Chapter 523: Retreat bravely from the rapids
Zhao Yi was overcome with emotion. He had assumed that the Jing'an Emperor would protect him and show him as much favor as he could for as long as he was on the throne. He had never imagined that the Jing'an Emperor would actually consider him so far ahead, even paving a way out for him.
He handed the letter to the King of Zhenbei: "I originally just wanted to bring my mother back to the country and fulfill her long-cherished wish. But His Majesty killed my mother, and he was afraid that my uncle would lead the cavalry of the Great Zhou to crush Northern Qi and avenge my mother, so he left me in Northern Qi."
"Your Majesty has two purposes for doing this. First, he understands how important my mother and I are to my uncle, and he's using my safety to keep him in check. Second, he wants to disrupt the balance of power between the Prince of Qi and the Prince of Xian, allowing me to contain them and consolidate his imperial power."
"His actions dragged me into the struggle for the throne, and I began to think about vying for the Northern Qi throne. In the future, I'll merge Northern Qi's territory into the Great Zhou. In this way, I'll not only fulfill my mother's long-cherished wish, but also preserve your position in the Great Zhou."
The King of Zhenbei was somewhat surprised by Zhao Yi's plan. Few people would be willing to give up the throne that was within their grasp. However, Zhao Yi, taking into account his situation in the Great Zhou, was willing to incorporate the territory of Northern Qi into the Great Zhou.
"As the saying goes, a son-in-law is half a son. You're so devoted to me, you're no different from my own son. So, as a father, why can't I give in for you?"
At this point, the King of Zhenbei looked solemn: "My Shen family has been loyal for generations. All of our ancestors died on the battlefield and never had any second thoughts. However, the late emperor was afraid of the power in the hands of the King of Zhenbei's Mansion and suppressed and persecuted us everywhere."
"I know full well the principle that when the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked, and when the birds are all gone, the good bow is hidden. Therefore, I had no intention of letting my three sons achieve meritorious service. I was planning to find a time to return the military power to the court, to prevent the excessive power of the royal palace from bringing disaster upon them."
However, he did not expect that Emperor Jing'an would reuse him, and because his daughter married Emperor Jing'an's most beloved nephew, he trusted him even more.
Whether Zhao Yi was the emperor of Northern Qi, or colluded with Emperor Jing'an to help the Great Zhou annex Northern Qi and become a powerful official, as time went on, it would eventually be detrimental to the Zhenbei Palace.
After all, great achievements attract jealousy. When a powerful civil official and a military general with a large army form a friendly relationship, which emperor can sleep peacefully?
The Prince of Zhenbei continued, "Although the current ruler is a wise one and trusts his subordinates, he ordered me to lead the three armies to attack Northern Qi, which restored the prestige of the palace and allowed me to find my daughter. However, the emperor's mind is unpredictable, and I have long made plans to retreat at this opportunity. I will take this opportunity to return the military power to the emperor and gradually fade out of the court."
Zhao Yi felt extremely heavy-hearted. Throughout the dynasties, few military generals had a good end.
Because they commanded a large number of troops and their achievements surpassed those of the emperor, threatening the imperial power, the best solution was to voluntarily surrender their military power and act low-key, thus demonstrating their loyalty to the court and avoiding arousing the suspicion of the royal family. Only then could they escape unscathed.
After reading the letter, the Prince of Zhenbei handed it back to Zhao Yi. "You, uncle and nephew, are both plotting for each other. This friendship is truly rare. With your abilities, you can help the Emperor unify Northern Qi. Given his high regard for you, he will surely entrust you with important tasks. The Emperor is worried that the favor he bestows upon you will make the new Emperor wary of you. To protect you, he has decided to help you become Emperor of Northern Qi."
"Not only is the Northern Qi treasury empty, but it also lacks military strength. Now that taxes have been increased, I'm afraid conscription will follow. If conscription is implemented and the court still fails to take the people's feelings into consideration, Northern Qi will be in chaos."
"If you had listened to the emperor, during the civil unrest in Northern Qi, and raised an army to 'rescue the emperor' under the pretext of clearing the court of corrupt officials, you would not only have avoided the reputation of patricide and usurpation of the throne, but would also have helped you regain power and saved the people from suffering."
In the eyes of Emperor Jing'an, the Emperor of Northern Qi was the culprit who killed Princess Yizhen, and there was a deep blood feud between the two countries.
If the Emperor of Northern Qi felt guilty about Princess Yizhen's death and made amends to Zhao Yi on a regular basis, Emperor Jing'an would not hate him so much.
However, the Emperor of Northern Qi felt no guilt at all. In order to pave the way for the virtuous king to ascend the throne, he repeatedly sent secret guards to assassinate Zhao Yi. It was clear that he did not regard Zhao Yi as his own son.
In this case, Emperor Jing'an believed that there was no need for Zhao Yi to consider the father-son relationship and show mercy to the Northern Qi Emperor.
Zhao Yi remained silent.
The King of Zhenbei did not try to persuade him, but called his sons in and had a private conversation with the family.
But good times are short after all, and in the blink of an eye, it is time to say goodbye.
Ever since the reunion dinner, Princess Zhenbei had been holding Shen Qingtan's hand. Now, hearing the Northern Qi people urging her outside the tent, Princess Zhenbei tightened her grip even more, reluctantly escorting Shen Qingtan to the carriage.
Shen Qingtan didn't want to be separated from his family and wanted to spend more time with them.
Because after this separation, they don’t know when the family will be able to reunite again.
"Mother, Father, Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother..."
Shen Qingtan felt a lump in his throat and called out their names one by one, but saw that their eyes were red.
The men of the Zhenbei Palace were all brave and good at fighting, and their heroic spirit intimidated the people around them. No matter how badly they were injured, they never blinked, let alone had tears in their eyes.
But now that he was separated from his sister, his eyes turned red.
Seeing his sister staring at him, Shen Lue turned away awkwardly: "Sister, it's cold at night, you should go to the carriage quickly."
Shen Qingtan took out a handkerchief and handed it to Shen Lue.
Shen Lu was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand: “No, no, Third Brother has thick skin and flesh, this handkerchief is for wiping your face and scraping silk.”
"If the handkerchief is broken, then replace it with a new one." Shen Qingtan was amused by his words: "When I go back, I will prepare a box of handkerchiefs for you."
"I'm so embarrassed." Shen Lue rubbed his hands and grinned: "Third brother is going back to Liangzhou tomorrow, you can send the handkerchief to Liangzhou."
Shen Qingtan agreed: "Okay."
Shen Lue wanted to say something else.
The King of Zhenbei said before him: "Manman, the city gate is about to close, you guys go back first."
Being interrupted by Chen Lue, the sadness of parting was diluted.
"Okay." Shen Qingtan got on the carriage, lifted the curtain, and said to them, "Dad, Mom, and brother, take care of yourselves."
As soon as these words came out, Princess Zhenbei's eyes turned red and she burst into tears.
A palm as big as a palm fan, holding a small handkerchief, wiped away the tears from her cheeks.
Princess Zhenbei looked at the King of Zhenbei with tears in her eyes. He had been on the battlefield for a long time, his face was tanned, and he had a long beard, which made his tiger eyes look very majestic.
But she knew that this rough and unrefined man gave all his tenderness to her and her daughter.
He was no less sad than she was that his daughter was separated from him and his wife.
For decades, he has been married, like a towering mountain, supporting her and protecting her from wind and rain.
If it weren't for him, she might not have been able to live to recognize her daughter.
King Zhenbei couldn't wipe away the tears in her eyes, and whispered, "Don't cry, Manman will be uneasy when she sees you."
Princess Zhenbei nodded, suppressing the sadness in her heart. She placed her slender hand on his strong arm and watched without blinking as the carriage carrying her daughter left and headed towards the solemn and dignified gate of Yuncheng.
With a "bang", the heavy gate of Yuncheng slowly closed in front of her eyes.
They were clearly on the same land, but a city gate separated the mother and daughter.
Just like that year, she sent Manman away in the same way.
The first time, fourteen years later.
The second time was almost a year later.
The third time...how long will it take?
Princess Zhenbei hoped in her heart that the next time they met again, the family would never be separated again.
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