He bowed his head, looking at this small piece of plain silk packeting the powder in his hand, Cao Rui's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
Is this the Wushitalan?
Cao Rui asked, "He Yan, why do you want to take Wushitalan? Do you know what it is?"
He Yan smiled slightly, her delicate white hands emerging from the green robe, and she lightly saluted, saying, "Your Majesty may not know, but this Wushitalan is not ordinary; it is an elixir of immortality. Taking it makes one's mind clear and always feels as if one is about to ascend to heaven."
While speaking, He Yan unconsciously twisted her shoulders slightly. It seemed as if a bug had gotten into her robe.
Cao Rui asked, "He Yan, why do you want to take Wushitalan? Do you know what it is?"
He Yan remained unruffled, not glancing at Sima Yi at all, and directly addressed the emperor, "The Wushitalan I take is a stone medicine with extremely hot properties. It makes the body feel very dry, and it's unavoidable that there will be some itching. I humbly ask Your Majesty to forgive me."
"On winter days, one doesn't feel cold, and wearing single clothing won't make one feel hot. After taking this pill medicine, it is advisable to walk leisurely for an entire hour and gradually dissipate the drug force. Only after sweating can one truly feel refreshed. I refer to this practice as 'walking dispersion'."
"Cease your idle chatter!" He Yan ignored Sima Yi, but Sima Yi took advantage of the emperor's presence to reprimand He Yan: "In any case, you were late for your appointment at the government office, and you should be punished for this!"
Cao Rui curiously looked at Sima Yi standing in front of him, wondering why his words were so sharp.
He Yan and Sima Yi had indeed had a grudge.
After He Yan's mother, Yin Shi, became one of Cao Cao's concubines, Cao Cao treated He Yan as a son and spoiled him greatly. Taking advantage of his favor, He Yan dressed in luxurious attire like Cao Pi and often showed off his wealth.
As a person who was open-minded, Cao Pi greatly disliked He Yan's flamboyant behavior and often referred to him as "false son." As one of Cao Pi's four friends, Sima Yi also looked down on He Yan.
Moreover, He Yan was extremely lecherous!
After He Yan married Jinxiang Princess, the daughter of Cao Cao, he also kept dozens of concubines at home. During the reign of Emperor Huang Chao, He Yan never served as an official and lived a leisurely life at home.
When people are idle, they naturally do many inexplicable things. The Wushitalan was also discovered by He Yan while researching aphrodisiacs and muscle-strengthening drugs. He made improvements to it.
Of course, who would admit to taking medicine every day for the purpose of increasing sexual vigor? Calling it a Taoist elixir sounds more refined and elegant.
While Sima Yi grilled He Yan about not appearing at the official office, Cao Rui interrupted Sima Yi's words.
Cao Rui looked at He Yan: "He Yan, I ask you, how did this Wushitalan become an elixir of immortality? Is there such a thing as an immortal in the world?"
He Yan smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, though ordinary people cannot commonly see immortals with their own eyes, the books and histories do not all contain lies, do they?"
"Emperor Wu also wrote poetry praising it. 'I wish to obtain a deity who will ride in a cloud vehicle, drive a white deer, reach the gate of the sky, and bring me divine medicine.'"
"I merged Zang Zhongjing's cold food formula with the black formula and added Taoist Dan formula to gradually obtain this formula."
"The five stones, five colors, five directions, five elements, five internal organs... there are many mysteries that cannot be fully explained." He Yan saluted and said, "I humbly request to present this Wushitalan to Your Majesty. Whether it is an elixir of the immortals, one can only try it and find out!"
As the son-in-law of Cao Cao, He Yan was usually spoiled by Sima Yi, the Minister of War. However, today he had the opportunity to take advantage of his position in front of the emperor.
Sima Yi roared in anger: "Arrogant He Yan! How can such an unidentified thing be given to the emperor to take? And how can it be claimed to be from Emperor Wu? This crime deserves death!"
He Yan let go of his hand, his face turning cold as he looked at Sima Yi: "Minister of Rites, your words are unreasonable! I have never done anything to offend you, and I have always treated you with respect. Why do you make things difficult for me at every turn?"
"You..." Sima Yi raised his finger to point at He Yan, just about to speak,
Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi and then turned to look at He Yan: "This substance is harmful to the body. Don't you know that? Stone toxins accumulate in the abdomen day by day, causing addiction and even death!"
He Yan looked puzzled. How could the emperor know that taking Wushitalan could lead to addiction and that there was stone poison involved? He hadn't discussed this with anyone else!
Moreover, addiction to such a wonderful thing is it really a problem? Even if there are some risks, what is the harm?
To put it simply, He Yan has only been eating Wushitalan for about a year, and hasn't accumulated enough dose to trigger the poisoning reaction.
He Yan saluted with a smile, "Your Majesty, Emperor Wu said, 'As fleeting as morning dew, our days are filled with bitterness,' and the late emperor also said, 'In this world between heaven and earth, life is as transient as a flying bird perching on a withered branch. Enjoyment is always bitter because it comes too late!'"
"Your Majesty, this thing is extremely wonderful. I have been taking it for a year, and how can I not use it?"
He Yan took out the poems of Cao Cao and Cao Pi to defend himself, causing everyone present to frown. Even Cao Zhi, who sat next to the emperor on his right hand side, had a slight look of discontent on his face.
Cao Rui glared at He Yan: "You've been taking Wushitalan for a year, and you haven't felt its harm yet? Do you need me to repeat it to you?"
"If the poisoning reaction occurs one day, it will be too late to regret!"
He Yan still held his ground: "Your Majesty, I merely made some changes to the formula of Zang Zhongjing. How can it be harmful?"
"Your Majesty may not know, in the past when Wang Can and Wang Zhongxuan were in Xiangyang, he was only twenty years old at the time. Zhang Zhongjing once diagnosed Wang Zhongxuan's illness and said that he would lose all his eyebrows by the age of forty, and die half a year later. The only way to cure him was to take Wushitalan."
"Wang Zhongxuan did not want to take the medicine, and indeed, he died at the age of forty."
Seated next to Cao Rui, Cao Zhi could no longer contain his anger and stood up, pointing at He Yan's nose and cursing him: "Wang Zhongxuan, a brilliant mind cherished by heaven, died prematurely from plague. How can you weave such bizarre tales into it to praise the Wushitalan?"
Just now, when He Yan cited the words of Cao Cao and Cao Pi, Cao Zhi was displeased but could endure it, as the emperor sitting beside him represented the Cao family more than he did.
But when He Yan mentioned Wang Can, the most learned and knowledgeable of the "Seven Literati of Jian'an," who was the top intellectual among the writers in Yecheng, Cao Zhi couldn't bear it anymore.
Sima Yi and Wei Zhen were sloppy and vulgar and didn't like literature. Even the emperor had rarely met Wang Can. If he didn't stand up to defend Wang Can, the Wushitalan might actually be used to endorse him in the future.
Cao Rui glanced at Cao Zhi sideways and raised his right hand to gesture downward a few times. Cao Zhi then had to sit back down on the seat.
After a slight cough, Cao Rui looked at He Yan and said, "I have already spoken to you in a gentle manner. The words of the Minister of Rites and the Royal Uncle should also have been heard."
"Taking Wushitalan is not a capital offense, and the court does not have such laws. Since I cannot persuade you and will not prevent you from taking this medicine, the consequences of life and death are up to you."
"While I won't interfere with you, this matter is not over yet." Cao Rui looked in the direction of Sima Yi and Wei Zhen, "As an official, taking such a drug that weakens the spirit and ruins the body; does the Ministry of Civil Affairs have any opinion on this?"
Sima Yi and Wei Zhen exchanged a glance, then Sima Yi bent down and whispered a few words to Wei Zhen in an aside before standing up and looking at the emperor.
"Your Majesty." Sima Yi said, bowing: "I please the court officials to prohibit the Wushitalan. Those who take it will be banned from holding office for life!"
"Did you hear that?" Cao Rui stared at He Yan with a look of pity: "If you turn back from your mistakes, I am willing to give you a chance."
He Yan spoke earnestly and bowed his hands: "Your Majesty, I indeed do not understand Your Majesty's will. This medicine was improved by me before I took it, so why does Your Majesty and the Minister of Rites think it is harmful?"
Cao Rui looked with disgust at He Yan standing there, his body occasionally trembling, and the pale look that came from indulging in sexual excess, slowly shaking his head.
"Self-inflicted woe!" Cao Rui looked at the Minister of Rites, "The request from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, I approve. Those who take Wushitalan will never be allowed to hold office in their lifetime."
"Ha ha ha." He Yan gently clapped his hands, still shaking his head there, his face flushed, and tears even came out for a while.
Cao Rui didn't know whether He Yan had gone mad after taking Wushitalan or had just completely lost his senses. The people in the hall also watched He Yan's bizarre actions in confusion.
He Yan slowly walked to Sima Yi, narrowed his eyes, and stared into Sima Yi's eyes, saying, "You, Sima Zhongda, are so determined to harm me, but you don't know that you will end up eating your own words."
Sima Yi's eyes shone with intelligence, and he also frowned at He Yan, making them seem like they were facing off against each other for a while.
After a few moments, He Yan turned around first and bowed to the emperor, saying, "I have something important to report to Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will listen to what I have to say."
Cao Rui spoke without any expression, simply saying, "Speak!"
He Yan smiled coldly and pointed at Sima Yi, saying, "Your Majesty, I must inform you that his eldest son Sima Shu also took this medicine with us and even took some home to use for entertainment!"
"If Your Majesty does not believe me, simply send someone to investigate and it will be known!"
"Scoundrel, you are harming my son!"
Sima Yi heard these words and widened his eyes, but then stepped forward and grabbed He Yan's collar, intending to throw him to the ground. He swung his fist at He Yan.
Although He Yan's face was powdered and his body was soft and beautiful, in other words, he was weak and could not withstand the wind. He fell to the ground at once when Sima Yi pushed him.
He Yan shouted from the ground, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty! It's clear who is being impertinent in Your Majesty's presence!"
Cao Rui suddenly stood up from his seat and shouted, "Enough, stop, and be quiet!"
Sima Yi pushed He Yan one more time helplessly, stood up straightened his robe, but there was still lingering anger in his eyebrows and eyes.
"Diannan! Take He Yan and the five others to the Ministry of Justice! Investigate both the connection between the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the use of Wushitalan, and let Gao Rou thoroughly investigate this group for me!"
Cao Rui turned to look at Sima Yi again and said, "Minister of Rites, you should return to your residence today and properly manage your affairs. Come to the palace early tomorrow and give an explanation to me."
After that, Cao Rui walked directly out of the door without looking back.
As the emperor walked out, Wei Zhen, Xin Bi, and Chen Jiao also quickly stood up to follow. Dian Man, leading the Imperial Guards, also moved forward to apprehend He Yan.
Just as two warriors on either side grabbed He Yan's arms, Sima Yi suddenly turned around and punched He Yan's face with a heavy fist, causing blood to spurt out instantly.
In the hall, only Cao Zhi was left, looking completely confused and not knowing why things had reached such a point.
Things have progressed so quickly? (Chapter ends)
