northernbook Chapter 376: Constant Anxiety
Chapter 376: Constant Anxiety
Zhao Yi's raised lips turned down, and her face darkened.
When Consort Shu saw that Zhao Yi finally reacted, she realized that what he cared about most was the attitude of the Northern Qi Emperor.
She suddenly realized that Zhao Yi had come to Northern Qi not to retrieve Yi Zhen's remains and return them to Great Zhou, but to vie for the position of crown prince.
No wonder Zhao Yi's reaction was so indifferent when she mentioned Yi Zhen's death.
Thinking of this, Consort Shu felt very flustered, worried that all her scheming over the years had really benefited Zhao Yi.
She will never die in peace.
Consort Shu wanted to say something to prove that the Northern Qi Emperor would not give Zhao Yi an important position, much less make him the crown prince.
“I suggested that your mother be captured and locked in a cage with wild animals, and His Majesty was standing right next to me. He cares about your mother’s life and death, and he would have stopped me long ago. How could he let me go?”
“Your mother died, and His Majesty did not send you to be raised by any concubine. Instead, he casually handed you over to a palace maid to take care of, and then never looked back on you.”
"Even if someone reported to him that the palace servants had locked you in a cage and kept you like a dog, such a disgrace to the royal family, he not only did not punish the palace servants who served you, but also dragged the eunuch who reported the news away and gave him twenty lashes. From then on, no one ever mentioned you in front of His Majesty again."
“You died young, and His Majesty didn’t even glance at you. Instead, he let the palace servants dispose of you at will. If he had cared about you even a little bit, you wouldn’t have been secretly taken back to the Great Zhou by the Duke of Zhao.”
"His Majesty is giving you a friendly welcome now only because he wants to use you to hold Great Zhou back. Once Northern Qi has recovered and become as powerful as before, you will suffer the same fate as your mother."
Consort Shu smiled wickedly: "I'm waiting, waiting for you to end up like me. No, your end will only be more tragic than mine."
"Is that so?" Zhao Yi said calmly, "Thank you for telling me these old stories today. I will remember this kindness."
Looking at Zhao Yi, whose expression had returned to composure, Consort Shu felt as if she had punched cotton, and her heart was filled with a stifling frustration.
“The Prince Xian’s fiefdom is a mountain city, full of wild beasts.” Zhao Yi straightened his sleeves and kindly reminded her, “Instead of worrying about my fate, you should worry about the Prince Xian’s safety first.”
Consort Shu was stunned, and suddenly understood Zhao Yi's meaning: this bastard wanted to kill her son.
She looked at Zhao Yi with fear, a surge of hatred rising in her heart. In the instant the Imperial Guards strode towards her, she drew the Imperial Guards' sword.
The guards' expressions changed, and they swiftly grabbed her wrist and twisted it backward.
Consort Shu cried out in pain and released her grip on the sword.
Faced with this sudden situation, the Imperial Guards broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly apologized to Zhao Yi: "Your Highness, we failed in our duty and almost let Her Majesty hurt you."
"It's alright." Zhao Yi looked at Consort Shu, whose eyes were filled with hatred, and instructed the Imperial Guards: "Escort Consort Shu back to the Cold Palace and carefully check her residence to make sure nothing happens to her. Otherwise, you will not be able to bear the consequences if His Majesty blames you."
The imperial guards realized that Zhao Yi was reminding them not to leave any sharp weapons in the room in case Consort Shu committed suicide.
They quickly replied, "Your humble servants obey."
The imperial guards dragged Consort Shu away.
Consort Shu shouted at Zhao Yi, "If you dare to hurt Heng'er, I will not let you get away with it!"
As Zhao Yi watched Consort Shu's figure gradually disappear into the distance, he slowly lowered his eyes. Consort Shu cared most about Prince Xian.
Having lost power, she could no longer extend her influence beyond the palace walls, and every day she feared that the wise prince would suffer a terrible fate at his hands.
He lived in constant fear and anxiety.
Given the sins she committed against his mother, death would be far too easy for her.
Zhao Yi arrived at the door of the Imperial Study and looked at the tightly closed palace door, and couldn't help but recall what Consort Shu had said.
She was right about one thing.
The death of his birth mother was inextricably linked to the Northern Qi emperor.
Upon seeing Zhao Yi, the eunuch hurriedly stepped forward: "Your Highness, His Majesty has ordered that you may enter directly upon your arrival; there is no need to announce your arrival."
Zhao Yi nodded slightly, stepped into the imperial study, and immediately saw the Prince Xian kneeling in the middle of the hall.
He bowed to the Emperor of Northern Qi and asked, "I wonder why Your Majesty has summoned me to the palace?"
The Northern Qi emperor looked cold and gloomy, and was about to speak.
At this moment, a palace attendant announced from outside: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Tutor has entered the palace."