Cypress Boat Floating

Chapter 146 Entering the Palace

After getting off the carriage at the palace gate, looking at the magnificent buildings in front of him, and then looking at the two jars of wine in his hands, the Imperial Master only felt pain in his knees. At his age, it was still tiring for him to walk from the palace gate to Chengming Palace.

Fortunately, the emperor still felt sorry for the imperial teacher. While he was still standing at the palace gate, looking at the palace gate and sighing, several eunuchs came over carrying a sedan chair.

"Your servant greets the Imperial Master. I have come to take you to Chengming Palace on the orders of His Majesty." Walking in front was Eunuch Su, who was serving the Emperor.

The Imperial Master nodded to Eunuch Su, said "thank you" and got on the sedan chair.

It's more comfortable not to have to walk so much.

When they arrived at Chengming Palace, they got off the sedan chair and the imperial teacher walked into the palace carrying two jars of wine.

The emperor was reviewing memorials in the palace when he heard Su Zilin's voice coming from outside the palace, saying that the imperial preceptor had arrived. He quickly put down his pen and ink and waited for the imperial preceptor to come.

The Imperial Master came walking on the light. The Emperor couldn't help but sigh in his heart as he looked at the white-haired Imperial Master. He thought about the time when they were both in their prime and went to Beiguan together to repel foreign enemies and defend the country. Now in the blink of an eye, they were both old.

"Your Majesty, your humble servant is here to pay his respects." The late emperor had issued an edict that the Imperial Preceptor did not have to kneel, so the Imperial Preceptor only had to bend over when he saw the Emperor.

"There is no need to be so polite, Imperial Master. Come, please give him a seat." The emperor stepped forward and supported the Imperial Master. The Imperial Master was a meritorious official, a meritorious official of Da'an.

"The Imperial Master brought some wine today." The Emperor noticed that the Imperial Master was holding two jars of wine when he came in. He looked familiar, but he didn't think much about it. He probably knew why the Imperial Master had to enter the palace.

"Your Majesty, yesterday's heavy rain washed out these two jars of wine. Looking at the wine reminded me of the time when I was with Your Majesty at the North Gate. Young men were not afraid of danger and were passionate about the country. You were only twelve years old that year, and you followed me to the battlefield.

Before leaving for duty, you and General Ye buried these two jars of wine in my residence, saying that you would open them when you quelled the rebellion and returned home safely. What a pity..." The Imperial Master looked at the two jars of wine at his feet with regret, full of memories.

"General Ye ordered himself to stay in Beiguan. When you came back, the late emperor was unwell, and you hastily succeeded to the throne to quell the civil strife. Day after day, so many years have passed in the blink of an eye. General Ye has never returned to the capital, and has never drunk this wine."

"Yes." The emperor looked at the two jars of wine and couldn't help but recall his experience in his youth. Although life was hard in Beiguan, those days were real.

"It's a pity that the Imperial Master has brought this wine into the palace. In that case, I will drink a glass with him." As soon as he finished speaking, Su Zilin on the side took out two cups.

The emperor took the two cups and waved his hand to let Su Zilin leave. Having been with the emperor for so many years, Su Zilin naturally knew that the emperor wanted to say something to the imperial master that no one else could know, so he took the other servants and left, leaving the space to the two of them.

After everyone had left, the emperor walked down from his high seat, took his wine glasses and sat down on the steps. He held two wine glasses in one hand and patted the ground with the other hand, saying to the Imperial Master, "Why are you so reserved, Imperial Master? Since you are here to drink today, then we are old friends. There is no monarch and subject here, only old friends meeting."

The Imperial Master smiled, stood up holding the handle of the chair, picked up the two jars of wine, walked to the Emperor, and sat down on the step one step lower than him.

These two jars of wine have been buried in the Imperial Master's Mansion for at least twenty years. The red cloth lids are covered with dust and have long been torn to pieces, but the aroma of the wine has not leaked out at all.

The Imperial Master took a jar, carefully swept away the dust still clinging to the tattered lid, and then removed the red cloth.

Back then, three people covered the door with the red cloth, but now he is the only one who opened it. He cannot leave the capital, and Ye Honghai cannot return to the capital. If he wants to have another drink with him, he may have to wait until both of them ascend to heaven.

The smile on the Imperial Master's lips never faded, but his expression was so lonely. Although he was older than the Emperor and Ye Honghai, the three of them were as close as brothers when they were young, but they never thought that they would be separated now.

The lid was opened, and wisps of wine aroma rushed out, rushing into the emperor's nose and into the memories of the imperial teacher. After turning their hearts upside down, the aroma remained powerfully in their memories.

The emperor handed the cup to the imperial master, who poured the first cup from the jar into the cup. The wine slowly flowed into the cup along the wall, slowly filling it from the bottom. The wine level in the cup rose little by little, but the wine was clear and transparent, without a trace of impurities, and the bottom of the cup could be seen clearly.

"My Lord, how long has it been since I last saw the Imperial Master?" The Emperor asked softly, looking at the glass of wine, with a tone that the Imperial Master could not understand and did not want to understand.

"It's been twenty years, right?" The national teacher also poured himself a glass. The aroma of the wine was refreshing. He took a long sip and exhaled with satisfaction.

"It's been a long time. It's been twenty years." The emperor looked at the glass of wine and suddenly raised the glass to the Imperial Master: "Come, Imperial Master, I toast you."

The Imperial Master also raised his glass, but the rim of his glass was always slightly lower than the Emperor's.

"The Imperial Master is both my teacher and my good friend. This glass of wine is a tribute to his teachings many years ago." He drank the first glass in one gulp.

Fill the second glass.

"This cup is for the Imperial Master, who has stayed in the Imperial Master's residence for all these years for the sake of Da'an." He drank the second cup in one gulp.

Fill the third cup.

"This cup is for General Ye, who has been guarding the city gate for Da'an and has been stationed at the North Gate for so many years. You and I are both aware of the environment of the North Gate." He drank the third cup in one gulp.

"Your Majesty..." The Imperial Master did not pour him a fourth glass of wine.

"Imperial Master, now that we have finished our drink, it is time to talk. You suddenly came into the palace today, and it should not just be to drink with me and reminisce about the past." The Emperor held the wine glass upside down and tilted his head to look at the Imperial Master who lowered his head.

The Imperial Master did not say anything, but drank three cups of wine quietly. The first cup was for their young people, the second cup was for the emperor, and the third cup was for Ye Honghai who was far away in the north.

After three cups of wine, he slowly spoke: "In fact, the emperor should have guessed it without me saying it."

The emperor stared at him closely, "Is the Imperial Master here to give me an explanation?"

The Imperial Master shook his head. He didn't think he needed to explain, nor did he think that his leaving the palace was so exaggerated or serious. He was just doing what he should do.

"Last year, the Imperial Master wrote to me and asked me to spare the Nancheng Arnold, saying that he would be of great use and would save Da'an's life. He asked me to agree to the King of Qin's request and send someone to teach him to read and write. I listened to the Imperial Master. He was not sentenced to death, but was reformed in the Tianlao, and someone was sent to teach him to read and write.

Even though I don't understand what the Imperial Master is thinking, and I don't know what the Imperial Master is doing, I still believe in the Imperial Master as always. But now the Imperial Master doesn't even intend to explain this to me? "The sad look in the emperor's eyes suddenly made the Imperial Master dare not face it directly. He knew long before entering the palace that this time it would not be so easy.

"Your Majesty, I am leaving the palace for the sake of Da'an." The Imperial Master sighed and spoke slowly.

He couldn't say too much about destiny.

"Laoba?"

"No." The national teacher shook his head and denied his guess.

"Who is that?"

"Your Majesty, destiny cannot be explained. You will know it when the time comes, but you must know that no matter what I do, it is for you and for the sake of the great peace."

"Last night, a maidservant in Prince Xian's mansion suffered from heatstroke. The Eighth Prince consulted many imperial doctors, and they said that the girl was not well even after the fever subsided. Instead, her temperature dropped. After the Imperial Master went there, the maidservant got better. I didn't even know that she could treat illnesses while attending to state affairs." The emperor casually told the Imperial Master the news reported by the secret guard.

He kept staring at the national teacher's face to see his reaction.

The Imperial Master is different from other court officials. If he has the intention to help any party, he will definitely add a lot of capabilities to that party.

How could the Imperial Master not know what the Emperor was thinking? He was just worried that he would stand on the side of the King of Qin. He felt sad in his heart. People change when they stay in that position for a long time.

He slowly said, "The maid's condition is not that serious. She showed signs of improvement when the imperial physician treated her. I just went there to help. Moreover, if everything goes well with this girl, she will become a helper to Da'an in the future."

The emperor chuckled: "The Imperial Master keeps saying this can help Da'an, that can help Da'an, but what can they do?"

"Your Majesty should know that these people need time. They are still young, so give them enough time to gain experience. When they grow up, they will be Da'an's assistants."

“How can I trust them?”

The Imperial Master put down his wine glass, walked down the steps, and knelt before him: "I guarantee it with my life."

As the imperial teacher, he does not have to kneel when meeting others. He has also forgotten how long it has been since he last knelt. His knees still hurt a little after suddenly kneeling on such a hard and cold ground. He is getting old.

The emperor did not help him up in time, but just looked at him. He was thinking. He had to think about whether all this was a trap set by the imperial master, he had to think about what the benefits of the imperial master doing all this were, and he had to think about why the imperial master did this.

He thought about a lot, but he forgot the purest reason: everything he did was for the sake of Da'an.

The young man loved freedom, wandering freely in the world, doing what he loved most, but when the country was in the most critical moment, he resolutely stood up and took two children who were not much younger than him to the battlefield, where he went through life and death and made a wish under the starry sky of the desert that "the country and family will be safe forever." A clean child got his hands stained with blood in Beiguan.

Everything he did and thought was for Da'an, and he wanted Da'an to have peace and prosperity.