Chapter 512: Under what circumstances would you draw a woman?
As for the origin, Zhao Yi had no idea.
He looked back at the palace and saw red roofs and green tiles, high eaves and intrigue.
Just like the people within this palace wall, facing each other and fighting with weapons.
Zhao Yi withdrew his gaze, left the palace and returned to Prince Guangling's Mansion, where he saw Shen Qingtan and Liu Yue coming out of the front hall.
He asked, "Manman, are you ready to leave the house?"
Shen Qingtan shook her head and briefly explained what she had done today: "Yesterday I received a letter from Uncle Qin, and early this morning, I invited the managers of all the major shops to come to my house to discuss matters. I just finished discussing matters with the managers in the shops, and then I wrote back to Uncle Qin and Yaoyao. I calculated the time and estimated that you would be back soon, so I planned to wait for you at Jiaomen."
She knew that the Emperor of Northern Qi had a place for Zhao Yi and would not make things difficult for him because he refused to be summoned to the palace last night.
But she always felt that the Emperor of Northern Qi, who seemed normal now, had already gone a little crazy after the murder of the virtuous king.
A madman who has lost his mind will not be reasonable.
She couldn't help but worry that Zhao Yi might say something unintentionally when he entered the palace to meet the emperor, which would drive the Emperor of Northern Qi crazy.
Now, seeing Zhao Yi return safely, Shen Qingtan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and took his arm: "Let's go to the inner courtyard or the study?"
"Study." Zhao Yi held her hand on his arm and smiled faintly: "I have something to tell you."
Shen Qingtan observed his expression. Although the smile on his face was extremely relaxed, there was no trace of smile in his eyes. It was obvious that he was hiding something unhappy in his heart.
"Okay." Shen Qingtan responded, and then mentioned something: "Early this morning, Miss Zhang came to the mansion to check my pulse."
This was the most famous female doctor in the capital. She was known as the female Bian Que among the people, and wives of officials loved to ask her to take their pulses.
Zhao Yi heard yesterday that the wife of the Minister of Personnel had sent her a fertility pill, so today she arranged for Miss Zhang to take her pulse.
It goes without saying that he wanted to use Miss Zhang's mouth to spread the news of her good health.
Zhao Yi said casually: "We will be leaving for our fiefdom in the next few days. Let Miss Zhang check your pulse so that I can feel at ease."
Shen Qingtan didn't point out his little thoughts, but just hugged his arms a little tighter.
The two entered the study, and Liu Yue and Jiang Chao stood guard at the door.
Shen Qingtan pulled Zhao Yi to sit on the couch: "Did something happen in the palace?"
Zhao Yi was silent for a moment. He first told Shen Qingtan the words the Northern Qi Emperor had tested him with in the Qinzheng Palace, and then shared his guess with her: "Your Majesty is betting the throne that I won't return to the Great Zhou. He's also betting your status as the Princess of Northern Qi that your uncle won't dare to reuse your father. I suspect he will order me to send troops to the Great Zhou after we meet your father."
He had previously speculated that the purpose of the Northern Qi Emperor asking them to meet the Prince of Zhenbei was simply to make Emperor Jing'an lose trust in the Prince of Zhenbei, and then slowly take action.
Now it seems that the Emperor of Northern Qi can't wait any longer.
"If he were to launch an attack on the Great Zhou now, he'd be truly mad." Shen Qingtan's expression suddenly changed. "Since ancient times, food and fodder must be sent before troops can move. Only with well-trained soldiers and sufficient food can one be invincible. But the Northern Qi treasury is empty, and food and fodder are scarce. What can we use to attack the Great Zhou?"
The Great Zhou had been at war for years, and last year it was hit by a natural disaster, resulting in a shortage of food and fodder, making it impossible to sustain a long-term battle. Emperor Jing'an, at the suggestion of the Duke, ordered my father to lead the three armies, and only then did he win a turning point battle.
Even if they won, the Great Zhou was severely damaged and needed to recuperate, so they did not pursue the victory.
But even if Northern Qi wanted to send troops to attack Great Zhou, Great Zhou would not be afraid.
Zhao Yi sarcastically said, "He's always been incompetent. Previously, he had the Imperial Master guiding him, so he wouldn't act so recklessly. Now, the Imperial Master is gravely ill, his health is failing, and he's tragically lost his only legitimate heir. This vast empire will soon be without a successor. Faced with so much pressure and setbacks, his actions have become increasingly radical."
"After all, adopted heirs from the royal family are not his bloodline. How could he be willing to pass the throne to a relative? If he were to appoint me as the crown prince, he would be worried that I would be like my mother, siding with the Great Zhou and handing over the Chu family's kingdom to the Great Zhou."
"Although he knew that with Northern Qi's current strength, attacking Great Zhou only had a 20% to 30% chance of success, he attributed all of this to your father. He believed that without your father, a powerful general, Great Zhou would become on par with Northern Qi in strength."
"So, after he made your uncle lose trust in your father, he ordered me to send troops to the Great Zhou. He did this for two reasons."
"First, to test whether I would disregard blood ties and go to war with my uncle for the sake of power."
"Secondly, he has always had his eyes on the Great Zhou. If he wins, he will be remembered in history. If he loses, I will become enemies with the Great Zhou, and he won't have to worry about me giving up Northern Qi to the Great Zhou."
The actions of the Northern Qi Emperor were within his expectations.
To his surprise, the unrest in Northern Qi was about to come earlier than expected.
"The last will of the Northern Qi emperor was to annex the Great Zhou and wipe out the remnants of the previous dynasty. Your Majesty has always acted in accordance with the late emperor's will. Annexing the Great Zhou has long been his obsession."
Shen Qingtan's expression was solemn. "He knows Northern Qi's shortcomings well. If he wants to win the war, he must raise food and military pay. If he wants to raise supplies quickly, he'll probably have to start from the people. If he does that, won't he be courting his own destruction?"
"The more foolish and incompetent he is, the better it will be for us." Zhao Yi had a plan in mind: "I will write a secret letter to my uncle and father-in-law."
"We need to inform them in advance." Shen Qingtan hurriedly gave Zhao Yiyanmo.
Zhao Yi wrote two secret letters and handed them to Jiang Chao.
Jiang Chao put away the two secret letters and left in a hurry.
Shen Qingtan poured Zhao Yi a cup of warm tea and saw him staring at the calligraphy and paintings on the wall in a daze.
She handed the tea over and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"I saw an identical portrait in the Imperial Palace today, the only difference being the figures in the pavilion. In the painting in the Imperial Palace, the Imperial Tutor only depicted the landscape, while Your Majesty painted his mother and himself. In this painting, the Imperial Tutor not only depicted the landscape, but also my mother." Zhao Yi took the teacup and said slowly, "I suspect there's some connection between him and my mother, and it's because of her that he supported me as the crown prince."
Finally, he briefly told Shen Qingtan some of the things the Northern Qi Emperor said about "Early Spring Picture".
Shen Qingtan looked stunned and subconsciously looked at the "Early Spring Picture" on the wall. A vague figure was depicted in the pavilion.
People like the Emperor's Teacher may seem gentle on the surface, but they are actually very cold at heart.
He has never married or had children, let alone taken a concubine or a maid.
What kind of connection would lead him to include Princess Yizhen in his painting? And hang this painting in the Guangling Palace?
She pondered, "If your impromptu painting was taken away by your superiors, under what circumstances would you paint the same painting again? And even add a female figure to the painting and keep it secret?"
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