As soon as Qiao Yunting left the palace, he saw his second brother outside the palace gate.
Qiao Yunting was visibly delighted: "Second brother, are you here to pick me up?"
"Well, let's go home. Your sister-in-law has already cleaned up the house, and mother has taken the children to the farm. After a short rest, I will take you to see them!"
"Ai!"
Qiao Yunting lived in the Tingxue Hall of the Qiao Mansion, next to the Moyun Hall of Qiao Yunqing's house. The three brothers' courtyards were all independent and of similar size.
When Qiao Xin had originally made the arrangements, she had specifically requested that the family live together in one courtyard, which could also be considered as providing a private space for several rooms in the mansion.
The eldest brother's Xinyi Hall is now occupied by Qiao Dalang and Qiao Erlang, Qiao Da Niangzi and Qiao Er Niangzi. The second brother's family lives in Moyun Hall.
The third son's yard was originally supposed to be occupied by Silang and Wulang, but Qiao Xin thought that the children were young and had no parents around, and the servants would inevitably neglect them, so she moved the two children into her yard to look after them.
Although there is no one living in this yard for the time being, someone cleans it every day. Now that the owner has returned, he can move in directly.
Qiao Yunting learned from a letter home that his mother had been rewarded with such a large mansion by His Majesty. He originally thought that it would only have two or three entrances, but he did not expect it to cover such a large area.
The Tingxue Hall where he lived was about an acre of land, with a study, bedroom, living room and everything else.
He was not at home and his son was with Qiao Xin. There were no wives or concubines in the house. The large courtyard was very empty, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.
The wealthy life in the capital city was indeed beyond his imagination, and he had to adapt to it as quickly as possible.
After a simple wash, Qiao Yunting was eager to see Qiao Yunqing. He had too many questions in his mind that he wanted to ask clearly.
Zhang had already prepared food and was waiting for people in the living room. When she saw Qiao Yunting, she stood up immediately.
"Third brother, you have worked hard on the journey. Come and sit down and have something to eat. You brothers haven't seen each other for a long time. I'm sure you have a lot to say. I won't disturb you for now. If you need anything, just tell the people waiting outside."
Qiao Yunting bowed and said, "Thank you, second sister-in-law!"
When only the two brothers were left in the hall, Qiao Yunting couldn't wait to ask, "Second brother, what's going on? There are so many civil and military officials in the court, why would His Majesty want me to be the general of the Jinwu Guard? This is His Majesty's personal guard!"
"What did His Majesty say to you?"
"It's just about the new appointment. I didn't say anything else. I just felt that your majesty and the King of Qi were in a bad mood."
Seeing the fatigue in his face, Qiao Yunqing scooped a bowl of chicken soup and placed it in front of him. He said, "It's just a chance to get something for nothing. The leaders of the noble families in the court are fighting for the management rights of the salt mines for their masters. With such a big piece of fat meat hanging in front of them, no one would not be tempted.
Your Majesty does not want to let them get away with it, nor does he want others to find fault with them, so you are the one being picked!
First, you are from the Qiao family, and this salt mine was donated by our Qiao family. It is reasonable to let our Qiao family take care of it.
Secondly, my mother has already confessed our affairs to His Majesty, and His Majesty has already investigated your background.
To be honest, your biological mother is the late Princess, and His Majesty and the King of Qi are your uncles. Your Majesty, the King of Qi and the Princess are brothers from the same mother, and they have a close relationship since childhood. The Zhou family is your real family! This is also the main reason why His Majesty is willing to go over others and find you. "
"Then the eldest princess..."
Qiao Yunting had complicated feelings towards his biological mother as mentioned by his second brother, and he couldn't bring himself to call her mother for the time being.
"On the day the princess gave birth to you, the Northern Rong attacked Jiangcheng. For some unknown reason, she was not able to escape. Instead, she asked her guards to take you away. As for your father, he married another woman a year after the princess passed away. Now they have two sons and a daughter."
Qiao Yunting wiped his face with his hand, feeling a little depressed.
"Mother, are you planning to abandon me? Do you also want me to go back to that damn Zhou family as soon as possible? Why should I recognize a guy who can't even protect his wife and children?"
Qiao Yunqing shouted in a low voice: "What nonsense are you talking about? When did my mother stop wanting you? Don't you know my mother's temper? She will definitely not force us to do anything!
If you want to admit it, she won't stop you. If you don't want to admit it, then just be the third child of the Qiao family.
What A Niang meant was that you will have to face these things sooner or later, can you avoid them? Rather than waiting for someone to find out about you and accuse you of deceiving the emperor when you are in a high position, it is better to clear the way for him in front of His Majesty as soon as possible. We are prepared and now have the ability to protect Er Niang, which may not be a bad thing.
Whether you return to your family or not is up to you. That person is your nominal father after all. No matter how dissatisfied you are with him, you cannot slander him in front of others.
I'm not defending him, it's just that it's not worth it for you to ruin yourself for such a person. If something happens to you, who do you think will be sad? It's just that your loved ones are sad and your enemies are happy.
But as for the eldest princess, I should find some time to go and pay my respects in person!"
Qiao Yunting hummed, said no more, and started eating in silence.
Only then did Qiao Yunqing ask about Qiao Yunxin's situation.
"How's your brother? If you need anything, write back more often!"
"Brother is doing well. He has established himself there and is fighting alongside General Fan. The most difficult days were at the beginning. If it weren't for my mother sending so much food every now and then, my brother and I wouldn't be making such smooth progress!"
Qiao Xin's carts of pork jerky, salted duck eggs, mushroom sauce, sour bamboo shoots and special insect repellent bags opened the upper social portal for them.
A man who eats someone's food will be grateful, and a man who takes someone's food will be soft-handed.
Even those local generals who were prejudiced against them in the beginning no longer felt comfortable finding fault with them after they got their share of the good things.
In addition, the brothers were both good at literature and martial arts, and had real skills. They also made many military achievements, so the gossipers disappeared.
"Only the last two counties of Luxi and Mile have not been conquered in this southern expedition. The army is preparing. Once this battle is over, there will be no resistance in the southwest. All the forces in the southwest will belong to our Dajing. With the performance of the eldest brother, a fourth-rank general will not be able to escape."
If his elder brother were to return to Dingyuan Marquis Mansion now, he would probably only be able to advance to the fourth rank, and it would be difficult for him to make any further progress in his lifetime.
Even if he doesn't return to the Marquis's Mansion, His Majesty may not be willing to let him continue to lead the troops. With two generals in the same family and Marquis Dingyuan's influence in the northwest and southwest, His Majesty may not be able to sleep well.
The Dingyuan Marquis Mansion is in danger, and the Qiao family is not much better off!
But isn't it unfair to let my eldest brother retire from the army when he is in his prime?
The two brothers tacitly did not talk about this topic anymore, but talked about the details of their family in Laohu Town. This made Qiao Yunting even more eager to see Qiao Xin.
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