Chapter 301: Announcing Life Story
There was not a single word on the spirit tablet in Emperor Jing'an's hand.
Even so, the ministers guessed it.
This memorial tablet probably belongs to Princess Yizhen.
Sure enough, Emperor Jing'an's next words confirmed their guess.
"I am a hostage in Northern Qi, representing the Great Zhou. The powerful people of Northern Qi are using me for their own amusement and humiliating me, in order to humiliate the Great Zhou."
Emperor Jing'an looked at the tablet in his hand and said, "The first thing the Northern Qi nobles did was to prevent me and Yizhen from eating. It was Yizhen who knelt on the ground and let them step on her feet in exchange for food to keep me fed."
All the officials frowned, because they knew that hostages in the enemy country would not receive any preferential treatment.
Not only do they have a low status, but they are also humiliated and persecuted, and live on thin ice.
When they heard Emperor Jing'an talk about Princess Yizhen's sacrifices for him, they didn't feel much in their hearts, and even seemed a little indifferent.
After all, Emperor Jing'an, as a man, cannot protect himself.
How can a weak woman protect Emperor Jing'an?
It was not until this moment when Emperor Jing'an described their situation in detail in Northern Qi that they truly realized the plight of Emperor Jing'an and Princess Yizhen in Northern Qi.
"My eldest son, born to one of the empresses, was sent to Northern Qi as a hostage. In the eyes of the people of Northern Qi, he was nothing more than a discarded child, to be beaten and killed at will." Emperor Jing'an said: "In order to save me, Yizhen was forced by the powerful people of Northern Qi to fight with dogs for food."
All the officials were stunned. Princess Yizhen's experience was beyond their imagination.
The Northern Qi Dynasty clearly did not treat Princess Yizhen as a human being.
A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated.
However, in order to keep Emperor Jing'an alive, Princess Yizhen put aside her dignity and pride as a royal daughter and endured the humiliation from the powerful people of Northern Qi.
If they are honest with themselves, they are unable to do this.
The ministers looked at each other with mixed feelings.
Princess Yizhen deserves their respect.
And Northern Qi was too hateful.
"In order to get me back to the Great Zhou, Yizhen gave up her dignity, devoted herself to the Northern Qi Emperor, and gave birth to a child." Emperor Jing'an paused for a long time before slowly speaking, "It was also in that year that I inherited the throne, and the Great Zhou was plagued by internal and external troubles. Yizhen, disregarding her infant child, entered the Colosseum and was mauled to death by wild beasts, simply to prevent Northern Qi from sending troops to the Great Zhou."
All the officials were stunned, some could not believe their ears.
They only knew that Princess Yizhen died of illness in Northern Qi, and never thought that her death was so tragic.
No matter what, Yizhen was a princess of the Great Zhou. How could Northern Qi dare... how could they dare to feed her to wild beasts.
This not only humiliated Princess Yizhen, but also trampled on the dignity of the entire Great Zhou.
This is simply too much.
The ministers clenched their fists, their expressions filled with anger, hatred towards Northern Qi growing in their hearts, while at the same time they were grateful for Yizhen's righteous act.
The late emperor was incompetent and suspicious by nature, and had many loyal ministers and generals executed, leaving the court officials feeling insecure. However, the late emperor valued the prince born to Concubine De, as he was a descendant of the late emperor.
If Emperor Jing'an had died in Northern Qi, there would be no Great Zhou today.
I'm afraid that the Great Zhou would have been crushed by the iron cavalry of Northern Qi long ago. As court officials, their fate would not be much better than that of Princess Yizhen.
"Yizhen endured humiliation and hardship to bring about the present-day might of the Great Zhou. Yet, she never returned to the homeland she longed for, even until her death." Emperor Jing'an looked up at his ministers. "Northern Qi harbored wicked ambitions, seeking a marriage alliance with the Crown Prince of Zhenbei and threatening me with Yizhen's remains. I have always remembered Yizhen's words, and have been a monarch who prioritizes the people and the country. Therefore, I have not compromised."
"Northern Qi is fully aware of Zhao Yi's background, yet they deliberately spread rumors that he is my heir."
At this point, Emperor Jing'an regained his composure. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the tablet: "If Yizhen knew in the afterlife that her son had been humiliated like this, she would probably not be able to rest in peace."
The voice sounded calm, but the words that came out of it were like a thunderbolt hitting everyone's head.
The news was so sudden that the ministers were caught off guard and looked at Emperor Jing'an in shock.
They had previously heard from Emperor Jing'an that Princess Yizhen had given birth to a child, and mistakenly thought that the child was in Northern Qi.
Who knew it was Zhao Yi.
The ministers were all in an uproar and looked at the Duke, as if seeking confirmation from him.
The Duke said, "Princess Yizhen sacrificed herself for the Great Zhou. Her only remaining bloodline is now suffering abuse in the Northern Qi palace. If I had not arrived in time, I'm afraid Princess Yizhen's bloodline would have been lost."
The news was confirmed, and the ministers were stunned.
Although they admired Princess Yizhen in their hearts, her child had half the blood of Northern Qi flowing in his body.
This is hard for them to accept.
Suddenly, they thought of the Duke's words, and their mood became extremely complicated.
The Northern Qi killed Princess Yizhen, which was a revenge for Zhao Yi's mother's death. He was bound to be irreconcilable with the Northern Qi. How could he help the enemy to deal with the country that raised him?
After figuring out the key, most of the ministers accepted Zhao Yi.
The remaining small number of ministers still had objections to Zhao Yi's complicated life experience.
They opened their mouths, wanting to say something.
Emperor Jing'an spoke first: "I also bear unshirkable responsibility for everything Yizhen suffered in Northern Qi. If it weren't for my inability to protect her, she wouldn't have given herself to the Emperor of Northern Qi."
As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers who held opinions immediately shut up.
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