Ye Ke concentrated and looked in the direction where the arrow came from, but there was only a team of well-trained soldiers in armor passing by. He couldn't tell who shot the arrow and saved him.

The secret guards that Ye An sent to the children had all learned some simple medical skills. They hurried forward to check on Ye Ke. Ye Ke was not injured at all, but the man's death on the ground was horrific. Ye Ke took a glance and felt nauseous. He touched his chest and felt like vomiting.

The people who were watching the excitement shouted "Murder" and fled in all directions when the man was about to kill Ye Ke. The Court of Justice was nearby, so Zhang Qian quickly got the news and rushed over. When he saw that it was the third prince, he became depressed. Since it involved the royal family, it was unlikely that a madman would commit murder in the street.

Ye Ke was anxious to return to the palace, and Zhang Qian asked a few questions according to the rules. During this period of time, Ye An's troops had received a report from the secret guards and came over from the palace in a mighty manner.

How could an old father sit still when his most obedient son was stabbed to death in the street?

"What's going on?" Ye An pulled Ye Ke into the sedan.

Ye Ke told his story, and Mu Ci went to see the man's body on the ground. The coroner from the Supreme Court was performing an autopsy.

Mu Ci came back and said, "Xiao An, it's Li Zhuo."

Ye An didn't remember who Li Zhuo was until Ye Ke mentioned the wet nurse Li and the Huanghuali longevity crutch bestowed by the empress dowager. Ye An suddenly realized, swallowed his saliva, and said, "Is it Li Guiji?"

Because in the past people in the palace would address this person by his or her rank, and after calling him or her so many times, they even forgot his or her real name.

Mu Ci nodded and said, "It was him. I heard that after being driven out of the palace, he had been living with his parents. Later, his brother became addicted to gambling and squandered the family's money. He left a huge debt and ran away, leaving only him and his elderly parents."

Ye An actually didn't know what happened to the Li family later. He asked Jin Li and found out that Old Madam Li had indeed asked Ye An for help, but she no longer had the title of Madam Fengsheng and was just an ordinary woman. It was not easy for her to ask for an audience with the emperor. It happened that the eunuch who received her had been beaten by Old Madam Li in the past and deliberately made things difficult for her, resulting in the old lady being unable to see the emperor. The eunuchs sent by the emperor to deliver silver and money every month did not report back on Old Madam Li's recent situation. Now suddenly he said that the Li family had failed. Ye An was still at a loss.

"Li Zhuo has never seen Ke'er, why would he attack Ke'er?"

When Li Zhuo was driven out of the palace, the third prince Ye Ke had not even been born yet.

Mu Ci pondered over the few words Li Zhuo said, and thinking back to the mistakes Li Zhuo had made, he speculated, "Could he have mistaken Ke'er for Xi'er..."

Li Zhuo once spread rumors about the eldest prince's background, and because he had a useless mother who was unreasonable, he was directly driven out of the palace by the Queen Mother. He was probably holding a grudge all the time and not reflecting on himself, but instead blamed the eldest prince for his expulsion. This time, he accidentally saw a young man who looked like the emperor and mistook him for the grown-up eldest son. He pretended that his arm was broken, and tried every means to get close to him, waiting for an opportunity to take revenge, but was finally killed by the secret guards.

After all, the mistake Li Zhuo made back then was not fatal, and being expelled from the palace was a deserved punishment. However, he did not expect that he would become a disaster and almost hurt an innocent child.

Ye Ke said with lingering fear: "Father, in fact, this time besides the secret guards, there was another person who saved me. From Li... Li Zhuo's last words, it seems that he still knows that person?"

"Ke'er, you mean the arrow?"

Mu Ci recalled the feather arrow stuck in Li Zhuo's eye. The secret guards were good at close combat and were close to Ye Ke. They usually did not carry bows and arrows with them. This showed that the arrow was not shot by the secret guards.

Ye Ke told him about how he wanted to find someone but only saw a soldier.

Mu Ci had an idea. If the person who saved Ye Ke was the guard on duty, he would definitely stay and help to the end. The soldier who left in a hurry after firing only one arrow should not be the guard of the imperial city. Where did he come from?

Ye An and Mu Ci exchanged a glance. The emperor was about to pass away, and many generals had rushed back to the imperial city to congratulate him. Among them, there was someone who might have known Li Zhuo...

"Could it be him?"

Ye An thought of someone, and seeing that Mu Ci also looked thoughtful, he knew that he was thinking the same thing.

Ye An smiled and said, "It was he who exposed Li Zhuo back then. If it was really him who saved Ke'er, it was fate."

"Father, who is it?"

Ye Ke asked Ye An curiously, feeling that his father's face suddenly turned a little dark.

"It's General Joe."

Ye An rubbed Ye Ke's head like he did when they were little.

Last name Joe? Ye Ke just felt that this surname sounded familiar, and hoped that Ye An could say more, but Ye An did not continue.

After returning to the palace, Ye An summoned the imperial physician to take Ye Ke's pulse. The imperial physician said that the third prince was extremely frightened. Although Ye An was angry that Ye Ke sneaked out of the palace, he was mostly distressed. Ye Ke had always been obedient and had never caused any trouble outside the palace. Although he was almost assassinated, it could not be entirely blamed on Ye Ke. Ye An ordered the Imperial Hospital to prepare a calming decoction for Ye Ke. Ye Heng was punished to reflect on his mistakes, but Ye Ke was not confined to his room. After Ye An comforted him with a few words, he let him have a good rest.

Ye Ke slept for a while after drinking the medicine. He woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep because of the man who died in front of him. His trusted eunuch Zhao Guang talked to him and made him laugh. Ye Ke accidentally mentioned General Qiao and said with emotion that he had never even seen his lifesaver. Zhao Guang smiled and said, "How could your highness not have seen him? He was still in the palace a few years ago."

"What?!"

Ye Ke was slightly stunned. Zhao Guang was in his twenties and had been in the palace for more than ten years. He had heard of many people and things. "Your Highness, now the three palaces and six courtyards are empty. The emperor only has the queen. In fact, the emperor had many concubines before. General Qiao... Oh, she was the virtuous concubine at that time and lived in Jinhua Palace. It was the year when the emperor was pregnant with your highness and the second prince. I heard that in order to pray for the two princes, most of the concubines were released. It's just that Concubine Qiao left the palace a few years later. It happened that there was a war, so he asked for permission to go to the battlefield. Later, he made military achievements and became a general."

"I never thought that he was once my father's male concubine..."

Ye Ke was quite surprised. Zhao Guang continued, "Forgive me for being so nosy. Actually, the man who offended Your Highness today was once the emperor's concubine. It's just that General Qiao asked to leave the palace on his own initiative, while that man was demoted to a commoner and driven out of the palace by the empress dowager because he framed Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Ye Ke nodded, and then realized that it was no wonder that Li Zhuo knew General Qiao.

Ye Ke asked: "You said I had met General Qiao before, why don't I have any impression of him?"

Zhao Guang said: "When he was still alive, he had a good relationship with the Queen and would occasionally go to Zhaoyang Palace to visit His Royal Highness. At that time, His Royal Highness lived in Zhaoyang Palace with the Second Prince. Perhaps because he was still young at that time, His Royal Highness did not care."

Zhao Guang's meaning was more tactful, basically meaning that the other person didn't look for you, so it's normal that you don't remember.

Ye Ke indeed didn't remember these, but he was familiar with Jinhua Palace. When he was a child, the prince took him and Ye Heng to play hide-and-seek in many palaces, including Jinhua Palace. He still remembered the scenery there. There was a tall locust tree. It was the season when locust flowers were in full bloom. The flowers fell from the tree, and there was a fresh sweet smell. However, the prince, like his father, did not like the fragrance of flowers being too strong, so he pulled him away soon. He felt it was a pity that he didn't have enough fun.

Ye Ke's heart was filled with emotions, and he suddenly wanted to take a walk in Jinhua Palace. However, he had left the palace without permission, which had displeased his father. If he did not get a good rest at night, he was afraid that he would be scolded again. He could only wait until dawn to go.

Ye Ke closed his eyes, hoping to fall asleep soon. Surprisingly, he no longer thought about the horrifying scene of Li Zhuo's death.

The next day, the imperial physician came to take the third prince's pulse again and officially announced that the third prince was fine. Then Ye Ke took Zhao Guang to Jinhua Palace.

Today, the Jinhua Palace has been uninhabited for many years, with only a few eunuchs cleaning it regularly. The eunuchs were flattered to have the prince arrive.

What attracted Ye Ke first was still the big locust tree in his memory, but he just discovered that there was another tree next to this tree. Although it was not as tall as the locust tree, it was also lush and green.

A eunuch came over and said that this tree was planted by someone who once lived in Jinhua Palace, and it has been more than ten years now.

Ye Ke couldn't help but ask: "Did General Qiao plant it?"

The eunuch said yes. This man originally served in Jinhua Palace and had been Qiao Yunting's eunuch. After Concubine Qiao left, he was in charge of cleaning Jinhua Palace.

Ye Ke asked: "Excuse me, may I enter the main hall?"

The eunuch nodded. Qiao Yunting had already left. Jinhua Palace originally belonged to the emperor. How could they disobey the order of His Royal Highness the Prince?

"Your Highness is too polite. If Your Highness wants to see it, please follow me."

Ye Ke followed the eunuch into the house and took a quick glance. The inside was no different from other palaces. That's right, when people left, they must have taken all their belongings with them.

Ye Ke casually looked at the decorations on the eight-treasure grid, and when he looked up, he saw a golden, unsharpened sword hanging on the wall.

"This is……?"

The eunuch said, "This is the golden sword that the emperor gave to General Qiao. He did not take it with him when he left, but left it in Jinhua Palace."

Ye Ke was confused. It was such an honor to own an imperial gift, so why didn't General Qiao take it away?

A person who can plant trees with his own hands, a person who keeps the things given by the emperor, and a person who saves the prince but leaves without saying goodbye.

What kind of person would it be?

He walked around Jinhua Palace slowly with a lot of questions in his mind, but still couldn't find the answers.

At this time, Zhao Guang came over and said, "Your Highness, Eunuch Jin Li is here to see you. The Emperor and the Empress have important matters to attend to. Your Highness, please go to Suzaku Hall as soon as possible."

Ye Ke responded, straightened his clothes and left the hall. Jin Li was already waiting outside the Jinhua Palace. Seeing Ye Ke here, he did not ask any more questions and took Ye Ke to see the Emperor and Empress.

Suzaku Hall was originally a place for political discussions; even the princes were not allowed to enter without imperial decree. Ye Ke had never been to Suzaku Hall before, and didn't know why the Emperor and Empress suddenly called him. On the way, he asked Jin Li, who deliberately kept him in suspense and said with a smile: "Anyway, it's not a bad thing. You'll know when you go there."

Ye Ke and Ye Heng usually acted together. He thought that the Empress must have called Ye Heng as well. However, when he arrived at Suzaku Hall, he did not see the Second Prince. Ye Ke was surprised when he heard Ye An's voice smiling and saying, "Thank you for saving Ke'er yesterday."

Realizing who might be in Suzaku Hall at this moment, Ye Ke froze all over and turned his head like a puppet, only to see a handsome and gaunt general wearing bright silver armor standing opposite the emperor and empress.

Ye Ke's eyes went dark and he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet. He had just secretly gone to Jinhua Palace when the person had already arrived!

The general bowed his hands humbly and said, "I just happened to pass by. It's just a small favor. I dare not thank you."

Qiao Yunting slowly raised his head. He had been a minister for nearly half of his life, from a minister to a subject. Finally, he was able to face the emperor and empress without any grudges, and then he returned to the imperial city. His father, Qiao Taibao, has been unwell recently and is looking forward to his return as soon as possible.

Ye An said: "I have heard about your father's illness. I will send the best doctor from the Imperial Hospital to come. If you need anything, just tell me."

Qiao Yunting kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

When Ye An saw Ye Ke standing there like a bamboo pole, he called him over and said, "Ke'er, this is General Qiao who saved you yesterday."

Ye An's implication was that Ye Ke should express his gratitude, but Ye Ke stuttered for a long while and said stiffly, "Hello, General Qiao."

Why did Sanzai suddenly become stupid? ?

Ye An felt a little embarrassed. Qiao Yunting saved people only out of his habit of protecting the emperor and the princes. He didn't seek the third prince's gratitude. He smiled and nodded at Ye Ke, and the matter was over.

Ye Ke knew he should say thank you, but he was too confused to say it. At this time, Jin Li came to report that the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess had arrived.

This was also what Ye An meant. When Qiao Yunting was still in the palace, he was very concerned about Ye Xi. Now that he has finally returned to the imperial city, he must ask the prince and his family to come out to meet him.

Ye Xi was on her honeymoon, and she and Su Xie were both wearing bright red and gold brocade robes, and the couple were always together.

"Uncle Qiao, long time no see."

Ye Xi bowed politely. He still remembered things from his childhood, when Qiao Yunting, who was still the virtuous concubine, took great care of him.

Qiao Yunting smiled and nodded, and said gently: "Happy wedding, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Ye Ke's head suddenly felt hot with blood boiling. He, he seemed to have called the wrong person just now. His elder brother called him uncle, so shouldn't he call him uncle too? !

Ye Ke was so anxious that he was sweating and could not speak. He watched the Emperor, Empress, Crown Prince, Crown Princess and Qiao Yunting chatting and laughing. He seemed like a fool and could only listen. He could not get a word in. In the end, he watched them leave.

Ye Ke was almost dying of anxiety, he just hated himself for being useless. Didn't he want to know what General Qiao looked like? But when he saw the real person, he became speechless. It was really rude. He had to find an opportunity to thank General Qiao in person.

In the past few days, it was Ye Anqianqiu. All the kings and officials came to the imperial city to pay tribute. The princes and princesses would each give gifts to their father on this day to show their filial piety. In addition, they would perform a show together, which could be regarded as entertaining their parents with colorful clothes. In previous years, the princes and princesses all dressed cheerfully to perform swordplay. This year, it was the second prince's turn to be in charge of the show, and for some reason he changed everyone's clothes of the same style into different colors. Ye An saw from afar that his son and daughter were dressed like a rainbow, and he almost laughed to death.

Ye An had some obsessive-compulsive disorder, and this color made him want to have six or seven cubs. Ever since Ye An gave birth to Ye Lian, Mu Ci had not approved of Ye An being pregnant. After all, childbirth still involved certain risks, and no matter how special the physique of the royal family was, they would still get hurt. In the past few years, the couple had not had any other children.

Ye An thought, after such a long time, it is time to put the sixth child on the agenda. If it is delayed any longer, firstly, he is too old, and secondly, if Ye Xichu has a grandson first and then a son, where will he put his face?

Ye An watched the cubs dancing with swords in unison, gently pulled Mu Ci's sleeve under the dragon table, and started bargaining with Mu Ci about the creation of a human being.

After the sword dance, the colorful cubs scattered. Ye An had sharp eyes and saw the second orange cub, Ye Heng, talking and laughing with Mu Yuan.

Ye An believed that Ye Heng was in a premature love relationship. Mu Yuan had repeatedly expressed in front of him that she did not want to be the prince's consort. Ye An was afraid that the second child would say something nonsense again, so he quickly pulled Mu Ci and hid behind a rockery to eavesdrop.

It turned out to be a false alarm. Erzai was simply concerned about his uncle from beginning to end and asked if the food at the Qianqiu Banquet was to his liking.

The old father was always worried about his troublesome second cub, but he didn't notice that the golden third cub was walking towards the direction where the generals were with a nervous look on his face and his hands and feet trembling.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

In fact, Joe's golden sword has always been a symbol of bondage.

Leaving the sword behind means he has let it go.

Thank you to the little angels who cast their votes for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~

Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:

Changan Daxian 88 bottles;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!