Chapter 509 The Selfish Motives of the Two Factions
The Northern Qi Emperor was discussing state affairs with several ministers in the Qinzheng Hall. Instead of asking Zhao Yi to wait outside, he ordered the eunuch to place a chair next to him, "Yier, sit next to me and listen to the ministers' suggestions on state policy and provide me with advice."
"I obey your command." Zhao Yi sat next to the Emperor of Northern Qi very naturally.
The Northern Qi Emperor's move surprised several ministers. Then they thought that the Northern Qi Emperor only had this one son, so it was reasonable to let Prince Guangling participate in confidential matters.
However, Prince Guangling's background was special and there was great controversy, which led to the officials being divided into two factions.
Some court officials supported Prince Guangling, who was not only popular but also the most outstanding among the princes. If he became the emperor of Northern Qi, he would surely lead Northern Qi to new heights.
Although he has half the blood of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it is not all bad.
If this identity is used well, it will bring more benefits than disadvantages to the current Northern Qi.
After all, the current Northern Qi is not as strong as it was during the reign of the previous emperor, and there is a certain gap compared with the national strength of the Great Zhou.
Compared with the destruction of his country and the ruin of his family, what does Prince Guangling’s life experience matter?
They saw clearly that Emperor Jing'an and Prince Guangling were uncle and nephew, and because of Princess Yizhen, Emperor Jing'an had a strong preference for Prince Guangling. As long as the core interests of the Great Zhou were not compromised, the two countries could maintain a peaceful and friendly relationship, not only to jointly resist foreign enemies but also to increase economic exchanges and achieve mutual benefit.
As long as Northern Qi did not harbor any ill intentions towards Great Zhou during the reign of Emperor Jing'an, the two countries could have lived in peace, and there would have been ample time for Prince Guangling to govern Northern Qi so that the country would be prosperous, the people would be safe, and the army would be strong.
When Emperor Jing'an abdicated and the new emperor of the Great Zhou ascended the throne, even if the two countries could no longer maintain friendly relations, the Northern Qi would have recovered its vitality and would have the strength to compete with the Great Zhou.
They were not worried that Prince Guangling would side with the Great Zhou. After he became the emperor of Northern Qi, he became one with Northern Qi. He would not disregard the interests of the country because of his personal relationship with the Great Zhou.
Another group of court officials, although they knew Prince Guangling's background, which was a great advantage for Northern Qi, always believed that Prince Guangling grew up in the Great Zhou and had a special feeling for the Great Zhou.
If he became the emperor of Northern Qi, when the two countries came into conflict over interests and war, he would probably be lenient because of their past friendship, thus causing internal turmoil and being detrimental to the stability of the country.
More importantly, the system of succession to the throne emphasizes pure bloodline. If the Prince of Guangling, who has the blood of another country, is allowed to inherit the throne, it would be a violation of the ancestral family rules.
The ministers in the Qinzheng Hall just happened to gather these two factions.
The ministers who supported Zhao Yi were happy to see this happen.
The conservatives who did not support Zhao Yi were in a heavy mood.
After discussing state affairs, the conservatives originally planned to discuss the adoption issue with the Emperor of Northern Qi, but due to the presence of Zhao Yi and the Emperor of Northern Qi's unpredictable attitude, they were not in a position to bring it up again.
"Your Majesty, you have important matters to discuss with His Highness, so we will take our leave first." Several ministers stood up and bowed to the Emperor of Northern Qi.
Finally, they looked at Zhao Yi again, bowed to him, and their attitude was a little more respectful than before.
Zhao Yi nodded slightly.
Several ministers left the Qinzheng Hall one after another.
As soon as they left, the Northern Qi Emperor, while massaging his head, which felt like it was being chopped by a blunt knife and pricked by sharp needles, nonchalantly asked Zhao Yi, who had remained silent the entire time, "Yier, what do you think of the new policies they proposed?"
The Emperor of Northern Qi noticed the conservatives' reluctance to speak, and as early as the previous night, he secretly summoned several trusted ministers to ask them what they thought about the candidate for the crown prince.
At first, the ministers did not dare to say much, for fear of saying the wrong thing and losing their heads.
The Northern Qi emperor allowed them to speak freely and express their opinions, and would not pursue them even if their remarks were offensive to the royal family.
Only then did they dare to speak their minds.
Those who supported Zhao Yi were simply following the general trend, and they had little interest in the current royal family. Supporting Zhao Yi to ascend the throne would bring them even greater benefits.
The Emperor of Northern Qi realized that the group of ministers who supported Zhao Yi were not very loyal to the court. Each of them was driven by their own selfish desires, so they did not care whether Zhao Yi's bloodline was pure.
After all, if you look closely, the Chu family's kingdom was seized by force, and the name change is neither right nor reasonable.
As for the conservatives, they include royal relatives, in-laws and aristocratic families. They are not only loyal to the court and follow the ancestral family rules, but also have their own selfish desires, so they prefer relatives with whom they have interests involved.
If they were adopted from the royal family, they would not have to worry about damaging their own power and status.
Zhao Yi shook his head slightly: "I am a new official, with little experience, and what I have seen and heard is not as good as what you have seen and heard."
The implication is that he has no opinion.
The Northern Qi Emperor frowned. Zhao Yi hadn't responded to the palace summons the previous night, even using his shoulder injury as an excuse. Although he knew what had happened, he couldn't do anything about Zhao Yi.
He glanced at Zhao Yi's shoulder and asked with concern, "How is your injury?"
Zhao Yi replied, "Thanks to your Majesty's blessing, the injury on my shoulder has improved a lot."
One pretended to be injured, and the other asked even though he knew the answer.
There were already undercurrents in the relationship between this father and son, yet they still maintained a calm appearance.
"My health is declining. Not to mention the mountains of memorials, even just handling some paperwork is a bit overwhelming." The Northern Qi Emperor, mentioning his health, showed a rare look of worry. Then, he said with relief, "Now that you are fine, I am relieved. I hope you will recover soon and share my worries."
"Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune. A few days of rest will restore your health. I, your humble servant, will pray for your Majesty every day at your residence. I hope you will recover soon." Zhao Yi did not respond to the Northern Qi Emperor's words, as if he did not understand the deeper meaning behind them. "As the saying goes, 'one who receives the emperor's salary must share his worries.' Now that you are ill, you do not need to personally handle everything. You should let the ministers of the court share your worries."
After several confrontations, what Zhao Yi said was flawless and the Emperor of Northern Qi could not find any fault with him.
This was the first time the Emperor of Northern Qi and Zhao Yi met since the murder of King Xian.
The Emperor of Northern Qi originally thought that Zhao Yi's attitude towards him would be very different after learning of the death of the virtuous king.
After all, the only son he needed was Zhao Yi.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Yi's attitude not only did not change, but became even more indifferent.
Before this, the Emperor of Northern Qi believed that Zhao Yi's refusal to enter the palace to meet him yesterday was to test his value and weight in his mind, so he did not confront Zhao Yi about what happened last night.
Not only that, he also gave Zhao Yi great grace, allowing him to participate in secret talks and hinting to him that he intended to enthrone him as the crown prince, which reflected his value and weight everywhere.
Logically speaking, Zhao Yi should no longer be able to hide his true identity.
But Zhao Yi was too patient.
The Emperor of Northern Qi was somewhat unable to understand Zhao Yi's thoughts, but he could guess that he was probably planning a big move.
"Your filial piety has made me feel much better." The Northern Qi Emperor stopped testing Zhao Yi and went straight to the point: "Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and your fiefdom is a long way from the capital. I summoned you to the palace today so that you and the princess can leave for your fiefdom as soon as possible so that you don't miss the reunion dinner with your father-in-law and his family."
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