Inside the East Palace.
The Crown Prince is teaching the Fourth Prince how to play chess.
The two brothers have a very deep brotherly bond, so the Fourth Prince often stays in the East Palace.
"I see!"
A childish voice sounded, filled with joy.
"This move landed here, right?"
The fourth prince tilted his little face up and looked at the crown prince with sparkling eyes.
The prince lowered his eyes and a hint of surprise appeared on his gentle face.
The next moment, he raised his hand and rubbed the Fourth Prince's head, and said sincerely:
"Xiao Si is really amazing. You saw through me. When I was your age, I spent a whole night thinking about this step."
The fourth prince happily made his move and said with a smile: "It's not because I'm better than my brother, it's because my teacher is better than my brother's teacher!"
The prince was slightly startled when he heard this, then curled his lips and said, "Little Four is really good at praising people."
At this time, a guard tiptoed into the hall, glanced at the prince, and said nothing.
The fourth prince glanced at the guard and immediately said with a smile: "Brother, I'm tired. Can I stay here tonight?"
The prince put down the chess piece in his hand and said lovingly, "Then you can sleep with your brother tonight."
The Fourth Prince cried out in delight and obediently got off the bed.
"Then Xiao Si, go wash up first and wait for your brother to come!"
The prince couldn't help but touch his head again, "Xiao Si is so good, go ahead."
The eunuch who was newly assigned to the Fourth Prince hurriedly followed.
The Fourth Prince left quickly, and when he passed by the guard, his eyes turned slightly without any expression.
He had never seen this guard around his brother before.
My brother seems to be very busy recently.
He must be obedient, learn martial arts from Lord Qiao, and grow up quickly, then he can share the worries for his brother!
The fourth prince stepped out of the door, looked at the lights in the distance, clenched his little hands, and his heart was full of determination.
There was no one around, so the guard approached the prince and reported something in a low voice.
The prince was playing with a black dot on his fingertips, his expression calm and thoughtful.
"Has General Guo left?" the prince suddenly asked.
The guard nodded respectfully, "General Guo left, but Master Guo did not leave the palace with him."
The prince nodded calmly upon hearing this, "Since Guo Gaoyi is left behind, then this matter is settled."
Keeping Guo Gaoyi in the palace is nothing more than imprisoning him in the imperial prison, which means not making it public.
Since my father is willing to save General Guo's face, it means that the military power in the southern border must be handed over to General Guo.
General Guo is a loyal and righteous man, and he is also good at fighting. It is a blessing for the people of Yong Dynasty to have him guarding the southern border.
"Where are the four yamen runners?" the prince asked again.
The guard quickly replied: "Huang Pei has already asked someone to interrogate him."
The prince knew that Huang Pei was a capable man and he thought he could pry something out of him.
Pulling out the radish brings out the dirt, second brother, you have to accept this fate...
"Go down."
The guards withdrew respectfully.
The prince sat quietly in the room, staring at the flickering candlelight in a daze.
Today, someone just happened to rescue Guo Gaoyi, and his people didn't even have to take any action.
If General Guo sent someone to watch over Guo Gaoyi, he would probably not even let him enter Zuixianlou.
Who is it?
He was able to plan and attack quickly and accurately, and yet he could escape unscathed.
The prince had some guesses in his mind.
The next moment, his eyes slowly moved to the black and white chessboard, and then he casually placed a piece.
No one can escape this situation.
What matters is who will be the final winner...
The prince suddenly stood up, brushing his sleeves, and strode towards the moonlight outside the palace.
Don't let Xiaosi wait anxiously.
That little clever boy probably knows everything.
————
At the morning court the next day, Emperor Yong said a lot of nice words in front of his ministers.
The general idea is that they are grateful for General Xiao's contributions to guarding the border over the years, and now that their eldest daughter is getting married soon, they want him to have a good rest.
Then he issued an order to transfer the military power in his hands to the highly respected General Guo.
Although the court officials were prepared, they did not expect that the emperor would make up his mind so quickly.
They thought it would take at least ten days or half a month to decide on the candidate.
Of course, since the emperor has made his decision, all they have to do is kneel down and shout “Your Majesty is wise.”
Qiao Zhongguo had a calm expression, and it was only until he prostrated himself that he quietly raised the corners of his mouth.
This decision was obtained after many of them worked hard together!
In this way, General Guo will not have to worry about anything and can focus on guarding the southern border!
After leaving court, Eunuch Huang first went to the imperial prison.
Emperor Yong's decision yesterday was to imprison Guo Gaoyi for three years, and he could only return home after the three-year term was up.
And after he returns home, he is not allowed to step out of the Guo Mansion again!
Guo Gaoyi originally thought that he was going to die, but now that he had saved his life, he was naturally filled with gratitude and cried out that the emperor's grace was so great.
But at this moment, Eunuch Huang went to the imperial prison not for Guo Gaoyi, but for those yamen runners.
"Have you finished the interrogation?" Eunuch Huang asked calmly.
The jailer hurriedly brought over a few pieces of paper, which were all confessions obtained from the interrogation that took place overnight.
"Eunuch, everything is here, please take a look." The jailer said flatteringly.
Eunuch Huang took it and glanced at it casually, then put it in his arms without changing his expression.
"Let's deal with those bailiffs."
After Eunuch Huang finished speaking, he turned around and left calmly. Only after he was released from the imperial prison did his expression change quietly.
Today, His Majesty is probably going to be furious!
Eunuch Huang hurried into the imperial study, and when he saw the Crown Prince and Tan Hanchi were there, he restrained his expression.
"Zhan'er, you and Minister Tan go down first." Emperor Yong said calmly.
The prince looked calm, and he and Tan Hanchi retreated respectfully.
Upon seeing this, Eunuch Huang handed the confession in his arms to Emperor Yong, "Your Majesty, the results of the interrogation have been revealed."
Emperor Yong lowered his eyes and read ten lines at a glance.
In fact, there was nothing special in the confession. It was nothing more than that those yamen runners took money and framed Guo Gaoyi according to the instructions. They did not know who instructed them.
Emperor Yong had anticipated all this.
He was just waiting, waiting for solid evidence to confirm his guess.
Now, knowing clearly that there was someone behind the scenes, Emperor Yong slowly closed his eyes.
When Eunuch Huang saw Emperor Yong's calm expression, he became nervous and a look of worry appeared on his face.
Because he understood Emperor Yong, this was the prelude to his rage!
But even so, as a servant, he still had to speak out to comfort her.
"Holy..."
Just as Eunuch Huang opened his mouth, Emperor Yong suddenly flicked his sleeves and threw the memorials on the table to the ground.
Crackling——
"Your Majesty, please take care of yourself!"
Eunuch Huang jumped slightly, and quickly knelt on the ground, shouting to comfort him.
Emperor Yong's face was extremely gloomy, with veins throbbing on his forehead.
He placed his hands on the table, his chest rising and falling violently, and after a long while he gritted his teeth and said, "I really underestimated the second brother!"