Chapter 378: Taking a Concubine

The Imperial Preceptor's face cracked a rare smile. "I was originally scheduled to return to the capital on the third day of the Lunar New Year, but I was fortunate enough to meet Master Xuqing, who had just returned from his wanderings, giving a lecture. I stayed to debate with him. Unconsciously, several days have passed, and I've missed my return trip to the capital."

The Emperor of Northern Qi was somewhat surprised that Master Xuqing had returned to the National Temple.

The Imperial Master grew up in foster care at his aunt's home and had a deep bond with her. Twenty years ago, when his aunt was seriously ill, the Imperial Master went to the National Temple to light a lotus lantern and pray for her. There, he stumbled upon Master Xuqing, who was giving a lecture.

That day, Master Xuqing personally wrote a calligraphy piece as a gift to the Imperial Teacher, who took it back and hung it in his study.

The Emperor of Northern Qi had seen the calligraphy and still remembered its contents.

[Ordinary people focus on the environment, while Taoists focus on the mind. Forgetting both the mind and the environment is the true Dharma.]

From then on, the imperial teacher had a connection with Buddhism.

More than 20 years later, the Imperial Master met Master Xuqing again and stayed in the National Temple to debate with Master Xuqing, which was understandable.

After all, Master Xuqing is already a hundred years old. Whether we can meet again in the future depends entirely on fate.

"I met your Majesty's men at the mountain gate and learned about the recent events in the capital." The imperial tutor said, "Your Majesty has been unable to sleep at night because of the Lin family's extermination. Master Xuqing is a master of profound Buddhist teachings, and I have specially invited him to the palace to lecture you."

The Emperor of Northern Qi saw that the Imperial Teacher was concerned about him, so he invited a high-level monk to come down the mountain to preach to him, which completely dispelled his doubts.

If the Imperial Master had not been debating with Master Xuqing in the National Temple, he would never have invited Master Xuqing to come down the mountain.

Buddhist disciples do not tell lies.

As soon as he asked, he would expose the emperor's lies.

The Imperial Master was so frank, it was obvious that he was really debating with Master Xuqing.

"Imperial Master, you are so thoughtful." The Northern Qi Emperor sighed and was about to tell the Imperial Master about what happened on New Year's Eve when he caught a glimpse of Zhao Yi standing beside him and remembered his presence. "Yier, I have something important to discuss with the Imperial Master. I will summon you to the palace another day to discuss some personal matters."

Zhao Yi glanced at the Imperial Tutor thoughtfully, feeling that he had appeared just in time, as if purposely to rescue him. He suppressed the thoughts in his eyes, bowed with both hands, and withdrew from the Imperial Study.

After the door of the imperial study was closed, the Northern Qi emperor briefly told his imperial teacher what had happened on New Year's Eve.

At the end of his speech, his brows were filled with sorrow. "The Lin family suffered annihilation, and Concubine Shu was the root cause. She attempted to interfere with the fate of the country and disrupted the government, and now she has been punished by heaven. I have deposed her from her position as consort and banished her to the cold palace to quell the situation."

"As for the virtuous king..." The Northern Qi Emperor paused for a moment before continuing, "He committed the crime of negligence in this matter. I will demote him to his fiefdom."

The Imperial Preceptor looked surprised and said, "This matter has nothing to do with the virtuous king, so he won't be demoted to his fiefdom."

The Northern Qi Emperor took out a piece of paper and handed it to the Imperial Tutor. "I do not wish to see my son and daughter go to war. I would rather use the Lin family's extermination case to banish him to his fiefdom. This will preserve the father-son relationship and break the prophecy."

The Imperial Preceptor read the prophecy several times, and with a rare sigh, he said, "Your Majesty is both a monarch and a father, and you are torn between balancing state and family. Sending the virtuous king to his fiefdom is the best solution at this moment."

When the Emperor of Northern Qi saw that the imperial teacher agreed with his approach, the huge stone that was pressing on his heart was finally removed.

The emperor and his ministers discussed state affairs for a while before the imperial tutor took his leave and returned home in a carriage.

The Northern Qi Emperor ordered the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet to draft an edict to inform his subjects of Concubine Shu's crimes.

When the civil and military officials and the common people heard that it was Concubine Shu who had tampered with the country's destiny and disrupted the court order, causing the Lin family to be punished by heaven and exterminated, they began to talk about it.

Some people believed that it was because Concubine Shu became arrogant because of her favor and wanted to change her fate, which brought disaster upon herself and led to the tragic extermination of her entire family.

Because no one could break into the heavily guarded prison of the Ministry of Justice without being noticed, kill 38 members of the Lin family, and leave no trace.

Unless the Northern Qi Emperor saw through Concubine Shu's intention to usurp the throne, he issued a secret decree to exterminate the entire Lin family, and then pinned the crime on Concubine Shu and executed the virtuous prince as well.

If this is the truth, they dare not question it.

Those who did not believe it also suspected that the Emperor of Northern Qi was involved, and did not dare to raise any objections.

The much-talked-about case of the Lin family's massacre came to an end, and everyone's tense nerves relaxed and they were no longer worried.

-

At the same time, the scene at the Imperial Tutor's Mansion was quite different.

The Imperial Master ordered the servant who was waiting beside him, "Go and fetch the lanterns at the gate of the mansion."

The servant was stunned for a moment. Although he didn't know the imperial teacher's intention, he still followed the order and went to the gate of the mansion to take down the lantern hanging under the eaves.

He walked towards the study in the front yard holding a lantern. The cold night wind blew the lantern, and the whimpering sound in the wind seemed to come from the lantern.

The servant shuddered all over, and couldn't help but think of a few years ago when this lantern was hung at the gate of the mansion, and someone said it was made of human skin.

The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. He immediately quickened his pace and took the lantern to the study.

There was no light in the study, only this lantern emitting a faint glow.

The servant was in awe of the Imperial Master and dared not look him in the eye. He lowered his head and asked, "Imperial Master, where is this lantern?"

The Imperial Master raised his eyes to look at the lantern, the light illuminating the corners of his lips, his expression showing an inexplicably strange look.

He took the lantern from the servant, turned it slowly around, and threw it into the brazier beside him.

The flames engulfed the lantern in an instant.

-

At the same time, the Emperor of Northern Qi learned that public opinion had been suppressed. He breathed a sigh of relief, and a feeling of fatigue swept over him like a tide.

He leaned back in the dragon chair, looking at the empty hall. It seemed as if the noise had faded away, leaving only a desolate room.

"His Majesty……"

"Let's go to Changle Palace."

Eunuch Liu was stunned for a moment and didn't react for a long time.

The Northern Qi Emperor said with a stern face: "I have something important to discuss with the Empress."

Eunuch Liu realized that he had lost his composure and quickly knelt down to apologize.

The Emperor of Northern Qi looked grim, and he left the hall alone and went to Changle Palace.

The lights in Changle Palace were still on. The Northern Qi Emperor's mood improved a little, and he stepped into the palace amid the greetings of the eunuchs and palace maids.

The queen had already heard the noise and stood up to salute the Emperor of Northern Qi.

"No need to be so polite." The Northern Qi Emperor raised his hand to support the Queen, his eyes falling on her pale face. His tone was gentle: "You are weak, you should lie down and rest more."

"Medical books say that regular walking can strengthen the body." The Queen calmly withdrew her hand and personally poured him a cup of tea. "Your Majesty, is there something important you've come to discuss with me today?"

The smile on the face of the Northern Qi Emperor froze. He was usually annoyed by the state affairs and the quarrels of Concubine Shu, so he wanted to find some quiet time and would come to Changle Palace to sit for a while.

If it wasn't the first or fifteenth day of the month, he would find an excuse to prevent the queen from saying something to spoil the fun.

Although he did not come to Changle Palace very often, every time he came, the queen would ask him if there was anything important to discuss.

This time is no exception.

"I want to discuss the marriage of Prince Guangling with you." The Northern Qi Emperor took the teacup and said casually, "Prince Guangling is twenty-three years old. He only has one princess and no children. I am thinking of giving him a concubine. This will increase his number of children and give him another bond in Northern Qi to prevent him from being completely loyal to the Great Zhou."