Hearing this name, the Duke of Mu slumped heavily into his seat.
Deng Xiao had brought his men. But where was Xiao Jinghan?
If the emperor had truly discovered the plot, he would surely have sent Xiao Jinghan. The fact that Xiao Jinghan hadn't shown up could only mean that he had been assigned to a more important task.
"Open the door," the Duke of Mu ordered.
Everyone thought they had misheard. The Duke had made so many preparations, yet now he was ordering the door to be opened.
"Yes," a guard replied and went to open the door.
Deng Xiao led his men into the Duke of Mu's mansion. Looking at the duke sitting in the middle of the main hall, with the mansion guards on both sides standing at the ready in their fine steel armor, he knew full well that if a battle broke out, it would surely be a bloody one.
"Duke of Mu, the emperor requests your presence in the palace," Deng Xiao bowed.
The Duke of Mu looked at Deng Xiao standing before him. "Are you willing to marry my daughter?"
Deng Xiao always kept his personal and official affairs separate. This was not the time for matters of the heart. "The emperor has summoned the duke to the palace. Please don't delay."
"Answer my question, and I'll go to the palace," the Duke of Mu said directly.
"I am willing," Deng Xiao replied without hesitation.
The Duke of Mu coughed violently twice and nodded slightly. Deng Xiao could protect his daughter at this critical moment. "Good," he said slowly as he got up. He seemed to have aged instantly, but he straightened his back and walked with determination.
Everyone had expected a bloody battle, but the Duke of Mu was a shrewd businessman. He wouldn't do anything that wasn't profitable. When Deng Xiao showed up, he knew he had already lost and there was no point in making a futile struggle.
The emperor needed stability in the country. As long as the duke was willing to submit, the emperor wouldn't push things too far.
It had to be said that the Duke of Mu knew the emperor very well.
The emperor was anxiously waiting in the palace. With Xiao Jinghan and Deng Xiao both on the job, everything should go smoothly, but he couldn't relax until they returned.
"Your Majesty, Commander Deng has brought the Duke of Mu to seek an audience," Xiaodezi said as he trotted in and bowed.
The emperor's face lit up with joy. Based on the time, things should have gone smoothly and there had been no fight. "Summon them!"
The emperor had already set up a chessboard. He knew this was the best outcome.
"Your servant, a guilty subject, pays homage to Your Majesty," the Duke of Mu knelt down and kowtowed.
This was the first time the Duke of Mu had bowed on his knees to the emperor since the emperor ascended the throne.
"Please rise, Duke," the emperor said, feeling a sense of relief.
"Your servant doesn't dare," the Duke of Mu remained on his knees. "Your Majesty may punish your servant as you see fit. Your servant has no complaints."
He was well aware of his current situation. As long as the Mu family members were still alive, they could make a comeback. As long as he showed a good attitude, the emperor would at most take back all the Mu family's properties.
"Why do you say such things, Duke? There are annual floods in the south of the Yangtze River. It would be best if the duke were willing to donate some silver for the repair of the water conservancy projects," the emperor said directly.
"Your servant is willing to donate all his family wealth to repair the water conservancy projects in the south of the Yangtze River," the Duke of Mu said generously.
The Duke's generosity made the emperor feel a bit embarrassed. "Mines and other such important resources should be returned to the court," the emperor said.
"Yes," the Duke of Mu kowtowed. "Your servant is willing to request the removal of his duke title. Your servant is unworthy of the honor."
The Duke of Mu knew very well that for the crime he had committed, these were the most basic punishments. Whether he offered them voluntarily or not, the emperor would do the same, but by offering them voluntarily, it would look better for both sides.
The emperor was overjoyed, but on his face, he showed a look of regret. "Duke, you are a founding hero of our Great Jin. It really pains me to see you do such a thing. You may stay in your mansion in the capital and enjoy your remaining years," the emperor said.
"Your humble subject thanks Your Majesty for your kindness," the Duke of Mu kowtowed, already changing his way of addressing himself.
Yi Qing woke up in the morning and felt the empty space beside her. She sat up with a start, scaring Ruohong, who quickly rushed in.
"Madam," Ruohong bowed.
"Has the general not returned all night?" Yi Qing felt that something big had happened.
He had looked so solemn when he took Deng Xiao out yesterday. There weren't many things in the capital that could concern him. Could something serious have happened?
"The general asked the madam not to worry. There was a problem with the city defense army. He will come back after he has dealt with it," Ruohong said.
Yi Qing let out a sigh of relief. She covered her chest. Why did she feel that something was wrong with her body recently? She thought for a moment and took her own pulse. Her expression suddenly froze. She was pregnant!
"What's wrong, madam?" Ruohong asked, seeing the madam in a daze.
"Nothing," Yi Qing smiled. "Prepare breakfast for me."
Although there had been no battle at the Duke of Mu's mansion, there had indeed been some problems with the city defense army. Not only the city defense army, but also some of the imperial guards had been bribed by the Duke of Mu.
As the Duke of Mu was about to leave the capital, these hidden forces became restless. Xiao Jinghan took this opportunity to wipe them out.
They had always been prepared for such things, but Xiao Jinghan had been absent for a year, and these people had taken advantage of the opportunity.
Originally, the Duke of Mu would have at least had his family property confiscated and been exiled. But because of his good attitude, it became a situation where the duke voluntarily donated all his family wealth and requested the removal of his title. The Jinyiwei was in charge of handling this matter.
Although this sounded good, anyone with a discerning eye could see what was really going on. The Duke of Mu must have committed a serious crime, which was why he had to do this.
"Why hasn't Deng Xiao come back yet?" Mu Lixue paced back and forth at the door with her hands behind her back.
"He won't get lost," Yi Qing was thinking about her pregnancy. She had thought it was just because of the busy days recently that her menstruation hadn't come. She hadn't paid much attention before. Now she was trying to remember if she had done anything that might be harmful to the fetus.
"He won't get lost, but what if he doesn't want to come back?" Mu Lixue said, thinking that this was very likely. She turned to look at Yi Qing. "Where did your General Xiao take him?"
"I don't know either," Yi Qing shrugged.
"I'll go back and ask my father to look for him," Mu Lixue said and was about to go out.
Just then, Xiao Jinghan walked in wearing his armor, scaring Mu Lixue back a few steps. She didn't dare to look at Xiao Jinghan.
Xiao Jinghan didn't look at Mu Lixue. He had someone take off his armor and walked over to Yi Qing. "Why are you here?"
"The sun is good today. Ruohong said there was a problem with the city defense army. Is it serious?" Yi Qing saw that Xiao Jinghan's armor was clean, so it should be okay.
Xiao Jinghan hesitated for a moment. "Let's go inside and talk."
"Um—" Mu Lixue summoned up her courage and asked. "Where's Deng Xiao?"
"He's still busy. Please take Miss Mu back to her room to rest first," Xiao Jinghan ordered.
Mu Lixue didn't believe it. "Is he in trouble?"
"No."
Yi Qing saw how excited Mu Lixue was. "My general never lies. He must be okay. Go back to your room first," she said. She knew something had happened, and it was related to Mu Lixue.
Mu Lixue didn't want to go back to her room, but the servants of the Xiao mansion took her back.
"What's going on?" Yi Qing saw the solemn look on Xiao Jinghan's face.
"The Duke of Mu was secretly mining without permission. The emperor found out. The duke had originally gathered his mansion guards and wanted to break out of the capital and flee overseas. But after being surrounded by Deng Xiao, he surrendered," Xiao Jinghan said directly.
Yi Qing didn't expect it to be the Duke of Mu. She thought it was some hidden mastermind. "Then wasn't the elite force you prepared before in vain?"
"If it weren't for the elite force we prepared before, making the Duke of Mu realize that resistance wasn't worth it after weighing the pros and cons, how could he have surrendered so easily? But it will still take some time to break up the duke's other arrangements," Xiao Jinghan came back to let Yi Qing know he was safe.