SFS Chapter 437 Following the Emperor's Heart
Chapter 437 Following the Emperor's Heart
Yongqing County, the prefectural governor's office.
Feng Zhihuan held a letter sent from the capital in his hand, his expression very solemn.
In her letter, my mother said that my father had exposed the Empress's alleged misrepresentation of the royal bloodline and was secretly executed by the Emperor of Northern Qi. She also brought news that the Yongqing County rebellion had reached the Emperor of Northern Qi's ears, and that he had appointed Zhao Yi to quell the rebellion.
Feng Zhihuan was not a fool; how could he not see the situation in the court clearly?
The empress was guarding the imperial tombs, and the Prince of Qi was imprisoned. At this time, the Emperor of Northern Qi sent Zhao Yi to Yongqing County to quell the rebellion. This was clearly a way to send Zhao Yi away, so as to prevent him from staying in the capital to cultivate his power.
Unless the Northern Qi emperor is incompetent, he would never have appointed Zhao Yi as crown prince.
The only person qualified to be the crown prince is the wise king.
The trusted confidant beside him said worriedly, "My lord, news of the riot in Yongqing County has reached the capital. His Majesty has sent the Prince of Guangling to quell the riot. What should we do?"
Feng Zhihuan's expression was inscrutable as he paced back and forth in the room, pondering how to deal with the current predicament.
Even though he has a close relationship with Consort Shu and Prince Xian, once what he did in Yongqing County is exposed, he will definitely not have a good ending.
The confidant continued, "Why did Your Majesty appoint the Prince of Guangling to Yongqing County at this critical juncture? These rioters should be suppressed by military generals. I've heard that the Prince of Guangling is just a scholar who can't even kill a chicken. If something happens to him on our territory, won't all our officials lose their jobs?"
Feng Zhihuan suddenly paused, as his confidant's words had enlightened him.
It was no secret that the Northern Qi emperor was wary of Zhao Yi, so how could he possibly value Zhao Yi?
They might even see Zhao Yi as a major threat.
The Northern Qi emperor's intention in sending Zhao Yi to Yongqing County... was not just to get rid of him.
Feng Zhihuan abandoned the idea, but came up with a way to deal with the current predicament.
"Not necessarily," Feng Zhihuan said quietly. "If the Prince of Guangling dies at the hands of a mob, and we quell the rebellion and plead guilty to His Majesty... perhaps our merits and demerits can be offset."
If they were ordinary princes, no matter how great their achievements, if they died on their territory, they would not only lose their official positions, but also their heads.
Zhao Yi is different; the Northern Qi emperor wants him to get into trouble... They are merely following the emperor's wishes.
Having figured out the key point, Feng Zhihuan's eyes turned fierce: "Judging by the time, the Prince of Guangling should be arriving in Yongqing County soon. Li Yong, give the order to send more men to guard the city gates. Once there is news of the Prince of Guangling's arrival in Yongqing County, notify me immediately."
Li Yong was shocked; he never expected that the prefect would kill Zhao Yi.
He wanted to say something, but seeing Feng Zhihuan's determined eyes, he swallowed his words and immediately arranged for people to guard the city gate.
Li Yong was worried, so he personally guarded the city gate, watching the soldiers screen people one by one to enter the city.
According to Feng Zhihuan's order, ordinary people were not allowed to enter the city; only merchants were permitted to enter.
Or they are people of status and position.
He waited at the city gate for a day but did not see Zhao Yi's carriage. He figured that Zhao Yi was weak and frail, so he had probably slowed down his journey and would not arrive in Yongqing County for several more days.
As dusk settled and the desolate rain fell on his face, he decided to return to the prefectural governor's office to report to Feng Zhihuan.
Suddenly, he saw a caravan slowly walking towards the city gate. The man at the head of the caravan was wearing a sky-blue robe and exuded an air of nobility.
Li Yong's gaze couldn't help but fall on the man's face. He was handsome with delicate features, red lips and white teeth, and his demeanor was that of a noble young master raised in a prestigious family.
The man standing in the caravan was likely a wealthy young master.
The man seemed to notice his gaze, turned his head to look at him, and nodded slightly, as if to greet him politely.
Li Yong was taken aback, and then saw the soldiers questioning the man's attendants.
The man's attendant said obsequiously, "Sir, Yongqing County is rich in silk products, but it is short of grain. My young master specially transported grain here to sell, and exchanged it for silk products to sell in the capital."
As they spoke, the attendant took out a bag of silver and stuffed it into the soldier's hand: "Please be lenient, sir."
The soldier weighed the money bag in his hand and gave a wink to the soldier next to him.
Several soldiers went to inspect the wagons and confirmed that they were loaded with grain before letting them in.
The attendant was extremely grateful: "Thank you, Your Excellency."
The group entered the city.
The trusted aide watched the caravan enter the city and then approached the soldiers.
The soldier's expression suddenly changed: "Lord Li..."
“Go and keep an eye on them.” Li Yong glanced at the money pouch in his hand and said coldly, “These are turbulent times. If anything goes wrong, you will be held responsible.”
The soldier turned pale and quickly handed over the money bag, then followed the caravan to an inn.
The caravan seemed to have a grain shop in the city. They transported cartloads of grain to the grain shop, stored it in the granary, and then stopped at a house to stay.
The soldier stared at the two characters "Meiyuan" on the plaque and went to the prefectural governor's office to report to Li Yong.
Li Yong instructed the gatekeeper, who, upon seeing the soldiers arrive, immediately went to inform Li Yong.
A short while later, Li Yong rushed over: "Is there anything unusual about that caravan?"
The soldier replied, "Lord Li, I followed the caravan to a grain shop called 'Zucheng' and saw them put the grain into the warehouse. Then I followed that wealthy young man to the plum garden."
Li Yong frowned: "Plum Garden?"
This garden was a private residence built by a prince of the previous dynasty and given to a concubine. After the fall of the previous dynasty, the residence was not incorporated into the imperial court but fell into the hands of local officials and was sold several times.
It is said that the house was bought by a nobleman from the capital, and no one has ever lived there.
Now someone has come to stay, but it's a wealthy businessman.
Li Yong felt there was something strange about it, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.
After all, this merchant came from the capital... the capital...
Li Yong suddenly realized something and for a moment suspected that the wealthy young man was related to Zhao Yi.
But...is it possible?
Once the thought crossed his mind, he couldn't suppress it any longer. He instructed, "Keep an eye on things, and tell me if anything unusual happens."
The soldier agreed and hurriedly left.
Li Yong was uneasy and reported the matter to Feng Zhihuan.
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Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Plum Garden, Jiang Mu reported to Zhao Yi: "Your Highness, someone is lying in ambush around the Plum Garden."