It was almost autumn and the sun was not very hot at noon, but Zhu Shengfei was sweating profusely because the thing he was most worried about had finally happened.
You must know that the two saints were not the fathers and brothers of the founding emperor, but retired emperors, the monarchs and fathers and brothers before the official in front of you. The fact that the two saints were honored equally after the Jingkang Incident itself maintained the basic emperor status of the two... In other words, there is no such thing as family rituals and court rituals.
Even if we use the most absurd theory to explain it, the three of you are all saints, emperors. If you take away your emperor identities, and just act as sons seeing your father and brother who have just returned from hunting for five years... That's your father, what's there to be afraid of if he kneels down? Why do you have to embarrass us?
But Zhu Shengfei knew very well that if Emperor Zhao was willing to do so, he would not ask this question!
If he kneels, this official is the current official, and if he gets really angry, he can really kill him! If he doesn’t kneel, it’s not that he can’t make up a reason, but the reputation of the scholars will be ruined… This is called alienating the royal family and making the official unfilial and unfraternal.
"His Majesty."
At this time, a man stepped out. It was the Imperial Censor Li Guang. He responded solemnly, "Father and son are natural, brothers are moral, why bother talking about 'I'?"
These words were exactly what Zhu Shengfei was thinking. However, after hearing these words, the Minister of Rites was not relieved. Instead, he stared at Li Guang with an exasperated look.
"No need to talk about me?" Zhao Jiu said thoughtfully.
"That's right."
Li Guang didn't need to look at the faces of his other colleagues to know that his old habit had come back, but his character has always been like this. When he sees an opportunity to speak up and argue, he will go up and speak regardless of the consequences. Moreover, the bigger the occasion, the more he can't control himself. He regrets it when he returns home. He will not listen to anyone's advice, but will continue to act recklessly next time... All he can say is that now that things have come to this, he has no choice but to bite the bullet and confront them.
"Ministry of Rites." Zhao Jiu sneered and did not directly agree to Li Guang. Instead, he just went to call Zhu Shengfei.
"I'm here." Zhu Shengfei was shocked, but he still gritted his teeth and bowed to Li Guang.
"If you are in trouble, go and ask my father and brother and see what etiquette they want me to perform?" Zhao Jiu urged, waving his sleeves.
This is also a method!
Zhu Shengfei felt relieved. He quickly bowed, stepped back, and then turned and left.
Turning around the dock, the two emperors and their entourage got off the boat. Dozens of people huddled together, crying bitterly and losing their composure. But it was okay for others. The two emperors themselves had been emperors, and especially since they had experienced all kinds of conflicts during the Jing Kang period, they knew the sensitivity of imperial power. So they had been paying attention to the dragon flag early on. When they saw a purple-robed official approaching from afar, they quickly solemnized their expressions.
When Zhu Shengfei came up to him, he sighed in his heart.
Emperor Taishang Daojun was famous for his romantic appearance, but he was nearly fifty years old and had suffered for five years on the Songhua River. His temples were already gray and he was too thin to look like a human. After wearing a red robe and a hard-winged bun, he looked almost like a man. Although Emperor Yuansheng was only thirty-two years old, he had been depressed since he was a teenager. He probably had not had much soybeans or sorghum to eat during his five years on the Songhua River. Although he was still in good shape, his temples were slightly gray.
"Mr. Zhu!" Seeing Zhu Shengfei coming, the Emperor Taishang Daojun actually recognized him. After all, he was the one who had won the title of Shangshe Jidi with his own hands.
"Your Majesty!" Zhu Shengfei almost knelt to greet him upon hearing this, but thinking of the situation behind him, he just bowed and faced him solemnly. "Your Majesty, I am Zhu Shengfei, the Minister of Rites. I greet the Emperor Taishang Daojun and the Emperor Taishang Yuansheng... The Emperor has something to ask."
The two saints were both awed, and the other princes who were crying also looked solemn.
"What do you want to say, Brother Nine?" The Supreme Dao Emperor wiped his tears, cautiously but urgently. "Why don't you come here in person?"
"The emperor is worried about this matter." Zhu Shengfei looked at him with drooping eyelids. "Just now, the ministers had a debate. Some said that the emperor should come here to kneel down, while others said that he only needed to bow his hands... The debate could not be resolved, so the emperor sent an official to ask the two emperors what they thought."
The Emperor Taishang Daojun was originally sobbing, and upon hearing this, his tears began to flow even more vigorously.
The Emperor Yuan Sheng beside him could not help but stamp his feet: "Why kneel down? The bereaved family is all thanks to Brother Nine for taking care of us. I am going to the throne to ask for a favor from the Taiyi Palace. It is good that I don't go to pay homage to Brother Nine... Even if it is true as the rumors in the North Country say that Brother Nine is resentful because of Queen Xing, it is appropriate for him not to see us today."
You are my elder brother, even if I kill you, I can still ask Emperor Taizong of Tang for cover, why kneel down and worship? ! Zhu Shengfei was speechless, and just looked at the key Emperor Taishang Daojun again.
Although the Emperor Taishang Daojun had the status of a monarch and father to rely on, he was also cautious. He wiped away his tears, stepped forward and held Zhu Shengfei's hands with his snotty and tearful hands, and asked earnestly: "Mr. Zhu, tell me the truth... What exactly is Brother Nine's plan? I heard bad things on the road! Please make it clear to Brother Nine that I have experienced the Northern Kingdom and am disheartened. I have no other thoughts and only want to be the envoy of Taiyi Palace."
If I had known this, why did I do it in the first place?!
Zhu Shengfei sighed in his heart, but kept saying: "In this case, the etiquette should be fine?"
"There's nothing wrong with that... The key is that I would like to ask Mr. Zhu for some advice on what Ninth Brother is thinking?" The Emperor Taishang Daojun simply grabbed Zhu Shengfei's hands and refused to let go.
Zhu Shengfei tried to break free several times but failed. He was helpless. In addition, they had a relationship between the emperor and his subjects, so he could not control the force. He whispered, "The emperor is indeed resentful."
"To what extent do you blame me?" Zhao Ji still refused to let go.
Zhu Shengfei thought about it again and again, and could only respond in a low voice, roughly recounting the several angry words that Emperor Zhao had said before.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Ji only heard half of it, and didn't even hear "everyone rebelled against Cao", and he cried loudly on the ground, which frightened Zhu Shengfei so much that he completely lost his voice, and he hurried to help him. Then there was another big chaos, which made Zhang Rong standing by with his neck stiffened and staring in a daze... The latter still doesn't understand now, how could such a person harm thousands of people and turn them into thieves just for the sake of building a garden?
Over a hundred steps away, Zhao Jiu, who was watching the farce at the dock from afar, remained seated motionless, while most of the ministers around him had stern expressions on their faces. Even the ministers and generals behind Zhao Jiu began to exchange glances with each other in private.
But no matter what, Zhu Shengfei still came over, and on his purple robe, there was a little bit of snot and tears shining, which made many people think .
"Your Majesty." Zhu Shengfei bowed his head, looking like he had fulfilled his mission. "The two emperors have issued an order that when they meet each other, a simple bow is enough, and other princes, dukes, and dukes should pay homage to the emperor with great ceremony..."
"Then let them come over." Zhao Jiu still sat still.
Zhu Shengfei was stunned again, but this time, he didn't dare to say anything and could only turn around and leave.
"Officials."
Lu Haowen, Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun and other ministers could no longer hold on and stepped out.
"Now that things have come to this, there is no need for you to say more." Zhao Jiu remained seated. "Don't delay the meeting at the Heavenly Family."
It's not that the ministers didn't want to argue, but they were intimidated by His Majesty's aura and dared not say anything when they thought about the more important matter of settling the two saints.
Besides, Emperor Zhao has been staying in the harem for a long time. Today, he suddenly came out again to welcome the two emperors at Baimajin. All the civil and military officials in the court, not to mention the military officials, even the civil officials were quite timid. Now, because the gentlemen were worried about the danger that might happen, they dared not say much for a while, which seemed to let Emperor Zhao have the final say... Even Li Guang and others stopped arguing.
However, just when everyone thought that the emperor was going to openly violate the etiquette, a moment later, as Zhu Shengfei led the two saints, the princes, dukes, dukes, and princesses to arrive, Emperor Zhao did not sit still as expected, embarrassing the two saints, but took the initiative to stand up and bowed to the two red-robed men from a distance: "Greetings to the Supreme Dao Emperor, greetings to the Supreme Yuansheng Emperor."
The three emperors met each other in a friendly manner. All the ministers were relieved for a moment, and even Li Guang sighed.
"Hello, Ninth Brother!" Emperor Yuansheng was the first to bow in return.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Emperor Daojun actually bowed in return, but was cautious and took the initiative to address Jiuzi, whose appearance he was familiar with, as "Your Majesty".
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Zhao Huan came to his senses and immediately changed his words.
"Thank you for your hard work on the journey, both emperors." Zhao Jiu smiled and bowed again.
"It's not as hard as yours." Zhao Ji, with red and swollen eyes, said earnestly. "As a father in the north for several years, I have heard many times that yours was victorious in the south. I am very happy, but I also know how hard yours is... In the history of revival, it has never been as difficult as yours."
At this point, Zhao Ji paused, and then said seriously: "If I had known that the emperor was so wise and powerful, I should have entrusted the affairs of state to you earlier... If I led the country as my father, and it was so chaotic and disobedient, and the humiliation of the northern country was all my own fault."
Zhao Huan was stunned for a moment, and quickly followed: "Brother, I only hate myself for being blind."
Zhao Jiu shook his head and laughed, but ignored the two saints. He turned to the others behind the two saints in the gradually rising wind and said, "You are my brothers... After five years of separation, your voices and appearances have changed. Why don't you report your names in order of age so that I can get to know you again, which can be regarded as officially welcoming you back."
The princes were not fools. Many of them had experienced the ups and downs of the Fenghengyu era, so they naturally behaved themselves when they heard this.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." One person came out first, but he was so thin that he was almost skin and bones. He only brought three little boys with him to pay respect. "I am Zhao Kai, the Prince of Yun, the third son. This is my third son... Last year, I was seriously ill in the north. If it weren't for your great victory in Yaoshan, the Jin people were afraid and respected, and promised to give you clothes and medicine, otherwise there would be no reason for us to meet today... After experiencing this, I know that no one in the world is more important than you. I know that I have behaved in a disrespectful manner in the past, and I am ashamed of it. So I dare to ask the emperor to strip me of my title and demote me to a commoner. I can retire to my hometown with my wife and children, which will be enough for my life."
"Are you Zhao Kai?" Zhao Jiu looked him up and down, nodded, said something strange, and then smiled. "If you are not feeling well, take a rest first... Sister-in-law has returned first, and she is probably living in her parents' home, so just go back and find her."
Although he did not mention the placement of the title, the casualness in his words was evident. Zhao Kai felt relieved and quickly withdrew.
Zhao Jiu continued to stand with his hands behind his back, watching the other princes come forward with their hands folded and bow respectfully.
It can be seen that the life in Wuguo City has destroyed these royal relatives and nobles physically and psychologically. Many of them are no longer human. Seeing this, many officials finally couldn't help crying, breaking the silence. Even many military officials who were prepared sighed at this time and relaxed their minds.
The scene still looked very harmonious, so harmonious that people almost forgot Emperor Zhao's previous impatience, forgot that he was angry and didn't go to court, forgot that he "always opposed Cao" a few days ago, and forgot that he just asked Zhu Sheng in a sarcastic tone whether he wanted to kneel or not ?
The only accident happened to a twenty-year-old young man.
"What's your name?" Zhao Jiu suddenly frowned.
"Brother Nine, Your Majesty, I am Eighteenth Prince... Prince Xin!" The young prince was frightened for a moment. "You don't recognize me?"
"You are obviously Shijiulang!" Zhao Jiu was furious. "Have you gone mad after going to the north?! Don't you know that Prince Xin is in Taihang Mountain?!"
The man suddenly realized and quickly corrected himself: "Please do not disturb me, my Eighteenth Brother escaped and I was afraid that the Jin people would pursue me, so I pretended to be Eighteenth Brother..."
Only then did Zhao Jiu nod.
"Your Majesty, why do you have to deceive yourself?" The Jin envoy Wulinda Zanmo, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines following the two saints, could no longer bear to watch. "After the two saints are released today, we should formally negotiate peace. By then, the five counties in Jingdong will be given to you, and you should also take the people in Taihang Mountain out..."
"That's a matter for those who want to negotiate peace. What does it have to do with me?" Zhao Jiu responded coldly. "Don't forget my words."
Wulinda Zanmo sneered and said nothing more.
Just like that, after waiting for a while, Zhao Jiu finally met all these people one by one, and everyone knew that the key moment of the day was finally coming, even Wulindazanmo became interested and alert.
As expected, Zhao Jiu hesitated for a moment, but returned to the two saints with a serious face, nodded, and then said earnestly: "I was originally guarding the country on behalf of my father and brother. Now that my father and brother have returned, it is time for me to step down and let others take over."
As soon as he finished speaking, the civil and military officials around him, including the two saints in front of him, shuddered almost at the same time in the middle of summer... The two saints were naturally terrified, and the rest of the civil and military officials were also frightened.
You have to know that if someone else had refused and declined three times, it would be called fatherly kindness and filial piety plus procedural justice. But everyone knows this official, and he shouldn't have this attitude.
However, just when everyone was hesitating whether to bite the bullet and play a double round of three refusals and three declines with the emperor, the emperor did something that shocked everyone to death. He turned around in public and pulled out the knife from Yang Yi's waist... He ignored the fact that the Emperor Taishang Daojun fell down in fright, but he still cut open his bright red robe in public, broke off the hard-winged fu hat on his head, and threw them on the ground. Then, he put on only an ordinary cloth military uniform under his robe, and turned around to mount his horse and leave to the army behind the dragon banner.
The incident happened suddenly, and even Han Shizhong and others were obviously stunned. They actually allowed this official to walk into the army, seize the horse, and then climb onto the horse, but then reined in the horse and said:
"I have returned the palace and the throne of Dongjing City to the two saints. It is up to them to decide who will take over. But as the saying goes, the Han and the traitors cannot coexist, and a great country cannot live in peace alone! Those who want to fight today can abandon their official positions and follow me to Nanjing to take Jingdong! Those who want peace today can stay in office and support the two saints, escort the emperor back to Kaifeng, and then go to the Jin Kingdom to declare brotherhood... There is absolutely no ambiguity between the two."
After saying this, he was about to ride his horse eastward.
The surrounding officers panicked for a moment and actually reined in their horses. Even the imperial guards who were guarding the dragon banner instinctively wanted to pull up the flag.
"Han Shizhong!"
Lü Haowen, who had remained invisible during the peace talks, stepped forward and passed the stunned Zhao and Zhang, and shouted, "Quickly stop the emperor... If the emperor really escapes from the officials this time, you will be a sinner for all eternity!"
Han Shizhong, who was wearing a jade belt, was in a trance for a moment before he came to his senses. He immediately dismounted and grabbed one of the horse's legs. Wu Jie and Wang De quickly dismounted as well, each grabbing a horse's leg. Even Qu Duan had no choice but to dismount and follow suit after being glared at by Han Shizhong.
As for Li Qiong, Liu Qi, Li Shifu, Yang Yi Zhong, Liu Yan and others, plus a dozen commanding officers such as Qiao Zhongfu and Zhang Jing, they had no choice but to lead the crowd to dismount and kneel, surrounding Emperor Zhao and his mount.
"Mr. Lu is not trustworthy!" Zhao Jiu sneered immediately, which was the first time he had done so publicly today. "That's not what you said by the fish pond that day..."
"Your Majesty!" Minister Lu Haowen bowed and responded, regardless of his age. "Just two saints...why would they cause the country to split?"
"Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Zhao Ding also bowed quickly, pointing his finger to the sky in public. "We have already made a plan. All the royal family members who come back this time will be stripped of their titles and become commoners. The Supreme Dao Emperor will be placed in Mingdao Palace, and the Supreme Yuansheng Emperor will be placed in Dongxiao Palace! Just two saints, there is no way they can split the country! Please follow the team back to Tokyo!"
"Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Zhang Jun also bowed his head. "If Your Majesty wants to fight, you can just say so. Why do you have to do this?"
The other civil officials came to their senses, seeing that it was not a serious matter, and bowed down one after another... For a moment, there were so many civil officials bowing and military officials kneeling, but Zhao Jiu just sneered on his horse.
After the civil officials bowed, Wang Shu, the Minister of Justice, became more and more angry. He pushed Liu Dazhong, the Minister of Personnel, on the back and said, "It's all because of you. You always pretend to put the country first, but you keep selling your integrity for fame and use the two saints to suppress the government! If the country is in trouble, it's all because of you."
Liu Dazhong was caught off guard and was pushed to the ground. He was so angry that he turned around to speak, but he knew that he could not make any defense at this time, so he could only pound the ground hard, choking in silence.
At this moment, Li Guang, the Imperial Censor who had been bowing his head for half a day, suppressed all the emotions in his heart, raised his head and slowly said: "Your Majesty! I also think that the two saints can be placed in different places..."
Emperor Daojun and Emperor Yuansheng both burst into tears upon hearing this, and quickly expressed their opinions in front of the dragon banner.
Emperor Daojun first bowed to the man on the horse and said, "Let Ninth Brother know that I know that you can return to Henan alive because of your hard work. I am very lucky and I have no desire for power."
Emperor Yuan Sheng was even more straightforward: "Ninth brother, don't think that people like us have abolished the loyalty between the monarch and his subjects. I would like to set off immediately and go to Dongxiao Palace without stopping."
However, Zhao Jiu just shook his head after hearing this: "If that's all, I'm sorry I can't agree!"
The two saints were completely terrified and felt that their lives were in danger, and the ministers were also powerless.
"Official!" Li Guang regained his breath and asked again. "How far will the official go before he stops making trouble?"
"Who told the Zhongcheng that I was fooling around?" Zhao Jiu turned his head and looked at the tall ships of the Imperial Navy on the Yellow River in the north.
"Your Majesty." Another person spoke up, it was the Imperial Censor Li Jing, who was furious. "The two saints are not strong enough to shake your throne. Even if your Majesty is angry, it would be enough to send him to live in a Taoist temple. Why would it go to this extent? Do you really have to openly kill your father and brother?"
"Li Jing." Zhao Jiu finally turned around, his eyes were cold. "Who told you why I did this for the sake of the Second Saint?"
Li Jing became more and more angry, but just as he was about to say something, he suddenly remembered something written in his brother Li Gang's letter, and seemed to have some realization. Not only that, many other civil officials, both high and low, also seemed to be thinking about something, and the dragon flag became silent for a while.
"What are the Two Saints?"
Zhao Jiu saw this, not only did he not calm down, but he was completely furious, and he shouted directly on his horse. "I have thought it through a long time ago, they are just two useless people! If I want to kill them, I will lock them up far away and give them half a pound of arsenic every day, and wait for them to die on their own; if I don't want to care about them, I will just throw them into the Taoist temple as you said, why do I have to act like this?! Do you need to worry about my throne? No one could move it when I restored Tokyo! You keep saying that I am worried that they will shake it? What can you use to move it? That red robe? Or did you cultivate to become an immortal in Wuguo City?! The reason why I am like this is not to let you deal with the two saints, but to use the two saints to deal with you! This is just like you don't really respect the two saints, but want to use the two saints to control me!"
When the emperor was angry, his momentum was extraordinary. The whole audience was in awe. Even Wulindazanmo, who had been sneering and silent, became a little solemn. Only Han Shizhong and others on the horse knew that they were not going to fight for the throne or kill people. They looked at each other, loosened their horses' legs a little, and took the opportunity to stretch their legs.
After a while, Liu Dazhong, who had recovered from his shock, stood up and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I have something to say..."
"explain."
"I am not trying to use the two saints to control Your Majesty. It is because since ancient times, all countries in the world have been governed by the same principle..."
"All countries in the world are based on the same principle?" Zhao Jiu immediately raised his voice.
"yes!"
"Then I just happened to hear this." Zhao Jiu raised his voice. "It is about the world and the country, which are all the same... Liu Qing, the world and the country, are all the same, but now in a family, the sons and brothers work hard in the fields and weave, and they have toiled all year round. They finally save some food and cloth, but their fathers and brothers take all of it away to build gardens, hold banquets, and fill the harem. If they are not satisfied, they will be whipped and tortured, and they will not care about being beaten to death. If it were you, would you be willing to accept it?"
Liu Dazhong remained silent... Although he didn't know where these words came from, he knew that this was a criticism of the extravagance of the Supreme Emperor, especially the Supreme Daojun Emperor. This kind of criticism had been around for a long time and was really hard to refute.
But for some reason, many of the civil and military officials around, after hearing these words, felt as if they were possessed by an evil spirit and began to tremble all over. For example, Li Guang, who was originally going to help Liu Dazhong defend himself, now turned pale and his body began to shake.
But Zhao Jiu immediately continued, "That's not all. After building the garden, holding banquets, and filling the harem, there was finally some money left. Instead of sympathizing with the families of his sons and brothers who were still starving, he gave the remaining money to his enemies and bandits..."
"I am guilty!" Li Guang suddenly raised his head and shouted among the ministers, which aroused Liu Dazhong's suspicion.
Not only that, the Emperor Taishang Daojun, who had long dared not speak, was stunned for a moment, then suddenly covered his face and sobbed.
"Your Majesty..." Lu Haowen, who had come to his senses, suddenly spoke in a pleading tone.
Zhao Jiu paused for a moment, but continued to speak loudly: "The enemies and bandits took the money and became rich, and then came to our house to rob and kill people. As fathers and brothers, they only let their sons and brothers die... I dare to ask, is it okay for fathers and brothers to do this?"
"Mr. Liu, I'm asking you." After a pause in the wind, Zhao Jiu took the initiative to urge. "You said that the family and the country are originally the same. I ask you, is it okay for fathers and brothers to do this?"
"The official's words are sharp." Liu Dazhong responded helplessly, but he still didn't dare to confront him head-on.
"The words are sharp, but they are not mine. These are the records I saw during my leisure time in the harem." Zhao Jiu laughed. "Mr. Liu, this was told to the people of Jiangnan when Fang La rebelled eleven years ago... and Zhang Dutong on the river was also forced to join the Liangshan Mountain at that time."
Liu Dazhong's face was pale and he was about to collapse.
"However, who would have thought that, eleven years later, this statement is still so relevant?" Zhao Jiu sighed. "I have been thinking these days... about the world, the country, the court, the north and the south, and what exactly is going on with this Song Dynasty?! After thinking about it, the past cannot be changed, and no matter how dirty and rotten this Song Dynasty is, it is still ours, right? Therefore, all I can do is to recognize the previous Song Dynasty, and then focus on the present and the future... This is my responsibility! Not only do I have to inherit this country, protect it, and continue it, but I also have to guide it forward and take a path of complete transformation!"
"The one who leads the way is called Shao, and I will succeed the Song Dynasty!"
"We couldn't conquer Xixia before, and we couldn't defeat the Jin people before, so why can't we abandon those old things, start from scratch, and build a new Song Dynasty?"
"Can't we build a Song Dynasty like the Han and Tang Dynasties, which can destroy the Western Xia and defeat the Jin people, without repairing the Genyue Mountain, without using women to pay off debts, and without paying gold and silver, and the emperor can guard the country and die for the country?"
"But some people, for some reason, clearly know what I want to do, but are always unwilling to move forward with me. They always want to move backward and go to Feng Heng Yu Da! Now, I have invited the Holy Lord of Feng Heng Yu Da to you, and asked you to protect him and go to Tokyo to continue Feng Heng Yu Da, but you despise me for making trouble?! Who is making trouble?!"
By the end of his speech, Zhao Jiu's blood was boiling, but he immediately restrained his breath and turned back to face him:
"Today I have made it clear that I am not doing this for the two saints. They are not worth my effort. It is also not easy to say that I am doing this for the people, because even if I want the people to express their opinions, the people from the two rivers cannot come over. Today I am doing this for you... for you, the scholars and bureaucrats who are indispensable for governing the country. Today I want you to make a clear distinction... between me and the two saints; between the new and the old; between war and peace; between the people of the two rivers and suffocation and complacency; between prosperity and prosperity and fish ponds and mulberry forests; between the old Song Dynasty and the new Song Dynasty... It is basically a situation where the Han and the traitors cannot coexist! You can only choose one! Everyone can only choose one!"
"Your Majesty, this is a breach of contract!" Before he finished speaking, someone suddenly spoke up. It was the Jin envoy Wulinda Zanmo. "It was agreed that if you return the two saints, we can exchange Jingdong and the five counties for peace!"
"You can't hand over the five counties of Jingdong!" Zhao Jiu waved his hands impatiently.
" How is it possible? We have already taken Jinan... The government is making specious arguments and breaking their promise!" Wulindazanmo responded with all his might, his voice particularly harsh on the dock where there was only the sound of the wind.
"We, the emperor and his subjects of the Song Dynasty, are talking about peace and war with the Jin people. What does it have to do with you?" Zhao Jiu was about to answer when a man suddenly stood up from behind his horse and pointed at the Jin envoy. It was none other than Qu Duan, the commander of the Imperial Cavalry. "Are all these soldiers and horses made of wood? Tie them up and stuff their mouths with horse manure!"
Zhao Jiu turned around and looked at him, and Qu Duan quickly leaned over to hug the horse's legs again.
But at this time, there was no need for the imperial guards and the elite cavalry that came with the generals and military commanders. The navy from the imperial camp beside Zhang Rong had already rushed forward and dragged Wulindazanmo and several deputy envoys down. However, it was not convenient for them to go to the government to find horse manure for the time being, so they just made a ball of water grass from the river and barely stuffed it in.
The scene quieted down. Zhao Jiu came back to his senses, took the whip from the horse, nodded at Zhu Shengfei who was silent, and finally pointed at Lu Haowen: "No one can be exempted today. The Ministry of Rites wanted to claim illness to avoid this, but I dragged them out...Except Yue Fei and Zhang Jun who have something to do, Li Yanxian has to stay in Shanzhou, and the rest of the civil and military officials are here. Prime Minister Lu, start with you, one by one, do you follow me or Feng Heng Yu Da?!"
Lu Haowen recalled the questioning by the fish pond before, and was helpless, so he could only bow his head and say: "Of course, it's from Your Majesty."
Next, Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, Liu Ji, and Chen Gui naturally answered one by one according to the agreement of the fish pond. Then, Zhao Jiu first let Li Guang, who had a complicated expression, go back and look at Han Shizhong, who had just released his horse's legs and was brushing the dust off his jade belt.
Seeing this, Han Shizhong quickly held onto the jade belt and held his head high: "What are you talking about, Your Majesty? I sold my life to you for this jade belt in Jingou Town."
Zhao Jiu sneered and raised his whip to point at Li Guang again: "Xiantai!"
Li Guang was silent for a moment, then asked, "Your Majesty...was the Song Dynasty so bad before?"
"It's not that bad, it's just that the national politics and military are bad enough." Zhao Jiu answered frankly. "The economy and culture are all first-class... Li Qing, don't feel burdened. This matter is not a life-and-death struggle, but the situation is like this, and it is inevitable... When Xu Xianggong retired that day, he had a glimpse of today's scene in advance."
Li Guang nodded and was about to bow and say: "Your Majesty..."
"Li Qing." Zhao Jiu shook his head before the other party could. "Li Qing, if you leave, I don't know when I can find another censor who is not selfish and dares to point out my weaknesses... Consider that I specially invite you, trust me once and stay!"
Li Guang was stunned for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued to bow and said: "I am willing to follow the emperor."
Zhao Jiu nodded in response.
"I resign." The next moment, the Minister of Personnel Liu Dazhong resigned calmly.
"I also resign." The Minister of Rites Zhu Shengfei also resigned with relief.
Zhao Jiu nodded in agreement.
After the two of them, there were the two eastern and western prefectures, one camp, six ministries, nine temples, five academies, plus the Yutang scholars, the secretaries, the recorders, the Censorate, the imperial guards, the Kaifeng prefecture, the Huazhou area, and a hastily appointed ambassador to welcome and serve the emperor, Quan Bangyan... A total of 373 people with official ranks accompanied the trip, and 299 people who followed Emperor Zhao, including the prime minister and the Chief Censor who was known as half-prime minister; 74 people resigned, including two of the six ministers, two of the nine ministers, and one of the five academies.
But there is no one from the two saints.
After the discussion, everyone felt relieved. However, Prime Minister Lu Haowen was still worried that the two saints had been left there for a long time, so he took the initiative to inquire about the resettlement of the two saints and other clan members.
Emperor Zhao, dressed in plain clothes, had obviously made arrangements long ago. He directly gave instructions to properly resettle the two retired emperors in red robes... Among them, Emperor Daojun was resettled in the Bodhidharma Hall of Shaolin Temple, and Emperor Yuansheng was resettled in the Dongxiao Palace. All the princes, dukes, dukes, and princesses, except Prince Xin who had made meritorious services but did not return, were demoted three levels and sent to Nanyang for proper resettlement.
After the conversation, everyone was ready to turn back, but at this moment, the Palace Attendant Censor Wanqi Xie suddenly stepped forward and requested to change the reign title to Shaoxing on the grounds that the two emperors had returned to the south!
As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately agreed and echoed by almost everyone.
"Too wasteful." Zhao Jiu, who had never dismounted from his horse under the dragon banner, felt a bit like a sage, but after thinking for a while, he slowly shook his head. "Official documents and coin molds all need to be changed... Forget it."
At this time, the emperor's words were almost final, and everyone stopped insisting.
But, as if he suddenly remembered something, Zhao Jiufu pointed at the ground under his feet with his whip and said, "Is this Baimajin, Baima County?"
"Reporting to the emperor, it is Baimazin and Baima County." Quan Bangyan, who had been stationed in Huazhou for a long time, bowed in response.
"Then kill Baima and make Shaoxing!" Zhao Jiu ordered calmly. "Change Baima County to Shaoxing County."
After saying this, Emperor Zhao, who seemed to have forgotten something, finally slowly reined in his horse and started riding, heading towards Tokyo. Before the civil and military officials could agree, they took advantage of the early morning and started riding in the breeze to follow him.