Qiao Tianjing also didn't expect that Qiao Jiaojiao was so sharp, and even after everything had passed, she still discovered the loophole.
Seeing Qiao Diyi's panic, Qiao Tianjing shook his head helplessly and could only come out to smooth things over.
"Second brother, thank you for your timely action today to save the fourth prince, otherwise the situation would have been impossible to end."
"Big brother hasn't had time to ask you yet, how did you know you wanted to follow the fourth prince today?"
Qiao Diyi turned his back to Qiao Jiaojiao, his eyes widened, and he accused with an expression:
——Brother, why are you still trying to embarrass me? How can my stupid brain answer this?
——You can’t tell your little sister that I acted after hearing her thoughts, right?
Qiao Tianjing turned slightly and winked:
——Second brother, you can make up any reason you want!
——Even if it is not so reasonable, the little sister would never have thought that we could hear her voice.
Qiao Diyi looked bitter.
——Then I can’t even think of a “not so reasonable” reason, what should I do?
Qiao Tianjing: "..."
[Tsk, is my second brother reborn? Awakening? Do you know the plot? 】
Qiao Jiaojiao suddenly glanced at the back of Qiao Diyi's head and began to think wildly.
Qiao Diyi stuttered twice with a flash of light on his back, and suddenly said with a pinched neck:
"I...I saw today that the fourth prince was delayed in coming out with a gift, and Yu Zhaoyi went in, but no greetings were heard. The two groups seemed not to have met."
"I'm worried that the fourth prince is playful and ran out of the back door. There is no eunuch following him. Isn't this very dangerous for a young man?"
"Oh, it's all a temporary measure. I originally climbed over the wall to have a look out of desperation, but I didn't expect to encounter this kind of thing."
Qiao Diyi said this in one breath and looked at Qiao Tianjing with an anxious look.
Qiao Tianjing smiled slightly, it seems that the second brother is still a bit quick-witted!
He nodded in approval, "Second brother, if the prince asks about it then, just tell the truth."
Qiao Jiaojiao tilted her head when she heard this. It was indeed reasonable.
[Hey, I really love to think too much. If my second brother knew that he would die miserably on the battlefield in the future and be shot into a sieve by thousands of arrows, I would probably not be able to laugh anymore! 】
When Qiao Diyi heard that his answer passed the test, he was about to raise the corners of his mouth, but when he heard Qiao Jiaojiao say this, the corners of his mouth couldn't be raised.
Qiao Diyi: "......"
Little sister, you are good at poking people's hearts!
When Qiao Zhongguo saw that Qiao Diyi had almost exposed his secret just now, he was so frightened that his heart was lifted. Now that they had finished talking, he immediately chased them away.
"Okay, okay, let's all go, it's time for Jiaojiao to sleep!"
When Qiao Jiaojiao heard this, her attention was instantly diverted, and a small bubble of ambiguity arose in her heart.
[Oh ho, this cute stumbling block of mine is going to be moved away again tonight, right~~]
[Hey, mom and dad have such a good relationship, and the old couple is so sweet! 】
When Qiao Tianjing and Qiao Diyi heard this, their ears suddenly turned red, their soles felt like they were oiled, and they left in a hurry.
Mrs. Qiao immediately glared at Qiao Zhongguo in shame.
Let you talk too much! How embarrassing in front of my son!
Qiao Zhongguo received his wife's eyes with a look of sarcasm on his face. He did not expect that she would shoot him in the foot.
"Ahem, Jiaojiao, daddy will put you to sleep tonight!"
Qiao Jiaojiao chuckled.
[A well-behaved kid like me doesn’t need to be coaxed to sleep. Dad, go and coax your mother to sleep! 】
Mrs. Qiao couldn't stand Qiao Jiaojiao's teasing, so she stood up and went into the inner room with a blushing face.
Qiao Zhongguo and Qiao Jiaojiao couldn't help but stare at each other.
Why are they all gone?
"If Jiaojiao is not sleepy, just sit with dad for a while while dad finishes carving the remaining parts."
Qiao Zhongguo raised the wood carving in his hand.
Qiao Jiaojiao babbled and nodded, "Daddy! Daddy, Daddy!"
Qiao Zhongguo smiled heartily when he saw this, and sat back under the candlelight again. While carving carefully in his hands, he said in a warm voice:
"Jiaojiao is already nine months old. It's so fast. Daddy will carve many more for Jiaojiao and put them all in Jiaojiao's dowry."
"When Jiaojiao grows up, take them out and look at them one by one. It will last a long time."
Qiao Zhongguo rambled on, and when he raised his head after finishing the last blow, Qiao Jiao was lying on the soft couch in a small ball, already fast asleep.
The candlelight shone brightly on her face, making even the little fluff look particularly cute.
Qiao Zhongguo's heart softened, he put down the wooden sculpture, stood up and gently hugged Qiao Jiaojiao.
Mrs. Qiao heard that there was no movement in the outer room for a long time. When she came out and took a look, she saw Qiao Zhongguo gently pressing his face against Qiao Jiaojiao's forehead.
This scene was really heartwarming, making Mrs. Qiao's eyes slightly warm.
"Husband."
Qiao Zhongguo raised his head when he heard the sound, smiled and stretched out his hand to Mrs. Qiao.
Mrs. Qiao's eyebrows were crescent, and she stepped forward and hugged Qiao Zhongguo's waist. The shadows of the three people huddled together in the candlelight.
————
In the morning of the next day, everyone remained silent about what happened yesterday.
Emperor Yong's expression was as usual, and he couldn't see anything wrong.
After leaving the court, Qiao Zhongguo walked to the palace gate, but Eunuch Huang suddenly caught up with him out of breath, shouting:
"Master Qiao, stay!"
Qiao Zhongguo turned around in confusion. Eunuch Huang took a breath and said quickly: "Master Qiao, the Holy One has summoned you to the Imperial Study Room!"
All kinds of thoughts went through Qiao Zhongguo's mind, and he followed with a smile on his face.
When he entered the imperial study, Qiao Zhongguo couldn't help but pause slightly because he saw an unexpected person.
The young man was standing beside the prince upright, and his official uniform looked particularly straight on him.
Emperor Yong noticed Qiao Zhongguo's eyes and smiled slightly.
"Tan Aiqing is young and promising, and is very capable."
This is what it means to reuse.
That's right, this handsome young man standing aside is none other than Tan Hanchi!
"Master Qiao."
Tan Hanchi bowed and saluted Qiao Zhongguo, looked at Qiao Zhongguo for a moment, and then looked away as if nothing had happened.
Qiao Zhongguo nodded to him with a calm expression, and then said with a smile: "Congratulations to Your Majesty for getting another talent. I wonder who your Majesty is urgently summoning?"
Emperor Yong stood up after hearing this, pointed at the prince, and said straight to the point:
"The Crown Princess has decided to be the eldest daughter of General Xiao's family. Since she is the Prince Yue's family, according to the old rules, she cannot hold heavy troops to defend the border."
These words are extremely straightforward, which shows that Emperor Yong still has great trust in Qiao Zhongguo.
Qiao Zhongguo nodded. This incident was expected. This was to prevent his relatives from becoming powerful and shaking the court.
What surprised Qiao Zhongguo was that the Holy Emperor valued Tan Hanchi so much that he even allowed him to attend such important military matters.
Emperor Yong continued: "General Xiao has done great service in guarding the border for so many years. I am worried that if I take back military power rashly, I will hurt General Xiao's heart."
Qiao Zhongguo immediately shook his head after hearing this.
"Your Majesty, although I have no chance to make friends with General Xiao, and I don't know what his temperament is, I know that General Xiao is loyal and loyal after seeing him working hard to guard the border for so many years."
"Now that Your Majesty has chosen his eldest daughter to be the Crown Princess, General Xiao must have been prepared for it. Your Majesty simply said it bluntly. General Xiao will definitely understand His Majesty's difficulties."
"There's just one thing. Your Majesty must be cautious about the person who replaces General Xiao."
