Chapter 566 Meeting the Imperial Teacher
How could Zhao Yi not know the clan members' schemes? If the heir named in the will was not chosen from the clan members, they would naturally seize upon the cause of the Northern Qi Emperor's death and make a scene.
The imperial teacher frowned, somewhat dissatisfied with the clan members' proposal.
He and Zhao Yi looked at each other with gloomy expressions.
When the clan members saw this, they had a bad feeling in their hearts. Could it be that the Imperial Teacher and Zhao Yi were in cahoots?
Is there something fishy about the will?
Or is it that the imperial tutor is delaying time and intends to change the will?
Thinking this way, the clan members confidently said, "As clan members, we and the ministers have doubts about the cause of His Majesty's death. Is there anything wrong with wanting to read the will that day?"
"Yes, it's better to do it now than to wait for a day." The ministers echoed: "The country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Now the Northern Qi is in chaos. We should read the will as soon as possible and invite the new emperor to preside over the government."
The Imperial Preceptor glanced around at everyone and said slowly, "In order to follow our ancestral family rules, we need to have the Ministry of Rites arrange a venue for the reading of the will. We must also notify the royal family, important officials of the court, and the imperial concubines and other relevant personnel to show respect to the late emperor."
The clan members looked at each other, and even began to whisper to each other. They became more and more certain that the heir listed in the will was not Zhao Yi. The imperial tutor's interference must be an attempt to tamper with the choice of heir.
"If Your Majesty dies of old age, we will naturally not violate our ancestral family law. However, Your Majesty has been murdered by a traitor, and we must investigate the truth. Otherwise, if the injustice is not resolved, I am afraid Your Majesty will not rest in peace in his grave."
At this point, the clan members raised an objection: "Or is it that the Imperial Master repeatedly prevented us from reading the will? Is there some hidden reason?"
"The Imperial Tutor simply wanted to give His Majesty face." Zhao Yi glared at the clan members with a cold gaze. "His Majesty has passed away, and before his body was even cold, you were already eager to read out the will. To achieve your goal, you even exploited the cause of His Majesty's death. If the will wasn't to your liking, you'd claim it was tampered with? The Imperial Tutor indulged you, disregarding His Majesty's respectful address as Teacher."
The clan members' thoughts were exposed, and their faces flushed: "We are loyal to Your Majesty. What purpose could we have? We just want to find out the murderer and see if there are other accomplices besides the Right Pillar State."
As they spoke, they raised a few fingers and swore, "If the will is confirmed to be intact, and we exploit His Majesty's death for our own selfish gain, we will not live a good life."
"In that case, let's read the will." The Imperial Master looked at the ministers and said, "Become witnesses."
The ministers responded one after another.
The Imperial Tutor instructed the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet: "Go and get the imperial edict."
The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet brought out a long wooden box. Under the gaze of everyone, he opened the long wooden box, took out the sealed will in the box, and slowly unfolded it.
The clan members clenched their fists and held their breath.
The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet read out in a resounding voice: "I have reigned for twenty-three years, following the holy laws of our ancestors, always respecting Heaven and following the teachings of our ancestors, diligently governing the country and loving the people. Although I have worked diligently, day and night, I am still frail... However, my eldest son, Chu Yi, is gifted with wisdom and brilliance, and he has inherited the throne as the heir to the throne..."
The clan members and ministers listened to the will with solemn expressions. In addition to the Northern Qi emperor's life achievements and experience in governing the country, the will also included arrangements for his funeral.
The court officials who were named and appointed as regents felt relieved, while the court officials who were not named and given instructions had different expressions and had their own plans in mind.
When they heard that the Northern Qi Emperor's designated successor was Zhao Yi, they looked at the Grand Secretary in surprise.
The first one who didn't believe it was the clan members. One of them was Chu Minghai, the cousin of the Northern Qi emperor. He snatched the will from the cabinet minister and read it word by word. It was indeed the word "Chu Yi", with no signs of tampering, and there was a jade seal at the end.
"No, it's impossible." The clan members didn't believe the Northern Qi emperor would pass the throne to Zhao Yi. They said angrily, "When your majesty passed away, there was only the imperial tutor and a few civil servants in the palace. No one else. Who knows if this edict really belongs to your majesty..."
"Be careful what you say." The Imperial Preceptor interrupted the clan members and looked at them sternly. "Prince Guangling is your Majesty's son. If the throne isn't passed to him, who else will it be passed to?" He curled his lips and said word by word, "Are you clan members?"
This is full of irony.
"Prince Guangling's bloodline is impure. Your Majesty will never violate our ancestral family law and pass the throne to him." Chu Minghai threw the will to the ground and said angrily, "There is something wrong with this will. I don't recognize it."
The court officials who were appointed as regents could not help but stand up and say, "Although Prince Guangling's bloodline is not pure, he is your Majesty's biological son. If there is no better choice, Prince Guangling will definitely be chosen."
"Yes, Your Majesty, it is only natural for you to do this. If it were me, I would not bypass my own son and pass the inheritance to my nephew."
"With my own son still alive, how could I let an outsider inherit the throne? Besides, the Imperial Preceptor single-handedly helped Your Majesty ascend the throne. Your Majesty has great trust in the Imperial Preceptor, and ruling the country with him is an unprecedented honor. Whether it's Prince Guangling inheriting the throne or someone else being chosen from the clan, no one else can surpass the Imperial Preceptor's position. Why would he tamper with the will?"
Chu Minghai couldn't refute it, but he was unwilling to give up and wanted to say something. He saw a flash of silver light and felt a pain in his neck. He subconsciously reached out to cover his neck and felt a sticky blood on his hand.
The people who were nearby had their faces splashed with blood. They screamed in fear and watched Chu Minghai fall to the ground.
Everyone's heart was beating violently and their faces were pale.
At this time, the guards came in and surrounded them.
Everyone looked at the Imperial Master in fear. No one expected that the Imperial Master had control of the entire palace.
"Chu Minghai's throwing away of the imperial edict is a great disrespect to the late emperor." The imperial teacher's eyes were filled with anger, and he said in a cold voice: "Anyone who dares to disobey the imperial edict will be treated as a treasonous person."
The clan members were silent.
The Imperial Master bent down to pick up the will and glanced at the clan members one by one, "Do you have any objections?"
Everyone subconsciously took a step back and shook their heads desperately.
They were intimidated by the imperial teacher's iron-blooded approach and dared not raise any objections, fearing that if they said a single extra word, the long swords in the hands of the imperial guards would chop off their heads.
"Since everyone agrees, let's prepare for Your Majesty's funeral." The Imperial Preceptor called on the Minister of Personnel. "According to etiquette, the new emperor must observe a 27-month mourning period for the late emperor. Our ancestor emperor changed this to 27 days to maintain order at court. Since that's the case, we will follow our ancestor emperor's modified rule and hold the coronation ceremony 27 days after the late emperor's death. I'll trouble the Minister of Rites to prepare all necessary matters."
The Minister of Rites said respectfully, "I obey your command."
The imperial teacher ordered people to ring the funeral bell and prepare a sacrifice for the Emperor of Northern Qi.
By the time Zhao Yi arranged for people to go to Yuncheng to bring Shen Qingtan into the palace, it was already the day before the coronation ceremony, and the Emperor of Northern Qi was also buried on an auspicious day.
Zhao Yi placed Shen Qingtan in Xining Palace and prepared all the necessary supplies.
Shen Qingtan was pregnant and was exhausted from the long journey.
As soon as she entered the hall, she leaned back on the wide couch, feeling exhausted.
Liu Yue handed Shen Qingtan a cup of warm water and said, "Master, we've been traveling for nearly a month and haven't been able to take good care of the baby. Would you like to ask the imperial physician to check your pulse?"
"I'm fine." Shen Qingtan took a few sips of water from the teacup. "Just a little tired." She gently stroked her bulging belly, her eyes soft. "The little one really felt sorry for me and didn't bother me on the way back to the capital."
"When you were pregnant, the young master gave you a lot of trouble. It took four full months before you finally stopped having morning sickness." Liu Yue took the teacup and set it aside, then took out a thin blanket and covered Shen Qingtan. "In the past few months, seeing you lose weight, this servant Tingxue and I were so worried that we almost wanted to send a letter to the son-in-law."
Shen Qingtan was suffering. For the past few months, he'd barely managed to eat a few bites, but as soon as he put down his chopsticks, he'd vomit it all out. Drinking water was even worse. He couldn't smell anything, and he practically stayed inside, not going anywhere.
After she was no longer suffering from morning sickness, she could eat two bowls of rice at a time, and also a few snacks and dried meat. She was often full but very greedy, wanting to eat everything.
Liu Yue and Ting Xue strictly controlled her diet, fearing that she would eat too much and cause the fetus to grow too big, which would inevitably cause her to suffer during childbirth. Therefore, they strictly controlled her diet. Apart from the main meals, they would give her some fruits or snacks to satisfy her cravings.
Even on the way back to the capital, the two of them did not neglect her appetite, and took good care of her with good food and drink. In just one month, they restored her health.
Shen Qingtan gathered the thin blanket covering her body and was about to ask about the affairs of the capital when she saw Jiang Chao coming in from outside the hall: "Madam, the Imperial Tutor has important matters to discuss with the Master. The Master has sent a subordinate to inform you and he will come to see you later."
"That's fine. Tomorrow is his coronation ceremony, and there are many things he needs to decide." Shen Qingtan was not a petty person and knew what was important. "Go back and tell him that Liu Yue and Ting Xue will take care of him. Let him take care of his own business first."
Jiang Chao initially thought that the woman was a troublemaker, but after interacting with the mistress for a long time, he realized that the mistress was considerate and always put the overall situation first. She would definitely understand that the mistress was busy with trivial matters and had no time to greet her.
Even if the master didn't send him to deliver the message, the mistress would understand.
But when he saw his mistress's haggard appearance and her words full of understanding and tolerance for his master without any complaints, he suddenly understood that it was because his mistress was so good that she made his master miss him and feel sorry for him even more.
He realized belatedly that it was probably because the master and mistress were thinking about each other, and would inform each other no matter what they did to reassure each other, which was why they got along so harmoniously.
He hadn't understood all this before, thinking his wife was a nuisance. How much more carefree and free he was on his own? He could go home whenever he wanted, with no one to argue with or make a fuss about. His life was truly blissful.
But now, he had a different feeling. Just by imagining that his wife was waiting for him at home, he felt at ease and had hope in his heart.
"I'll report back to the master right away." Jiang Chao was about to leave when he suddenly slapped the back of his head, almost forgetting what he was doing. "Madam, the master also asked me to tell you that the ceremony of crowning the empress will also be held tomorrow, together with the coronation ceremony. The phoenix crown and the phoenix robe are in the inner hall. You can try them on when you have time. If they don't fit, ask the clothing department to alter them."
After saying these words, Jiang Chao took his leave.
Shen Qingtan looked surprised. The coronation ceremony was always held first, and then an auspicious day was chosen for the empress-conferring ceremony. However, Shen Qingtan quickly understood Zhao Yi's intentions.
Because they had come to where they are today hand in hand and had gone through so many hardships, so he wanted to ascend to a high position with her and be worshipped by all officials.
After hearing what Jiang Chao said, Liu Yue and Ting Xue were happy for their master from the bottom of their hearts. She really got into the wrong sedan chair but married the right husband.
They were very grateful. If it weren't for the people in the Cheng'en Marquis' Mansion who were full of evil intentions and plotted against their master, how could their master have lived a comfortable life if she had married Zhao Jue, the ungrateful man, as originally promised?
I am afraid that once I gain power, I will betray my master.
"Oh no." Shen Qingtan suddenly exclaimed.
Liu Yue and Ting Xue's expressions changed, and they asked anxiously, "Master, what happened? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I remembered something. My husband probably made the Zhaiyi according to my original size. Now that I'm pregnant and showing my size, I'm worried I won't be able to wear it." Shen Qingtan lifted the thin blanket covering her body and slipped on her shoes. "Liuyue, help me go to the inner hall to try on the clothes. If it doesn't fit, I have to send it to the Shangyi Bureau for alterations as soon as possible."
She originally thought that the coronation ceremony would be held first, and then an auspicious day would be chosen to hold the empress-making ceremony. There would still be time to make the Zhai robe by then.
Unexpectedly, she and Zhao Yi prepared a surprise for each other.
"Please go slowly, I will support you." Liu Yue supported Shen Qingtan's arm and said comfortingly, "Dresses are usually spacious, so you should be able to wear them."
Tingxue quickly fetched a Zhai Yi for Shen Qingtan to change into. However, the Zhai Yi still seemed a little tight on her body, as if a large watermelon was stuffed underneath the clothes, stretching them tightly. It needed to be sent to the Shangyi Bureau for alterations.
Although the Zhaiyi was loose, Shen Qingtan's five-month pregnant belly looked like it was seven or eight months old. The midwife took a look and said that the belly looked like it was carrying twins.
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On the other hand, Zhao Yi did not meet the imperial teacher in the Qinzheng Palace or the Yangxin Palace, but took Jiang Mu to the Chengtian Palace.
There was a big copper lock hanging on the gate of Chengtian Palace. Jiang Mu chopped it off with a knife, and the copper lock fell to the ground with a "click".
Jiang Mu pushed open the door, waited for Zhao Yi to come in, and then went in.
Zhao Yi ordered: "Stay outside and guard."
Jiang Mu was startled, retracted his foot, and stood outside the hall in an orderly manner.
He was wondering why his master came to this deserted palace for no reason.
The next moment, he saw Yan Yi pushing the Imperial Teacher towards him.
Jiang Mu's doubts grew even deeper.
Now that the master is the ruler of Northern Qi, there is no need to meet the imperial tutor behind people's backs as before.
How come it is that the less you have to tell others about it, the deeper you hide it?
With a "bang", Yan Yi closed the palace gate, and he and Jiang Mu stood like two door gods, each guarding one side.
Inside the palace gate, Zhao Yi stood where the statue of the previous dynasty's founder stood. He slowly turned around, looked at the imperial tutor sitting in a wheelchair, and asked directly, "Imperial tutor, there's something I don't quite understand. Could you please explain it to me?"
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