Chapter 3, the charlatan has appeared

Clang clang ... ...

Li Yuanba felt that things were not looking good; if he did not handle it well, he would be outsmarted by this old charlatan

"Forget the past? This, this..." Zhang Qiao was taken aback, bowed down and said: "This old minister deserves to die! This old minister deserves to die, I implore Your Majesty to forgive me!"

"Are you saying that Yuan Ba's illness can never be cured in this lifetime?" Although Li Shimin was more devoted to Daoist teachings in his later years, seeking immortality, at this moment, he clearly did not fully believe in the mystical doctrines of fate. He had discerned the implications behind Yuan Tiangang's words.

Li Yuanba was excited: "Wow, wow, Yuan Tiangang! This guy is actually Yuan Tiangang! I have finally seen a living person!"

You go to the Lìzhèng Hall and bring back the topographic map of Cháng'ān" Li Shì commanded

Let him in!" Li Shimin's expression was so dark it seemed as if water could drip from it

The sound of crisp armor clashing echoed as a group of guards pushed the door open, knelt on one knee, and clasped their fists, saying: "This humble officer pays his respects to Your Majesty"

In fact, practicing as a court physician is not an easy task; in the city of Chang'an, one serves the nobility and royalty, including the emperor and concubines. A slight misstep could result in losing one's head

However, this "Wuqiu Shouyuan Ge" should pay attention to thunder and lightning, electric shocks, or injuries caused by being struck by wood. Back in the day, the Fourth Young Master stood in an open area on a stormy night, looking up at the sky and howling, unfortunately attracting a lightning strike that hit his head, which is why he fell into a coma for nineteen years!" Yuan Tiangang became more and more animated as he spoke, and by the end, he was as excited as if he had gone mad.

After a brief moment, a Taoist priest, appearing to be in his fifties, with long, dark eyebrows that nearly met his hairline, a rugged and slender appearance, and three strands of long beard cascading down his chest, entered the hall gracefully while holding a whisk, exuding an air of ethereal elegance

Lord Changsun, your words are misguided!" Sensing Li Shimin's hesitation, the somewhat portly Fang Xuanling spoke up: "Your Majesty's own brother, if he were to enter and exit the imperial palace every day while bearing a commoner's status, it would not only invite public criticism but also tarnish Your Majesty's reputation! If Your Majesty is concerned that after being granted a title, the Fourth Son might cause trouble, you could easily select a small piece of land near Chang'an to bestow upon him. The size is not important, as long as it is close to Chang'an.

According to the customs of our Tang Dynasty, once a member of the royal family is granted a title of nobility, they must be bestowed with a fief and subsequently leave Chang'an to go to their fief, with little chance of returning to Chang'an. The Fourth Young Master has been sealed in the Xuanbing for nineteen years and is not familiar with the current state of the Tang Dynasty. Furthermore, although the Fourth Young Master possesses unparalleled innate strength, his character is unruly and defiant, and only Your Majesty can subdue him. If he is granted a title and allowed to go to his fief, I fear there may be disturbances. Therefore, I earnestly request Your Majesty to postpone the matter of granting the title for further discussion

Li Shimin looked at the hurriedly arriving imperial physician Zhang Qiao from the Imperial Medical Department, his heart ablaze with anger

"Noble!" Liu Sanshui performed a bow, hesitated for a moment after rising, and then knelt down again, saying: "Your Majesty, I report to you that just now a palace maid from the Divine Dragon Hall came to inform me that the esteemed official in the hall has already awakened"

Li Yuanba, sitting on the bed, felt a wave of dizziness and thought to himself: "What, are they really going to drag him out and execute him? Isn’t it just a matter of not being cured after a check-up? You must understand that in the twenty-first century, it’s a trivial matter for someone to die in a hospital. Isn’t the gap between ancient and modern times a bit too vast?"

Yuan Tiangang truly knows how to perform. He was seen pacing in the main hall, walking in a Seven Stars pattern, circling around the Hu Chuang twice. Suddenly, his eyes brightened, and he said: "The fate of the Fourth Young Master was that of the 'Wuqiu Guardian Configuration.' Due to the addition of a malevolent star in his youth, he was born with extraordinary strength and possesses a straightforward character"

Creak!

Upon entering the Dragon Hall, before even discerning which one was Li Shimin, Zhang Qiao heard a voice filled with fury questioning: "Zhang Qiao, did you not say that my fourth brother merely fainted and would surely recover as before upon waking? And now? He has forgotten everything! What do you, the esteemed Director of the Imperial Medical Office, have to say for yourself?"

Hmph! Fine, for the sake of Fourth Brother and Wei Qing, I shall spare your miserable life. " Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's expression softened slightly, and he said, "What are you still doing here? Hurry up and get out of my sight!

Looking at the image of this old Yuan, he really resembles a charlatan! Li Yuanba sat on the stool, tilting his head as he observed Yuan Tiangang. A thought crossed his mind, and he secretly pondered: If Yuan Tiangang truly possesses the supernatural abilities in physiognomy as the legends suggest, could he see through that I am an intruder?

According to the records in the "Old Book of Tang · Fang Ji", when Wu Zetian was still an infant, Yuan Tiangang once dressed her as a boy and remarked upon seeing her: "Dragon eyes and phoenix neck, a sign of extreme nobility!" However, he also lamented, saying: "What a pity she is a boy; if she were a girl, she would surely be the ruler of the world!"

He stepped forward, first bowing to Li Shimin, and said: "Your Majesty, the Fourth Young Master is unmatched in bravery. In the past, he decisively defeated the White Emperor Wang Gao Tan Sheng, repelled the Fengming King Li Zitong of Hebei, and executed Yu Wen Chengdu... He has made significant contributions to our great Tang dynasty. If the Fourth Young Master were to remain without a title, it would be inappropriate and against protocol. Therefore, I believe the Fourth Young Master should be granted a royal title."

"Second Brother, wait a moment!" Seeing the old man crying with snot and tears, Li Yuanba felt a twinge of compassion and quickly spoke up, "Second Brother, your foolish younger brother has just regained consciousness and finds it hard to witness such slaughter. In my opinion, Second Brother should spare him this time!"

But it was evident that Li Shimin was truly enraged this time, as he angrily shouted: "Damn it? Very well, then I shall grant you that! Come here!"

"May I ask Your Majesty, what crime has this humble servant committed?" Yuan Tiangang maintained his enigmatic smile and inquired

Awake? Quickly make your way to the Dragon Hall, Wei Qing, you several accompany me! By the way, San Shui, send Zhang Qiao from the Imperial Medical Office to the Dragon Hall!

Li Shimin waved his hand and said: "You all drag this old man off the bridge and execute him!"

Yuan Tiangang cast a glance at Li Yuanba, and the smile on his face seemed to take on a strange quality

"Truly worthy of being the foremost loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty, the only one bold enough to criticize Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty to his face is none other than Wei Zheng!" Li Yuanba looked at the upright Wei Zheng with admiration in his heart

Puh! Li Yuanba nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood, cursing inwardly: "Heavenly fate, what the hell is this heavenly fate! If even the matter of my soul crossing over to ancient times is considered heavenly fate, then why don't you show me this so-called heavenly fate?"

"I, the humble Daoist Yuan Tiangang, have come to pay my respects to Your Majesty!" Yuan Tiangang did not kneel, but instead performed a respectful bow towards Li Shimin

... ...

Not at all! Yuan Tiangang shook his head and said: "The theory of fate cannot be changed, but it is not impossible to find a way to improve the Fourth Young Master's condition"

Indeed, a statement emerged from Yuan Tiangang's mouth that left Li Yuanba utterly disconcerted

Yuan Tiangang said with a mysterious smile: "Let the Fourth Young Master marry one primary wife, two scholars, and ten concubines, totaling thirteen individuals, and perform the rites of Duke Zhou with all thirteen on the same day. This should be able to counteract the side effects of his fate and ensure a full recovery from his serious illness"

As Zhang Qiao stepped out, a blue-clad guard with a bright curved saber at his waist entered immediately behind him. With a solemn expression, he bowed to Li Shimin and said: "Your Majesty, Yuan Tiangang has been brought in and is currently waiting outside the hall for your decree"

In later generations, various legends and anecdotes about Yuan Tiangang have been passed down, among which the most impressive is his skill in physiognomy

It turned out that just as Li Shimin and others were hurrying to the Shenlong Hall, they discovered that Li Yuanba no longer recognized him, which ignited an inexplicable anger in Li Shimin's heart

Thus, Zhang Qiao has developed a habit: as long as this illness has not been cured, it is always appropriate to kneel and bow in reverence. Moreover, each time he does so, he offers a few words of criticism, yet it is always without any real danger.

"What method?" Li Shimin pressed for an answer

Regardless of Li Yuanba's thoughts, upon seeing Yuan Tiangang, Li Shimin felt a surge of anger rising within him and reprimanded, "Yuan Tiangang, do you know your crime?"

"Yes!" replied the guard with a sullen face, striding out of the hall with the gait of a dragon and the power of a tiger

Later, it indeed came to pass

"What crime?" Li Shimin's nose twisted in anger as he said: "Back in the day, Yuan Ba was unfortunately struck by lightning on a stormy night. You claimed that Yuan Ba was not a short-lived person and would surely awaken after nineteen years. Very well, I believed your words and sent troops to the snowy mountains beyond the borders to find the ten-thousand-year-old dark ice, sealing Yuan Ba within it. Now, nineteen years have passed. Although Yuan Ba has awakened, he has forgotten all past events. What do you have to say about this?"

In the Hall of the Divine Dragon

This is not right, things shouldn't be like this! Zhang Qiao sat down on the ground, terrified. After a long while, he finally begged for mercy, crying and sniffling.

In compliance with the order, Zhang Qiao trembled as he responded and cautiously exited the grand hall of hetushu.com

"I can't believe it, this guy is truly a charlatan, and he really knows how to talk!" Li Yuanba listened, dumbfounded.

Liu Sanshui pushed open the palace door and walked in, kneeling at the foot of the throne

Hearing this, Li Shimin frowned; he had indeed not anticipated this. His fourth brother was born with extraordinary strength, yet he was single-minded and had been a troublemaker since childhood. If it were not for their father and the other brothers cleaning up after him, he would have likely caused a significant disaster long ago

Yuan Tiangang turned a blind eye to Li Shimin's anger, instead gently stroking his long beard and calmly replied: "This is merely the will of heaven"

"Days? Then tell me, where are these days?" Li Shimin is not so easily deceived; he does not believe in Yuan Tiangang's nonsense.

Good! Xuanling's method is quite good! Li Shimin's eyes lit up, and he immediately made a decision, calling out: "Three Rivers!"

What Lord Du said is indeed correct. The Fourth Young Master, being of royal lineage and a distinguished contributor to the founding of the nation, naturally deserves to be conferred the title of king. As soon as Du Ruhui finished speaking, Changsun Wuji, who was handsome in appearance but whose voice had a slightly effeminate quality, stood up and said

The Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty, Du Ruhui, styled Keming, appeared to be around forty-three or forty-four years old, tall and slender in stature, with a formidable appearance

What I did not expect was that, after nineteen years, the Fourth Young Master awakened, and the "Wuqu Shouyuan Pattern" had unexpectedly transformed into the "Tianyi Gongming Pattern." With this change in fate, although the Fourth Young Master has forgotten all past events, he is now of inestimable value! Your Majesty, with the Fourth Young Master, we shall prosper the myriad industries of our great Tang, expand the territories of our great Tang, and bless our great Tang with eternal prosperity for a thousand years!

Your Majesty, with this momentum, the lean and dark Wei Zheng also clasped his hands and said: "The Fourth Young Master speaks rightly! Doctor Zhang has committed no significant wrongdoing. If Your Majesty were to execute him, it would inevitably provoke much discussion among the ministers, accusing you of being cruel and bloodthirsty. At that time, Your Majesty's reputation would be tarnished. I implore Your Majesty to retract the order"