Chapter 305 Summation
"Your Majesty, are you simply worried that the Prince of Qi won't be able to return safely to Northern Qi?" The Imperial Preceptor slowly folded the letter and continued, "What is the purpose of Northern Qi's diplomatic mission to Great Zhou?"
The Emperor of Northern Qi frowned. This mission to the Great Zhou had two purposes.
One reason was to form an alliance and give Northern Qi a chance to catch its breath.
The second is to alienate the relationship between the King of Zhenbei and Emperor Jing'an.
Because the King of Zhenbei is the powerful weapon of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the nemesis of the Northern Qi Dynasty.
If the Great Zhou loses the King of Zhenbei, it is hard to say who will win.
"Your Majesty, underestimating the enemy is a cardinal sin in military strategy." The Imperial Preceptor, perceiving the Northern Qi Emperor's thoughts, said with some resignation, "The Great Zhou is now a powerful nation, no longer the weak nation of twenty years ago with its few generals and few soldiers. You should view the Great Zhou as an equal."
Even if it is just a small country, it must treat the other side as a strong opponent in order to win steadily.
Otherwise, you will end up suffering a great loss.
For example, the Emperor of Northern Qi at this moment still regarded Emperor Jing'an as a prince held hostage in Northern Qi, rather than an emperor with great strategy and care for the world.
He naively thought that by holding Princess Yizhen's remains, he could make Emperor Jing'an obey his orders.
As a result, he lost all his cards and fell into the hands of Emperor Jing'an, becoming extremely passive.
If the Emperor of Northern Qi had looked Emperor Jing'an in the face, he would have been able to see the situation clearly.
Princess Yizhen is certainly important in Emperor Jing'an's heart, but Emperor Jing'an is not only a brother, but also an emperor who cares about the people.
Emperor Jing'an was first an emperor, and only then a brother.
Where is the family when the country is destroyed?
Only by protecting the country can we protect the people we care about.
Thinking of this, a slight ripple rose in the Imperial Preceptor's eyes, and he slowly said, "If Your Majesty wishes to form an alliance with the Great Zhou, then you must demonstrate the magnanimity and demeanor of a great power and sincerely seek peace with the Great Zhou."
After a brief pause, he continued, "As long as the two countries are on good terms, the King of Qi will naturally return to Northern Qi safely."
When the Emperor of Northern Qi heard the words "the bearing and style of a great country", he immediately blushed.
Because the ministers of Northern Qi went to the Great Zhou to form an alliance, but repeatedly used the matter of Yizhen to threaten Emperor Jing'an, it was really a loss of the demeanor of a great country and showed the behavior of a villain.
Just as the imperial teacher said, the Great Zhou was no longer a weak country with few generals and few soldiers. They repeatedly exposed the shortcomings of Emperor Jing'an and stepped on his pain points, which angered him. Maybe he would rise up and crush Northern Qi.
After careful consideration, the Emperor of Northern Qi finally put aside his deep-rooted prejudice and arrogance towards Emperor Jing'an.
"Emperor Master, we have already angered Emperor Jing'an and the people of Great Zhou. Can the two countries still have good relations?"
"The situation hasn't reached a point of no return yet," the Imperial Master said. "If we want to eliminate the resentment of the people of Great Zhou and the wrath of Emperor Jing'an, we must address the problem at its root."
The Emperor of Northern Qi was stunned and narrowed his eyes slightly. The root...the root was Yizhen.
Emperor Jing'an washed away the shame for Yizhen and built a temple and a tomb for her. This should mean that he has not given up his determination to bring Yizhen back to her homeland, right?
More than 20 years ago, when Duke Zhao was on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi, he wanted to bring Yizhen's remains back to Zhou, but he was rejected.
At that time, the plan was to leave behind Emperor Jing'an's weakness so that he could negotiate terms with him in the future.
The Emperor of Northern Qi sighed, it was a rare moment of foresight.
"I will send another minister to the Great Zhou to sincerely apologize to Emperor Jing'an, and then have Zhao Yi return to Northern Qi to bring Yizhen's remains back to the Great Zhou."
The Northern Qi Emperor's expression was gloomy, and he said quietly, "But this time, who should I send as an envoy to the Great Zhou?"
The Imperial Tutor said, "Your status and reputation must be higher than that of Lord Gao, only then can we demonstrate Northern Qi's sincerity and respect."
The Emperor of Northern Qi fluttered his wide sleeves, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced slowly in the hall, carefully considering the candidates.
"Above Lord Gao, all the officials are old and pedantic. Only when they are needed do I realize how few talented people there are." The Northern Qi Emperor sighed, "The only one who meets my heart is you, Imperial Master."
Having said that, the Emperor of Northern Qi was stunned for a moment, and actually began to think seriously. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the Imperial Teacher was suitable.
"Imperial Master, with your talents, you will surely be able to promote diplomatic relations between the two countries and escape with Chong'er safely." The Northern Qi Emperor said solemnly, "I hope you can be sent as an envoy to the Great Zhou."
The imperial tutor lowered his head and eyes, stretched out his bony fingers, took the hot tea offered by eunuch Liu, and gently stroked the sky-blue wall of the cup with his fingertips.
This was a subtle movement he made while thinking.
The Northern Qi Emperor took in this scene and knew that the Imperial Preceptor was showing signs of wavering.
"The relationship between Northern Qi and Great Zhou is strained, and we can't afford to make any more mistakes. If we offend anyone again, it will be irreversible."
The Northern Qi Emperor said earnestly, "Imperial Master, please, for the sake of the people, personally go as an envoy to the Great Zhou."
When the imperial teacher heard the word "common people", he gently put down his teacup and agreed to the request of the Emperor of Northern Qi.
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At the Duke of Da Zhou's Mansion, Zhao Yi came out of the study in the front yard and returned to Lanxue Garden.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw Shen Qingtan holding a copper coin-patterned sleeve incense burner in his hand, lazily curled up on the Arhat couch.
She was wearing a fragrant double-breasted jacket with a white silk stand-up collar, and a skirt with gold-embroidered edges. The bright and vivid colors set off the rosy white cheeks, revealing a sense of tenderness.
Originally, Shen Qingtan said that she was afraid of the cold in winter, but Zhao Yi didn't think much about it. He just thought that she was suffering from deficiency of qi and blood, and asked the imperial physician to treat her.
Now that winter is approaching, she seems to be hibernating, curled up on the couch or in the quilt, unwilling to move and rarely leaving the yard.
When Zhao Yi approached the Arhat couch, he saw Shen Qingtan dozing with his head tilted.
He chuckled, turned around and walked to the lotus-shaped hand warmer with fine coin patterns, warmed his hands, and then touched Shen Qingtan's fingers.
Shen Qingtan suddenly woke up and saw Zhao Yi sitting on the Arhat couch. He stuffed the sleeve stove into his hand and asked, "What did grandpa say to you?"
After Zhao Yi's background was made public, the Duke did not propose to cancel his title as the crown prince, and everything remained the same.
Zhao Yi touched her warm hand and smiled slightly, "Grandfather said that the Imperial Tutor of Northern Qi went on a diplomatic mission to Great Zhou, and this time he came with sincerity to make peace with Great Zhou."
Shen Qingtan frowned slightly. The imperial teacher of Northern Qi came to Da Zhou, and the two countries reconciled. This meant that Zhao Yi had to go to Northern Qi, and it also meant that the couple would be separated.
She didn't know how dangerous this trip to Northern Qi would be, so she was worried about letting him go alone and wanted to go with him.
She was also worried that if she went, she would become a burden to him.
Zhao Yi saw through her thoughts and gently touched her head: "When I was returning home today, I passed by Xiangmanlou and smelled the fragrance of almond tea. Do you want to try it?"
"My husband can smell the fragrance of almond tea when he passes by the door. Today's almond tea must be delicious." Shen Qingtan knew that he was coaxing her. She sat up from the couch and looked at him with smiling eyes: "I want to try it."
Zhao Yi picked up the deerskin boots beside the couch and put them on her. He took her hand and walked out of the room, only to see Zhiyi walking towards him in a panic.
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