"Love and affection?"
"The two of you are nauseatingly considerate of each other," Prince Xian said with a smile. "You care for him, he protects you, you praise each other endlessly…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Zhu Zan raised a hand to stop him, and made a theatrical gagging gesture while hurriedly tugging off the floral robe he was wearing and throwing it aside.
"So I borrowed a piece of clothing from you to wear, does that warrant such insults?" he grumbled irritably.
No wonder the robe looked so oversized and ridiculous—it belonged to Prince Xian.
Miss Jun pressed her lips together in a smile as she watched Zhu Zan remove the floral robe to reveal his tattered old clothes underneath.
He really was someone who cared about appearances no matter the situation.
Seeing her smile, Prince Xian also chuckled.
"Sister-in-law, don't you agree with what I said?" he asked.
Miss Jun looked at him and nodded with a smile.
"Your Highness is right; I do care a lot about him," she replied.
Zhu Zan coughed awkwardly.
"Your Highness isn't an outsider; there's no need to put on an act in front of him," he said, keeping a straight face.
"I'm not putting on an act," Miss Jun said earnestly, blinking as she looked at him. "I really do care about you."
Look at this, really, is this how a proper person behaves?
Zhu Zan's eyes widened as his face turned red.
He shouldn't have initiated a conversation with her!
Prince Xian burst into hearty laughter.
"Miss Jun, he cares about you too," he said, winking.
Any other woman faced with such words would have blushed or stomped away in embarrassment, but of course, Miss Jun was not like other women.
"I know," she said with a smile, nodding her head.
Zhu Zan, standing to the side, no longer seemed embarrassed. He let out a dry laugh.
"The two of you—perhaps it's a case of meeting late but hitting it off right away?" he remarked. "Both so unconventional, it must be a camaraderie of heroes!"
Prince Xian laughed heartily, then suddenly clasped his hands and gave Miss Jun a respectful bow.
"Miss Jun, indeed a hero," he said solemnly.
Miss Jun smiled again, neither denying it nor feigning humility as she returned a slight bow in acknowledgment.
"Miss Jun, about this time…" Prince Xian began to speak again.
Zhu Zan coughed loudly, cutting him off.
"Your Highness, whatever you have to ask can wait. Her family has arrived," he said.
Prince Xian and Miss Jun turned toward the door to see Seventh Chen and Fang Jinxiu standing outside.
Seeing them look over, Seventh Chen hurriedly waved his hands.
"No rush, no rush, please continue your conversation," he said with a smile, bowing respectfully to Prince Xian.
Fang Jinxiu also lowered her head and curtsied.
Prince Xian smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.
"We're all family here. Come in and let's talk," he said.
Only then did Fang Jinxiu and Seventh Chen respond affirmatively and step inside.
"Third Sister," Miss Jun greeted with a smile.
Fang Jinxiu let out a simple "oh," as if unsure of what to say.
The room fell into a brief silence.
"So, this is your younger sister," Prince Xian suddenly remarked.
Fang Jinxiu and Miss Jun simultaneously nodded and responded affirmatively.
"Then I suppose she hasn't met her brother-in-law yet," Prince Xian said with a laugh, gesturing toward Zhu Zan.
Zhu Zan spat in annoyance.
Fang Jinxiu couldn't help but smile as well, her expression becoming somewhat complex.
"What's with the spitting? No matter what, the young lady should at least meet the brother-in-law who's appeared so suddenly," Prince Xian teased with a grin.
Zhu Zan let out a dry laugh.
"I doubt the young lady finds the idea of a brother-in-law particularly exciting," he said. "I'm already her third one."
Indeed, thinking about the situation was rather absurd, and Fang Jinxiu couldn't help but smile again.
"The Lord Heir will get used to it," she said.
Seventh Chen laughed heartily.
"You really are one family," Zhu Zan grumbled. "Even things like this can be taken in stride."
"Life has been difficult. Over time, you get used to many things," Fang Jinxiu replied.
Hearing this, Zhu Zan said nothing more and turned his head away.
Miss Jun instead gave Fang Jinxiu a warm smile.
"Even if it's been difficult, everything has been resolved, hasn't it?" she remarked.
Fang Jinxiu looked at her, smiled faintly, and nodded.
With these exchanges of words and smiles, the estrangement from their long separation seemed to finally melt away.
"Alright, we've heard bits and pieces about everything else. Let's talk about these tens of thousands of refugees," Prince Xian said, patting his portly frame and shifting in his chair to find a comfortable position. His tone carried a hint of curiosity. "How did you come up with the idea?"
Miss Jun smiled faintly.
"It's simple. I knew entering the capital wouldn't be peaceful," she said. "When things aren't peaceful, whether it's to deny credit or hold someone accountable, you face them with facts and reason."
Simple?
Prince Xian's expression grew complicated.
How could it be simple? Mobilizing so many refugees from the northern lands required credibility, money, manpower, resources, and meticulous planning.
"Credibility? Perhaps not," Miss Jun said with a smile. "After all, I gave my all to help them."
Distributing porridge along the way, risking her own safety to personally go to Bazhou to resist the Jin thief, and protecting tens of thousands of people from the Jurchen's iron hooves.
"Of course, my help wasn't without purpose," she said.
Zhu Zan let out a scoffing sound.
"A shrewd businesswoman, no doubt," he remarked.
Prince Xian looked at Miss Jun, his expression complicated.
"Even if it's business, not everyone can pull off a venture like this," he said.
"I gave my all, so now they can trust me wholeheartedly," Miss Jun said. "That's fairness."
Prince Xian fell silent for a moment.
"It's heartening to witness fairness," he finally said, his tone tinged with melancholy. But evidently not wanting to let it show, he quickly masked it with a grin. "But the funding, manpower, and resource planning—those aren't exactly minor details, are they?"
Miss Jun's expression softened.
"That, I didn't have to worry about," she said with a smile. "Someone cared enough to take charge for me."
Prince Xian let out an "oh," turning to glance at Zhu Zan.
Zhu Zan immediately shot him a glare.
Prince Xian ignored him and turned back to Miss Jun.
"To that person, Miss Jun, you must be very important," he said with a teasing grin.
Miss Jun smiled.
"And he's very important to me as well," she replied earnestly.
...
...
Having asked what he wanted to, Prince Xian stood and suggested everyone disperse. After all, having traveled a long way and expended so much effort, they ought to rest properly.
"Speaking of rest," Prince Xian said, pausing as he looked at Zhu Zan and Miss Jun. "You and your wife will both be returning to the Duke Mansion, won't you?"
Zhu Zan's expression stiffened as he glanced toward the gate, where though fewer people were gathered, some onlookers still remained.
"Of course," Miss Jun said first, her tone casual as she turned to Fang Jinxiu and Seventh Chen. "If you and Manager Liu have matters to discuss, find me at home."
"Home." The word rolled off her tongue as if she were more familiar with it than the actual residents. Zhu Zan glanced at her sidelong but said nothing, instead stepping forward to walk out first.
Miss Jun and the others followed him out. They first saw Prince Xian off into his carriage, then watched as Fang Jinxiu and Seventh Chen boarded theirs. Just as Zhu Zan was about to take his own step forward, Miss Jun called after him.
"There are so many people on the street; we don't want to spook the horse. You lead it," she said with a sweet smile before skillfully mounting the horse herself.
Spook the horse? On the way here, she'd ridden the horse as if it were indeed spooked. Now she was worried about that?
Another excuse to take advantage of him!
Zhu Zan gritted his teeth but refrained from saying anything. By now, he'd learned not to argue unnecessarily with this woman.
He walked over, grabbed the reins, and started leading the horse forward.
The onlookers outside the gate offered good-natured smiles, and children skipped and hopped around them in excitement.
"Hey, doesn't it look like a boy from Yangcheng taking his wife back to her family's home?" Seventh Chen whispered to Fang Jinxiu with a grin.
"No," Fang Jinxiu replied decisively, keeping her gaze fixed ahead.
Seventh Chen, left at a loss, clicked his tongue and raised his horsewhip.
"Let's head home too," he joked again with a laugh.
The carriages and horses made their way down the crowded streets, accompanied by the thronging crowd. Behind them, another procession silently followed.
Amid the ranks of the Jinyiwei, Lu Yunqi's face was expressionless as he stared at the swaying figure of the woman on horseback in front of him. Wherever she went, he followed.
As this scene dissipated, the imperial palace remained alight with revelry.
Huang Cheng had not left nor thrown another tantrum outside. Instead, he sat at the banquet table, silently eating and drinking amidst the cheerful banter between the Duke of Chengguo and the emperor. The emperor, far from blaming him, even thoughtfully ordered a little eunuch to attend to him.
Suddenly, amidst the Duke of Chengguo's voice, another clear, youthful voice reached Huang Cheng's ears.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace. My uncle is doing well; he recently annotated another volume of scripture."
The sound made Huang Cheng jerk his head up, his eyes darkening as he glared at the young official seated across from him.
At his age and standing, this young man should not have been present at this banquet in the first place.
Ning Chang—no, Ning Yan. This time, it seemed he had fallen into their hands.
Huang Cheng raised his wine cup.
"Lord Ning," he called out.