Chapter 318 Farewell
Zhao Yi knew that by wearing the clothes of a Northern Qi prince, he was acknowledging his identity and would follow the imperial teacher and his party back to Northern Qi.
But he never thought that the imperial teacher would give him the task of transporting money and grain.
If this is done well, it will establish his position in Northern Qi.
If this matter is not done well, we will face criticism from officials and the people.
Zhao Yi couldn't figure out the imperial tutor's thoughts. Was he paving the way for him, or was he trying to cut off his chances of turning things around in Northern Qi?
He collected his thoughts and asked, "Did the Imperial Master only tell me this?"
Yan Yi had been observing Zhao Yi. Seeing that he remained calm after hearing the news, he felt that the Northern Qi royal family had finally produced a decent prince.
If other princes heard the arrangements of the imperial tutor, they would either feel flattered to have the imperial tutor's favor.
Or they would guess that the imperial teacher wanted to ruin their future and be frightened to the point of turning pale.
"The Imperial Tutor will be leaving for Northern Qi tomorrow morning. I ask you and the Princess to pack your bags and say goodbye to your family."
Yan Yi noticed the change in Zhao Yi's expression and continued, "The Imperial Master said that when he returned to Northern Qi, he passed by a city adjacent to Yingcheng. You should have transferred money and grain from there to Yingcheng."
Having said this, he turned to look at Shen Qingtan: "The princess will follow our carriage back to the capital."
Zhao Yi frowned as he listened to Yan Yi say, "As the prince of Northern Qi, there's absolutely no reason for your consort to stay in the Great Zhou. Your status is different now. If you and your spouse are separated, it's inevitable that someone will take advantage of the situation and cause you trouble."
Zhao Yi understood what Yan Yi meant. Shen Qingtan stayed in Da Zhou, and he returned to Northern Qi alone. It was inevitable that someone would make a fuss about his marriage.
If Shen Qingtan went back to Northern Qi with him and his wife stayed by his side, those who had these thoughts would be restrained.
"I have delivered the message. I will return to the Four Barbarians Pavilion to report to the Imperial Master."
After Yan Yi finished saying this, he left the Duke's Mansion.
Zhao Yi lowered his eyes and looked at Shen Qingtan who had fallen into silence. He knew that this trip to Northern Qi might be dangerous, so he had never thought of taking her with him.
Now the Imperial Master sent someone to deliver a message, specifically reminding him to bring Shen Qingtan with him, and to set off tomorrow.
It was too hasty.
She had just reunited with her relatives when she had to leave them again and travel far away.
"Manman..."
"Second Master, the Imperial Master is right. You went to Northern Qi. How can I, as your wife, stay in Great Zhou?"
Shen Qingtan secretly didn't want Zhao Yi to go to Yingcheng to control the plague. It was too dangerous. If he was not careful, he would lose his life.
But she knew what Zhao Yi did in the court, and the moment he put on the clothes of the Northern Qi prince, some things were beyond his control.
She couldn't stop him from going to Yingcheng.
Since she couldn't change the outcome, she decided not to cause him any trouble, so as not to make him worry about her.
Shen Qingtan hid his worries deep in his heart and said softly, "Husband and wife should share weal and woe and support each other. We have come all the way here with this belief. Now is your most difficult time. How can I let you face it alone?"
When Zhao Yi goes to Yingcheng to control the plague this time, someone in Northern Qi will definitely stop him and prevent him from successfully completing the task.
If she stayed in the capital of Northern Qi, she could at least protect him from the evil spirits and monsters, so that he would not be attacked from both sides.
After all, she is in the capital and is better informed than Zhao Yi in Yingcheng.
More importantly, the reason why she dared to go to Northern Qi was because of the attitude of the imperial teacher.
Before Yan Yilai informed Zhao Yi to go to Yingcheng to control the plague, she had concerns about going to the capital of Northern Qi.
Now that the imperial teacher was in Shengjing of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he had issued this order, which clearly gave Zhao Yi and Emperor Jing'an time to respond.
This reveals that the Imperial Master did not want anything to happen to Zhao Yi. If he wanted to assassinate Zhao Yi, he could have temporarily arranged for Zhao Yi to go to Yingcheng to deal with the disaster after leaving the borders of the Great Zhou.
Furthermore, the Imperial Tutor did not simply send Zhao Yi to Northern Qi as a hostage to contain the Great Zhou. If he was using Zhao Yi to contain the Great Zhou, there would be no need to arrange for Zhao Yi to control the plague and allow him to gain power from it.
After all, as a prince who has made no achievements and is a transparent person in Northern Qi, it is easier to control him. Why bother with this?
From the series of actions taken by the Imperial Tutor, it can be inferred that the Imperial Tutor has some plans for Zhao Yi. Before achieving his goal, the Imperial Tutor will never let the Northern Qi Emperor touch Zhao Yi and ruin his plan.
The Imperial Master uses them... They can also use the Imperial Master as a weapon to gain a place in Northern Qi.
Zhao Yi saw what Shen Qingtan was thinking, and couldn't say no, so he held her hand tightly.
"good."
He relaxed.
Shen Qingtan felt relieved. She took his hand and got into the carriage together. She sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.
She always thought that Zhao Yi was the second son of the Duke's Mansion, deeply favored by the royal family, but weak and sickly.
After he recovered from his illness, her only worry was solved and she no longer felt any sorrow. She fantasized about having one or two children and living an ordinary and stable life together.
Who could have imagined that he would be the prince of Northern Qi.
This identity seems glamorous, but it is accompanied by many crises.
No one knows what the future will be like.
Shen Qingtan wrapped her arms around Zhao Yi's, cherishing the time they spent together.
The carriage stopped at the gate of Zhenbei Palace. Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi got off the carriage and saw Chen Du coming out of the palace.
"Brother." Shen Qingtan let go of Zhao Yi's hand and walked over quickly: "Where are you going?"
Chen Du's stern face seemed to melt and become a little gentle the moment he saw Shen Qingtan.
"Manman, I was just about to go find you." Chen Du saw Shen Qingtan wrapped in a cloak, without a sleeve warmer or hand warmers, and her fingers were red from the cold. He frowned, turned around, and walked into the mansion: "Let's go into the mansion first and talk."
Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi followed Shen Du to the study in the front yard. The warmth in the room dispelled the coldness from their bodies.
But a moment later, Shen Zhuo and Shen Lue also came over after hearing the news.
"Manman—" Before Shen Lue even entered the house, a rough, loud voice came into the study, "Third brother has just found a treasure. You've come just in time. Let me show you around."
As soon as he finished speaking, he walked into the study and was about to present the treasure.
Shen Du glanced at him coldly.
Shen Lue paused with his hand in his arms, looked at Chen Du, then at Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi, then he realized that the atmosphere was not right and slowly withdrew his hand.
He touched his nose and said awkwardly, "Go on, you guys go on first."
Shen Qingtan's depressed mood was slightly relieved by Shen Lue's disturbance.
Chen Du frowned, but did not scold Shen Lue. He got back to the point and said, "Man Man, big brother got the news that a plague broke out in Yingcheng."
He said solemnly, "I plan to ask the Emperor for permission to go to Yingcheng. You should stay in the capital and accompany mother as much as possible, in case she worries about father."
"Brother, we're here for this too. Also, I have something else to tell you." Shen Qingtan relayed Yan Yi's words to his brothers, his tone filled with reluctance: "Second Master is leaving for Yingcheng tomorrow to deal with the plague, and I'm also leaving for the Northern Qi capital, so I've come here specifically to say goodbye to you."
Shen Du fell silent, a layer of frost covering his face.
Ever since he learned about Zhao Yi's life experience, he had expected this day to come.
The current Northern Qi is like a den of dragons and tigers to them.
I'm afraid someone has set a trap for them.
Chen Du whispered, “My eldest brother will explain the situation to the emperor and arrange for several well-trained guards from the palace to escort you to Northern Qi.”
Shen Qingtan nodded: "Thank you, brother."
Chen Zhuo took out a token from his sleeve and put it into Shen Qingtan's hand: "If you encounter difficulties, give the token to the guards. They will contact the people lurking in Northern Qi and resolve the danger for you."
Seeing that both of his brothers had expressed their opinions, Shen Lue reached into his arms and took out something and put it in Shen Qingtan's hand.
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