kvmb Chapter 522 Qingjun’s Side
Chapter 522 Qingjun’s Side
Emperor Jing'an always entrusted his letters to his trusted confidants to be delivered to Zhao Yi.
The fact that Emperor Jing'an has entrusted the letter to the Prince of Zhenbei shows its importance; probably not a single word of it can be leaked.
Zhao Yi took the letter from the Prince of Zhenbei, tore open the seal, and took out a piece of white raw silk, on which there were no traces of ink.
He heated the white raw silk over a fire, and only then did the light yellow characters appear.
This letter was written with alum water.
Zhao Yi read on, word by word, and the more he read, the more shaken he became.
In his letter, Emperor Jing'an stated that Zhao Yi was now the only heir left to the Northern Qi emperor. However, the Northern Qi emperor did not trust that his son, raised in the Great Zhou, would be wholeheartedly loyal to the Northern Qi.
Although the Northern Qi emperor believed that human nature could not withstand the test and that no one could resist the temptation of power, Princess Yizhen did not covet power and would not bow to the powerful. She would only bow her head for the beliefs and convictions in her heart.
The Northern Qi emperor suspected that Zhao Yi would be as loyal to the Great Zhou as his mother, even at the cost of his own life, in order to protect the Great Zhou dynasty. That is why he forced Zhao Yi to send troops against the Great Zhou.
If Zhao Yi disobeys the Northern Qi emperor's order and does not send troops to the Great Zhou, he will surely become a pawn for the Northern Qi emperor to restrain the Great Zhou.
If that day really comes, Emperor Jing'an will lend troops to Zhao Yi to help him rebel against the Northern Qi emperor.
Seeing Zhao Yi staring intently at the letter, the Prince of Zhenbei said, "Originally, the Emperor was waiting for you to bring Princess Yizhen's remains back to Great Zhou, so that Great Zhou could recuperate and then conquer Northern Qi."
"But the Northern Qi emperor went back on his word and refused to let you return to the country with Princess Yizhen's remains. He forced you to stay in Northern Qi in order to hinder the Great Zhou."
"His Majesty intends to send troops against Northern Qi, but he has three concerns. First, given the strength of the Great Zhou, it is not suitable for a protracted war, but only for a swift victory. Second, he is concerned about your and Manman's safety. Third, he is worried that the Northern Qi emperor, in order to retaliate against him, will make sure that Princess Yizhen's body is never found."
"It turns out that the Emperor intended to wait and see, and then devise a foolproof plan that would allow you to return to the country safely with Princess Yizhen's remains, while also annexing Northern Qi."
"Unexpectedly, the situation in the Northern Qi royal family changed. The Qi King, born to the Empress, was imprisoned in Guangyang Palace, and the Xian King, born to Consort Shu, also died, leaving you as his only son."
"Your achievements in Northern Qi are outstanding, and you are very popular with the people. The Emperor has considered letting you stay in Northern Qi and become Emperor."
How could the Prince of Zhenbei not know that Emperor Jing'an intended to unify Northern Qi?
However, Emperor Jing'an and Princess Yizhen had once depended on each other for survival. It was Princess Yizhen who sacrificed her innocence and life to allow Emperor Jing'an to return to the Great Zhou and become emperor.
Without Princess Yizhen, there would be no Emperor Jing'an today.
Emperor Jing'an naturally wanted to protect Princess Yizhen's only bloodline.
If the Great Zhou were to unify the Northern Qi, even if the civil and military officials did not care about Zhao Yi's bloodline, Zhao Yi would become a powerful minister under the support of Emperor Jing'an. When the new emperor ascended the throne, he might be wary of Zhao Yi and then have the idea of eliminating him.
The best solution would be to support Zhao Yi as the new emperor of Northern Qi, which would allow Zhao Yi to live a peaceful life.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi immediately understood why Emperor Jing'an had said he would give him the letter when the time was right.
Because the Northern Qi emperor launched a military campaign against the Great Zhou in order to strengthen the country, he increased the taxes levied on the people.
Such exploitation of the people by the imperial court is bound to cause internal strife.
At that time, taking advantage of the internal strife in Northern Qi, they launched an uprising under the pretext of "purging the court of corrupt officials" and "rescuing the emperor."