The next morning, Shangguan Wanning asked the housekeeper to prepare a sedan chair, and she went to the Ministry of War with only Lutong.
As soon as she got off the sedan chair, the bailiffs came to greet her.
"I pay my respects to Miss Shangguan."
"No need to be polite." Shangguan Wanning nodded slightly and said softly, "Please ask my brother to inform the Minister. I have something to ask for an audience."
"Miss Shangguan, you came at an unfortunate time. Lord Mu was called back from the morning court by the Emperor and was kept by the Emperor to discuss matters. We don't know when he will be back. However, he sent someone to tell you that if Miss Shangguan comes, he can take you directly to see the person you want to see."
Shangguan Wanning felt warm in her heart. Although Mu Jingrui looked cold on weekdays, he actually cared a lot about her affairs.
"Thank you very much."
"Miss Shangguan, please."
The bailiff took Shangguan Wanning through the inner hall of the Ministry of War and came to the cell away from everyone's eyes.
"It's just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it, brother."
Shangguan Wanning asked Lutong to reward the yamen runner, then took the food box from Lutong and followed the jailer's guidance to the innermost cell.
"Uncle?"
Shangguan Wanning saw Zheng Binghong standing under the exhaust vent with his hands behind his back. A ray of sunlight shone in and fell on his body. She felt inexplicably sad.
Zheng Binghong turned around and saw Shangguan Wanning, and an indulgent smile immediately appeared on the corner of his mouth, but he spoke words of reproach.
"How can you, a girl, come to a place like this? Your father doesn't care about you?"
Shangguan Wanning took out the food from the lunch box and said with a smile, "I missed you. Look, I brought you your favorite drunken crabs and beggar's chicken. Come and try them."
Zheng Binghong touched Shangguan Wanning's head. "Finally, my love for you was not in vain."
Shangguan Wanning watched Zheng Binghong eat with big mouthfuls. Being locked up in a cell didn't seem to affect his appetite much, except...
"Uncle, what are your plans?" Shangguan Wanning asked cautiously.
Zheng Binghong smiled bitterly and said, "Whatever. Anyway, I didn't do it. The emperor can investigate however he wants."
"Uncle, Ning'er absolutely believes that you are innocent. But..." Shangguan Wan Ning looked around and lowered her voice, "If you want to accuse someone of a crime, you can always find a pretext. The emperor is investigating your past on the surface, but in fact he wants to suppress the Yiyong Marquis Mansion."
Zheng Binghong paused, sighed silently and continued eating.
In fact, this is also what he is most worried about.
"The emperor will definitely not wipe out the Yiyong Marquis Mansion all at once, but he is afraid of boiling the frog in warm water. Uncle, you definitely don't want the Yiyong Marquis Mansion's many years of achievements to be destroyed in an instant."
Zheng Binghong put down his bowl and chopsticks, looking very worried.
"Uncle, I have a good idea. It can show the emperor that you have no ambition to monopolize military power, and it can also allow you to continue to use your talents in the army. It kills two birds with one stone."
"Um?"
Zheng Binghong looked up at Shangguan Wanning. There was a mischievous light in this girl's eyes that made him laugh.
"Your grandfather and I haven't been able to come up with a good solution for this matter. What ideas do you have?"
"Uncle, you underestimate me." Shangguan Wanning stepped closer to Zheng Binghong's ear and said with a smile, "All you need to do is ask the princess for marriage."
Zheng Binghong was stunned and his face felt a little hot.
His face darkened and he said lightly, "Don't talk nonsense. How can that be possible?"
"Why not? If you and the princess can finally get married, it would be like killing three birds with one stone."
The imperial court has had an unwritten rule since the founding of the country.
Unless the princess married far away, if an official of the dynasty married the princess, it was assumed that he was marrying into the royal family. All the princes-in-law could participate in state affairs, but they could no longer hold power.
If Zheng Binghong could marry the eldest princess, he would continue to be the general as usual, but he would only be given power in times of war.
In this way, the emperor will be less wary of him.
Moreover, since the Zheng family and the royal family became relatives, the emperor could worry less about the Zheng family's rebellion.
"In short, if I say no, it means no." Zheng Binghong was firm.
"Uncle, you have always liked the eldest princess. You were not able to be together because she married far away. Now she is back. If you don't seize the opportunity, what if the Queen Mother betrothed her to someone else one day? Then you..."
"Stop talking." Zheng Binghong interrupted Shangguan Wanning, "Go back. Don't mention this matter again."
Shangguan Wanning originally thought that Zheng Binghong would gladly accept it.
She could see that they both still had feelings for each other, they just needed an opportunity to break through the window paper.
Seeing that Zheng Binghong was really angry, Shangguan Wanning didn't dare to say anything more. She left the cell angrily, with a heavy heart.
She walked to the corner and saw Mu Jingrui with his arms folded across his chest, leaning against the pillar of the corridor, staring at the blue sky in a daze.
Shangguan Wanning walked over and sighed deeply.
Mu Jingrui looked back at her and reached out to tidy up her long hair. "Have you met your uncle?"
"Hmm." Shangguan Wan Ning expressed her thoughts again, complaining a little, "I really don't understand why my uncle doesn't agree."
"If it were me, I wouldn't agree to it either."
Shangguan Wanning was stunned. Could it be her problem?
"Why?"
"You don't understand a man's heart at all."
Mu Jingrui smiled slightly and wrapped Shangguan Wanning's hand in his palm.
"Your uncle has been thinking about the princess for so long, and he is infatuated with her. As a man, how could he allow himself to show his most embarrassing side in front of the woman he loves so deeply? If he wants to marry her, of course he should do it when he is at his best. You asked him to propose to the princess when he is down and out, do you think... with his personality, he will agree?"
Shangguan Wanning was stunned.
She completely ignored this.
"But the princess still has feelings for her uncle. I don't think she would mind."
"Women don't mind, but men do."
"Why are you men so stubborn?" Shangguan Wanning pulled back her hand and punched Mu Jingrui's chest a few times. "It's a shame to save face."
Mu Jingrui held her wrist and led her hand forward.
"Your uncle will definitely not agree. You should think of other ways."
"Then you have to promise me that you will help me take care of him until I come up with a solution."
"Even if I want to deal with him, I don't dare. Am I not afraid that the people from the Yiyong Marquis Mansion will come after me?"
Shangguan Wanning nodded with satisfaction.
Mu Jingrui's words just now did remind her.
Men have too strong self-esteem, so they have to start with women. She absolutely believed that the eldest princess still loved her uncle deeply in her heart.
"Miss, are we going back now?" Lu Tong asked as she lifted the curtain of the sedan chair for Shangguan Wan Ning.
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