When Emperor Yong heard what the prince said, he nodded in approval.

"That's right. The military doctor is not competent enough. Let Zou Qi go there as soon as possible."

The prince's expression remained unchanged when he heard this, but he sneered in his heart.

Zou Qi is the most trusted imperial physician of my father. The fact that he sent him over without hesitation shows how much he loves his second brother.

If it were in the past, the prince might have felt some waves in his heart, but now, he has long been indifferent.

“Look at this!”

Emperor Yong's tone suddenly became louder, and seemed to contain a hint of anger.

Huang Pei hurriedly handed the object pointed by Emperor Yong to the prince.

The prince only took a glance and his expression changed. Tan Hanchi came forward and was also shocked after reading it!

What they saw was a letter of apology written by Qiao Zhongguo himself!

Emperor Yong snorted coldly, "What does Qiao Zhongguo mean? Is he trying to retreat in order to advance? He wants to resign from his post and not let me hold him accountable for his poor protection?"

"He has been through many battles and is highly skilled in martial arts. Yet, he was asked to escort a mere marriage convoy, and he made such a big mistake, and even caused the second son to be seriously injured! Shouldn't I hold him accountable?"

The more Emperor Yong spoke, the heavier his tone became, and it was obvious that he was extremely angry.

Upon hearing this, the prince's eyes darkened and he felt sad.

In fact, Lord Qiao had already told him before he set out that he wanted to resign.

He couldn't bear to see the court lose such a loyal and brave general, so he immediately tried to persuade him to stay, but Lord Qiao said:

"Your Highness, it's not that I'm unwilling to give up my ambitions, it's just that I've already... Forget it, forget it. When the time comes, once I write this letter of apology, Your Highness will understand my difficulties."

The prince lowered his head and read the letter of apology again. In the letter, Lord Qiao's words were sincere and detailed his crimes of dereliction of duty. It was obvious that he was sincere.

But the emperor guessed that Mr. Qiao threatened to resign in order to escape the blame...

So, my father is so suspicious and wary of Lord Qiao?

The whereabouts of the northern bandits described in the letter are suspicious, and everything seems weird. Shouldn't your Majesty give priority to investigating this matter?

The prince felt sad and thought to himself: Could this be what the history books often say, "When the birds are all gone, the good bows are put away"?

But in his heart he believed more in the saying: Don’t employ people you doubt, and don’t doubt people you employ!

"Father, Lord Qiao must have realized that he had done something wrong, so he wrote this letter of apology to sincerely apologize to you, Father."

Emperor Yong was still angry and was startled when he heard this.

"Zhan'er, do you mean that Qiao Zhongguo is really going to resign?"

After Emperor Yong finished speaking, he suddenly glanced at Tan Hanchi behind the Crown Prince.

Tan Hanchi nodded calmly to Emperor Yong, agreeing with the prince's statement.

Emperor Yong was surprised when he saw this, and suddenly stopped talking.

After a long moment, he waved his hand.

"Forget it, you guys can leave first. I still need to think about this matter carefully."

The prince saw that Emperor Yong had never mentioned the "Northern thief" from beginning to end. He glanced at the letter of apology in his hand and sighed in his heart:

"Master Qiao, I finally understand today how your passion has been treated by our father..."

The prince returned to the Eastern Palace, and Tan Hanchi went to the Hanlin Academy, and the two separated halfway.

But before Tan Hanchi had walked far, a young eunuch suddenly caught up with him, panting.

"Tan...Tan Xiuzhuan, the emperor has requested you."

Tan Hanchi's eyes flickered when he heard this.

After returning to the imperial study, he found that the emperor had sent the crown prince away and only recalled him. Tan Hanchi then understood everything clearly.

It seems that His Majesty has become wary of the Crown Prince when it comes to dealing with the Qiao family!

Why?

Is it because the Fourth Prince is close to the Qiao family, so His Majesty believes that the Crown Prince is also on good terms with the Qiao family?

Or is it because His Majesty himself knows that the Qiao family is a loyal and righteous family, and the suspicion in his heart cannot be expressed on the surface, nor can it be shown in front of the bright and upright Crown Prince?

"Your Majesty."

Tan Hanchi's mind was full of thoughts, but his face showed no sign of abnormality.

Emperor Yong stepped down from his seat, his expression unclear, and he asked slowly:

"Do you think Qiao Zhongguo really wants to resign?"

Tan Hanchi was secretly on guard. Facing this question, he had already discussed it with Lord Qiao in advance.

So he bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I see that the confession letter is sincere and there is no intention to shirk responsibility. I am afraid that Master Qiao has already noticed Your Majesty..."

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid Lord Qiao is trying to protect himself."

"Protect yourself?"

Emperor Yong repeated it calmly and suddenly laughed.

"He, Qiao Zhongguo, served the country, the people and me. He refused to accept the title of Duke of the State and insisted on being a third-rank imperial censor."

"He has such a stubborn temper, but now he knows how to protect himself?"

Tan Hanchi thought for a moment and whispered, "Perhaps...Master Qiao has a weak spot."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yong immediately remembered Qiao Zhongguo's reputation for loving his wife and daughter.

Recalling also the way he always held his little daughter in his arms and couldn't let her go during every palace banquet, she couldn't help but sneered and shook her head.

"Oh, people can't remain unchanged after all. Even the world-famous Qiao Zhongguo became soft-hearted after being tied up."

"In this case, I will keep him!"

Upon hearing this, Tan Hanchi looked up in surprise, but in an instant he understood Emperor Yong's complicated thoughts.

They all thought that Emperor Yong wished that Qiao Zhongguo would resign from his post and leave the court, so that he would fade out of the people's sight.

But now Tan Hanchi changed his mind and realized that the crime of failing to guard the people was nothing at all.

As time goes by, small mistakes will become less important. Based on Lord Qiao’s past achievements and reputation, he will become the most glorious figure in the hearts of the people!

His Majesty is afraid of Lord Qiao. He is afraid of Lord Qiao’s reputation and his nearly perfect reputation!

Therefore, now that Lord Qiao has committed a crime and has a weakness, His Majesty wants to keep Lord Qiao, let him make mistakes, and let him be punished!

His Majesty wants to pull Lord Qiao down from the "altar" step by step!

This is the emperor's mind, which is more complicated and suspicious than they imagined!

"Your Majesty is wise!"

As if he had just come to his senses, Tan Hanchi flattered him "sincerely":

"In this way, not only can Lord Qiao continue to serve His Majesty, but His Majesty can also...rest assured."

Emperor Yong smiled meaningfully, "Just think of it as a reminder to Qiao Zhongguo."

"After this incident, if Qiao Zhongguo is sensible, he should know what to do."

"After all, I don't want to lose such a capable minister."

Tan Hanchi nodded in agreement, but his heart was extremely cold.

Your Majesty is...forcing Lord Qiao to tarnish his own reputation!

After Emperor Yong came up with an idea, he asked Tan Hanchi to step down.

At this time, Huang Pei was the only confidant left in the imperial study.

Emperor Yong leaned back on the dragon throne, slightly closed his eyes, and seemed to be slightly tired.

After a while, he suddenly said: "Huang Pei, the appearance of this northerner is strange..."

Huang Pei was startled and nodded, pretending to be ignorant.

"Yes, Your Majesty! I am an old and stupid servant. I really can't understand why these northerners went to the border between our Yong Dynasty and Nanli Kingdom."

Emperor Yong suddenly stood up and lightly touched the letter written by Qiao Zhongguo.

Huang Pei was close, and he saw when he raised his eyes that Emperor Yong's fingertips fell on three words -

"Second Prince"!

Huang Pei's heart trembled slightly.

So, His Majesty is really unaware of anything?