother staring at him to drink medicine?

Dorgon was furious: "You slandered me for no reason, I'll treat you as if you care about me, and I won't argue with you. Get out of the way, the emperor must take medicine on time."

"You still want to hurt him?"

"Do you dare to say such groundless and unsubstantiated things? Do you really think I, Dorgon, are easy to provoke?"

"Do you think I'm afraid of you? I won't allow anyone to harm the emperor!"

"Let go!" Dorgon was furious, and flung his hand away.

Jierharang didn't show any weakness, and pulled him even harder.

Seeing that the smell of gunpowder between the two was getting stronger, and they were about to fight, Dundari squeezed between the two of them in fright: "The two princes calm down, aren't they all for the sake of the emperor, why are you making such a fuss?"

"Don't treat me like he said, I can't afford to lose face!" Jierhalang said.

Dorgon gritted his teeth and said nothing, he turned back to the stove, took out a bowl, picked up the medicine urn and poured it out.The urn was still hot, but Dorgon took it with his bare hands, he didn't care about the burn on his palm, his anger was enough to make him ignore the pain.

He poured out the remaining medicinal juice drop by drop, Dorgon picked up the bowl, raised his neck and poured the medicinal juice into it.

The medicine was extremely bitter, bitter to the heart.

Dorgon wiped his mouth and said word by word: "If I want to harm him, then let me accompany him to poison to death."

Jierhalang stood there stunned, the arrogance from just now suddenly weakened.

"What? Does Prince Zheng want me to eat all the dregs of the medicine before giving up?"

Dorgon opened the medicine urn and was about to pour it, but Dundari immediately stopped him: "My lord, don't be angry, if the emperor finds out, he will be unhappy, and if he gets angry again, the disease will be even worse." He said In words, Huang Taiji and his illness were brought out to save this precarious situation.

Dorgon slammed the medicine urn on the ground to vent his anger, pushed Jierhalang away, and said as he walked, "I'm going to deliver the medicine to the emperor, I don't have time to spend here with you!"

Dundari hurriedly followed up with the box containing the medicine, but after walking a few steps, he retreated and whispered to Jierharang: "Prince Zheng, don't be angry, I'm afraid there is a misunderstanding. The prince is recuperating for the emperor. Physically, I have spent a lot of effort in these years, and I dare to use all the medicines by myself, and the servants can see it, Prince Zheng is really wrong to blame the prince." After finishing speaking, he did not dare to delay any longer, and left in a hurry Far.

Only Jierharang was left in the pharmacy, and he was slightly dazed looking at the medicine residues that had been smashed all over the floor.

The doctor sent to investigate had already written back, saying that there was nothing wrong with the medicine Huang Taiji was taking, but Jierhalang didn't believe it at all.It is impossible to imagine that Huang Taiji will fall ill, and it is even more impossible to imagine what the Qing Dynasty would be like without Huang Taiji, so he must find someone to take responsibility for Huang Taiji's illness, and this person can only be Dorgon.

Dorgon walked quickly with a cold face, still angry in his heart.He couldn't bear to think that he would be misunderstood by others, and he would be charged with murdering the emperor.

Thinking of this, Dorgon stopped suddenly, and Dundari almost bumped into him behind him.

One possibility popped up in his mind: Jierharang was always gentle, how could he suddenly attack himself, and how could he suspect that he was poisoning Huang Taiji for no reason?Could it be someone hinted or instructed?And there is only one person who can move Jierhalang, and that is Huang Taiji.

It turned out that it was Huang Taiji who suspected that he had poisoned himself?

Dorgon felt as if he was in an ice cellar, so cold that he became alert.

Did he actually see himself that way?

"My lord, what's the matter?" Dundary asked.

Dorgon's eyes were cold and his expression was slightly distorted: "It's okay."