Zhao Defang's road to the virtuous king

"Yes, my lord." Li Jilong poured another glass of wine for De Fang, sat down slowly and said, "Your lord, I heard that you resisted orders because of the Battle of Tanghe. Did your majesty punish the prince for suffering?"

"No, in the Battle of Tanghe, the king did commit the crime of resisting orders and deceiving the emperor, so on the day he returned to the capital, he went to the palace gate and knelt down to plead guilty. , but how can I get up with the audacity of wearing a sinful body, so I asked your majesty to come down again. Not only did your majesty not convict, but he also asked Eunuch Zhang to send a cloak. This king still refused to grant the emperor's favor. Xue, His Majesty sent people to persuade the king to return to the mansion, but failed, so he sent people to put many small stoves around the king to warm up. On the next day, when the court was in court, His Majesty announced that the king would enter the palace, and removed it in front of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty. The crime of resisting and deceiving the king." De Fang looked at Li Jilong and said, "General Li, it is heaven's punishment for me to kneel and suffer the cold snow, and it is a grace from God to exorcise the crime by your majesty. It's a good result."

"My lord, it's the last general who made you suffer."

"Hey, what did General Li say? If it wasn't for the general's insistence and the bravery of Dingzhou soldiers, how could we have preserved the great Song Dynasty? General Li and General Yuan defeated the elite Liao army in the first battle of Tanghe and fled. Killing in the flames of war, not to mention kneeling in the cold and snow, even exchanging this king's life, is worth it."

Li Jilong stood up and went to Defang, knelt down and said, "My lord, the last general is a warrior. I don't know what to say, so please let the last general take the place of the soldiers in Dingzhou to kneel down and respect the lord."

Defang picked up the wine glass and squatted down to look at Li Jilong, "General Li, the soldiers of Dingzhou sacrificed their lives to kill the enemy, and they are protecting the people of their homeland. They should be respected by the court of this king." Li Jilong drank the wine with both hands Holding the cup, bowing his head and bowing his hands to salute, and then drank the wine, Defang helped Li Jilong up, "General, from now on, no one is allowed to perform this grand ceremony again, otherwise the king will be punished."

Everyone looked at each other and stood up to salute, "Yes, my lord."

"Okay, okay." Defang smiled, "This kind of ceremony is not allowed. I will stand up and kneel for a while. Do you still eat the wine and food? Hehehe, sit down quickly."

Everyone laughed when they heard this, "Yes, please, my lord."

After several people were seated, Kong Shouzheng said, "My lord, I have been waiting for a report a few days ago, saying that a major event happened in the capital, but... seeing the lord today, I feel that there seems to be an error in the report..."

"Oh? What is General Kong referring to?"

"According to reports, it is said that there are remnants of the Southern Tang Dynasty in Beijing to infiltrate the palace to assassinate His Majesty, but for some reason, all the evidence points to the prince's murder of the king. Hearing that the Nanqing Palace was besieged by the imperial guards for more than half a month, His Majesty also issued an order saying yes Give it another three days, if you still can't find the evidence of the prince's innocence, you will be convicted of regicide and treason, and the queen, the prince and the princess will also be sentenced to death." Kong Shouzheng looked at Defang, "My lord, these... Is it all true?"

Defang nodded, "Your Majesty invited all the ministers to a banquet because of the rain from the sky, and also invited theatrical troupe and entertainers outside the palace. I never thought that the remnants of the Southern Tang Dynasty would also be among them. At the banquet, they intended to assassinate His Majesty. The mastermind and four other people Captured." Defang paused for a moment, thinking that the inside story should not be known to outsiders, so he continued, "The mastermind saw that the assassination would not succeed, and framed this king, saying that this king bought them as assassins. I can't bear it, but I still put this king in the sky prison. Your Majesty asked Prime Minister Zhao to try the case personally. Who knows that the remnants of the Southern Tang Dynasty had planned to steal this king's jade pendant. If they were captured, my royal family would kill each other, so After they were captured, they insisted that the king bought them, so the case has not progressed. Later, Mr. Kou Zhun Kou offered advice, and His Majesty followed the advice of Mr. Kou. Sure enough, it was tricked, and this proves the king's innocence."