Since the end of last year, when Wei Shao and Xing Xun started the war, this battle for hegemony in the Yellow River Basin has become the focus of attention of the princes and city lords of all places.

The spies traveled from east to west, north to south, and delivered the latest news to the master as quickly as possible.

Qiao Ping paid more attention to this war than others.

Although he had never heard Wei Shao call him father-in-law, and even now that his daughter had been married to him for so long, all Qiao Ping's impressions of this son-in-law were only based on the words of others with only scales and claws. Piece together.

But in the bottom of his heart, he had unknowingly developed a sense of intimacy towards the son-in-law he had never met.

In the several correspondence with her daughter, in the past year, when her daughter mentioned this man, her tone gradually stopped being the same as before, it was just a vague title.

Between the lines, and inadvertently, there was more tone mixed with her feelings.

Qiao Ping is both civil and military. In addition to military affairs, he has also made great achievements in poetry and poetry, and he loves his daughter from the bottom of his heart.

The mind is much more delicate than the average father.

Even if the daughter didn't say it explicitly, from her words, he could feel that the daughter should have agreed with this man as her husband.

Besides, she is about to have a baby now.

He naturally pays close attention to the changes in the battle situation.

He sent spies, and every few days, the latest news about the war would be delivered to Dong County. Never delay.

But this time, after he ended the battle of Juye and returned to Dongjun, the latest news about the war still stayed on the one he received half a month ago: because of the bad weather, Wei Shao and Xing Xun Le Zhenggong's Northern Expedition Allied Forces continued to confront the area along the Yellow River Ancient Road. He is at a disadvantage.

Whether it was the news itself or the fact that the spies didn't return, Qiao Ping felt uneasy.

He sent out new spies.

While waiting anxiously for the latest news, this day coincided with Qiao Yue's birthday, not only for Qiao Gong's birthday, but also for Qiao Ping's father and son.

That night, the Qiao family's generals gathered in the longevity hall, and the banquet was staggered.

The whole place was full of joy, but Qiao Ci was the only one who was drinking and drinking without saying a word. Zhang Pu chatted up with a smile: "It's a good thing to congratulate you for winning the battle, and it's a happy birthday for the lord. Tonight, you shouldn't be drunk, but why is your son so depressed?"

Qiao Ci turned a deaf ear and ignored it.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Zhang Pu felt a little embarrassed. He pretended that nothing had happened, and smiled again: "I have good news. Guarantor Young Master will definitely be happy when he hears it."

He coughed and cleared his throat: "Wangba, the Duke of Zuo, is an important official of the Han family, and he has a daughter in his family. She is beautiful and of high quality. The Duke of Zuo has heard that the son is a young hero and intends to marry his daughter..."

The hall gradually became quiet. It's just that before he finished his words, he heard a "pop", and Qiao Ci slammed the wine bottle in his hand on the desk and sneered: "Who are you? Although my mother is gone, my father is still alive. When will I want you to replace me in my marriage? Are you in charge?"

The hall was suddenly silent.

Zhang Pu was embarrassed and turned his attention to Qiao Yue.

Qiao Yue's face sank slightly: "Ci'er is rude! How can you say such a thing? That's what I mean. You are also in the year of marriage, and you are passing on a single for my Qiao family. It's time to think about marriage!"

Qiao Ping hurriedly said: "Brother's kindness, I'll take it on behalf of Ci'er. The daughter of Zuoduhou, Ci'er may not be able to climb high. Zuoduhou's kindness, it's better for my brother to push it. And it's rare for everyone to gather together tonight, It's not appropriate to discuss this matter here. Everyone, just eat and drink!"

Qiao Ping naturally knew that when he was fighting Juye with Zhou Qun, who had invaded by Xingbing, Liu Yan was embraced and proclaimed emperor by Yu Langya, an old minister of the Han Dynasty. He attacked Luoyang and tried to rebel against the imperial court, seeking to restore the original source and restore the Han Dynasty.

At that time, Wang Ba, Dong Cheng, Dou Wu, Deng Xun, and other people ran and shouted for him, shaking the roof tiles.

Therefore, when he suddenly heard the news that Wang Ba intends to marry, he was stunned for a moment, and then he subconsciously refused.

Qiao Yue showed disapproval and wanted to speak again, but Qiao Ci suddenly got up and said straight: "Uncle, my marriage is not in a hurry, and it will not be too late to discuss it later. I just want to ask uncle, General Green Eye I have the grace to help Yanzhou. I will not say it before, this time Yanzhou was attacked twice. If General Green Eyes did not join forces to fight together, I still do not know how Yanzhou is today. Why did my uncle turn a blind eye or refuse to accept it? I'm really puzzled!"

In the battle of Juye, the green-eyed general was majestic, and Zhou Qun also died in his formation. The Qiao family's generals were all convinced. Just in my heart, I am a little puzzled.

At this moment, Qiao Ci suddenly spoke, as if speaking his own heart, and everyone turned their attention to Qiao Yue.

Qiao Yue remained calm and silent.

Zhang Pu said on the side, "Why is the son so disrespectful to the lord? Bi She used to be a runaway slave of the Qiao family, but now the lord does not punish him.

"I only know that the times make heroes! If there are such heroes, I don't like them. Instead, I judge people based on their background and push them away! It's no wonder that Yanzhou has fallen to this, and they have to send women to look up to others to protect themselves!" Qiao Ci sneered.

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere suddenly froze.

Qiao Yue's face changed.

"Presumptuous! The bigger you are, the more ignorant you are! You openly contradicted me for a horse slave!"

Qiao Yue angrily slapped the case and shouted sharply.

Qiao Ping also had a lot of helplessness about his eldest brother's insistence on not recognizing Bi She as his son-in-law.

Can only persuade slowly.

Knowing that his son had just sent Bi She away, he was in a depressed mood, so he spoke out against Qiao Yue. He couldn't bear to blame him, so he just got up and said, "Ci'er is drunk. Go down first!"

Qiao Ci stared at Zhang Pu fiercely, got up from the banquet, turned around and strode out of the banquet hall.

Qiao Ping said: "Don't blame my brother. Ci'er received the life-saving grace of General Green Eyes, and this time Yanzhou solved the problem, and he helped a lot. Seeing that he didn't even have access to the Dongjun city gate, he just drank a few glasses of wine and thought about it. It's because of a momentary uneasiness in my heart that I'm offended. I'll talk to him properly when I go back."

Qiao Yue's face was still gloomy.

The families will see this, knowing that this wine feast is not good to eat anymore, and they are already seven or eight points drunk, so they get up one after another, support each other in twos and threes, and back out, and each part is scattered. carry.

Only Qiao Yue, Qiao Ping and Zhang Pu were left in the longevity hall.

Zhang Pu coughed and lost a wink at Qiao Yue.

Qiao Yuefang finally smiled reluctantly and said, "Forget it, as an elder, do I still know as much as Ci'er?"

Qiao Ping thanked him.

Thinking that his son had just left in a rage, he felt a little uneasy, and said, "It's getting late. I saw that my brother drank a lot of wine just now. If this is the case, we'll go to rest earlier."

Qiao Yue said: "Second brother, wait. You have been busy all the time. You and my brother may not have the time to sit down and have a drink like tonight. Taking this opportunity, my brother will toast you first."

Zhang Pu picked up a jug resting on his food table, filled it for Qiao Ping, and offered it with both hands.

Qiao Yue raised his glass and said, "Yanzhou won a great victory in this battle of Juye, thanks to the efforts of the second brother. Brother toast to you, do it first."

Qiao Ping was stunned for a moment, hurriedly took it, and drank his glass of wine.

Zhang Pu filled his cup again.

"Brother knows that he is mediocre. In these years, the second brother's hard work, both inside and outside, has enabled Yanzhou to have today's situation. While my brother is gratified, he is also ashamed of having a corpse meal. This second cup, my brother's work will be respected!"

Although there are usually disputes between the two brothers due to their different views, at this moment, seeing the sincerity in the words of the eldest brother, Qiao Ping felt in his heart that he had been stumbling and stumbling all the way through these years, and that he had worked hard and worked hard. I couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion, bowed and said: "Brother, don't break the younger brother. If it is not for the elder brother's tolerance, what can I do with my own strength? The younger brother should give the elder brother a cup."

After he finished speaking, he drank it again.

Qiao Yue also seemed to be moved, raised his third glass of wine, and said, "Very good. In the future, if you and my brothers are of the same mind, you will not have to worry about anything!"

Qiao Ping nodded and drank the wine in the glass again.

After three cups, Qiao Ping was about to retire, and Qiao Yue said again: "Wait a minute. I have something else to say to my second brother."

"Brother, please speak."

"To be honest, I have made up my mind to lead Yanzhou to embrace Emperor Han, and completely break with the traitor Xingxun!"

Qiao Ping was taken aback: "Liu Yan? Why didn't the eldest brother mention such a big event in advance?"

Qiao Yue said slowly: "Second brother, what do you mean by this? Could it be that I have to ask your permission first when I do things?"

Qiao Yue was anxious in his heart, and the drink he had just drank seemed to be rolling in his abdomen suddenly, burning his heart and lungs, his forehead and back were sweating in an instant.

"I don't mean it! Breaking with Xing Xun is the right thing to do, but the matter of supporting Liu Yan, eldest brother, please think again! Today, the situation in the world is uncertain, and Yanzhou can protect itself for the time being. In my opinion, we should wait and see. First, don’t rush to serve Langya!”

Qiao Yue snorted: "Second brother, do you think I don't know what you think? You just want to rely on Wei Shao and get a piece of the pie in the future. Brother, I advise you, don't put your hopes on it! Wei Shao was suppressed by Xing Xun, Le Zhenggong and the coalition forces on the old road of the Yellow River. The defeat has been determined, and he will be unable to protect himself. Do you still expect him to protect my Qiao family in the future? , even Yuan Zhe is openly supported! The emperor's grace is mighty, my Qiao family is loyal, and several generations of herdsmen have been ordered here, and now I follow the general trend and support Liu Yan, how can it become a rash move in your mouth?"

Qiao Yue suddenly felt tightness in his chest, and his eyes seemed to turn black.

He tried his best to calm down and said, "Brother, have you ever thought that my Qiao family and Wei family are in-laws! Wei Shao is in a predicament, and I, Yanzhou, should have sent troops to help, even if I don't help, I shouldn't act rashly at this time! Brother! This move is tantamount to falling into a hole, and where do you want to put my daughter?"

Qiao Yue said coldly: "Second brother, what you're talking about is just to tie the life and death of my Yanzhou and Qiao's family to Wei Shao, right? Not to mention that Wei Shao can't protect himself now. Wan Buyan, even if he is lucky enough to escape this catastrophe, there are only two ways out in the future. To worship Liu Yan as the emperor, or to become a great man on his own. If I worship Liu Yan as the emperor, my decision today will coincide with him. Why can't you nod your head? If he is self-reliant, what is the difference between him and the traitor Xing Xun? If he is convicted of treason, my Qiao family will be devastated by Chiyu, and then the world will be scorned, what do you call me? Facing the ancestors? As for the niece, you were forced to marry into the Wei family at the beginning, but you were full of reluctance at the time. In this case, it is not too late to make up for it. In my opinion, it is better to take the opportunity to bring her back, like this If the two families are completely broken, it will also save you from being involved in the future!"

Qiao Ping couldn't bear it any longer, and he was furious: "I can't follow what my brother said! Since my brother has said it to this point, I will speak it bluntly! My brother suddenly decided to join Liu Yan, and he should have decided that Wei Shao must fight this battle. After losing, I was afraid that Xing Xun would be held accountable in the future, so I was eager to clear up the relationship with Wei Shao to show his innocence, right? The marriage between Wei Qiao and his two families was originally intended by the elder brother. What's the difference between this kind of behavior and the grass on the wall?"

Qiao Yue was also furious: "How dare you talk to me like this? Do you still have my brother in your eyes? Don't forget, I am the head of the Qiao family, the governor of Yanzhou!"

Qiao Ping said: "I also know that the brothers are fighting against the wall, so the catastrophe is not far away. It's just this matter, forgive me and I will never agree! I persuade the eldest brother, and Mo people underestimate Wei Shao. Even if he is at a disadvantage now, in the battle of the Yellow River, he may not be able to There is no chance of winning! The spies I sent before have not returned for some reason. The news I know now is only half a month ago. The war is changing rapidly, and what is the actual situation, I have not yet learned, I am still waiting News. I also advise my brother to be more patient and not to do stupid things that make enemies happy and relatives hurt!"

Qiao Yue looked gloomy.

"Wei Shao's troops are not as strong as Xing's, and with Le Zhenggong, the Gaotang battle was defeated, and the army was defeated. Only then did he retreat to Muye. If it wasn't for the severe cold weather, he would have been wiped out by the coalition forces long ago. How could he have survived? Is there a chance to turn defeat into victory? I have no children, and I regard Ci’er as a parent and child. Is it for myself? Not for Yanzhou’s long-term consideration! You don’t need to say more. I’ll tell you the truth, I’ve made a statement to Langya You can't afford to talk about this anymore!"

Qiao Ping suddenly felt stuffy in his chest, his eyes were blurred, and his eyes seemed to be pierced by countless needles.

His eyes suddenly stinged so much that he could no longer see things.

Qiao Ping was furious and overturned the food table in front of him. With the impression of the position he had just left, he drew his sword and stabbed the opposite Zhang Pu. Zhang Pu hit the sword in the shoulder, screamed and fell to the ground.

Qiao Ping swung his sword to slash again, but the medicinal power quickly attacked, swaying, the long sword fell to the ground, and the man fell to the ground.

With the last bit of consciousness left in Lingtai, he gritted his teeth and hissed: "Brother, Yanzhou may be damaged by your hand—

Qiao Yue was trembling all over, watching Qiao Ping gradually stop struggling on the ground, Fang Ji stepped forward, probed his breath, knowing that he was just unconscious, Fang breathed a sigh of relief, turned back suddenly, and said angrily: "What medicine did you put into the wine? Why can't his eyes see?"

Zhang Pu was stabbed in the shoulder, fell to the ground, covered the bleeding spot with one hand, and felt panic and doubt in his heart.

The medicine in the wine was given by Liu Shan, who said it was colorless and odorless, but the medicinal properties were several times stronger than ordinary Mongolian medicine.

Qiao Ping fell at the moment, which was expected.

But the damage to his eyesight, he also did not expect.

Resisting the pain in his shoulders, he said, "Don't panic, my lord. I must have been angry with the lord just now, so I can't see things for a while. After a few days, it will be fine. The priority for the lord is to control the lord, tomorrow. Early in the morning, in the name of the lord and the county lord, I will report to the family and generals, and then wait for His Majesty to come in person and help the lord to control the situation. Now that the Han emperor is here, who would dare to refuse?"

Qiao Yue reluctantly settled down and said, "What's going on with Ci'er? Just stop him, don't hurt him!"

Zhang Pu nodded: "My lord, I have arranged for a trusted confidant, and I will be safe."

…

Qiao Ci rushed out of the Shoutang angrily, and went outside to blow air, thinking that the eldest brother-in-law would not be accepted by his uncle, and the second brother-in-law's war on the Yellow River was unpredictable. down.

When I woke up the next morning, I found that I was locked in the room.

The guard said that he was here at the order of the Duke of the county, and asked the gentleman to think about it in the room.

Qiao Ci didn't think much about it at first.

It was true that he contradicted Qiao Yue in public last night. It is normal for my father to be unhappy and to think about it himself.

But soon, he became suspicious.

There are dozens of guards sent in Mingli, and all the doors and windows are strictly guarded.

Where did he make himself face the wall and think about it, it was clearly the posture of guarding the prisoners.

And all of them were from my uncle's side.

The more Qiao Ci thought about it, the more wrong it became. He wanted to go out immediately, but was stopped by the guards. If he wanted to forcibly break in, hundreds of guards poured out from the dark and trapped him.

Qiao Ci was furious, tried his best to break through the barrier, and rushed to the courtyard, but was caught by a horse that was set up in secret and tripped over, and was locked up again.

One pass is three days.

On the fourth day, Mrs. Ding brought a food box to see Qiao Ci.

The lieutenant named Chen Shao, who was ordered to guard Qiao Ci, was Qiao Yue's confidant. At first, he refused to let him go, saying that he was under the orders of the lord, and that no one could enter or leave. Before he finished speaking, Mrs. Ding spat at him fiercely, and said angrily, "I don't care what the old man said. , I'll bring some food to my nephew, and you dare to stop me? If you want to kill, kill, otherwise I will enter this door!" After saying that, he walked forward.

The guard didn't dare to stop him and watched Mrs. Ding enter.

Chen Shao was helpless, so he had to catch up and asked to take a look at the food box first.

Mrs. Ding uncovered it herself.

Chen Shao checked carefully, and Mrs. Ding said coldly, "Can General Chen still search me?"

Chen Shao hurriedly said, "Don't dare!"

After hesitating for a while, she thought that Mrs. Ding had always been weak and cared for her son as her own son. She suddenly appeared here today. She must have come to visit because she was worried. Even if she let her in, she would not give birth. What's up.

He ordered the guard to give way.

Mrs. Ding sneered, took the food box and moved on.

While Chen Shao ordered someone to watch the prison, he secretly sent someone to sue Qiao Yue.

Qiao Ci had already heard the movement outside. As soon as Mrs. Ding came in, she flew up and asked anxiously, "Auntie, what happened? How is my father? Why did my uncle lock me up—"

"Bah! An immortal thing! Don't call him uncle again!"

Madam Ding cursed bitterly, grabbed Qiao Ci's arm and looked up and down, seeing that he was fine, she breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "I can't see how your father has been these days, and I don't know the details. It was also locked up by that old thing!"

Qiao Ci was furious at first, and turned around to rush out again. When he reached the door, he stopped abruptly and turned around slowly.

"Auntie, what happened these days? Tell me!"

Mrs. Ding sighed: "I heard Zhang Pu's words and voted for Liu Yan! That Liu Yan is at home today!"

Qiao Ci was stunned.

…

Yesterday, Qiao Yue welcomed Liu Yan into Yanzhou, and he called his family to pay homage to the monarch and ministers.

Because of the suddenness of the incident, everyone was surprised at the time, and Qiao Ping had not been seen in the past two days, which was somewhat suspicious.

Liu Yan once took the risk to rescue the young emperor from the tiger's mouth and escaped from Luoyang. Unexpectedly, the young emperor died of a serious illness on the road. Later, he was embraced as the new emperor by Wang Ba Dong Cheng and other old officials of the Han family, who was the orthodox king of the Han family.

The whole world knows this.

Now that he has arrived in Yanzhou, the head of the family, Qiao Yue, keeps claiming that he is a Han minister. If he has any doubts, he will be openly disobedient and even regarded as a traitor.

So in the end, everyone followed Qiao Yue to Liu Yan as a monarch and a minister.

…

"Auntie doesn't know what is a big thing in the world, but only knows that the old man believed that Zhang Pu voted for Liu Yan, but it was because of your father's objection and his calculations! Yanzhou has been charged by Liu Yan, and he usually obeys your father's generals. They have all been replaced. You must not be impulsive, wait until you escape and report to your elder brother-in-law and ask him to rescue your father! Otherwise, if you delay, I am afraid that your father will have an accident!"

Qiao Ci squeezed the knuckles of his fists, his chest heaving violently, barely controlling his emotions, he nodded and said, "Thank you aunt for telling me, I have a few. Aunt please leave quickly, so as not to be blamed."

Mrs. Ding said: "The old man is ruthless and unjust. He doesn't recognize my daughter and son-in-law, and I don't take him as a husband. I'm afraid of him being blamed? There are nearly a hundred guards outside, and there are still many barriers to go out. You can't escape no matter what. Go. You can hold me hostage and kill me."

Qiao Ci immediately refused: "How can I put my aunt in danger?"

Mrs. Ding shook her head, caressed Qiao Ci's hair lovingly, and said, "Don't worry. Although the old man and I have long since lost their relationship as husband and wife, I don't think he would dare to kill him in public. Wait until he leaves the city. The door, you can escape by yourself."

Seeing that Qiao Ci was still hesitating, he said angrily: "Your father's life and death are unknown, and Yanzhou has fallen into the hands of others. If you are trapped here again, do you really want the Qiao family to be in the hands of the old thing?"

With tears in her eyes, Qiao Ci knelt down at Madam Ding and kowtowed, "Auntie is righteous, and nephew will pay her respects!"

Mrs. Ding's expression softened, and she helped him up, took out a hidden knife from her body, and handed it over, "You hold me hostage and go out."

…

When Qiao Yue heard the news, he brought someone there and saw Mrs. Ding being stabbed to the neck by Qiao Ci, and the two of them had already arrived at the screen wall inside the gate.

Hundreds of sergeants surrounded Qiao Ci and Mrs. Ding.

Qiao Yue was furious, separated the soldiers and rushed up, shouting, "Ci'er, what do you want to do? Put down the knife and come back with me!"

"Where is my father now? You tell him to come out. When I see him, I will naturally go back with you. If you want to fight or kill, you are the master!"

Qiao Ci stared at him, word by word.

Qiao Yue felt guilty for a while and was speechless.

Zhang Pu hurriedly said, "Young Master, don't be impulsive. Let go of Madam quickly..."

"I'm talking to my uncle, what are you, come to interrupt?"

Qiao Ci scolded.

Zhang Pu looked embarrassed.

Qiao Yue calmed his mind and said, "that night of the birthday banquet, your father drank too much later, and he fell on the way back and hit his forehead, causing him to faint. Don't worry, Ci'er, uncle has already hired a good doctor. Treat, it will get better in a few days. You put down the knife and come with me first, and I will take you to visit..."

A shadow passed through Qiao Ci's eyes, and without saying a word, she turned her head and carried Mrs. Ding to the door.

Sergeant Ping Japan only served Qiao Ping and Qiao Ci's father and son. Today, there is such a scene. Although I don't know why, I always have Qiao Ci in my heart. Besides, with Mrs. Ding in his hands, where would anyone really stop him? However, he pretended to let them go almost all the way, and let the two of them get to the door.

Qiao Ci ordered to open the door.

Zhang Pu was anxious and ordered a sergeant to stop him.

The sergeant was driven away, and gradually surrounded him again.

Mrs. Ding suddenly stopped, turned her head and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I know you are nearby! You are the emperor of the Han Dynasty, the honor of the ninety-five, but you still remember how I lived in my house when the young man was in distress. To you? I don't dare to expect His Majesty's return. It's just that at this moment I was kidnapped by my nephew. He must leave the city, but his uncle refuses to let him go. If he can't get out, it will definitely be detrimental to me. Your Majesty has always had Lin Feng Zhi Lan. I heard that when His Majesty proclaimed himself emperor in Langya, the people all over the world even danced and sang, praising His Majesty as an unparalleled benevolent king! I know that Qiao Yue is obedient to you. The ants are willing to sacrifice their lives, let alone people? I beg Your Majesty to read The love that day, saved my life, I am grateful!"

Mrs. Ding usually lives in a secluded place and rarely shows her face, but at this moment, her words seem to have entered the hearts of the people.

The sergeant looked back with Madam Ding's gaze, as if Liu Yan was really behind him.

For a while, there was no sound at the gate of Qiao's house, which was crowded with hundreds of people.

After a while, Liu Fan turned out from behind the screen, attached to Qiao Yue's ear, and gave a low voice.

Qiao Yue was unwilling, but he had to obey, staring at Madam Ding fiercely, and reluctantly said, "Let him out of the city!"