SFS Chapter 477 Painting Cake
Chapter 477 Painting Cake
The Imperial Tutor glanced at Zhao Yi indifferently and walked towards a small sedan chair.
Eunuch Liu hurriedly ran over and lifted the sedan chair curtain.
After the Imperial Tutor got into the sedan chair, he said to Zhao Yi, "Your Highness, His Majesty invites you to enter."
Zhao Yi nodded slightly and pushed open the door to enter the hall.
With a "bang," an inkstone fell to the ground at his feet.
Ink was spilled onto his official robes and shoes.
Immediately afterward, a rebuking voice rang out above him: "You wretched child, how dare you act so arrogantly! A high-ranking official, a pillar of the nation, you arrest him as you please? Do you have no respect for the law? Where do you place me?"
"Your Majesty, you have ordered me to close Feng Zhihuan's case as soon as possible, so as not to leave any hidden dangers for the Prince Xian." Zhao Yi took out two booklets and handed them to the eunuch beside him, who then presented them to the Emperor of Northern Qi: "The officials I arrested today abused their positions to facilitate Feng Zhihuan's activities, including seizing land from the people, abducting women, and buying and selling official positions... Their numerous crimes are enough to warrant confiscation of their property and execution."
He countered, "May I ask Your Majesty, have I violated the laws of Northern Qi? Or disobeyed your orders?"
After reading the booklet in his hand, the Emperor of Northern Qi was furious.
Zhao Yi was truly cunning; he deliberately kept these two booklets from him, all to trick him into giving him the privilege of disposing of officials at will.
He, a dignified emperor, was completely outmaneuvered by Zhao Yi.
"You still don't know where you went wrong." The Emperor of Northern Qi sneered, "They come from aristocratic families and hold high positions, with complicated relationships. You arrest them just like that, and tomorrow the memorials impeaching you will pile up on my desk."
"You are my son, I can protect you, and anyone who dares to question you, I will kill. Even if you become a tyrant, what does it matter?"
"But if I do this, it will surely cause turmoil in the court, giving the remnants of the previous dynasty an opportunity to take advantage."
At this point, the Northern Qi Emperor slammed the booklet heavily on the table: "You should have handed over their incriminating evidence to me earlier. I will have ordered the Dali Temple to confiscate their property and imprison them all. Who would dare to object?"
"Now the whole capital is saying that you are a spy of the Great Zhou, who, relying on my favor, unjustly killed hundreds of officials in order to shake the foundation of the country and then join forces with the Great Zhou to destroy the Northern Qi."
The Northern Qi emperor wanted to use this as a pretext to seize Zhao Yi's power, put him under house arrest in a legitimate way, and then send another trusted minister to deal with Feng Zhihuan.
By then, even if Zhao Yi reveals the evidence of the virtuous king's crimes, he can still accuse him of framing and harming his own brothers.
Zhao Yi sneered inwardly; how could he not know what the Northern Qi emperor was thinking?
He said he would protect him, but he was also worried about the remnants of the previous dynasty, so he was somewhat powerless to do so.
Therefore, in order to prevent the country from being overthrown by the remnants of the previous dynasty, it is necessary to give an explanation to the officials and the people.
How should I explain this?
He was dealt with.
"Everyone says that I grew up in the Great Zhou Dynasty and was deeply loved by my uncle, so I must be loyal to the Great Zhou Dynasty. But no one has thought that you also love me very much, appoint me as a king, give me power, and give me the cities that border the Great Zhou Dynasty as your fiefdom."
I am deeply trusted by you and respected by the people here, enjoying treatment that I do not receive in the Great Zhou. Why would I betray my country?
Even if I were to help the Great Zhou destroy the Northern Qi, in the eyes of the Great Zhou I would be a traitor, so why would they value me?
Even if my uncle values me, what about the new emperor?
Zhao Yi smiled bitterly: "Let alone the imperial family, even among the major aristocratic families and ordinary people, brothers turn against each other and kill each other for the sake of fighting for interests. Why don't they suspect me that I covet the power of Northern Qi and am ambitious enough to help Northern Qi destroy Great Zhou?"
"After all, my uncle trusts me, and the Prince of Zhenbei is my father-in-law. Wouldn't it be as easy as turning my hand to seize the Great Zhou?"
At this point, Zhao Yi countered by asking the Northern Qi Emperor, "If Your Majesty were in my position, what would you do?"
Following Zhao Yi's words, the Northern Qi emperor put himself in Zhao Yi's shoes.
If it were him, he would fight for the throne of Northern Qi and then destroy Great Zhou in one fell swoop.
The Northern Qi emperor's eyes flickered.
The Imperial Tutor could not help him destroy the Great Zhou.
Perhaps Zhao Yi could.
He originally planned to let Zhao Yi stay in Yongqing County forever after he dealt with Feng Zhihuan.
In retrospect, Zhao Yi still has some value.
"Your Majesty is my father, and he is willing to protect me and oppose the officials. As his son, I am naturally willing to share his burdens." Seeing that the Northern Qi Emperor was deep in thought, Zhao Yi knew that the emperor had a plan.
He feigned retreat and said, "At the morning court tomorrow, you should follow the memorials from the officials impeaching me, strip me of my power, and demote me to my fiefdom."