"Your Majesty, if it is really as you guessed, then there are clues to follow."
The prefect was very eager to please Mu Jingrui. Given the current situation in the court, whoever could rely on Mu Jingrui would be able to rise to the top.
"There isn't a lot of ice here, so someone needs to deliver it. In our county, there is a merchant that sells ice. In the summer, many rich people come to them to buy ice, but in this season, there are very few."
"Go and ask."
Mu Jingrui came to this shop under the guidance of the prefect. When the shopkeeper heard that Prince Zhennan and the prefect were coming, he went out to greet them at a loss and fell to the ground trembling with fear.
"You don't have to be nervous. The prince just came to ask you something."
The prefect calmed the shopkeeper down and asked, "Did anyone come to buy ice cubes on the ninth day of the first lunar month?"
"Yes." The shopkeeper answered without hesitation.
"Think it over before you answer." The prefect was a little dissatisfied.
The shopkeeper immediately asked the clerk to bring the account book, pointed to the account of the ninth day and said: "Sir, you can see that in the three days before and after, I only had one transaction, and the amount was large. So I remember it very clearly."
After all, it is rare to buy so much ice in such weather.
"Who was it that bought it? Where did you send the ice?"
"It was a young man wearing a half mask, so I couldn't see his face clearly, but judging from his accent, he should be from another place..."
Mu Jingrui was about to pick up the cup to drink water, but when he heard the shopkeeper say "half mask", he couldn't help but pause.
"He took the ice away by himself and didn't ask us to deliver it. I wanted to get more customers, so I tried to get close to him, but he ignored me. However, he was very quick to pay me."
Mu Jingrui knew that he could not get any useful clues here.
He took the prefect back to the government office and became very silent along the way, with a familiar face constantly circling in his mind.
Shouldn't this person be dead?
Maybe it's just a coincidence?
"Your Majesty?" The prefect saw that Mu Jingrui had a gloomy face and thought that he was worried about this case. "In fact, the Zhonglie Marquis's Mansion has been secretly rampant over the years. I don't know how many people it has offended."
"Especially Xiao Yikai, who relied on the protection of his ancestors to bully men and women and act lawless. He has so many enemies, it's not surprising that someone would take advantage of the opportunity to add insult to injury..."
Mu Jingrui glanced at the prefect indifferently.
Maybe...yes.
He returned to the government office with a heavy heart and saw Shangguan Wanning sitting by the windowsill, staring blankly at a small potted plant in front of her.
Her hair was uncombed and her face was pale.
"What's wrong?" Mu Jingrui walked to Shangguan Wanning, held her hand, and tidied up her slightly messy hair. "Are you waiting for me to come back? Come on, I'll do your makeup and draw your eyebrows for you."
Shangguan Wanning withdrew her hand and stared into Mu Jingrui's eyes.
"You are the King of Zhennan, how dare I trouble you? Go and call Lutong and ask her to serve me. This girl has rested for so many days, even if her injuries have not recovered, she should at least show her face in front of me."
Mu Jingrui's heart sank involuntarily.
He knew that some things could not be kept hidden forever.
"Go, call Lu Tong." Shangguan Wan Ning's voice became a little choked up, and her eyes began to turn red. "Jing Rui, tell me... where did Lu Tong go?"
This afternoon, Shangguan Wanning wanted her maid to take her to see Lutong, intending to treat her personally.
However, the maids refused to take her with them no matter what.
This made Shangguan Wanning realize that something was wrong.
"Jingrui, tell me...where is Lutong?"
"Ning'er, listen to me... Lutong... won't come back."
"She won't come back?" Even though Shangguan Wan Ning had prepared herself mentally, she still felt at a loss. "Where did she go? Did you marry her off to someone? She's my maid. Shouldn't I be the one to decide her marriage?"
"she……"
"Is the family you found for her good? Will they treat her well? She has stored a lot of gold in the Prime Minister's Mansion. She hasn't taken it away yet..."
Shangguan Wanning said this with tears streaming down her face.
She really hoped that Lutong would get married, but...
Mu Jingrui held her in his arms, and she couldn't help crying. "Tell me, what happened to Lu Tong?"
Mu Jingrui gently stroked Shangguan Wanning's long hair and said softly, "She's dead. That night... in the Marquis Zhonglie's Mansion, she crashed into the coffin and died because she couldn't protect you..."
The tragic scene reappeared in Shangguan Wanning's mind.
Lu Tong was so loyal to her. How desperate must she have been at that time to choose to follow her?
"Ning'er, I know that I have a good relationship with Lu Tong, but the dead cannot be resurrected. Moreover, the Xiao family has almost been wiped out and has received the punishment they deserve..."
"But Midoriya... can never come back..."
Shangguan Wanning leaned on Mu Jingrui's chest, feeling a stuffy feeling in her chest and a splitting headache.
She felt more and more uncomfortable, and finally, she fainted in Mu Jingrui's arms.
When Shangguan Wanning woke up again, it was already late at night.
She saw Mu Jingrui standing by her bed.
Her thoughts were exceptionally clear and she became unusually calm.
"Jingrui, take me to see Lutong."
"good."
Mu Jingrui called a maid to help Shangguan Wanning change her clothes and brought her to the charity cemetery.
Lutong has been put into the coffin, but has not been buried yet.
Shangguan Wanning looked at the cold coffin and gently stroked the coffin lid with her fingers.
She looked at Lu Tong's name on the spirit tablet and her eyes became wet again.
"Silly girl, why...why don't you wait a little longer?"
Shangguan Wanning cried silently for a long time. She saw the offerings on the table and said tearfully, "There's not even the crystal osmanthus cake you like. When we get back to the capital, I'll buy you lots of it..."
Mu Jingrui could only sigh deeply seeing Shangguan Wanning so sad.
Things here have been basically dealt with, and Mu Jingrui asked the prefect to continue investigating the whereabouts of the person who bought the ice.
He planned to take Shangguan Wanning to Yaowang Valley.
"Ning'er, don't be sad."
Mu Jingrui sat with Shangguan Wanning in the carriage, looking at her red and swollen eyes, feeling distressed.
He stretched out his hands to cover her cheek and held her in his arms.
"You are not allowed to ride in the sedan chair... Get down... Get down quickly..."
"You, get off your horse. This is the entrance to the Marquis Zhonglie's residence. Civil officials, get off your sedan chairs, and military officials, get off your horses..."
"You are crazy, do you still think you are a first-rank imperial lady? Get out of here."
The noise outside brought Shangguan Wanning and Mu Jingrui back to their senses.
She lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked out, and found that they had arrived at the gate of Marquis Zhonglie's Mansion.
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