Mu Jingrui was very efficient and the army set out immediately after it was ready.
Shangguan Wanning had no way to see him off, so she lay on the windowsill and played with the potted plants out of boredom.
I don’t know when, there was a person in front of me.
She slowly raised her head and met Sun Jinyao's eyes. "Brother Yao?"
"The old monster asked me to tell you that I will teach you acupuncture from today on..."
"Really?" Before Sun Jinyao could finish, Shangguan Wanning stood up excitedly, ran to the door, and came to Sun Jinyao's side, "Then let's go, let's go find Master now."
Shangguan Wanning has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.
But Lu Xiangzi always refused because she was not ready yet. Now that Mu Jingrui was not around, she could just concentrate on her studies.
Sun Jinyao looked at Shangguan Wanning's cheerful figure, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing an imperceptible smile.
For half a month, Shangguan Wanning was immersed in the knowledge taught by Lu Xiangzi. She would receive letters sent back by Mu Jingrui every three days, and her life was uneventful.
"Miss, the old man is here. Madam wants you to go over." Lu Tong came in and interrupted Lu Xiangzi's explanation.
"Then let's stop here today. It's just right for me to go out for a walk and have a drink." Lu Xiangzi has never had high expectations for Shangguan Wanning.
"Okay, thank you, Master."
Shangguan Wanning bowed and stepped out, following Lutong to the garden. From a distance, she saw her grandfather and mother sitting in the pavilion drinking tea and chatting.
"Grandpa." Shangguan Wanning ran over and sat down next to Zheng Guoxun, then picked up the pastry and stuffed it into her mouth.
"You are so unruly. You don't act like a girl at all." Mrs. Shangguan scolded with a smile.
"It doesn't matter. Our Ning'er hasn't married yet. You can do whatever you want at home." Zheng Guoxun looked at Shangguan Wanning with a doting smile.
Shangguan Wanning smiled brightly. "Grandpa, why did you think of coming to see me today?"
"It's like this. I've been idle lately, so I thought about going back to my hometown to worship my ancestors. Looking back, I haven't been back for 20 years. If I don't go back, I'm afraid I won't be able to walk anymore."
"How could that be? Grandpa is still very strong and healthy. Even if he is over 100 years old, he can still walk very fast."
Zheng Guoxun was very happy to hear his granddaughter's compliments and sighed softly.
"No matter what, I can't refuse to accept my old age. In the past, I always had a lot of worldly things that I couldn't let go of. Now, I'm free from the burden of being an official."
Shangguan Wanning saw a hint of melancholy in her grandfather's eyes and she took his arm.
Zheng Guoxun patted the back of her hand gently and said, "I've thought about it. If I can get used to going back to my hometown this time, I won't go back to the capital."
"Dad..." Mrs. Shangguan's face suddenly changed and her eyes turned red.
"Silly girl, don't be sad. Fallen leaves return to their roots. When people get old, they always have to go home. I have been on the battlefield for half my life. It is a gift from God to be able to retire and return home. Compared with those brothers who died on the battlefield, I don't know how many times luckier I am. It's just..."
Zheng Guoxun suddenly turned his head and looked at Shangguan Wanning, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Alas, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to see Ning'er again in the future... I really don't want to let her go."
Shangguan Wanning also became sad. The decline of the Zheng family was actually the biggest blow to Zheng Guoxun in his later years.
Returning to his hometown now is probably his way of escaping from reality.
Especially when Shangguan Wanning learned that her third uncle Zheng Bingrong would also return to his hometown with her grandfather, she was filled with emotion.
She knew that her grandfather had made up his mind not to return to the capital.
So, Shangguan Wanning proposed to send Zheng Guoxun back home.
Shangguan Yue and his wife discussed it and, considering Zheng Guoxun's current mood, agreed to their daughter's request.
Anyway, Mu Jingrui won’t be back so soon, so there’s no rush for their marriage.
A few days later, Zheng Guoxun made his journey after completing his preparations. Before leaving, the eldest princess personally saw him off and said goodbye, which was considered to be giving him enough face.
Along the way, Shangguan Wanning tried her best to make Zheng Guoxun happy. Her only regret was that she would no longer receive Mu Jingrui's letter on time.
That evening, Zheng Guoxun and his group found an inn to stay overnight.
After dinner, Shangguan Wanning asked the store owner if there was a post station nearby. She had written a letter and wanted to send it to Mu Jingrui.
She did not alarm Zheng Guoxun and others. After all, Mu Jingrui was an indelible shadow for the Zheng family.
After some inquiries, Shangguan Wanning finally found the post station. After sending the letter, she walked back. As it was already dark and she was not familiar with the road conditions, she followed the instructions of an aunt and inexplicably walked into an alley.
"Is it a dead end?" Shangguan Wanning stomped her feet in anger. Just as she was about to turn around and walk back, she suddenly felt a darkness in front of her eyes.
"Let me go..."
Shangguan Wanning felt that she was being carried up by someone. Her hands were restrained, so she could only kick and kick with her feet.
"Who are you...let me go..."
Shangguan Wanning was caught in a large sack. She was a little scared and felt a pain in her neck, then she fainted completely.
"Boss, this batch of goods is quite good..."
"Yes, especially this one. It makes people feel weak all over just by looking at it."
Shangguan Wanning seemed to hear vaguely the voices of several strange men. She tried hard to open her eyes, but her vision was blurry.
"That's right. We'll ship it tomorrow and sell it for a good price."
When Shangguan Wanning woke up completely, she found herself lying in a dark and damp room. She looked around and saw a dozen girls of her age.
They were either sobbing or looking dazed, huddled in a corner and shivering.
Shangguan Wanning's thoughts suddenly became clear.
Her memory was frozen at the moment she was kidnapped.
how so?
She struggled to stand up, walked to the door and knocked desperately. "Open the door...open the door quickly..."
She knocked for a long time, and the door was finally pushed open. She was caught off guard and fell heavily to the ground.
A ferocious-looking man walked in with a long whip in his hand, and without saying a word, he whipped Shangguan Wanning twice.
"What are you arguing about? If you keep arguing, I'll beat you to death."
The severe pain caused Shangguan Wanning's consciousness to pause for a moment.
When she came to her senses, the big man had already walked out and there were two bloody marks on her arm.
"Stop yelling. The more noise you make, the harder they'll hit you."
A timid voice came from the corner. Shangguan Wanning turned around and saw a thin girl with disheveled hair and tattered clothes.
"Who...are they?"
"have no idea……"
"Why did they arrest us?"
"have no idea……"
"Where are they sending us?"
"have no idea……"
Shangguan Wanning was on the verge of collapse.
She could only take a few deep breaths and try to calm herself down.
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