There were still many sober people at the banquet. They were simply stunned by the transformation of Princess Dina.
Prince Nian's public question to Xiao Jinghan was a cruel one.
"If the world is in chaos, warhorses will give birth on the outskirts; if the world is in order, warhorses will be used for manure. If the world is in order, I'm willing to use warhorses for manure," Xiao Jinghan said firmly.
He was never a person who chased after power. However, when there were things that must be done, he would step forward. After the deed was done, he would leave quietly, which was his pursuit.
Yi Qing's eyes shifted. Did Prince Nian's sudden question imply that the emperor could actually hear them?
Just then, the gong for the Hour of the Boar rang out. Everyone involuntarily looked at Princess Dina.
Princess Dina, who had been curled up in pain on the ground, suddenly lay on her back. The colors on her face and hair gradually faded, making her look like a white - haired ghost.
Yi Qing looked at Princess Dina lying on the ground in surprise. The Ghost Lord had told her that Princess Dina was dead, but she felt that this woman was indeed Princess Dina.
As the colors on Princess Dina's body faded, those who had been lured into the dream gradually woke up. Seeing the situation at the banquet, they were so frightened that they averted their eyes.
The emperor squinted slightly. Although he had been in the dream, he wasn't completely controlled by it. It was probably because Yi Qing had given him acupuncture before, which made him less weak.
"Attack!" the emperor ordered.
"I am..." Prince Nian didn't expect the emperor of the Great Jin to be so decisive.
Before he could finish, Deng Xiao slit his throat with a sword, leaving no chance for Prince Nian to speak.
Deng Xiao turned around and knelt on one knee.
"The traitor, Prince Nian of the Northern Di, intended to assassinate me. Order the soldiers in Li City to advance a hundred li into the Northern Di territory and demand an explanation from the Northern Di," the emperor commanded.
"Long live our wise emperor!" all the court officials bowed.
After the banquet ended, the court officials left nervously. Xiao Jinghan was summoned by the emperor to the imperial study, and Yi Qing waited outside.
The Prince of Qi wanted to put a cloak on Yi Qing, but she refused.
"Don't!" Yi Qing looked at the Prince of Qi. "Your Highness, don't make such jokes. My general will take it seriously."
The Prince of Qi smiled. "Do you want to know what dream the emperor actually had?"
"The thing the emperor fears most," Yi Qing said directly. "The rebellion of the deposed emperor."
The Prince of Qi thought Yi Qing was too smart. Such a woman was not likely to be happy. She always saw through everything at a glance and was overly rational.
"How did you choose your side?" Yi Qing whispered.
"I'm a prince. I never need to choose sides," the Prince of Qi said confidently.
He knew that Yi Qing had saved him again. If it weren't for Yi Qing's acupuncture before, which allowed him to rest well, he would surely have lost control of himself in the dream.
Yi Qing knew that the Prince of Qi had such confidence. She looked at him sideways with a sly look in her eyes. "What about others?"
The Prince of Qi just smiled and said nothing.
Yi Qing thought it was boring. He had brought up the topic first but didn't say anything further.
But she didn't ask either.
The Prince of Qi rarely remained silent. The two of them quietly waited outside the imperial study. After a while, Xiao Dezi came out and summoned Yi Qing in.
The reason why Yi Qing had been waiting here was actually to check the emperor's pulse and make sure that there were no other problems after the emperor was lured into the dream.
After checking the pulse and confirming that there were no other issues, Yi Qing and Xiao Jinghan left. The Prince of Qi was still waiting outside.
Yi Qing walked a few steps and looked back. Seeing that the Prince of Qi had entered the imperial study, she whispered, "It's quite abnormal for the Prince of Qi to wait like this today."
Xiao Jinghan nodded.
A person's true self would be revealed in dreams. Although Prince Nian's plan hadn't succeeded directly this time, it was a great hidden danger to the Great Jin.
"Didn't the emperor say anything to you?" Yi Qing asked persistently.
"The emperor asked me to go to Li City tonight," Xiao Jinghan didn't know how to start, so he just said it directly.
"Okay," Yi Qing didn't object at all. "I won't go with you this time."
"I declined and asked my grandfather to go," Xiao Jinghan said with a faint smile.
Yi Qing wouldn't stop Xiao Jinghan from doing what must be done, but she was still very happy to know that their plan remained unchanged. "What about the trip to Southern Fujian?"
"It may be postponed for a few days."
With such an incident in the capital, there would surely be changes. It wasn't suitable for them to leave the capital at this time.
Just as the two of them left the palace, more than a dozen assassins surrounded them. Xiao Jinghan recognized them as the killers from Ghost Floating Mountain.
This was probably Prince Nian's backup plan. Fortunately, the emperor had acted decisively and eliminated Prince Nian. His continuous tricks were really hard to guard against.
Although Xiao Jinghan had secret guards by his side, the attackers were too fast. Yi Qing was bumped into while dodging, and a sharp pain shot through her abdomen.
During the banquet today, Yi Qing had already felt something strange in her abdomen. It was precisely because of this that she had gotten rid of what Princess Dina had given her. With this bump, she felt that she was about to give birth.
"Miao'er, Second Sister, protect me into the palace," Yi Qing gritted her teeth.
Seeing Yi Qing's state, Xiao Jinghan attacked more fiercely. The few killers were quickly dealt with.
"Qing'er..." Xiao Jinghan carried Yi Qing and ran into the palace. At this moment, he could only take Yi Qing into the palace. "Quickly summon the imperial physician," he ordered.
Xiao Jinghan carried Yi Qing to the Jiao Lan Palace of the queen. Since such an incident had happened today, the queen hadn't rested yet. She immediately ordered preparations to be made.
After the emperor learned about this, he also came. Suddenly, everyone in the Jiao Lan Palace became nervous.
Yi Qing was a doctor herself, but this was the first time she had experienced premature labor, and there was also bleeding. She was a little worried.
Time passed bit by bit. Xiao Jinghan paced back and forth in the corridor, almost wearing through the floor tiles.
It was the first time the emperor had seen Xiao Jinghan like this. He suddenly remembered this young man's calmness even when covered in blood. He never expected that becoming a father would change him so much.
"Don't worry. She has a tough life," the emperor tried to comfort Xiao Jinghan.
"How can I not worry?" Xiao Jinghan said angrily. "You've never been a father, so you don't understand."
These words directly hit the emperor's soft spot. He turned around and walked aside to feel self - pity.
Once, he had also hoped and thought about giving the best things in the world to the person he loved most. Unexpectedly, it had all ended in vain.
Xiao Jinghan thought he might have gone too far. "I didn't mean it."
"It's okay. I just thought that you could remain calm in the midst of thousands of troops, but you're so nervous just because Yi Qing is giving birth," the emperor couldn't understand such feelings.
Xiao Jinghan thought for a while and laughed. "The ultimate hope in the midst of thousands of troops is just a peaceful new life."
The emperor thought for a while and looked at the sky. Before he knew it, it was already the middle of the night. The capital was not peaceful tonight either. "Have you thought of a name?"
"The nickname is Xiao Xing," Xiao Jinghan wanted to pick the stars from the sky for Yi Qing, just like their long - awaited daughter.