Chapter 330: Reporting to the Emperor
"My lord, the prince has not recovered from his cold yet, so he will not see any visitors for the time being." The maid said with a humble look, "If you want to discuss the transportation of supplies, just discuss it with the King of Zhenbei."
"I want to inquire about the affairs of His Highness, which involve the political affairs of Northern Qi. The King of Zhenbei is a general of the Great Zhou. It is not appropriate for me to discuss this with the King of Zhenbei without going through His Highness, is it?"
The Censor said with a displeased expression, "Your Highness has only caught a cold. If you're worried about infecting me, just see me through the screen. I'll just say a few important words; it won't delay Your Highness's recovery."
The maid hesitantly replied, "His Highness has given other instructions. If you insist on seeing him, please write your message in a letter and give it to him. He will read it and write back to you. If you find it troublesome, please consult with his attendants."
The Censor laughed angrily. Seeing that Zhao Yi was making excuses and was unwilling to show up, he became more and more certain that Zhao Yi had contracted the epidemic.
He changed the subject: "Have you seen His Highness?"
The maid hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.
The Supervisory Censor no longer pressed the issue: "I will discuss the transportation of supplies with County Magistrate Xu, so as not to disturb His Highness's recovery."
After saying that, he turned away.
County Magistrate Xu hurriedly followed the Censor.
The maid looked at the Censor's back and thought of the look he gave her before he left. After thinking for a while, she turned around and went to Zhao Yi's yard to inform Jiang Mu of the Censor's departure.
The next morning, the maid was ordered to go out of the house to buy benzoin.
As soon as he reached the door of the drug store, he was taken to a small courtyard by several burly men.
The strong man pushed the maid, and she staggered and almost fell to the ground.
Steadying herself, the maid saw the Censor sitting in a rosewood armchair, drinking tea calmly.
She thought of the look the Censor gave her before he left the mansion yesterday.
The maid knelt on the ground and said, "Sir, please forgive me."
The censor stared at the maid's pale face, raised an eyebrow and asked, "What crime have you committed?"
The maid clenched her fingers and dared not say a word.
The Censor didn't beat around the bush: "Have you seen him during the days when His Highness was ill?"
The maid looked at the Censor in astonishment.
The Censor gave a look to his confidant standing beside him.
The confidant came to the maid with the wooden box, opened the lid, and revealed the white silver.
The maid had never seen so much silver before and her eyes widened.
"Tell me the truth, and this box of silver will be your reward." The Censor stood up and walked to the maid's side. "Apart from you and me, no one else will know about what happened today."
After a pause, he smiled slightly and said, "If you don't want to betray me, that's fine. I'll just pretend I haven't seen you today and let them send you off."
The maidservant was terrified and broke out in cold sweat.
The Censor told her clearly that if she chose to cooperate, she would be rewarded with a box of silver.
If she is unwilling to reveal Zhao Yi's condition, she will be silenced to prevent her from returning home and telling Zhao Yi what happened today.
"I... I'll tell you," the maid said in a trembling voice, "I saw His Highness two days ago. He was unconscious with a high fever, coughing constantly, and even coughing up blood."
Upon hearing this, the Censor looked solemn. Every symptom corresponded to the plague.
He then asked, "What are you doing out of the house today?"
The maid replied, "I was ordered to come out to buy benzoin."
The Censor murmured, "Benzoin..."
Benzoin is a traditional Chinese medicine that has the effects of opening the orifices, clearing the mind, promoting qi and blood circulation, and relieving pain.
People suffering from the epidemic will also experience severe chest pain.
Once again, it was confirmed that Zhao Yi was suffering from the epidemic.
After all, there was a rumor in Yingcheng that Zhao Yi had contracted the plague, and the news was getting more and more intense, with signs of spreading outward.
With Zhao Yi's style of doing things, he will definitely nip the rumors in the bud and show up in public to make the rumors self-defeating.
But Zhao Yi did not show up and even turned away people who came to visit him.
This action undoubtedly verified the rumors, and the rumors outside became louder and louder, to the point where they could no longer be suppressed.
Now that he had received accurate information from the maid, he concluded that the rumors were true, but he did not dare to act rashly. He deliberately ordered people to place the things used by the patients in the homes of people who were not infected.
In an instant, the situation that Yingcheng had controlled suddenly got out of control again and became a mess.
Even so, Zhao Yi still did not show up, but sent Jiang Mu and Jiang Chao beside him to deal with it.
It was not until this moment that the Censor completely dispelled his doubts, wrote a letter and ordered it to be sent to the capital.
-
King Qi, Lin Yi and others who were far away in the capital received a letter from Yingcheng and learned that Zhao Yi was infected with the plague.
There was also another piece of news that a miraculous doctor went to Yingcheng to control the plague. He prescribed a prescription with some medicine and gave it to the patients for more than ten doses, but there was still no improvement and people died every day.
The King of Qi intended to target Zhao Yi and eliminate a potential powerful enemy.
Now that I know Zhao Yi has contracted the plague, I feel relieved.
Lin Yi received the news and finally got the opportunity to overthrow the imperial teacher.
Zhao Yi was arranged by the imperial teacher to control the plague. Now he is seriously ill with the plague, and the imperial teacher has an unshirkable responsibility.
What's more, Zhao Yi brought a large amount of money and food to support Yingcheng, but not only did it fail to control the plague in Yingcheng, it became more and more serious, and the plague also broke out in the surrounding cities.
He decided to join forces with the ministers to report to the emperor during the morning court session and take the initiative to request to go to Yingcheng, Yuncheng and Panshicheng to control the plague.
As long as he can quell the plague, his reputation in the eyes of the people will overshadow that of the imperial teacher.
When he returned home with honor, Zhao Yi had probably died of illness.
At that time, he would push behind the scenes to let the Great Zhou attack the Northern Qi.
The Emperor of Northern Qi was not a man of deep affection and loyalty. As long as his own position was not threatened, he would do his utmost to protect the imperial teacher.
If the Imperial Teacher becomes the source of a disaster, the Emperor of Northern Qi will definitely push the Imperial Teacher out to appease the anger of the Great Zhou in order to protect himself.
Thinking of this, Lin Yi wrote a few letters and asked his confidants to send them out, waiting for tomorrow.
-
The next day, Lin Yi got up in the dark, put on his official robe and went to the morning court.
When we arrived at the palace gate, the heavy snow that had been falling for several days had stopped, and the sun shone through the clouds, gently illuminating the entire palace.
Lin Yi regarded this scene as an auspicious sign.
All the officials entered the hall, and the Emperor of Northern Qi walked slowly and calmly and sat upright on the high seat.
After kneeling, all the ministers reported to the Emperor of Northern Qi on all matters of varying sizes.
Every time the Emperor of Northern Qi answered a question, he would look at the Imperial Preceptor. Only when he saw that the Imperial Preceptor looked normal would he feel at ease.
After all the officials had finished reporting, the Emperor of Northern Qi was about to dismiss the court.
At this time, the Imperial Censor stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, a plague has ravaged Cloud City and Rock City. The Imperial Preceptor sent Your Highness to combat the disease, and Your Highness has contracted the disease. If it weren't for the Imperial Censor who was inspecting the area and relaying the news to the capital, who knows how long this matter would have been concealed."
This concealment of information was directed at the Imperial Teacher.
The hall fell into silence, the atmosphere suddenly became tense, and all the ministers looked at the imperial teacher.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
