A Bedside Audience, the Privy Council Seeks Worthy Men

Li Kun's collapse caused immediate chaos in the entire Imperial Palace. The chief minister of the Council of State Affairs, the Grand Councilor of the Privy Council, the ministers of the Six Ministries, and the old man with a pale face, who had been summoned by him for questioning, were all taken aback.

As the situation escalated, fortunately, although the news could not be contained, it was not out of control.

While there was some turmoil in the imperial court, the intervention of the two chief ministers quickly quelled the unrest, and the changes in public sentiment were also temporarily suppressed.

In contrast, the palace was in greater chaos due to Li Kun's sudden coma, but it was not convenient for officials outside the imperial family to interfere in matters concerning the imperial clan.

The empress, who should have been in charge of the harem, was still young, and the empress dowager had always been in charge. When chaos broke out in the palace, the empress dowager issued an imperial edict, summoning a prince with prestige in the imperial clan to take charge.

Prince Ding, Li Duo.

In terms of seniority, Li Duo was above Li Kun, being the youngest brother of the late emperor. He was known for his virtue and was highly respected. He was in his prime and had a great influence in the royal family.

Upon hearing that Li Kun had fallen into a coma, he received the imperial decree and rushed to the Imperial Palace immediately, but he did not enter the forbidden area without permission. It was only after the Empress Dowager intervened that he was allowed to enter.

After entering the palace, Prince Ding made no attempt to be polite and quickly calmed the unrest among the people. He then met with Wang Fu, Ma Yang, Zhang Lian, and other ministers outside Li Kun's palace and exchanged a few words.

At this time, the imperial physicians in charge had also finished their examinations and came out of the palace. Sweat could still be seen on their faces. As soon as they received the news, they rushed over without stopping, without even having time to drink water. In addition, since they were treating the emperor, they had to be careful and not overdo it. Under such internal and external stress, they naturally sweated.

"How is it going?" With Prince Ding present, even if the ministers were worried, they could not overstep the bounds of propriety and could only suppress their thoughts and wait for the result.

The leading imperial physician was a middle-aged man with bright, piercing eyes. Hearing Prince Ding's inquiry, he remained composed, returned the greeting, and calmly replied, "His Majesty's health is not seriously affected. It's just that he has been under considerable stress and fatigue lately, and hasn't slept well for several nights. His spirit is exhausted, and his heart has surged, causing him to faint. He needs to rest for a while, and he will recover fully."

"You must investigate carefully! His Majesty's fate is intertwined with the fate of the nation; there can be no mistakes whatsoever." Prince Ding, somewhat displeased, said, "To conclude so easily that there's nothing seriously wrong is too rash. If he were truly alright, why would he have fainted? We must quickly find out the cause of the illness and treat it accordingly! The best medicinal food and herbs must be used!"

The imperial physician did not refute this, but simply said, "The medicines for nourishing the spirit and calming the body will be arranged by the Imperial Medical Academy; Your Highness need not trouble yourself." There was no intention of backing down in his words. Prince Ding and opened his mouth to speak again.

At this moment, Ma Yang said, "Prince Ding Highness, if you are still worried, you might as well invite a few more imperial physicians to come and take a look. After all, we are not experts in these matters. We can't afford to delay." This was a suggestion, and given Ma Yang's status, even a prince would not be able to refuse it.

Prince Ding composed himself, feigning humility and accepting the situation, nodded, and waved for the imperial physicians to leave.

Before leaving, the imperial physician added, "His Majesty is currently exhausted and cannot tolerate noise. If he speaks with anyone, it is best not to exceed fifteen minutes."

"Understood." Wang Fu and Ma Yang nodded in agreement.

Before the imperial physicians had gone far, a palace eunuch came out and shouted, "His Majesty has awakened! His Majesty has awakened! All imperial physicians, hurry and go see him!"

The imperial physicians then turned back and entered the palace again. About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they left once more. A message was sent from inside, instructing Wang Fu, Ma Yang, and others to enter, and mentioning Prince Ding.

Prince Ding breathed a sigh of relief, his face full of joy, and said, "It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright. My lords, let's go in and take a look." With that, he took the lead and went ahead.

Wang Fu and Ma Yang first looked at the back of Prince Ding, then exchanged a glance, and followed closely behind.

This palace was the sleeping quarters. Li Kun was moved here after he fell into a coma. It was closest to the Imperial Study. As you entered the palace, you could smell the medicinal scent in the air, with wisps of smoke swirling around. There was a faint sobbing sound coming from deep within the palace.

As they drew closer, the officials realized that it was the Empress and her concubines sobbing softly beside the imperial bed.

Emperor Li Kun still has many shortcomings, and in the last two years, he has gradually shown his stubbornness. However, he has always been strict with himself in terms of personal morality. Apart from the Empress, he only has two real concubines. Because the Empress Dowager is above him, the Empress's prestige is not enough, which makes the three of them quite close.

At this moment, the three women were all in front of the imperial bed. The news of Li Kun's coma had truly startled them, causing them great worry and endless tears. Only after Li Kun regained his senses and woke up did they begin to calm down.

Now, seeing the foreign official enter, he could only barely maintain his composure. On the other hand, the woman sitting to the side, who appeared to be around forty years old, seemed quite calm and composed, with a dignified air despite a hint of worry in her eyes.

This woman was Li Kun's birth mother, the current Empress Dowager, the one who truly held power in the inner palace.

When Wang Fu and the others arrived, they saw Li Kun's appearance. The emperor was lying on the couch, his face pale and somewhat haggard, but his eyes were still clear. He nodded slightly when he saw the ministers.

Seeing this, the officials were relieved. Ma Yang was about to speak when the Empress Dowager waved him off, saying, "His Majesty is still feeling unwell. The imperial physicians have instructed that loud noises are not allowed."

Wang Fu and the others nodded in understanding.

Prince Ding stepped forward, first bowing to the Empress Dowager, then glancing at Li Kun, and letting out a long sigh of relief, saying, "It's good that Your Majesty is alright."

"Li Duo, we owe you a great debt this time. The Emperor and I will remember it." The Empress Dowager nodded, managing a weak smile.

"It's all what I should do," Prince Ding quickly bowed, adopting a humble demeanor.

"Uncle, I'm sorry to have troubled you this time." Li Kun, lying on the bed, spoke up. His voice was weak, but every word was clear. Then, with the help of the Empress beside him, he leaned off his mount and said to the ministers, "I'm sorry to have given you all a scare. Please don't blame me in the future."

Wang Fu and the others responded solemnly to these words of respect for scholars, and then said earnestly, "Your Majesty, please take care of your health, for this is the foundation of the nation and concerns the safety of the country." These words were indeed spoken from the bottom of their hearts.

Li Kun already has offspring, but they are too young, only two years old. If something were to happen to the emperor, who is in his prime, the consequences would be unimaginable and could very well trigger great chaos.

Li Kun nodded and said, "I've noted it down. There's just too much good news for me to handle all at once."

"My son, the ministers will handle the affairs of state. You should rest more from now on," the Empress Dowager couldn't help but say. Since Li Kun ascended the throne, he had been working tirelessly day and night, which had truly frightened her. She had been worried for a long time and had tried to persuade him several times without success. Now that something had happened, how could she let it go?

"Yes, Your Majesty, your health is of utmost importance," the Empress said, tears welling in her eyes.

Li Kun couldn't refute it, so he changed the subject, saying, "I will definitely pay attention. By the way, where is Qiu Yan now? The situation on the frontier is almost clear. Shouldn't he be back? I have quite a few questions to ask him."

Although Li Kun wanted to bring up the war situation, he was afraid that if he did, the Empress Dowager would make trouble. So he had no choice but to mention Qiu Yan. The Empress Dowager knew about Qiu Yan's knowledge of classical texts and had praised him highly, calling him a virtuous minister.

The Empress Dowager indeed said, "That's right. Lord Qiu's ability to write classics shows that he is a virtuous man, and his Fortune soaring. After returning to the capital, he will also be able to dispel any bad luck." However, her focus was not the same as the Emperor's.

Li Kun didn't say anything, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials.

The ministers exchanged glances, and finally their gazes fell on Wang Jing, the Privy Councilor.

The Privy Council is in charge of military affairs, and its power is even greater than that of the Ministry of War. Naturally, the Privy Councilor is the most aware of news and changes on the frontier.

Noticing the gazes of the crowd, Wang Jing, a refined gentleman with a mustache, twitched his eyelids, feeling quite troubled.

He was a civil official by training and had some knowledge of military affairs, but he didn't know much about Qiu Yan. This time, the Marquis Maishan's expedition resulted in the Left Wise King's Tribe suffering a crushing defeat. Although this was closely related to Qiu Yan, there were countless other things to consider, and many matters required someone to oversee them and coordinate the work. Coincidentally, this matter of communication was not under his jurisdiction. How could he explain it?

Just then, a tall man behind Wang Jing spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, I was just about to report this matter. After Qiu Xiuzhuan was sent to Three Rivers, he first returned to Dingchang and unearthed a copy of the <Northern Frontier Gazetteer>, which is of great significance. However, he then left the city, saying that he was going to explore the geography of the frontier in order to improve the Military Canon."

"To perfect the Military Canon? It seems he has quite the ambition." Hearing that Qiu Yan had left without permission, Li Kun did not get angry. Instead, he nodded. "I sent him with the envoy to give him more experience so that he could write the classics. He has lived up to expectations and is now striving for perfection, which is a good thing. But he should return to the capital first and let me review the classics."

Upon hearing this, some of the officials sighed inwardly, realizing that Qiu Yan's identity was indeed different.

With the position of Grandmaster gradually established and the protection of classical texts, such a person is far more effective than the title of Top Scholar. If someone else were to abandon their post without good intentions, it would draw criticism and displease the emperor. However, Qiu Yan's actions were praised as striving for perfection. This shows that different people have different natures.

Over there, Li Kun looked a little tired and said, "Geng Qing, after you go back, you should still arrange for someone to find Qiu Yan. If he's in the mood, don't force him, lest it interfere with the matter of the classics. But at least bring the Original Edition classics here so that I can take a good look at them."

"Your subject obeys the decree." The tall man nodded. This man was named Geng Chi. He came from the military and had made outstanding Military School achievements, which enabled him to be appointed as the Deputy Chief of the Privy Council.

Although the Privy Council is in charge of military and political affairs, it has always been a civil official in charge. It is not easy for a military officer to take the helm, which shows Geng Chi's extraordinary nature.

Afterwards, the emperor grew tired, and the officials paid their respects and left. However, Geng Chi couldn't help but feel annoyed, because of Qiu Yan.

He actually had inside information, knowing that Qiu Yan wasn't simply there to observe the frontier geography; he was brewing a storm! (To be continued...)

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