The four hundred and seventieth chapters behind the forces
"Ning'er, do you believe that I absconded out of fear of crime?" Mu Jingrui threw a few more thick firewood into the bonfire.
"Even if you are absconding out of fear of crime, I believe you have a reason to do so."
Mu Jingrui looked at Shangguan Wan Ning, and her unconditional trust made his heart feel warm.
"I suspect that something happened to the Emperor."
Mu Jingrui pondered for a long time and said slowly: "I have put together what happened these days. I think the emperor sent someone to escort me back to the capital as a way of protecting me. But... there was something wrong with the escort.
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"They probably realized or saw through the emperor's thoughts, so they wanted to get rid of me on the way back to Beijing. They humiliated me in various ways along the way, just to ask me to fight back, so that they could use the name of disobeying the imperial edict.
It is justifiable to rectify me on the spot."
"I had no choice but to escape, playing into their hands. Now, the court and the black and white in the rivers and lakes are chasing me. I heard that there is a reward for my life in the rivers and lakes, and the reward has reached one thousand taels of gold."
Shangguan Wan Ning held her chin, looked at Mu Jingrui carefully, and couldn't help but laugh softly.
"So, what's in front of me now is no longer a person, but a pile of walking gold?"
Seeing that Shangguan Wan Ning was still thinking about joking, Mu Jingrui's mood improved, so he stretched out his hand and flicked her forehead.
"Yes, do you want this pile of gold?"
Shangguan Wan Ning grabbed Mu Jingrui's hand and asked with a smile: "Then what are your plans?"
"I must rush back to the capital as soon as possible. The emperor has even given up his small words. It can be seen that he is gradually losing control of the situation in the court."
"But..." Shangguan Wan Ning frowned slightly, "What kind of person can have such a powerful force and can compete with the emperor?"
"What do you think?"
Mu Jingrui's rhetorical question made Shangguan Wan Ning fall into deep thought.
Anyone who dares to confront Xiao Yujue needs to risk implicating the nine clans.
There are only two purposes, one is to take advantage of the emperor and the princes; the other is to replace him.
If it is the first type, Xiao Yujue is already an adult, and after all, the city is very deep, and it is not easy to control him;
If it's the second kind...
To replace it, it needs to be justified. First of all, it must be a member of the Xiao family, otherwise it will be a traitor...
Someone from the Xiao family?
Shangguan Wanning's eyes lit up.
Xiao Beiming.
"Jing Rui, you mean...Prince Ming?"
Mu Jingrui didn't think about Xiao Beiming at first, but if Xiao Yujue was kicked off the throne, who else in the civil and military dynasty would be able to take the throne with peace of mind except Xiao Beiming?
"However, Prince Ming has never asked about government affairs. If it weren't for us asking for help, he would never have even set foot in the capital. Would he... really have such ambitions?"
Mu Jingrui pondered for a long time and shook his head helplessly.
"All this is just my guess. If you want to get confirmation, you have to rush back to the capital as soon as possible."
Mu Jingrui sighed deeply and said: "I can't summon my men now because there is a traitor. I have no way to determine who is loyal and who is traitor."
After he escaped, he tried to contact his men, hoping to return to Beijing as soon as possible with more guarantees.
However, he found that every time he contacted his men, a large number of killers would be chased and intercepted, resulting in heavy casualties among his close men.
Mu Jingrui realized that the other party's influence had infiltrated around him.
In order to avoid causing further casualties, he decided to act alone.
When he reached this area, he had no choice but to pause his journey due to the collapse of the road ahead.
He accidentally discovered Shangguan Wan Ning's traces and was worried that those who wanted to deal with him would be inconvenient to protect her secretly.
"Then...you can mingle with my entourage. I have my father's token. When I go to Chuanzhou, the local government will always give me some face."
Mu Jingrui shook his head.
"Everyone in the world knows that you are the one who cares about me. You have been targeted. If I get mixed up with your entourage, it will be even more troublesome."
Shangguan Wan Ning thought about it carefully and it seemed to make sense.
"Then what should we do now? How can you compete with so many people by yourself?"
"No matter what, I don't want to involve you. I'll take you back to the inn after dawn tomorrow, and you can return to Beijing as planned. I'll handle the rest by myself."
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Wan Ning's face darkened and she shook off Mu Jingrui's hand.
Mu Jingrui was a little baffled when he saw her suddenly angry.
"What's wrong? What did I say to make you unhappy?"
"Mu Jingrui, do you...don't regard me as...one of your own?"
"Fool, why do you think so?"
"Then why do you want me to go back alone?"
"I don't want you to be in danger..."
"But if I return to the capital and something happens to you on the road, then I..." Shangguan Wan Ning lowered her head and shook her lips, her eyes suddenly turned red.
Mu Jingrui's heart ached and he hugged her into his arms.
"I just don't want to implicate you. Now both the black and white are looking for me, just in case..."
"Nothing goes wrong. Just because so many people are looking for you, I can't leave you behind." Shangguan Wan Ning tightly grasped Mu Jingrui's hands.
"Jing Rui, please stay with me. No matter what happens, we will advance and retreat together, and we will face difficulties together."
Mu Jingrui was greatly moved. He gently pulled Shangguan Wan Ning out of his arms. He wanted to say something, but Shangguan Wan Ning took the initiative to kiss his lips.
She probed gently, and all of Mu Jingrui's rational and psychological defenses collapsed in an instant.
He hugged Shangguan Wan Ning tightly, turned from passive to active, and kissed her passionately.
After a long time, Mu Jingrui let go of Shangguan Wan Ning, panting and whispering: "Ning'er, that's it for now... I'm afraid... I won't be able to bear it anymore."
Shangguan Wan Ning's heart was beating wildly. She hid in Mu Jingrui's chest and nodded lightly.
Early the next morning, Shangguan Wan Ning and Mu Jingrui sneaked back to the inn.
After what happened last night, Shangguan Wan Ning felt that her every move might be under surveillance by others.
Having an additional follower in the team would attract attention, so she came to the government office in the name of asking about road repairs.
When the prefect heard that Princess An Ning had arrived, he quickly came out to greet her.
"It is truly an honor for me to have the Princess come here. Please come in, Princess."
Shangguan Wan Ning entered the inner hall of the government office and sat down. After drinking a cup of tea, she said slowly: "Master Magistrate, I was passing through here on my way back to Beijing, but I didn't expect to be blocked by a natural disaster. Last night, I encountered a group of assassins of unknown origin."
"Princess Princess, it's because of the poor management of the lower officials..."
"It has nothing to do with you." Shangguan Wanning interrupted the prefect, "However, this place is still a few days away from the capital, and I'm afraid something will happen on the way. So I want to ask the prefect to write a letter to my father.