Chapter 125 Don't Be Angry

"I'm not being moody," Miss Jun said, continuing to walk forward.

Ning Yunzhao caught up with her.

"It's just me being overly cautious," he said. "Living in the capital isn't easy; I wanted to be more careful."

Miss Jun glanced at him sideways.

"Where is living easy?" she said. "It's not easy for me in Yangcheng or Runan either."

That sidelong glance filled with dissatisfaction was unique to young girls and looked very cute.

Ning Yunzhao couldn't help but smile at the mention of Yangcheng and Runan.

It wasn't easy living in Runan, being an orphaned girl who entered the city only to have her house demolished, relying solely on her medical skills to turn her life around.

Ning Yunzhao of course knew about this, and the difficulties in Yangcheng naturally meant the scandal and hatred caused by the marriage contract with the Ning Family.

So, she was still upset, still angry.

"Yes, I spoke wrongly," he said. "Don't be moody."

The young master was speaking so humbly? Xiaoding, listening from behind, shivered. Those servant boys were right—once young masters fall for a girl, they become fools.

Was he being silly? Where did she show any sign of being moody?

Miss Jun frowned slightly at him.

"This is the truth; nowhere is easy," she said.

Ning Yunzhao smiled and agreed.

Yes, the incidents arising from the marriage contract, indeed, were significant hardships for a girl.

Her temperament meant that she wouldn't rest until she rectified those who wronged her, just as seen when she confronted the Lin Family.

Her style in chess was similar, embodying a fierce determination of fighting through desperate situations...

Although it was inappropriate to describe a young girl that way.

Ning Yunzhao looked at the girl before him, delicate and graceful, with bright, large eyes—it's true that appearances are deceiving.

Fierceness was a kind of integrity, a kind of pride born from inner confidence.

He suddenly recalled what his friends had said.

"You two are alike."

A light smile played around Ning Yunzhao's lips.

"Of course, your family's ancestral clinic cannot change its name; I'm just saying this in case someone makes an issue of it, so you're prepared," he said.

Perhaps it was better not to mention such things to her; it was enough for him to stay alert.

Miss Jun remained silent, looking ahead at the street.

She didn't need others to stir up trouble; she was here to stir up trouble herself, sooner or later.

The girl's mood was off.

Ning Yunzhao stopped smiling.

"By the way, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," he said.

Was it something important? Miss Jun looked at him seriously, wondering why he was just mentioning it now and focused on him.

"At the last Lantern Festival in Yangcheng, how did you fare with that chess game? Did you solve it?" Ning Yunzhao asked.

Talking about things she liked could likely improve her mood.

But as soon as he finished speaking, her originally calm expression stiffened, showing a hint of annoyance.

"I don't want to talk about this," she said bluntly.

Ning Yunzhao was startled.

Such a fiery temper, truly proud.

He couldn't help but smile.

"I wanted to ask for your guidance; I've thought about it for so long and still couldn't solve it," he said. "It seems to be a truly exquisite chess problem."

He hadn't solved it either; being unable to solve a complicated game was no reason to be upset.

"It wasn't exquisite at all," Miss Jun said again, quite bluntly, quickening her pace. "Are we almost there?"

Such an abrupt change of subject? She seemed really upset.

This topic was clearly a poor choice.

What a mess.

Ning Yunzhao felt somewhat helpless and slightly frustrated.

"We're close; just around the corner," he said with a smile, naturally changing the topic. "It's busy in the morning; we might have to wait a bit."

"When I first entered the city, I had to wait for several snacks I bought; waiting means they're good," Miss Jun said, taking up the new topic.

Ning Yunzhao responded with a smile.

"One year, we went to see the plum blossoms outside the city at Wangshan Temple, but unlike others who just admired the blossoms, we decided to watch the entire blooming process," he said. "We waited under the old plum tree at Wangshan Temple for a whole day and night."

A smile appeared on Miss Jun's face.

Her master had done the same, watching a flower bloom—such a foolish act.

"Was it beautiful?" she turned to ask him.

Ning Yunzhao thought for a moment.

"It's not pretty," he said, "I just feel cold and tired."

Miss Jun chuckled.

Ning Yunzhao laughed along.

Xiaoding, who was behind them, also breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, patting his chest. Thankfully, the young master could coax not only boys but also girls.

"We're almost there," Ning Yunzhao said with a smile, pointing ahead.

Miss Jun also looked, but in the next moment, both of them stopped in their tracks.

It was not the crowd blocking the way that stopped them, but a group of Jinyiwei who were separating these people on the road.

What happened?

Ning Yunzhao was also surprised.

"Could it be that even fried tofu can cause trouble?" he said.

It was indeed Granny Wang's fried tofu store that the Jinyiwei had surrounded.

A carriage stopped in front of the door, flanked and guarded by Jinyiwei, preventing other people from approaching.

Hearing Ning Yunzhao's words, an enthusiastic person turned around.

"It's not trouble," he said animatedly, "Lord Lu is here to eat fried tofu."

Lu Yunqi?

He hardly ever ate out in the capital, barely ever leaving his home except for work or at the government office, always waiting to eat at home if he was hungry.

She had mentioned this to him a few times, and he just smiled saying he didn't like the food outside; she let it be.

That was also why she didn't take it seriously when he talked about taking her out for street snacks.

He didn't like eating out, and her identity wasn't convenient for going out.

Why did he come out so early to eat?

Was this also an act? Was it to keep a watchful eye at home, making sure she, the prisoner, couldn't leave for even a moment?

Having left only once, she had attempted to assassinate the emperor; he must have hated her heartily.

"So it is." Ning Yunzhao nodded to the man.

But immediately another person turned around, his expression odd.

"It's not just Thousand-Man Commander Lu," he said in a low voice.

Eating out is more entertaining with company, Ning Yunzhao thought, glancing at Miss Jun.

"Is that so?" he asked casually.

"Yes, Thousand-Man Commander Lu and his..." the man continued, then paused.

And his what?

Ning Yunzhao looked at the man, colleague? friend?

"Woman," Miss Jun said.

She looked at the entrance of the store, her statement popping out suddenly, causing Ning Yunzhao to start and then follow her gaze.

Two people walked out from the plain storefront: the clearly anxious but pleased and apprehensive fat man was obviously the owner, carefully attending to the man who was undoubtedly Lu Yunqi.

Lu Yunqi was not wearing his usual flying fish uniform but was dressed in a black robe, walking under the sunlight as if draped in night.

Ignoring the nodding and bowing owner beside him, he stepped out of the threshold and stretched his hand backward.

A woman's hand rested on his, and soon, a frail woman appeared before the public's view.

The onlookers became even more agitated, excitedly craning their necks.

Regrettably, the woman's face was covered by a thin veil, displaying only a slender figure. Seemingly frightened by the crowd outside, she kept her head down and timidly followed Lu Yunqi.

Lu Yunqi steadied her hand and step by step, walked her to the carriage, personally helping her aboard before climbing in himself.

The summer carriage's thin bamboo curtains allowed the figures inside to be seen only hazily, flickering in and out of sight.

The Jinyiwei blocked the public from coming too close but could not block everyone's line of sight or hearing.

"Are you still eating well?"

Inside the carriage, Thousand-Man Commander Lu's figure moved closer to the woman and asked.

The woman had lifted her veil, though her face was still unclear. Even inside, she kept her head down, shyly nodding in response to his inquiry.

Lu Yunqi said no more, straightened up and raised his hand. The carriage moved forward, led by the Jinyiwei, flanked on both sides, as the crowd naturally parted to let it through.

With his gaze fixed forward, Lu Yunqi suddenly turned his head slightly.

This sudden movement startled the onlookers, bold enough to peer inside.

His gaze swept over the crowd, encountering nothing unusual, until he saw a handsome young man and a girl.

These two, standing side by side, shone brightly amidst the crowd.

They were also looking at him.

***********************************

Spoiler alert, no need to guess (shameless author...

Thank you to Xi~Yan for rewarding and He's Bi.