Chapter 405: Clearing Up Misunderstandings
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi looked up at the Emperor of Northern Qi and saw that his expression was gentle, like that of a kind elder.
The Northern Qi Emperor put his hands behind his back and asked casually, "Yier, I heard that you called on the soldiers from the garrison to look for Shen Qingtan?"
"Everyone knows that His Majesty entrusted me with the important task of hunting down the remnants of the previous dynasty. I led the troops to destroy their lair. Afterwards, the princess disappeared, and I couldn't help but suspect that it was the remnants of the previous dynasty who were responsible."
"If the princess falls into their hands, not only will they have another bargaining chip in their negotiations with the Great Zhou, but they can also use the princess to threaten me. In your opinion, should I mobilize the soldiers of the garrison to rescue the princess?"
Zhao Yi bowed and said, "If Your Majesty thinks this is inappropriate, then I have abused my military power. I will be at Your Majesty's disposal."
The Northern Qi Emperor's smile froze. Initially, upon hearing the news, he had indeed intended to execute Zhao Yi. But when he saw the former Crown Prince's private seal, he decided to hold off on his actions for now, waiting to settle the matter later.
Now he was afraid that the former crown prince would use Yizhen's bones to cooperate with the Great Zhou, so he had to win over Zhao Yi first. As long as Zhao Yi was on his side, the Great Zhou would not cooperate with the former crown prince.
He mentioned that Zhao Yi secretly mobilized troops to find Shen Qingtan, simply because he wanted to use both kindness and force to make Zhao Yi grateful to him.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Yi would retreat in order to advance, completely disrupting his plan.
"Yier, I've already said that today, we're having a heart-to-heart talk, and there's no monarch-subject relationship here." The Northern Qi Emperor, feeling saddened by being misunderstood, sighed, "I don't mean to blame you for unauthorized deployment of troops. I simply want to understand the situation. I have a plan in mind. Tomorrow morning, I'll report you to the ministers, and I'll have a plan to protect you."
"Shen Qingtan is my daughter-in-law. She's missing. Regardless of whether she was abducted by the remnants of the previous dynasty, we should mobilize all available forces to find her." The Northern Qi Emperor said kindly, "Besides, you're my son. No matter how big your mistakes are, as a father, I should cover for you."
Zhao Yi's heart moved slightly. The Emperor of Northern Qi showed him a little favor and planned to influence him with the father-son relationship.
The Northern Qi emperor was displeased when Zhao Yi didn't respond. Then, he recalled Zhao Yi's question about Yizhen's death. He frowned, suspecting someone was gossiping about him.
Otherwise, why would Zhao Yi have no affection for him as his father?
If he wanted Zhao Yi to trust him, he had to clear up the misunderstanding.
"You asked me before how your biological mother died. Since there were outsiders present, I couldn't answer you. Since you want to know, there's no need for me to hide it from you, lest you be deceived by others and hate the wrong person."
The Northern Qi Emperor mentioned Yizhen, his eyes filled with grief. "Your biological mother was a princess of an enemy kingdom. She was held hostage in Northern Qi, suffering torture and humiliation from the sons of aristocratic families. Not only did her reputation suffer, but her innocence was also ruined. I wanted to confer her the title of consort, but my ministers opposed it."
"I had just ascended the throne, and my foundation was unstable. I was powerless to resist the court officials, so I had no choice but to ask her to submit to the emperor and wait for your uncle to ascend the throne before giving her a position. Who would have thought that before your uncle ascended the throne, Concubine Shu had forced your mother to death."
"I wish I could kill Concubine Shu and avenge your mother. But I am a truly incompetent emperor, constantly controlled by my ministers. I need her brother to clear the way for me, so I cannot touch her for the time being."
"Now that I have secured the throne, you have returned to Northern Qi to recognize your ancestors. I can finally give you and your son an explanation. I have just dealt with Concubine Shu and the Lin family."
At this point, the Northern Qi Emperor said earnestly, "Yier, I don't ask for your understanding. Once you sit in my position, you will understand my difficulties."
Zhao Yi sneered in his heart. The Emperor of Northern Qi had personally forced his mother to death, and now every word he said expressed his helplessness and hardship, and he put all the blame on Concubine Shu.
Even if we take a step back, if the Emperor of Northern Qi had not given his approval, would Concubine Shu have the courage to kill his mother?
The punishment that Concubine Shu and the Lin family received was what they deserved. But now, in the mouth of the Northern Qi Emperor, it was to avenge his mother.
If the Emperor of Northern Qi had told the truth frankly, it would have been considered responsible, but no one expected him to be so shameless.
Zhao Yi clenched his hands into fists in his wide sleeves. A rage was suffocating in his chest, burning his internal organs and giving rise to a strong hatred. He wanted to kill the Emperor of Northern Qi to avenge his mother, and he hated the dirty blood of the Emperor of Northern Qi flowing in his body even more.
He found it ridiculous when he thought that the Emperor of Northern Qi was still hinting to him that he would pass the throne to him in the future and trying to win him over with the throne.
"Really?" Zhao Yi lowered his eyelids, hiding the emotion in them. His words were more respectful. "Before, I misunderstood Your Majesty. I believed the words of a villain and mistakenly thought that Your Majesty had killed Mother. Now the misunderstanding between us father and son has been resolved. Since you treat Mother well, I will double my filial piety in the future."
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