Meanwhile, Lord Gao was watched by the common people all the way as he entered the capital in grand style. He was summoned to the palace to meet the emperor before he had even washed off his dust.

Emperor Longqing was finally able to meet his long-cherished Master Gao. He could not contain his excitement and went to the Qianqing Gate to greet him in person.

As soon as he saw the golden canopy, Gao Gong quickly ordered his men to put down the sedan chair and then walked quickly towards Emperor Longqing.

"Long live……"

"Master Gao!" Long Qing could not help but take a few steps forward, tears streaming down his face. Teng Xiang, Chen Hong and others who were serving him also quickly shed a few tears.

"Your Majesty..." Gao Gong lifted his skirt, knelt before the emperor, and burst into tears. "Am I dreaming? I'm actually seeing Your Majesty again in this lifetime!"

"Master!" Long Qing held Gao Gong's hand tightly and choked up, "Thank God, I finally got you back!"

After saying this, the king and his ministers hugged each other and cried bitterly. This reunion after such a long separation was really not easy!

Emperor Longqing refused to let go of Gao Gong's hand for a long time, and confided like a child who had suffered a great deal of grievance: "Master, I have had a very hard time in these few years since you were away..."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I am back now. I will never let anyone bully Your Majesty again." Gao Gong was furious. Is this reasonable? How could this bully the Emperor? Are those guys in the cabinet just for show? !

After a long time, the eunuchs came forward to persuade the emperor to stop, helped Gao Gelao up, and invited the monarch and his minister to come in to talk.

Chen Hong supported Gao Gong and was very happy to see that the emperor was attached to him like a father. He thought to himself that now that I have Gao Ge Lao to support me, I will definitely be the chief eunuch. But he was a little worried. He wondered if Shao Fang had mentioned him. Even if Shao Fang had mentioned him, would Gao Ge Lao appreciate it?

After all, this old man has always been rude to eunuchs.

Gao Gong suddenly nodded at him meaningfully, and Eunuch Chen was immediately overjoyed and almost cried. Prime Minister Gao really knows my contribution, our family is not an unknown hero...

In addition to being pleasantly surprised, he was also shocked to find that Gao Ge Lao had changed. He was no longer as unapproachable and unattainable as before.

~~

Gao Gong accompanied the emperor to dinner, and the emperor and his subjects talked about their feelings since their separation. It was not until the palace gates were locked that Longqing reluctantly let him leave the palace.

Han Ji and others were still waiting outside You'an Gate to escort the teacher back to his residence on West Chang'an Street, the same residence where Gao Ge Lao was said to have committed suicide in broad daylight.

No one has lived in the mansion for the past two years, but fortunately the disciples have taken turns to look after it, so the courtyard and houses have not fallen into disrepair.

Looking at the clean yard, which was exactly the same as when he left, as if the past two years had never existed, Gao Gong couldn't help but sigh.

"Everything in the house is kept the same as it was before." Han Ji said with a smile, "Some things were accidentally damaged, and we tried to replace them in their original state."

"Bo Tong, you are so thoughtful." Gao Gong patted Han Ji on the shoulder and said to all the disciples with satisfaction: "Although I don't have a son, I have no regrets as I have a group of filial disciples like you."

"Teacher, you are in your prime and full of energy. Don't speak so early." Lu Shude, who is humorous by nature, laughed.

"You little brat, you have no respect for your parents." Gao Gong slapped him and laughed. But he did not deny that he still had hope, because he had already written to Hai Rui to ask why the old tree bloomed and whether it was related to the Jiangnan Hospital.

If there is really a connection, I might have to ask Doctor Li to take my pulse and take a look.

The disciples also laughed, and they all felt that their master was more friendly than before.

"Teacher, you must be tired from the journey, so we won't bother you tonight. Take a rest later and come back to have dinner with you." Han Ji and others said goodbye with a smile.

"Well, that's fine." Gao Gong stretched his numb neck and said, "I am indeed tired."

"But there are still two people who refuse to leave the mansion..." Han Ji whispered, "We can't chase them away forcefully."

"Oh?" Gao Gong frowned: "Who?"

"Xu Mengquan and Liu Sanchuan." Han Ji said with disdain, "How dare you show your face."

"Okay, got it." Gao Gong nodded, with a sarcastic look on his face.

Xu Mengquan was Xu Yangzheng, the left vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and Liu Sanchuan was Liu Ziqiang, the right vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue. The former was Gao Gong's old classmate, and the latter was Gao Gong's fellow townsman. They had known Gao Gong for many years and always boasted that they shared the same ideals.

However, during the cabinet turmoil in the first year of Longqing, these two people stabbed Gao Gong in the back and tried to drag their cousin, Ge Shouli, then the Minister of Revenue, to represent the Ministry of Revenue to denounce Gao Gong.

But Ge Shouli had great moral integrity and could not tolerate such an act of taking advantage of others' misfortune, so he refused to comply.

Xu and Liu had no choice but to leave out Ge Shouli's name at the top of the impeachment letter and submit a ridiculous "White-headed Memorial", which finally represented the Ministry of Revenue to express its position and distance itself from Gao.

Upon learning this, Gao Gong was seriously hurt and vowed to teach them a lesson, but he didn't expect them to come to him again with a shameless face.

For a moment, Gao Gong really wanted to humiliate them and make them spit shit!

But when he looked up at the starry sky, he thought of the oath he made to the vast Milky Way on the night he left Gaojiazhuang - to put the overall situation first on this trip to the capital, and not to do anything for his own benefit!

The eagerly expectant gaze of Emperor Longqing reappeared in the night sky, and Gao Gong could not help but let out a long sigh.

Alas, the national situation is in such a state of decline that we can no longer indulge in revenge.

His foundation was already weak, so how could he possibly turn away two high-ranking officials at the ministerial level?

Thinking of this, Gao Gong spat fiercely and walked into the flower hall.

~~

In the flower hall, Xu Yangzheng and Liu Ziqiang almost drank their tea till it turned white before they finally saw Gao Gong coming in from outside.

The two men hurriedly stood up, bowed deeply to Gao Gong, and greeted him with a forced smile.

"Didn't you two go to Ershilipu to take it? Why haven't you returned yet?" Gao Gong sat down in the main seat, picked up the teacup and asked with a smile.

"Although Mr. Xuan said that bygones are bygones," Xu Yangzheng said with a guilty look on his face, "but if I don't explain clearly to Mr. Xuan what happened back then, I will really be unable to sleep or eat."

"Yes, although what happened back then was really helpless, we ultimately failed Mr. Xuan's friendship. We have been thinking about it every day these years, and it feels like thousands of ants are gnawing at our hearts." Liu Ziqiang beat his chest and stamped his feet, saying, "I regret it so much, it's too late to regret it!"

"Oh, you're talking about that letter from the old man?" Gao Gong stroked his gray beard and smiled as if he had just remembered it. "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten about it."

"That's Mr. Xuan's magnanimity. We dare not forget it." The two senior officials thought to themselves, I don't believe you at all. It would be strange if you could forget it.

"Haha, it's all in the past, why are you still worrying about it?" Gao Gong smiled magnanimously, and then said in a joking tone: "But it's really infuriating when I think about it. At that time, the whole court impeached me, and the two officials also impeached me. How could I bear it?"

Although he said this with a smile, Xu Yangzheng and Liu Ziqiang were so frightened that they were sweating profusely and their faces turned pale.

Liu Ziqiang even covered his face with his sleeves, as if he was too embarrassed to see anyone.

Xu Yangzheng said awkwardly, "Mr. Xuan, we really had no choice at that time. The young cabinet minister... oh no, Xu Fan forced the six ministries and five temples to submit a petition collectively to create momentum. If we hadn't joined everyone in submitting a petition, how could the two of us stay in the officialdom until today?"

"Humph, why doesn't Mr. Ge follow the crowd? And Wei Xuezeng and the others didn't write a letter to impeach me, and their current situation is not bad!" Although he had made up his mind to forgive them before coming in, Gao Gong became angrier and angrier as he spoke, and couldn't help but reveal his true nature.

Just when he was about to say something hurtful, Liu Ziqiang suddenly knelt on his knees, supported his hands on the ground, his eyes were red and tears were streaming down his face!

I was so sad that I couldn't speak.

Seeing his old friend crying like this, it seemed that he really repented. Gao Gong's hard heart softened a little. Thinking of his original intention, he sighed and said, "Forget it. People are not saints. You can't force them."

He waved his hands and scolded with a smile: "Okay, stop crying, you bastard. I forgive you two."

Liu Ziqiang tilted his head and sobbed continuously, crying so hard that even snot came out.

Xu Yangzheng quickly helped him up, thanked him profusely and left.

After they left Gao's house, Xu Yang was helping Liu Ziqiang, whose eyes were so swollen that he couldn't open them, to sit in the sedan chair. He whispered, "Sanchuan, isn't that a bit too much?"

"Who knew that single clove of garlic is so spicy?" Liu Ziqiang threw the handkerchief in his sleeve to the ground, took the water bag and rinsed his eyes in the sedan chair.

A crushed garlic was revealed in the handkerchief...

"You are so cruel." Xu Yangzheng was stunned. After a long sigh, he said, "I owe you a favor. I will do it next time."

"There will be a next time?" Liu Ziqiang rubbed his eyes vigorously and said, "You crow mouth, please forgive me!"

"It should be gone." Xu Yangzheng said embarrassedly.

Actually, yes.

~~

The next morning, all the Grand Secretaries gathered in the Cabinet, waiting for Gao Gelao to come back to the palace. But until the sun was high in the sky, no one showed up.

"What's going on?" Chen Yiqin said unhappily, "I'm late the day after I came back?"

"Maybe you're tired from the journey and need to rest." Li Chunfang smiled and said, "If you don't come today, come tomorrow. Let's all go about our business, okay?"

"Prince, there is a welcoming banquet arranged at noon," Zhao Zhenji reminded.

"Oh, right." Li Chunfang patted his forehead and said, "Then we'll have to trouble Taiyue to go to Prime Minister Gao's residence and ask him not to worry and just come before dinner time."

"Yes." Zhang Juzheng nodded. He also wanted to meet Gao Gong in advance.

As soon as Zhang Juzheng left, Chen Yiqin immediately frowned and said angrily: "This is outrageous! He simply doesn't take us seriously!"

"Just be patient." Li Chunfang rolled his eyes at him and said, "If you have the guts to be so arrogant when you meet him, that's real talent."

"That's my attitude. What can he do to me?" Chen Yiqin raised his head like a fighting cock and said, "Don't forget, I'm only the second assistant!"

~~

Zhang Juzheng took a sedan chair to Gao's house and asked, only to find out that Gao Gong had left home before dawn.

"I went to the Ministry of Personnel to work." You Qi reported.

"Going to the Ministry of Personnel?" Zhang Juzheng was stunned and thought that this old Gao was really creative.

But on second thought, it is understandable. He was the boss of the Ministry of Personnel, but he was the fifth-ranked assistant in the cabinet. If it were me, I would also like to stay in the ministry.

But how could I afford to be so willful? Bu Gu was so envious that my body even started to twist...

"Forget it, let's go to the Ministry of Personnel." Zhang Juzheng calmed down, smiled bitterly and lowered the curtain of the sedan chair.