Ciqing Palace Nuan Pavilion.

Zhu Yijun slowed down and walked gently into the pavilion.

There was a fire burning in the pavilion, and a pillar of sandalwood was burning on the table, with green smoke curling up.

Princess Yanqing was squatting in the corner, constantly teasing the raccoon slave with the things in her hands. The latter turned a blind eye, stretched and continued to curl up in the corner and take a nap.

Queen Mother Chen was sitting behind the case, with one hand resting on the side of her face and tilting her head in boredom. The other hand was particularly busy, sometimes flipping the books on the table, sometimes stroking the fox on her legs, and sometimes stretching out her fingers to brush the hair around her ears.

Dial back.

"Mother."

Zhu Yijun called softly.

Queen Mother Chen looked up following the sound. When she saw the person coming, she closed her book and sat up straight: "The emperor is here."

It was against the rules for the emperor to barge in without warning. Unfortunately, it was no longer the time when she could excuse herself to sleep and keep the emperor out of the palace.

With that said, Empress Dowager Chen called Princess Yanqing over to salute.

The princess was still young, only four years old, and she was very stumbling in the ceremony.

Zhu Yijun didn't rush her, and waited quietly for his sister to finish her salute, then he touched his head encouragingly, took out a talisman from his arms, and handed it to his sister.

He took out another talisman and presented it to the Queen Mother Chen with both hands. She smiled sincerely and relaxedly and said, "Mother, this is the talisman I asked for from the palace before the sunrise for my two mothers and younger brothers and sisters. I hope that everything will go well for my mother."

Empress Dowager Chen accepted it silently, not mentioning the emperor's sneaking out of the palace, and nodded in thanks.

Although he only said thank you, his expression softened visibly: "Did the emperor come to see me for something, or did he come to see Bai Yang?"

Zhu Yijun touched Princess Yanqing's head and replied: "I was passing by and came in to take a look."

He paused: "I heard that Li Baiyang suddenly fell ill. What did the imperial doctor say?"

Empress Dowager Chen just went about her daily routine and said with relief: "I'm just a little dizzy, coughing and having chest tightness. After the fever subsided this morning, I'm no longer in serious trouble. The imperial doctor said it was wind and cold. It's just a matter of going out less these days and recuperating for a while."

Zhu Yijun sneered in his heart.

Wind and cold? I’m afraid it’s because I’m allergic to cinnabar.

When he saw the cinnabar on the wall outside the temple, he immediately realized something was wrong.

Although cinnabar sounds romantic and beautiful, it is actually highly poisonous!

Its main component is mercury sulfide, which is also the main material recorded in the "Shen Nong's Materia Medica" to make a good medicine for calming the nerves and calming the nerves.

How to soothe the nerves? Later generations generally call it a symptom of neurotoxicity.

How does cinnabar cause poison? Zhu Yijun took a look at it occasionally and can't remember clearly. It seems that although cinnabar is stable in nature, it can react with certain substances in the air to form methylmercury.

It penetrates directly into the lungs and brain through breathing and stimulates the body. In addition, it is colorless and odorless, making it a unique recipe for sterilization.

It would be strange to have no physical problems if you soak in a cinnabar room.

Even the imperial doctor told him not to go out. No wonder he was expelled by Emperor Sejong.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun shook his head: "It was fine when I was in Xiyuan."

Queen Mother Chen seemed to realize something, so she held the fox on her lap to Princess Yanqing and asked the palace officials to take her aside.

Then he looked at the emperor and frowned: "Is there anything wrong?"

Zhu Yijun did not answer, but asked: "Mother, why don't you use red clay on the walls when rebuilding Ciqing Palace this time?"

What he is most surprised about right now is whether someone did it intentionally?

Cinnabar is a natural mineral, but now it can be made. It is called Lingsha, and the output is quite large.

So it is common knowledge that cinnabar contains mercury. As for the fact that cinnabar is toxic...

On the one hand, there are black and white words in major medical books: "(Cinnabar) contains real mercury, which is not hot but cold, and is very poisonous."

On the other hand, it is a sage emperor, and Taoist priests outside the country often take it, saying it is a panacea.

Therefore, it was common knowledge in Zhu Yijun's mind that cinnabar was poisonous. For the eunuchs at this time, it was hard to say which one to believe - the conclusion on this matter was still between two opinions in the Ming Dynasty.

It is not even possible to say that the superiors and subordinates intentionally used expensive materials to show their filial piety.

This is where the confusion lies.

It makes sense to say it is true, but it is also true vice versa. If someone does it deliberately, there are also traces to follow.

The gilding in the Forbidden City requires mercury, and the gilding process involves high temperatures. Each time, one or two craftsmen will be poisoned to death by inhaling a large amount of steam. Even if they do not die, they will suffer from injuries and will no longer be able to conceive.

This is also common sense, at least the common sense of the ministers and craftsmen who supervised the construction of the palace.

It's hard to say if anyone has been inspired by this and wants to try his hand at the Emperor.

Anyway, cinnabar can be used for decoration, so no one can find fault with it.

When Queen Mother Chen heard this, she was a little confused and said, "This is often the case when palaces are rebuilt after a fire."

"First of all, cinnabar is precious and gold, and it is said to contain spiritual energy, so that it can suppress evil spirits when the palace is in trouble."

"The reason for both is to meet the construction deadline, and cinnabar is easier to find than red soil."

"Another consideration is that after a fire, many insects and ants will crawl out. It is known that cinnabar is better at preventing insects."

"So the walls have always been painted with cinnabar when rebuilt after fires."

Zhu Yijun frowned.

What Empress Dowager Chen said is reasonable and reasonable. It is both to meet deadlines and to prevent insects. They are all practical considerations.

The problem is... when he heard that the walls of the palaces after the Forbidden City fire were all painted with cinnabar, he immediately thought of the frequent fires in the Forbidden City.

Coincidence? Or a mysterious trick?

Frequent fires and frequent wall refreshes?

It's not as if the calculations have gone to this level...

But having said that, the Qianqing Palace should have been burned down at the end of last year.

Wanli's old oral problems in history, tooth erosion, in addition to the possibility of dental caries, also seem to be one of the symptoms of chronic mercury poisoning...

The more suspicious Zhu Yijun became, the tighter his brows furrowed.

As he was thinking about it, he found Queen Mother Chen staring at him, and then he realized that he had been thinking about it for a long time.

Alas, he sighed silently in his heart.

This is how cold it is at high places.

It is really not easy to be an emperor, and my suspicions almost inevitably become more and more serious.

He came back to his senses, his expression relaxed a little, and he continued the topic they had just talked about: "Does the Queen Mother like cinnabar?"

Queen Mother Chen looked at the emperor and said meaningfully: "I don't have to like it."

Zhu Yijun was silent for a moment and nodded slowly: "The Queen Mother just doesn't like it."

"I also asked my mother to consult with the ministers later, and she said that the cinnabar was too extravagant. From now on, all the palace decorations will be replaced with earthy red."

He didn't know if it was someone's plan or if it was an honest mistake, so he could only pretend that nothing happened.

Zhu Yijun didn't want to appear to take it seriously.

You can't let the slightest clue lead to a big case.

Queen Mother Chen seemed to understand and immediately shook her head: "There is no need to find any excuse."

Zhu Yijun was startled.

"If you don't like it, you just don't like it. From now on, cinnabar is not allowed in the palace, just mercury." Empress Dowager Chen suddenly smiled, "I am a woman, outsiders will understand."

Zhu Yijun was relieved: "The children of Ciqing Palace will let people repaint the walls."

Queen Mother Chen nodded slightly to show her agreement.

Then he asked again: "Should I return to Xiyuan, or move to Qianqing Palace?"

This is asking the emperor to return to the Forbidden City or stay in Xiyuan.

If the emperor returned to the Qianqing Palace and rushed back to Xiyuan for his aunt, then the charge of unfilial piety would fall on the emperor.

Zhu Yijun glanced at Queen Mother Chen.

I wonder if I should let her loosen the ears and eyes of her neighbors, so as not to make some inappropriate suggestions because of lack of information.

Thinking in his heart, Zhu Yijun stood up and bowed and prayed: "I would also like to ask my mother to return to Xiyuan and continue to linger, so that the child can serve her with peace of mind."

Maybe he was suspicious, but in this case, it was better to stay in Xiyuan.

Queen Mother Chen nodded.

Seeing that the two of them had reached a consensus, Zhu Yijun bowed and left.

Zhu Yijun took two steps outside, paused again, turned around and explained: "The imperial grandfather once told the child that he personally tested cinnabar and mercury and they were very poisonous. The child did this as a plan for his mother's safety."

"My son has gone to see Li Baiyang. Please pay attention to your mother's health."

Queen Mother Chen turned her head away and couldn't see her expression clearly: "No need to explain, I believe in you."
To be continued...