Chapter 496: Protect the Fourth Brother
There is a floor heating in the room, which makes it especially warm on this cold night.
As soon as Qiao Jingru entered the room and saw Lu Xiang, she couldn't help but tear up.
She was obviously older than Lu Xiang, but most of the time she acted like a helpless child in front of Lu Xiang. The calmness she pretended to maintain at the Qiao family suddenly collapsed in front of Lu Xiang.
"Xiangxiang!" Qiao Jingru called out with sobs.
Lu Xiang took Qiao Jingru's hand, led her to sit on the couch, and ordered Yunzha to bring her some hot tea.
"Is the sister-in-law concerned about Fourth Brother Qiao's matter?"
"You know that too?"
Lu Xiang nodded: "Ah Man saw it on the street today."
Yun Zhe poured Qiao Jingru a cup of hot tea. Qiao Jingru took it and took a sip. Then she looked at Lu Xiang eagerly and said, "Xiang Xiang, I know I am asking too much, but I don't know who else to turn to except you."
Lu Xiang stared at Qiao Jingru and asked tentatively, "Sister-in-law, do you want me to ask the Queen to let Fourth Brother Qiao stay?"
Qiao Jingru shook her head fiercely when she heard that. "No, the Minister of War is Prime Minister Liu's man. It's impossible for him to let Fourth Brother stay. Moreover, Fourth Brother is going to do what he should do. We can't ignore the people of Changcheng for our own selfishness. I heard that He Zhiyi, the son of Wu'an Marquis, is also going with him this time. You can ask him to take care of Fourth Brother. I don't ask Fourth Brother to make great achievements, but at least don't let him be cannon fodder on the battlefield."
She was good friends with He Zhiyan, but He Zhiyi was the biological son of the wife of Marquis Wu'an, who had never had a good look at He Qiaoyan, and He Zhiyi might not listen to He Zhiyan, so after much thought, she decided to find Lu Xiang.
For the Queen's sake, He Zhiyi should at least give her some face.
The one leading the army this time is Marquis Yongyi. He is the Second Prince's old warrior and a member of Prime Minister Liu's party. It would be fine if he didn't pay attention to the Fourth Brother. He is just a small soldier anyway. As long as the Fourth Brother protects himself, he will be able to return safely.
But I'm afraid that Marquis Yongyi will go crazy and find out Fourth Brother's identity, and then deliberately fight against him. Then it's unknown whether I will die on the battlefield or at the hands of my own people.
If he died on the battlefield, they would have nothing to say, but they were afraid that he was ambushed by Marquis Yongyi, which would be too unfair.
Lu Xiang nodded: "Okay."
If the eldest sister-in-law wanted Fourth Brother Qiao to stay in the capital, things might be a little tricky. As she said, the Ministry of War is Prime Minister Liu's people, and if that happens, it will attract Prime Minister Liu's attention, and he might even be punished to death.
But if I just send a message to He Zhiyi and ask him to take care of Fourth Brother Qiao, it wouldn't be difficult.
He Zhiyi is the Eighth Prince's man, so when Chu Jinyan said something, he would naturally do his best to protect him.
At the same time, Qiao Yuanan also walked out of the palace in the night.
He was the top scholar, and Chen Hanlin intended to cultivate him, so he brought him to the palace to discuss policies. Although he could not say a word from beginning to end, this was also an opportunity for him to show up in front of the emperor.
The cold wind at night was even more biting.
He did not take a carriage or a sedan chair, but just strolled on the candlelit streets.
The capital city at night has a different kind of liveliness than during the day. Far away from the battlefield, it is always filled with laughter.
Someone was releasing river lanterns by the river, so Qiao Yuanan sat under a tree, quietly watching the lanterns slowly drifting in the river. Halfway through, the lantern turned over and sank into the water.
Not far away, a girl's excited voice came from a carriage: "Stop, stop!"
"What's wrong?"
Shen Pin lifted the curtain and ran out, without looking back, he said to Shen Chi inside: "I saw Qiao Yuanan, big brother, you go back first."
Shen Chi's face darkened as he looked at his sister who had disappeared without even waiting for his consent.
This stinky girl who forgets her brother for the sake of a beautiful woman.
Didn’t she ever think about letting herself go back first and how she would get home later?
The driver looked at Chen Chi blankly: "Master, are you still...still leaving?"
"Wait." Shen Chi gritted his teeth.
Qiao Yuanan was staring at it intently, and then he felt someone sitting down next to him. He turned around subconsciously and saw Shen Pin's shallow smile: "Qiao Yuanan, what a coincidence."
"Hello, Miss Shen." Qiao Yuanan nodded slightly at her and said politely.
"Why are you here?"
"Think about something."
Shen Pin held his chin with both hands: "What are you thinking about? Tell me, maybe I can give you some advice."
Qiao Yuanan smiled faintly, shook his head and said, "Thank you Miss Shen for your kindness."
Seeing this, Chen Pin let out a disappointed groan, then found another topic to talk about: "My eldest brother went to the Anguo Mansion for something, so I went with him. He went to talk to the Anguo Duke, and I went to talk to Song Zhenzhen. I just came out of the Anguo Mansion."
"What about you? Why are you still on the street so late?"
Qiao Yuanan felt that he and Shen Pin were not familiar enough to discuss private matters, but seeing the girl asking him with a gentle smile, he didn't want to refuse and offend her, so he hesitated for a moment and said, "I just came out of the palace."
"You came to the palace so late, it must be because of the battle in Changcheng. My eldest brother went to see Duke Anguo because of this matter. Although my father won a battle, his military strength is far inferior to that of the Western Jin Dynasty, so he is waiting for the court to send reinforcements."
Hearing this, Qiao Yuanan suddenly remembered that General Shen, who led his troops to defend Changcheng when the enemy attacked it, was Shen Pin's father. His expression became a little solemn: "General Shen is brave and courageous. He will definitely be able to defeat the Western Jin army. Once the court's reinforcements arrive, we will be able to recapture Qixia Pass in one fell swoop."
Shen Pin smiled slightly, his spirits high: “I also think my father is very powerful.”
"Jingyi's most admired people are Duke Anguo and General Shen. He must be very happy to be able to fight the enemy together with General Shen this time." Infected by Shen Pin's confidence, Qiao Yuanan couldn't help but relax.
"Is your fourth brother going to the war too?" Shen Pin was devoted to Qiao Yuanan, so he naturally knew everything about his family and knew that the Jing Yi he was talking about was the fourth child of the Qiao family.
Qiao Yuanan nodded: "Yes, he wanted to join the army, and this time supporting Changcheng can be regarded as fulfilling his wish."
"Ah, what a coincidence." Chen Pin said, and suddenly blinked, "This is the first time for Fourth Brother to go to the battlefield, so you are sitting here absent-minded, my eldest brother is also going to the battle this time, don't worry, I will definitely ask my eldest brother to protect Fourth Brother well and make sure he returns to the capital unscathed."
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