Ning Yunzhao did not linger any longer.
In fact, even coming this time wasn't necessary.
Smart as she is, she could certainly see the malicious intentions hidden behind the rewards to De Sheng Chang.
It's just that knowing is one thing, and acting is another; reason and emotion in people will inevitably be at odds for a lifetime.
"Since the Lord Heir has come over, I won't see you off," he said.
Miss Jun looked and indeed saw Zhu Zan swaying over from somewhere.
"Yes, thank you," she said with a smile, "I hope you'll be free of trouble."
At this moment, seeing her, which involves dealing with the Duke of Chengguo, isn't a good thing.
"Although I have no money and can't stabilize the country through martial power, I am still doing okay," Ning Yunzhao thought for a moment and said.
Although he was not as helpful as Fang Chengyu and Zhu Zan, he wasn't afraid of trouble.
Miss Jun covered her mouth with a smile and nodded.
"Not just okay, very okay," she said. "If it weren't for you, even with money, people, and merit, you wouldn't have been able to enter the Imperial City."
Praising someone seems to come naturally, doesn't it? It is said that the prince isn't like this. Zhu Zan twisted his toes on the ground; it was too exaggerated.
Ning Yunzhao's laughter reached him.
Zhu Zan twisted his toes again, causing more cracks to appear in the bluestone beneath his feet.
Isn't it silly? Just talking, what's so funny about it?
"Lord Heir."
Ning Yunzhao's voice reached him.
Zhu Zan lifted his head, looked at him, and smiled.
"Thank you," Ning Yunzhao bowed.
Zhu Zan slightly returned the gesture, Ning Yunzhao said no more and walked away.
Zhu Zan stood still, motionless.
"Shall we go?" Miss Jun asked.
Zhu Zan responded, turned, and walked, while Miss Jun leisurely followed behind, just as always walking through the crowd, neither too close nor too far.
How could it be the same? It's completely different.
Upon reaching a secluded alley, with guards cautiously alert front and back, Zhu Zan stopped and turned around.
"I think you are right," he said.
"Of course, I'm always right," Miss Jun said with a smile.
Zhu Zan didn't scoff like before. His expression was uncomfortable as he turned his gaze away.
"I mean, your advice to my father that it's best not to mention the false marriage right now," he said. "I think it's too dangerous."
Miss Jun responded with an "oh."
Even with his head down, Zhu Zan seemed to see her seemingly amused expression.
First, anxiously urging others to quickly declare the false marriage, and now suddenly disagreeing, his reaction was indeed not very good.
"I didn't mean it wasn't dangerous before; I mean... your feelings are different..." he said, becoming more confused as he spoke, unsure himself of what he meant.
"Isn't it your feelings that are different?" Miss Jun said, looking at him with a blink, "Aren't you afraid for Miss Jun, but fearful for Chu Jiuling?"
Zhu Zan's face flushed red, a layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"No, that's not what I meant," he stammered.
"Then what do you mean?" Miss Jun looked at him and asked seriously.
Zhu Zan looked at her and opened his mouth.
"You," he said, swallowing it back in one gulp, "I meant nothing at all."
With that, he turned and walked briskly ahead.
Annoyed.
Miss Jun laughed and quickly caught up.
"I know, I know what you mean," she laughed, reaching out to tug on Zhu Zan's sleeve.
Zhu Zan's body stiffened, but he didn't dramatically fling her off as before.
"You mean you didn't know before why I was doing these things, you didn't know what was in my mind, so naturally you didn't know to what extent I would go, or what dangers I was facing. Now you know who I am, so you also know what I want, and thus you know precisely how dangerous it is for me," Miss Jun said. "It's not about favoring one over the other."
This sounded quite serious. Zhu Zan lowered his head, feeling a little confused, or not at all; just that things had changed, his feelings and thoughts had changed.
Is this good or not?
"I really feel bad about this now," he said, turning around and looking up decisively.
Miss Jun nodded.
"I understand," she said, "after all, this whole thing came so suddenly."
Zhu Zan took a deep breath.
"I can't even explain why I feel bad," he exhaled long, "in any case..."
"In any case, I haven't changed. I am who I've always been," Miss Jun continued, "Zhu Zan, you don't need to change either."
Zhu Zan glanced at her and shifted his gaze.
"How can it be the same?" he said.
"How is it not the same?" Miss Jun laughed, pointing at herself, "It's always been me. Chu Jiuling has always been this unserious."
Zhu Zan's face turned red again.
"When I said that, I was really just saying it casually," he stammered.
"Not casually at all," Miss Jun laughed, "You didn't know me before, and weren't familiar with me, so actually, this is how I am."
Zhu Zan glanced at her.
Miss Jun looked at him with a smile.
"By the way, did you know me before?" she asked.
Zhu Zan responded, looking aside.
"I've seen you," he said.
"Besides that time I was scared and fell off the wall, was it also you at the city gate?" Miss Jun asked curiously, "I heard last time you mentioned fighting Lu Yunqi at the city gate."
Zhu Zan acknowledged.
"Yes," he said, still looking at the wall.
"I can't remember," Miss Jun laughed, with a bit of recollection, "I have no impression. At that time, I was in a hurry to get home, and you all had your heads covered."
She paused again here.
"Was it also then that he got to know me?"
Who she meant by 'he', Zhu Zan immediately understood, and he acknowledged again.
"Probably," he said.
Miss Jun acknowledged and said no more, walking forward, Zhu Zan regained his breath, paused for a moment, and followed her. Exiting the alley, the two walked as before, one after the other, neither too fast nor too slow, not too far nor too close.
Seeing them come in, Seventh Chen warmly greeted them.
Miss Jun smiled and went in, Zhu Zan smiled at Seventh Chen and followed inside.
Seventh Chen looked at his back with a strange expression.
"Did he take the wrong medicine?" he said.
"What?" Fang Jinxiu asked.
"Look at the Lord Heir, doesn't he seem odd?" Seventh Chen said while peeking inside again.
"He's always been odd," Fang Jinxiu said, lowering her head, ignoring further.
Is that so? But today, he seemed especially odd. Seventh Chen glanced inside, seeing the two had already entered the room.
"You."
Standing inside the room, Zhu Zan suddenly spoke.
Miss Jun turned to look at him.
Zhu Zan stopped again, seemingly unsure of what to say.
Miss Jun laughed.
"Zhu Zan, you don't have to be nervous. You'll get used to it," she said, "When I first woke up and found it like this, I was also really nervous."
Zhu Zan glanced at her.
"Do Princess Jiuli and Prince Huai know?" he asked.
Miss Jun shook her head.
"How could I dare to tell them? If it weren't for Xue'er's incident being so sudden this time, I wouldn't have told you either," she said, with a smile, "Even someone as bold as you got so scared; how would they..."
Bold?
Zhu Zan acknowledged, rubbing his nose.
"It's not a matter of courage," he said. "Although it's bizarre, there's evidence, so it's not unbelievable."
"It's not good for them to know either," Miss Jun said.
"That's true, with Lu Yunqi still around," Zhu Zan said, looking at Miss Jun again, "Did he notice something?"
Miss Jun nodded.
"Didn't you ask me about it that time," she said, "about how I provoked Lu Yunqi, otherwise, why would he go crazy."
Zhu Zan acknowledged, recalling past events, involuntarily rubbed his face.
Lu Yunqi noticed, yet how did I not...
"What did you say?" Miss Jun asked, hearing him mumble something.
Zhu Zan shook his head.
"Nothing," he said, lowering his head, clasping his hands, and scuffing his foot, seeming like he wanted to move aside but couldn't bring himself to, "You.."
He looked up at Miss Jun again.
"Were those years hard for you?"
Those years?
Miss Jun was slightly startled; he meant after her parents passed, right?
She shook her head.
"At that time, I didn't know the truth, so it wasn't hard," she said with a smile, "Knowing the truth, I died, and that wasn't hard either."
Zhu Zan looked at her, pursed his lips tightly, his thin lips slightly purple.
"It must have hurt a lot, right?" he said.