Yi Qing stroked her chin. "Then it's unlikely that the arson was due to emotions. Let me think... Could it be that you've hidden something important in the study, like Xiao Jinghan's tiger tally?"
Xiao Tian's eyes darkened. "I do have it."
"Have it?" Yi Qing almost jumped up. "Where is it? Where is it now?"
"I've hidden it in a secret place. It won't be damaged by the fire."
Yi Qing didn't notice that when Xiao Tian said this, there seemed to be two flickering flames deep in his eyes.
"That's good," Yi Qing said. "Xiao Tian, I don't understand things outside. But since you said this tiger tally is in our mansion now, isn't it a bit unsafe?"
"So what's your opinion?"
"My opinion is to return it to the emperor. What's your thought? You and the others don't plan to leave it to Baozi, do you?"
It's a disaster. She doesn't want Baozi to inherit it.
If that's the case, the emperor will surely set his sights on Baozi.
"I just hope Baozi can be a carefree and wealthy person," Yi Qing said. "So if there are no other considerations, it's better to hand it over earlier."
She's now a conspiracy theorist and suspects everyone.
She even suspects if the emperor set this fire.
Who knows if the friendship between him and Xiao Tian is real or fake.
Regardless of whether it's the emperor or not, it's a good thing to hand over this hot potato with the excuse of this fire.
Xiao Tian paused for a long while before saying, "Let's wait until Xu Maozhi comes."
How could he have hidden the tiger tally in the study?
It's just that Yi Qing's question about this matter now is really overstepping the line, which has aroused his suspicion.
He even wondered if Yi Qing wanted to find the tiger tally but failed, so she used this fire to fish for information from him.
But soon he thought this idea was ridiculous.
What would Yi Qing want the tiger tally for?
It's true that two people shouldn't hide things from each other like this, or problems will easily arise.
Both of them had their own thoughts and were silent for a moment.
"Why hasn't Baozi come back yet?" Xiao Tian asked again.
"Probably Zi Su and the Prince of Zhen took him out for dinner," Yi Qing said. With Zi Su around, she wasn't worried. "Let's have dinner too. Don't wait for them."
But Xiao Tian was a worrywart. "I'll go and have a look."
Yi Qing: "..."
In order not to be outdone by this would - be step - father, she also resignedly stood up. "I'll go too."
Just as they walked out of the courtyard gate, they saw Zi Su walking in with Baozi in one hand and a heavy sword in the other, looking extremely fierce. Her clothes were covered in dust, and the Prince of Zhen was striding after her. "Wait for me!"
"Did you fight with the Prince of Zhen again?" Yi Qing asked.
But Xiao Tian noticed that there seemed to be sand in Baozi's hair. He couldn't help taking him from Zi Su's arms and asking in a deep voice, "What happened?"
Only then did Yi Qing notice that there seemed to be blood on Zi Su's heavy sword, and her face also turned cold.
"The horse was frightened, and Baozi was thrown out of the carriage," the Prince of Zhen said. "Zi Su jumped out of the carriage to save him. I was on horseback, so I helped control the carriage..."
With just a few words, Yi Qing and Xiao Tian could imagine the urgency of the situation at that time.
"The frightened horse was deliberately arranged," Zi Su said with a solemn face. "The target should be Baozi."
First the arson, and then Baozi being thrown out of the carriage... Two things in one day. If Yi Qing still didn't realize that this was a deliberate attack on the General's Mansion, even on her and her son, she would be a fool.
Back in the room, Yi Qing carefully checked Baozi and was finally relieved to see that he only had some minor scratches.
Baozi said, "Mom, check Aunt Zi. She was under me. She must be seriously injured."
"It's just a minor matter," Zi Su said, rubbing her shoulder. "As long as you're okay."
"Come in with me," Yi Qing said, reaching out to pull her into the inner room.
Zi Su said she didn't need to, and the Prince of Zhen pretended to kick her in. "If you get a scar, I'll dislike you."
Zi Su didn't even need to pretend and kicked him. "Get out."
The Prince of Zhen got up and pushed her in.
Xiao Tian put Baozi on his lap and asked in a deep voice, "What on earth happened?"
"I want to know too," the Prince of Zhen said, pouting.
He was riding his horse, thinking about how to flirt with Zi Su. Suddenly, the horse pulling the carriage rushed out like a madman, running amok.
After he reacted, he immediately whipped his horse to chase, but even his fine horse couldn't catch up with the mad horse. Then he watched helplessly as the big and the small were thrown out of the carriage like shooting stars.
And Zi Su was saying to Yi Qing, "I found this on the horse's butt."
Yi Qing took the silver needle from her hand. "You could even find such a thin thing?"
"Don't worry about how I found it. Anyway, someone suddenly attacked. I don't know what they used to shoot this silver needle into the horse's butt. Yi Qing, I'm telling you, this time it's aimed at Baozi. If you don't take it seriously..."
A cold light flashed in Yi Qing's eyes, and she sneered. "Do you think I won't take it seriously when someone wants my son's life?"
The culprit had better hide well and not be discovered by her, or she wouldn't let him die so easily!
"Investigate!" Xiao Tian roared. "We must investigate to the end!"
In the darkness, there was already one or perhaps many pairs of evil eyes fixed on the General's Mansion, trying to harm Yi Qing and her son.
If this can be tolerated, what can't?
That night, Yi Qing put down her hair with a heavy heart and was about to go to sleep when she heard the door being pushed open. Then she saw a big one and a small one walking in one after another.
Xiao Tian was carrying a quilt, and Baozi was holding a pillow.
"What are you doing?"
Xiao Tian said nothing and put the quilt on the couch.
Baozi said, "Mom, Uncle Xiao said someone wants to harm you. I'm going to protect you with Uncle Xiao!"
Looking at her son, full of enthusiasm and eagerness to fight, Yi Qing couldn't help thinking that back then she had hesitated between having a child and getting a dog. Now, she was glad that she had chosen to have a son because of her infatuation with Xiao Tian's looks.
She must never let Baozi and Xiao Tian know this thought.
"Do you want to sleep with me?" Yi Qing raised her eyebrows.
"Yeah," Baozi nodded heavily.
"Then come on," Yi Qing said. "Baozi, put the pillow on the kang. It's so cold. How can anyone sleep on the couch? You sleep in the middle, and mom and Uncle Xiao will sleep on both sides."
She truly thought that in this winter without heating, the bed and the couch were too cold, and the warm kang was the most comfortable.
Since Xiao Tian had come to protect her, she couldn't let him suffer.
She was open - minded.
Baozi said loudly, "No, Mom, you sleep in the middle. Uncle Xiao and I will protect you."
Xiao Tian's face flushed instantly. "I can sleep on the couch. Baozi, you go to the bed and accompany your mom."
Yi Qing also knew that he was old - fashioned and adhered to rules. She asked the maid to fill a hot - water bag and stuffed it into his quilt. "Go to sleep."
Xiao Tian said, "You use it. You're afraid of the cold."
"You're not afraid of the cold, but you're not made of iron either." Yi Qing glared at him, then hugged Baozi onto the kang and helped him undress.