The tiger guards standing in front of the emperor's tent were all familiar with Mu Qiu Jian, but they only stopped him when he reached the tent.
Mu Qiu Jian said, "Zhou Sima, I will not enter the tent. I will ask your Majesty for well-being right here."
The name of the manager of Zhou, Zhou Wang, smiled and nodded: "Please Mu Qiu Xiu."
Mu Qiu Jian gave a slight nod and softly called out from outside the tent, "Your Majesty, Minister Mu Qiu Jian comes to inquire after your health."
After a few seconds, there was still no answer from inside the tent.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty," Mu Qiu Jian called out again.
There was still no response from within the tent.
Mu Qiu Jian's heart sank with alarm. He had just taken a step forward and was about to push open the tent door when he was caught by Zhou Sima, who had pulled him violently back.
The tiger guards who are stationed outside the emperor's tent every day are all physically imposing. They were selected from the five thousand troops and were the best of the best.
Mu Qiu Jian was also of robust build, yet he was nearly pulled over, and as he turned to look back, he met Zhou Sima's unfriendly gaze.
Zhou Wang spoke in a calm tone, "It was Mu Qiu Xiu who agreed not to enter the tent. I only agreed to let you through for convenience. How can you change your mind now?"
Mu Qiu Jian pointed to the inside in a hurry, ready to explain himself, but upon seeing Zhou Wang's questioning look, he calmed down and bowed to ask:
"If the emperor does not reply, as a subject, it is my duty to enter and take a look. But you do not allow it. Whose order should I follow to enter?"
Zhou Wang said with a serious face, "Jiaochou General or Zheng Zongshu can. Although Mu Qiu Xiu is favored, he is still an outsider. I'm sorry that I cannot……"
"Halt." Mu Qiu Jian stopped Zhou Wang, who was about to express his loyalty.
Since more than ten years ago, Xu Chu had blocked Cao Reng once and been praised by Cao Cao. From then on, these tiger guards in front of the emperor have always been fond of this kind of imitation art.
General Xiahou and Minister Xin, you're referring to Xiahou Xian and Xin Pi, respectively.
Mu Qiu Jian asked, "Will the Grand General come personally?"
Zhou Wang was stunned, mumbled and didn't know what to say.
Mu Qiu Jian didn't waste any words; he turned around and ran outside. After seeing Cao Zhen, he told him the situation, and both of them ran into the large tent together.
Upon seeing Cao Zhen in person, the tiger guards followed the rules and did not need to show respect to others in front of the emperor's tent. However, Zhou Wang still bowed slightly in apology towards Cao Zhen.
Cao Zhen had no time for these formalities and didn't bother with Zhou Wang's words at all. He directly pushed open the tent door and went in.
The emperor lay on the bed, seemingly still asleep.
"Your Majesty, Minister Cao Zhen requests to see you." Cao Zhen loudly said.
Cao Rui was still half-asleep and half-awake, hearing Cao Zhen's loud shout, he turned from lying on his side to lying flat, and from under the quilt he reached out a hand to wave.
Cao Zhen and Mu Qiu Jian hurried forward, stepping quickly to the bedside, and it was then that Cao Rui slightly opened his eyes and spoke a few disjointed sounds, his voice hoarse.
Cao Zhen couldn't make it out clearly, leaning in close: "What did Your Majesty say?"
When he got closer, Cao Zhen could finally hear it clearly. He turned to Mu Qiu Jian and said urgently: "Water! Zhonggong, the emperor wants to drink!"
Cao Rui gave an extremely slight nod, then closed his eyes again without speaking.
Cao Zhen, who had lived half his life, understood this situation immediately. At this moment, he didn't care about the taboo between rulers and ministers and directly reached out to touch the emperor's forehead.
He felt that the emperor's forehead was very hot.
Mu Qiu Jian couldn't find hot water, so he poured a cup of cold water from a silver jar and hurriedly brought it to the bed.
Cao Zhen stepped forward and knelt down by the bedside, supporting the emperor's upper body and relying on himself. Mu Qiu Jian held a gold cup and fed him some cold water.
Cao Rui had a high fever for a night, and his lips had already become dry and pale. Even cold water was swallowed in large gulps. After drinking a cup of cold water, he began to feel better and opened his eyes to look at the two men in front of him.
Cao Zhen asked, "Your Majesty, this must be a cold. Do you know when you started feeling feverish?"
Cao Rui was still weak, and he whispered, "Maybe it was last night, I don't remember. Bring some medicine for me."
Cao Zhen nodded repeatedly: "I'll have Zhonggong serve Your Majesty here, and I'll go call the imperial doctor. Please wait a moment, Your Majesty."
Said and done, Cao Zhen slowly laid the emperor's upper body flat, bowed, and then turned to ask Mu Qiu Jian, who was pouring water, "Is Zhonggong a loyal minister?"
Mu Qiu Jian stood up straight, raised his right hand to the sky, and answered:"I am loyal to the emperor without a doubt!"
"That's good," Cao Zhen said, "Your Majesty has a high fever that hasn't gone down, and it's already the sixth hour. I wonder how long you've been burning up."
"Zhonggong, Your Majesty is ill. You will stay by his bedside and attend to the emperor. At such a difficult time, no one else must come near the emperor's person except for you, me, and the imperial doctor!"
"I've heard it clearly," Mu Qiu Jian said, bowing deeply.
Mu Qiu Jian repeated Cao Zhen's words in his mind, found no loopholes after confirming them, and nodded: "As you say, General!"
After Cao Zhen finished speaking, he stood up and bowed again to the emperor, then quickly walked out of the large tent.
Outside the tent, Cao Zhen looked around at the tiger guards guarding outside, and beckoned to Zhou Wang.
Zhou Wang stepped forward a few steps and bowed, responding, "Met General."
Cao Zhen stood there with a serious expression, although he had some arrogance, his dignity was as if he were looking down on the world: "Zhou Wang, how long have you been in the army?"
Zhou Wang replied, "I have been in the middle army for twelve years."
Cao Zhen stared into Zhou Wang's eyes: "Zhou Wang, Zhou Boxing, thirty-six years old, from Neihuang, Weiping. In the second year of Huangchu, he went to Yongliang with his commanding general to quell the rebellion. In the battle of Fanhe against Yuan Duo, he beheaded one rebel officer and four enemies!"
"In the third year of Huangchu, he accompanied his commanding general in the campaign against Yangling. Five years later, he became an instructor in the tiger guards."
"Is it or isn't it?"
Cao Zhen recited Zhou Wang's record word by word, and Zhou Wang became increasingly tense, bending slightly as he said, "What instructions does General Cao have?"
Cao Zhen said, "Your Majesty has contracted a cold and cannot see outsiders to avoid exacerbating the illness!"
"Zhou Wang, I don't need to say who I am. Guard the tent and don't let anyone in! I will go find the imperial doctor myself!"
"If any news leaks out or if you allow any casual people in, your entire clan will not be safe!"
Zhou Wang's forehead was already sweating, this sturdy man didn't know what to say. Such a significant event as the emperor falling ill was something that he, as an instructor, couldn't handle alone.
He could only nod repeatedly in agreement.
Cao Zhen went to find the attending imperial doctor himself, taking him to the emperor's tent to examine the illness. Then he did not stop in his search for Xin Pi.
Xin Pi is a minister, an official of the inner court, and is also the emperor's trusted confidant.
What's more, Xin Pi is the most trusted official by Cao Zhen.
As early as the campaign against Jiangling, Xin Pi served as the military advisor to Cao Zhen, acting as the Generalissimo of the senior army.
Now Xin Pi's daughter-in-law Yang Dan is still serving as a conductor in Cao Zhen's mansion. The connection between the two becomes even closer.
Upon hearing that Cao Zhen had sealed off the emperor's tent, Xin Pi's heart jumped first, and then he frowned at Cao Zhen:
"What does General Cao intend to do?"
Cao Zhen saw Xin Pi's expression and quickly explained, "Brother Xin, please don't misunderstand me!"
"The camp is far from the capital, surrounded by soldiers who have just returned from battles and have not yet been rewarded. Moreover, the emperor has removed the position of the middle military commander and taken command of the middle army himself, and the Middle Protectorate has also been demoted. Now, with the emperor lying in bed and no leader in the middle army!"
"If this matter gets out, who knows what kind of chaos might ensue! It's better to be still than to move! Caution is the better part of valor!"
"Brother Xin," Cao Zhen stared at Xin Pi, "I am the great general of the great Wei and the appointed assistant minister to the throne by the late emperor! Who else will do it if I don't? Moreover, I'm not here to find you?"
Xin Pi shot up in anger and stared at Cao Zhen for a moment before directly asking, "Is the emperor sleeping? Can he speak now?"
Cao Zhen nodded, "I know what you're going to say. The emperor can speak, but he is extremely weak. The imperial doctor is treating him."
Xin Pi asked again, "Have you told the emperor that no one is allowed to approach him?"
"Cao Zhen replied, "I have said so. I have let Mu Qiu Jian serve the emperor. Although the emperor sleeps for a while and then wakes up, he has not agreed or disagreed with my words."
Xin Pi said seriously, "I must go see the emperor now!"
Cao Zhen said, "You can certainly go. However, the emperor's condition must be kept secret, and I am hesitant to keep it a secret to what extent."
Xin Pi named them one by one: "Among the inner court officials, myself and Liu Fang are enough. This is the middle army, and there is no need to inform the outer court officials. Xu Chu, Cao Hong, Xiahou Xian three justices are enough."
Cao Zhen thought for a moment: "Counting myself and Mu Qiu Jian, that would be seven?"
Xin Pi said, "That's enough."
Cao Zhen responded, "Alright, I will send someone to call them one by one."
Xin Pi nodded, "That is the way it should be."
Shortly, these seven people arrived at the emperor's tent together. Mu Qiu Jian knelt down by the emperor's bedside and watched over him, while Doctor Zhang Chun stood waiting inside the tent, without permission to leave.
"Doctor Zhang, this is a gathering of the most important officials and loyal ministers of the court. How is the emperor's condition? Please tell us all."
"Met General," Zhang Chun said, bowing, "Your Majesty has contracted an external evil, leading to a persistent high fever. Additionally, due to the liver's failure to release its essence and the stagnation of Qi (vital energy), there is an upward flame of the liver Qi, resulting in dizziness, headache, and insomniac coma."
"Fortunately, Your Majesty is still in his prime and has a strong body. I have given the emperor a prescription, which he should take for seven days continuously and then rest after the fever subsides," Zhang Chun added: "But he must rest, and avoid thinking too much to avoid exacerbating the condition."
"Cao Zhen followed up, "Overthinking……" He asked: "Can it definitely improve in seven days?"
Zhang Chun bowed deeply, "Fertile soil will naturally bring forth prosperity! Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven!"
Zhang Chun's words actually meant that he wasn't quite sure. It would depend on luck when the emperor would recover.
Cao Zhen said, "Understood. General Xu, take him to the adjacent tent and make sure he doesn't leave."
Xu Chu nodded, and led the imperial doctor Zhang Chun away.
Cao Zhen sighed lightly: "Never has Your Majesty been sick since he took the throne, yet he is so seriously ill now. Just now, Doctor Zhang said that Your Majesty's condition is due to overthinking, but I don't know how to overthink it."
Cao Zhen's words drew silence, and after a moment, everyone admitted ignorance.
Instead, after a moment of silence, Mu Qiu Jian asked, "All of you are important ministers of the state and also esteemed elder statesmen. Why don't any of you think about the age of the emperor?"
"Your Majesty alone bears the weight of a country, having personally led the army from Luoyang to aid in the rescue of Longyou and fought two fierce battles at Yulian and Redting."
Everyone looked over, and Mu Qiu Jian swallowed and continued, "After the Battle of Redting, General Cao led the army south, and I only arrived at Redting after him."
"The emperor once casually mentioned to me a few things, describing the urgency of the attack at Luoyang, the bloodiness of the fighting at Redting, and the unwillingness of the migrating people."
"Long ago, with forty years of experience in campaigns under General Zhang, who couldn't help but tremble at the battlefield. How will the emperor react? Ultimately, it was the emperor who issued the orders of General Zhang."
"The emperor's abilities can be bestowed by heaven, but can his temperament also be? Mu Qiu Jian looked at everyone and said quietly, 'At the age of Your Majesty, could any of you have shouldered so many responsibilities?' (The end of this chapter)"
