Zhao Defang's road to the virtuous king

"My lord, even if it is just a few words, it is a fact of accepting bribes. The letters are all there. The person who appealed is already in the capital. As long as Wang Qin is an official who comes to the case, I must punish him!"

"Kou Zhun, it's not easy for you to go to the Golden Palace again to be appointed as the third envoy. Isn't it enough for you to learn from the ups and downs? Wang Qinruo's affairs are not your responsibility, and it's not worth your attention."

"Are you going to let him go like this?"

"This matter has already been accepted by Yushitai, and there will definitely be a result. Let's wait and see." Defang looked at Kou Zhun, "Remember, you are the third envoy, in charge of the imperial court's finances. Wang Qinruo, you must not interfere in this matter. Otherwise, you’re going to get yourself into trouble.”

Kou Zhun also looked at Defang and nodded.

It turns out that the incident started at the beginning of this year. Changde Fang, a citizen of Heyin, sued Renyi, the captain of Linjin County, for bribing Wang Qinruo and winning the first place.At first, Wang Qinruo was responsible for the tribute examination in the early years of Xianping. Ren Yi consulted various subjects and lived in the house of a monk Renya. Renya also knew the monk Huiqin. This person had a deep friendship with Wang Qinruo. After learning about it, he agreed with Hui Qin to bribe Wang Qinruo with 350 taels of silver, write the amount of money on paper, and order Hui Qin to keep it.But when he went, Wang Qinruo had already entered the tribute courtyard and was not allowed to go out. Wang Qinruo's family guest was willing to help Huiqin and hand over the book to Wang Qinruo's wife, Li Shi. The servant Qi Rui wrote Ren Yi's name on his arm, and told Wang Qinruo the amount of money agreed upon. Ren Yi entered the fifth round of the test, and Qi Rui sent soup to the Gongyuan many times. Wang Qinruo secretly ordered Qi Rui to ask for the money. Ren Yi takes office.The monk Ren Ya wrote to Heyin, and he returned to it. Changde, a commoner in Heyin, got his book and reported it to Zhao Changyan, the censor Zhongcheng. Order Xing Bing, Yan Chenghan and others to leave Taichang Temple, Zhao Changyan had to write to Defang, please come forward to promote this matter.

Defang looked at the notebooks and wrote them from time to time, and then took a few notebooks to discuss with Kou Zhun whether there was any problem with the financial expenditure. Kou Zhun said, "My lord, can you just issue an edict, is that okay?"

"The lonely king is also thinking about this matter. Just now His Majesty ordered Zhizhi to draft the edict, but after all, His Majesty still needs to read it, stamp it with a jade seal, and announce it to all the officials in the court. However... Your Majesty takes care of the Queen Mother and has no interest in political affairs. This back and forth may take many days, which is very unfavorable to the current situation inside and outside the DPRK."

"Since Zhou Huaizheng and Zhi Zhigao know about this matter, it will be easy to handle. After the edict is drafted, it will be stamped with the jade seal. You will issue the edict immediately and read it to the ministers tomorrow morning. Everything will be correct."

"Kou Zhun, the lonely king is not as courageous as you. This is a jade seal, not a private seal. The edicts are all about the political affairs of the family and the country. What you say seems to be written casually."

"My lord, don't think like this. The matter is here. If you delay for a long time, you will miss the state affairs. If something really happens, you are also responsible for it?"

"What does the lonely king take care of?"

"Now all the civil and military officials in the court know that you are the lord who approves the documents, so they don't care about other things. As long as your majesty doesn't go to the court to read the memorials, you will be responsible for all the problems that arise during this period."

Defang thought for a while, "Well, that's the reason."

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has assured you of handing over the affairs of state to you, so you can do it freely. None of the ministers dare to object, and His Majesty will not blame you."

Defang was silent for a while, then looked up at Kou Zhun, "Kou Zhun, why does the lonely king feel so uneasy when you hear it from your mouth?"