The reason why Mu Jingrui was able to destroy the Goshawk Kingdom in a short period of time was entirely dependent on the help of the Wu Xiong Kingdom.
He made a deal with Wu Xiongguo, and soon after they retreated, they would hand over the three border cities.
He has not returned to the court for a long time. It is not to recuperate at all. In fact, he went to Wuxiong Kingdom to discuss the matter.
After Shangguan Wan Ning heard the news, she was even more sure that something had happened to Mu Jingrui. But at this moment, she found that she could not contact Mu Jingyan.
The people in Mu's Mansion said that she went to the Prince's Mansion last night and never came back.
Shangguan Wan Ning went to Yiyong Hou Mansion to stay temporarily in the name of visiting her grandfather.
"cousin?"
At noon, when most of the female relatives were taking a lunch break, Zheng Zhixing climbed through the window and secretly entered Shangguan Wan Ning's room.
"Why don't you go through the front door?" Shangguan Wan Ning was startled, and after closing the window, she asked, "What about the thing I asked you to inquire about?"
"Aren't you still worried about me doing things?"
Zheng Zhi walked to the table, picked up an apple, wiped it on his sleeve, and took a bite.
"I found out from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's personal bodyguard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was in a very embarrassed state when he came back. Apparently he was being chased and was injured. He did not seek treatment from an imperial physician, but sought treatment from a private doctor."
"In addition, the prince sent a team out the day after he came back. I heard that they were searching for something. The search route completely avoided the official road. I guess that the prince should have come back through that road. He sent
Those who went out were either looking for someone or chasing clues about his murderer."
Shangguan Wan Ning pondered for a long time and said with certainty: "He must be looking for someone."
"Why?"
"Looking at the court and the world, how many people can dare to assassinate the prince? There is no need to look for the answer. The parties involved already know it."
Shangguan Wan Ning's heart slowly sank. "Zhixing, can you do me one more favor?"
Zheng Zhixing showed a troubled look. "You don't want me to help you sneak out, do you? That's not possible. Grandpa and uncle will have to peel off a layer of my skin if they find out."
"If you help people to the end..." A sly smile flashed in Shangguan Wan Ning's eyes, "Don't you really like the dagger that your uncle brought back from Persia the year before last? How about I get it for you?"
"You can really do business. Use your uncle's things as favors? You have achieved your goal and you have lost nothing..."
"Then will you agree or not?"
Shangguan Wan Ning put her hands on her hips, and Zheng Zhixing knew that the next step was for her to come up and grab his ears.
"Okay, okay, let me think of a way." Zheng Zhixing thought for a while and said, "In half an hour, you can find a way to sneak into the backyard. I will wait for you there."
The two siblings immediately high-fived each other, and Zheng Zhixing climbed out of the window and left again.
Shangguan Wan Ning came to the backyard as promised, and Zheng Zhixing had already prepared two fast horses.
"I spent a lot of money to buy the search route for the troops sent by His Highness the Crown Prince. We will go there immediately. I have already told my entourage and asked him to tell Grandpa that we went out to find nothing and come back in two or three days.
"
The siblings have done this before, and although they will be punished when they come back, it won't be too severe.
The two of them galloped along the way. After leaving the capital, they went further and further off the road. By sunset, they had already entered the woods.
Unable to move forward on horseback, the two men tied their horses to a slope and walked forward holding torches.
"If you won't be able to walk for a while, don't let me carry you." Zheng Zhixing warned in advance.
"Don't worry, you are looking down on me."
Shangguan Wan Ning looked at Zheng Zhixing's back and couldn't help but feel infinite emotion in her heart.
In his last life, his untimely death was all caused by her; in this life, she must protect him.
"Cousin, what are you looking for?" Zheng Zhixing asked curiously.
"Mu Jingrui."
Shangguan Wan Ning felt that there must have been some changes that outsiders didn't know about when Mu Jingrui escorted Xiao Yujue back.
Xiao Yujue did not report the news of Mu Jingrui's death to the court, which shows that he himself is not sure. If you follow the path that Xiao Yujue took back, you will definitely find something.
"But this stretch of road is very large..." Zheng Zhixing couldn't bear to attack Shangguan Wan Ning and swallowed back half of his words.
The two walked forward in silence for a long time. Shangguan Wan Ning was too tired to walk.
"Cousin, you rest here, I will find you some water nearby." Zheng Zhixing was also a little tired, but he felt that as a man, he should protect women.
He put the torch into Shangguan Wan Ning's hand and warned: "Don't be afraid, I won't go too far. If anything happens, just shout loudly."
"Um."
Shangguan Wan Ning watched Zheng Zhixing leave, and the surroundings suddenly fell silent, with only the sound of wind blowing and the rustling of leaves.
She looked around, still feeling a little panicked.
Suddenly, she heard messy footsteps.
She is definitely not Zheng Zhixing.
Shangguan Wanning didn't want to cause trouble, so she quickly put out the torch and hid behind the bushes.
Four or five men in black walked towards her direction. Under the moonlight, the steel knives in their hands reflected a cold light.
Are these people Xiao Yujue's subordinates?
Shangguan Wan Ning did not dare to act rashly. She held her breath and hid her body, silently praying that Zheng Zhixing would not come back at this time.
"Boss, the blood is gone in this area."
"He must not be able to run far if he is seriously injured. The superiors have said that he cannot be allowed to return to the capital alive no matter what. Search carefully."
Shangguan Wan Ning was terrified.
Could the "him" they were talking about be Mu Jingrui?
She was so confused that her head turned involuntarily. Out of the corner of her eye, she inadvertently caught sight of a huge centipede crawling towards her, and it was about to climb up the top of her instep.
Shangguan Wanning has been most afraid of these cartilaginous animals since she was a child. Her mind went blank and she completely forgot about her situation. She opened her mouth to shout loudly.
A hand reached out from behind and covered her mouth.
"Well……"
Shangguan Wan Ning struggled desperately, but the opponent's strength was so strong that she was suffocated. The strong smell of blood made her feel chills down her spine.
"Don't move, it's me!"
This voice...
Shangguan Wan Ning immediately stopped struggling as if she had been cast a restraining spell.
The other party felt the change in her and let go of his hand, allowing her to breathe fresh air.
The man in black gradually went away, and Shangguan Wan Ning let out a long sigh of relief. She turned around impatiently and met Mu Jingrui's deep eyes.
"Jing Rui?"
"Silly girl!"
Mu Jingrui looked at Shangguan Wan Ning with smiling eyes and gently stroked her cheek with his fingers.
Pampering, beyond words.
"You scared me to death," Shangguan Wan Ning lightly hit Mu Jingrui's chest and asked, "Where did you run to?"