Chapter 99: Another Visit

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This was what was written in the letter when inviting Fang Jinxiu to the capital.

Now, more than half a year later, it seemed like the question was truly being asked.

Fang Jinxiu rolled her eyes at her.

"You've already made up your mind, what's there for me to think about," she said, turning to walk inside, "Liu'er."

This loud shout startled Liu'er, who was busy in the kitchen.

"What are you yelling for?" She poked her head out, discontent, "You should buy yourself a maid, stop bossing me around."

Fang Jinxiu glared at her.

"Pack your Miss's luggage," she said.

Liu'er stared in surprise, then saw Miss Jun coming out too.

"Miss, are we packing?" she asked.

Miss Jun nodded with a smile.

"Yes, we're going to take a walk and have a look somewhere else," she said.

"Great, great!"

Liu'er was always jubilant and supportive of the young lady's decisions and, without asking any further, joyfully scampered into the house.

Miss Jun stood next to Fang Jinxiu.

"If something happens, you can trust Prince Xian in the capital," she said, "Chengyu will also be there. Don't try to be too strong. In this world, except for people, there is nothing that can't be let go of."

Fang Jinxiu hummed in response.

"I know, I'm not that foolish. It's just about accounting and getting paid, no need to risk my life for it," she said.

"Just so," Miss Jun said with a smile.

Fang Jinxiu suddenly burst out laughing.

"Are you sure you want to go back?" she raised an eyebrow and said.

It was quite rare to see her laugh, especially in such a schadenfreude manner. Miss Jun looked at her, puzzled.

"When you go back, will your mother-in-law be blocking the door to scold you every day?" Fang Jinxiu laughed.

Mother-in-law?

Miss Jun was momentarily stunned before she suddenly realized who was being referred to.

Ning Yunzhao had publicly announced his engagement to her; such a sensational matter had surely spread back to Yangcheng, and since it was a very important issue, it was impossible to inform the Ning Family that it was fake before Ning Yunzhao and Ning Yan returned home.

Even if Ning Yunzhao personally told Eldest Madam Ning it was fake once he got home, Eldest Madam Ning would definitely not let it go.

This was the perfect time for Ning Yunzhao to propose a real marriage, yet they might now be hindered by an engagement that had no fixed date to be declared false. Eldest Madam Ning would surely be mad.

"No need to worry," she pursed her lips and smiled, winking playfully at Fang Jinxiu, "she can't scold me down, and maybe this time I can get even more money from her."

Last time Eldest Madam Ning verbally attacked Miss Jun face to face, and Miss Jun ended up with five thousand taels.

Fang Jinxiu couldn't help but laugh when she remembered that incident.

Seeing the two girls laughing happily in the courtyard, Seventh Chen and Shopkeeper Liu also breathed a sigh of relief.

"That settles it then. From now on, it will be up to you two," Shopkeeper Liu said with a smile.

Seventh Chen chuckled.

"From now on, we'll try not to make Shopkeeper Liu work too hard," he said earnestly.

Shopkeeper Liu laughed.

"Then I'll go prepare for the return journey," he said, equally elated, "The young master will definitely be overjoyed to hear this news."

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The carriage stopped in front of Prince Huai's mansion, and compared to last time when they were near a place connected to Thousand-Man Commander Lu, the coachman was less nervous.

Now that Ning Yunzhao had stepped forward to recognize Miss Jun as his fiancée, and considering Thousand-Man Commander Lu had repeatedly interfered with Miss Jun practicing medicine, it was clear they had become adversaries. No one would suspect any personal relationship between the two, even if Miss Jun visited Prince Huai's mansion once more or went to Lu Mansion again.

Still, Miss Jun hesitated a bit.

She didn't know if her direct approach to the main entrance of Prince Huai's mansion would grant her entry this time.

If not, she would have no choice but to trouble Prince Xian again.

Actually, she didn't really want to involve Prince Xian with Jiurong's affairs since Prince Xian himself was living cautiously.

While contemplating, Miss Jun had already arrived at the gate of Prince Huai's mansion and hesitated for a moment before raising her hand to knock.

The gate opened in response.

"Ah, it's Miss Jun. Please come inside," the gatekeeper said respectfully.

Could it actually be possible?

Did Lu Yunqi not give the order to deny her visit?

Or had there not been enough time yet?

Surprised, Miss Jun entered with a smile and returned the gatekeeper's courtesy.

"Miss Jun, please wait in the hall for a moment. His Highness is currently writing, we will go and announce your arrival," the eunuch who had come to greet her said with a smile.

Writing, huh? Jiurong was closest to Mr. Gu and very resistant towards her. With the excuse of writing, it would probably take him quite some time to come over.

Miss Jun smiled to herself.

"Thank you, eunuch," she said.

The eunuch instructed a little eunuch to accompany Miss Jun to the hall while he hurried off towards the back.

Miss Jun wasn't in a hurry and leisurely followed the little eunuch. But as soon as she stepped into the hall, she heard the rapid sound of footsteps behind her as if someone was running swiftly. Subconsciously turning around, she saw Jiurong rushing towards her.

Rushing.

Almost in the blink of an eye, he ran into the hall.

Miss Jun watched him, as if she had returned to the past. When she used to come back from other places for the New Year, Jiurong would always be the first one to run out and greet her as soon as she stepped through the palace gates.

From wobbling at one, a steady walk at two, to a rushing sprint at three, he was always the first to appear in her sight.

Miss Jun observed the boy standing at the door, unable to see his expression clearly due to the backlight.

He stared at her, as if expectant and yet seemingly fearing something.

A warmth filled Miss Jun's eyes, and almost instinctively, she turned around, stepped forward to meet him, and reached out her hand.

The boy standing at the doorway seemed to spring forward like shot from a slingshot, whooshing straight into her arms.

This motion spanned time and space in an instant. Miss Jun caught him firmly, lifting him in a circle in her arms.

Her vision blurred, while a clear and joyous child's voice echoed in her ears, both distant and near.

"Sister!"

"Sister!"

Sister, you're back!

Sister, Jiurong missed you so much!

This action unfolded so quickly that even the person making it seemed not to have realized what had happened.

But Jiurong was no longer a three- or four-year-old child, and Miss Jun was still of the age of fifteen or sixteen.

This sudden rush, embrace, and rotation caused the slender Miss Jun to stagger.

Jiurong also tiptoed to steady himself on the ground.

For a moment, the two stood frozen, in the brightly sunlit room, wide eyes staring into smaller ones.

The blinding light receded, and the two, standing so close, finally saw each other's faces clearly.

The woman before him was not a stranger, but to Jiurong, she was still unfamiliar.

The child's face showed signs of embarrassment due to his lapse in front of a stranger, as well as a hint of confusion, seemingly puzzled by his own actions.

Miss Jun, too, felt awkward because of her actions.

Children really are sensitive. After she had given him a beating the last time, Jiurong had truly started to realize her similarity to Princess Jiuli.

A child would not think as much as an adult, hence following his feelings in acting impulsively.

But while Jiurong could act on impulse, she could not.

Frozen in the standoff, the atmosphere in the hall turned strange.