Chapter 336: A Big Show
The King of Zhenbei, who was far away in Yingcheng, heard that Zhao Yi was named King of Guangling, and his fiefdom was in Yuncheng and Panshi City.
The deputy general whispered, "Your Highness, the princess passed away due to illness. It would have been fine if the Northern Qi Emperor had conferred a title on him posthumously, but he also went to the trouble of giving him a fiefdom. Could it be that he wanted to use the fiefdom to keep the princess in Northern Qi to prevent us from bringing her back to the Great Zhou?"
"It's a pity that he miscalculated." The King of Zhenbei said with a stern face: "On behalf of the Great Zhou, go to Yuncheng and offer condolences to the King of Guangling."
The deputy general then remembered that the imperial teacher had sent a letter to the King of Zhenbei, asking him to go to Yuncheng to express condolences.
Yingcheng is adjacent to Yuncheng.
"I obey your command."
The deputy general led an elite force to Yuncheng.
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On the day of Zhao Yi's funeral, the sky was gray and the air was filled with a depressing atmosphere.
Lin Yi deliberately changed into plain clothes and prepared to go to pay his respects to Zhao Yi and watch a good show at the same time.
Before leaving, Lin Yi instructed his confidant: "Lord Jiang is the father and mother of Yuncheng. He cares about the people. So let's send him and the sick people on their way together."
The confidant was shocked and understood what Lin Yi meant. He wanted to silence Magistrate Jiang.
"yes."
The confidant agreed to Lin Yi's words and took a few guards to the shack where the patients were housed.
Magistrate Jiang had already been waiting at the door with his runners, with baskets of charcoal placed at his feet.
The guard glanced at the charcoal at Magistrate Jiang's feet, with confusion in his eyes.
Prefect Jiang explained, "Distributing a little charcoal to each shed will help the fire spread. The Imperial Preceptor has arrived in Yuncheng, and the flames will quickly attract their attention. If they arrive in time to put out the fire and save some patients, we will all be doomed."
Upon hearing this, the guard felt that Lord Lin was indeed good at judging people, and that Magistrate Jiang was not a good person.
Lord Lin had tested Prefect Jiang before. They were the same kind of people who would do anything to save their lives and seize power.
It was precisely because of this that Lord Lin proposed to Prefect Jiang to burn the civilians, and he had no intention of sparing Prefect Jiang's life, for fear that Prefect Jiang would use this as a handle to threaten Lord Lin in the future.
"These charcoals are all coated in tung oil, so they'll burn instantly." Prefect Jiang looked around and said, "There are plenty of sheds here. Let's work together to get the charcoal to them."
The guard looked at Magistrate Jiang warily but did not move.
Magistrate Jiang seemed oblivious to their defensiveness. While ordering the yamen runners to distribute the charcoal, he urged the guards, "Hurry up! Once the condolences are over, it will be too late for us to take action."
When the guards heard this, they exchanged glances, grabbed the edge of the basket with both hands, lifted it up, and carried it into the shed.
When they saw the scene in the shed, they were terrified and subconsciously turned around to run, but their retreat was blocked.
-
At the Guangling Prince's Mansion, white banners were hung and the gates were wide open. Those who came to pay their respects had their faces covered with white cloth and were led to the mourning hall by servants.
Zhao Yi died of an epidemic and his body was to be cremated, so a cenotaph was prepared.
However, the guests who came to pay their respects saw an empty coffin placed in the middle of the mourning hall, and there was no clothing Zhao Yi was wearing in the coffin.
Everyone was stunned, not understanding what was going on.
Shen Qingtan was wearing plain clothes, with nothing in her hair. She stood beside the coffin with a haggard face, supported by two maids on both sides.
The imperial tutor and the second assistant stood aside, trying to minimize their presence, but their overall demeanor could not be ignored.
Lin Yi stepped into the mourning hall and saw the imperial teacher and the deputy minister at a glance. Then he turned around and saw the empty coffin. A thought flashed in his eyes.
"Princess, at the prince's funeral today, why aren't his clothes placed inside the coffin?" Lin Yi asked, "Isn't this against etiquette?"
"I heard that the prince passed away in Yingcheng, so I sent a letter to my father, asking him to bring the prince's ashes back."
Shen Qingtan pressed the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief and said in a hoarse voice, "Wait until someone from my mother's family arrives before sealing the coffin."
Lin Yi frowned. In order to overthrow the imperial teacher, he deliberately released the news that Zhao Yi had died of illness in Yingcheng.
In fact, Zhao Yi died on the way back to the capital. He was assassinated by the guards he sent out.
Shen Qingtan wrote to the King of Zhenbei, asking him to bring back Zhao Yi's ashes, but it was obviously impossible.
In this case, if the King of Zhenbei comes to pay his respects, there is a high possibility that complications will arise.
Lin Yi felt inexplicably anxious. He had not expected that the Emperor of Northern Qi would grant Yuncheng and Panshi City to Zhao Yi as fiefdoms, and even arrange Zhao Yi's funeral in Yuncheng.
Lin Yi soon calmed down. Even if Zhao Yi did not die of illness in Yingcheng, it would not matter much. Anyway, the news that Zhao Yi was infected with the disease had spread and everyone knew it.
Even if he did not die of illness in Yingcheng, he would have died somewhere else.
Unless Zhao Yi fakes his death or someone fishes Zhao Yi's body out of the river, his lies can be overturned.
Lin Yi looked at Shen Qingtan. Her eyes were red and swollen, and there was an indelible sadness between her brows. Her plain clothes made her look slender and frail.
This look of grief doesn't seem fake.
He sighed, "Princess, I'm so sorry."
Shen Qingtan shed tears silently.
Lin Yi glanced at the imperial teacher and deliberately stood opposite him.
This time he set fire to the people, intending to put the blame on the imperial teacher.
The people of Northern Qi all knew that the imperial teacher had abandoned the people of Yuncheng, and no one would doubt it if they framed the imperial teacher for setting fire to the sick people.
At this time, there was a chaotic noise coming from outside.
Everyone looked up and saw Qiu Zhentian, the deputy general of the Great Zhou Dynasty, walking in in steady and orderly steps with an elite group of soldiers.
They were wearing armor, and the sound of metal clashing made when they moved, and they exuded an imposing aura.
Qiu Zhentian saluted Shen Qingtan: "Your subordinate Qiu Zhentian..."
Shen Qingtan interrupted him: "General Qiu, have you brought the county horse?"
Qiu Zhentian knew what Shen Qingtan meant. When the King of Zhenbei received the letter from the Imperial Teacher, he also received a letter from Shen Qingtan.
Today we are going to perform a big drama to reveal from them the truth that Zhao Yi did not "die of illness" in Yingcheng.
"The county horse contracted an epidemic in Yingcheng, and the miracle doctor cured him. After he recovered, he immediately set out for the capital to report the good news."
Qiu Zhentian explained, "When we heard the news of Jun Ma's death, we thought it was a rumor. It wasn't until you wrote to us and asked us to bring Jun Ma's ashes that we felt something was wrong."
"This man is fine, he can't just disappear out of thin air, right?" Shen Qingtan's face turned pale, and he muttered to himself, "The prince is not in Yingcheng, and he hasn't returned to the capital... If he is alive and well, where is he? Why hasn't he appeared in so many days? If he is gone, who killed him?"
Facing Shen Qingtan's series of questions, Qiu Zhentian asked, "Where did the news of the county lord's death in Yingcheng come from?"
Shen Qingtan looked confused and subconsciously looked at the Imperial Teacher.
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