At night, Su Shi had already fallen asleep.

Today's fire shocked the entire capital, Su Shi rarely did not go to the banquet and have fun, and went home early to accompany his wife and children.

The city was noisy and boiling because of the fire, but Su Shi's house was calm and quiet.

It was only in the middle of the night that there was a knock at the door, not even a knock, but a slamming door.

It clattered like a drum, slamming the gate to the ground.

The mansion of the Zhongshushe people is not large, and the sound of the front door clearly reaches the backyard in the courtyard of the three entrances.

Su Shi woke up in his sleep, and his heart throbbed.

Through the tent outside the bed, the still rough and loud voice made him feel as if he had returned to Huzhou and was sent to Beijing. At that time, the imperial history platform that was ordered to take people was also so rude.

The knocking on the door soon stopped, and Su Shi knew that someone had opened the door and asked.

"What is the matter of giving up people?"

The concubine beside her also woke up, sat up, pressed her hand on the futon to cover her chest, and asked nervously.

Su Shi reluctantly smiled: "I don't know who it is, it's really disturbing and quiet." ”

The slight trembling hands revealed the tension in his heart.

"Chaoyun, have you woken up?" Outside the door came the voice of his wife, Wang Yanzhi.

"What's going on?"

Su Shi asked outside. Chaoyun, who was sleeping, had already gotten out of bed, and his hand hung up the curtain on the outside of the eight-step bed.

Without a cover, the voice outside the door is much clearer, "It is said that the emperor is a big trip, please enter the palace quickly." ”

Su Shi suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

The death of the emperor is a major event, but the death of the emperor, who has been paralyzed in bed for more than a year, has no impact on the court and the country for a long time. And there was a faint pleasure in his heart. After being arrested and imprisoned in Taiwan for several months, how can there be no complaints?

But he soon became nervous again. It is true that he, the Zhongshusheren, is a two-system official, but the edicts of the Heavenly Family are all the work of the internal Hanlin scholars, and they have nothing to do with the external Zhongshusheren. Such a summons is completely unconscionable.

There was a lot of suspicion in his heart, but Su Shi didn't dare to delay, got up and put on his robe, and went out to get the edict, only to know that it was Queen Taishang who recruited all the officials above the servant system in Beijing into the palace. As for the rest of the details, the attendant of the edict refused to say a word.

Although the officials of the two systems are called together, the class difference is very far apart. This is the difference between the private and the subordinate of the Son of Heaven. The ability of the Hanlin Bachelor is superior to that of the Pavilion, and many of the people in the Zhongshu House are not yet at the level of the service system, and there is a straight bachelor in the middle of the bachelor.

However, the officials of the two systems often said that because they both had the task of drafting edicts, once they hung up the edicts, the status of the Zhongshu Sheren was improved. Recruiting officials above the service system to enter the palace, it is natural for the Hanlin scholars to turn sideways, and the Zhongshu Sheren has barely become one of them.

Knowing that the Tao has nothing to do with himself, it is just an additive, just like the broad beans sent by selling wine, Su Shi is relieved and a little disappointed. But he didn't dare to delay at all, and then hurried out.

With two relatives, he rode into the royal street, and saw a group of people and horses rushing to the imperial city, and the lanterns were connected into a stream of light, as if it was the time of the last dynasty.

But if you look closely, the officials in the queue are all the golden and purple ministers who are above him at the court meeting, at least they are all above the waiter. People look as many as carp crossing the river, just because they are all high-ranking officials and dignitaries, and there are a large number of relatives accompanying them.

Merging into the flow of people, Su Shi's face was a little more dignified.

I didn't think about it when I heard the news, but now that I see it, it feels more and more strange.

Under normal circumstances, there is Zaifu, as long as you wait until tomorrow to go to the court, and the situation of recruiting the rest of the important ministers into the palace overnight has never been heard of in the past.

Could it be that something has changed? Or is it not so simple to say that the death of the Emperor Taishang?

Su Shi looked at the burning coalphard field in the east, and the red light in the sky was in his eyes. Perhaps this fire is inseparable from the death of the Emperor.

Su Shi didn't know that his guess was in line with the facts to some extent, until he entered the imperial city, he was still thinking about the mastermind behind the scenes, until he stood in the Funing Palace.

Except for Shen Kuo, all the attendants in Beijing gathered in the Funing Palace. It was Li Suzhi, who had just been replaced by Shen Kuo, who had just returned to Kaifeng Mansion to pack up his belongings and was summoned to the palace.

For this extraordinary summoning, all the important ministers had their own guesses, but Cai's simple and direct opening remarks were something that no one expected.

"The emperor's great trip is not due to illness, but to an accident."

It was an accident, not murder, but it was not a normal death.

The important ministers stopped moving, and listened quietly with bated breath to Cai Qu's statement on behalf of the Empress Taishang and the two governors on the whole matter of the emperor's death.

A moment later, Cai did end his briefing, but the hall was still silent.

The inside story reported by Cai did shocked everyone.

It's not that the two kings are making a comeback, it's not that the queen mother is making trouble again, and it's not that the queen suddenly looks at her husband unpleasantly.

It is the Son of Heaven who kills his father.

If it is said that the adult prince was in a hurry to ascend the throne and committed evil deeds against human morality, this is not difficult to understand, and there are many similar things in history. But the emperor was only six years old, and no matter how imaginative the ministers were, they would never have imagined such a change.

But from Cai Qu's words, it can be understood that what Zhao Xu did was to let people move the stove and seal the tent, so as not to choke the seriously ill Emperor Taishang with smoke and dust from the outside world. If the Emperor Taishang hadn't died because of this, and passed it on to future generations, it would definitely be another beautiful story about the emperor who knew filial piety when he was young, and it didn't make sense to think about it this way.

Although it is not common for the accidents of charcoal gas to kill people, the important ministers in the column have been officials for almost twenty or thirty years, and they have never seen or heard a little about it. It's just that I didn't expect that after washing it with water, it can still poison people.

"This matter has never happened in the past few years, and I have discussed it several times, and I feel that it is not appropriate to deal with it. Now we can only brainstorm in order to meet the needs of the people. You can speak out, don't shy away from it. ”

For a while, no one spoke.

As long as there is still a bureaucratic society in which the first level is pressed, it will be difficult for the lower-level bureaucrats to speak the truth in front of the higher-level officials. Shangguan said a word, please speak freely, but if someone takes it seriously, the end is usually not very good.

The reason why Goshitai was able to rebuke Zaifu was also because they were directly responsible to the Son of Heaven in terms of establishment. And now Empress Taishang didn't speak, only Cai Qu came forward as a representative to ask for a straight voice, this situation was weirdly overdone, which made everyone vigilant.

"It's too bizarre, but it's unbelievable?"

Li Suzhi is in a bad mood, he is going out anyway, it is not appropriate to directly put forward his opinion, come forward to confirm the authenticity, he is not afraid of anything.

Cai Cheng sighed: "If it is not confirmed, how dare we defile the Son of Heaven?" It's a last resort. ”

"How do you know it, and what is the law?"

"The whole thing was really unexpected, but there was no explanation for it other than that." Han Gang came forward to say on behalf of Cai Qu: "The emperor has been ill for a long time, but the other three are all healthy. If it is said that the violent disease epidemic cannot only occur in the bed tent, the others in the Funing Hall have nothing at all. If there is a difference in food, the emperor and the other three people in the tent do not drink and eat together, or even the three are different. But after the death of the three people, the condition of the emperor is generally the same, and the lips and cheeks are red as life, which is in line with the symptoms of death from charcoal poisoning. The emperor's remains cannot be desecrated, but the other three are in the side hall, and you can check them later. ”

Han Gang's words of defense were heard in Su Shi's ears, but it was the Empress Taishang behind him who was anxious to prove her innocence. This is said as if the defendant has confessed his innocence in court. It's no wonder that Empress Taishang doesn't speak, she is now in charge of the palace, and if the Emperor Taishang has something, the world will be the first to think of her.

I only heard Li Suzhi ask again: "The gas of tobacco charcoal is poisonous, and everyone knows about it." But after the soot is washed away with water, is it still poisonous? ”

Han Gang shook his head, he would never admit that he had long known the details of the so-called poison of the smoke, so he could only respond vaguely: "Maybe it's just that it hasn't been washed off, or maybe the toxicity in the charcoal gas has nothing to do with the soot, it's just speculation now." But if you think about it carefully, if the tobacco poison is really related to cigarette ash, not many people in the world will survive. ”

The ink blocks in the Four Treasures of the Study Room are made by mixing ash and glue from pine branches and cypresses, and many people have tasted ink, and they have never heard of anyone being poisoned.

And the common sense accepted in the world is often wrong, and moths have children, and this is the case with rotten grass and fireflies. When you go back, you can conduct experiments under the same conditions to prove whether it is true or not. ”

Han Gang's speculation was quite reasonable, Li Suzhi nodded and didn't ask any more.

Of course, he couldn't just let go of his suspicions, the whole thing was unimaginable. After just asking a few words, I felt that it was better to accept it when it was good.

Now the situation is not normal, the Zaifu have given up the power to control the court and ask for the opinions of the important ministers, when have you seen it in the past? Han Qi forced Empress Dowager Cao to withdraw the curtain and return to the government, but Fu Bi, who was also Zaifu, didn't notify him! It is a matter of authority in the future, and if you can grasp one more point, who will think that you have more power in your hands? The so-called abnormal things must be demons!

Li Suzhi didn't squint after retreating, but he knew that the thoughts of his colleagues around him were basically similar to his own, and they were all full of doubts. On such a big matter, no one dares to take a position casually. And now although the Zaisuke are asking for advice, no one dares to say whether they are fishing with a line and letting the fish with different intentions pop out on their own. After asking the reason for the matter, he waited for the Zai Auxiliary to give a standard first, Li Suzhi didn't believe that Wang Anshi, Zeng Bu, Zhang Dan, Han Gang and other extremely assertive auxiliary ministers would not have an idea now?

The student made a big mistake, and Wang Anshi and Han Gang, as teachers, couldn't get away with it, but now the two of them are still standing in the Zaizhi class with the same attitude as everyone else, and it is clear that they already have a common position.