Zhao Jiu nodded and said nothing more. Instead, he turned around and returned to the team, mounted his horse, and urged the entire army to advance.
Just like that, in the evening, when the moon was slightly visible, Emperor Zhao's dragon flag finally entered the city of Tokyo from the Nanxun Gate.
By this time, the whole city had already known that Emperor Zhao had returned to Tokyo, and the expected scene of the people welcoming him with tears had become somewhat realistic. Hu Yin and others could not hold back and kept crying along the way...
However, after the Jingkang Incident, the city of Tokyo suffered a huge population loss. The huge city (perhaps up to 50 square kilometers) now has only a population of 100,000 or 200,000. Specifically, there are only a thousand or so Tokyo elders who were able to rush to the city after hearing the news. Such a small number of people, distributed on both sides of the extremely wide Imperial Street, seems extremely sparse, and are even less numerous than the city defense troops who came to respond after hearing the news.
In such a situation, and as it was getting dark, Emperor Zhao did not delay. He rejected the suggestion of the officials from the Tokyo Garrison to go to the Imperial Palace to welcome them. Instead, after entering the Suzaku Gate and turning into the inner city, he went directly to the Prime Minister's Mansion on the side of the Bian River where Zong Ze lived.
When they arrived at the mansion gate, Zong Ze's son Zong Ying was already kneeling to greet them. It was obvious that Zong Ze had known that Emperor Zhao was coming and had made preparations.
Seeing this, Emperor Zhao had nothing to say. He just comforted Zong Ying a few words and followed him into the mansion. When he reached the main hall, he saw a thin old man with gray hair and beard, wearing a coarse cloth and a gray woolen cloak, supported by his servants, standing in front of the door, staring at it intently.
Zhao Jiu did not dare to hesitate and immediately stepped forward, ready to help the other person over.
However, when he came close, before he touched the other person's arm, in the twilight that was not yet completely dark, in the moonlight, the old man suddenly sneered at him... His breathing was unstable, and his tone was slow, as if he was physically weak, but his words were exceptionally clear, and he didn't sound like a terminally ill person:
"Is your Majesty, seeing that I am about to die, rushing to seize the military power of the Tokyo Garrison to prevent the instability of your throne? Or has your Majesty lost the support of the people in Nanyang, and wants to use Tokyo City to fool the people of the world?"
There was an obvious uproar in the hall.
Zhao Jiu, who had nowhere to hide, was slightly startled, but he still stepped forward to help the other person from the servant's hand, and then bowed his head and replied seriously: "Both, I'm sorry to make you laugh, Lord Zong."
This time, Zong Ze was slightly stunned, and then remained speechless.
Just like that, the two of them stood, one inside the door and the other outside, arm in arm. After waiting for a long time, the person inside the door finally sighed and said, "It's the Lantern Festival, and the emperor is back home. As a guard, I have to invite the emperor in for a drink even if I'm short of supplies..."
Hearing this, the ministers from Nanyang and Dongjing behind him were obviously relieved, but Zhao Jiu became nervous and then became more serious.
However, after thinking for a long time, he could only support the other party and said seriously:
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Zong!"
PS: Thanks to my book friend Gunslinger for the reward of 50,000 Qidian coins... I am very grateful.
Good night everyone
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