"father!?"

"Master Qiao!?"

Qiao Zhongguo had not revealed this to the Tianzhengdiyi brothers beforehand, so the three young men were all shocked at this moment.

Qiao Zhongguo originally felt reluctant and regretful, but now seeing the three of them having the same expressions, he laughed out loud instead.

"Haha, why are you so surprised?"

Qiao Tianjing stood up suddenly, his face full of disapproval.

Even though he can now stand on his own, his father will always be the pillar of support in his heart and the person he respects and adores the most in this world.

It was really hard for him to imagine himself standing in the court without seeing his father.

"Dad, if you retreat bravely under such circumstances, you will resign from your post, which is..."

At this point, Qiao Tianjing suddenly couldn't continue.

He knew that the emperor had always been wary of his father, even though his father had handed over his military power long ago. But his father was so popular that he was like a god in the eyes of the people.

When the people are in power, water can overturn a boat. This is what Emperor Yong fears and is most uneasy about.

If Dad takes the blame and resigns, his reputation will be tarnished, and after he leaves the court, he will slowly disappear from everyone's sight.

This is actually the best way to dispel Emperor Yong's fear.

However, Dad is in his prime and has unlimited ambitions in his heart. Dad has given so much to the Yong Dynasty and the imperial court. This is unfair to Dad!

Dad has been a brave and courageous man throughout his life, and has made countless military achievements. He should go down in history and be remembered forever, instead of leaving the stage in disgrace just because he failed to protect the prince!

"father!"

Qiao Tianjing felt uncomfortable. He was usually a very calm and self-controlled person, but at this moment his emotions were in turmoil and he could not calm down.

Qiao Diyi's eyes widened. He was the most direct in his expression and said:

"No! My father is unrivaled in the world, the most powerful in the Yong Dynasty. He cannot be tarnished because of the damn Second Prince!"

"Father, I will take full responsibility for all the negligence during this trip to the south. I will confront His Majesty when the time comes!"

Qiao Zhongguo's eyes swept across the faces of his two sons, and then fell on the silent Tan Hanchi, and asked with a smile:

"Tan boy, what do you say?"

Tan Hanchi met Qiao Zhongguo's clear gaze, sighed deeply, and said in a deep voice:

"Master Qiao, I respect you."

Qiao Diyi was surprised when he heard this and said, "Brother Tan, do you support my father too?"

When Qiao Tianjing heard what Tan Hanchi said, he suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness in his heart and sat back with a dazed look on his face.

He understands everything, he just can't bear it and won't give in!

Tan Hanchi stood up, bowed deeply to Qiao Zhongguo, and then spoke:

"Master Qiao, you are right. The emperor is increasingly wary of you. This time, he agreed to grant me marriage, but it is conditional."

When Qiao Zhongguo heard this, the corner of his mouth slightly raised, and he understood everything.

How could he not understand His Majesty? After all, he has been with the emperor for nearly twenty years.

This time, the Wanshou Palace banquet was targeted at the Northern Kingdom. In order to dispel the emperor's doubts, they worked tirelessly and made many efforts, which resulted in the emperor rebuking the Northern Kingdom's envoys at the banquet.

But this is not a long-term solution after all. When His Majesty recalls the words "People in the north only know General Qiao, but not His Majesty Emperor Yong", it will be a thorn in his side...

Never mind. Qiao Zhongguo’s first half of life has been spectacular enough. In the second half of his life, he will hide behind the scenes and protect his own small family.

If the Yong Dynasty and the people need him one day, Qiao Zhongguo will certainly not hesitate to die for him!

However, what really made him decide to quit was...

Qiao Zhongguo looked around and looked at his two sons and Tan Hanchi with loving heart.

The young are to be feared.

The boss is meticulous and intelligent, and his future achievements will go far beyond this.

The second brother is an outstanding martial artist and extremely brave, and has long been famous in the military camp.

Although there have been cases in ancient times where a father and his two sons served as officials in the same court, after all, a big tree attracts the wind, and his Qiao family has already prospered to a great extent, so he should quit while he is ahead.

If he continues to stay in the court, he will only hinder the future of the eldest and second-in-command.

As for Tan Hanchi, this kid is extremely rare, and it is possible that he will be granted a title of nobility or become a prime minister in the future.

If I trouble him again and again, it might arouse the emperor's suspicion one day and ruin his life!

"Okay, I've made up my mind. You three just need to work hard in the future."

"I have two sons and a nephew-in-law. When you become successful in the future, I will be so happy!"

"Come, drink!"

Qiao Zhongguo took the initiative to raise the glass and drank it all in one gulp, but still felt it was not refreshing enough, so he simply raised the jar and drank it all.

The strong liquor overflowed from the edge of the jar, wetting Qiao Zhongguo's collar along his chin. There was a hint of heat in his eyes, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise.

carefree!

I am so lucky in this life! I have no regrets!

......

When Duke Yan pushed the door open, he saw four grown men staggering drunk and unconscious. He was so angry that he slapped each of them on the head.

Fine, fine, you don't want to call me when you drink, right? I'll make you lie on the ground all night!

————

The date of the trip to Nanli Country is approaching.

On this day, the Fourth Prince had completed a day's training and was listening carefully to Qiao Zhongguo's next arrangements.

"I'm not here for a while, so you can't be lazy. The plan has been made, so keep practicing!"

The fourth prince immediately nodded obediently, "Master, I remember everything!"

Although Qiao Zhongguo's expression was stern, he couldn't help but raised his hand and touched the Fourth Prince's head.

This kid is becoming more and more talented, really likable.

He gave him a few more detailed instructions, especially telling him not to be greedy and to take things step by step and be solid.

The Fourth Prince agreed to every word he heard, and when he lowered his head, he couldn't help but reveal a look of admiration in his eyes.

Sometimes he felt that the master was more like his father than the emperor...

Qiao Zhongguo had given all the instructions he needed, and was just hesitating whether to ask the Fourth Prince to pass on the message to the Crown Prince. Suddenly, the Fourth Prince raised his head and said innocently:

"Master, I've been a little tired from training these past few days, so I specifically told my brother the Crown Prince yesterday to pick me up today!"

"Look at this time, the prince brother should be here soon!"

Qiao Zhongguo was shocked when he heard this, he lowered his head to look at the innocent little face of the Fourth Prince, his mind turned slightly, and he couldn't help but feel relieved.

This kid...

The fourth prince grinned and pretended to be ignorant, bending down to pick up the wooden spear at his feet.

A few days ago, my second brother suddenly proposed to send Miss Meng to marry into the Nanli Kingdom. There must be a deeper meaning behind this.

Since the opponent is my second brother, how can I let the master do it alone?

My brother is also very powerful. He has been looking for an opportunity. If he could join forces with the master, they would be invincible!

So he took the initiative to talk about this matter with his brother, and his brother happened to have the same idea.

So he made an agreement with his brother to let his brother meet the master on the pretext of coming to the Qiao Mansion to pick him up.

As soon as the Fourth Prince's thoughts reached this point, he heard Brother Qiao's voice coming from afar:

"Dad, the Crown Prince is here!"