Chapter 344: The plan failed
Concubine Shu got out of the sedan chair and told the eunuch guarding the door to pass on the message.
The eunuch was shocked when he saw Concubine Shu's appearance. It was so cold, and Concubine Shu was not wearing even a cloak, only a silk cotton jacket and a gold-woven horse-faced skirt.
He did not dare to delay and hurried into the hall to pass on the message.
After a while, the eunuch came out from the hall and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, His Majesty invites you into the hall."
Concubine Shu hurried into the hall and knelt in the center of the hall.
"Your Majesty, my brother was in Yuncheng dealing with the plague, and Prince Guangling, without asking why, ordered his arrest and beheading."
Concubine Shu burst into tears, "Even if my brother really did commit a crime, Prince Guangling should have sent him to the capital for Your Majesty to decide. He arbitrarily executed a fourth-rank minister before the case was fully investigated. Does he have Your Majesty in his sight?"
The Emperor of Northern Qi looked at Concubine Shu, who had always been respectable. Today, her hair was messy, her golden hairpin was askew, and she was kneeling in the middle of the hall with no manners at all.
She was wearing thin clothes, her pretty face was blue with cold, her charming eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she looked extremely pitiful with her sorrow.
If Concubine Shu had met him before the Imperial Preceptor arrived, he might have been angry at what Zhao Yi had done after hearing what Concubine Shu said.
But the words of the imperial teacher settled his mind.
The Northern Qi Emperor picked up a memorial and threw it beside Concubine Shu's lap: "Take a look for yourself."
Shufei's tears rolled down her cheeks. She sobbed and picked up the memorial on the ground.
This memorial listed several crimes of Lin Yi. The more I read, the more frightened I became.
"Prince Guangling did indeed commit the crime of usurpation, but Lin Yi plotted to murder the heir to the throne. This crime alone is punishable by death, and it will also bring disaster to his family."
The Northern Qi Emperor slowly stood up. "What's more, Lin Yi's burning of the people in two cities has aroused public anger. If Prince Guangling doesn't deal with it on the spot, the people will only think that officials are protecting each other and lose trust in the court and the government. He is doing this to comply with the will of the people."
Concubine Shu's face turned pale.
"Lin Yi's two serious crimes are both true." The Northern Qi Emperor came to Concubine Shu and helped her to her feet. "My beloved, Prince Guangling has successfully controlled the plague. He has made great contributions and the people are very supportive of him. If I were to charge Prince Guangling with usurpation, the end result would be nothing more than his merits atone for his crimes."
He sighed and said, "If Lin Yi's case is brought up again, the entire Lin family might be executed."
The implication is that there is no need to pursue the matter of Zhao Yi killing Lin Yi. If Zhao Yi had not acted impulsively, the entire Lin family would have been beheaded.
Concubine Shu's eyes widened. According to what the Northern Qi Emperor said, not only could she not seek revenge on Zhao Yi, but she had to be grateful to Zhao Yi for killing her brother?
Although she was filled with hatred, she also understood that what the Northern Qi Emperor said was true.
If the situation continues, the entire Lin family will be destroyed. Without the support of her natal family, her son will lose a major force in his fight for the throne.
Concubine Shu had weighed the pros and cons in her mind, and the meaning of the emperor's words was very clear to her.
If she continued to pursue the matter, not only would she not be able to avenge her brother, but she would also suffer.
But it was absolutely impossible for her to let Zhao Yi go just like that.
No emperor would allow his subjects to act presumptuously.
She could seize this opportunity to flatter Zhao Yi and plant a seed of doubt in the heart of the Emperor of Northern Qi.
"Your Majesty, I understand your earnest intentions. To protect the Lin family, I refrained from pursuing the crime of usurpation against Prince Guangling."
"However, I believe that the two serious crimes my brother committed in Cloud City were a misunderstanding. I was originally hoping to ask you to send someone to investigate this matter thoroughly and clear my brother's name."
"After all, my brother is devoted to his duties and loyal to you. He would never do anything that would harm you or the people. How could he burn the people and murder the heir to the throne?"
"But Yuncheng is thousands of miles away from the capital. The news of my brother setting fire to the people spread to the capital almost overnight and caused a huge uproar."
"The truth is no longer important. The people will only believe what they believe. If I ask you to investigate at this critical juncture, it will only put you at the center of public controversy."
"This is not what my brother wants to see. If he knew about this, he would rather sacrifice himself and die unjustly than put you in trouble."
Concubine Shu hinted that someone had falsely accused Lin Yimou of murdering the royal heir and burning civilians, and was deliberately creating public opinion in the capital.
Then she put herself and Lin Yi in the position of victims, and in order not to make things difficult for the Emperor of Northern Qi, she chose to keep the peace.
The Emperor of Northern Qi firmly believed in the words of the Imperial Preceptor and was not shaken by the sharp words of Concubine Shu.
He liked Concubine Shu's gentleness and consideration, and he knew when to stop when things went well.
Now, seeing Concubine Shu being clever, he felt a little impatient.
"I'm not afraid of public opinion. The Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court will handle the matter impartially and give the people an explanation, and that will quell their grievances."
The Northern Qi Emperor asked, "Do you really want me to send someone to find out the truth?"
Concubine Shu was horrified and knelt on the ground with tears in her eyes: "I dare not be your Majesty's master."
Afraid that she would nod, the Emperor of Northern Qi actually sent people to investigate.
Concubine Shu knew very well what kind of person Lin Yi was.
All the charges listed in the memorial were true.
The Northern Qi Emperor didn't really want to investigate. After all, the Imperial Preceptor had said that the Xian Prince and the Qi Prince were mutually restraining each other. If he eliminated the Lin family, he would break the check and balance.
Although Zhao Yi's actions challenged his imperial power, the benefits outweighed the disadvantages for him.
Seeing that Concubine Shu had yielded, the Northern Qi Emperor helped her up again and said, "My beloved concubine, I have granted your family permission to come to the palace to meet you on a certain day."
Concubine Shu hurriedly thanked the emperor, took her leave from the imperial study, and returned to Zhaohua Palace.
As soon as the palace door closed, Concubine Shu asked, "Who did His Majesty meet before I went to the Imperial Study?"
Hong Qiao whispered, "Emperor Master."
The rage in Concubine Shu's eyes burst out. She pulled out the hairpin on her head and stabbed it hard into the soft pillow on the couch, poking several holes in it, before she vented the hatred in her heart.
She knew that Yan Heqing was born to be against her.
If Yan Heqing hadn't said something to the Emperor, he would have been instigated by her. Now, not only had she done nothing, she had almost earned the Emperor's dislike.
Shufei's eyes turned fierce. If the emperor couldn't deal with Zhao Yi, then she would take Zhao Yi's life herself.
More than 20 years ago, Zhao Yi escaped a disaster.
This time, she wanted to see if Zhao Yi could still be as tough as before.
-
After receiving the imperial edict, Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan packed up their boxes and prepared to return to the capital overnight.
The people of Yuncheng were very welcoming, and Zhao Yi was worried that they would hear the news and rush to see them off. So he decided to leave quietly, just as he had come.
They got on the carriage and drove slowly towards the city gate.
Suddenly, the coachman hissed and the carriage stopped.
Shen Qingtan lifted the curtain and saw the situation outside, his face full of shock.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com