Why is Ye Ziyu here?
Shouldn't he be at the Tiger Riding Camp?
However, their arrival was just in time; it was a good opportunity to test Ye Zeyu's attitude towards this marriage.
Ye Jingchun composed himself and said in a deep voice, "Let him in."
Ye Zerui, however, had a strange, bad feeling about him.
How could Ye Ziyu have arrived at such a convenient time?
Could it be that someone planted a spy next to him?
However, it was only after seeing Ye Ziyu escorting Bai Shuo to the palace that Ye Zirui realized the seriousness of the situation.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"
Ye Zeyu released Bai Shuo, clasped his hands in a fist and knelt on one knee.
Upon seeing this, Ye Zerui said, "Brother, why didn't you remove your armor when you came to see Father?"
One sentence made Ye Jingchun frown even more.
"Now that they have some military power, they no longer respect me!"
Ye Zeyu hurriedly clasped his hands and explained, "Father, please calm down. It was really a sudden incident. I rushed here to report everything to you, which is why I didn't take off my armor."
Ye Jingchun glanced at Bai Shuo, who was kneeling on the ground trembling with his hands tied and his mouth gagged. He narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Is this matter related to General Bai? If so, let General Bai speak for himself."
After saying that, he gave a wink to the eunuch beside him.
The eunuch understood and stepped forward to pull out the rag that was stuffed in Bai Shuo's mouth.
Ye Ziyu remained kneeling on the ground with his eyes lowered, his heart silent.
He had long known about his father's favoritism and was used to his father's distrust of him, so he expected that his father would listen to Bai Shuo's explanation directly and would not give him a chance to speak first.
Once his mouth was freed, Bai Shuo ignored the soreness in his mouth and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I was misled by the slander of a villain and wanted to test Prince Yong'an's abilities, which led me to do such a foolish thing!"
Bai Shuo had already prepared his explanation on the way here.
He downplayed the whole incident, describing the deliberate targeting of Ye Zeyu as an attempt to test Ye Zeyu's ability to handle military affairs, and the near-mutiny as a test of new recruits.
Of course, the most crucial point is that he emphasized one of his captains.
“Ma Hao has always been my confidant. Although he is only a minor captain, he is as resourceful as the Marquis of Anyang back then. Whenever I encountered a difficult problem, he would give me advice. This time, he also came up with the idea.”
"Your Majesty, I am guilty. I should not have been so easily swayed by one side's opinion. I should have considered things more carefully. I caused Prince Yong'an to misunderstand, and almost led to disaster. I am guilty! I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
After the upheaval nineteen years ago, Ye Jingchun had no one to rely on, so at the Empress's recommendation, he put Bai Shuo in charge of the Tiger Cavalry Battalion, which was responsible for guarding the safety of the capital.
Bai Shuo was neither good at literature nor martial arts, yet he was still highly valued by Ye Jingchun after the Bai family's affairs became serious, precisely because he was both stupid and cowardly.
If the Bai family intends to rebel, Bai Shuo will definitely reveal his weakness or come directly to confess to him.
Therefore, Bai Shuo has always been in charge of the Tiger Riding Battalion.
But Bai Shuo's actions now make Ye Jingchun think twice.
Although Bai Shuo is stupid, would he really listen to the words of a mere captain and do such a stupid thing?
Although Bai Shuo didn't say it directly, his words implied that the captain was Qiao Xiuyuan's man.
Then, thinking back to what Ye Zerui had just said—that Wei Huai wanted Wei Yichen to marry Su Muxi because he knew Su Muxi wasn't doing well after marrying into the Anyang Marquis's household—he suddenly realized that neither of these things was so simple.
Although Qiao Xiuyuan was recommended by the Empress to enter the Ministry of War, he has been loyal to her all these years and has rarely had any contact with the Bai family.
So, could it be that the Bai family felt that Qiao Xiuyuan could no longer be used by them, and therefore wanted to use him to get rid of Qiao Xiuyuan?
Knowing Ye Jingchun as he did, Ye Zerui naturally thought of these things as well. After hesitating for a moment, he knelt down before Ye Jingchun and said, "Father, General Bai is simple-minded and loyal to you. Over the years, he has been trying to do something to impress you, which is why he was taken advantage of by a villain. Please forgive him!"
But then Ye Jingchun said in a deep voice, "The Qihu Camp cannot be entrusted to simple-minded people! This time we were used by villains, but what if we are used by the enemy next time?!"
"The Northern Yan delegation must proceed to the capital immediately; the safety of the capital is of utmost importance!"
Having said that, he looked at Ye Ziyu, who was kneeling on the ground, and asked in a deep voice, "Is Prince Yong'an willing to take command of the Qihu Camp?"
Upon hearing this, both Ye Zerui and Bai Shuo's expressions changed.
Ye Zeyu seemed quite surprised by Ye Jingchun's sudden arrangement, and after hesitating for a long time, he slowly said, "Your son is about to get married, and I'm afraid I won't have time to be distracted too much."
Upon hearing this, Ye Jingchun shouted, "The Tiger Cavalry can reach the capital in less than half a day on horseback. Your marriage is arranged by the Empress Dowager. Why should you be distracted by it!"
"I see that you've only been a leisurely prince for a few days, and all you know how to do is indulge in pleasure!"
"This matter is settled then. I will issue the decree shortly!"
"As for Bai Shuo, hmph! He's sentenced to a year of imprisonment and half a month of confinement to his home. After half a month, I'll see how he behaves and then make further arrangements!"
Bai Shuo wanted to defend himself, but after seeing Ye Zerui's gaze, he obediently shut up and thanked him.
After catching his breath, Ye Jingchun dismissed everyone except Ye Zeyu.
Looking at his tall and handsome eldest son, who had been away from home for many years, Ye Jingchun felt quite emotional.
He had never paid any attention to his son since he was a child, until he heard that Ye Zeyu had made meritorious contributions in the army, and only then did he start to take his son seriously.
Over the years, they have met only a handful of times. Each time they meet, he notices that Ye Ziyu has grown taller and stronger, while his aura has become increasingly cold.
"Yu'er, have you ever blamed me?"
Ye Jingchun suddenly murmured, his voice tinged with guilt.
"...Your Majesty, I do not understand what you mean by this. How could I blame you, and why would I blame you?"
Although Ye Zeyu was wearing a mask and his expression was obscured, his dark eyes were full of sincerity.
Ye Jingchun carefully observed Ye Zeyu's reaction, nodded slightly in his heart, and then told him that the princess of Beiyan was coming to marry him and had specifically named Ye Zeyu.
"What do you think of the Northern Yan princess, Yu'er? If you agree, I will disregard my pride and issue an edict tomorrow to cancel your marriage with Su Muxi."
To Ye Jingchun's surprise, Ye Zeyu's reaction to these words was so strong.
"Father! This is absolutely unacceptable!"
This time, Ye Zeyu knelt down on both knees and kowtowed to Ye Jingchun after speaking.
Ye Jingchun raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What's wrong? I've heard that the Northern Yan princess is beautiful and graceful. Why is Yu'er unwilling? Could it be that you're planning to follow Qiao Ziming's example and marry a concubine as well?"
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