Chapter 393 How is Mr. Yan?
The Imperial Teacher stood at the entrance of Chengtian Hall, gazing at the Queen calmly, with no intention of approaching.
Upon seeing this, the commander of the Imperial Guards understood that the Imperial Preceptor was avoiding suspicion and quickly explained the reason: "The Empress heard that a statue appeared out of nowhere in the palace, frightening His Majesty to the point of fainting, so she came here to investigate."
The imperial teacher raised his eyebrows slightly. The Emperor of Northern Qi fainted from fright. The Queen did not go to visit the Emperor of Northern Qi, but came to check the statue first.
Was she trying to avoid serving the Emperor of Northern Qi, or did she notice something?
The Queen heard the voice of the commander of the Imperial Guard and looked over. The moment she saw the Imperial Teacher, she was slightly stunned, very surprised that the Imperial Teacher would appear here.
On second thought, the empress thought about the Northern Qi emperor's reliance on the imperial tutor, and she no longer found it strange.
She looked at the Imperial Tutor, with his elegant features and divine grace. After all these years, neither his appearance nor his demeanor had changed much. Only upon closer inspection did she notice the sharp edge between his brows and eyes, seemingly softened by the passage of time, leaving him with a deeper, more reserved expression.
It’s no wonder that such a dazzling man has become the ideal husband in the eyes of the noble ladies in the capital.
It's a pity that no one can marry him as he wishes.
Thinking of this, the Empress couldn't help but recall the year Yizhen entered the palace. She had, according to custom, invited the daughters of various wealthy families to come to the palace to admire the lotus. The Imperial Preceptor, accompanied by several scholars, walked through the winding corridor and headed towards the study.
All the noble ladies covered their faces with round fans and looked at the imperial teacher shyly. Even the married ladies couldn't help but cast curious glances. Only Yizhen was making tea and didn't even glance at him.
She heard everyone whispering about which noblewoman the Imperial Tutor would marry. When Yizhen handed her a cup of warm tea, she couldn't help but ask, "Princess, what do you think of Young Master Yan?"
Upon hearing this, Yizhen turned her head and saw the Imperial Preceptor casually glancing in her direction. Unexpectedly, she glanced at him with a stern expression. After a single glance, she looked away and whispered, "Young Master Yan is a top scholar. He will surely be made a marquis or a prime minister someday."
She was slightly stunned and wanted to ask something else, but she heard Yizhen continue, "If the emperor could have such a talented person by his side, he would definitely be able to assist him in benefiting the people of the Great Zhou."
At that time, she understood that Yizhen was different from these noble ladies. She only cared about her country and her family. Love was too insignificant for her, a hostage princess.
She followed the noble ladies' words and asked Yizhen, even if it was just a casual chat, it was indeed offensive.
Now the imperial teacher really holds an almighty status as Yizhen said, assisting the emperor of Northern Qi and benefiting the people of Northern Qi.
No care for the love between young people.
The Queen thought that perhaps the Imperial Preceptor and Yizhen were the same kind of people, sticking to their own beliefs and not being able to tolerate anything else.
The Imperial Preceptor bowed and said, "This humble official pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress."
"No need to be so polite." The Queen's voice was cold. "Is the Imperial Tutor here under the Emperor's orders to thoroughly investigate the statue?"
The imperial teacher nodded slightly.
The Queen asked, "Does the Imperial Preceptor know the purpose of this statue's sudden appearance in the palace?"
The Imperial Master did not answer but asked, "Have you found any clues, Madam?"
The queen stared at the imperial teacher without blinking, but could not see any clues on his face.
Except for staying in the National Temple for a few days every year, or leaving the capital to carry out official business at the emperor's order, the imperial tutor basically stayed in the capital at other times and was available at any time by the Emperor of Northern Qi.
This year is an exception.
Although the reasons given by the Imperial Master were very sufficient, her intuition told her that this was not the case.
After all, those who are involved are often confused, while those who are on the sidelines can see things more clearly.
She did not trust the imperial tutor as much as the Emperor of Northern Qi did.
Unfortunately, the Imperial Teacher hid things too deeply. Even if there was something strange, she couldn't find out with just a few words.
The queen gave up the idea of testing and looked at the tall statue beside her. The whole body was covered with the patterns of scales, as if the statue was pieced together piece by piece with something.
She stood at the foot of the statue and could clearly see that it was covered with a layer of dust and exuded a cold and damp smell. It was probably stored in a dark place without sunlight before.
"Do you think this statue will remain in Chengtian Hall?" The Queen extended her index finger and gently rubbed it against the statue, scraping off a bit of dust. "There's no other way to move the statue into the palace without alerting the guards."
She looked at the empty, flat ground and suspected the statue was hidden underground. However, the commander of the Royal Guards searched the place inside and out several times but could not find any mechanism.
The Queen pondered, "If we move this statue, will we be able to find the answer?"
She suspected the mechanism was hidden beneath the statue's base.
The Imperial Preceptor did not respond to the Queen's words, but looked up at the majestic and powerful statue, wondering what he was thinking about.
The Queen did not wait for the Imperial Preceptor's response. She followed his gaze and unexpectedly discovered that the statue was looking in the direction of the Golden Palace, as if it existed to guard the Zong Zheng family's kingdom.
"Your Majesty, there's some truth to what you say." The Imperial Preceptor slowly walked towards the statue, his fingers touching the carvings on it. "Why not have someone give it a try?"
The queen frowned slightly and looked at the imperial teacher's dirty fingers with inquiring eyes. Before she had time to think about it, she saw the imperial teacher ordering people to move the statue away.
Lvzhi was afraid that the guards would bump into the queen, so she quickly escorted the queen away from the statue.
The guards prepared tools, put them on the statue, and prepared to work together to move the statue away.
There was only a "click" sound, as if some mechanism was triggered, and the tall and majestic statue collapsed, sinking inch by inch.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
