Deng Xiao glanced at the carriage in the distance. He knew that today's incident must have been deliberately orchestrated by someone, but so what if he knew they were up to something?
"You dare to touch me, and I'll have my father punish you!" Mu Lixue stood in front of Deng Xiao and refused to move.
"Forgive my rudeness." The centurion waved his hand.
"Do you think you can afford to offend me?" Yi Qing walked over with Ruo Hong.
"Who are you?" Lady Bai looked at Yi Qing. Seeing that she only had a maid with her, she wasn't worried.
"How dare you be so insolent in front of our mistress!" Ruo Hong said as she attacked.
The centurion was beaten up by Ruo Hong and flew into a rage. "Openly attacking the city guards. How bold..."
Xiao Jinghan walked over with a bunch of candied haws in his hand. "What's going on?"
"General Xiao." The centurion trembled all over in fear.
Xiao Jinghan gave the candied haws to Yi Qing. "Did he upset you?"
"Yeah, he was mean to me." Yi Qing nodded pitifully.
Only then did Xiao Jinghan glance at the man kneeling on the ground. "Go back and receive the military flogging on your own. You'll be dismissed from the city guards from now on."
"General Xiao, please spare my life." The centurion kowtowed.
Xiao Jinghan didn't even look at him. "Let's go. It's such a mess here." He supported Yi Qing and walked away.
Behind them, Mu Lixue grabbed Deng Xiao and followed.
The Duke of Mu's face darkened. It was fine that his daughter was protecting Deng Xiao, but now the Xiao family had to interfere. He told the coachman to drive the carriage over and block Xiao Jinghan and the others.
"General Xiao has been meddling in too many things in the capital recently." The Duke of Mu looked at Xiao Jinghan.
"The capable take on more responsibilities." Xiao Jinghan looked back at the Duke of Mu.
"Does the emperor know how overbearing you are, General Xiao?"
"The Duke of Mu can go and tell the emperor."
The Duke of Mu looked at Xiao Jinghan's fearless look. "General Xiao, one should be humble."
"I think this advice is more suitable for the Duke of Mu."
The Duke of Mu looked at Xiao Jinghan, then turned to look at Mu Lixue. "Get in the carriage and go home."
"I won't." Mu Lixue tightly hugged Deng Xiao's arm.
"If you don't go home today, you'll lose everything from now on." The Duke of Mu threatened.
"I only need Brother Deng Xiao." Mu Lixue clung to him like a drowning man to a lifebuoy.
Deng Xiao looked at Mu Lixue. He originally wanted to push her away, but hesitated.
The Duke of Mu's face grew more and more ashen as he watched them.
Seeing that Deng Xiao didn't push Mu Lixue away, there was a hint more of amusement in Yi Qing's eyes. "I remember the Duke of Mu once said that as long as Deng Xiao went to the duke's mansion and said he was willing to marry Miss Mu, the Duke of Mu would give his daughter to him."
"Yes!" Mu Lixue was excited.
"The doors of our Mu family aren't open to just anyone. Let's go!" The Duke of Mu lowered the carriage curtain and left.
"For a duke, he sure doesn't keep his word." Yi Qing muttered.
They all knew very well that the Duke of Mu had never intended to do so in the first place.
"Brother Deng Xiao, did you agree to marry me?" Mu Lixue looked at Deng Xiao with eager eyes.
Deng Xiao didn't know how to refuse and looked at Yi Qing.
"What are you looking at me for?" Yi Qing turned around and walked away. "She's not going to marry me."
"Let's go." Xiao Jinghan called Deng Xiao.
"If you take me away, you'll be an enemy of the Duke of Mu." Deng Xiao said hesitantly.
"If the Duke of Mu thinks so, I can't help it." Xiao Jinghan had never been afraid of making an enemy of anyone.
The emperor was also reluctant to part with Deng Xiao, but under the pressure from the Duke of Mu, he had to wrong Deng Xiao for the time being. However, the emperor's repeated concessions would also breed resentment towards the Duke of Mu.
Deng Xiao and Mu Lixue stayed in the Xiao Mansion. Yi Qing started to get busy with her pharmacy and the annexation of the Ping family. Wu Min's condition had stabilized, and the maid who had been bitten had regained consciousness. It would still take some time for a complete recovery.
With the support of the Xiao family, no one dared to mention the matter of deposing the queen anymore, and no one even dared to suggest expanding the harem. The emperor and the queen enjoyed a relatively peaceful time.
What annoyed Yi Qing the most was that Mu Lixue kept calling out "Brother Deng Xiao" in the yard and kept circling around her. If this continued, Yi Qing would even want to drive them out.
Five days passed in a blink of an eye. The Duke of Mu was really patient and didn't come to see Mu Lixue.
Xiao Jinghan rushed in from outside. "Where's Deng Xiao?"
"Probably running away from Mu Lixue. You call out to him." Yi Qing felt a headache just hearing Deng Xiao's name. It was like having a tape recorder beside her.
Deng Xiao was indeed running away from Mu Lixue. When he heard that Xiao Jinghan was looking for him, he rushed over in a hurry.
"You're looking for me?" Deng Xiao signaled Xiao Jinghan to take him out.
"Come with me." Xiao Jinghan took Deng Xiao and left.
"Wait for me." Mu Lixue followed them.
"What are you following them for? They're going to be busy." Yi Qing stopped Mu Lixue.
Mu Lixue looked reluctant. "What if Brother Deng Xiao is deceived?"
Yi Qing tilted her head and covered her ears. She really didn't want to hear this.
Now the Duke of Mu's mansion was also in a state of tension. Three hundred fully armed mansion guards had gathered.
The news came last night that the court had discovered his illegal mining of the mine. They would surely take action against him soon. He had to leave the capital as soon as possible.
From the day he started illegal mining, he knew this would be the result. So over the years, he had bribed all the checkpoints in the Great Jin territory. Once something happened, he would immediately flee overseas.
He just didn't expect it to come so soon.
"My lord, are we really going to leave Xue'er alone?" Lady Mu was worried.
"She's safe for now. Once we leave, with Deng Xiao around, the emperor won't make things difficult for her." The Duke of Mu said with certainty.
He never wanted to marry his daughter to Deng Xiao, but now Deng Xiao could save his daughter's life.
The city guards had already been bribed by him. They would open a city gate for them. As long as they got out of the capital, it would be smooth sailing. It was impossible for the court to catch up with him.
Now they just had to wait for nightfall, and everything would happen quietly.
When the emperor saw Xiao Jinghan and Deng Xiao come in, he showed them the secret letter.
"The Duke of Mu has been illegally mining the mine?" Deng Xiao instantly worried about Mu Lixue.
"Just now I summoned the Duke of Mu, but he declined, claiming to be ill. He probably already knows. The spies reported that three hundred mansion guards had gathered in the Duke of Mu's mansion. They're probably planning to break out of the capital. Xiao Jinghan, go and take control of the city guards. I'm worried that some of the city guards have been bribed by the Duke of Mu. Deng Xiao, lead an elite force to bring the Duke of Mu to the palace. If he resists, arrest him directly, but don't harm his life." The emperor instructed.
Illegal mining was indeed a serious crime, but it wasn't punishable by death. Xie Xiuxian had just died, and he deserved it. But the Duke of Mu had no other misdeeds. If he didn't resist, he would be punished leniently.
"Yes." The two bowed.
"There are too many people during the day. It might hurt innocent people. Wait until nightfall to take action." The emperor ordered.
The stalls at the crossroads were put away. A team of city guards ran past. The common people saw this situation and bolted their doors a little tighter.
"My lord, something's wrong. The court has surrounded our mansion." The spy at the door reported.
"Who's leading the troops?" The Duke of Mu stood up abruptly. He thought he had received the news earlier than the emperor, but now it seemed that the emperor and he had received the news at the same time.
"Commander Deng." The spy replied.