The Emperor consistently refused such request; however, since the Imperial Palace caught fire in succession during this time, Michinaga applied the logic that the successive fires resulted from the Emperor's immorality.
天皇はかたくなに拒んだが、この間に内裏の火災が相次いだため、道長はこれを天皇の不徳であるとする論法を持ち出す。