Lieutenant General He's eyelids twitched, and his face became wary. He lowered his voice and said, "Lieutenant Pang, let's not think about these risky things. The Emperor only relaxed his surveillance on us two months ago. We mustn't cause any unforeseen problems, or all our previous caution will have been wasted."
During those months, not only did Pang Da not leave the inner army headquarters, but even he lived on the edge of a precipice.
Pang Da respectfully answered "yes," but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
He would never let the Qiao family go, but without a capable assistant by his side, it was unrealistic for him to accomplish this on his own.
Although Vice General He trusted him and could help with other matters, he didn't want to get involved in the Qiao family's affairs at all. He was still terrified of the slaps and beatings he had received last time.
Ponda rode off on his horse, racking his brains for a solution.
He thought of some key people: Master Qiao and Master Qiao II. Master Qiao had previously served as the Censor-in-Chief, and Master Qiao II as the Minister of Revenue. Master Qiao's eldest son, Qiao Yuan, was the Vice Censor-in-Chief, and Madam Qiao's younger brother, Qin Yuan, was the Vice Minister of Rites.
Because of the incident involving the Qiao family, their positions were all demoted by one or two ranks, and even the eldest and second eldest Qiao lost their eligibility to attend court, causing a family upheaval.
From then on, they were cautious in their words and deeds, worked diligently, and slowly climbed back to their original positions.
These people all held important positions, but the Qiao family of Datian Village had been in the capital for quite some time, yet they hadn't made a single move. They simply watched as Mu Xinghe passed the provincial examination, then the palace examination, entered the Hanlin Academy, and then the Ministry of Personnel.
Aren't they worried at all?
Pang Da found it unbelievable. If he were in this situation, he would never be so calm. Even if he had no feelings for his brother, this was an insult to his self-esteem and face, and a disrespect to his family.
The first thing Pang Da did upon returning to the capital was to send a visiting card to Master Qiao.
The response came quickly: Grandpa Qiao refused to see him, without giving any reason or even bothering to come up with an excuse.
Pang Da sent another visiting card to Master Qiao, but received the same reply: no response.
The visiting cards were all returned unopened.
"I never expected the Qiao family to be so pathetic. I overestimated them." Pang Da was both angry and contemptuous.
But he refused to give up so easily. On the way to court, he led his men to stop Qiao's carriage.
"Lord Qiao, I only wish to say a few words to you. I did not mean to disturb you. Please forgive me."
Grandpa Qiao lifted the carriage curtain and slowly stepped down. He raised his hand, signaling everyone else to step back.
Looking at Pang Da, Old Man Qiao's thin face had a pair of sharp and shrewd eyes that seemed to be able to see through everything.
“I know why you came to find me, and I know who you are.”
Pang Da's heart skipped a beat, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly calmed himself down.
"This humble general does not understand what Lord Qiao means."
"You know perfectly well what's going on in your heart." Old Man Qiao's tone was cold, and seemed to carry a hint of sarcasm.
"Lieutenant Pang, you should handle your own affairs. The Qiao family of Beijing will not interfere."
"Please don't bother me again in the future."
Seeing Grandpa Qiao turn around and step onto the carriage, Pang Da felt a surge of anxiety and couldn't help but say coldly, "Because of Qiao Lian'er, the entire Qiao family will be executed in the autumn. That's your own brother. Don't you care at all?"
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