Upon hearing the young man intended to resign, Zhao Ji nearly choked on his own saliva.
"Your Majesty, are you... alright?"
Hearing Zhao Ji cough so violently, Han Mo quickly raised his head and asked with concern.
"Don't try to pull a fast one on me, you brat! Your Han family is considered a family of officials. Go back and ask your elders, which one of them hasn't been impeached? Which one hasn't been slandered? In this court, even the Grand Minister, doesn't he get impeached every few days?"
"Impeached a few times and you want to resign? Is this the doctrine of benevolence and consideration you learned from the Imperial Academy?"
Zhao Ji wasn't going to indulge this brat. He was still waiting for this fellow to make money for his son, so how could he let him resign so easily?
"But Your Majesty, I... I feel so wronged in my heart..."
As Han Mo spoke, he lowered his head, preparing to burst into tears.
However, as he raised his sleeve, a piece of old ginger, prepared halfway, suddenly fell out from it. The scene became rather awkward...
"Pfft—"
"Hahahaha!"
Seeing this, Zhao Ji couldn't help but laugh out loud, his hearty laughter echoing through the Fu Ning Hall.
Even Han Mo, with a face as thick as the corner of a city wall, felt his cheeks redden slightly at this moment.
Damn it, I should have just cried out loud instead...
This was truly a disgrace to the nth degree...
"You scoundrel, where did you pick up these bad habits? Others at least smear ginger water on their sleeves, but you use a withered old ginger. At a crucial moment like this, can it even be useful?"
After playfully kicking Han Mo's backside, Zhao Ji couldn't help but laugh.
"Your Majesty, I..."
Even Han Mo, with his quick wit, didn't know how to continue the act at this point.
This was supposed to be a pathetic plea that would resolve the issue, but now it had turned into a farce...
"I won't even look at these memorials. Just tell me, are the matters mentioned in them true or false?"
After chuckling a few more times, Zhao Ji directly tossed the two memorials Han Mo had just handed him back into his own arms.
"Replying to Your Majesty, Huang Qianshan is simply framing and slandering me. I am willing to confront him in court!"
Although the pathetic act had failed, when it came to a real showdown, Han Mo naturally dared not back down.
"Have you seen clearly? So many people are speaking with certainty that this matter is related to you. I'll say this: in this grand hall today, it is only you and I, sovereign and minister. If you truly did such a thing, just nod your head, and I promise you a chance to reform, and this matter will never be repeated!"
After looking at Han Mo deeply once more, Zhao Ji spoke earnestly.
Hearing Zhao Ji's words, even Han Mo was stunned.
Han Mo had no good impression of this historical ruler who lost his kingdom. However, hearing him say such words today, for a moment, Han Mo even felt a touch of emotion.
Regardless of his true feelings or intentions, for an emperor to go this far, to say these words, it meant he truly regarded Han Mo as a junior relative...
"Replying to Your Majesty, I have absolutely never done such a thing. If I were truly obsessed with wealth, there would be no need for me to enter officialdom!"
"Truly?"
"Truly!"
"Good. Since you have said so, I will hold a royal trial of this case tomorrow in the Daqing Hall! I will give you a chance to defend yourself in front of all the officials!"
Seeing Han Mo's resolute confidence, Zhao Ji's eyes darted, and he spoke again.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Han Mo said this, then knelt before Zhao Ji with both knees and bowed respectfully.
Not for anything else, but for the words Zhao Ji had just spoken...
"Of the two memorials you just presented, one was a resignation, what was the other?"
After finishing the important matters, Zhao Ji helped Han Mo up and asked gently again.
"Replying to Your Majesty, my father was framed and slandered by Huang Qianshan and is currently imprisoned. This is the petition I wrote on behalf of my father!"
"You mean the case of the deficit in the Meng Prefecture treasury?"
Hearing Han Mo say this, Zhao Ji suddenly remembered that such a matter did indeed exist.
However, because Han Rui had been rather obscure before, and he was merely a judicial assessor in Meng Prefecture, the emperor naturally didn't recognize him.
If Han Mo hadn't mentioned it, he would never have connected the two of them.
"Precisely. I implore Your Majesty to restore my father's innocence. Even if the treasury was short, no matter how severe, it couldn't have been done by a judicial assessor, could it? If my father had such capability, I wouldn't have had to live in my grand-uncle's residence when I was young!"
"Things must be done one by one, and cases must be investigated one by one. I have taken note of this matter. You have had a tiring journey, and since you will be attending court tomorrow morning, I shall bestow upon you a purple robe!"
"This, this isn't quite right..."
Hearing Zhao Ji's words, Han Mo actually felt a bit embarrassed.
After the Yuanfeng Reforms, the official robes of the Song Dynasty had been divided into three colors.
Officials of the third rank and above could wear purple robes, officials of the fourth and fifth ranks could wear scarlet robes, and officials from the sixth to ninth ranks could only wear green official robes.
Given Han Mo's current status, even wearing a scarlet robe was a bit conspicuous, let alone a purple one.
After all, his fellow Jinshi graduates from the same examination were all still wearing green robes, toiling away somewhere...
To wear a purple robe to court at this time would clearly be inviting hatred...
"Is there anything wrong with what I bestow upon you? Are you refusing the imperial decree?"
"Thank you for Your Majesty's generous gift!"
"Alright, since you have clarified this matter for me, it is not a waste of this robe I bestowed upon you! It is getting late today, so I will not keep you. My brother-in-law should be waiting for you at the palace gate by now!"
After speaking, Zhao Ji waved his hand, signaling Han Mo to leave.
Quickly bowing to the emperor again, Han Mo bent down to pick up the old ginger that had fallen on the ground, and then scurried out of the Fu Ning Hall.
"Is Your Majesty satisfied with this young man?"
After Han Mo had long gone, Liang Shicheng walked in with a smile and asked.