Yi Qing thought it made sense, but what should they do about Mu Lixue now?
"Where has Deng Xiao gone?" Yi Qing thought it would be better for Deng Xiao to talk to Mu Lixue about this.
"Deng Xiao led his men to the Mu Mansion yesterday. It was him who took the Duke of Mu to the palace."
Yi Qing burst out laughing. This was what they called the wheel of fortune turning, but it was turning too fast.
"I also have some news for you." Yi Qing tilted her little face up, looking very proud.
"What?" Xiao Jinghan thought it must be good news seeing Yi Qing so happy.
"You're going to be a father again." Yi Qing looked at Xiao Jinghan seriously.
Xiao Jinghan was stunned for a moment, then slowly looked at Yi Qing's abdomen. He knelt on one knee in front of Yi Qing and looked at it carefully: "Really?"
Yi Qing nodded.
Xiao Jinghan was so excited that he didn't know what to say: "I'm really going to be a father again."
Yi Qing looked at Xiao Jinghan's reaction: "Do you think I would lie to you?"
Xiao Jinghan excitedly picked Yi Qing up horizontally, thinking that this time he hoped it would be a daughter.
It took eight days just to take over the Mu family's industries in the capital. It made the people in the capital panic. It was scarier than a large - scale confiscation. If the Duke of Mu had resisted, and the government had confiscated their property, it would have been even scarier.
The Duke of Mu watched as all his open and hidden industries were dug out. He thought that the emperor had not been idle all these years and had already investigated people like them thoroughly.
Since that was the case, it was only a matter of time before they were investigated. It just happened to be at this point.
To comfort Mu Lixue, Yi Qing promised her that as long as she behaved herself, she would definitely make Deng Xiao marry her. So Mu Lixue obediently stayed in the room embroidering her wedding dress.
Her wedding dress was originally supposed to be embroidered by a professional embroiderer. But since she had fallen out with her family, she didn't know if her family would prepare it for her. And she couldn't wait, so she embroidered it herself.
"What should we do?" Yi Qing leaned against a pillar and looked at Mu Lixue, who had almost embroidered her wedding dress into a blood - red one. "If she finds out that the Mu family is gone and it was Deng Xiao who raided the Mu family, how will she react?"
"Let Deng Xiao handle it himself." Xiao Jinghan didn't care. "You just need to take good care of the baby now."
"I..." Yi Qing thought for a while, leaned into Xiao Jinghan's arms, and looked at him coquettishly. "General, I miss you so much."
It was the perfect time to tease Xiao Jinghan. Anyway, he could only endure it. Yi Qing just loved to see him looking like he wanted something but had to hold back.
Xiao Jinghan knew she was doing it on purpose: "I'll remember all of my wife's yearning clearly. I'll pay it back tenfold after ten months."
Yi Qing cursed inwardly. Xiao Jinghan was changing his tactics. She didn't want to play this game anymore.
Deng Xiao was sorting out the Mu family's things. Over the years, their Imperial Guards had investigated these powerful and wealthy families both openly and secretly. He wasn't surprised to find so many things about the Mu family. But he couldn't understand why, since the Duke of Mu was already as rich as a nation, he still privately mined the mines.
Of course, he didn't understand that at the Duke of Mu's level, the Mu family's industries could only grow and not shrink. Shrinkage meant decline, because there were too many people involved.
He sorted out the things and showed them to the emperor for approval. The emperor told him to show them to the Duke of Mu. Since it was the Duke of Mu who had donated them, they had to go through the motions.
There was no obvious change outside the Duke of Mu's mansion, but all the servants inside had been replaced, and the Imperial Guards were watching it around the clock.
Seeing the things Deng Xiao brought, the Duke of Mu directly signed: "Have you seen Xue'er these days?"
"Too busy. Haven't seen her." Deng Xiao was very calm.
The Duke of Mu had once tried to kill him and later asked the emperor to remove his official position so that he could be humiliated. Originally, he and the Duke of Mu should be sworn enemies. But there was Mu Lixue between them.
The Duke of Mu had done those things for Mu Lixue before, and now Deng Xiao was doing what he was doing for Mu Lixue too.
"She has a strong personality. If she gets angry when she knows about this, you should comfort her well." The Duke of Mu actually looked kind.
Deng Xiao was silent for a while: "I won't delay Miss Mu."
"Actually, Xue'er is right. Since you've promised, you should marry her. That's what a real man should do." The Duke of Mu looked at Deng Xiao.
After Deng Xiao went back to the palace to report, he went to the Xiao Mansion. But he lingered at the door of the Xiao Mansion for a long time without going in.
"The servants reported that you were lingering at the door. I thought they had misrecognized you. But it's really you." Yi Qing was helped out by Ruo Hong. "What? Don't know how to face Mu Lixue?"
Deng Xiao lowered his head.
"You actually have someone you don't know how to face." Yi Qing joked.
Deng Xiao was indeed cold - hearted, but that was because he had never felt much affection. Since he joined the Imperial Guards, he was no longer a complete man. No matter how gorgeous his clothes were, in other people's eyes, he was nothing.
Yi Qing had never looked at him with strange eyes, and Mu Lixue only had eyes for him. She was willing to give up everything to protect him. Even if he didn't love Mu Lixue deeply, he felt guilty towards her and didn't want to let down her sincere feelings.
"She still doesn't know?" Deng Xiao stood on the steps below and looked up at Yi Qing.
"We're not fools. Why should we tell her?"
"This was your husband - and - wife's plan."
"What does it have to do with me?"
"How does it not have to do with you? Now everyone in the capital knows that if you offend you, you'll end up with your family ruined. The Duke of Xie and the Duke of Mu are living examples."
"I don't like to hear this. Their family ruin is their own fault. When the Duke of Xie did some things, I wasn't even born yet. And I didn't force the Duke of Mu to privately mine the mines." Yi Qing spread her hands.
"People don't care about the real reason. They only know that as soon as they offend you, things happen and their families are ruined." Deng Xiao knew the way to talk to Yi Qing very well, which was to be more of a rascal than her.
Hearing what Deng Xiao said, Yi Qing despised him: "It's good like this. Let's see who dares to provoke me again. I'll be happy to have some peace. Commander Deng, you can just keep pacing here if you want." After saying that, she turned around and left.
Deng Xiao quickly took small steps up the steps and blocked Yi Qing: "You women are easier to talk to. Please go and probe for information for me first."
"She only listens to you. What's the use of me going?"
"When we investigated the Duke of Mu, we found out about the Chen family. As long as I keep investigating, the Chen family is very likely to be raided." Deng Xiao knew that the Chen family was also on Yi Qing's blacklist.
Yi Qing sized Deng Xiao up: "It seems like you're the one who decides this."
"Of course not. After all, the Chen family has a fief. But I can give it a push."
Yi Qing thought for a while. Since Deng Xiao dared to say this, he must have his own way: "I'll just probe for information."
"Okay." Deng Xiao nodded.
Mu Lixue was still happily embroidering her wedding dress and didn't notice Yi Qing coming in.
"What are you embroidering?" Yi Qing tilted her head and looked at the white, fuzzy thing Mu Lixue was embroidering.
"White hair." Mu Lixue showed it happily. "It symbolizes growing old together. Isn't it very auspicious?"
"You're preparing for death just after getting married. What's so auspicious about that?" Yi Qing said as she sat down beside Mu Lixue.
Mu Lixue glared at Yi Qing unhappily. Her glare made Yi Qing clear her throat awkwardly.
"It's embroidered very well." Yi Qing turned to the side. "What do you think is the crime for privately mining mines in the Great Jin Dynasty?"
"Family confiscation and extermination." Mu Lixue said directly.
"There are many reasons for privately mining mines. Does it necessarily have to be family confiscation and extermination?"