kvmb Chapter 336: A Big Drama
Chapter 336: A Big Drama
The Prince of Zhenbei, far away in Yingcheng, heard that Zhao Yi had been enfeoffed as the Prince of Guangling, with his fiefdom located in Yuncheng and Panshicheng.
The lieutenant whispered, "Your Highness, the prince consort has passed away. It's one thing for the Northern Qi emperor to posthumously confer titles on him, but he went to the unnecessary trouble of granting him a fiefdom. Could it be that he intends to use the fiefdom to keep the princess in Northern Qi, in order to prevent us from bringing her back to Great Zhou?"
"Unfortunately, he miscalculated." The Prince of Zhenbei said with a cold and stern face: "You will go to Yuncheng on behalf of the Great Zhou to offer condolences to the Prince of Guangling."
The deputy general then remembered that the Imperial Tutor had sent a letter to the Prince of Zhenbei, inviting him to Yuncheng to offer condolences.
Yingcheng is adjacent to Yuncheng.
"I will obey my orders."
The deputy general led an elite force to Yuncheng.
-
On the day of Zhao Yi's funeral, the sky was overcast and a somber atmosphere filled the air.
Lin Yi specially changed into a plain outfit, preparing to pay his respects to Zhao Yi and also to watch a good show.
Just before leaving, Lin Yi instructed his trusted aides: "Lord Jiang is the magistrate of Yuncheng, and he cares deeply for the people. Let him and the sick people travel together."
The confidant felt a chill run down his spine, understanding the meaning behind Lin Yi's words: he intended to silence Prefect Jiang.
"Yes."
Lin Yi's confidant agreed and led several guards to the shanty where the patients were being housed.
Prefect Jiang was already waiting at the door with his yamen runners, with baskets of charcoal placed at his feet.
The guard glanced at the charcoal at Prefect Jiang's feet, a look of doubt in his eyes.
Prefect Jiang explained, “Distributing a little charcoal to each shed will help the fire burn. The Imperial Tutor has arrived in Yuncheng, and this fire will quickly attract their attention. If they arrive in time to put out the fire and save some patients, we will all be doomed.”
Upon hearing this, the guard realized that Lord Lin's judgment of people was indeed accurate, and that Prefect Jiang was not a kind person.
Lord Lin had tested Prefect Jiang before; they were the same kind of people who would stop at nothing to save their lives and seize power.
That is why, when Lord Lin proposed to Prefect Jiang to burn the people, he had no intention of sparing Prefect Jiang's life, fearing that Prefect Jiang would use this as leverage to threaten Lord Lin in the future.
“These charcoal pieces have been coated with tung oil; they’ll ignite instantly.” Prefect Jiang looked around. “There are many sheds here; let’s work together to move the charcoal into them.”
The guards looked at Prefect Jiang warily, but did not move.
Prefect Jiang seemed oblivious to their wariness, instructing his yamen runners to distribute the charcoal while urging the guards, "Hurry up, or we won't have time to get started after the mourning period."
Upon hearing this, the guards exchanged a glance, grabbed the edge of the basket with both hands, lifted it up, and carried it into the shed.
When they saw what was happening inside the shed, they were terrified and instinctively turned to run, but their escape route was blocked.
-
At the Guangling Prince's Mansion, white banners were hung and the gates were wide open. People who came to pay their respects had their faces covered with white cloths and were led to the mourning hall by servants.
Zhao Yi died of an epidemic, and his body was to be cremated, so a cenotaph was prepared.
However, the guests who came to pay their respects saw an empty coffin in the middle of the mourning hall, with no clothes belonging to Zhao Yi inside.
Everyone was stunned, not understanding what was going on.
Shen Qingtan, dressed in plain clothes with no adornment in her hair, stood beside the coffin with a haggard face, supported by two maids on either side.
The Imperial Tutor and the Second Assistant Minister stood aside, trying to minimize their presence, but their overall demeanor was impossible to ignore.
Lin Yi stepped into the mourning hall and immediately saw the Imperial Tutor and the Second Assistant Minister. Turning his gaze, he saw the empty coffin and a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.
"Your Highness, why weren't his clothes placed inside the coffin at today's funeral?" Lin Yi asked. "Isn't that against protocol?"
“I heard that the prince passed away in Yingcheng, so I specially sent a letter to my father, asking him to bring the prince’s ashes back.”
Shen Qingtan pressed a handkerchief to her eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "We'll seal the coffin when my family comes."
Lin Yi frowned. In order to bring down the Imperial Tutor, he deliberately spread the news that Zhao Yi had died of illness in Yingcheng.
In reality, Zhao Yi died on his way back to the capital, assassinated by the guards he had sent out.
Shen Qingtan wrote to the Prince of Zhenbei, asking him to bring back Zhao Yi's ashes, but that was obviously impossible.
In this way, the arrival of the Prince of Zhenbei to offer condolences could very likely cause unexpected complications.
Lin Yi felt a sudden surge of anxiety. He had not expected that the Northern Qi Emperor would grant Yuncheng and Panshicheng to Zhao Yi as his fiefdom, and even arrange Zhao Yi's funeral in Yuncheng.
Lin Yi quickly calmed down. Even if Zhao Yi didn't die of the disease in Yingcheng, it wouldn't matter much, since the news of Zhao Yi contracting the plague had spread and everyone knew about it.
Even if he didn't die of illness in Yingcheng, he would have died of illness somewhere else.
Unless Zhao Yi rises from the dead, or someone pulls his body out of the river, his lies cannot be overturned.
Lin Yi looked Shen Qingtan up and down. Her eyes were red and swollen, and there was an unyielding sadness between her brows. Her plain clothes made her look slender and frail.
His grief-stricken appearance didn't seem fake.
He sighed, "Your Highness, please accept my condolences."
Shen Qingtan silently shed tears.
Lin Yi glanced at the Imperial Tutor and deliberately stood opposite him.
This time, by setting fire to the people's homes, he intended to frame the imperial tutor.
The people of Northern Qi all knew that the Imperial Tutor had abandoned the people of Yuncheng. They framed the Imperial Tutor for setting fire to the sick people, and no one would doubt it.
At that moment, a commotion arose outside.
Everyone looked up and saw Qiu Zhentian, the deputy general of the Great Zhou, leading an elite force, walking in with steady steps and in perfect unison.
They were clad in armor, their movements producing a metallic clanging sound, and they exuded an imposing aura.
Qiu Zhentian bowed to Shen Qingtan: "Your subordinate is Qiu Zhentian..."
Shen Qingtan interrupted him: "General Qiu, have you brought your son-in-law?"
Qiu Zhentian understood the meaning behind Shen Qingtan's words. At the same time that the Prince of Zhenbei received the Imperial Tutor's letter, he also received a letter from Shen Qingtan.
Today, a grand drama is about to unfold, to expose the truth that Zhao Yi did not "die of illness" in Yingcheng.
"The prince consort contracted the plague in Yingcheng, but a divine physician cured him. After recovering, he immediately set off for the capital to report the good news."
Qiu Zhentian explained, “When we heard the news of the Prince Consort’s death, we thought it was a rumor. It wasn’t until you wrote to us, asking us to bring the Prince Consort’s ashes, that we realized something was wrong.”
“He couldn’t have just vanished into thin air, could he?” Shen Qingtan’s face turned ashen as she muttered to herself, “The Prince Consort isn’t in Yingcheng, nor has he returned to the capital… If he’s alive and well, where is he? Why hasn’t he appeared for so many days? If he’s gone, who killed him?”
Faced with Shen Qingtan's series of questions, Qiu Zhentian asked, "Where did the news of the Prince Consort's death in Yingcheng come from?"
Shen Qingtan looked bewildered and subconsciously glanced at the Imperial Tutor.