Wan Qixie saw Zhao Gou's expression and a sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth. Deciding to add fuel to the fire, he turned to a white-bearded official in the back row. "Lord He, under Song law, what crime is it to see His Majesty and refuse to kneel?"
Lord He held the nominal post of Vice Minister of Rites. Although the Song Dynasty's Ministry of Rites existed in name only, and his vice ministerial title was likewise an empty honor, he still knew a thing or two about matters of etiquette.
The white-bearded official secretly glanced at Jia Sidao and Han Tuozhou, groaning inwardly. When immortals fought, mortals suffered. Yet with the eyes of the entire court upon him, even the emperor watching him, he could only brace himself and say, "This... constitutes the Crime of Disrespect and warrants thirty strokes of the cane."
In truth, Song Qingshu's actions had already amounted to disrespect toward the emperor, a crime of high treason punishable by death. But Lord He had been an official for decades. He was not an idiot; how could he possibly state the truth so bluntly?
If it had been some ordinary commoner, killing him would have been no great matter. But Song Qingshu commanded two hundred thousand troops and was a hegemon in his own territory. Moreover, he appeared to have close ties with Jia Sidao and Han Tuozhou. If Lord He declared that the law demanded execution, would he not leave everyone unable to save face? There would be no room left for compromise.
Wan Qixie's brow furrowed deeply as he cursed inwardly. That old fox is playing word games. Still, he knew that the emperor would never order Song Qingshu executed over this matter, so he accepted the lesser victory. "Lord He