Emperor Yong heard the prince's words and nodded in approval.
"That's right, the military doctor is not good enough after all, so let Zou Qi hurry up and rush there."
The prince's expression did not change when he heard this, but he chuckled in his heart.
Zou Qi is my father's most useful imperial physician. He did not hesitate to send someone here, which shows how much my father loves his second brother.
If it were in the past, the prince might still have troubles in his heart, but now, he has long been indifferent.
"Look at this!"
Emperor Yong's tone suddenly rose, seeming to contain anger.
Huang Pei hurriedly handed what Emperor Yong pointed out to the prince.
The prince only glanced at it and then his expression changed. Tan Hanchi came forward and was shocked after reading it!
What they saw was a letter of guilt written by Qiao Zhongguo himself!
Emperor Yong snorted coldly: "What does this Qiao Zhongguo mean? Is he trying to make progress by retreating, forcing me to resign, and not letting me hold him accountable for his inability to protect himself?"
"He has been on the battlefield for a long time and has strong martial arts skills. He was asked to escort a mere marriage convoy, but there was such a big mistake and the second child was seriously injured! Shouldn't I pursue him?"
The more Emperor Yong spoke, the more serious his tone became, and he looked very angry.
The prince's eyes darkened when he heard this, and his heart was filled with sadness.
In fact, Mr. Qiao had already made it clear to him before setting off that he wanted to take the blame and resign.
He couldn't bear to lose such a loyal minister and general, so he immediately tried to persuade him to stay, but Master Qiao said:
"Your Highness, it is not because I am willing to give up my ambition, but it is because I have...let it go. When the time comes when I write a letter of guilt, Your Highness will understand my difficulties."
The prince lowered his head and read the letter of sin again. In the letter, Mr. Qiao spoke sincerely and fully stated his sins of dereliction of duty. He was obviously so sincere.
However, my father speculated that Mr. Qiao threatened to resign and wanted to escape the blame...
It turns out that my father is already so suspicious and afraid of Master Qiao?
The traces of the traitor from the Northern Kingdom mentioned in the letter are suspicious, and everything seems strange. Shouldn't my father give priority to pursuing this matter?
The prince felt sad in his heart and thought to himself: Is this what is often said in the history books: "When all the birds are gone, the good bow is hidden"?
But in his heart, he believed in the saying: Don't use people you doubt, and don't trust people you employ!
"Father, Mr. Qiao should have realized that he had done something wrong, so he wrote this self-incriminating letter and sincerely apologized to Father."
Emperor Yong was still angry and was startled when he heard this.
"Zhan'er, do you mean that Qiao Zhongguo really wants to resign?"
After Emperor Yong finished speaking, he suddenly glanced at Tan Hanchi behind the prince.
Tan Hanchi calmly nodded to Emperor Yong, indicating that he recognized the prince's statement.
When Emperor Yong saw this, there was a hint of astonishment on his brows, and he suddenly stopped talking.
After a long time, he waved his hand.
"That's all, please step back first. I still have to think about this matter carefully."
Seeing that Emperor Yong never mentioned "thieves from the Northern Kingdom" from beginning to end, the prince glanced at the confession in his hand and sighed in his heart:
"Lord Qiao, today I know where your passion has been put by my father..."
The prince returned to the East Palace and Tan Hanchi went to the Hanlin Academy. The two separated halfway.
But before Tan Hanchi had gone very far, a little father-in-law suddenly caught up with him out of breath.
"Tan...Tan Xiu wrote it, at the invitation of the Holy One."
Tan Hanchi's eyes flashed slightly when he heard this.
After returning to the imperial study, he found that the emperor had sent away the prince and only recalled him. Tan Hanchi felt like a mirror in his heart.
It seems that when it comes to dealing with the Qiao family, the Holy One is already wary of His Highness the Crown Prince!
why?
Is it because the fourth prince is close to the Qiao family that the Holy One believes that the prince is also on good terms with the Qiao family?
Or is it because the Holy One himself knows that the Qiao family is a loyal and loyal person, and his suspicions cannot be brought to the surface, nor can they be shown in front of the glorious prince?
"Your Majesty."
Tan Hanchi's thoughts were surging in his heart, but there was no sign of anything strange on his face.
Emperor Yong came down from his seat. His expression was unclear and he asked slowly:
"Ai Qing also thinks that Qiao Zhongguo really wants to resign?"
Tan Hanchi was secretly on guard. Faced with this question, he had discussed it with Mr. Qiao in advance.
So he bowed and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, I see that the sinner's letter is sincere, and I have no intention of evading it. I am afraid that Mr. Qiao has already noticed that Your Majesty..."
"Your Majesty, Master Qiao is probably trying to protect himself wisely."
"Mingzhe protects himself?"
Emperor Yong repeated lightly and suddenly laughed.
"Qiao Zhongguo serves the country, the people, and me. He refused to accept the title of Duke of Zhenguo at the beginning and insisted on becoming a third-grade censor."
"He has such a stubborn temper, but now he actually knows how to protect himself?"
Tan Hanchi thought for a while and whispered: "Maybe... Mr. Qiao has a weakness."
When Emperor Yong heard this, he immediately remembered Qiao Zhongguo's reputation as a loving wife and daughter.
Recalling how he held his little daughter in his arms every time during the palace banquets and couldn't put it down, he couldn't help but sneered and shook his head.
"Ha, after all, people cannot remain static. Even the world-famous Qiao Zhongguo's bones became soft after being tied down."
"In this case, I will keep him!"
When Tan Hanchi heard this, he raised his head in surprise, but in an instant he understood Emperor Yong's convoluted thoughts.
They all thought that Emperor Yong wished that Qiao Zhongguo would resign and leave the court and fade out of the sight of the people.
But now Tan Hanchi thought about it, the mere crime of poor protection was nothing to the common people.
As time goes by, small mistakes will not matter. Master Qiao's past achievements and reputation will make him the most glorious image in the hearts of the people!
The Holy One is afraid of Lord Qiao because he is afraid of Lord Qiao's reputation and his almost perfect reputation!
Therefore, now that Mr. Qiao is guilty and has a weakness, the Holy One wants to keep Mr. Qiao, let him make mistakes, and let him be punished!
The Holy One wants to pull Mr. Qiao down from the "altar" step by step!
This is the Holy Emperor's inner scheming, which is more complicated and suspicious than they imagined!
"The Holy One is wise!"
Tan Hanchi seemed to have just come back to his senses and flattered him "sincerely":
"In this way, Master Qiao can not only continue to be used by the Holy One, but the Holy One can also... feel at ease."
Emperor Yong smiled meaningfully, "Just think of it as a reminder to Qiao Zhongguo."
"After this incident, if Qiao Zhongguo knows what's going on, he should know what to do."
"After all, I don't want to lose such a capable minister."
Tan Hanchi nodded in agreement, but his heart was extremely cold.
The Holy Spirit is... forcing Mr. Qiao to slander his reputation!
After Emperor Yong got the idea, he asked Tan Hanchi to retreat.
At this time, Huang Pei was the only confidant left in the imperial study.
Emperor Yong leaned on the dragon chair and closed his eyes slightly, seeming to be tired.
After a while, he suddenly said: "Huang Pei, this northerner appears strangely..."
Huang Pei was agitated, nodded and bowed, pretending to be ignorant.
"Yes, Your Majesty! This old slave is so stupid that I really can't understand why this northerner came to the border between Yong Dynasty and Nanli Kingdom."
Emperor Yong suddenly stood up and tapped his finger on the letter written by Qiao Zhongguo.
Huang Pei was so close that when he raised his eyes, he saw that Emperor Yong's fingertips had landed on three words -
"Your Highness"!
Huang Pei's heart trembled slightly.
So, is the Holy One really unaware of anything?
