My vicious dog, my horse, I can do whatever I want with it

Zong Yanli answered with a smile, and He Honglang also presented his gift. This was a gift from him as a student, not a reward from the emperor, so it was particularly precious.

When Zong Yanli opened the brocade box, he saw a piece of beautiful jade, which was long and shaped like a ruler, and was finely carved. On it were four characters: "Highly respected and virtuous".

"This gift is too precious." Zong Yanli said hurriedly upon seeing this. She thought that she was really not worthy of these four words!

"In my eyes, the teacher is far more than this." He Honglang said this in a particularly serious tone. Zong Yanli pondered for a long time, holding the brocade box in both hands and bowing to He Honglang: "Your Majesty, I bow to thank you for your grace."

He Honglang waved his hand and sat down in the pavilion with Zong Yanli.

The fragrance of tea filled the air, and the teacher and student had a rare moment to chat without being disturbed. Zong Yanli did not talk about state affairs, but only about what he had seen and heard. He talked about the journey back to the capital after the army's victory, and the changes he had seen since he stepped into Daqian from the north.

She said: "Not long after I joined the army, I stopped by a tavern on my way home after Nankang was destroyed and asked for the night."

"We were supposed to be people who only met once and never crossed paths again."

“I never expected that a few years later, when I conquered Qing again and returned victorious, he would greet me in the snow with a cup of hot wine in his hand.”

"It is precisely because of this that I am more determined to protect my family and my country."

He Honglang's eyes gradually brightened. It seemed that in Zong Yanli's description, he saw the small tavern standing in the wind and snow, and the people holding hot wine to welcome the soldiers home. One person is like this, and everyone is like this. The hearts of the soldiers and civilians are the heart of the country.

He Honglang thought a lot, and Zong Yanli drank tea with a smile, as if what he said was just a trivial matter not worth mentioning.

They talked briefly, and at that moment a servant came to report that his fourth uncle was looking for him and he should go and see him off.

Zong Yanli looked at He Honglang helplessly and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for coming to the banquet today. Your Majesty rarely leaves the palace, so why don't you stay for a while?"

He Honglang's face showed a rare struggle, and he obviously wanted to stay longer, but thinking of the many state affairs, he had to sigh and said, "It really makes me happy to have tea and chat with the teacher, but unfortunately...state affairs are more important, I can't stay for long."

"Fortunately, the teacher can stay in the capital for a while longer. I will have a drink with him again in the future."

"In that case, I respectfully send your Majesty off." Zong Yanli stood up and bowed.

He Honglang felt his steps were much lighter on the way back to the palace from Zong Yan's mansion. It was not until he sat down beside the dragon table and looked at the snacks sent by his mother that he vaguely remembered that when he agreed to Zong Yanli's request, he thought that the teacher wanted to play the emotional card with him and persuade him by inviting him to a banquet.

but……

He Honglang suddenly felt very guilty and even hypocritical. Perhaps in the eyes of the teacher, he was really just a student, but he tried to guess the intentions of the emperor.

He took a deep breath and suddenly felt that he had really let his teachers down a lot. No matter whether it was the teacher back then or the teacher now, they have always been like this, wholeheartedly devoted to defending their country. All these intrigues and pulling strings in the court may not be worth mentioning in the eyes of the teacher.

"Did the Right Prime Minister also go to the teacher's house for a banquet today?" He Honglang stared at the snacks on the table and asked with his head slightly tilted.

"Yes, all the officials above the third rank in the court have gone." The eunuch below replied respectfully.

He Honglang raised his eyebrows slightly and asked again: "Did you see the Right Prime Minister talking to the teacher in private?"

The eunuch quickly replied, "No, the Prince of Zhenbei personally entertained the brothers in the army. After receiving the guests in the front yard for a while, he went to the small courtyard with several generals in the army, and then went to see the emperor."

He Honglang laughed when he heard that. He thought that the Right Prime Minister was not capable enough to persuade the teacher.

But this matter later...

He Honglang fell silent again. He waved his hand casually to let the palace servants leave, then started reading the memorials. The snacks on the table were still untouched. The palace servants were secretly worried when they saw this scene. It seemed that the relationship between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager was still not going to be eased?

But no one expected that the emperor suddenly got up early the next day and went to pay his respects to the empress dowager in person.

The Empress Dowager's palace was very quiet. When the Emperor came out again, she saw that he was smiling widely. The decree to enthrone the Empress was issued that day.

As the emperor wished, Concubine Chun was made empress.

The daughter of the right prime minister was originally appointed as Defei. The new queen was virtuous and weak, so Defei was asked to work with her to share power in the imperial palace. Thus, the matter of establishing the queen came to an end.