Chapter 487 Distinguished Guests
The virtuous king's face was gloomy, and his patience was running out. "Zhang Weiping, why didn't the two ministers come?"
Apart from the Emperor of Northern Qi, who would dare to make him wait?
These two old guys are too arrogant.
Zhang Weiping said with a gloomy face, "The Minister of Personnel said his wife is hosting a birthday party and he's really too busy to come. He'll come and apologize to you after the party is over."
Having said that, the wise king naturally couldn't care less, but he still felt a little unhappy in his heart.
He raised his chin and motioned Zhang Weiping to continue.
Zhang Weiping stammered, "The Minister of Justice has official duties to attend to and can't get away."
The wise king sneered, "He's holding a grudge against me for not meeting him last time."
The ministers on the side looked at each other, each with different thoughts.
The attitudes of the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Justice were made clear.
Does this mean you are no longer going to support the virtuous king?
Previously, the Emperor of Northern Qi had defended Prince Guangling in the morning court, and seemed to value him very much, and gave him many real powers and privileges, which was an unprecedented favor for the princes of this dynasty.
Prince Guangling was not only favored by the Emperor of Northern Qi, but also deeply loved by the people and had a very high reputation among the people.
The reputation of the virtuous king was damaged, and the people opposed him becoming the crown prince.
Judging from the current situation, the Northern Qi Emperor insisted on appointing the virtuous king as the crown prince. I am afraid that the remnants of the previous dynasty hiding in the dark will take the opportunity to incite the people in various places to revolt and overthrow the Chu family's rule.
In addition, the wise king's nature of being mean and ungrateful, and of killing the donkey after it has done its job, made them begin to waver.
They had a plan in mind and spoke a few good words for the two ministers: "Your Highness, His Majesty has recently purged some court officials and needs to select and assess new officials to fill the vacancies. The Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Justice happen to be important officials in these two departments, so they are indeed very busy with official duties."
Although the wise king never doubted their loyalty, he thought of what Zhang Weiping had said to him in the palace.
For no apparent reason, a sense of crisis welled up in the virtuous king. "You've been loyal to me, and I'm not ungrateful. It's not that I'm unwilling to help those officials in trouble. It's just that I've been targeted by the King of Guangling, and I can't protect myself. If I act rashly, I'm afraid he won't give up and will continue to dig deeper, implicating you all."
All the ministers listened to the wise king's high-sounding words in silence.
The wise king sighed and said, "Don't worry, I will seek justice for them."
The ministers hurriedly said a few polite words: "You are thinking about us in your heart. We know your good intentions and can understand your difficulties."
The virtuous king felt relieved and brought up the serious matter: "I believe you have heard the rumors outside. Do you have any way to help me overcome this difficulty?"
"This..." The ministers exchanged glances, then looked at the virtuous king in bewilderment. "The people of Yongqing County believe you embezzled hundreds of thousands of taels of silver from them. The ten thousand taels you donated to them were theirs to begin with. Far from remembering your kindness, they're now fighting against you."
"You want to calm public anger, unless you donate 100,000 taels of silver to them, but that would only confirm public opinion. Besides that, there's only one way left: produce evidence to prove your innocence, and that will calm public opinion."
The wise king frowned. All the people involved were dead.
Where can he find evidence to prove his innocence?
The wise king asked again, "Is there any other way?"
The ministers shook their heads, looking helpless. "Why don't you go and discuss with His Majesty how to resolve this matter?"
No one could come up with a solution, and the wise king became annoyed. There really was no one who could help.
The Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Justice are still needed.
The virtuous king thought they were an eyesore and said, "Alright, go away."
The ministers felt relieved and took their leave one after another.
As soon as they left, the wise king picked up the teacup and smashed it on the ground to vent his pent-up anger.
Zhang Weiping, who was standing aside, realized that the attitudes of these adults were completely different from their attitudes when he took the silver.
It’s not like there is no way, but they are unwilling to serve the wise king?
"Your Highness, I do have an idea." Zhang Weiping pursed his lips, met the virtuous king's gaze, and offered a plan: "Divert the trouble eastward."
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A few days passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was time for the birthday party of the wife of the Minister of Personnel.
Following the instructions of the Emperor of Northern Qi, the virtuous king specially prepared a generous gift and took it to the residence of the Minister of Personnel.
It was the old lady’s 70th birthday, and the birthday party was held with great fanfare.
All the dignitaries in the capital came.
In order to show his status, the virtuous king was the last one to arrive at the Shangshu Mansion.
The Minister of Personnel personally received him.
The wise king was about to present the birthday gift when he noticed everyone's eyes were looking behind him.
He turned his head and saw a group of people accompanying the old lady to the gate of the mansion.
Before he could see clearly, a servant came running over and said to the Minister of Personnel, "Old Master, there are distinguished guests in the mansion. The old lady has brought the relatives to greet them."
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