amaotonovel Chapter 385 Those He Forgotten Are Protected by the Light
Chapter 385 Those He Forgotten Are Protected by the Light
For so many years, no matter how hard they searched, they never found the former crown prince.
The Northern Qi emperor suspected that the former crown prince had died.
If he were still alive, the former crown prince, burdened with a blood feud and the heavy responsibility of restoring the country, should have long ago been planning and cultivating his power to restore the nation.
This caused quite a commotion, and he had already become aware of it.
Unfortunately, the court was calm and peaceful, with no suspicious people or forces.
He gradually lowered his guard.
It wasn't until Consort Shu mentioned to him that Jiang Jianzheng was a remnant of the previous dynasty who colluded with the forces of the previous dynasty to wipe out the entire Lin family.
He didn't believe that Supervisor Jiang would collude with remnants of the previous dynasty, after all, Supervisor Jiang was capable of seeing through the secrets of heaven.
If he wasn't the true emperor, why would Jiang Jianzheng be loyal to him?
Secondly, the Lin family has already been imprisoned and is waiting to be beheaded.
If Jiang Jianzheng is a remnant of the previous dynasty, there is absolutely no need for him to risk exposing his identity by going to the trouble of destroying the Lin family.
Even so, this statement planted a seed of doubt in his heart... a suspicion that the Lin family had been wiped out by remnants of the previous dynasty.
Because apart from the forces of the previous dynasty, no other power in the capital could do this.
The remnants of the previous dynasty are doing this largely to provoke him.
Although the Northern Qi emperor thought this way, he still arranged for people to keep an eye on Supervisor Jiang. Supervisor Jiang spent his days either at the government office or at home taking care of Jiang Chengfeng, showing no signs of anything unusual.
The capital city returned to its usual tranquility, but the Emperor of Northern Qi became increasingly restless, always worried that beneath the seemingly calm surface, an even greater storm was brewing.
Sure enough, the former crown prince sent men to sneak into the national temple to steal Yi Zhen's remains.
Their purpose in doing this must be to unite with the Great Zhou to overthrow the Chu family's empire and achieve the goal of restoring the kingdom.
"Speak!" The Northern Qi emperor's eyes were bloodshot, filled with murderous intent. "Where is Changyuan?"
It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. The Emperor of Northern Qi feared that the hidden blade might slash his neck.
The criminal's jaw was removed, making it difficult for him to speak, and his speech became slurred.
At this moment, with the Northern Qi emperor gripping his neck, he was unable to speak, only managing to utter a few words intermittently: "I...don't...know."
The Northern Qi emperor stared fiercely at the criminal, and seeing that he still refused to reveal Changyuan's whereabouts, he said in a sinister tone, "I will not let you die so easily."
He withdrew his hand and ordered, "Skin him alive. Give him a quick death whenever he relents."
The guards were stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered and picked out a thin, sharp blade to carry out the torture.
Liu Gonggong was terrified. He wanted to say something, but seeing the Northern Qi Emperor's furious expression, he dared not utter a word. He could only lower his head, refusing to look at the cruel and bloody scene.
But the criminal's shrill screams assaulted his eardrums, and he couldn't help but say to the Emperor of Northern Qi, "Your Majesty, Chang Yuan should be in the Prince of Qi's residence."
"The Prince of Qi's residence?" The Emperor of Northern Qi looked at Eunuch Liu's pale face, his expression grim: "Does the Prince of Qi have the audacity to harbor the former dynasty's crown prince?"
Eunuch Liu was taken aback: "Chang Yuan is Chang An's younger brother. He... he couldn't possibly be the former crown prince."
"Chang Yuan?" The Emperor of Northern Qi realized, "He's not talking about Chang Yuan?"
Liu Gonggong realized that the Northern Qi emperor had misheard him and slowly shook his head.
The Northern Qi emperor did not feel relieved; instead, a gloomy mood settled over him. He realized that he had been too sensitive to the remnants of the previous dynasty, which was why he had mistaken the former crown prince for someone with similar pronunciation.
The remnants of the previous dynasty are like a poisonous sore on his bones; his heartache will not heal until this sore is removed.
The emperor of Northern Qi turned around and saw that the criminal's neck had tilted to the side and he had stopped breathing.
Eunuch Liu glanced in the direction of the criminals and saw sections of white bones and bright red blood staining the monk's robes. This gruesome scene reminded him of the tragic death of Princess Yizhen.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
"He trespassed into the imperial concubine's sleeping quarters; he deserves to die."
After saying this, the Emperor of Northern Qi left the darkroom and prepared to go to the State Temple.
At this moment, a palace attendant reported: "Your Majesty, Prince Qi is kneeling at the entrance of the Imperial Study, begging for forgiveness from you."
Thinking of what had happened in the dark room, the Emperor of Northern Qi returned to his study with a somber expression. From afar, he saw the Prince of Qi kneeling at the entrance of the study.
He stared at the King of Qi's back, seemingly considering how to deal with him.
After a long while, he took a step and walked over.
The Northern Qi emperor asked calmly, "Chong'er, what are you doing kneeling here?"
"Your subject has done something wrong and has come to beg for forgiveness."
When the King of Qi chased after the Emperor of Northern Qi, he learned that the people he had sent to steal Yi Zhen's remains had been arrested and had been brought to the palace to await the Emperor's interrogation.
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, he humbly went to the Imperial Study to apologize.
"Your Majesty, I overheard someone say that the Imperial Concubine's remains are kept in the State Temple. I immediately felt that someone was deliberately trying to harm Mother. After all, Mother, you received the Imperial Concubine's remains and laid her to rest long ago. How could they possibly be in the State Temple?"
"So I decided to play along and deliberately sent someone to the National Temple to see what the people spreading rumors behind the scenes were really up to."
King Qi lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "Who knew... it was actually true. Your son has realized that he has made a grave mistake and has come here specifically to ask Your Majesty for punishment."
The Emperor of Northern Qi could easily see through the King of Qi's ulterior motives by listening to his flawed words. He deliberately brought up the matter of the Empress collecting Yi Zhen's remains, hoping that the Emperor would spare him the day's events out of consideration for the Empress.
The Northern Qi emperor had very mixed feelings. He had suspected Prince Yu and Zhao Yi, but he never suspected the King of Qi.
It turned out that the person who trespassed into the national temple was actually someone arranged by the King of Qi.
Logically, the King of Qi should be severely punished, but now he only has the King of Qi and his two sons, Zhao Yi, to rely on.
The Northern Qi emperor subconsciously wanted to consult with his imperial tutor, but he remembered the popular saying that he was incompetent and always needed his tutor to make decisions, so he gave up the idea.
He couldn't help but wonder how the Imperial Tutor would handle the situation.
The Imperial Tutor will surely prioritize the greater good and give Prince Qi a minor punishment, right?
"Acting impulsively and being led by the nose." The Emperor of Northern Qi said sternly, "Go and receive ten strokes of the cane. Think carefully about where you went wrong. As for the affairs you are in, I will temporarily hand them over to the Prince of Guangling."
King Qi was stunned. Not only was he flogged and confined to his quarters, but he was also stripped of his power.
The Northern Qi emperor then said, "Dispose of Chang Yuan in your household."
The King of Qi's expression changed drastically. He wanted to plead for Chang Yuan, but then he saw the Emperor of Northern Qi enter the imperial study.
The Northern Qi emperor changed into casual clothes and, accompanied by Eunuch Liu and others, went to the national temple. Sitting in his carriage, he picked up a scroll and glanced at it, immediately noticing a poem.
[We sleep together in white clouds at night, and watch the dawn of the morning. 】
The Northern Qi emperor stared at the character "昶". Judging from its shape, "昶" means the eternal sun, which shows how much hope the previous emperor had placed on Chang Yuan.
He smiled coldly, "Just slaves of a conquered nation."
The Emperor of Northern Qi tore the page off with a "ripping" sound.
The carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain, and the Emperor of Northern Qi quietly went up the mountain. Guided by the abbot, he arrived at the Zen temple on the back mountain.
He pushed open the door and saw a memorial tablet on the altar, the sun shining through the window. It was as if he had forgotten her here, and this warm, bright sunlight was protecting her.