Chapter 348: Happy
Shen Qingtan took the brocade box handed to her by Luzhi and expressed her gratitude towards the inner hall: "I thank the queen for her gift."
"The Queen prepared two gifts for each princess, one is a meeting gift, and the other is a wedding gift." Luzhi explained.
Shen Qingtan's eyes moved slightly. Luzhi's words meant that the queen was treating everyone equally, and it was not because of any special care that she prepared an extra gift for her.
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty." Shen Qingtan was somewhat flattered. She lowered her eyes to look at the intricately carved Ruyi pattern on the box. "I heard that Your Majesty is kind-hearted and compassionate. When the prince and I got married in the Great Zhou, Your Majesty even specially prepared wedding gifts for us."
After hearing what Shen Qingtan said, Luzhi said respectfully, "Princess, you don't look well. You must be tired from the long journey yesterday and you're still feeling a little unwell. I'm going to the Imperial Hospital to get medicine for you. Could you please give me a ride?"
When Shen Qingtan heard Luzhi mention her expression, she vaguely understood Luzhi's intention: "Thank you for your help."
When she came out of Changle Palace, she saw a palace maid leaving stealthily.
Shen Qingtan glanced at Luzhi beside him, and sat in the sedan chair as if nothing had happened.
The eunuchs carried the sedan chair and walked towards the palace gate.
The sedan chair stopped at the palace gate. Shen Qingtan got on the carriage and took out a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe the fine powder off his face.
Liu Yue lifted the curtain of the carriage window and saw the carriage moving slowly with guards brought from the Guangling Palace standing by. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
She lowered the curtain and asked, "Princess, was the Queen worried that Concubine Shu would give you a hard time, so she came to your rescue just now?"
After all, Luzhi's every word and action needs to be approved by the Queen.
Shen Qingtan couldn't figure out what the Queen was thinking. Although the Queen rarely appeared in public and only appeared on important occasions, she firmly controlled the power of the harem.
Today, Concubine Shu intended to provoke opposition between the Queen and their Guangling Palace. Judging from the Queen's methods and cunning, she could probably see it clearly.
Did the Empress order Luzhi to send her out of the palace deliberately to show it to Concubine Shu?
After all, the virtuous prince born to Concubine Shu is more threatening to the Prince of Qi born to the Queen.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Is this why the Queen helped her?
Shen Qingtan replied: "I guess so."
She opened the gift sent by the queen, and in the box was a set of head ornaments inlaid with kingfisher feathers, rubies and pearls.
She opened the second ruyi-patterned box and saw a jade pendant inside, with a red tassel hanging from it and a few jade beads woven into it as embellishment.
Shen Qingtan took out the jade pendant and looked at it carefully. The jade pendant was smooth and had no patterns carved on it. There was nothing special about it.
They are just a few jade beads used for decoration, engraved with neat Sanskrit.
She carefully examined the Sanskrit characters but could not identify what they were.
Buddhist scriptures are generally written in Sanskrit. Shen Qingtan guessed that the beads were engraved with Buddhist scriptures, so he stopped examining them and put the jade pendant back into the box.
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In Zhaohua Palace, Concubine Shu had a gloomy look on her face. She really didn't expect Shen Qingtan to be so eloquent. Instead of gaining the upper hand, she was pushed to the forefront.
Any woman in the harem who wanted to climb up the ladder would be hostile to her and would want to get rid of her as a stumbling block as soon as possible.
At this time, a palace maid hurried in, knelt on the ground and reported: "Your Majesty, the Queen has sent Lu Zhi, who is by her side, to escort the Princess of Guangling out of the palace."
Concubine Shu sneered, "The Queen really wants to win over Prince Guangling."
It's a pity that Zhao Yi was destined to never make a name for himself in Northern Qi.
The emperor only has guards against and uses Zhao Yi, so how could he let Zhao Yi take power in Northern Qi?
If Zhao Yi had not killed his brother, he might have been rewarded for his meritorious service and quickly gained a foothold in the court.
Zhao Yi's impulsiveness made him miss his only chance to take power in Northern Qi.
Because the emperor would never assign any tasks to Zhao Yi again.
"Your Highness, the Prince of Guangling has no power or influence in Northern Qi; he's just a prince with an empty title." Hongqiao brought a cup of tea and advised, "You want to avenge your Excellency. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Don't let today's incident make you sick."
Concubine Shu did not respond to Hongqiao's words. Whenever she thought of her brother's tragic death at the hands of Zhao Yi, she wished she could cut Zhao Yi into pieces immediately.
Hongqiao whispered, "I heard that Prince Guangling went to the Imperial Study to meet His Majesty, but His Majesty hasn't summoned him into the palace yet."
She glanced out the window, a smile on her face: "Prince Guangling has just recovered from a serious illness and is very weak. It's so cold, please don't get cold again."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Shu felt happy.
The emperor deliberately ignored Zhao Yi in order to warn him.
She waved her hand, motioning Hongqiao to come over and whisper a few words to her.
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At the same time, Zhao Yi stood tall and graceful at the door of the imperial study, his eyes fixed on the tightly closed door, and faintly heard the sound of an argument coming from inside the hall.
The eunuch guarding the door saw that Zhao Yi looked pale and was worried that something might happen to him, so he took out a sleeve warmer and handed it to him.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty is summoning ministers. I don't know when he will call you in. Please warm your hands with the sleeve stove first."
Zhao Yi stared at the sleeve stove and was about to speak.
With a "bang", the sound of porcelain breaking on the ground was heard in the hall.
The eunuch shuddered with fear, shrank back to the door, and looked into the hall through the crack.
"Your Majesty, please calm down." The minister knelt on the ground and continued, "The people are praising Prince Guangling and speaking out for him."
"The Prince of Guangling, the heir to the throne, is punishing a treacherous minister who plotted to murder the heir and brought disaster to the people. He is actually using his great achievements in controlling the plague to atone for his crime."
"This is undoubtedly telling everyone in the world that the Lin family is above the imperial power. Where is the imperial power?"
"Prince Guangling has violated Northern Qi's laws by killing a fourth-rank minister. He should be punished according to the law." The Northern Qi emperor was filled with anger. "Merits are merits, faults are faults. How can we confuse the two?"
"The treacherous minister Lin Yi has defied the imperial authority. Prince Guangling's actions are intended to establish the royal family's prestige in the eyes of the people and deter any traitors harboring evil intentions."
The ministers continued to advise: "Your Majesty, if you do not severely punish the Lin family and appease the people's resentment, I am afraid that no one will take the royal family seriously in the future."
The Emperor of Northern Qi clenched his fists, and veins bulged on his forehead.
These ministers were forcing him to compromise and reward Zhao Yi to appease the people's grievances.
What is Zhao Yi’s identity?
Have they all forgotten?
"A mere court official dared to assassinate the prince, and he remained unpunished. People are already saying, 'The emperor takes turns, and next year it will be my turn.'"
The old censor shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, the imperial power is inviolable. This old minister is willing to die in protest."
When the Emperor of Northern Qi heard the proverb circulating among the people, his face suddenly changed.
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