Chapter 314: Status
"Just let him wait." Zhao Yi took the oil-paper umbrella from Liu Yue and shielded Shen Qingtan from the snow. "It's not worth it for you to come here and suffer the cold just for him."
"I'm not cold." Shen Qingtan's eyes fell on Zhao Yi's face. Seeing that he looked very gentle, he smiled and said, "Giving you a message is secondary. The main thing is that I want to come here and wait for you to return home."
Zhao Yi's heart moved slightly, and he immediately thought of the time when he was in the palace for treatment shortly after their marriage, which delayed his return home.
She was worried about him and waited for him to return home at the corner gate.
Now that his life story has been revealed, it just so happens that envoys from Northern Qi have entered the palace for negotiations.
She was worried about him and waited for him to return home at the corner gate again.
Zhao Yi lowered her eyes and looked at Shen Qingtan. She was wearing a bright red cloak with golden sable all over it. Her hands were tucked into her fur gloves. She was wrapped tightly and looked very warm.
He put his hand into his handcuffs and touched her fingers. Just as he had imagined, they were icy cold.
She was afraid of the cold, and no matter how much she wore, she couldn't warm her hands and feet without the stove.
"Let's go back to the house first." Zhao Yi took Shen Qingtan back to Lanxue Garden. To relieve her worries, he whispered to her everything that happened in Taiji Hall today. "The Imperial Tutor of Northern Qi is sending seeds and technology, and exempting tariffs is understandable. This move is to calm the people's grievances and smoothly bring the King of Qi and the envoy back to Northern Qi."
He paused for a moment, thinking, "It's just that the city was ceded so readily. I'm afraid there's something fishy going on."
"The Imperial Tutor incited the people and used public opinion to put the Emperor on the spot, forcing him to agree to peace talks. On this basis, the Emperor proposed that Northern Qi cede a city to Great Zhou, which posed a problem for the Imperial Tutor."
Shen Qingtan analyzed: "If the Imperial Master doesn't agree to cede the city, everything he did before will backfire on him, so he will definitely agree."
"However, judging from what the Imperial Master did before, he is a man of foresight and may have considered this aspect."
Her expression was serious: "They gave it to us readily. Whether we can catch it or not is our business."
Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan looked at each other, and each had a guess in their hearts - Northern Qi would not refuse openly, but would make small moves behind the scenes to force the Great Zhou to give up the city on its own initiative.
What could make Da Zhou give up the city?
Unless the city becomes a hot potato.
"Only if Yingcheng suffers from natural or man-made disasters, and the situation becomes so severe that the Great Zhou cannot control it, will they abandon the city." Zhao Yi said in a deep voice: "Natural disasters are unpredictable, so the only thing left is man-made disasters..."
The success of agricultural and water conservancy development in the Northern Qi Dynasty was due to the imperial teacher.
The Imperial Preceptor cares about the people, so he shouldn't allow Northern Qi to attack the people, right?
"Northern Qi is immoral and unrighteous. We cannot let our guard down against Northern Qi before the peace treaty is signed." Shen Qingtan looked at Zhao Yi's worried look and thought that maybe they were worrying too much.
But now it is a contest between two countries, and we cannot be without vigilance.
Zhao Yi nodded slightly and did not discuss further.
He sent Shen Qingtan back to Lanxue Garden, and then went to the side hall to meet the eunuchs of Northern Qi.
The Northern Qi eunuch was sitting upright in his armchair. When he saw Zhao Yi step into the side hall, he quickly stood up and bowed deeply: "Your Highness, I greet you."
When Zhao Yi heard the address, he frowned slightly and sat down in the main seat.
The Northern Qi eunuch smiled and flattered, "Your Highness, His Majesty has instructed me to deliver His Majesty's wishes upon my return to the Great Zhou."
After saying this, he picked up the tray on the coffee table and handed it to Zhao Yi.
"His Majesty said that you, the eldest son of the Northern Qi Emperor, could not be left alone. Someone with ulterior motives caused the separation of you and your father. Now that we know your whereabouts, we must welcome you back to Northern Qi and crown you king."
The Northern Qi eunuch placed the tray on the coffee table next to Zhao Yi and said, "This is the prince's uniform that His Majesty has prepared for you. When you return to Northern Qi, wear this and enter the palace to meet His Majesty."
Zhao Yi glanced at the tray, on which lay a red robe with a white collar, decorated with gold patches, a gold belt ring, and a pair of soap leather boots.
The Northern Qi eunuchs saw that Zhao Yi remained silent and had a cold expression on the prince's face, and were not flattered by the Northern Qi emperor's approval.
If it were an ordinary person, he would have thanked the emperor long ago.
Although Emperor Jing'an favored Zhao Yi, after revealing that Zhao Yi was the son of Princess Huguo, he did not confer the title of Prince on Zhao Yi, nor did he grant him a Prince's Mansion. He still lived in the Duke's Mansion and acted as the son of the first wife.
One is a prince with only nominal title, the other is a prince with real power and noble status.
Everyone would choose the latter, but Zhao Yi remained indifferent.
"Your Highness, His Majesty has given the Ministry of Rites an oral order, instructing them to begin preparations for the coronation ceremony and the posthumous ceremony for the Protector of the Nation Princess."
While observing Zhao Yi's expression, the Northern Qi eunuch said cautiously, "The Protector Princess has been waiting for Your Majesty to confer her the title of consort, grant her a title, and restore your reputation."
"It's a pity that the Emperor Zhou hadn't ascended the throne at that time, and the Princess Protector of the Nation was a hostage. Your Majesty has only been on the throne for a short time, and your foundation is not stable."
"If the Princess Protector of the Nation had been canonized as a consort, it would have caused unrest. So, Your Majesty planned to help Emperor Zhou ascend the throne and then canonize the Princess Protector of the Nation as a consort. But who knew that after Emperor Zhou ascended the throne, the Princess Protector of the Nation had passed away."
Zhao Yi smiled, with a hint of sarcasm on his lips.
The eunuch's words revealed the helplessness of the Northern Qi Emperor, and told how much the Northern Qi Emperor loved and cherished his son who was living away from home.
If he truly loved them, mother and son, how could he let his biological mother die at the hands of a wild beast, and how could he let him wander around in the Great Zhou?
Now they are whitewashing the situation, appealing to his emotions and explaining things to him with reason, all because they value the value of him.
"His Majesty, having learned of the tragic news of the Princess Huguo's passing, has suspended court for three days." A Northern Qi eunuch twirled his sleeve and wiped his eyes, mourning the Princess Huguo's death. "His Majesty, sympathetic to your mother's loss, intended to place you in the Empress' care. Who knew... who knew the news of your untimely death? Now that His Majesty knows you've established a family and a career, he's deeply relieved. He hopes you'll return to Northern Qi to make amends for all the years he owes you, fulfilling the Princess Huguo's last wish."
Zhao Yi said indifferently, "I wonder what rank the Emperor of Qi bestowed upon my mother posthumously?"
The eunuch of Northern Qi was startled and opened his mouth, wanting to speak nonsense.
He was also worried about speaking out of turn, so he didn't dare to respond casually.
The Northern Qi eunuch said sheepishly, "His Majesty said that after you return to Northern Qi, we will discuss the position of the Protector of the Nation Princess and her burial location."
The last sentence implies that the remains of Princess Zhao Yi, the Protector of the Country, have not yet been buried.
Whether to be buried in the Northern Qi imperial mausoleum or return to his hometown depends on Zhao Yi's attitude.
How could Zhao Yi not understand that the Emperor of Northern Qi was using his biological mother's remains and status to lure him back to Northern Qi.
He asked calmly, "The Emperor of Qi wants to make amends to me and my mother by offering my mother any position I ask for."
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