Chapter 533 The East Wind is Coming
In the night, the blazing flames illuminated half of the sky.
Zhang Qiushi, the confidant sent by the Prime Minister, felt his heart sink as he looked at the palace engulfed in flames. He could not think of anyone else who would dare to attack Prince Guangling except the Right Pillar of the State.
"Make way—" The common people hurriedly pushed aside Zhang Qiushi, who was blocking the road, and shouted at him, "His Highness has been harmed by a traitor. Hurry and help put out the fire. Let's work together to rescue His Highness."
When Zhang Qiushi came to his senses, he saw four or five ragged people carrying wooden buckets and leading a large group of neatly dressed people holding firefighting tools running towards them.
They were all unafraid of the fire and rushed into the palace to put out the fire.
It was obvious that the refugees who were hiding in front of the palace discovered that the palace was on fire and went from house to house to call for help to put out the fire.
At this time, some people carried out the maids and servants of the palace.
Zhang Qiushi noticed that everyone in the palace had fallen into a coma. He didn't know whether they were choked by the poisonous smoke or drugged.
Either way, it's not a good thing for him.
If it is the former, it is enough to show that the fire has been burning for quite some time, and Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan are probably in great danger.
If it is the latter, Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan will lose the ability to save themselves and can only wait for external help. If they miss the opportunity, it will be difficult for them to survive.
Zhang Qiushi observed carefully and found that the fire in the palace was centered in the main courtyard and spread to the nearby buildings, becoming more and more intense.
By the time the people put out the fire, Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan would probably have been burned to ashes.
Zhang Qiushi saw several wealthy people approaching with quilts in their arms. He grabbed the quilts and threw them on the ground. "Wet them, and I'll wear them and go in to save people."
When the people heard this, they splashed water on the quilts.
Zhang Qiushi, wrapped in a wet quilt, asked the people around him about the whereabouts of Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan, but they didn't know anything. He saw people running towards the main courtyard, so he followed them there.
When they arrived at the main courtyard, they saw flames rising into the sky and the scorching heat waves forced back the people who wanted to go in to save people.
Zhang Qiushi used a wet quilt to protect his body and plunged into the sea of fire without hesitation. The thick smoke made it difficult for him to breathe and his eyes to open.
The fire in the house was very fierce, but fortunately the wet quilt on his body isolated the flames well and did not burn his body.
Zhang Qiushi struggled to identify the direction of the inner room and walked into the inner room carefully. He saw that the step-out bed and the wide couch had been burned into empty frames, and there was no sign of Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan.
He was about to go search when he heard the beam above his head creaking, as if it was about to collapse.
Zhang Qiushi didn't dare to stay and quickly ran out of the sea of fire.
With a loud bang, the main courtyard collapsed behind him.
Zhang Qiushi was still in shock and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He saw a woman with a round waist and strong arms carrying Shen Qingtan on her back. There was another woman beside her to support her and prevent Shen Qingtan from slipping off her back.
On the other side, a strong man came out of the path carrying Zhao Yi on his back and strode out of the mansion.
Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan are still alive.
Zhang Qiushi breathed a sigh of relief and left the house immediately. He heard the doctor say, "They were drugged, but they're not seriously ill. Licorice juice can counteract the drug, or you can pour a bucket of cold water on their faces."
“Clatter—”
The people poured all the water used to put out the fire on the faces of the servants in the palace.
Doctor: “…”
Zhang Qiushi: “…”
The people were very concerned about Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan, fearing that something might happen to them, so they sent them to the clinic together.
The doctor prepared the medicine and fed it to Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan respectively. After waiting for nearly two quarters of an hour, the couple finally woke up. When they saw the unfamiliar environment and the people around them, they were confused.
The couple seemed a little confused and didn't seem to understand what was going on. They just closed their eyes and opened them again. How did they find themselves in a different place?
"Your Highness, you're awake." Zhang Qiushi took out his badge and showed it to Zhao Yi. "I'm a retainer of the Prime Minister. I'm here on the Prime Minister's orders to bring you back to the capital to take charge of the situation."
Zhao Yi glanced at the token calmly, pressing his hands to his dizzy head, and first asked about the situation in the palace: "Why are the princess and I in the clinic?"
Zhang Qiushi replied, "The palace was on fire, and when the people were trying to put out the fire, they discovered that everyone in the palace had been drugged."
Zhao Yi frowned, slowly sorting out the whole story. Then he responded to Zhang Qiushi's introduction: "I already know about the civil unrest in Northern Qi."
"People from all over the country have fled to Yuncheng, begging me to raise an army to attack the Right Pillar State and rescue Your Majesty."
"However, I have been in Cloud City the entire time and know nothing about the affairs of the capital. Therefore, I first settled the refugees and then sent people to the capital to investigate the situation and make a decision with the officials."
"But the person I sent out to gather information hasn't returned yet. Two people arrived yesterday. They claimed to be carrying out His Majesty's orders to take me back to the capital."
"But I heard that His Majesty is seriously ill and hasn't attended court in a long time, nor has he summoned officials. All court affairs are handled by the Right Pillar of the State. I couldn't help but think of the rumors. I felt that this matter was full of doubts, so I asked them to prove their identities."
"It's strange, they came to deliver the imperial edict, but they couldn't produce it. They were asked for a token, but as your majesty's secret guards, they couldn't produce it either. The situation in Northern Qi is tense now, and I found their identities suspicious, so I arrested them first."
In reality, Zhao Yi waited for the secret guards sent by the Northern Qi Emperor and tested them, finding out what the Northern Qi Emperor was thinking. If he showed any second thoughts, he would kill him on the spot.
He had already made every possible preparation, ambushing the soldiers in the palace and killing them. Tonight, he set a fire to prove that the Right Pillar State was plotting to murder him, and then he raised an army to attack the Right Pillar State.
Zhao Yi put his thoughts aside and raised his eyebrows slightly. "Master Zhang, in your opinion, who set the fire in the palace tonight?"
Zhang Qiushi's lips moved, but he finally said nothing.
"I think Lord Zhang already has the answer in mind." Zhao Yi said with a half-smile, "May I ask Lord Zhang, can I still go back to the capital?"
Zhang Qiushi thought to himself: I can’t go back.
The Right General imprisoned the Northern Qi Emperor and sent men to "take" Prince Guangling back to the capital. He feared that if Prince Guangling followed those two men back to the capital without taking precautions, he would end up in Yama on the way.
Now that You Zhuguo has the intention to murder Prince Guangling, he will probably set up a tight net on the way back to the capital from Yuncheng.
He alone could not bring Prince Guangling back to the capital safely.
Moreover, Zhang Qiushi had another concern: the palace had been taken over by the Right Pillar State and had become its domain. Even if he could safely escort Prince Guangling back to the capital, as long as Prince Guangling entered the palace, he would be walking into the tiger's mouth.
The only solution now is...
"Emperors throughout history have appointed trusted ministers to handle state affairs in advance, in case they become unable to govern. The Prime Minister is a minister Your Majesty holds in high esteem, so logically Your Majesty should appoint the Prime Minister. Why would it be the Right Pillar of the State?" Zhao Yi observed Zhang Qiushi's increasingly solemn expression and spoke slowly, "I'm afraid I'm not the only one confused. The Prime Minister sent you to bring me back to the capital to take charge of the situation, which means he's also aware that there's something fishy about Your Majesty's illness."
Zhang Qiushi looked at Zhao Yi in astonishment, as if he had not expected Zhao Yi to be able to guess it. He stopped hiding it and said truthfully, "Your Highness, there is no need to send people to the capital to investigate. The people are telling the truth."
"The Right Pillar State used the new national policy to enrich himself, increasing taxes by 30% across the country. He was even more ruthless in conscription, not allowing men to remain in the homes of the common people, causing chaos throughout the country."
"Your Majesty is a benevolent and wise ruler, so naturally he couldn't tolerate him. He summoned him to the palace that night to question him. Just after seeing the Right Pillar State, Your Majesty fell ill. No other official in the court could see him, only the Right Pillar State. Furthermore, even the imperial physician treating Your Majesty moved into the Right Pillar State's residence."
"The officials believe that the Right Pillar State is planning to rebel in order to save his own life and property, so they sent their subordinates to take you back to the capital."
Zhao Yi said coldly, "The Imperial Preceptor is unconscious, and I'm far away in Cloud City. This gives the Right Pillar State an opportunity to exploit this situation." His expression was solemn. "Right now, I'm worried that the Right Pillar State's assassination attempt on me will fail, and Your Majesty will be in imminent danger."
Zhang Qiushi understood what Zhao Yi meant. Rescuing the Emperor of Northern Qi was an urgent matter.
The people knelt on the ground in unison: "Your Highness, these traitors have evil ambitions. They have imprisoned Your Majesty and are plotting to murder you, intending to overthrow the dynasty. Please mobilize your army to eliminate these traitors, rescue Your Majesty, and bring us justice."
"Get rid of the treacherous ministers and save His Majesty."
"Get rid of the treacherous ministers and save His Majesty."
The people shouted slogans in anger.
Zhao Yi did not respond, but looked out the window, as if waiting for something.
Zhang Qiushi was a little confused, but he understood in a flash that if he wanted to raise an army, he had to have soldiers in his hands.
At this moment, the sound of armor colliding with weapons was heard outside the clinic.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Wang Qiaoxin walking towards him with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, majestic and imposing. He stopped in front of Zhao Yi, scratched the flag in his palm that could be used to mobilize troops with his thumb, but did not hand it over.
This flag was the certificate given to him by the Emperor of Northern Qi to mobilize troops, so that he could mobilize troops at will to encircle and suppress the King of Zhenbei during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Originally, the Emperor of Northern Qi planned to send another general to take over the troops under his command, but there has been no news so far.
Wang Qiaoxin held out the banner in his hand. "Your Highness, treacherous officials are in power, disrupting the government and bringing chaos to the world. I am willing to serve Your Highness at my utmost. I will eliminate these corrupt officials, bring order to the court, rescue Your Majesty, and restore order to the government."
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