met free Chapter 509 The Selfish Motives of the Second Faction
Chapter 509 The Selfish Motives of the Second Faction
The Emperor of Northern Qi was discussing state affairs with several ministers in the Hall of Diligent Governance. Instead of having Zhao Yi wait outside, he unusually instructed the eunuch to place a chair next to him, saying, "Yi'er, sit next to me and listen to the ministers' suggestions on national policies. Give me your advice."
"Your humble servant obeys." Zhao Yi sat down next to the Emperor of Northern Qi with perfect ease.
The Northern Qi emperor's actions surprised several ministers, but they then realized that the emperor only had this one son, so it was reasonable to involve the Prince of Guangling in confidential matters.
However, the Prince of Guangling's background was unusual and highly controversial, which led to the officials being divided into two factions.
A portion of the court officials supported the Prince of Guangling, who not only enjoyed popular support but was also the most outstanding among the princes. If he were to become the emperor of Northern Qi, he would undoubtedly lead the dynasty to new heights.
Although he has half of the blood of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it's not all bad.
If this identity is used well, it will actually be more beneficial than harmful to the Northern Qi at present.
After all, the current Northern Qi is not as powerful as it was during the reign of the late emperor, and there is a certain gap between its national strength and that of the Great Zhou.
Compared to the destruction of his country and the loss of his family, what did the background of the Prince of Guangling matter?
They clearly understood that Emperor Jing'an and the Prince of Guangling were uncle and nephew, and because of Princess Yizhen, Emperor Jing'an showed great favor to the Prince of Guangling. Without infringing upon the core interests of the Great Zhou Dynasty, maintaining peaceful and friendly relations between the two countries would not only allow them to jointly resist foreign enemies but also increase economic exchanges, resulting in mutual benefit.
As long as Northern Qi does not harbor any ill intentions towards Great Zhou during Emperor Jing'an's reign, the two countries can remain at peace, giving the Prince of Guangling ample time to govern Northern Qi into a prosperous and peaceful nation with a strong military.
When Emperor Jing'an abdicates and the new emperor of Great Zhou ascends the throne, even if the two countries can no longer maintain friendly relations, Northern Qi will have recovered its strength and be able to contend with Great Zhou.
They were not worried that the Prince of Guangling would side with the Great Zhou, as he had become one with Northern Qi after becoming emperor. He would not disregard the interests of the state because of his personal relationship with the Great Zhou.
Another group of court officials, although aware of the Prince of Guangling's background, which gave Northern Qi a great advantage, still believed that the Prince of Guangling grew up in the Great Zhou and had a very special affection for the Great Zhou.
If he were to become the emperor of Northern Qi, he might hesitate to act out of consideration for past relationships when conflicts of interest arise between the two countries, thus causing internal turmoil and undermining national stability.
More importantly, the imperial succession system emphasizes the purity of bloodline. If the Prince of Guangling, who has blood from another country, were to inherit the throne, it would be a violation of ancestral laws.
The ministers inside the Hall of Diligent Governance happened to represent both factions.
The ministers who supported Zhao Yi were happy to see this happen.
Those conservatives who did not support Zhao Yi were in a somber mood.
After discussing state affairs, the conservatives originally intended to discuss the adoption with the Northern Qi Emperor, but due to Zhao Yi's presence and the Northern Qi Emperor's unpredictable attitude, they decided not to bring it up again.
"Your Majesty, you and His Highness have important matters to discuss, so we will take our leave now." Several ministers rose and bowed to the Emperor of Northern Qi to take their leave.
Finally, they glanced at Zhao Yi again, bowed to him with their hands clasped, and showed a more respectful attitude than before.
Zhao Yi nodded slightly.
Several ministers withdrew from the Hall of Diligent Governance.
Once they left, the Northern Qi Emperor, rubbing his head which felt like it was being stabbed with a dull knife and pricked with sharp needles, casually asked Zhao Yi, who had remained silent throughout, "Yi'er, what do you think of the new policies they proposed?"
The Northern Qi emperor noticed the conservatives' reluctance to speak, and as early as the previous night, he secretly summoned several trusted ministers to ask them for their opinions on the selection of the crown prince.
At first, the ministers dared not say much, fearing that they would lose their heads for saying the wrong thing.
The Northern Qi emperor allowed them to speak freely and express their opinions, and even if their remarks offended the royal family, he did not pursue the matter.
Only then did they dare to speak their minds.
Those who support Zhao Yi are merely following the trend of the times and have little vested interest in the current imperial relatives. Supporting Zhao Yi's ascension to the throne would bring them far greater benefits.
The Northern Qi emperor realized that the group of ministers who supported Zhao Yi were not very loyal to the court and were all driven by their own selfish desires, so they did not care whether Zhao Yi's bloodline was pure.
After all, upon closer examination, the Chu family's empire was seized, making its change of name illegitimate and unjustifiable.
As for the conservative faction, it included members of the imperial family, relatives of the empress, and aristocratic families. They were not only loyal to the court and devoted to following ancestral laws, but also had their own selfish motives, so they were more inclined to associate with relatives who had interests with them.
If they are adopted from the royal family, they do not need to worry about their power and status being harmed.
Zhao Yi shook his head slightly: "This humble subject is new to officialdom and has little experience. What I have seen and heard is incomparable to what you gentlemen have seen and heard."
The implication was that he had no opinion.
The Northern Qi Emperor frowned. Zhao Yi hadn't answered the summons to the palace last night, and had even used the excuse of his shoulder injury in a very perfunctory manner. Although he knew what was going on, he couldn't do anything about Zhao Yi.
He glanced at Zhao Yi's shoulder and asked with concern, "How is your injury?"
Zhao Yi replied, "Thanks to Your Majesty's boundless blessings, the injury on my shoulder has improved considerably."
One pretended to be injured, while the other asked a question he already knew the answer to.
The father and son were already experiencing turbulent emotions, yet they maintained a calm facade.
"My health is deteriorating. Not to mention the mountains of memorials, even just handling some paperwork is becoming increasingly difficult," the Emperor of Northern Qi said, a rare look of worry on his face as he spoke of his health. Then, he added with relief, "Now that you are in good health, I am relieved. Get well soon and share my burdens."
"Your Majesty is blessed with boundless fortune. After a few days of rest, your health will be fully restored. Your humble servant will also pray for Your Majesty at home every day, hoping for your speedy recovery." Zhao Yi did not respond to the Northern Qi Emperor's words, as if he did not understand the deeper meaning in them: "As the saying goes, one who eats the emperor's salary should share the emperor's burdens. Now that Your Majesty is unwell, you do not need to do everything yourself. You should let the ministers in the court share your burdens."
After several exchanges, Zhao Yi's words were watertight, leaving the Northern Qi emperor with no room for error.
This was the first time the Northern Qi emperor and Zhao Yi had met since the death of the Prince Xian.
The Northern Qi emperor originally thought that Zhao Yi's attitude towards him would be very different after learning of the death of the Prince Xian.
After all, Zhao Yi was the only son he could rely on.
To everyone's surprise, Zhao Yi's attitude not only did not change, but became even more indifferent.
Prior to this, the Northern Qi emperor believed that Zhao Yi's refusal to enter the palace to meet the emperor yesterday was a test of his value and importance in his eyes, so he did not confront Zhao Yi about the events of last night.
Not only that, he also bestowed great favors upon Zhao Yi, allowing him to participate in secret talks and hinting that he intended to appoint him as the crown prince, demonstrating his value and importance in every way.
Logically speaking, Zhao Yi should have been able to hide his true colors by now.
But Zhao Yi was too calm.
The Northern Qi emperor couldn't quite figure out Zhao Yi's thoughts, but he could guess that Zhao Yi was probably brewing a big move.
"Your filial piety has made me feel much better." The Emperor of Northern Qi stopped probing Zhao Yi and went straight to the point: "With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, your fiefdom is far from the capital. I summoned you to the palace today so that you and the Princess can set off for your fiefdom as soon as possible, so as not to miss the reunion dinner with your father-in-law's family."