On the royal street of Lin'an City, after the Emperor Taishang, who had not returned to the palace for many years, returned to the palace, the people who had been watching the excitement on the street also dispersed and began to be busy with each other's affairs.

The royal family's grand and majestic guard of honor still made the people excited, and it became a topic of conversation in Lin'an City for a while, but because they ignored the forbidden army that was still patrolling the streets after the emperor returned to the palace.

The people in front of the palace at Donghua Gate were exchanged with the forbidden army, and Shi Miyuan's carriage slowly drove towards Shi Fu, and the palace was therefore cut off, which was in stark contrast to the lively and noisy atmosphere of Lin'an City.

From the Donghua Gate to the entire palace, and then to the Lizheng Gate and Jiahui Gate in another section, the entire palace is quiet, and there seems to be a layer of strange and turbulent dark clouds floating in the sky, which makes the atmosphere of the entire palace seem a little depressing.

The soldiers of the front division of the palace and the guard division patrolled back and forth in the palace, which was not as loose as before, and at this moment in the midst of heavy guard, there was a faint solemn and murderous atmosphere.

Ye Qing in the main hall didn't even have a place to rest, even if he wanted to walk out of the main hall and see the scenery of the palace such as Xiaoxi Lake and Wanshou Bridge, he would be blocked by the people of the guard department after he walked to the door of the main hall.

The military general of the guard, who was dressed in armor and had a serious face, silently shook his head at Ye Qing, who was dressed in purple court clothes, and resolutely refused Ye Qing to walk out of the hall.

An hour was spent pacing back and forth in the main hall, although none of the palace maids and eunuchs in the main hall paid attention to the lonely Ye Qing, but fortunately, there was a cup of tea placed on the table by the palace maid.

The hall was as quiet as ever, and even Ye Qing's footsteps seemed extremely silent and lonely.

The afternoon sun gradually shifted, and then unconsciously turned into a sunset in the west, and became a somewhat lonely and lonely dusk.

The footsteps except Ye Qing finally sounded in the main hall, and the eunuch who had been accompanying the Emperor Taishang during the court meeting looked at Ye Qing with a calm face and turned to look at him.

"Lord Ye, the Emperor Taishang has prepared dinner for you alone in the side hall, and I also ask Lord Ye to go with the slaves." The eunuch's shrill voice sounded particularly harsh, and at the entrance of the main hall behind him, the last ray of sunlight disappeared at this moment, and the busy figures of the eunuch and the palace maid began to light the candles in various parts of the palace.

"There are nobles in labor to lead the way." Nearly two hours of waiting did not make Ye Qing seem a little restless, still with a peaceful smile on the corner of his mouth, and he was also unhurried between gestures, confidently and calmly following the eunuch, walking towards the door of the tall side hall.

The Emperor Taishang, who had changed into a regular dress, was already sitting on the throne waiting for him, and the palace maid next to him was serving him.

The light of the lit candles, and the light outside the window that had not yet been completely swallowed up by the night, not only did not make the side hall look a little brighter, but because of the not-so-bright candlelight, there was a strange atmosphere of silence in the whole side hall.

"Chen Yeqing has seen ......." Ye Qing took three steps forward and stood in time to salute.

"Ye Qing doesn't have to be polite, there are no outsiders here, it's just you and me, please hurry up." Emperor Zhao Yan personally picked up the wine jug, handed it to the palace maid tremblingly, and motioned for her to fill the wine glass in front of the empty seat opposite, and then looked at Ye Qing and continued: "People are old and in poor spirits, which is also the case in the lonely mountain, people are groggy all day long. I can't sleep when night falls, but this day...... I feel that I don't have enough energy, and if I don't take a nap after noon, I feel that something is missing. When I returned to the palace today, I didn't expect to sleep so soundly, even more peacefully than taking a nap in the lonely mountain, which almost forgot that Ye Qing was still in the palace. ”

"The Emperor Taishang's spirit is strong, and the dragon is healthy, which can be described as the blessing of the ministers, and also the blessing of my Great Song Dynasty. What's more, the minister felt that the emperor was not old at all, but was in the ...... of the Spring and Autumn Period. Ye Qing stood in front of the table and said to Zhao Yan.

"Alright, don't lie to me, old man. If Ye Qing still remembered me in his heart, he shouldn't have returned to Lin'an for so long, and he wouldn't go to Gushan to visit me. I'm old and useless, not to mention that in Ye Qing's eyes, even in the eyes of some other courtiers, no one takes me seriously. Sit down and talk. Zhao Yan pointed to the chair, and then said without raising his head.

From beginning to end, Ye Qing looked at Emperor Zhao Yan with respect, but Zhao Yan kept his eyes wandering elsewhere from beginning to end, never facing Ye Qing's gaze.

As soon as Ye Qing sat down opposite Zhao Yan, Zhao Yan raised the wine glass in his hand, and after Ye Qing entered the side hall, he looked at Ye Qing for the first time, and after thinking for a while, he said: "Come, you and I will have a drink first, this cup I thank you for recovering such a large piece of lost territory for me, so that my Great Song can finally raise my head in front of the Jin people and no longer be oppressed by it." ”

"The ministers are terrified, how dare they take credit. If it weren't for the fact that the Emperor Taishang has always trusted his ministers, supported the ministers behind his back, and cleared the resistance of the court for the ministers, the ministers would not be where they are today. Ye Qing, who had just sat down, had to stand up with his wine glass and said.

Emperor Zhao Yan held the wine glass, did not drink it all, but looked at Ye Qing, who was also holding the wine glass, and then watched Ye Qing raise his head and drink the wine in the cup without hesitation, the Emperor Taishang sighed imperceptibly, and stretched out his hand to signal Ye Qing to sit down and speak.

"It's your credit, it's yours no matter what, even if others want to grab it...... can't be snatched away, it's not your credit, even if it is said to be broken, it still won't be yours. Ye Qing's achievements in the northern land are unshakable, whether it is the imperial court, me, or the saints, they will be remembered in their hearts. I also believe that one day in the future, Ye Qing's strong stroke will definitely be indispensable in the history books, so that future generations will admire Ye Qing's loyalty to the imperial court. Ye Qing...... Good spirit. After Zhao Yan sat down with Ye Qing holding the empty wine glass, his cloudy eyes looked a little dim under the candlelight.

"Thank you, the Emperor, for your praise. But as the so-called justice is in the hearts of the people, the minister also believes that in the future history books, it will be clear that the minister's contribution to the north is really given by the emperor. Ye Qing had an easy-going smile on the corner of his mouth, he wasn't worried about my glass of water and wine, but he still wanted to gamble.

Although the Emperor Taishang immediately put down the wine glass after he drank it all, Ye Qing did not notice that the water and wine he drank was not inappropriate with his usual life.

And when Emperor Zhao Yan's gaze dimmed slightly under the candle, and praised himself for his good spirit, Ye Qing's heart was originally like a glass of water and wine in his throat, and he could finally swallow it back into his stomach with confidence.

Emperor Zhao Yan is still the indecisive Emperor Taishang, even if he laid a net and many difficulties in order to return to Lin'an for himself, but after all, he is still a forward-looking king, and he does not have the courage of Emperor Gaozong to Yue Fei back then.

Emperor Zhao Yan had all kinds of worries and entanglements in his heart, so that even if he made up his mind to get rid of Ye Qing, he would still become indecisive and hesitant at the critical moment.

Zhao Yan affirmed Ye Qing's merits in the north, and Ye Qing also warned Zhao Yan with history books that the rights and wrongs of the future are by no means up to the contemporaries to decide, whether they are loyal or treacherous, and it is ultimately up to future generations to comment, whether it is a wise king or a dim emperor, it is also not up to the courtiers under his command to have the final say, but it must be handed over to future generations for comment.

Emperor Gaozong back then, Fengbo Pavilion unjustly killed Yue Fei, which had already brought shame on the entire royal family and the imperial court, and now, before Ye Qing resisted, before he was forced to embark on the road of rebellion, Zhao Yan obviously did not dare to kill Ye Qing in the side hall of Shoukang Palace like Ye Qing did when he killed Zhao Ruyu in the first place.

Ye Qing's eyes at this time were as clear and honest as ever, Zhao Yan's gaze seemed a little hesitant and worried, the two monarchs and ministers sat opposite each other, and there were not many words, Zhao Yan was naturally a little difficult to talk about for a while, and at this moment, let the two of them completely tear their faces.

A royal meal was eaten in a pan good, and there was no strange and tense atmosphere in the hall, and there was no loud quarrel between the monarchs and ministers, or the scene of one person deciding and one crying for mercy.

Even if there was a pot of wine on the table, when the two of them finished dinner, most of them were still not drunk, and the eunuch and palace maid next to them, who had been vigilant about Ye Qing from the beginning, slowly relaxed at this time.

"Take a walk with me." Zhao Yan put down the teacup in his hand, his expression was a little more relaxed than at the beginning, he refused the support of the eunuch and the palace maid behind his hands, and walked out of the side hall first.

Ye Qing followed behind him unhurriedly, and seven or eight steps behind the two of them were several eunuchs and palace maids, and then the guards and generals and a dozen or twenty soldiers who had been guarding in front of Shoukang Palace.

Along the way, the two monarchs and ministers talked and laughed, and after the two of them stepped on the Wanshou Bridge, they almost became Zhao Yan alone, and Ye Qing, who was following behind him, occasionally echoed, and most of what he said was some things that Emperor Gaozong was here back then.

Naturally, he would occasionally turn his head and ask Ye Qing how he felt when he first stepped on the Wanshou Bridge and entered the Shoukang Palace.

Climbing the stairs and walking along the gentle stone path of Phoenix Mountain, the two monarchs and ministers and the mighty palace maids, eunuchs, and the soldiers of the guard department behind them, under the light of candles, walked in the direction of the Dianjiangtai.

"The royal family should have the majesty and law of the royal family since ancient times, and in the same way, the imperial court should also have the majesty and law of the imperial court, and no courtier should be above it. For so many years in the north, under the rule of Ye Qing's officials, I am naturally very relieved, and I also believe in Ye Qing's loyalty to the court and the saint. But...... Having said that, the court is the court after all, and the people of the world have to look at the law of the royal family after all. I couldn't bear it, but for the sake of the court and the hundred years of the Great Song Dynasty, I had to do this helpless move. Walking up the last step, Zhao Yan stopped and turned to look at the brightly lit palace behind him, while Ye Qing and the others had to stand at the steps, looking up at the Emperor Tai of the Great Song Dynasty one by one under the dim light, with a contemplative and solemn face.