allonlinenovel Chapter 344 The plan failed
Chapter 344 The plan failed
Consort Shu stepped down from her sedan chair and instructed the eunuch guarding the door to announce her arrival.
The eunuch was startled when he saw Consort Shu's appearance. In such cold weather, Consort Shu wasn't even wearing a cloak, only a silk-padded jacket and a gold-embroidered horse-face skirt.
He dared not delay and hurriedly went into the palace to announce his arrival.
A moment later, a eunuch came out of the hall and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, His Majesty invites you into the hall."
Consort Shu hurriedly entered the main hall and knelt in the center of the hall.
"Your Majesty, my brother was managing the plague in Yuncheng when the Prince of Guangling, without asking any questions, ordered him to be arrested and beheaded."
Consort Shu, with tears streaming down her face, said, "Even if my brother really committed a crime, the Prince of Guangling should have sent him to the capital for His Majesty to decide his fate. Before the case was even investigated, he arbitrarily executed a fourth-rank official. Does he have any respect for His Majesty?"
The Emperor of Northern Qi looked at Consort Shu, who was usually so dignified, but today her hair was disheveled, her gold hairpin was askew, and she was kneeling in the middle of the hall, completely losing her composure.
She was dressed in thin clothes, her beautiful face was blue from the cold, and her charming eyes were red and swollen from crying. She looked extremely pitiful in her sorrowful state.
If Consort Shu had met with the Imperial Tutor before he arrived, he might have been angered by Zhao Yi's actions upon hearing her words.
But the Imperial Tutor's words reassured him.
The Emperor of Northern Qi picked up a memorial and threw it beside Consort Shu's lap: "Take a look for yourself."
Consort Shu's tears slid down her cheeks, and with a sob, she picked up the memorial from the ground.
This memorial listed several of Lin Yi's crimes, and the more one read, the more horrified one became.
“The Prince of Guangling did indeed commit the crime of usurpation, but Lin Yi’s plot to harm the imperial heir is a capital offense, and will also bring disaster upon his relatives.”
The Emperor of Northern Qi slowly rose to his feet: "Moreover, Lin Yi's burning of the people in two cities has aroused public anger. If the Prince of Guangling does not deal with it on the spot, the people will only think that officials are protecting each other and will lose trust in the court and the government. He is doing this in accordance with the will of the people."
Concubine Shu's face turned pale.
"The two major crimes committed by Lin Yi are both true." The Emperor of Northern Qi came to Consort Shu's side and helped her to her feet. "My dear consort, the Prince of Guangling has cured the plague and made great contributions. The people support him very much. If I were to punish the Prince of Guangling for overstepping his authority, the final result would simply be that he can atone for his crimes with his merits."
He sighed, "On the contrary, if Lin Yi's case is brought up again, the entire Lin family might be executed."
The implication was that there was no need to investigate Zhao Yi's killing of Lin Yi; if Zhao Yi hadn't acted impulsively, the entire Lin family would have been beheaded.
Consort Shu's eyes widened. According to the Northern Qi Emperor, not only could she not seek revenge on Zhao Yi, but she should also be grateful to Zhao Yi for killing her brother?
Although she was filled with resentment, she also understood that what the Northern Qi emperor said was true.
If this continues, the entire Lin family will be destroyed. With her maternal family as her support, her son will lose a major ally in his quest for the throne.
Consort Shu had already weighed the options in her mind, and she understood the meaning behind the Emperor's words.
If she continues to pursue this matter, not only will she be unable to avenge her brother, but she will also suffer as a result.
But it's absolutely impossible for her to let Zhao Yi go so easily.
No emperor could tolerate the overstepping of his authority by his subjects.
She could seize this opportunity to sow discord between Zhao Yi and the Northern Qi emperor, planting a seed of suspicion in his heart.
"Your Majesty, I understand your good intentions. In order to protect the Lin family, I did not pursue the crime of the Prince of Guangling's usurpation."
"However, I believe that the two serious crimes my brother committed in Yuncheng were a misunderstanding. I originally wanted to ask you to send someone to investigate the matter thoroughly and clear my brother's name."
"After all, my brother has always been loyal to you and devoted to his duties. He would never do anything that would be detrimental to you or the people, so how could he possibly burn the people or plot against the imperial heir?"
“But Yuncheng is thousands of miles away from the capital. The news of my brother burning the people spread to the capital almost overnight, causing a great uproar.”
"The truth is no longer important; the people will only believe what they believe. If I were to ask you to investigate at this critical juncture, it would only put you in the spotlight."
“This is not what my brother would have wanted. If he knew this in the afterlife, he would rather sacrifice himself and die unjustly than cause you any trouble.”
Consort Shu's words implied that someone had framed Lin Yi for murdering the imperial heir and setting fire to the people, and was deliberately creating public opinion in the capital.
She then positioned herself and Lin Yi as victims, choosing to settle the matter peacefully in order not to put the Northern Qi Emperor in a difficult position.
The Emperor of Northern Qi firmly believed in his tutor's words and was not swayed by the subtle hints in Consort Shu's speech.
He liked Consort Shu's gentle and considerate nature, and her ability to know when to stop.
Now, seeing Consort Shu trying to be clever, he became somewhat impatient.
"I am not afraid of public opinion. The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review will handle the matter impartially and give the people an explanation, which will quell their grievances."
The Emperor of Northern Qi countered, "Does my beloved concubine truly wish for me to send someone to investigate and uncover the truth?"
Consort Shu was shocked and knelt on the ground, her eyes filled with tears: "Your Majesty, I dare not make such a decision for you."
Fearing that if she agreed, the Northern Qi emperor would actually send people to investigate.
Consort Shu knew very well what kind of person Lin Yi was.
All the charges listed in the memorial were true.
The Emperor of Northern Qi wasn't really going to investigate, after all, his tutor had said that the Prince of Xian and the Prince of Qi were checking and balancing each other. If he were to eliminate the Lin family, he would be breaking that balance.
Although Zhao Yi's actions challenged his imperial authority, for him, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.
Seeing that Consort Shu had given in, the Emperor of Northern Qi helped her up again: "My beloved consort, I hereby grant your family permission to choose a day to come to the palace to visit your relatives."
Consort Shu quickly expressed her gratitude, took her leave from the Imperial Study, and returned to Zhaohua Palace.
As soon as the palace doors closed, Consort Shu asked, "Who did His Majesty meet before I went to the Imperial Study?"
Hongqiao said in a low voice, "Imperial Tutor."
The anger in Consort Shu's eyes burst forth. She pulled out the hairpin from her hair and stabbed it hard into the soft pillow on the couch, making several holes in it, before finally venting the hatred in her heart.
She knew that Yan Heqing was born to be her enemy.
If Yan Heqing hadn't said something to the Emperor, he would surely have been swayed by her. Now, not only has she done nothing of value, but she has also almost incurred the Emperor's displeasure.
Consort Shu's eyes hardened. 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 calamity.
This time, she wanted to see if Zhao Yi could still be as resilient as before.
-
Upon receiving the imperial decree, Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan packed their belongings and prepared to set off for the capital overnight.
The people of Yuncheng were very hospitable, and Zhao Yi worried that if they heard the news, they would rush to see them off. That's why he decided to leave quietly, just as he had come.
They boarded the carriage and slowly drove towards the city gate.
Suddenly, the coachman hissed, and the carriage came to a stop.
Shen Qingtan lifted the curtain and was shocked by what she saw outside.