"My young lady is so delicate. It's late today. If I let so many men like you check her carriage, wouldn't it be laughed at if it gets out?"
Lu Tong pouted, patted the driver on the back, and ordered, "Don't worry about it, go."
Just as the driver was about to whip the horse, the chief of the guards suddenly stood in front of the carriage, with a hideous sneer on his face.
"Since you don't want to drink our toast, don't blame us for being rude."
Seeing that the guards were about to take forceful action, Mu Jingrui's eyes flashed, and a sharp light flashed. He was about to rush out of the carriage when Shangguan Wanning held him down.
Shangguan Wanning shook her head slightly and whispered, "Don't worry, don't move."
As soon as he finished speaking, a scream from the leader of the guards was heard outside the carriage.
Zheng Binghong slapped the leader of the guards away and glanced coldly at the people holding torches.
"The people in the Taifu Mansion are quite capable. If you want to search the carriage, you can ask your Taifu Sun to search it personally."
The guard leader endured the severe pain in his chest and climbed up, barely supporting himself with a steel knife, and questioned: "Who are you? How dare you say such arrogant words?"
"Hmph." Zheng Binghong snorted heavily, turned to the driver and said, "Send the young lady back."
With the support of a great general, he swaggered through the guards who surrounded him.
Zheng Binghong was somewhat worried, so he winked at his men who were following him, asking them to follow and escort secretly.
He walked up to the head of the guards, his face darkened, and he said, "If you are not convinced, let Master Sun come to the Yiyong Marquis's mansion, and my father and I will naturally give him an explanation."
After saying that, he walked away, leaving the leader of the guards standing there in a daze.
He never expected that the person standing in front of him was someone from the Yiyong Marquis Mansion. He felt a chill on his back and couldn't help but shrink his neck.
Inside the carriage, Shangguan Wanning used her handkerchief to temporarily bandage Mu Jingrui's wound.
"Looking at your night outfit, are you going to Grand Tutor Sun's residence?"
Mu Jingrui nodded silently.
He lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked outside. It was a quiet night and the streets were empty.
"It's late at night. It's inconvenient for me to stay in your carriage. I'm leaving now."
"If you go out now, I'm afraid you'll really get me into trouble." Shangguan Wan Ning pointed outside the carriage and said, "If I'm not mistaken, my uncle must have sent secret guards to escort me. If they see you leaving the carriage, I really won't be able to explain it clearly."
"Then..." Mu Jingrui lowered his eyelids, seeming a little hesitant.
"What are you afraid of? Can I eat you?" Shangguan Wanning glared at Mu Jingrui. "Don't worry, the secret guards will withdraw on their own when we return to the Prime Minister's Mansion. With your martial arts skills, it won't be difficult for you to leave."
Mu Jingrui had no choice but to give up his previous idea.
Due to Lu Tong's presence, the two did not speak any more until the carriage was parked in the backyard of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Shangguan Wanning sent the driver away and told Lutong to go to her room to get some medicine for wounds. Then she asked seriously, "What happened? It's too risky for you to visit the Grand Tutor's mansion at night."
"Of course... there is a reason why I have to go."
Mu Jingrui described the current situation, and Shangguan Wanning couldn't help but frown.
In the past, I was so immersed in my own world of love that I had no idea that the struggle outside could be so cruel.
What if the prince is overthrown by Xiao Zhenting at this time, wouldn't the Shangguan family have to submit to him in the future?
Thinking of the humiliation she suffered in her previous life, Shangguan Wanning was really unwilling to accept it.
"I really should go..."
"Will you go to the Grand Tutor's Mansion again?" Shangguan Wanning looked down at the injuries on Mu Jingrui's body, feeling vaguely distressed.
"We must get that list, otherwise, it will have a huge impact on His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"But don't forget that Grand Tutor Sun has already seen the list. Even if you bring back the evidence of the Salt and Iron Transport Commissioner, those people on the list will also be in Grand Tutor Sun's hands. With his position in the court, he can achieve the same effect even if he uses other methods."
Mu Jingrui carefully considered Shangguan Wanning's words.
That does make sense.
“So, we can solve it in another way.”
Mu Jingrui was startled and looked at Shangguan Wanning with calm eyes.
This girl...seems different from what he remembered.
Shangguan Wan Ning leaned close to Mu Jingrui's ear and whispered a few words.
Mu Jingrui's expression changed slightly.
"Is this... too risky?"
"You can discuss this with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince when you return. If there is a better method, this method can be discarded."
Mu Jingrui was silent for a long time, and finally did not express his opinion. He warned: "No matter what is done in the end, it is a matter between me and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. No matter what, you should not interfere. This is a serious matter, and I am afraid that Master Sun will kill people to silence them."
Shangguan Wanning nodded slightly.
Mu Jingrui jumped off the carriage and prepared to climb over the wall to leave.
“Eh…”
Hearing Shangguan Wanning's soft call from behind, he turned around and met Shangguan Wanning's concerned and clear eyes.
"You have to be careful... don't let water touch your wound..."
An inexplicable warmth surged in Mu Jingrui's heart.
The afternoon sun was lazy and warm. Concubine Liu looked at her listless son and sighed with regret.
"What's wrong with you lately? You always look sick. If the emperor saw you, he would probably be dissatisfied."
Faced with his mother's reproach, Xiao Zhenting could only cheer himself up and suppress his fatigue.
He couldn't understand why he spent so much time and effort to make Shangguan Wanning fall in love with him, but why did she change inexplicably?
"Your Highness, I just found a letter at the door. It says that you should open it personally. Would you like to see it?" The chief eunuch came in to report.
Concubine Liu frowned.
If it was just an ordinary letter, the chief eunuch would never have disturbed her.
"Bring it here for me to see."
Concubine Liu took the letter and was slightly startled by the handwriting on it.
"Mom, what's wrong with you?"
"It's okay... It seems to be sent by an old friend." Concubine Liu didn't want Xiao Zhenting to get involved. "I feel a little tired and want to go back to the palace to sleep for a while. You can leave now."
Xiao Zhenting felt that his mother's expression was a little strange, but he didn't dare to ask any further questions. He just bowed and left.
Concubine Liu couldn't wait to open the letter, and her face changed drastically after reading it.
She hastily burned the letter and warned, "Don't make public the news of the letter."
At night, Concubine Liu dismissed all the palace maids and eunuchs, and only allowed her to be accompanied by her personal eunuch chief steward. She changed into a black cloak that covered most of her body, and hurried to the cold palace.
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