allonlinenovel Chapter 316 Losing his wife and losing his troops
Chapter 316 Losing his wife and losing his troops
The imperial tutor, whose seal was just a hair's breadth away from a written covenant, suddenly stopped and turned to look outside the hall.
The Northern Qi envoy breathed a sigh of relief and looked calmly out of the hall.
The ministers of the Great Zhou Dynasty had tense expressions. Although they regretted that they were just a little short of being able to stamp the seal and form an alliance between the two countries, they were still far from it.
However, what arrived outside the palace was a courier, delivering an extremely urgent message. The situation was probably even more pressing than the signing of an alliance between the two countries.
As expected, Emperor Jing'an summoned the courier soldiers to the palace.
The courier took out a letter from his pocket and presented it to Emperor Jing'an: "Your Majesty, a plague has broken out in Yingcheng, and some people have fled to Licheng. The Prince of Zhenbei has ordered the city gates to be closed and the people who fled into Licheng to be placed in separate tents and strictly guarded."
The moment those words were uttered, everyone present was astonished.
The ministers of the Great Zhou changed their expressions drastically. The Northern Qi had just ceded Yingcheng to them, but then a plague broke out, instantly turning it from a coveted land of abundant grain into a hot potato.
The people present are all shrewd and calculating, so how could they not understand that there was something fishy about the plague in Yingcheng?
It seems that whichever city they choose, the plague will break out in that city.
The officials of the Great Zhou looked grim. The methods of the Northern Qi were too dirty and despicable. In order not to cede the city to the Great Zhou, they actually harmed the people.
That's absolutely outrageous!
They glared angrily at the Northern Qi envoys, wishing they could send them all to Yingcheng.
Emperor Jing'an opened the letter in his hand. In the letter, Prince Zhenbei requested the court to allocate imperial physicians, medicines, grain, and silver to Licheng.
"An epidemic has broken out in Yingcheng, and we don't know how things will develop in the future." The Imperial Tutor looked up at Emperor Jing'an: "Your Majesty, shall we continue to stamp this seal?"
Emperor Jing'an clenched his fists. The Great Zhou had experienced several plague outbreaks, and he naturally knew the severity of the plague. Some families had been wiped out, and some clans had been completely destroyed.
If the Great Zhou were to take over Yingcheng, it would mean that the Great Zhou would have to expend manpower, material resources, and financial resources, and silver and supplies are precisely what the Great Zhou is lacking.
If he abandons Yingcheng, he will lose the hearts of the people and his reputation for benevolence will be ruined.
After the Northern Qi envoys arrived in the Great Zhou, they were completely suppressed by the Great Zhou and forced to pay compensation to the Great Zhou unconditionally.
Now that the Great Zhou has been forced into a dilemma, they have finally been able to hold their heads high.
The Northern Qi envoy raised an eyebrow: "Your Majesty, shall we continue to stamp the alliance treaty, or renegotiate it?"
Seeing the anger on the faces of the Zhou officials, yet their inability to do anything about it, they became even more calm and composed.
In its current situation, the Great Zhou Dynasty is simply incapable of swallowing Yingcheng.
The Northern Qi envoy had almost foreseen the outcome, waiting for Emperor Jing'an to propose crossing Yingcheng off the treaty.
At that moment, a cool voice came from the side hall: "Continue stamping."
The Northern Qi envoy subconsciously looked up and saw Zhao Yi, dressed in a bright red prince's robe adorned with gold pythons, strolling out of the side hall, exuding an undeniable air of nobility.
The Northern Qi envoy was astonished, staring blankly as Zhao Yi bypassed the officials of the Great Zhou and came to the Northern Qi envoy's seat, calmly sitting down next to the Imperial Tutor.
They were completely baffled, exchanging bewildered glances with those around them, not understanding what Zhao Yi was up to.
"The terms have already been agreed upon, and the alliance has been drafted. How can we go back on our word at the last minute?" Zhao Yi calmly looked at Emperor Jing'an: "Your Majesty, what is your opinion?"
The officials of the Great Zhou were in an uproar, and they looked at Zhao Yi as if he were a traitor.
Zhao Yi clearly knew about Da Zhou's predicament, but instead of helping Da Zhou solve its problems, he forced Da Zhou to reluctantly take over Yingcheng.
The officials were furious, enraged by Zhao Yi's betrayal. Some were so indignant that they wanted to stand up and condemn Zhao Yi, but were held back by their colleagues.
When Emperor Jing'an saw Zhao Yi sitting on the side of the Northern Qi envoy, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, especially when he saw that Zhao Yi was wearing the robes of a Northern Qi prince, his expression became even more inscrutable.
He slowly unclenched his fist and said in a deep voice, "A person who lacks trust cannot stand. A person who is not honest cannot be befriended. As the ruler of a country, my words are law; how can they be disregarded?"
The ministers of the Great Zhou Dynasty panicked: "Your Majesty..."
Emperor Jing'an raised his hand to stop him, his tone firm and resolute: "Stamp it."
This time, it was the Northern Qi envoy who panicked. Once the official seal was affixed, Yingcheng was indeed ceded to the Great Zhou.
They were both shocked and furious, unable to tell whether Zhao Yi was helping or harming the Great Zhou.
Although the Great Zhou Dynasty gained a city, it was simply unable to quell the plague in Yingcheng with its limited resources.
If Emperor Jing'an were to mishandle the hot potato that is Yingcheng, he would lose the support of the people.
The Northern Qi envoy's mind raced, and he seemed to have figured something out.
Could it be that Zhao Yi deliberately harmed the Great Zhou in order to curry favor with the Northern Qi?
If Emperor Jing'an fails to handle the plague in Yingcheng, then Northern Qi can step in and take back Yingcheng.
Thinking of this, the ministers of Northern Qi exchanged glances, wanting to see what Zhao Yi was really up to.
Zhao Yi disregarded the opinions of the other officials and instead looked at the Imperial Tutor: "Why not affix the seal? Does the Imperial Tutor still have doubts?"
With a "clang," as Zhao Yi finished speaking, the imperial tutor stamped the seal in his hand.
"The Great Zhou and the Northern Qi have formed an alliance, and the two countries are like brothers. If one is in trouble, the other has a responsibility to help each other." Zhao Yi held the alliance agreement and looked around at the ministers of both countries: "Now that a plague has broken out in Yingcheng of the Great Zhou, the Northern Qi, as an ally, will definitely send imperial physicians, medicines, money and food to Yingcheng to help the Great Zhou overcome this difficulty."
The hall fell silent instantly.
The officials of the Great Zhou were dumbfounded. So Zhao Yi had gone to the Northern Qi to be a spy?
He confronted the conspiracies and schemes of the Northern Qi, helped the Great Zhou capture Yingcheng, and even provided Yingcheng with imperial physicians and provisions in his capacity as a prince of the Northern Qi.
The Northern Qi deliberately created a plague in Yingcheng, simply to force the Great Zhou to abandon Yingcheng.
Now, the Great Zhou not only has Yingcheng, but also the assistance of the Northern Qi.
If Northern Qi wanted Zhao Yi to return to Northern Qi, it was impossible for them to refuse Zhao Yi's words.
The officials of the Great Zhou wanted to laugh, thinking that the Northern Qi had trapped itself, losing both its wife and its army.
As expected, the Northern Qi envoy was caught off guard by Zhao Yi's unexpected and hostile remarks.
They not only offered the Great Zhou a city, but also sent money, grain, and people to fight the plague.
The Northern Qi envoy was naturally unhappy, as Zhao Yi had absolutely no standing to speak on behalf of Northern Qi.
Just as they were about to retort, they saw Zhao Yi brush the dust off his robe with his slender fingers.
The Northern Qi envoy looked at Zhao Yi's princely attire, and the words that were on the tip of his tongue could not be uttered or swallowed, his face turning red with pent-up frustration.
Because the imperial tutor had said that the Northern Qi emperor hoped Zhao Yi would acknowledge his ancestors and return to his clan.
It is a disgrace to the entire royal family for a prince of a nation to be exiled to another country.
Moreover, the Northern Qi emperor wanted to use Zhao Yi to restrain the Great Zhou.
If they say that Zhao Yi is not qualified to represent Northern Qi, then they are denying Zhao Yi's identity, and Zhao Yi will then take the opportunity not to return to Northern Qi.
The Northern Qi envoys were at a loss and looked to the Imperial Tutor, hoping he could come up with a solution that satisfied both sides.