EBE Chapter 29 Li Shimin Takes Pills
Chapter 29 Li Shimin Takes Pills
Liu Che closed his eyes, his heart filled with sorrow. Had he made such a grave mistake in his old age, with his eyesight failing? Did he not understand the principle of "a young ruler and a suspicious state" back then?
But facing Wei Qing beside him, this heartless emperor felt a sense of unease for the first time.
No one in the court dared to raise their heads. Even Wei Qing, a close advisor to the emperor, could no longer look Liu Che in the eye.
He couldn't help but wonder: Is His Majesty deceiving us or trying to eliminate the Crown Prince's right-hand men?
"In addition, Liu Che highly admired all kinds of gods. Despite being deceived and disappointed many times, our pig became more courageous with each setback, showing a strong desire to pull Zheng Ge down in the cultivation career and take his place himself."
First Emperor, Ancestral Dragon: ...
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: ……
"In February of the fourth year of the Yuanding era, Marquis Ding Yi of Lecheng recommended a man named Luan Da to Emperor Wu of Han. Luan Da was a sorcerer."
"This Luan is tall and handsome, with a silver tongue and eloquence. You wouldn't even know he's lying when he tells a lie."
"After observing Luan Da, Emperor Wu of Han thought, 'Hey! I don't think Luan Da is a cunning person.' On the other hand, Luan Da knew that this was a sure thing when he saw Emperor Wu of Han's expression."
So he said to Liu Che, "I often go to the sea and meet some immortals, but they look down on me because of my lowly status and don't treat me well."
Emperor Wu of Han's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he became quite interested, hurriedly asking what the game of chess would involve.
"Luan Da told Emperor Wu of Han that as long as he did it, he could stop the Yellow River from bursting its banks, refine gold, make the elixir of immortality, and summon immortals."
"Why did Yi Da say that? The reason is very simple."
"At that time, the Yellow River breached its banks and flooded, making it impossible to refine gold. Emperor Wu of Han was extremely anxious. Upon hearing Yi Da's words, Emperor Wu immediately asked: 'What do you need to summon the immortals?'"
"Yi Da said, Your Majesty, you must send an envoy. This envoy should ideally be related to you, of high status, and must treat the immortals with utmost respect. They must also have proof of their identity. Once all these are prepared, the next step will be simple."
Emperor Wu of Han was somewhat tempted, but remained skeptical of Yi Da's words. After all, he, the "piggy," had been fooled too many times.
"Emperor Wu of Han was more cautious this time, and had Luan Da demonstrate his skills in person to see if it was indeed true."
"Actually, since Yi Da dared to come before Emperor Wu of Han, he must have been prepared. Yi Da had the chessboard and pieces prepared and performed a little magic trick."
"In a game of chess, the pieces collided with each other" (from the *Book of Han, Treatise on Sacrifices to Heaven and Earth*), which greatly surprised Emperor Wu of Han, leading him to fully trust Luan Da.
"Subsequently, Emperor Wu of Han began to lavish praise on Yi Da. First, he appointed Luan Da as General of the Five Benefits. Within a little over a month, Luan Da already held four official seals: General of the Five Benefits, General of the Heavenly Warriors, General of the Earthly Warriors, and General of the Great Unobstructed. A few months later, Emperor Wu of Han further enfeoffed Luan Da as Marquis of Letong."
"He was granted a grand mansion, a thousand servants, and a royal carriage, horses, curtains, and other valuables to fill his household" (Records of the Grand Historian, Annals of Emperor Wu).
"Now Yi Da has an official position and a higher status; all Luan Da needs is a member of the imperial family to match him."
"It must be said, this man's audacity is truly remarkable, attempting to establish a marriage alliance with Emperor Wu of Han."
"Emperor Wu of Han, for the sake of Luan Da, ultimately thought of his beloved daughter, Princess Wei Chang."
"Princess Wei Chang was the eldest daughter of Emperor Wu of Han and his most favored concubine. She had previously married Cao Xiang, a descendant of Cao Shen, a meritorious official in the founding of the Western Han Dynasty."
In the third year of Yuanding (114 BC), Cao Xiang passed away. After Princess Wei Chang became a widow, Luan Da went to Chang'an and did not remarry. At this time, Luan Da asked to be related to the royal family by marriage. So Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, "married Princess Wei Chang to him and gave him 10,000 catties of gold" and married him to Yi Da.
"This time, Emperor Wu of Han really went all out, not only bestowing titles and honors upon him, but also giving him people, goods, and money, and finally marrying his most beloved daughter to him."
Finally, Emperor Wu of Han appointed Luan Da as General of Heavenly Way. Emperor Wu had probably given him everything he could, but Luan Da was becoming increasingly insecure.
"To cover up his deception, Yi Da decided to emulate Xu Fu. He bid farewell to Emperor Wu of Han, saying he was going east to the sea to find his master and, incidentally, to inquire whether the immortals were busy and if they could come to Chang'an."
"When Luan Da returned, he brought nothing with him. I was puzzled that he dared to come back. Emperor Wu of Han also realized that Luan Da was a fraud."
"Emperor Wu of Han, under the pretext of conquering Nanyue, sent Luan Da as an envoy to seek immortality at sea, and secretly dispatched people to follow him."
"In the end, Luan Da did not go to the sea, but instead went to Mount Tai. Emperor Wu of Han realized he had been tricked. When Luan Da returned, he falsely claimed that he had met his master at sea."
Emperor Wu of Han saw through Luan Da's deceitful nature and had him executed by being cut in half at the waist. Ding Yi, who had recommended Luan Da, was also convicted of "immorality" and beheaded in the marketplace.
"After Luan Da's death, Princess Wei Chang never remarried. I think Zhu Zhu probably regretted pushing her daughter into such a terrible situation."
Liu Zhuzhu (furious): I'm going to kill him!
……
"Next up, please welcome our third victim, Erfeng!" Lin Ke's voice was mischievous and somewhat cheerful.
"Let me clarify beforehand, I'm not laughing at our ancestors! I'm just giving away spoilers in advance to avoid potential risks!"
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: ...@Wei Wumei, the troll of the Tang Dynasty, is usually quite talkative, tell her off!!!
Tang Dynasty Troll Wei Wumei: !!! What a terrible name I have!
Tang Dynasty Troll Wei Wumei: Miss Lin is right!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: ...
"First of all, unlike other emperors who pursued immortality, Li Shimin took elixirs to cure diseases and achieve the result of prolonging his life."
"In his early years, Li Shimin fought on all sides and suffered many injuries. In history, many people died young because of this, such as Marquis of Champion Huo Qubing and Zhu Zhanji. I hope that all generals will consult the imperial physicians more often and take good care of their health."
Emperor Liu Zhuzhu: I understand. I will make sure Qubing gets proper treatment and drinks plenty of medicine! (Add plenty of Coptis chinensis, so he'll remember his lesson!)
(Empress Wei) Wei Qing: Your Majesty is right!
(Prince Huo) Marquis Huo Qubing: (???) !!! ! !
General Judy (whose username is "Conquering the North"): @Prince Zhu Gaochi, please summon an imperial physician for my grandson! Take a good look at him!
……
"Furthermore, the Li Tang royal family had a hereditary disease, which, from the perspective of later medical science, was likely a cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease, with symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and numbness."
A relative of the Tang Dynasty royal family: Wait! I think I feel the same way! What can I do?! Am I going to die?!
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: Upstairs, is it acting up so quickly?
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: ...
"Everyone knows about Emperor Taizong's illness. This disease had already shown signs in the second year of the Zhenguan era. He once said: 'I have a qi ailment, how can I go down to dampness?'"
"In later records, Emperor Taizong suffered from wind-related illness, which caused him to be sensitive to heat and dampness, as well as headaches. It was as if a ball of fire was burning inside his body, indicating that his condition had become extremely serious."
Erfeng's wife, Guanyinbi: Miss Lin, is this illness curable in future generations?
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: Guanyin's maid???
Cheng Zhijie, the Emperor: Your Majesty, you must not take any more elixirs!
Tang Dynasty Troll Wei Wumei: Let me ask you, which emperor who took elixirs ended up well?!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: ...
First Emperor, Ancestral Dragon: ...
"Sister Changsun, wait a moment. In the 17th year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin sought out a famous doctor named Zhen Quan, but his acupuncture methods had no effect on him, so he embarked on the path of taking medicine and refining elixirs."
"In the twenty-second year of Zhenguan, Wang Xuance defeated India and brought back a Taoist priest named Narsapomei. This man claimed to be two hundred years old and to possess the secret to immortality. In his early years, Emperor Taizong might have scoffed at such claims, but for him now, it was a desperate measure."
"Subsequently, Li Shimin searched for precious medicinal materials from all over the country and sent the Minister of War to supervise the process. It took nearly a year for Na Ersuopo to finally refine the elixir. After Emperor Taizong took it, it did not have much effect, but he died just over a month later. It is hard to say that there is no causal relationship between the two."
"If Erfeng knew it was clean and hygienic, I think whether he would eat it or not is another matter."
"However, there is still controversy about whether the illness was caused by taking this pill. After Li Zhi became emperor, the hereditary disease of the Li Tang royal family worsened, and they also sought medicine from the Western Regions. Wang Xuance once again recommended this pill."
"Assuming Li Shimin died because of this elixir, wasn't Wang Xuance courting death?"
"Therefore, some people believe that Li Shimin died of illness before the elixir could be refined."
"Regarding the hereditary wind disease, I looked up some information. In general, it means that one cannot be cold or hungry, cannot be exposed to damp and cold environments, and must be carefully cared for, etc. In her early years, the Second Princess was so diligent in her duties that she forgot to eat, etc. The Tang Dynasty also had a heavy emphasis on oil and sugar, so it is no wonder that her condition worsened to the point that she had to take sick leave to attend court."
"I'm not trying to criticize you Your Majesties, but even if you're diligent in your duties, you still need to eat properly. You can't overwork yourself to the point of illness. Here, I'd like to specifically mention Qin Shi Huang, Zhu Biao of the Ming Dynasty, and Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, among others."
"Back in Li Zhi's time, there was a royal physician who was good at treating wind-related illnesses. He was from Luoyang, Luozhou, and was born in the third year of the Wude era of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan. He authored "Various Prescriptions for Treating Wind-Related Illnesses" and "Various Prescriptions for Common Use in the Four Seasons and for Light and Heavy Injuries," etc. I will send the prescriptions to Erfeng later, and Erfeng can also look for this famous doctor.
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: Biao'er, you can't overwork yourself.
Crown Prince Zhu Biao of the Ming Dynasty: ...Father, all of this work was given to me by you.
General Judy, the Conqueror of the North: Dad, it's time for you to get to work!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: Thank you, Miss Lin. I will send someone to find her!
Erfeng's wife, Guanyinbi: Thank you, Miss Lin!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: ??? Guanyinbi! Thank you!
A young man from a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: What are you doing upstairs?!
……