kvmb Chapter 300 Sacrifice
Chapter 300 Sacrifice
“Zhao Yi was not favored in Northern Qi. The palace servants who took care of him said that he had died young. The emperor did not care and just let the palace servants handle it.”
Vice Envoy Gao frowned: "Who knew that this palace maid was bribed by the Great Zhou and colluded with the Great Zhou envoy to steal the child out of the palace."
When the Prince of Qi heard that his father was so indifferent to Zhao Yi, the gloom on his face dissipated, and he became somewhat leisurely: "We've set up the stage, let's see how Emperor Jing'an puts on this show."
Vice Envoy Gao laughed: "This humble official is also looking forward to it."
This play is sure to be a wonderful performance.
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Imperial Palace, Taiji Hall.
The Imperial Guard reported to Emperor Jing'an: "Your Majesty, rumors are circulating outside the palace that Lord Zhao is your son."
Emperor Jing'an put down the "Sacred Instructions" in his hand and stood up: "What did you say?"
"Your Majesty, the news that Lord Zhao is your son is spreading like wildfire outside the palace." The Imperial Guard said with a solemn expression, "The Imperial Guard has found that the news was spread by the envoy of Northern Qi, who probably wants to incite internal strife in the Great Zhou."
Emperor Jing'an's expression was cold and stern. After a moment's thought, he deduced Northern Qi's intentions.
The Northern Qi knew Yi Zhen's place in his heart and were certain that he would not reveal Zhao Yi's true identity, otherwise Yi Zhen would lose all her dignity.
If he doesn't clarify, it would be tantamount to admitting that Zhao Yi is his son, and then his sons would inevitably confront Zhao Yi.
Seeing that Emperor Jing'an had fallen silent, the Imperial Guard asked, "Your Majesty, should this matter be suppressed?"
"No need." Emperor Jing'an pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice, "If I were to take any action at the height of the storm, things would only escalate and might even confirm the rumors."
In such situations, it is all the more important to remain calm, otherwise you will be led by the nose by the Northern Qi.
The Imperial Guards then said, "Prince Yu and Prince Rui have not yet responded."
Emperor Jing'an nodded slightly, signaling the Imperial Guards to withdraw.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard withdrew from the Taiji Hall.
Emperor Jing'an slowly sat down, pressing his throbbing forehead.
Eunuch Cao put down his whisk and pressed Emperor Jing'an's forehead: "Your Majesty, would you like to summon Lord Zhao?"
Emperor Jing'an's brow twitched slightly, and he said wearily, "I'll see him for now."
For the next three days, Emperor Jing'an did not attend the morning court session and began to fast.
The court officials were all waiting for Emperor Jing'an's response, and some even wanted to ask about it during the morning court session. But to their surprise, Emperor Jing'an, who was always busy working day and night, actually canceled the court session.
The court officials who initially did not believe that Zhao Yi was the son of Emperor Jing'an began to waver.
The courtiers, especially those from the factions of Prince Yu and Prince Rui, were like ants on a hot pan, running around in a panic.
Zhao Yi had the backing of the Duke's Mansion, the Qi family, and the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion, and was also deeply favored by Emperor Jing'an.
If he were a prince, the throne of the Great Zhou would undoubtedly belong to him.
They immediately became restless and began to secretly visit Prince Yu and Prince Rui.
Prince Yu and Prince Rui, however, remained calm and refused to see either of them.
The atmosphere in the imperial court was tense and extremely oppressive.
Just as several key ministers in the court were preparing to persuade the Grand Secretary to go to the palace to see Emperor Jing'an, news finally came from the palace.
Emperor Jing'an was to hold a sacrificial ceremony at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The next day, Emperor Jing'an, dressed in his imperial robes, led his officials to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices.
The officials were completely bewildered. Today was not the emperor's birthday, but the Qingming Festival, the anniversary of the death of emperors throughout history. They did not understand why Emperor Jing'an had come to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices.
Emperor Jing'an did not answer the questions of his officials. Standing outside the Imperial Ancestral Temple, he looked up at the two characters "Imperial Ancestral Temple" written in sharp ink on the gilded plaque with nine dragons on it.
He strode steadily into the front hall, where the ancestral tablets had been moved from the central hall to the front hall.
Emperor Jing'an first paid homage to his ancestors and then stood before the memorial tablet of Empress Yuanrong.
The sharp-eyed minister immediately noticed that behind Empress Yuanrong's spirit tablet, there was another memorial tablet.
As is well known, only emperors of past dynasties and their first empresses were allowed to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Apart from these, only meritorious officials were qualified to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Clearly, the memorial tablet behind Empress Yuanrong's spirit tablet violates ancestral rules.
The ministers at the front frowned, and before they could speak, Emperor Jing'an asked a question.
"Have you, my esteemed ministers, ever heard of my time as a hostage in Northern Qi? And do you know how I returned to Great Zhou?"
Emperor Jing'an turned around and faced his officials.
The officials were taken aback. Everyone present knew very well that Emperor Jing'an was not favored by the late emperor and had been sent to Northern Qi as a hostage for more than ten years.
As for how Emperor Jing'an returned to the Great Zhou, they were not very clear. They only knew that the Duke escorted Emperor Jing'an all the way back to the capital from the surrounding towns of the Great Zhou.
"Back then, as a prince of the Great Zhou, for the sake of the people and the state of the Great Zhou, I went to the Northern Qi as a hostage with my younger sister to promote peace and friendship between the two countries and spare the people from the suffering of war."
“The Northern Qi has broken its promise and destroyed the alliance between the two countries. Not only has it continued to send troops to conquer the Great Zhou, but it has also humiliated and persecuted me.”
"If it weren't for my sister's selfless rescue, I would have died at the hands of the powerful and influential in Northern Qi and would not have returned to Great Zhou alive."
At this point, Emperor Jing'an's eyes reddened, "The reason I am where I am today is entirely because of my younger sister's sacrifice. It is also because of her righteousness that the Great Zhou is so prosperous today."
The officials looked at Emperor Jing'an in astonishment, completely unaware of such inside information.
Emperor Jing'an clenched his fist: "My sister witnessed the ruthless and cruel methods of the Northern Qi people, which made me determined to return to the Great Zhou alive, protect the Great Zhou's territory, and make the Great Zhou strong."
"In this way, the Northern Qi will not dare to invade the Great Zhou again, and my people will no longer have to be displaced and starving."
"The men of the Great Zhou need not leave their wives and children to go to the battlefield and die for their country. The old, weak, women and children need not suffer the grief of losing their sons, husbands and fathers."
"Today, I and my soldiers have protected the territory of the Great Zhou, not losing an inch of land, and have defeated the Northern Qi."
The officials were deeply shaken by Emperor Jing'an's words.
Especially the military generals, every family had sons who died on the battlefield, and they felt a strong hatred for the Northern Qi, wishing they could flatten the Northern Qi and avenge their grievances!
"The Northern Qi were defeated and wanted to make peace with the Great Zhou. I could not bear to start another war and plunge the people into misery, so I agreed to the Northern Qi's request for peace. They did not repent and dared to spread rumors and cause trouble on the land of the Great Zhou. They spread the rumor that Zhao Shidu was my son, trying to incite internal strife in the Great Zhou and then take the opportunity to attack the Great Zhou."
Emperor Jing'an slowly picked up the memorial tablet from behind Empress Yuanrong's memorial tablet, and then said with grief and indignation, "What right did they have to act so recklessly in the Great Zhou Dynasty after what they did to Yizhen back then?"
The officials were stunned when they saw the memorial tablet.