Chapter 532: Request
Although Jiang Chaoji urgently hoped that his master would overthrow the incompetent and tyrannical emperor as soon as possible, so that the people could escape from suffering and live a stable and prosperous life.
But he knew in his heart that his master must have his considerations for not taking action.
"I'll do it right away."
Jiang Chao took the order and led his men outside the palace, where he saw a large number of people kneeling on the ground. They were all pale and thin, with unkempt hair and ragged clothes.
The shoes on their feet were all worn out and their soles were bloody.
It can be seen how much suffering and hardship the people endured when they fled from their hometowns to Yuncheng.
He cursed the Emperor of Northern Qi again in his heart.
"You guys go ahead."
Jiang Chao came out of the mansion and saw a ray of light injected into the people's eyes, which were originally lifeless and full of despair and pain, and suddenly ignited the hope of life, as if he saw a living Bodhisattva who could pull them out of the sea of suffering.
It felt like a heavy rock was pressing down on his heart, and even breathing became difficult.
"His Highness understands your difficult situation, but he has no definitive information on whether His Majesty is imprisoned or whether the Right Pillar State intends treason." Jiang Chao said solemnly, "This matter concerns the national dignity. His Highness has already sent people to the capital to gather information. If the situation is true, he will certainly give you justice."
The fact that Prince Guangling was devoted to the people was clear to every citizen of Northern Qi. They placed their hopes on Prince Guangling, believing that only he could save them.
With this belief, they traveled through mountains and rivers and persevered until they reached Yuncheng.
I thought that when King Guangling heard about their plight, he would definitely take charge of them.
Unexpectedly, things turned out to be the opposite of what we expected.
Prince Guangling simply didn't believe that the treacherous ministers had imprisoned the Emperor of Northern Qi, controlled the court, and harmed the people.
The glimmer of hope in the people's eyes was shattered, and they stared at the palace blankly.
The faith that supported them collapsed, their only way to survive was cut off, and they didn't know what to do.
"His Highness's only wish is for peace and prosperity, for the people to live and work in peace and contentment, and not be driven from their homes and displaced by war. If the court is controlled by treacherous officials, you don't need to petition him, he will seek justice for you." Jiang Chao advised, "But your Highness has a special background and many difficulties. You must act with reason and justification. Otherwise, if you fall into the trap of the treacherous officials, not only will he not be able to seek justice for you, but he himself will also be in danger. I hope you can understand and wait a few more days."
The people did not understand these profound principles and regarded Zhao Yi as a living Bodhisattva who saved people from suffering.
Regardless of the truth in the words, they stubbornly said, "We are not leaving. We will wait here until His Highness gets the news and gives us an explanation."
Jiang Chao was overwhelmed, but he could understand the people's feelings, so he had to patiently persuade them.
The woman, feeling sorry for her child, could not bear to let him go hungry, so she followed the people from the palace to the charity cemetery set up by the gentry of Yuncheng Township.
When Zhao Yi learned that the people had sold their belongings and moved to Yuncheng and Panshicheng, he anticipated that refugees would come here for refuge, so he discussed with the manager of the charity cemetery in advance and decided to place the refugees in the charity cemetery, with the Guangling Palace providing money and food.
The head of the charity cemetery refused to accept the money and grain from the palace, saying that Prince Guangling had previously prevented Concubine Shu's brother from burning the city, thus saving the people of their entire city, and that he had done them a great favor. Now that Northern Qi was facing a great crisis, they were willing to contribute their efforts and help Prince Guangling overcome the difficulties together.
As for the childless people, they remained unmoved and knelt where they were.
Because they did not believe Jiang Chao's words at all, and believed in their hearts that King Guangling was unwilling to care about their life or death, they insisted on staying, hoping that their sincere prayers could move King Guangling.
Jiang Chao had no choice but to order people to carry food and distribute it to them one by one.
This move gave the people a glimmer of hope.
The King of Guangling sent people to provide them with food, which showed that he cared about these people and did not ignore their lives.
Those words shouldn't just be excuses to appease them. Maybe they really have difficulties?
It's just a few days, they can wait here.
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The court ministers far away in the capital had influence all over the place. They received news reports from all over the place one after another. Only then did they realize the seriousness of the matter and could no longer hold back.
Therefore, officials headed by the Minister of Personnel went to the Minister of Personnel's Mansion to ask him for advice.
The Minister of Personnel's face was filled with worry. "Ever since the news of the riots reached Your Majesty's ears, Your Majesty summoned the Right Pillar of the State overnight, and then fell ill."
"This is truly bizarre. Your Majesty has always been in good health. Even after experiencing such a heavy blow as the loss of his son, he still managed to govern the country."
"Now, how come he collapsed without any warning?"
"When we ministers went to report on government affairs, we were all stopped by Eunuch Liu, who said that His Majesty was seriously ill and unconscious."
"If Your Majesty is unconscious, why would you want to see the Right Pillar State?"
All the ministers were smart people, and when they heard this, they had different thoughts.
The Emperor of Northern Qi attached great importance to his regime and tried hard to be a wise ruler. He did everything himself and never delegated tasks to others.
If any minister commits a serious crime, he will be severely punished.
The Right Pillar State colluded with the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, deceiving their superiors and subordinates, leading to chaos in Northern Qi.
For such a serious crime, the Emperor of Northern Qi should have chopped off the head of the Right Pillar State long ago.
However, the Emperor of Northern Qi acted contrary to his usual behavior. Not only did he not punish the Right Pillar State, but even after he became seriously ill, he was only willing to see the Right Pillar State.
Isn't it obvious that there is something wrong with the Right Pillar State?
After all, the last person the Northern Qi Emperor met was the Right Pillar of the State.
The rumors may be true.
The ministers exchanged glances, "Your Excellency, the imperial decree issued by Your Majesty has not been effective. The people in various places are still rioting, and they are asking the Prince of Guangling to 'clear the court of officials.' This is a serious matter. We should all go to the palace to see Your Majesty and report the situation."
The Minister of Personnel complied with the ministers and invited the Chief Minister of the Cabinet to enter the palace together.
Eunuch Liu stood at the entrance to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and said to the ministers, "Your Majesty is ill and cannot see you, gentlemen. Please return."
The chief minister of the cabinet wanted to say something, but he saw the right pillar of the country coming out of the Yangxin Palace with the imperial physician.
The expressions of the ministers changed immediately.
Seeing this, the Right Pillar State also felt very distressed.
He was fully aware of the rumors circulating in the community, and no one was more anxious than him.
But the Emperor of Northern Qi was in a coma and unable to make a decision for him and give him justice.
Eunuch Liu sent him a message, saying that before the Northern Qi Emperor fell into a coma, he had personally told Eunuch Liu that he was the only one he trusted among all the civil and military officials. He also specifically instructed that whenever the imperial physician treated the Northern Qi Emperor, he must accompany him to prevent any treacherous individuals from taking advantage of the opportunity to usurp the throne.
The Right Pillar State naturally would not betray the Northern Qi Emperor's trust, and even thought about waiting for the Northern Qi Emperor to wake up and clear his name, so he would come to the Yangxin Palace every day. However, he did not expect that this move would actually confirm the rumors in the eyes of everyone.
He knew that someone was behind this, so he didn't explain any more, and there was no way to explain. He just waited for the Emperor of Northern Qi to wake up.
The Right Pillar of the State glanced at the ministers and left with the imperial physician.
Seeing this, the cabinet's chief minister slowly said, "A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. Northern Qi is in chaos and needs someone to take charge. Since Your Majesty is seriously ill and unable to govern, we will ask Prince Guangling to return and take over the government."
All the officials had no objection and pleaded with the Prime Minister to send someone to his fiefdom to invite Zhao Yi back to the court.
When the people sent by the Prime Minister arrived in Yuncheng, they saw that the palace was engulfed in flames.
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