hehe

Outside the gate of Tan's mansion, the gatekeeper saw a striking young man in black clothes and a ponytail. He rubbed his eyes subconsciously and couldn't help but look at him a few more times.

The young man jumped off the horse and walked to the gate in two steps.

Gu Huaizhi glanced at the boy and raised his chin: "Is Tan Wenhuai here?"

The servant was stunned for a long while before he realized that the nobleman in front of him was talking to him.

He quickly bowed his head and said, "Prince, my master is out."

"Oh, seriously?" Gu Huaizhi raised his eyebrows, thinking that this servant of the Tan Mansion and Tan Wenhuai seemed to be carved from the same mold, and they spoke haltingly.

The servant nodded repeatedly, but dared to lower his head and not look up, his eyes fixed on the young man's feet the whole time, for fear of angering this little bully who was well-known in the capital.

Gu Huaizhi glanced at Gu Ji and motioned him to stand guard outside the door. He then smiled playfully at the reserved servant and said, "Why don't you invite me in to sit down? I am a very good 'friend' of him."

He deliberately emphasized the word "friend".

"This..." The servant quietly raised his head to glance at the raised corners of the boy's lips, then quickly lowered his head, feeling inexplicably a little frightened in his heart.

He hesitated for a while. Although he had never seen Prince Gu come to the mansion to look for his son, he still did not dare to offend the royal family. He could only bow respectfully and lead Gu Huaizhi into the mansion: "Prince, please come in."

The young servant secretly comforted himself that his master was always kind to others and would not punish him. He just hoped that Master Gu was not here to cause trouble for his master.

Gu Ji, who was standing next to the horse, had the same worries in his heart.

He silently prayed that his master would not get impulsive and fight against Master Tan, a weak scholar who looked like he had no martial arts skills at all.

It's strange to say, but after learning the news yesterday that Miss Mu was going to be engaged to Mr. Tan, the young master just locked himself in the house, neither drinking nor playing the flute. He was so quiet that it was a little creepy.

*

After breakfast, Mu Wan'er followed Mu An Ning and chuckled, "Sister, how are you? How do you feel these past two days?"

Mu An Ning was thinking about something. He glanced at his sister's big eyes that were curved into crescents. He didn't react for a moment: "Hmm?"

Mu Wan'er uttered an "Aiya" and continued to coax her, "It's about your sister's marriage to Mr. Tan. Your sister has been engaged for a day, don't you have any feelings about it?"

[Is the goose girl worried? Why doesn’t she smile at all today? ]

[Could it be that... my daughter is not satisfied with this marriage? ]

Mu An Ning laughed dumbly. It turned out that Mu Wan'er was concerned about this marriage.

Having said that, the marriage was arranged too suddenly. She hadn't seen Tan Wenhuai in the past few days, and she hadn't even seen Sister Su for several days.

Although the matchmaker said that Mrs. Su was very satisfied with the marriage, she still wanted to find an opportunity to talk to Tan Wenhuai about it in person.

She thought about it for a while, then smiled at her sister who seemed to want to follow her to Xiangningxuan, "I don't have any feelings."

The elders are still discussing the wedding date, but it must be no later than the end of the year, and it must be before Mu Wan'er marries the prince.

If she had to say what she felt, she could only say that at this moment, she felt more unreal in her heart.

She vaguely remembered that in her first strange dream, the reason she committed suicide was that the Marquis's Mansion obstructed her marriage at every turn.

But everything that is happening now seems to be very different from that dream.

Her mood also changed slightly.

Mu Wan'er was obviously not satisfied with the answer, but she continued to ask, "Sister, tell me the truth, do you like Mr. Tan?"

[Wuwuwu, if my daughter is not happy, how can I leave with peace of mind? 】

[Now the mission is progressing so smoothly after all this effort, but I’m so reluctant to give it up! ]

Hearing Mu Wan'er mention her leaving again, Mu An Ning's heart sank and he did not respond immediately.

Instead of discussing this marriage, she actually wanted to ask Mu Wan'er about the whole story, but she really didn't know where to start.

After all, it was really strange that she could hear Mu Wan'er's thoughts.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at Xiangningxuan.

Mu Wan'er felt complicated when she saw that Mu An Ning did not answer, but when her eyes turned slightly, they were attracted by the wooden sign on Mu An Ning's waist.

"Sister, you are still wearing this amulet!" She pointed at Mu An Ning's belt and suddenly frowned: "Can it change color? Why does it seem to have become even redder?"

[Is this thing really an amulet? ]

[Maybe I've read too many novels, I always feel that this thing is more like some evil thing. ]

Hearing these words, Mu An Ning came back to his senses instantly and followed Mu Wan'er's gaze towards the amulet around his waist.

She picked up the amulet and examined it carefully. She ran her fingers over the writing on it and said with a little surprise: "It has indeed become redder."

I didn't notice it at first, but now I look closely, the two lines of words above seem to be given new life, emitting a brighter red light.

In the sunlight, it is even a little dazzling.

I don’t know where Gu Huaizhi got this strange thing.

Originally, she didn't want to wear it, but after accidentally falling into the water on the Dragon Boat Festival, she felt that this thing might be of some use.

However, now that her marriage to Tan Wenhuai has been settled, it may not be appropriate for her to continue wearing the amulet given by Gu Huaizhi.

Mu An Ning was thinking about taking off the item and returning it to Gu Huaizhi when she got home tonight. Suddenly, she asked casually, "Wan'er, I have to go to the clinic now. Do you want to come with me?"

Madam Mu and Mrs. Xu did not let her stay at home and wait for marriage like Mu Wan'er because of the engagement.

On the contrary, Madam Mu ordered her to go to Jishitang every day and not to take leave easily.

She understood that her grandmother wanted to take this opportunity to let her leave a good impression on the Su family, but since this matter was beneficial to her, she was happy about it.

Recalling that extremely boring day, Mu Wan'er waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no. Sister, you should go by yourself."

[Tsk tsk tsk, going to the clinic and listening to the doctor chanting is worse than embroidering a veil. ]

[But I have to say that my perseverance is not comparable to that of ordinary people, at least not me. ]

Seeing Mu Wan'er turn around and leave without hesitation, Mu An Ning smiled helplessly.

She ordered Baoqin to go back to the house to get the medical book that the old doctor Lu had given her, and then she turned around and left the house.

*

Jeseidang.

After answering all of Mu An Ning's questions, Doctor Lu, who had nothing else to do, smiled and said, "Miss Mu, let me ask you, are you ready to get married?"

Mu An Ning's originally focused eyes paused slightly. Faced with this sudden inquiry, he was a little caught off guard.

Dr. Lu has always been serious. Although he often jokes, he never mentions anything other than medicine. Why did he suddenly ask about her private affairs today?

Seeing that Dr. Lu was still looking at him, Mu An Ning lowered his eyelids a little unnaturally, and cast his eyes on the medical book in his hand, and said everything: "It just so happened that the engagement was made yesterday."

Doctor Lu seemed a little surprised, and after a while he sighed helplessly: "It seems that I am a step too late."

A trace of surprise flashed across Mu An Ning's eyes, and then he heard Doctor Lu shaking his head and saying with regret: "My son has passed the age of twenty, but he has not yet married. I wanted to arrange for you two to meet."

Mu Anning's face suddenly became hot. She didn't expect that Doctor Lu would be so frank. But she still couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked, "Is Master Lu also a doctor?"

This Mr. Lu reminded her of someone, Mu Guiling, who was also over 20 years old.

My brother has not yet decided to get married because he is still in love with an old lover. What is the reason for Dr. Lu’s son?

Doctor Lu seemed to be lost in his memories. He was silent for a while before he smiled bitterly and said, "Alas, my son has grown up and I cannot control him."

Not only is his son unwilling to inherit his legacy, but he is now even planning to end the Lu family's lineage.

Mu girl's calm personality is quite compatible with him, and she is also quite talented in medicine. It's such a pity.

Dr. Lu did not give a direct answer, and Mu An Ning could see that he did not want to say more. A patient happened to walk into the clinic, so she did not ask any more questions.

At about 4 p.m., Dr. Lu asked her to go home early as usual, and Mu An Ning did not refuse.

It is summer now, and at this time, the sun has not yet set.

The carriage on the return trip was a bit stuffy. As the carriage bumped, Mu An Ning couldn't help but open the curtains to get some fresh air. What followed was the shouting of street vendors and the sounds of various trivial transactions.

Baoqin, who was in the carriage, also heard it. She smiled and suggested, "Miss, would you like to buy a string of candied haws?"

Although the young lady didn't say anything, she had followed her for so many years and could naturally tell that she had been worried about something these past two days.

She guessed that it was because of her marriage with Mr. Tan.

It is said that sweets can make people happy, but the lady has never been a fan of them.

However, Tanghulu is an exception.

Mu An Ning turned around, shook his head slightly, and said with a smile: "No need."

She really likes candied haws, because every time she eats it, the boyhood of that day would come to her mind along with the sweetness of the candied haws.

However, she hasn't eaten it for a long time. If Baoqin hadn't mentioned it, she might not have thought of the past.

Let the past be the past.

Mu An Ning looked out the window again, but suddenly frowned.

Why does that light yellow figure moving back and forth in the crowd look a bit like Mu Wan'er?

At this moment, she heard intermittent voices in her ears, confirming her guess -

[It's...someone...lost...]

Noticing that her young lady looked a little serious, Baoqin also looked out the window and asked softly, "Young lady, what's wrong?"

Mu An Ning glanced at the figure that had disappeared, and felt a sense of uneasiness in his heart.

Looking at Mu Wan'er's appearance, it seems like she is following someone.

Mu An Ning thought for a moment and immediately made a decision: "Hold the zither and ask the driver to stop."

Although Baoqin was confused, she still did as she was told.

After the carriage slowly stopped, Mu An Ning smiled at Bao Qin soothingly, but did not explain further: "Bao Qin, I will get off the car first and come back later."

Baoqin frowned, her worry evident in her expression: "Miss, where are you going? Baoqin will go with you."

Mu An Ning thought for a moment, and finally nodded slowly.

Although it was still daylight, she was a little scared walking alone on the unfamiliar streets.

However, just as she got off the car, her eyes suddenly darkened, and with a barely perceptible red light flashing, she involuntarily changed her words, her tone unquestionable: "Baoqin, wait for me in the car."

*

Gu Huaizhisi, who had his chin propped up, had no intention of standing up after seeing the newcomer: "Brother Tan, you have kept me waiting for so long."

After Gu Ji's reminder, Tan Wenhuai secretly scanned the intact front hall before he breathed a sigh of relief: "Gu, what does Prince Gu want to see me about?"

He had discussed wedding arrangements with his aunt at the Su Mansion all day, but he didn't expect that someone was waiting for him at the mansion.

But he and Gu Huaizhi had never had any interaction, and he really couldn't understand why Gu Huaizhi would come to his house to find him and even wait for half a day.

Gu Huaizhi snorted, feeling that he could see a hint of pride on Tan Wenhuai's rosy face.

Does Tan Wenhuai really not know why he came, or is he just pretending to be ignorant?

A familiar pain suddenly came from his chest, but the boy didn't pay attention to it for the moment. Instead, he poured himself a cup of tea and said, "Brother Tan is engaged?"