Shangguan Wanning went through the most difficult part of the journey under the protection of Mu Jingrui. She felt as if all the courage and strength in her life had been used up.
During the rest of the trip, Shangguan Wanning didn't say a word to Mu Jingrui, she even avoided him deliberately.
Mu Jingrui understood her feelings, so he didn't bother her on purpose. The journey back to Beijing became silent and sad.
When they were still fifty miles away from the capital, a white team blocked their way ahead.
Mu Jingrui saw the word "Zheng" on the white sail from afar.
He signaled the team to stop.
The three brothers of the Zheng family walked slowly over with a group of servants and came to Zheng Zhixing's coffin in silence.
Zhengzhong's eyes turned red and he immediately knelt down.
"I am incompetent and failed to bring the young master back safely. I deserve to die!" Zhengzhong burst into tears and kowtowed several times.
The three Zheng brothers did not react. Zheng Binghang slowly reached out and gently stroked the edge of the coffin. His lips trembled slightly, but the tears in his eyes never fell.
"Zhixing, go home... Dad is here to pick you up..." Zheng Binghang choked and clenched his fingers into fists.
"Second uncle, I'm sorry..." Shangguan Wanning walked forward, not daring to look Zheng Binghang in the eye. She could only lower her head, her body trembling slightly.
"It has nothing to do with you." Zheng Binghang raised his eyes and cast his gaze towards Mu Jingrui who was walking towards him. He sneered and asked, "My son followed General Mu to the battle, went alive and returned dead, but he did not sacrifice his life for the country. General Mu, can you tell me how my son died?"
Zheng Binghang obviously already knew that Zheng Zhixing died at the hands of Mu Jingrui, and his questioning was now aggressive.
"I will go to your house and give a complete account of Zhixing's cause of death." Mu Jingrui looked at Shangguan Wanning's evasive eyes and felt a little inexplicably sad.
He sighed helplessly and said, "Since you are here, take his body back first."
Mu Jingrui waved his hand gently, and the soldier responsible for carrying the coffin put it down and stepped aside.
Seeing that Mu Jingrui had no intention of admitting his mistakes, Zheng Bingrong was furious and scolded, "Mu Jingrui, don't think you are great just because you won a battle. I tell you, you must give an explanation for Zhixing's death. Otherwise..."
Before he finished speaking, Zheng Bingrong slammed his palm towards the huge rock on the side of the road.
The boulder broke into two pieces with a loud noise.
This palm strike frightened many soldiers nearby. The strong smell of gunpowder from both sides made the soldiers retreat one after another, fearing that they would get burned.
Mu Jingrui himself has a bad temper, so how could he tolerate such an open threat from Zheng Bingrong?
He was about to explode when he saw from the corner of his eye that Shangguan Wanning couldn't help but take two steps forward, but then had to stop.
Mu Jingrui slowly loosened his clenched fists.
"Walk."
Mu Jingrui didn't say much, but ordered to move forward.
He felt that he had already made concessions, but in the eyes of the three Zheng brothers, this was simply a provocation and contempt.
"A young boy is so arrogant. I..."
"Third brother, forget it. It's more important to take care of Zhixing's funeral first."
Zheng Binghong stopped Zheng Binghang who wanted to catch up, and looked meaningfully at Shangguan Wanning who was keeping her head down and silent.
"Our Zheng family and Mu Jingrui have a feud. It's hard to say what will happen in the future. Let's try to have less dealings with people like him."
Shangguan Wanning knew that her uncle's words were meant for her.
Her mind went blank and she completely lost the ability to think.
I originally thought that if I won this battle, I would be able to happily marry Mu Jingrui and rewrite my fate in the previous life, but who knew...
Shangguan Wanning was feeling heavy-hearted, and coupled with the long journey through mountains and rivers, she suddenly felt a black screen in front of her eyes, and completely fainted.
When she woke up again, she found herself lying in a familiar room.
"Ning'er, you're finally awake." Madam Shangguan immediately stood up and walked to the window, bowing outside, "May God bless my daughter, she is safe..."
After saying that, he rushed back to the bed, held his daughter's hand tightly, and said tearfully: "You, girl, you really make me worry. You actually dared to run to the border where the war is going on. If anything happens to you, I..."
Mrs. Shangguan thought of her dead nephew and burst into tears.
"Mom, I'm sorry..." Shangguan Wanning pulled her mother's hand that was wiping her tears and secretly took her pulse.
She found that her mother's pulse was stable and much better than before.
It seems that with Lu Xiangzi's care during this period, my mother's health has recovered a lot.
"It's okay. Silly child, I'm glad you came back safely. It's a pity for Zhixing..."
Her mother's words brought back all of Shangguan Wanning's sad thoughts.
"Mom, Zhixing is now..."
Madam Shangguan sighed heavily and said, "Wake up and wash yourself, and we'll go back to your grandfather's house. Tomorrow... Zhixing will be buried."
Shangguan Wanning's heart ached deeply. She found it hard to let it go and even harder to accept it.
Until Lu Tong came in to help her wash and change her clothes, she pondered for a while and couldn't help asking: "Lu Tong, how long have I been unconscious?"
"To answer the young lady, it has been a day and a night."
"Then...did anything special happen during this day and night?"
Lu Tong paused while combing Shangguan Wan Ning's hair. She had been serving Shangguan Wan Ning since she was a child, so how could she not understand her young lady's thoughts.
She pretended to be casual and said, "It's nothing special. The emperor knew about my cousin's affairs, and he issued an order to give the Yiyong Marquis's Mansion a lot of rewards, exempted my cousin from the crime of murder committed at the border, and allowed him to hold a funeral according to the original specifications. In addition..."
Lu Tong secretly looked at Shangguan Wan Ning and whispered, "General Mu returned triumphantly. The emperor was very pleased and gave him many awards. Now... the Mu Mansion is full of guests and a big banquet is being held to celebrate."
Shangguan Wanning’s face turned pale, and her heart instantly became hopeless.
She said nothing, changed into plain clothes, and followed her parents to the Marquis of Yiyong's Mansion.
That night, Shangguan Wanning kept vigil for Zheng Zhixing and accompanied him for the last night.
On the day of Zheng Zhixing's funeral, they passed through Nan'an Street in the capital. All the people living on this street were either rich or noble, and many of them were important officials in the court.
Every household laid out offerings as a road sacrifice to show their respect for the Zheng family.
Shangguan Wanning followed the funeral procession forward, and further ahead was the Mu Mansion. Her heartbeat accelerated involuntarily, and an ominous premonition continued to spread in her heart.
Mu Jingrui had already instructed his servants to prepare the offerings and place them at the door. As the funeral procession approached, he became nervous.
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