She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

"He Qing..." The Emperor of Northern Qi, holding his breath, asked impatiently, "Why didn't you... capture him for me?"

The Imperial Tutor was extremely concerned about Northern Qi. He would take the initiative to handle any matters, big or small, that affected the stability of the court, without the Emperor having to give any instructions.

But now that Zhao Yi has attacked the capital, the Imperial Tutor has yet to send anyone to capture this rebellious son.

"Your Majesty, although I woke up a few days earlier than you, my mind is still foggy and I'm not very clear-headed." The Imperial Tutor casually explained, "The people below didn't dare to bother me with this matter. It was only today, when Shou'an City was breached and the Prince of Guangling's army was at the gates of the capital, that I learned of this."

"You...you capture him for me." The Northern Qi Emperor was furious: "I knew he had ulterior motives, that he was loyal to the Great Zhou." The more he spoke, the more he hated him: "I was the one who let the wolf into the house."

Looking at the ferocious face of the Northern Qi Emperor, the Imperial Tutor said slowly, "Your Majesty, you have been misled by the treacherous ministers around you, increasing taxes and corvée labor, which has led to chaos in the country and the people wanting to rebel against the Chu family's rule. If it weren't for the rumors circulating among the people, your lifelong reputation would have been ruined."

Then he added, “Now that Your Majesty is seriously ill and unable to handle state affairs, why not follow the will of the people and abdicate in favor of the Prince of Guangling, so that he may live out his remaining years in peace.”

The Emperor of Northern Qi looked at his imperial tutor in disbelief, as if he couldn't understand what the tutor was saying.

"We should all abdicate and pass the throne to more worthy men." The Imperial Tutor seemed oblivious to the sudden change in the Northern Qi Emperor's expression: "What does Your Majesty think?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" A surge of anger, stemming from the betrayal of his imperial tutor, welled up within the Northern Qi Emperor. "This rebellious son wants to overthrow me, and I'm supposed to hand over the throne? Can't you see what he's really thinking—"

At this point, the Emperor of Northern Qi suddenly remembered something.

It was the Imperial Tutor who told him that Yizhen's child was still alive.

If it weren't for the Imperial Tutor's reminder, he would have long forgotten about this child who died young, and would never have let a wolf into his house.

The Imperial Tutor had always helped him with his troubles and never helped anyone else.

Now that Zhao Yi has committed a heinous crime, the Imperial Tutor not only did not order his arrest, but also ordered him to pass the throne to Zhao Yi.

This is absolutely absurd!

The Northern Qi Emperor couldn't help but recall what Consort Shu had said before her death. She had been jealous of Yi Zhen's deep favor with him, so she had drugged Yi Zhen, intending to catch her in bed with another man and make him completely despise her.

However, Yi Zhen disappeared, and the next morning, she returned to the mansion with the Imperial Tutor.

The Northern Qi emperor initially did not believe it, after all, the imperial tutor was not interested in women and had a hidden illness that prevented him from having children.

But the Imperial Tutor's actions today made him doubt the truthfulness of Consort Shu's words.

Perhaps it was because of his growing suspicion that some details that the Northern Qi emperor had previously overlooked became incredibly clear.

No matter what, Zhao Yi was a prince of Northern Qi, raised in the deep palace. Even if he died young, there would be palace servants to verify his identity before taking him away for disposal.

If no one had met the envoy from the Great Zhou, how could the Duke of Zhao have taken Zhao Yi away without anyone noticing?

"I recall an old matter, and I wonder if Heqing can answer my questions?" The Northern Qi Emperor felt a surge of hatred and humiliation at being betrayed when he thought that Zhao Yi was the illegitimate child born to the Imperial Tutor and Yi Zhen.

He struggled to maintain his last shred of composure, and before the Imperial Tutor could speak, he asked himself, "Back then, the Duke of Zhao of the Great Zhou Dynasty came to the Northern Qi Dynasty on the orders of Emperor Jing'an to bring Yi Zhen back to her country. Unfortunately, the Prince of Guangling died at that moment. Who would have thought that the Duke of Zhao had secretly switched the Prince of Guangling with a stillborn infant? Such a secret matter was known only to the Duke of Zhao and Emperor Jing'an. How did you find out? And when did you find out?"