kvmb Chapter 533 The East Wind Has Arrived
Chapter 533 The East Wind Has Arrived
In the darkness, the roaring firelight illuminated half the sky.
Zhang Qiushi, the trusted confidant sent by the Grand Secretary, looked at the Prince's mansion engulfed in flames and his heart sank. He could not think of anyone else who would dare to lay a hand on the Prince of Guangling except for the Right Pillar State.
"Make way—" The people hurriedly pushed aside Zhang Qiushi, who was blocking their way, and shouted to him, "His Highness has been harmed by villains. You must help put out the fire. Let's work together to rescue His Highness."
When Zhang Qiushi came to his senses, he saw four or five ragged people carrying wooden buckets, leading a large group of neatly dressed people carrying firefighting tools as they ran over.
Undeterred by the flames, they rushed into the palace to fight them.
They were clearly refugees who had been waiting in front of the Prince's Mansion. After discovering that the mansion was on fire, they went from house to house calling for help to put out the fire.
At this moment, some commoners carried out the maids and servants of the Prince's mansion.
Zhang Qiushi noticed with his sharp eyes that everyone in the Prince's mansion had fallen into a coma, and he didn't know whether they had been choked by the poisonous smoke or had been drugged.
Neither of these situations is a good thing for him.
If it is the former, it is enough to show that the fire has been burning for quite some time, and Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan are probably in grave danger.
If it is the latter, Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan will lose the ability to save themselves and can only wait for outside help. If they miss the opportunity, they will hardly survive.
Zhang Qiushi observed carefully and found that the fire in the Prince's Mansion was centered on the main courtyard and spread to the surrounding buildings, burning more and more fiercely.
By the time the people put out the fire, Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan would probably have been burned to ashes.
Zhang Qiushi saw several well-off people carrying cotton quilts. He grabbed the quilts and threw them on the ground, saying, "You wet the quilts, and I'll wear them to go in and rescue people."
Upon hearing this, the people splashed water onto the cotton quilts with a "splash".
Zhang Qiushi, wrapped in a wet quilt, asked the hurried passersby about the whereabouts of Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan, but he knew nothing. Seeing the people running towards the main courtyard, he followed them there.
Upon arriving at the main courtyard, they saw flames soaring into the sky, and the scorching heat deterred the people who wanted to enter to rescue others.
With a wet quilt protecting his body, Zhang Qiushi plunged headfirst into the fire without hesitation. The thick smoke choked him, making it hard to breathe and stinging his eyes.
The fire inside the house was fierce, but fortunately the wet cotton blanket on his body effectively insulated him from the flames and prevented him from being burned.
Zhang Qiushi struggled to discern the direction of the inner room and cautiously entered. He found the canopy bed and the wide couch burned to empty frames, but he did not find Zhao Yi or Shen Qingtan.
He was about to search when he heard the overhead beams creaking and groaning as if they were about to collapse.
Zhang Qiushi dared not linger and quickly ran out of the sea of fire.
With a loud "boom," the main courtyard collapsed behind him.
Zhang Qiushi, still shaken, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and saw a burly old woman carrying Shen Qingtan on her back, with another old woman supporting her to prevent Shen Qingtan from slipping off.
On the other side, a strong and powerful man carried Zhao Yi out of the path and strode towards the outside of the mansion.
Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan are still alive.
Zhang Qiushi breathed a sigh of relief and followed them out of the mansion. He then heard the doctor say, "They were drugged, but they are not in serious danger. Licorice juice can counteract the effects of the drug, or you can splash a bucket of cold water on their faces."
"Crash-"
The people poured all the water used to put out the fire onto the faces of the servants in the Prince's mansion.
Doctor: "..."
Zhang Qiushi: "..."
The common people cherished Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan, fearing something might happen to them, so they took them both to the clinic.
The doctor prepared the medicine and fed it to Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan respectively. After nearly half an hour, the couple slowly woke up. They were completely bewildered when they saw the unfamiliar surroundings and the people gathered around them.
The couple seemed a bit out of sorts, as if they didn't understand why they had changed locations after simply closing their eyes and opening them again.
"Your Highness, you're awake." Zhang Qiushi took out his waist token and showed it to Zhao Yi: "I am a retainer of the Grand Secretary. I am here on the Grand Secretary's orders to bring you back to the capital to take charge of the overall situation."
Zhao Yi glanced at the token indifferently, pressed his hands against his dizzy head, and first asked about the situation at the Prince's residence: "Why are the Princess and I at the clinic?"
Zhang Qiushi replied, "The Prince's mansion was on fire. It was only when the people were putting out the fire that they discovered that everyone in the mansion had been drugged."
Zhao Yi frowned, slowly sorting out the cause and effect, before responding to Zhang Qiushi's earlier introduction: "I already know about the internal strife in Northern Qi."
"People from all over the country have fled to Yuncheng and are begging me to send troops to punish the Right Pillar State and rescue Your Majesty."
"However, I have been in Yuncheng all along and know nothing about the affairs of the capital. So, I first settled the refugees before sending people to the capital to find out the truth, and then made a decision with the officials."
“But the people I sent out to gather information haven’t returned yet. Yesterday, two people came to the manor. They claimed to be here on His Majesty’s orders to take me back to the capital.”
“But I heard that His Majesty is seriously ill and has not attended court for a long time, nor has he summoned any officials. The affairs of the court are all being handled by the Right Pillar of State. I couldn’t help but recall the rumors and felt that there was something suspicious about this matter, so I asked them to prove their identities.”
"It's strange, they came to deliver an imperial edict, but they couldn't produce one. They asked for a token, but as His Majesty's secret guards, they couldn't produce one either. The situation in Northern Qi is tense right now, and I found their identities suspicious, so I arrested them first."
In reality, Zhao Yi waited for the secret guards sent by the Northern Qi Emperor, then tested them and learned the Emperor's intentions. If the Emperor harbored any disloyalty, he would kill him on the spot.
He had made thorough preparations long ago, and the soldiers lying in ambush in the palace killed them. Tonight, he set a fire to confirm the Right Pillar State's guilt in plotting against him, and then launched a military campaign against the Right Pillar State.
Zhao Yi collected his thoughts and raised an eyebrow slightly: "Lord Zhang, in your opinion, who set the fire at the Prince's mansion tonight?"
Zhang Qiushi's lips moved, but he ultimately remained silent.
"I suppose Lord Zhang already has the answer in his heart," Zhao Yi said with a half-smile. "May I ask, Lord Zhang, is it possible for me to return to the capital?"
Zhang Qiu thought to himself: There's no going back.
The Right Pillar General imprisoned the Northern Qi Emperor and even sent people to "bring" the Prince of Guangling back to the capital. It's likely that the Prince of Guangling, caught off guard, followed those two back to the capital and would end up dead halfway there.
Now that the Right Pillar Kingdom has the intention to harm the King of Guangling, he will probably set up a trap on the way back to the capital from Yuncheng.
He alone could not possibly bring the Prince of Guangling back to the capital safely.
Moreover, Zhang Qiushi had another concern: the palace had been taken over by the Right Pillar of State and had become his territory. Even if he safely escorted the Prince of Guangling back to the capital, the Prince of Guangling would be like a lamb entering a tiger's den once he entered the palace.
The only option now is...
“Throughout history, emperors have appointed trusted ministers to handle state affairs in advance to prevent themselves from being unable to govern. The Grand Secretary is a minister whom His Majesty trusts greatly, so in principle His Majesty should appoint the Grand Secretary. Why did it have to be the Right Pillar of State?” Zhao Yi said slowly as he watched Zhang Qiushi’s expression gradually become serious. “I’m afraid I’m not the only one with this question. The fact that the Grand Secretary sent you to bring me back to the capital to take charge of the overall situation shows that the Grand Secretary has also noticed that His Majesty’s serious illness is suspicious.”
Zhang Qiushi looked at Zhao Yi in astonishment, seemingly not expecting Zhao Yi to be able to guess, so he stopped hiding it and said truthfully, "Your Highness, you don't need to send people to the capital to investigate the truth. What the people are saying is the truth."
"The Right Pillar State used the new national policy to enrich himself, levying an additional 30% in taxes in various places. In the matter of conscription, he went too far, leaving no able-bodied men in the people's families, causing chaos throughout the country."
"His Majesty is a benevolent and wise ruler, so naturally he could not tolerate him and summoned him to the palace overnight to question him. It was after seeing the Right Pillar General that His Majesty fell ill. No other official in the court could see him except the Right Pillar General. In addition, even the imperial physician who treated His Majesty stayed at the Right Pillar General's residence."
"The officials believe that the Right Pillar of State only harbored rebellious intentions in order to protect his life and property, so they sent his subordinates to escort you back to the capital."
Zhao Yi said coldly, "The Imperial Tutor is unconscious, and I am far away in Yuncheng, which gives the Right Pillar State an opportunity to take advantage of the situation." His expression was solemn: "Right now, I am worried that if the Right Pillar State fails to assassinate me, His Majesty will be in imminent danger."
Zhang Qiushi understood the meaning behind Zhao Yi's words: rescuing the Northern Qi emperor was of paramount importance.
The people knelt on the ground in unison: "Your Highness, this treacherous villain harbors wolfish ambitions. He has imprisoned His Majesty and even plotted to murder you, intending to overthrow the dynasty. We beg you to raise an army to eliminate this villain, rescue His Majesty, and give us justice."
"Eliminate the treacherous ministers and save His Majesty."
"Eliminate the treacherous ministers and save His Majesty."
The people shouted slogans in a fit of anger.
Zhao Yi did not respond, but looked out the window, as if waiting for something.
Zhang Qiushi was somewhat puzzled, but he quickly realized that to raise an army, one must have troops at one's disposal.
Just then, the sound of armor clashing with weapons came from outside the clinic.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Wang Qiaoxin striding in with imposing manner. He stopped in front of Zhao Yi, his thumb scraping against the flag in his palm that could be used to mobilize troops, but he did not hand it over.
This flag was a token given to him by the Northern Qi emperor to mobilize troops, so that he could freely deploy his forces to besiege the Prince of Zhenbei during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The Northern Qi emperor originally planned to send another general to take over his troops, but there has been no news so far.
Wang Qiaoxin handed over the flag in his hand: "Your Highness, treacherous officials are in power, causing chaos in the court and threatening the world. This humble general is willing to serve Your Highness with utmost loyalty, to eliminate these treacherous officials, to restore order to the court, to rescue Your Majesty, and to revitalize the dynasty."