Chapter 558: Old Stories
"He Qing..." The Northern Qi Emperor held his breath and asked impatiently, "Why don't you capture him for me?"
The Imperial Preceptor was extremely concerned about Northern Qi. He would proactively handle any matters, big or small, that affected the turmoil inside and outside the court without his orders.
But now that Zhao Yi has attacked the capital, the imperial teacher has not yet sent anyone to capture this rebellious son.
"Your Majesty, although I woke up a few days earlier than you, my mind is still foggy and not very clear." The Imperial Preceptor casually explained, "No one dared to bother me with this matter. It was only today when Shou'an City was captured and Prince Guangling's troops were at the gates of the Imperial City that I learned of this matter."
"You... you capture him for me." The Northern Qi Emperor was furious. "I knew he was disloyal and leaned towards the Great Zhou." The more he spoke, the more resentful he became. "I let the wolf into the house."
The Imperial Preceptor looked at the ferocious face of the Northern Qi Emperor and said slowly, "Your Majesty, you were deceived by the treacherous ministers around you and increased taxes and corvée labor, causing chaos throughout the country and forcing the people to rebel against the Chu family. If it weren't for someone spreading rumors among the people, your lifelong wisdom would have been ruined in an instant."
Then he added, "Your Majesty is now seriously ill and unable to handle state affairs. You might as well follow the will of the people and abdicate the throne to Prince Guangling so that you can live out your days in peace."
The Emperor of Northern Qi looked at the Imperial Preceptor in disbelief, as if he did not understand what the Imperial Preceptor said.
"We should all abdicate and let the thrones be passed on to the wise." The Imperial Preceptor seemed oblivious to the sudden change in the Northern Qi Emperor's expression. "What do you think, Your Majesty?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" The Northern Qi Emperor was filled with anger at being betrayed by his imperial teacher. "This rebellious son wants to rebel against me, and I am going to hand over the throne to him? You can't see what he is thinking--"
Having said that, the Emperor of Northern Qi suddenly remembered something.
It was the imperial teacher who told him that Yizhen's child was still alive.
If it weren't for the imperial teacher's reminder, he would have forgotten about the deceased child long ago, so how could he have let a wolf into the house?
The imperial teacher had always helped him solve his problems and had never helped anyone except him.
Now that Zhao Yi has committed a heinous crime of treason, the imperial tutor not only did not order him to be arrested, but instead asked him to pass the throne to Zhao Yi.
It's really ridiculous!
The Emperor of Northern Qi could not help but think of what Concubine Shu said before she died. She had been jealous of Yizhen because she was deeply favored by him, so she drugged Yizhen and planned to catch Yizhen in bed with him, so that he would completely dislike Yizhen.
However, Yizhen disappeared and returned to the palace with the imperial teacher on the morning of the next day.
The Emperor of Northern Qi didn't believe it at first. After all, the imperial tutor was not interested in women and had a hidden illness, which made it impossible for him to have children.
But the imperial tutor's behavior today made him doubt the truthfulness of Concubine Shu's words.
Perhaps because of the suspicion in his heart, some details that had been ignored by the Emperor of Northern Qi in the past became extremely clear.
Zhao Yi was, after all, a prince of Northern Qi, raised deep in the palace. Even if he died young, there would be a special palace attendant to verify his identity before he was taken away and dealt with.
If there was no one to pick up the envoys from the Great Zhou, how could the Duke of Zhao take Zhao Yi away without anyone noticing?
"I remembered an old story, I wonder if He Qing can help me solve it?" Once the Northern Qi Emperor thought that Zhao Yi was the illegitimate child of the imperial teacher and Yizhen, a feeling of hatred and humiliation of betrayal surged in his heart.
He tried his best to maintain his composure. Without waiting for the Imperial Preceptor to speak, he asked himself, "Back then, Duke Zhao of the Great Zhou came to Northern Qi on the orders of Emperor Jing'an to bring Yizhen back to the country. Unfortunately, Prince Guangling died at that very moment. Who would have thought that Duke Zhao had secretly replaced Prince Guangling with a dead baby? Such a secret matter was unknown to anyone except Duke Zhao and Emperor Jing'an. How did you learn about it? And when did you learn about it?"
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