Qiao Yunting returned to the imperial city. His father's health improved for more than a month, but took a sharp turn for the worse when winter came.
The imperial physicians all said that he might not survive the winter.
Qiao Yunting served wholeheartedly. Ever since his father threatened to kill himself in Jinhua Palace that year, his relationship with his father had been very tense. Later, he asked to fight and leave the palace, but Qiao's father did not send him off. He must have been holding a grudge against him, so he specially summoned him back this year. Qiao Yunting knew what was going on.
If he had the chance to do it again, he would not regret choosing to stand on the side of the emperor and empress.
"Yun Ting, Yun Ting..."
Father Qiao woke up from his sleep and kept calling his name.
Qiao Yunting agreed and served tea to his father.
Father Qiao stared at his son, his eyes fixed on the gauze wrapped around his neck. After a long time, his cloudy eyes were covered with a layer of mist.
"Yun Ting, Dad is sorry for you..."
Qiao Taibao had seen clearly the situation in the court over the years, but it was not easy for a father to bow to his son, and he could not bring himself to do it. Now that he knows his own physical condition clearly, Qiao Taibao also wants to put all his worries to rest before leaving.
"Dad, I'm not sorry. I will support the Qiao family. Don't worry."
Father Qiao nodded and said with tears in his eyes: "As for your marriage, Yun Ting, you have been away from the palace for many years. Face the reality and don't let go of it for the emperor..."
The emperor let the male concubines leave the palace, and they basically changed their names and started a new life, except for Qiao Yunting. Qiao Yunting left the palace to join the army, which was not a low-key thing. The Qiao family became a laughing stock of many people for a while, and Qiao Taibao was very angry. But later, Qiao Yunting risked his life to make many military exploits, and gradually people forgot the fact that he was once a male concubine. The fact that the Qiao family can still maintain its status in the court today is also largely related to Qiao Yunting's military exploits.
From his initial misunderstanding, Qiao Taibao gradually came to understand. Now he was only worried about his son's marriage. He was afraid that his son would still be thinking about the emperor and live a lonely life.
Qiao Yunting said calmly: "Don't worry, Dad, I have let it go. I will start a family with the right person."
Qiao Taibao knew that he would not live to see this day, but he felt relieved because of his son's promise.
A few days later, Qiao Taibao died of illness. Qiao Yunting asked for permission to carry his father's coffin back to his hometown to observe mourning for three years.
Ye An agreed and sent people to the Qiao Mansion to express condolences and ask Qiao Yunting to express his condolences.
When the news reached the palace, Ye Ke was completely stunned.
He had heard that Mr. Qiao's condition had improved, so he thought that if the medicine he sent was really useful, he wanted to find some more to send over. However, before he could fill a car, Mr. Qiao went there, catching him off guard.
Ye Ke had no experience of the death of an elder, but he felt that Qiao Yunting must be very sad. He plucked up the courage to sneak out of the palace and ran to the Qiao Mansion.
It was a very windy and snowy day, and because of his status he could not attend the funeral, so he could only dress as simply as possible and knock on the door holding an umbrella.
When Qiao Yunting heard that the Third Prince had come, he was very surprised. Ye Ke's little face was red from the cold, his lips were pale, and he was still shivering when he entered the house. Qiao Yunting quickly ordered someone to bring a hand warmer to heat tea. Ye Ke held the hand warmer for a while and his complexion looked better.
"General Qiao, don't be sad."
Ye Ke pondered for a long time, but didn't know how to comfort his little self.
Qiao Yunting said in a gentle voice: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. My father has been suffering from a serious illness and has been in pain for a long time. It would be a relief for him to pass away. I understand."
Having said that, Ye Ke felt indescribably sad when he saw him in mourning clothes, looking emaciated and haggard.
"Are you leaving the Imperial City?"
"Well, I have to observe mourning for my father for three years."
Ye Ke thought, that means we won’t see each other for three years.
During the autumn hunting, he had promised him that they could hunt together again next time.
Ye Ke had been an obedient child since he was young. He knew that filial piety was more important than anything else, so he couldn't stop her from leaving. He thought for a moment and said, "Then you must take care of yourself."
Qiao Yunting nodded.
Ye Ke ran out secretly, and soon someone came and knelt outside the door to ask him to return to the palace. Qiao Yunting was worried that he would be cold, so he took out a thick cloak and asked him to wrap it.
Ye Ke's eyes were a little red, and he felt a pain in his heart for some reason. As a prince, he lacked nothing, but now he felt that he was about to lose something.
Qiao Yunting said from a distance: "Third Prince, take care of yourself too."
On the way back to the palace, Ye Ke felt a sour nose. After returning to the palace, Ye An scolded him again. With a pair of red rabbit eyes, he covered his head and went to sleep.
Ye An knew that Sanzai had been close to Qiao Yunting recently. Qiao Yunting had saved Ye Ke, and it was not inappropriate for Ye Ke to visit Qiao's father after he passed away. Ye An was just angry that Ye Ke had sneaked out of the palace again, so he asked him for permission. Would he stop him?
The third child was a man of great loyalty and righteousness, and he was so sad that Ye An couldn't bear to punish him any further.
Ye Ke was lying on the quilt, tossing and turning, thinking about something. Later, he simply stood up, hugged the quilt, and tiptoed into Ye Heng's room.
Their two yards were very close to each other. Ye Heng was sleeping and was woken up by Ye Ke. The second prince rubbed his eyes and asked, "What are you doing?"
Ye Ke put down the quilt and lay down next to Ye Heng. He remembered that when they were young, they moved into the palace together. Ye Ke was afraid of the unfamiliar environment and sometimes came to sleep with Ye Heng. Ye Heng also got used to it.
Ye Heng turned over and felt drowsy.
Ye Ke suddenly pushed him: "Brother, do you like your uncle?"
Ye Heng said without even opening his eyes: "I think so."
Ye Ke said: "Then, what if I ask you to give your purse to your uncle?"
Ye Heng was no longer sleepy, and he sat up with a start: "No!"
Even my uncle can't compare with his money.
Ye Ke said: "Father once said that if you really love someone, you can risk your life for them. You are reluctant to even give up your money, which shows that you don't really love them."
"...Oh." Ye Heng said indifferently: "My uncle doesn't like me anyway."
Ye Ke hesitated again and again, and said softly: "Brother, what should I do if I like someone?"
Ye Heng was unwilling to give the purse to his uncle, which showed that he did not like Mu Yuan. But if Ye Ke himself was asked to give something he liked to Qiao Yunting, he would definitely give it to him without hesitation. Besides, his life was saved by Qiao Yunting, so even if he was asked to give his life to someone else, it was not impossible. Does that mean that he likes General Qiao?
In fact, Ye Ke had been thinking about this question over and over again since he came back from Qiao's Mansion.
Ye Heng was startled. Ye Ke's expression did not seem to be joking. He and Ye Ke were twins. There would be some strange senses between twin brothers, which made him realize that Ye Ke was not lying.
"What's going on? Who is that person?"
Ye Ke stammered, "It's... an acquaintance. You may have seen him before."
Ye Heng frowned: "Is it Uncle Qiao?"
Ye Ke: “…”
Ye Ke wanted to cover his face. Why did everyone call him uncle? General Qiao was not old at all!
Ye Ke said frustratedly: "Brother, is it really obvious?"
Ye Heng nodded solemnly: "You actually sneaked out of the palace by yourself and stole my medicinal herbs. It's obvious."
Ye Ke felt a little pitiful after being exposed: "Then what should I do?"
"What should we do?" Ye Heng said angrily, "She is my father's concubine. My father will not allow it."
"He has not been one for a long time!" Ye Ke argued loudly, "Since the day he left the palace, he has had nothing to do with my father. He is a general, not a male concubine!"
Ye Heng felt that Ye Ke's words made sense except that he spoke a little loudly. He said awkwardly, "I just said that. Don't get excited. Even if he is not a male concubine, he is much older than us. Father will not agree to this alone..."
"Besides, do you think he'll like you?"
"Oh." Ye Ke sighed and wrinkled his white jade-like face. He didn't know the answer to this question either.
Ye Heng said: "Uncle Dongling said that if we want a man in the future, we can just cross our fingers and we will get him. Anyway, you and him will never be together, so you might as well forget about him and cross your fingers with me in the future. We can ask our father to hold a beauty pageant and select all the men he likes!"
Ye Ke sniffed: "But I don't like others."
Ye Heng: “…”
Ye Heng patted his brother's shoulder and said carefully: "How about you ask him if he likes you first, and if he doesn't like you, you can give up?"
Ye Heng himself once went to the Taifu Mansion and asked Mu Yuan in person. He felt that it was a good thing that he asked. At least he was not sad at all when he was rejected. He really did not really like his uncle. Maybe if Ye Ke was rejected, he would also realize that he did not really like him.
Ye Ke's eyes suddenly lit up. Confession? That’s a good idea!
After the seventh day after Qiao's father's death, Qiao Yunting packed everything and prepared to leave the Qiao Mansion.
Ye Ke had Ye Heng's help this time. The second prince ran away from home on his own initiative to protect Ye Ke for the sake of his younger brother. Ye An's old father rushed to stop the troublesome second son again.
Sanzai had a little more time this time and escorted the person all the way to the city gate. But it was the first time for Sanzai to confess his love to someone and he had no experience. He was so nervous that he couldn't open his mouth.
Seeing that they were about to leave the city gate, Ye Ke had no choice but to speak. He mustered up the courage to say, "General Qiao, I, I have something to tell you..."
Confession is still too difficult for a boy of this age, so Ye Ke temporarily changed to hugging the other person's arm. He remembered that every time his father and queen showed signs of quarreling, his father would do this, and the two would immediately reconcile. It can be seen that this is a very useful gesture, and he hopes it can help him.
Qiao Yunting was startled, looked at the Third Prince whose face was as red as a peach, and said, "Your Highness...?"
Ye Ke said shyly: "I like General Qiao very much."
Qiao Yunting was shocked. He knew that the Third Prince always liked to look for him, but he didn't expect it to be for this reason.
In other words, even if he could vaguely feel it, he deliberately forced himself not to think about it.
The other party is still very young and is the emperor's son, how is it possible.
But now, the Third Prince has said it himself...
"Your Highness is still young, and you still have a long way to go." Qiao Yunting sighed silently, "Maybe because I saved Your Highness, you like me more... Your Highness will meet more people and things in the future, and when Your Highness grows up, you will understand that I am just one of them."
"No! You are different from others!" Ye Ke was anxious, "Do you not trust me because I am young?"
Qiao Yunting said: "It's not that I don't believe it, it's just that I'm not worthy."
"Why?!" Ye Ke was anxious.
Qiao Yunting said: "Because I have left the palace, I don't want to, and will not, return to the royal family."
"But what does this have to do with my liking you?"
Ye Ke felt aggrieved. It took him a lot of effort to figure out such a complicated question as whether he liked it or not.
Qiao Yunting couldn't help but rub the top of his head and gently pulled his arm out.
Ye Ke's eyes suddenly became wet. Ye Heng said that it was okay to be rejected, but he felt so uncomfortable as if his heart was cut out.
Ye Ke gritted his teeth and said, "This is my own business. If I think it's worth it, then it's worth it. You, you take care of yourself..."
Tears kept falling from his eyes, and the more he wiped them, the harder they fell. He didn't want anyone to notice that he was crying, so he had to turn around and run away.
Qiao Yunting stood where he was, looking at the young man who ran away dejectedly. His heart, which had been numb for a long time, suddenly felt a dull pain at this moment.
It is a bit cruel to shatter the third prince's dream with one's own hands.
But a short pain is worse than a long one. He knew clearly that the other person would have a happy future, and this happiness was destined to have nothing to do with him.
He was about to leave for three years, and they would not see each other again for three years. Perhaps before three years had passed, the boy would have completely forgotten him.
It really couldn’t be better.
Ye Ke ran back to the palace with red eyes. It would have been fine if Ye Heng didn't ask. As soon as he asked, Ye Ke hugged him and burst into tears. Ye Heng said helplessly: "I guessed so, why not just leave it like this. And even if the other party accepts it, what if he wants to leave for three years? You simply don't have that much patience. For example, I even forgot what I liked to eat three years ago."
"He's different!" Ye Ke thought about it for a long time, and finally couldn't bear to forget his General Qiao. He sniffed and said, "It's just that we can't see each other for three years. I can wait for him to come back. Maybe he will like me by then."
Ye Heng: “…”
What should I do? My brother seems to be crazy.
Three years is a short time for Ye Heng but a long time for Ye Ke.
In the past three years, Ye Ke often went to Jinhua Palace, looking at the big locust tree in the courtyard, thinking about something absent-mindedly.
Jinhua Palace was too spacious, so he planted some locust trees in the yard to give himself something to do.
He did not fall behind in both his literary and martial arts studies. His archery skills improved by leaps and bounds, and his swordsmanship also became more powerful. In three years, he grew into the third prince praised by everyone, but he was silent most of the time. Except for his brother Ye Heng, no one knew that he was the one who fell in love early and he was also the first to break up. Only the memory of the general and the snow fox Xiaoting accompanied him silently.
In the first year, there were not many changes in the palace. Mu Yuan obeyed his parents' orders and married a lady from a scholarly family.
The next year, the prince became pregnant and soon gave birth to a son. The emperor and empress were overjoyed.
In the third year, Ye Heng was named Prince of Yingchuan and Ye Ke was named Prince of Qinghe. Both of them had reached the age to move out of the palace. The emperor wanted to wait until they got married before giving them fiefdoms, so he built mansions for them in the imperial city. The two princes could sneak away whenever they wanted, and finally would not anger their old father.
In the second year, Ye Heng had almost forgotten Ye Ke's worries. In the third year, when he went out incognito, Ye Heng once again stood up for justice. This time, no girl fell in love with the King of Yingchuan, but a young wealthy businessman from Jiangnan fell in love with Ye Heng and said to him, "I think you are very good. Why don't you come with me? I can support you for the rest of your life."
Ye Heng blinked his eyes, feeling that he seemed to have run into the sponsorship his father had mentioned.
I heard that keeping a mistress is a very expensive thing, but as the kept person, the money only comes in and never goes out. Ye Heng thought it was quite fresh. A king couldn't be abducted so easily. Ye Heng said proudly: "I am very valuable. Without 200 million silver, no deal!"
My father has a private treasury with hundreds of millions of silver coins, and Prince Yingchuan also wants to have some, but no matter how much he saves, it is only a small amount.
The wealthy businessman Shen Nian smiled and said, “Two hundred million is nothing. If you are willing, I can give you all my money.”
Ye Heng didn't believe it: "You are so young, how much money can you have?"
Shen Nian thought about it and found it difficult to describe, so she gave Ye Heng a silver note first.
Ye Heng took a look and saw that it was exactly two million taels, with official stamp, it was real!
Shen Nian said: “This is pocket money for you.”
Oh my God, Ye Heng's eyes were full of stars. As a king, his monthly salary was only a thousand, but this man gave him a full two million. Besides, this man was covered in gold and had a handsome appearance.
Ye Heng's heart was pounding. Could this be the feeling of love at first sight that his brother mentioned?
He immediately wrote a letter to his father: Dad, I have decided to be kept by someone!
The second son, who made his old father Ye An worry so much, found his lover in an incredible way, but the general that the third son was waiting for never came.
In the fourth year, Prince Yingchuan got married and went to his fiefdom with the princess who had supported him and ended up in the royal family by mistake.
Although Prince Qinghe was not married, he also left the imperial city soon after.
The general then returned. Although he had cautiously rejected the Third Prince before, Qiao Yunting still couldn't help but pay attention to the news about the Third Prince over the years, until he was sure that he was nothing to the young man.
He begged the emperor to allow him to enter the palace, originally intending to settle the eunuchs who had served him in the palace.
When he pushed open the dark red gate of Jinhua Palace, he saw a yard full of locust trees. Although they had only grown for a few years, they were already quite strong.
Qiao Yunting was stunned: "What's going on?"
The eunuch explained, "This was planted by His Royal Highness Prince Qinghe himself. Before leaving the palace, His Royal Highness would come over every now and then to take care of it."
Qiao Yunting walked slowly into the hall, stepping on the locust flowers all over the ground. The golden sword that was originally hanging on the wall had disappeared, and was replaced by a plain sword.
"He did this too?"
The eunuch said, "His Royal Highness Prince Qinghe said that you would prefer a real sword, so he has asked me to put away the original golden sword."
Qiao Yunting nodded: "Did he... say anything else?"
The eunuch said, "His Highness asked me to tell you that he is still waiting for you and wants to know if you have made up your mind."
Qiao Yunting said: "...Think it through."
When he saw the tall locust trees in the yard and the sharp swords hanging on the wall, he understood.
I was shocked and moved.
No one had ever really understood him before. Even if there is a pure love in front of him, he will not believe it easily. But now, all the locust flowers floating in the sky fell on his heart.
Taking a deep breath, he seemed unable to pretend to be indifferent any longer.
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This is also a relatively open ending.
The third child got pregnant with Baozi later, when his old father Ye An got pregnant again.
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