Chapter 349 Father and Son Meet
Even so, the Northern Qi emperor was still weighing the pros and cons, calculating whether to reward Zhao Yi or suppress the people with thunderous means.
Because the matter has become a big deal, if he wants to reward Zhao Yi, he cannot be perfunctory and must give him some real power.
Although he could find any excuse to attack Zhao Yi and remove him from his post in the future, he did not like being forced to do something. If he compromised this time, would these ministers use the same trick to force him to compromise in the future when they encountered conflicting political views?
As an emperor, he has the power of life and death over the subjects of Northern Qi. Is it his turn for these subjects to teach him how to do things?
It's simply outrageous.
But if he suppresses the people with an iron fist and uses a tough attitude to suppress public opinion, he will probably be seen as a tyrant in the eyes of the people.
The Emperor of Northern Qi was caught in a dilemma.
They all relied on their status as the court's right-hand men to try to gain power over him.
Suddenly, the Emperor of Northern Qi felt that the Imperial Teacher was his most loyal minister.
Never force him or make things difficult for him.
Nor will he think highly of himself and try to manipulate him.
At this moment, the Emperor of Northern Qi really hoped that the imperial teacher would be present.
If the imperial teacher was present, he would not be so embarrassed.
Seeing that the Emperor of Northern Qi was still hesitant to make a decision, the censor took off his black hat, suddenly stood up and rushed towards the pillar in the hall.
With a dull thud, the censor fell to the ground.
The Emperor of Northern Qi looked at the censor's forehead, which was broken and the bright red blood flowing out, staining his gray eyebrows red.
The last time was when he reported to the emperor's teacher that he had concealed the fact that Zhao Yi had contracted the epidemic. This time, he was the one who made a desperate appeal to severely punish the Lin family, hoping that Zhao Yi would be rewarded for his merits.
If he were a tyrant, he would have chopped off their heads one by one. But he understood that water can carry a boat but can also overturn it, and that only by winning the hearts of the people can one win the world.
The Northern Qi Emperor could only swallow his anger and asked, "In your opinion, how should I deal with this matter?"
"Your Majesty, this matter is of grave importance. The criminal Lin Yi defied the imperial authority, and Prince Guangling beheaded him on the spot to demonstrate the majesty of the royal family. Therefore, he must not be punished, and he must be rewarded."
"In this way, anyone who harms the heir to the throne, regardless of their rank, will be executed on the spot. Those treacherous and treacherous individuals will no longer dare to harbor evil intentions against the heir to the throne, let alone infringe upon the imperial power."
At this point, the ministers backed off a bit. "The Concubine Shu has made great contributions in bearing the heir to the throne, and the guilty minister Lin Yi has made great contributions to the country. Your Majesty, in recognition of these two contributions, can show special mercy to the Lin family, spare the death penalty for the main members of the Lin family, and remove them from their posts as a warning to others and as a token of your grace."
They knew that the Emperor of Northern Qi did not attack the Lin family in order to maintain balance.
If they are pushed too far, I'm afraid they won't be able to achieve any of their goals.
"Prince Guangling was defending the imperial dignity and had just executed Lin Yi. This is understandable. I will reward him according to his merits and restore the imperial prestige."
The Northern Qi Emperor was unwilling to be led by his ministers, and said in a cold voice, "As for the Lin family, since you, my dear ministers, have said that Concubine Shu has made great contributions to the birth of an heir, and Lin Yi has made great contributions to the court, we must show special favor to the Lin family. We will punish them with a small punishment and a big warning: fine them one year's salary and demote them one rank."
The ministers' purpose was to reward Zhao Yi, and they did not think of destroying the Lin family in one fell swoop.
Now that their goal has been achieved, they will no longer offend the Emperor of Northern Qi.
The ministers kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise."
The Northern Qi Emperor shouted angrily, "All of you, get out of here!"
The ministers helped the censor out.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. These censors are upright and unyielding. They always speak frankly and don't care about anyone's face."
Eunuch Liu brought a cup of tea to the Northern Qi Emperor and said, "No matter how persistent they are, you are the one who has the final say in Northern Qi. They can't get past you."
"One after another, they claim that the imperial power is inviolable, yet one after another, they contradict and disobey me." The Northern Qi Emperor was furious. He tapped his fingers on the table and motioned for Eunuch Liu to put the tea aside. "Go and invite the Imperial Tutor into the palace."
"As you command." Eunuch Liu then remembered something: "Prince Guangling is waiting outside the palace, awaiting your summons."
The Northern Qi Emperor frowned and said indifferently, "Let him in."
"Yes." Eunuch Liu left the hall and invited Zhao Yi in.
Zhao Yi stepped into the hall and saluted the Northern Qi Emperor: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
The Emperor of Northern Qi raised his eyes to look at Zhao Yi, who was wearing a red python robe. He had a bright and handsome appearance, clear eyes and thin eyebrows, and his handsome figure was like a jade tree standing in the wind.
Whether in bearing or appearance, he was extremely outstanding among his sons.
The Emperor of Northern Qi saw from Zhao Yi's calmness that he was indifferent to the world, as if no matter what he went through, his proud character could not be broken.
This alone reveals a bit of Yizhen's shadow.
After more than 20 years of separation, their first meeting lacked the warmth and emotion of a family reunion. One was cold and distant, the other wary and cautious, with no trace of father-son affection.
When Zhao Yi was born, the Emperor of Northern Qi had complicated feelings towards him.
After all, he was his eldest son, and as a new father, he had expectations in his heart. However, this expectation faded with the change in his attitude towards Princess Yizhen.
Now that Zhao Yi grew up in the enemy country, his heart is probably completely towards the Great Zhou. This alone makes him unable to feel like a father.
Not to mention that after Zhao Yi came to Northern Qi, he caused a lot of trouble, which led to him being threatened with death by a group of censors.
Thinking of this, the Northern Qi Emperor's subtle feelings towards Zhao Yi turned into dissatisfaction.
"Get up." The Northern Qi Emperor disliked Zhao Yi, but he was still his son. He asked, "How is your health?"
Zhao Yi replied, "Your Majesty, everything is fine."
The Northern Qi Emperor stared at Zhao Yi's pale face and asked again, "The climate in Great Zhou is different from that in Northern Qi. This is your first time in the capital. Are you used to everything?"
Zhao Yi said in a gentle voice, "Your Majesty has sent people to take care of the mansion. I am living very comfortably here, and it is no different from being in the Great Zhou."
The Northern Qi Emperor smiled and said, "I've wronged you during this plague control effort. You've saved the people of several cities and performed a great service. I will definitely reward you handsomely."
The Emperor of Northern Qi did not mention a word about Lin Yi.
"Thanks to the great blessing of Your Majesty, I was able to successfully control the plague. However, I was incompetent and almost messed up the job." Zhao Yi said humbly, "I dare not take credit for it."
The Northern Qi Emperor saw that Zhao Yi was humble and did not take credit for his achievements, which was very similar to Princess Yizhen. The slight dissatisfaction he had in his heart towards him dissipated a little.
He acted like a kind father, and said gently, "You have just recovered from a serious illness. You should rest well at home for the next period of time. When you are well again, come back and share my worries."
Zhao Yi expressed his gratitude: "I, your humble servant, bow my head in gratitude for the grace of Heaven."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the father and son fell into silence, with nothing else to say.
The Northern Qi Emperor broke the silence and waved his hand: "You are still weak, go back home and rest early."
Zhao Yi took his leave.
The Emperor of Northern Qi looked at Zhao Yi's leaving figure, and seemed to see Yizhen in a trance, and was slightly dazed.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Imperial Master is here."
The voice of Eunuch Liu seemed to reach his ears from far away. The Emperor of Northern Qi suddenly came to his senses and saw the imperial teacher standing in front of the hall greeting him.
"Imperial Master, I have something important to discuss with you."
The Emperor of Northern Qi stood up, walked a few steps to the imperial tutor, and told him everything about the censor's death.
The Northern Qi Emperor was still furious when this matter was mentioned. "As the Emperor of a country, how can I allow them to control me? I did not deal with the Lin family, and I must have my reasons. They all claim to share my worries and care about my great cause, but in fact they are aggressive towards me. If I were not a wise ruler, I would chop off their heads today."
After venting this anger, the anger that had been burning in the chest of the Northern Qi Emperor finally subsided.
The Northern Qi Emperor sighed, "If everyone were like you, I would have a lot less worries."
"Your Majesty, the speaker is innocent," the Imperial Preceptor said slowly. "The duty of the censors is to criticize and criticize all officials and to clean up the bureaucracy."
The Northern Qi Emperor listened to the Imperial Preceptor's advice and asked, "Then, according to the Imperial Preceptor, how should I deal with the Prince of Guangling?"
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