Chapter 385 The people he forgot are protected by light
For so many years, no matter how hard they dug, they still couldn't find the prince of the previous dynasty.
The Emperor of Northern Qi suspected that the crown prince of the previous dynasty was dead.
If he were still alive, the former prince, who was burdened with a deep blood feud and shouldered the heavy responsibility of restoring the country, should have planned every step and cultivated forces to restore the country.
In this case, the noise would be quite loud and he would have noticed it long ago.
Unfortunately, the court was calm, there were no suspicious people, let alone suspicious forces.
He gradually let down his guard.
It was not until Concubine Shu mentioned to him that Jiang Jian was the remnant of the previous dynasty, who colluded with the forces of the previous dynasty to wipe out the entire Lin family.
He didn't believe that Jiang Jianzheng would collude with the remnants of the previous dynasty. After all, Jiang Jianzheng was able to see through the secrets of heaven.
If he was not the true emperor, why would Jiang Jianzheng be loyal to him?
Secondly, the Lin family has been thrown into prison, waiting to be beheaded.
If Jiang Jian was a remnant of the previous dynasty, there would be no need to risk exposing his identity and destroy the Lin family.
Even so, this sentence planted a seed of doubt in his heart... He suspected that the remnants of the previous dynasty had wiped out the entire Lin family.
Because apart from the forces of the previous dynasty, there is no other force in the capital that can do this.
The remnants of the previous dynasty were probably doing this to provoke him.
The Northern Qi Emperor thought so, but he still arranged for someone to keep an eye on Jiang Jianzheng. Jiang Jianzheng would go to the government office every day and stay at home to take care of Jiang Chengfeng, without showing any signs of abnormality.
The capital returned to its former tranquility, but the Emperor of Northern Qi became increasingly restless, always worried that a bigger storm was brewing beneath the seemingly calm surface.
Sure enough, the prince of the previous dynasty actually sent people to sneak into the national temple to steal Yizhen's bones.
The purpose of their doing this must be to unite with the Great Zhou to overthrow the Chu family's rule and achieve the goal of restoring the country.
"Speak." The Northern Qi Emperor's eyes were red and he was furious. "Where is Chang Yuan?"
It is easy to dodge a spear but difficult to guard against an arrow from the dark. The Emperor of Northern Qi was afraid that the knife in the dark would cut his neck.
The criminal's lower jaw had been removed, making it difficult for him to speak and his speech was slurred.
At this moment, being strangled by the Northern Qi Emperor, he was speechless and could only utter a few words: "I. Don't. Know."
The Northern Qi Emperor stared fiercely at the criminal. Seeing that he still refused to reveal Chang Yuan's whereabouts, he said sinisterly, "I will not let you die easily."
He withdrew his hand and ordered, "Skin him alive for me. When he lets go, I'll give him a quick death."
The secret guard was stunned, but he quickly reacted and picked out a thin and sharp blade to punish him.
Eunuch Liu was terrified and wanted to say something, but seeing the Northern Qi Emperor's furious expression, he dared not say anything. He could only lower his head, not looking at the cruel and bloody scene.
But the criminal's shrill screams assaulted his eardrums, and he couldn't help but say to the Northern Qi Emperor: "Your Majesty, Chang Yuan should be in the Prince of Qi's Palace."
"Prince Qi's Mansion?" The Northern Qi Emperor looked at Eunuch Liu's pale face with a gloomy expression. "Does Prince Qi have the guts to secretly harbor the crown prince of the previous dynasty?"
Eunuch Liu was stunned: "Chang Yuan is Chang An's younger brother. He...he can't be the crown prince of the previous dynasty."
"Chang Yuan?" The Northern Qi Emperor realized, "He's not talking about Chang Yuan?"
Eunuch Liu realized that the Emperor of Northern Qi had misheard and slowly shook his head.
The Northern Qi Emperor's mood did not feel relieved, but rather gloomy. He realized that he was too sensitive to the remnants of the previous dynasty, which was why he misunderstood the prince of the previous dynasty when he heard the similar pronunciation.
The remnants of the previous dynasty are like a poisonous sore growing on his bones. Until this sore is removed, his heart disease will never heal.
The Emperor of Northern Qi turned around and saw that the criminal's neck was twisted and he had died.
Eunuch Liu glanced in the direction of the criminal and saw pieces of white bones and bright red blood staining the monk's robe. Such a tragic scene reminded him of the tragic death of Princess Yizhen.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
"He trespassed into the Imperial Concubine's resting place, and his death deserves no pity."
The Emperor of Northern Qi said this, left the darkroom, and prepared to go to the National Temple.
At this time, the eunuch reported: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi is kneeling at the door of the Imperial Study to apologize to you."
The Emperor of Northern Qi thought of what happened in the dark room, and returned to the imperial study with a solemn expression. From a distance, he saw the King of Qi kneeling at the door of the imperial study.
He stared at the back of King Qi, as if considering how to deal with him.
After a long time, he walked over.
The Northern Qi Emperor said calmly, "Chong'er, why are you kneeling here?"
"I have done something wrong, and I am here to apologize."
When the King of Qi chased the Emperor of Northern Qi out, he learned that the person he sent to steal Yizhen's remains had been caught and sent to the palace to await interrogation by the Emperor of Northern Qi.
He realized the seriousness of the situation and went to the imperial study to apologize honestly.
"I overheard someone say that the Imperial Concubine's remains were placed in the State Temple, and I immediately felt someone was deliberately trying to harm my mother. After all, my mother had buried the Imperial Concubine long ago. How could she possibly be in the State Temple?"
"I took advantage of their tactic and deliberately arranged for someone to go to the National Temple to see what the purpose of those who spread the rumors was."
The King of Qi lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "Who would have thought...it would actually be true. I, your son, realize that I have made a grave mistake and have come to ask for your punishment."
The Northern Qi Emperor, listening to the Prince of Qi's flawed words, could not fail to see his subtle intentions. He specifically brought up the matter of the Empress collecting Yizhen's remains, hoping that the Prince would not pursue today's matter further for the Empress's sake.
The Emperor of Northern Qi was in a very complicated mood. He had suspected Prince Yu and Zhao Yi, but he had never doubted Prince Qi.
It turned out that the person who broke into the national temple was arranged by the King of Qi.
Logically, the King of Qi should be severely punished, but now he only has two sons, the King of Qi and Zhao Yi, to use.
The Emperor of Northern Qi subconsciously wanted to consult with the Imperial Preceptor, but he gave up the idea when he thought of the folk rumors that he was incompetent and that he had to ask the Imperial Preceptor for decisions no matter what he did.
He couldn't help but wonder, if it was the Imperial Master, how would he handle it?
The Imperial Preceptor will surely consider the overall situation and impose a minor punishment on the King of Qi, right?
"You acted impulsively and were led by the nose." The Northern Qi Emperor said sternly, "Go and receive ten lashes. Think carefully about your mistakes in the palace. As for the affairs in your hands, I will temporarily hand them over to Prince Guangling."
The King of Qi was stunned. Not only was he beaten and confined to his house, but his power was also taken away?
The Northern Qi Emperor then said, "Deal with Chang Yuan in your palace."
The King of Qi's face changed drastically. He wanted to plead for Chang Yuan, but he saw the Emperor of Northern Qi entering the imperial study.
The Northern Qi emperor changed into casual clothes and took Eunuch Liu and others to the National Temple. Sitting in the carriage, he picked up a scroll and glanced at it, revealing a poem.
[We sleep under white clouds together at night, and watch the dawn of the morning. 】
The Emperor of Northern Qi stared at the character "Chang". Judging from the shape of the character, Chang means eternal sun, which shows how much hope the emperor of the previous dynasty had placed on Chang Yuan.
He smiled coldly and said, "He is just a slave of a conquered country."
The Emperor of Northern Qi tore off the page of paper with a "hiss".
The carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain. The Emperor of Northern Qi quietly went up the mountain and, under the guidance of the abbot, came to the Zen temple in the back mountain.
He pushed open the door and saw a spirit tablet placed on the altar, with the sun shining on it from the window. It was as if she had been forgotten here by him, and this ray of warm and bright sunlight was protecting her.
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