amaotonovel Chapter 403 Zhao Yi's Decision
Chapter 403 Zhao Yi's Decision
The Imperial Tutor's goal was to make him compete for the throne; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to force him to come to Northern Qi, nor would he have cleared away obstacles for him and helped him rise to his current position.
But he never thought of staying in Northern Qi; he longed to return to Great Zhou.
In order to ignite his desire for imperial power, the imperial tutor meticulously set a trap for him, without deliberately concealing his identity, as if he were not afraid that the tutor would reveal his ambition.
This unbridled attitude weighed heavily on Zhao Yi's mind, and he couldn't help but think of the former crown prince's private seal, giving rise to two suspicions in his heart.
Firstly, the former crown prince had already been killed by the imperial tutor.
Secondly, the imperial tutor was a descendant of the previous dynasty's royal family.
Zhao Yi favored the latter.
The Imperial Tutor possessed extraordinary talent and devoted himself to governing the country and ensuring the well-being of the people, demonstrating that he cared deeply for the people of Northern Qi.
Such a person, who was wholeheartedly devoted to the people, should have chosen a benevolent and wise ruler according to common sense. However, the imperial tutor chose to support the incompetent and foolish emperor of Northern Qi.
If the Imperial Tutor is a descendant of the previous dynasty's royal family, then all of this makes sense.
Because the Imperial Tutor wanted to restore the country, he chose the brainless Northern Qi Emperor as his ruler. In this way, the Imperial Tutor could better control the Northern Qi Emperor, making him his puppet.
When the time is right, we will overthrow the Chu family's rule in one fell swoop.
Thinking about this, Zhao Yi had other doubts.
The Imperial Tutor was a descendant of the previous dynasty's royal family, while he was the son of the Northern Qi emperor. If the Imperial Tutor supported him to become emperor, how could there be any talk of restoring the country?
This alone completely overturns all previous speculations.
Could it be that the Imperial Tutor is power-hungry and unwilling to relinquish his power, so he deliberately chose this prince, who has no foundation in Northern Qi, to become his next puppet emperor?
Zhao Yi sneered and stopped trying to guess the Imperial Tutor's thoughts.
Since the Imperial Tutor wanted to put him on the throne, he would comply with his wishes, but no one should try to control him.
After today's events, Zhao Yi knew very well that with the Imperial Tutor present, he not only couldn't take away his mother's remains, but he also didn't know where her bones were hidden.
Only by ascending the throne can he annex the territory of Northern Qi into the Great Zhou. This would comfort his mother's soul and allow her to rest in peace on this land.
In this way, not only was his mother's last wish fulfilled, but he also conquered Northern Qi without firing a single shot.
Zhao Yi whispered in Shen Qingtan's ear, "He wants me to fight for it, so I will fight for it."
Shen Qingtan looked up at him in his arms, seeing his determined expression, and felt a sudden pang of sadness. Zhao Yi had no ambition; he only wanted to share Emperor Jing'an's burdens and enjoy their peaceful life together.
Now, however, he is being forced by the imperial tutor to embark on a path of vying for power.
Zhao Yi asked, "What do you think?"
Seeing that he was asking for her opinion, Shen Qingtan felt a pang of tenderness in her heart: "Do whatever you want to do, and I will always be by your side."
With Shen Qingtan's support and promise, Zhao Yi's heart, which had been immersed in ice water, warmed up, and he kissed her hair with his thin lips.
After calming down, the couple returned to the Prince of Guangling's residence together.
The Northern Qi emperor had already arranged for people to wait at the Guangling Prince's residence. When the imperial guards saw Zhao Yi return, they immediately invited him into the palace.
Zhao Yi did not change his clothes and followed the Imperial Guards into the palace, arriving at the entrance of the Imperial Study.
He could hear sounds coming from inside through the door.
"The Prince of Guangling used the pretext of hunting down remnants of the previous dynasty to lead his men to search the national temple. In reality, he stole the remains of the Imperial Concubine and arrested his subordinates on the grounds that they were remnants of the previous dynasty, preventing them from continuing the investigation."
“Your Majesty, it is not that I am maliciously speculating about the Prince of Guangling, but the Prince of Guangling has a motive for committing the crime, and the timing of his appearance at the State Temple is also very coincidental. I cannot help but suspect him.”
"Furthermore, the National Temple is right under the Emperor's nose, and it is patrolled by soldiers from the garrison and warrior monks from the National Temple. If the remnants of the previous dynasty were hiding under the cliff behind the National Temple, they would have been captured and brought to justice long ago."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi pushed open the tightly closed door and saw the royal guards kneeling in a row in the middle of the hall, complaining about him before the Emperor of Northern Qi.
He shifted his gaze, looked up at the Northern Qi Emperor on the high throne, his face ashen, his eyes filled with rage.
Zhao Yi bowed and said, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."
These words, perhaps a single one, struck a nerve with the Emperor of Northern Qi. A surge of anger rose within him, and he uncontrollably grabbed the paperweight and hurled it at Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi dodged the paperweight that was hurtling towards him. The paperweight grazed his shoulder and fell to the ground with a "bang," breaking in two.
The palace maids and eunuchs standing by were so frightened that their faces turned pale and they knelt on the ground.
Zhao Yi looked down at the gold brick beneath his feet, noticing a chip the size of a fingernail that had been smashed by the paperweight, and knew just how much force the Northern Qi Emperor had used. If it had hit him on the head, blood would probably have splattered everywhere.
The moment the paperweight slipped from the Northern Qi emperor's hand, his mind cleared, and upon realizing what he had done, his hands trembled uncontrollably.
During this period, he became increasingly irritable and violent. He would fly into a rage at the slightest thing that displeased him.
He heard from his guards that Zhao Yi was using the pretext of hunting down remnants of the previous dynasty to secretly steal Yi Zhen's remains. He was instantly enraged and lost all reason the moment he saw Zhao Yi, grabbing a paperweight and smashing it at him.
Zhao Yi's dark eyes were fixed on the Northern Qi Emperor, waiting for him to ask a question.
But to the Northern Qi emperor, such a gaze seemed to be a condemnation.
The Northern Qi emperor, enraged and humiliated, retorted: "I have bestowed upon you the title of king, granted you a mansion, and delegated power to you. Isn't that good enough for you? Don't you deserve to call me 'Father'?"
The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and he demanded an explanation: "You are my son, a prince of Northern Qi. Your birth mother was my woman, recorded in the imperial register. You are devoted to Great Zhou, attempting to take your birth mother back to Great Zhou. Where do you place me?"
The Northern Qi emperor believed the secret guards' words without a doubt, because who else but Zhao Yi would have such a motive?
And it was precisely after Zhao Yi went to the Guosi Temple that the remains disappeared.
If it wasn't Zhao Yi who stole it, then who else could it be?
Zhao Yi took out his personal seal from his sleeve, intending to present it to the Northern Qi Emperor. Suddenly hearing the Emperor's questioning tone, he retorted, "How did my mother die?"
The Northern Qi emperor's face darkened, and he remained silent.
Zhao Yi knew the truth and naturally knew that the Northern Qi Emperor could not answer. The reason he asked the question was simply to shut the Northern Qi Emperor up.
He got back to the point: "This is the private seal that I found in a cave at the foot of the cliff behind the National Temple. Please take a look, Your Majesty."