kvmb Chapter 489 Risking his life to remonstrate and clear Zhao Yi of suspicion
Chapter 489 Risking his life to remonstrate and clear Zhao Yi of suspicion
The situation was serious, and the Northern Qi emperor immediately summoned the Prince Xian to the inner palace to meet with several ministers.
The Grand Secretary performed the rites of a subject to a ruler and reported, "Your Majesty, the crimes committed by the Prince Xian in collusion with Feng Zhihuan were initially only denounced by the people of Yongqing County, but in the blink of an eye, the news reached the capital, causing an uproar throughout the country. The court has not responded to this, which has led to the situation escalating further."
"Especially since rumors have been circulating that you favor Prince Xian as the crown prince, the people are afraid that if Prince Xian were to rule the country, he would cause widespread suffering and oppose your decision to appoint Prince Xian as the crown prince. Otherwise, they will rise up in rebellion and overthrow your dynasty."
At this point, the silver-haired prime minister knelt on the ground and continued to advise: "As the saying goes, the people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important. The people are the foundation of the country. When the foundation is stable, the country will be at peace."
"Your Majesty, the situation is critical. Please punish the Prince Xian severely."
The Imperial Censor followed up, saying, “Your Majesty, according to the laws of Northern Qi, if a subordinate official is corrupt, the superior official will be implicated. If the father is corrupt, his sons and grandsons will be implicated. Although Prince Xian is the heir to the throne, the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners.”
"I understand your loving heart as a father, but as a king, you should prioritize the greater good, punish the virtuous king first, and quell the people's grievances."
They knew about the Prince Xian's crimes beforehand, but pretended not to because the Emperor of Northern Qi wanted to protect him.
Now that the people have revolted, they have no choice but to intervene.
"Northern Qi is my empire, and I shall have the final say." The Emperor of Northern Qi coldly looked at the ministers who were pressuring him and sneered, "You keep talking about collective punishment, why don't you just dismiss me too, and you can all sit in this position!"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger." All the ministers knelt down in unison: "We dare not."
"I see you dare to do this." The Emperor of Northern Qi pointed at them with his finger: "You all flipped through the laws of Northern Qi, listing the crimes of the Prince Xian, asking me to punish him severely. I ask you, are your hearts cleaner than his?"
"Use your own brains and think about it. Throughout history, how many princes have committed crimes? Have there ever been any popular uprisings?"
"Within just a few days, rumors spread throughout the Northern Qi and triggered uprisings in many places. This is clearly someone targeting the wise prince behind the scenes."
The ministers fell silent.
"I handed the case of Yongqing County to the Prince of Guangling so that he could clean up the mess for the Prince Xian. Under his supervision, the prefect died, my secret guards also died, and the Prince Xian was put on the hot seat."
"These past few days, I've been thinking it over and over again. With the Prince Xian in trouble, the Prince of Guangling is the one who benefits the most." The Northern Qi Emperor directly accused Zhao Yi: "I defended the Prince of Guangling in the morning court some time ago, but I didn't expect it to fuel his ambition. He's willing to instigate internal strife in order to persecute his own brothers."
The ministers were stunned, their faces full of astonishment. They had clearly not expected that the Northern Qi emperor would place all the blame on the Prince of Guangling.
Although the Prince Xian is of pure blood and is the only choice for the crown prince, is it really necessary to push the Prince of Guangling out to take the blame in order to protect the Prince Xian?
They exchanged glances, all expressing their dissatisfaction with the Northern Qi emperor's actions.
“Your Majesty, the Prince of Guangling is cautious and methodical in his actions, and has never made a mistake or been caught doing anything wrong. If he were to be behind all this, it would be too obvious and not in line with his style.”
"Your Majesty, there are no secrets in this world. The Prince of Guangling probably understands this principle. Despite the criticism from civil and military officials, he swiftly dealt with several important court officials in order to eliminate any potential threats."
"So when the prefect confessed about the wise king, it did not ruin your reputation as a wise and virtuous person in the hearts of the people. Otherwise, the people would have questioned whether you abandoned them in order to protect the wise king."
"Moreover, if the Prince Xian's crimes are true, there is really no need for the Prince of Guangling to kill the Prefect."
This was also something the Northern Qi emperor couldn't understand. The prefect hated Prince Xian to the bone, and since he dared to implicate Prince Xian on the execution ground, it meant he had evidence. Re-examining him would only cement the guilt on Prince Xian's head.
Why would Zhao Yi go to such lengths?
The chief minister saw that the Northern Qi emperor was deep in thought and had clearly taken their words to heart.
He said, “Your Majesty, given his and the Prince Xian’s status, how could the Prince of Guangling not know that handling the Yongqing County case could easily lead to serious trouble? He could have used his injuries to refuse you, but to share your burden, he still took on this case despite the pressure.”
"Think about it carefully. This matter seems to benefit the Prince of Guangling, but in fact it makes you suspicious of him, disgusted with him, and you don't gain any benefit at all."
"If he and the Prince Xian both suffer heavy losses, and Northern Qi falls into internal strife, who will ultimately benefit?"
Although they preferred a prince of pure blood as the crown prince, the wise king was not up to the task, and if the country were handed over to him, the Northern Qi would perish.
“The Prince of Guangling certainly doesn’t have the ability to incite uprisings among the people in various places. He must be a remnant of the previous dynasty. They plan to take advantage of the internal strife that has broken out in various places to overthrow my empire.” The Emperor of Northern Qi panicked and immediately ordered: “Pass down my decree. The soldiers of Northern Qi are to be divided into two halves. One half will guard the border, and the other half will be stationed in various places. If any troublemakers cause trouble, kill them on the spot.”
"His Majesty……"
"The most urgent task is to eliminate the remnants of the previous dynasty and quell the internal strife. As for how to deal with the virtuous prince, allow me to think about it some more." The Emperor of Northern Qi waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave.
The Grand Secretary and the Censor-in-Chief shook their heads, and they saw disappointment in each other's eyes.
They said nothing more, got up and took their leave.
Only one veteran official remained.
The Northern Qi emperor, his head throbbing with pain, suppressed the surging anger in his chest and asked impatiently, "What else do you want?"
Lord Wang advised, “Your Majesty, the way of a ruler is to have the people in his heart first. If you harm the people to support yourself, it is like cutting off your own flesh and blood to feed yourself. Although your stomach is full, your body is dead. If you want to bring peace to the world, you must first rectify yourself, otherwise it will cause internal strife.”
“The wise king has neither the people in his heart nor corrected himself, so he is really unfit for a great responsibility.”
"The Prince of Guangling had the ambition to govern the country and the talent to rule it. Unfortunately, his bloodline was not pure, which made it difficult for him to gain the trust of his ministers."
At this point, Lord Wang knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I humbly request that you select a consort to ensure the continuation of the imperial line."
The Northern Qi emperor looked at Lord Wang, who was kneeling in the center of the hall, with a sinister gaze.
This man was a former official of the previous dynasty. He supported the late emperor in establishing a new dynasty and was highly regarded by the late emperor.
Now they've even started plotting against him.
If he were to take many concubines, father a prince, and establish him as the new emperor, with these old ministers assisting him in governing, would the Northern Qi dynasty still belong to the Chu family?
Not to mention, his health was failing, and he had long been unable to conceive.
The Northern Qi emperor angrily rebuked, "At my age, are you trying to make the world laugh at me and condemn me as a foolish and incompetent person?
"Your humble servant dares not," Lord Wang said, risking his life to remonstrate. "If you are unwilling to hold a selection of candidates, you may choose a suitable candidate from the imperial clan and adopt him into your family."
"I have sons and daughters; my lineage is not dead." The Northern Qi emperor flew into a rage, slamming his hand on the table: "You're advising me to adopt a son; what are your true intentions?"
Lord Wang was greatly alarmed: "Your Majesty, I am loyal to you without reservation, but only for the sake of the country and its people."
"If I hear you say anything again today, I will cut off your head." The Northern Qi Emperor, too lazy to deal with it any longer, pointed at the palace gate: "Get out of here."
Lord Wang dared not say any more and left trembling with fear.
As the Northern Qi emperor watched Lord Wang's trembling figure, an idea suddenly formed in his mind. This would not only solidify the position of the wise prince in the hearts of the court officials, but also bring out the remnants of the previous dynasty.