Chapter 200: The Return of the Old

The December wind swept through the courtyard, lifting the thin layer of snow and simultaneously, a crisp snap startled Liu'er as she walked out of the preparation room.

"Seventh Chen, what are you doing?" she shouted with raised eyebrows.

Seventh Chen shook the firecracker in his hand.

"Well, it's almost New Year, just making it lively," he said with a smile.

Liu'er pouted.

"Have you finished your work? Miss Jun is not here, so don't you slack off," she said, walking away with the prepared medicinal ingredients.

"Who knows when your Miss will come back," grumbled Seventh Chen.

"She should be back before New Year," Fang Jinxiu's voice echoed from behind.

Seventh Chen quickly turned around with a smile.

"Yes, she definitely will. The news has spread that Prince Huai's illness is no longer serious, improving day by day," he said, walking with Fang Jinxiu toward the front hall. "Someone as important as Prince Huai wouldn't let Miss Jun leave until he's fully certain of his recovery. I reckon she won't be back from Prince Huai's mansion until the twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth."

Fang Jinxiu hummed in response.

"You yourself know it's okay, so just go back and enjoy the New Year," she said.

"I'll go back after the New Year; it would make more sense to come back after the third of March," Seventh Chen said, winking and laughing. "For us Chen Family, the third of March is even more significant than the New Year."

Fang Jinxiu stopped and looked at him.

"Seventh Chen, how much did they pay you?" she suddenly asked.

Seventh Chen gave an "Oh."

"That's not determined by them," he said. "It depends on Jin Yun Hall's business that day."

Fang Jinxiu smiled.

"I mean, how much does the Fang Family pay you to look after me?" she asked.

Seventh Chen was taken aback, then chuckled awkwardly.

"What are you talking about, why would the Fang Family pay me? I'm your partner in selling sugar figurines. If anyone is to pay, it'd be you paying me," he said.

Fang Jinxiu watched him silently.

Seventh Chen held back his laughter.

"Not much," he said. "Your brother mentioned it's just about ten thousand taels of silver."

Fang Jinxiu rolled her eyes.

"I really come cheap," she said.

Seventh Chen laughed sheepishly.

"No, no," he waved his hand. "I'm the one who comes cheap."

Fang Jinxiu didn't respond and stepped into the front hall, with Seventh Chen following.

"Hey, now that you know, you better not let your brother back out," he said.

"He won't back out. Just split it with me when the time comes," Fang Jinxiu said, her hands behind her back and a trace of a smile on her lips.

Seventh Chen laughed heartily.

"Jinxiu, I think your family members are all good people," he said.

"Good people?" Fang Jinxiu glanced at him, "What of it?"

Good people had been framed for over a decade, their kin killed, and she herself was in an awkward position.

"Good people receive good rewards," Seventh Chen chuckled. "That's justice."

Fang Jinxiu grimaced.

"Is there justice?" she asked.

Seventh Chen nodded emphatically.

"Yes," he said.

There is justice. The villains were eventually brought to justice, the family feud avenged. Although people may leave, the hearts of the family remain close and loving.

This is justice.

Jun Zhenzhen, too, a kind and helpful person who treated illnesses, would certainly receive good rewards. Old Heavenly Father would definitely grant her justice.

She will return safely and unharmed.

Fang Jinxiu exhaled and said no more, pulling open the medicine cabinet to begin checking.

Before Miss Jun went to Prince Huai's mansion, she had left her the secret prescription, instructing her to manage the day-to-day preparation of medicinal materials. Both workers, Seventh Chen and Liu'er, had been taught the division of labor, and according to the secret recipe, several pills could be prepared.

Although Jiuling Hall had no doctor in residence, the medicine continued to be sold, and as long as business never ceased, Jiuling Hall persisted.

Firecrackers resounded intermittently across the capital.

Sitting in a sedan chair, Prince Huai straightened his body.

"I hear the sound of firecrackers," he said.

"Yes, the New Year is approaching, and the children are all playing with firecrackers," Miss Jun said.

Prince Huai looked at her and turned his head.

"Mr. Gu, Mr. Gu," he said. "Can we set off firecrackers too?"

Mr. Gu, standing on the other side, heard the words and smiled.

"I am ready," he said.

A smile broke across Prince Huai's face.

"Then let's go now," he said, unable to contain his eagerness.

Mr. Gu looked towards Miss Jun.

"We should follow the Doctor's arrangements," he said.

Only then did Prince Huai turn to Miss Jun, although in contrast to his joy towards Mr. Gu, his expression was formal and distant.

After Princess Jiuli was sent away, it was Miss Jun who accompanied Prince Huai day and night. Although he obeyed her words, his attitude remained aloof.

It was probably because she was sent by the Imperial Hospital and the emperor. Just like Princess Jiuli, Prince Huai wouldn't resist the arrangement, but he maintained a respectful distance.

As for Mr. Gu, Prince Huai showed genuine, unabashed reliance.

This Mr. Gu belonged to Lu Yunqi. Such companionships were terrifying, for a child couldn't easily discern who was good or bad.

Miss Jun sighed inwardly but then smiled.

At least she could preserve her life first, and deal with other matters gradually.

"That's fine," she said.

Prince Huai nodded slightly towards her, then turned to Mr. Gu with animated eyebrows.

"Mr. Gu, go fetch it," he said.

"Why don't Your Highness go in person," Miss Jun suggested, "by walking."

Miss Jun was encouraging Prince Huai to walk more since a child often has energy for things they enjoy, and this was indeed a good opportunity.

Mr. Gu smiled at Prince Huai, who was sitting atop the sedan, and without waiting for the eunuchs to kneel to lower it, he reached out his hand.

Prince Huai's eyes lit up, and he reached out his hands.

"Here we go," Mr. Gu laughed as he lifted Prince Huai down.

Prince Huai's laughter rang out as he landed and he grabbed Mr. Gu's hand.

The scene tugged at the heart, knowing that Prince Huai, being only seven or eight years old, had Princess Jiuli driven away from his side and that childhood memories fade quickly. The bond with Mr. Gu, who was accompanying his growth, would only deepen.

"Let's set off fireworks here," Miss Jun suggested, pointing to an open space ahead. "There's plenty of room."

And it would also allow for a round trip.

Mr. Gu nodded at the words, and Prince Huai stepped forward eagerly, followed by the eunuchs lifting the sedan and palace maids scurrying behind, creating a lively, bustling group.

Miss Jun didn't follow. A female official glanced back, seeing Miss Jun settling on a swing, gently beginning to sway.

Miss Jun must be about fifteen or sixteen this year, still a child herself.

The female official smiled and averted her gaze.

Watching the group disappear from view, Miss Jun on the swing slowed down.

She had been active here with Prince Huai for seven or eight days, which had become a routine everyone accepted.

Mr. Gu's residence was a tea-time walk from here. Although Prince Huai was eager to play with the fireworks, Mr. Gu would certainly not let him walk too fast. Calculating the time, the round trip would take about half an hour.

Due to the pox, the number of palace maids and eunuchs in Prince Huai's mansion was reduced. This small number of people was either following Prince Huai or in his sleeping quarters, leaving Ningcui Garden deserted.

Lu Yunqi had already left the mansion.

Today was finally the right time.

The swing came to a stop, and Miss Jun grabbed her medical kit and hurried towards an ancient tree. She knelt behind it and opened the medical box, pressing a particular spot; a compartment popped open revealing a small shovel.

Miss Jun took out the shovel, swiftly digging into the frozen winter soil, which numbed her hands from the shock of each digging motion.

Sweat formed on Miss Jun's forehead. Hurry, hurry, even faster, she listened all around, her peripheral vision scanning the surroundings. She seemed to hear birds singing and saw the dried leaves falling.

Finally, with a clang, the shovel hit something hard and was obstructed.

Miss Jun was overjoyed and started digging around it rapidly. Soon, a tin box appeared before her, and she didn't bother pulling it out, but directly opened it.

Four years ago, when she first entered Prince Huai's mansion, she buried the box here under the moonlight, and since then had never opened it, even forgetting about it.

She had thought those past memories and artifacts were useless, discardable, but she hadn't expected that those pasts could influence her fate, and not just her own.

Miss Jun glanced over a few small items in the box, all defensive objects given to her by her master when she roamed Jianghu. Her gaze finally rested on a thick book.

She had never opened this book before.

She took it out and put the book into her medical box, and as she reached for other items in the box, she heard faint footsteps, and her peripheral vision caught someone appearing on the path.

Lu Yunqi.

Miss Jun immediately felt a chill run through her body.