Zhao Defang's road to the virtuous king

"My lord Bi, the lonely king has fulfilled his wish to pay homage on this trip. You can order the soldiers to drive back to the station. The lonely king and the princess will go to Xijing in casual clothes for a few days."

"My lord is pretending to go to Xijing, I will send some guards to accompany you."

"No need, the lonely king has brought the guards along, and Xijing is under the rule of peace, so there should be no worries." Defang picked up the tea bowl and said, "Master Bi, is there someone cleaning the imperial tomb every day?"

"Yes, my lord, there is a special person in charge every day"

"Well, the place where the ancestors are located must not be neglected."

"Yes, my lord, I will definitely fulfill my duties and protect the Holy Land."

"How long has Master Bi been in charge of guarding the imperial tomb?" Defang asked

"Go back to the prince, I have been serving the imperial mausoleum for eight years."

"Eight years? It's been so long. Where is Master Bi from?"

"Return to the prince, the next official is from Fangzhou."

"Fangzhou." Defang suddenly thought of Uncle Wang Tingmei, who died in confinement in Fangzhou, and couldn't help feeling a little sad. Seeing this, Concubine Di said, "My lord, Mr. Bi is really loyal. He has guarded the imperial tomb for eight years. It can be said that he has worked hard."

Defang nodded upon hearing this, "What madam said is very true. Lord Bi, when the lonely king returns to Beijing, he will definitely send a petition to His Majesty so that Lord Bi can come to Beijing to receive the reward, and then he will be transferred to another place."

Hearing this, Bi Qiming was really excited. Although it is glorious to guard the imperial mausoleum, what is the use of guarding the mausoleum for a lifetime?So Defang's words seemed to bring him back to life, so he quickly knelt down and said, "Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lady!"

"What is Master Bi doing?" Defang helped Bi Qiming up, "The lonely king knows that guarding the mausoleum is very difficult, let alone guarding the tomb for eight years. Presumably, Master Bi is also suffering?"

Bi Qiming stood up slowly, "My lord, my servant."

Defang saw that Bi Qiming had something to say, so he said to the left and right, "Baili, go prepare the table for wine and food. The lonely king wants to have a drink with Mr. Bi. Jiajun and Cheng'er, you are waiting at the door, and everyone else should step back." .”

"Yes" everyone withdrew, and after the food and drink were served, Defang said, "Master Bi, sit down, you can speak up if you have anything to say."

"Thank you, my lord." Bi Qiming sat on the chair and said, "I'll tell you my lord, I'm a civil servant, and I don't know martial arts."

"What? You don't know martial arts?" Defang was puzzled, "Let you, a civil servant who doesn't know martial arts, lead the army to guard the tomb?"

"Yes, hey." Bi Qiming sighed, "Xiaguan was originally the magistrate of Tanzhou."

"How could Zhizhou be chosen to guard the imperial mausoleum?"

"It's all about personal grievances." Bi Qiming shook his head

"Personal grievances?" Defang looked at Concubine Di, "Can Master Bi make it clearer?"

It turned out that when Bi Qiming was studying in his early years, he knew Huo Jichang, who is now the Minister of the Ministry of Officials. The two were old acquaintances. He liked her very much and wanted to take her as a concubine, but Huo Jichang was dissolute by nature, and he usually went to restaurants and brothels. Bi Qiming didn't agree because he was afraid that his sister would suffer if she married. Huo Jichang asked someone to propose marriage again, but Bi Qiming still refused. Huo Jichang was so angry that he made someone beat Bi Qiming, and forced Bi Xingyue and his mother into the mansion. He threatened Bi Qiming that if he reported the matter to the official, He killed his mother and sister, and at the same time threatened Bi Xingyue that if she didn't agree to become a concubine, Bi Qiming would lose his official position and his life would be in jeopardy. Bi Qiming's family dared not speak again under the threat. A few years later, Bi Qiming became the magistrate of the state, and Huo Jichang also entered Beijing as an official