That night, in the study at the Kou residence.
Kou Yuan dismissed the attendants, leaving only himself and Song Jing.
"Fuan, I heard about those things you said to Wei Zi'an in the Revenue and Expenditure Bureau's duty room today."
Once all the servants had withdrawn, Song Jing spoke at once, his tone more urgent than usual.
"Blazing fiercely, yet not cruel; solemnly warm, yet not benevolent.
How-how could you say such a thing!
Were you putting him in his place?
Wei Nisheng isn't Shen Duan's man, nor a nail the Feng Faction planted in your Ministry of Revenue.
He's His Majesty's man, the man who handed the Upright Officials a blade.
Without him, neither you nor I would be sitting in the seats we hold today."
Song Jing finished with a heavy sigh, looking sidelong at Kou Yuan.
"Wei Zi is no enemy."
Kou Yuan did not answer immediately. Instead, he calmly lifted his tea, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Song Jing.
"Zhiyuan, do you think I'm suppressing him too?"
"Aren't you?"
"I am." Kou Yuan nodded, his expression frank.
"Fuan, you..."
"But suppressing him doesn't mean treating him as an enemy," Kou Yuan interrupted.
"I'm suppressing him precisely because I don't want him to become another Zhao Ding."
Song Jing frowned.
Kou Yuan had already risen.
"When Zhao Ding submitted the Warehouse Inspection Memorial, he too was full of fervor and righteous indignation.
He too believed that, with conclusive evidence and clear legal grounds, he could investigate the case to the very end.
And what happened?
He died, the case was left unresolved, and Shen Duan didn't lose so much as a hair."
He turned and looked straight at Song Jing.
"Wei Nisheng is cleverer than Zhao Ding. That's a fact.
In that Grain Storage