Those accompanying the emperor on his return journey to the capital included Zhong Shidao, the Pacification Commissioner of Lianghe; Liu Yanzong, the emperor's strategist; Zong Ze, the Prefect of Cizhou; Han Shizhong, the Marquis of Yongwu; Yue Fei, the Deputy Commander of the New Army; and Han Feng, Han Chenchen's second brother.

Having experienced the baptism of war, the Song soldiers were in high spirits and full of vigor. On their triumphant return journey south, they were greeted by crowds of people eager to see them off.

Hearing that the emperor was coming back, the prime ministers of the two capitals led all the court officials to wait outside Bianjing early that day.

Besides the officials in the court, there were also the people of Bianjing. When they heard that the emperor had won a great victory and completely driven the Jurchens out of the borders of the Song Dynasty, and even recovered the Yan-Yun region, which even Emperor Taizong had not been able to reclaim since the founding of the dynasty, a sense of pride rose in the hearts of the people.

The weak Song Dynasty had been bullied for far too long. Ever since the defeat in the Yongxi Northern Expedition, it had been relentlessly beaten down by the north. After the north finished beating them, the weak Song Dynasty could not even catch up. It could only comfort itself by saying, "Look, I didn't die. I won again!"

This time, the capital was even attacked. If the new emperor hadn't fought the Jurchens to the death after his ascension to the throne, the Song Dynasty would have truly been doomed.

The people were already satisfied with driving the Jurchens out of the Song Dynasty, but they never expected that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun would also be recovered. Unlike the last time when that bastard Tong Guan used the people's hard-earned money to buy an empty city, this time it was a real and tangible victory. Moreover, it is said that the Song Dynasty's elite troops have been stationed in Youzhou.

Originally, the common people only talked about these things after dinner, but rumors spread throughout Bianjing that after the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun submitted, the border defenses of the Song Dynasty would surpass any previous period since the founding of the dynasty, and there would be no need to worry about the Jin army invading Bianjing.

This made the people extremely happy, as they were finally free from the threat of war.

The people are overjoyed, so who should they thank? Of course, it's the holy emperor who personally led the expedition!

So, at this time, the crowd outside Tokyo stretched out in a long line, quite a sight, as people waited excitedly, chatting and laughing with each other from time to time.

This level of welcoming ceremony was unprecedented since the founding of the Song Dynasty, and the high level of public attention to the war was also unprecedented since the founding of the dynasty.

Wang Boyan was sweating profusely as he waited. Zhou Chao, the Minister of Revenue, said to him, "Minister Wang, why don't you go and rest for a while? The Emperor won't arrive anytime soon."

Wang Boyan glanced at Li Gang, who was standing ramrod straight to the side, and gave up the idea of ​​going to rest. What if that damned He Ye impeached him behind his back for disrespecting the emperor? If such a small matter was blown out of proportion by that scoundrel He Ye, he might lose his position as prime minister.

Therefore, in light of this, Wang Boyan deliberately said loudly, "The Holy Emperor has personally led the expedition, and we have only waited a little longer under the sun before going to rest. How can we have the face to see the Emperor again!"

He spoke with righteous indignation, and the other ministers nodded in agreement.

These ministers originally despised Zhao Huan to the core and had been thinking of contacting the one in the deep palace so that once Zhao Huan died on the front lines, they could welcome His Majesty the Dao back to the throne and resume his rule over the nine provinces.

That would be wonderful. His Majesty the Dao could spend his days painting and writing in the palace, and the ministers could do whatever they wanted, since the Jin invaders had been driven to the north anyway.

But to everyone's surprise, Zhao Huan actually won! Not only that, he also recovered Yan and Yun!

Now the ministers no longer had the opportunity to change the emperor, nor did they have any reason to do so.

When they heard the news of Zhao Huan's victory at the front, some people were very excited, such as Li Gang and He Ye. These two were typical members of the imperial faction, especially He Ye, who had offended many people. If something happened to Zhao Huan and he couldn't come back, he would die a very tragic death.

Of course, there were also those who were as if they had lost their parents. They originally thought that Zhao Huan was definitely dead in battle. They even prepared a banquet, and the ministers celebrated several times. They agreed that as long as Emperor Daojun ascended the throne, they would start collecting beautiful stones from the Jiangnan and Southwest regions for Emperor Daojun. They even discussed which stones Emperor Daojun preferred, how many people would be needed, how long it would take to transport them back, and what rewards they would receive. They even had the stone-collecting workers in place. All that was missing was Zhao Ji's re-ascension to the throne.

But then came the devastating news of our victory—it was truly unbelievable!

Upon hearing Wang Boyan's words, everyone became extremely alert. They all knew that there was a foul-mouthed censor here who would do anything to curry favor with the emperor.

What if he tells the emperor that a certain minister was slacking off or sleeping during the procession?

Therefore, a stark contrast emerged on the scene: the ministers were all inwardly furious, roaring with anger and sorrow, while the common people were overjoyed.

In the afternoon, the emperor's entourage finally arrived outside the city of Tokyo. The messenger informed the ministers that the emperor was about to arrive, and the two prime ministers led the ministers forward.

The young emperor rode on the lead horse, dressed in military attire, looking dashing and spirited, seemingly a completely different person from Zhao Huan a few months earlier.

A few months ago, Zhao Huan had just returned from his time travel. He was physically weak and looked frail. However, after several months of war, the emperor had become more profound. His angular face was resolute and heavy, and even his eyes had become deep. His every move exuded an even stronger imperial aura.

The ministers bowed and said, "Your humble servants kowtow to Your Majesty, and joyfully wish Your Majesty a long and peaceful life!"

The people bowed and shouted, "Long live the Holy Emperor!"

Zhao Huan said, "Please, everyone, rise above the formalities!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Wang Boyan said to Zhang Shuye, the Vice Minister of Rites, "Play the triumphant music!"

"yes!"

Just as Zhang Shuye was about to order the music to be played, Zhao Huan stopped him, saying, "No need. Issue my order to cancel the music and hold a mourning ceremony at the Temple of Loyal Martyrs. I want to pray for the blessings of Heaven for all the soldiers who died in battle."

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