Chapter 417 Assassination
Master Feng frowned, his pen in hand, as he pondered Madam Feng's words. First, the Empress was frail and had difficulty conceiving, having been married to His Majesty for years without a child. Second, a palace maid had an affair with a guard, and a month later, news of her death spread, and then the Empress became pregnant.
It would be ridiculous to suspect that the Prince of Qi was not the Queen's son because of these two points.
But it was really strange that Mrs. Feng mentioned the female doctor beside the queen.
This female doctor was quite a prominent figure, having been recommended by the Imperial Physician Zhong and personally invited by His Majesty to take care of the Empress's health. After the Empress gave birth, she was weakened, but the female doctor retired without warning.
They had no idea how the empress explained the situation to the Emperor of Northern Qi.
At that time, they would just think that the female doctor had done something wrong and angered the Queen.
Looking back on the past now, it seems strange no matter how I look at it.
Madam Feng said, "Master, besides the Lin family and us, the only person who knew about the affair between the palace maid and the guard was Concubine Shu. The maid's death occurred almost a year after the doctor left the palace. Who would have thought of this?"
After all, confusing the royal bloodline would result in the extermination of nine generations of the clan. Who could have expected that the queen would be so bold?
Then, Mrs. Feng thought of the historical records of a case where a concubine was replaced with a cat for the prince, and she no longer thought it was so absurd.
"Master, if you think about it carefully, this possibility is not impossible. If the Queen is unable to give birth, and the Virtuous Prince is the only one of pure royal blood, then the position of Crown Prince must belong to the Virtuous Prince. In order to consolidate her position, the Queen took the risky tactic of adopting a child as her own."
Mrs. Feng continued to persuade her, "Besides, we are only sending people to investigate the doctor's whereabouts and ask her to confirm this matter. Whether it is true or not, it will not cause any loss to us."
"You know our family's situation best, and we rely on the virtuous king to turn things around. But given the current situation, unless the King of Guangling and the King of Qi commit heinous crimes, the virtuous king won't be able to turn things around."
At this point, she snorted coldly: "When the King of Qi or the King of Guangling comes to power in the future, you can expect our family to be suppressed."
Mr. Feng was shaken. Just as Mrs. Feng said, it was just looking for someone and there was no loss.
"The female doctor's medical skills are superb, and she has just caught the eye of Doctor Zhong. She is good at treating women's illnesses, and with her ability, she will definitely become famous." Master Feng put down the tube in his hand: "This way, the target is clear, and it will be easy to find the person."
If it were an ordinary female doctor, things would be much more difficult.
Seeing that Mr. Feng had listened to her words and arranged for his confidant to look for the person, Mrs. Feng couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and hoped that the person would be found as soon as possible.
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On the other side, the King of Qi privately instructed his confidants to contact Zhao Yi's people again, temporarily postponing the plan to give him more time to prepare.
After recuperating for nearly a month, the King of Qi's injuries had improved a lot. On the night before the start of his plan with Zhao Yi, he ordered the eunuchs to change his clothes and went to the Yangxin Palace to meet the Emperor of Northern Qi.
The eunuch waiting at the door saw the King of Qi coming, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. He quickly saluted and said, "Your servant greets His Highness."
The King of Qi asked calmly, "Has Father gone to bed?"
The eunuch replied, "Your Majesty has not yet rested."
After saying this, he went into the hall to pass on the message.
In a moment, the eunuch came out from the hall and said respectfully, "Your Highness, His Majesty invites you into the hall."
The King of Qi nodded slightly and stepped into the bedroom. He saw the Emperor of Northern Qi sitting on the couch in an outer robe. On the small table above the couch was a pot of tea, with wisps of steam rising from it.
He looked at the Northern Qi Emperor's listless face through the thin mist and clenched his hands at his side. These days, lying in bed recuperating, he had been tossing and turning in his thoughts.
He thought about killing the Emperor of Northern Qi. If he succeeded, his mother would be in control of the palace and suppress all the news. Maybe he could ascend the throne and eliminate the trouble forever.
Even if he failed and faced the possibility of death, Zhao Yi had a 90% chance of ascending the throne as the virtuous king was still in his fiefdom. Zhao Yi had promised him that he would protect his mother and the others.
But his mother didn't want him to do anything stupid and wanted him to live well, so he couldn't kill the Emperor of Northern Qi and put himself in danger.
The Northern Qi Emperor didn't hear anything for a while. He closed a memorial and looked up at the dazed Prince Qi: "Why, don't you recognize me?"
The Prince of Qi came to his senses and bowed to the Emperor of Northern Qi: "I am recovering in the palace and have not yet come to pay my respects to you, father. Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, so I will come to pay my respects to you."
After a pause, he blamed himself and said, "Seeing the Emperor today, I realized that his health is not as strong as before, and there are white hairs on his temples. I feel guilty. Now that I have come of age, not only have I failed to share the Emperor's worries, but I have also made you worry about me."
"It's rare that you have such filial piety." The Northern Qi Emperor smiled. "Is there any parent in this world who doesn't worry about their children?" He put down the memorial and pointed to the side. "Sit down."
When the King of Qi heard the Northern Qi Emperor's words, he twitched the corners of his lips and couldn't help but sneer inwardly. If the Northern Qi Emperor truly cared about his children, how could he manipulate his sons into fighting each other to the death in order to consolidate his position?
He slowly walked to the side of the Northern Qi Emperor and sat down, then heard the Northern Qi Emperor ask, "How is your injury?"
The King of Qi glanced at his left arm and moved it slightly, his movements being restricted. "The wound has healed. The doctor said I need to recuperate slowly."
"Your injuries have improved a lot, so you can return home and recuperate." The Northern Qi Emperor took the teapot and poured a cup of tea, placing it in front of the King of Qi. "I will temporarily hand over your duties to your brother. Once you have recovered, you can help me with my worries."
The King of Qi clenched his fists. He had heard this kind of talk countless times. The Northern Qi Emperor was simply plotting to hand over his power to Zhao Yi, so that he would harbor hatred for him and then oppose him at every turn.
When he really makes a mistake, the Emperor of Northern Qi will stand up and favor him, allowing him to see hope and be grateful to the Emperor of Northern Qi.
Resentment arose in his heart.
If the Emperor of Northern Qi was not a selfish person and had appointed a crown prince according to ancestral teachings, the dispute over the foundation of the country would not have occurred.
He didn't need to know his own life experience in his entire life. He could only wait for the death of the Northern Qi emperor and then ascend the throne naturally.
Even if we take a step back, if the Emperor of Northern Qi had not doted on Concubine Shu and encouraged her ambition, even if Concubine Shu had the courage to plot against his mother, she would not have dared.
In this way, he would not exist.
He wouldn't have to face the embarrassing situation he is in now, worrying all day about how to save his life.
The root of all this is the Emperor of Northern Qi.
"Your brother is quite capable, but of my sons, I have the most confidence in you." The Northern Qi Emperor didn't notice anything was wrong with the Prince of Qi, and simply assumed he was unhappy to hear this: "Because you are the most like me."
These words hurt the King of Qi. Resentment and unwillingness were intertwined in his heart. He suddenly pulled out the dagger from his sleeve and stabbed the Emperor of Northern Qi.
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