Golden Throne Hall

For some reason, when the Emperor heard Qin Fang say this, he suddenly wanted to laugh.

He remembered that Qin Fang was a loquacious person, a trait only he and Du Ke had experienced.

If the other ministers got to witness it, it would surely be amusing.

Suddenly, the Emperor had an idea; it seemed a bit cruel, but everyone should share in the burden.

Seeing Qin Fang respond this way, the minister assumed Qin Fang was frightened.

He coldly said, “General Qin, I heard news today that you have been indulgent towards your subordinate’s son-in-law, who has been bullying others. Is this true?”

Qin Fang, puzzled, replied, “I’m not sure which subordinate’s son-in-law you are referring to, esteemed minister.

Some of my household’s subordinates have daughters, while some do not; those with daughters are not yet married.

Therefore, I genuinely don’t know which subordinate has a son-in-law. I would appreciate your guidance on this matter.”

“You…” How was he supposed to respond? “Regardless of who it is, shouldn’t General Qin explain this matter?”

Qin Fang looked even more innocent: “I don’t even know the situation. May I ask how I should explain it to you, esteemed minister? From what I gather from your words, you seem to have a good understanding; why not explain it to me?”

“You…”

“General Qin, I have also heard about this matter, and it is said to have happened in Laiwang County. For this reason, the County Magistrate of Laiwang came to seek your counsel at the General’s Mansion, but you refused to see him. Is it possible that General Qin is feeling guilty?”

Qin Fang was even more confused: “Esteemed minister, I am unaware of when this incident occurred.”

The minister replied, “Six days ago.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Fang laughed, relieved: “So it was six days ago! It wasn’t that I was avoiding anyone; I was not in Yunxiang County six days ago.

I was in the palace! To speak of it, I don’t know whom you have heard these rumors from; that person is truly despicable.

I was clearly not in Yunxiang County, yet they spread rumors about me avoiding others. Esteemed minister, could you clarify what punishment is appropriate for someone who slanders a court official?”

The minister was speechless.

Who could have known Qin Fang wasn’t in Yunxiang County?

So, this whole act of avoiding him made no sense at all.

However, suddenly someone spoke up: “As the guard of Yunxiang County, General Qin should not leave the capital lightly. Leaving the county is a serious offense.”

“Uh…” Qin Fang looked to the Emperor for support.

But the Emperor remained silent and continued to watch him.

The minister continued, “I wonder if General Qin has a royal edict permitting his departure from Yunxiang County?”

Qin Fang honestly replied, “I do not.”

As soon as Qin Fang said he did not have one, the previously silent ministers began to speak up.

“Your Majesty, Qin Fang, as the county guard, has left the county without permission. We ask Your Majesty to impose punishment.”

“Your Majesty, Qin Fang has left the county without regard for the people in the city.”

“Your Majesty…”

Seeing the way they were ganging up on him, Qin Fang understood that these people wanted to pin a charge on him, or rather, to bring him to ruin.

It was his first time witnessing such a situation in the court, and he finally understood that these individuals would stop at nothing to harm someone; they simply wanted to bully whoever they could catch.

Qin Fang said, “Though I left the county without permission, I had urgent matters to discuss with the Emperor.”

“Oh? What urgent matter could possibly justify General Qin’s departure from the county?”

“Indeed! If the county guard claims to have urgent matters that require leaving the county, what of the law of the land?”

“Then what use is the law?”

“Exactly…” One by one, the officials echoed this sentiment.

Qin Fang stated, “However, the matter I need to discuss with the Emperor is confidential. The Emperor has issued me a secret order. If I disclose it to you, I would be committing treason against the Emperor. Esteemed ministers, do you truly wish to know?”

The once lively Hall of Golden Chimes fell suddenly silent.

One by one, the officials began to point fingers at Qin Fang, but he was under a secret edict, and who among them dared to know what that edict entailed?

Wei Hong remained silent.

From the moment Qin Fang appeared, he realized there was no hope left.

The fact that Qin Fang had come to the capital at the Emperor’s summons meant that the Emperor had already seen him.

Leaving that aside, as long as Qin Fang was not in Yunxiang County, their hope of stopping his official duties was futile.

Without Qin Fang present, the defenses put forth by others would seem feeble.

The court could send someone to investigate, dragging it out for a while.

But Yunxiang County had its mines; it needed a garrison.

Therefore, they would have to find someone to replace Qin Fang in the meantime.

Once the situation regarding Qin Fang was clarified, they could transfer him, and that would be the end of it.

However, now that Qin Fang was present in the Hall of Golden Chimes, their hopes had vanished.

Therefore, Wei Hong kept silent.

Of course, he had no intention of speaking up in the first place.

If he did, it would certainly arouse the Emperor’s suspicions.

Then, Qin Fang knelt down and said, “Your Majesty, I have grievances. Please help me redress them.”

The Emperor watched the scene for a while, taking note of those who had accused Qin Fang.

He asked, “What grievances do you have?”

Qin Fang replied, “The ministers have spread rumors about me before Your Majesty without asking for the reasons, just because my position is too low.

Can they slander me at will? Moreover, none of them are willing to reveal their sources of information.

Are they not helping to slander me and frame a loyal court official? Therefore, I ask Your Majesty to take action on my behalf.”

“Your Majesty, I just heard it mentioned; I forgot who said it.”

“Your Majesty, I have heard it mentioned once as well.”

“Your Majesty…”

Suddenly, a voice came from outside.

Grand Eunuch Chi stepped down the steps and walked to the entrance. “What’s happening? Don’t you see the Emperor is holding court?”

The guard replied, “Grand Eunuch, there are people outside carrying a nine-foot tall statue seeking an audience with the Emperor. It’s a statue of the Emperor himself.”

The Grand Eunuch Chi exclaimed, “What? What is going on? Who is so bold?”

The guard responded, “It’s the second young master Du. He said this statue was carved by the people of Yunxiang County for the Emperor.”

The second young master Du?

Hadn’t he gone to Yunxiang County?

He was back already?

And the statue was made by the people of Yunxiang County?

What was going on?

The Chief Steward instinctively felt that this was related to the General’s residence, so he approached the Emperor, “Your Majesty…”

He quietly explained the situation to the Emperor.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, surprised.

The statue carved by the people of Yunxiang County?

Interesting. “Summon Du Xingran to appear before me.”

“Summon Du Xingran to appear before the Emperor,” the Chief Steward announced.

The ministers exchanged glances, bewildered.

“Who is this Du Xingran?”

“How did another person named Du Xingran suddenly appear?”

It was normal for the officials not to recognize a minor figure like the second young master Du.

However, Wei Hong was familiar with him; he and Du Ke were old acquaintances.

Wei Wu and Du Xingran often played together, so he knew Du Xingran well.

He stepped forward, “Your Majesty, may I ask why you have suddenly summoned the second young master Du? Has something significant occurred?”

The officials who didn’t recognize Du Xingran now realized, after hearing Wei Hong mention his name, that he must be the son of the Assistant Minister Du.

But… what did the Assistant Minister’s son do?

Everyone remained puzzled.

The Emperor replied, “I don’t know either. Just wait and see.”

Before long, Du Xingran arrived, looking weary from his travels.

However, he didn’t come alone; he brought people with him who carried the statue to the entrance of the Hall of Golden Chimes, so all the officials inside could see it.

The nine-foot tall statue shocked everyone; some even looked up at it.

Although it didn’t look exactly like the Emperor, it bore some resemblance.

Moreover, the statue was dressed in tattered clothes, all patched up.

What was the meaning of this?

Wei Hong questioned, “Du Xingran, what are you doing? This statue of the Emperor—what’s with these shabby, patched-up clothes?”

Du Xingran replied, “Minister Wei, don’t be anxious.” He then bowed to the Emperor, “I, Du Xingran, pay my respects to Your Majesty.”

The Emperor raised his hand, gesturing for him to rise, and then pointed at the statue, asking, “What is the meaning of this?” It was a serious offense to carve the Emperor’s likeness without permission, punishable by death.

Du Xingran explained, “Your Majesty, this statue was carved by a dozen artisans from Yunxiang County, representing the heartfelt gratitude of the tens of thousands of people there.

The clothes on the statue are not just patched garments; they are ‘clothes of the common people,’ each piece of fabric coming from a household in the county. Lady Bingyun herself sewed these fabrics together into the ‘clothes of the common people’ and dressed the statue in them.”

The Emperor stood up, stepping down from the dragon throne, slowly making his way to the statue.

Though he didn’t know the background of the matter, hearing Du Xingran say that the patched clothing was the “clothes of the common people” stirred his emotions.

What did it mean for the common people to offer him clothes?

It was a sign of their loyalty.

He reached out to touch the fabric of the statue’s clothes. The more he looked at the tall statue, the more he felt it resembled himself.

Turning around, the Emperor asked, “What exactly is going on? Explain it to me in detail.”

Wei Hong sighed.

He knew that this time, they could no longer do anything about Qin Fang.

Once Du Xingran claimed this statue was a gift from the people of Yunxiang County, he understood that all their schemes had failed.

But what did the “clothes of the common people” signify?

Du Xingran explained, “Your Majesty, that day, I went to Yunxiang County to deliver a letter for Qin Fang. I found the roads bustling with activity, with many common folks hard at work. Out of curiosity, I inquired and learned that the people of Yunxiang County were repairing the roads.”

The Emperor was startled. “Repairing the roads? That requires a lot of silver. Where did they get the funds?”

Du Xingran replied, “It’s from Your Majesty’s treasury. You exempted the Qin family from the franchise fee for the grain merchants, so the Qin family used the county’s agent fees and the first year’s profits from the grain factory to fund the road repairs.

Lady Bingyun(Yang Haiyan) said that Your Majesty’s benevolence is vast, and having exempted the Qin family from the franchise fees, they couldn’t help but express their gratitude.

Therefore, in addition to the agent fees, they also contributed the first year’s profits from the grain factory to fix the roads.

The road has been named ‘Grain Road,’ and there’s a monument erected on Grain Road, inscribed with words praising Your Majesty’s wisdom and insight, which the common people composed.

The characters were written by the magistrate of Yunxiang County, and the statue was carved by the artisans of Yunxiang County.

The common folks said, ‘Thank you, Your Majesty, for the grain merchant plan, which has provided a market for the potatoes and sweet potatoes grown by the people, increasing their income…'”