Miss Jun casually picked up the tea on the table.
The collision of the saucer produced a crisp sound, breaking the stifling stillness in the room.
"And then?" she continued to ask.
"After that, we settled here in Zhangqing Mountain. Big Brother said whatever we did, we should do it properly, so we started hunting and farming," Yang Jing responded.
Miss Jun thought of the intricate Heavenly Net and Earth Net in the mountains, as if she could see the man walking through them back then, focused yet carrying a trace of solitary melancholy as he arranged hidden weapons and secret paths.
"Two years later, Big Brother decided to go off in search of evidence and witnesses. He said he'd be back soon and told us to wait here," Xia Yong added.
After his words, silence fell over the room once again.
And then, that man never returned, leaving them to wait in Zhangqing Mountain for over ten years.
No wonder Mistress was angry. It was indeed a bit too much—Master just up and left without a word or clue, truly...
Miss Jun sighed inwardly and set down her teacup.
"We tried to look for Big Brother too, but we didn't dare go too far. We even went to the feudal authority camps, but they didn't believe us. When they found out we were from Zhuo State, they accused us of being spies and arrested one of our brothers," Xia Yong said, his voice slightly hoarse. "They demanded ransom money from us, but we couldn't gather enough in time. In the end, my brother was tortured in jail and caught typhoid fever..."
He trailed off, turning his head away.
Those who managed to fight their way out and survive thus far must have been brave and skilled, yet some didn't die on the battlefield nor at the hands of Jin thieves, but perished in prison—killed by their own people.
This was truly...
Miss Jun raised her head and took a deep breath.
"Let's go have another drink," she said, propping herself up to stand.
..................…..
By the time Miss Jun staggered back to her quarters, her sleeves waving with each step, the night had already deepened.
"Sis, I'm heading to bed," Zhao Hanqing said with a yawn from behind.
Miss Jun turned back.
"Don't forget to apply medicine to your face," she said with a smile.
Zhao Hanqing responded with an "oh" and headed into the room by their side.
Standing under the hallway, Miss Jun glanced up at the night sky. The moon was bright, the stars sparse; spring nights had their charm. She instinctively reached out to hold the pillar, resting her head against it.
The pillar was still cold. Pressing against it felt soothing.
"Hey."
A man's voice came from within the room, tinged with irritation.
Miss Jun leaned against the pillar and turned her head back. She saw a man standing at the doorway, the light from inside casting bright and dark shadows across him.
Miss Jun glanced around the area.
"I didn't walk into the wrong place, did I?" she said, then leaned her forehead against the pillar and laughed softly. "Husband, how did I end up here?"
Look at this lack of decorum!
Zhu Zan gritted his teeth tightly.
"Turns out you're just a drunkard," he remarked.
Miss Jun giggled.
"No, I don't drink much. If I drank to the point of getting drunk, the person I'd want to catch might just run away," she said, reaching out as though aiming to grab the approaching Zhu Zan.
Zhu Zan clenched his teeth hard, reached out, and grabbed her by the shoulder, dragging her into the room.
"I'm asking you—do you have any more news from the capital over there?" he asked.
"What news could the capital have? It's nothing but defending the Duke or harming the Duke," Miss Jun laughed. "What's there to fear? Just go, that's all."
Zhu Zan scoffed coldly.
"You speak so lightly. My father might just be walking to his death," he said.
Miss Jun grabbed his arm.
"My father is already dead," she said. "And so what? Am I supposed to fear and not go?"
Her father...
Zhu Zan frowned, staring at the woman leaning closer, clearly seeing the anger and grief in her eyes.
"...Many people have died," Miss Jun continued, gripping Zhu Zan's arm tightly. "What are we afraid of? What are we hiding from? We must go!"
She extended her hand again, pointing towards the capital.
"To the capital."
"To make trouble!"
"To show them what true justice is!"
"To make them fear!"
"To ensure they don't live comfortably!"
Zhu Zan was pulled forward by her, taking a step, annoyed as he shook off Miss Jun's hand.
Look at this deranged behavior!
"Why am I even talking to this drunk?" he said impatiently, starting towards the door.
Miss Jun grabbed his arm again but was dragged forward by him.
Zhu Zan could have easily thrown her off and ignored her, but he still reached out to steady her, preventing her from falling to the ground.
Miss Jun held onto his arm, stood upright, and stared at him.
"Zhu Zan," she said earnestly, "we can't hide, can't fear, can't yield—absolutely not. The Old Heavenly Father up above is just."
Zhu Zan looked at her. At this moment, her eyes were lucid, her face devoid of the slightest hint of intoxication.
Indeed, one could not...
"I never said anything about hiding or fearing," he replied gruffly.
With his words, Miss Jun burst into laughter, clapping him on the shoulder.
"That's right—what's there to fear?" She raised her hand towards the sky, "The Old Heavenly Father is just. If he doesn't provide justice, we'll demand it; we'll take it!"
Zhu Zan's face darkened.
"This drunkard," he muttered angrily, peeling off Miss Jun's hand from his shoulder and shoving her away. "Go, go, go."
Miss Jun stumbled backward, but fortunately, the table behind her prevented her from falling.
Zhu Zan, his expression full of disdain, strode towards the door. He stopped when he reached it, looking around for the maidservants but seeing none.
"What kind of sneaky nonsense is going on here, not even leaving someone to attend you!" Zhu Zan muttered in irritation. Turning his head back, he saw Miss Jun now seated on the table, legs crossed, one hand propped against her cheek as she watched him.
When she noticed him looking over, she smiled.
Look at this—look at this lack of decorum! If those devotees of hers who revered her as a divine doctor or goddess saw her true self, they'd be utterly shocked!
Zhu Zan turned back, glancing at the other lit room nearby where Zhao Hanqing was staying. He stepped forward and knocked on the door.
"Hey, hey, hey," he called out, intentionally emphasizing his presence as a man.
There was no panic or questioning from inside; in mere moments, the door was swung open.
The person inside revealed a blackened face, with only a pair of bright eyes visible.
"Ah!" Zhu Zan exclaimed involuntarily.
"What?" Zhao Hanqing asked.
Regaining composure after his brief loss of it, Zhu Zan stared at her face as though it were entirely normal. He pointed toward Miss Jun's room.
"That drunkard in there—you should go take care of her," he said.
Zhao Hanqing looked at him.
"I'm busy," she replied. "Aren't you free? You go."
With that, she shut the door.
What the hell! Zhu Zan inwardly cursed again. What kind of people were these?
In the middle of the night, making him—a man—responsible for a drunk woman? Was this girl foolish?
No, not foolish—improper!
Everyone around her seemed so unseemly!
Zhu Zan glared at the closed door for a moment before throwing up his hands to walk away, only to begrudgingly turn back.
"Consider it repaying my father's debts," he muttered.
........................
A beam of light hit Miss Jun's face, causing her to raise her hand to block it as she rolled over, feeling her throat dry. With her eyes shut, she instinctively reached towards the bedside to find…
No teacup. Then, water droplets fell onto her face.
Cool to the touch. Was it raining?
No, it couldn't be. She'd always check the weather in advance when sleeping outdoors, so it'd been years since anything like getting caught in the rain had happened to her.
Miss Jun's eyes shot open abruptly, finding Zhu Zan towering over her by the bed.
He held a teacup in one hand while his other hand dripped water onto her face. Seeing her look over, his fingers flicked again.
Miss Jun raised a hand to block, droplets landing on the back of it.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice hoarse from the remnants of intoxication.
And then it hit her what had transpired, a bit embarrassed as she rubbed her forehead before looking back at Zhu Zan.
"You could've just called the maidservants," she thought aloud.
Zhu Zan chuckled coldly.
"It's best to keep this under wraps. You're still bearing the title of Heir's Wife, after all, and drunken ramblings about improper matters could bring trouble to my family," he said.
Miss Jun laughed heartily.
She clearly understood Zhu Zan's concern. He assumed her practice of not having maidservants nearby held some hidden intent.
But it was merely to accommodate Hanqing's convenience—after all, the presence of maids might provoke unnecessary gossip about Hanqing.
It seemed Zhu Zan actually cared about this minor detail, even going as far as to personally keep watch for an entire night.
Miss Jun's smile softened noticeably.
"Thank you," she said. "What a good child."
Her first words were relatively sensible, but the second quickly turned frivolous. Calling anyone "child," really?
Zhu Zan scoffed, just about to retort when a soldier peeked into the courtyard.
"Lord Heir, Lady, the Duke asked me to inform you that Duchess Cheng has arrived," the soldier said loudly.
*****************************************************************************
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Thanks? Last shot? Tip Ling Jiu (*^__^*) giggle...
It's Thursday—which marks the end of such a long week! Everyone, stay cheerful!