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

The Northern Qi emperor was both shocked and furious. How dare Zongzheng Changyuan do such a thing!

The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet received the imperial edict with both hands and respectfully said, "Your humble servant will now draft the decree."

At this moment, Yan Yi brought over a brush, ink, and yellow silk.

The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet spread out a yellow silk scroll, reading aloud the draft of the will while simultaneously writing the formal will: "I have reigned for twenty-three years, respectfully following the sacred laws of my ancestors, upholding reverence for Heaven and the ancestral traditions, and prioritizing diligence and love for the people..."

Upon hearing these words, the Northern Qi emperor desperately pounded the mattress beneath him, attempting to convey to the Grand Secretary that he was extremely dissatisfied with the imperial edict drafted by his tutor.

The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet didn't even glance at the Emperor of Northern Qi. Unaffected, he continued reading and writing: "My health has been poor since the beginning of spring this year. Despite treatment, my condition has worsened daily, and my yin and yang are both deficient, to the point that I am on my deathbed. Is this not the will of Heaven? Considering the paramount importance of the imperial throne, it is imperative to pass it on to a worthy successor. My eldest son, Chu Yi, is naturally wise and exceptionally talented, and is destined to inherit the throne as the successor emperor..."

As soon as the last word of the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet was uttered, the Emperor of Northern Qi coughed up a mouthful of blood.

His empire has changed hands.

The Northern Qi emperor, barely clinging to life, looked at his imperial tutor.

The Imperial Tutor sat in a wheelchair, his robes as white as snow, his thin face bathed in sunlight, his features delicate and handsome.

But such a gentle and refined face, in the eyes of the Northern Qi emperor, was more terrifying than a demon from hell.

He couldn't help but recall the Imperial Tutor's appearance when he first entered the Crown Prince's residence. At that time, the Imperial Tutor was exceptionally talented, yet extremely humble and reserved, very taciturn, and never uttered any flattering words.

As a result, he disliked the Imperial Tutor very much and had no intention of giving him an important position.

The Imperial Tutor remained calm and composed, never trying to curry favor with him. He remained humble and unassuming, neither arrogant nor servile. He simply performed his duties diligently, offering his opinions when appropriate and concealing his talents when it was not, never standing out from the crowd.

So much so that he gradually forgot that there was such a person as the Imperial Tutor.

When the late emperor first intended to depose him as crown prince, none of the talented individuals in the crown prince's residence could resolve the crisis for him. Instead, it was a plan devised by the imperial tutor that allowed him to retain his position as crown prince.

From this point on, the Imperial Tutor officially came into his sight, not only making his position in the court more and more stable, but also handling all the big and small matters of the Crown Prince's residence for him.

As a result, he unknowingly became dependent on the Imperial Tutor. Whenever he encountered any problems, the first person he thought of was the Imperial Tutor. Even for personal matters, when he encountered something he couldn't understand, he would confide in the Imperial Tutor.

For example, Yi Zhen.

He was attracted to Yizhen and wanted to take her into his household, but no matter how he tried to win her over, he could not move her heart. Frustrated, he confided this troubling matter to the Imperial Tutor, fueled by a bit of alcohol.

The Imperial Tutor uttered only two words: "Win over the heart."

"Winning hearts and minds?" He murmured to himself, then leaned closer to the Imperial Tutor: "Yizhen and her elder brother depend on each other for survival, living in extreme poverty, sometimes hungry and sometimes full. I promised her wealth and status, ensuring she and her brother have no worries about food and clothing. Isn't that enough?"

When the Imperial Tutor heard this, he looked at him with surprise, seemingly not expecting that he would take a fancy to the princess of the Great Zhou who was being held hostage.

Despite this, the Imperial Tutor never inquired about the reasons, but only offered him advice.

The Imperial Tutor said, "This brother and sister are the offspring of Empress Xiao'en, so they naturally inherit her virtues and will not bow down to such worldly things. Your Highness will help the princess fulfill her wish, and you will naturally get what you want in return."

He only vaguely understood: "What is the princess's wish?"

The Imperial Tutor looked up at him, giving him a faint, emotionless glance.

He understood the Imperial Tutor's meaning, as if to say: Why do you have to ask such a simple question?

He was somewhat embarrassed and angry, and was about to leave in a huff when the Imperial Tutor asked, "If Your Highness were a hostage in another country, what would you want most?"

This sentence was a revelation to him.

So when Yizhen was once again harassed by powerful figures, he offered to send Emperor Jing'an back to the Great Zhou Dynasty, and in return, Yizhen would be allowed to enter the Crown Prince's residence.

In the end, he got what he wanted and won the heart of the beauty.

Therefore, he trusted the imperial tutor even more.

Upon closer reflection, the Northern Qi emperor realized just how terrifying the imperial tutor was.

Back then, the Imperial Tutor was in his twenties and had not yet assumed full power, yet he was able to send Emperor Jing'an back to the Great Zhou without anyone noticing, and without the late emperor being able to trace it back to him.

With the Emperor's tutor's methods alone, how could he possibly face being deposed a second or third time?

That was merely an anchor planted in his heart by the Imperial Tutor. Only by helping him overcome difficulties time and time again would he gradually come to trust and rely on the Imperial Tutor, becoming increasingly inseparable from him.

It might even create the illusion that as long as the Imperial Tutor is by his side, he will be safe and sound no matter what happens to him.

If the Imperial Tutor hadn't done this, but instead mitigated the risks for him in advance, he wouldn't have gained the Emperor's favor. Instead, the Emperor would have grown annoyed by the Imperial Tutor's repeated opposition and obstruction.

The more he investigated, the more clearly the Northern Qi emperor realized that he was indeed a foolish and incompetent ruler.

During his reign, every decision he made bore the influence of the imperial tutor.

It's truly both pathetic and laughable.

If given another chance, even if he were deposed as crown prince, he would never again value the imperial tutor. At least he wouldn't let that bastard seize his power and continue Chu Jiang's empire under the guise of the Chu family bloodline.

For him, this was not only a disgrace as a man, but also a loss of his imperial dignity.

How could he face his ancestors in the afterlife?

The Northern Qi emperor was unwilling and resentful, but powerless to reverse the situation.

With a loud thud, the imperial seal was stamped on a corner of the imperial edict, marking the end of the Northern Qi emperor's life.

Before his last breath dissipated, the Northern Qi emperor's lips moved as if he wanted to ask his imperial tutor: "Haven't you been lying by my side for decades just to restore the country?"

If that's the case, why not replace him when the late emperor has passed away and his power base is still unstable?

Now that the court is controlled by the Imperial Tutor and Zhao Yi has attacked outside the capital, they can clearly overthrow the Chu family's rule and establish a new dynasty with ease.

Why didn't the Imperial Tutor allow Zhao Yi to acknowledge his ancestors and return to the Chu family clan, instead allowing Zhao Yi to inherit the Chu family's empire as Chu Mingyuan's eldest son?

The Imperial Tutor seemed to sense something and looked up at the Northern Qi Emperor on the dragon bed.

The Northern Qi emperor's hand slid off the bell on the bed curtains, and the light in his eyes slowly faded, but the hatred, resentment, and doubt hidden in his eyes could still be faintly seen.

The Imperial Tutor understood the Northern Qi Emperor's doubts, and his thoughts drifted as he recalled memories buried deep within his mind.