The matter of the Fang Family's inheritance, Fang Chengyu did not hide it from Miss Jun. Looking at the letter sent by Fang Chengyu, Miss Jun remained silent.
A wooden stick poked her from behind.
"What are you doing?" Miss Jun brushed it aside without turning her head, "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't always touch me like that."
"I didn't," Zhu Zan stepped over and sat beside her, plucking at the grass on the ground, "You're the one always touching."
Miss Jun ignored him and looked at the road ahead.
"If you have something to say, just say it. What's the point of keeping quiet?" Zhu Zan said.
"There's not much to say," Miss Jun replied, "To be honest, the Fang Family is quite pitiable."
"Pitiable? Who knows what they knew back then," Zhu Zan said, tossing away the grass in his hand.
Miss Jun had always avoided delving into this matter deeply, and she remained silent upon hearing this.
"No matter what, the brother and sister of the Fang Family are innocent," she said, "The Fang Family came together because of wealth, and now they separate because of wealth. Although it's damaging to De Sheng Chang, it might also open another path and let them find a new way to survive."
After speaking, she clapped her hands and stood up.
"Let's go."
She took a few steps and only heard footsteps, not words, so she couldn't resist turning her head to take a glance.
Zhu Zan was smiling as he followed. Startled by her abrupt stop to look back, he quickly reined in his smile and blinked, still not speaking.
Miss Jun looked at him.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Zhu Zan shook his head in confusion.
"Why aren't you babbling anymore?" Miss Jun asked, thinking it had been a long time since Zhu Zan talked endlessly.
Zhu Zan widened his eyes.
"You're the one who talks a lot," he said, "I never used to like talking."
He lowered his voice as he said this.
"Wasn't it mentioned before?"
That was on the road back from the northern lands to the capital; he had caught up to travel with her. Angered by her, he lost his temper and didn't bother to chatter to probe any further.
Does she still remember that?
Immediately, he recalled all the foolish things from that time, feeling prickly with regret, wishing they'd never happened, hoping she wouldn't remember.
Miss Jun was unaware that such a jumbled train of thought emerged from a single sentence. She had only asked casually and then turned to walk away, without saying anything further.
Zhu Zan breathed a sigh of relief, though slightly disappointed. But there wasn't much to be disappointed about anyway, as it wasn't a pleasant affair; forgetting it would be better. He smiled again and caught up.
Miss Jun tugged her horse around and stared at him.
"What's making you so happy?" she asked.
Zhu Zan was startled again, his face tightening.
"Nothing," he said.
What was there to be happy about? The closely guarded secret of the Fang Family turned out to be such a disgraceful royal scandal. What was there to be happy about, gloating?
"Then why are you smiling all day?" Miss Jun asked in confusion.
Zhu Zan reached out to touch his face.
"Am I?" he asked.
Miss Jun shot him a sideways glance without speaking, turned to urge her horse forward, but then suddenly turned back and saw Zhu Zan's smiling mouth.
"Hey hey," she pointed, "Look, look."
Zhu Zan brushed the corner of his raised mouth, suddenly finding it amusing and laughed heartily.
Miss Jun glanced at him, said nothing more, and spurred her horse forward.
Zhu Zan watched her back amidst the vibrant autumn wilderness; the woman in weathered traveling clothes appeared both lonely and spirited, just as he had always remembered her.
Though the actual age of Princess Jiuli was over twenty, this present body appeared just sixteen or seventeen, not much different from when she was thirteen, as if time had rewound.
The person who had faded far away in memories appeared vividly once more.
"Hey," Zhu Zan cupped his hands by his mouth and couldn't help but shout loudly.
The galloping figure didn't disappear into the dust nor remain indifferent, but stopped, and the rider turned her head, the autumn wind rustling her clothes and hair.
"What?" she asked.
Zhu Zan smiled.
"Nothing," he said.
The rider glanced at him, then turned to urge her horse on.
"Hey," Zhu Zan called again.
This time the horse halted, but the person didn't look back.
"I do have a name," she said with a hint of impatience, raising her voice.
She had a name.
Yes, that name.
Zhu Zan clenched his hands forcefully by his mouth, as if gathering countless strength.
"Jiuli," he called out.
He thought he was shouting, but his voice was barely more than a murmur.
The figure in sight moved further away.
"Jiuli," he called out loudly again.
The bright voice rang out, and he saw the woman in the distance slightly turn her head. She didn't reply, just raised her hand slightly.
Alive, moving, Zhu Zan suddenly felt his eyes pained, unable to look further, so he looked up at the sky.
"Jiuli," he called out loudly once more, sending his voice as if to the heavens.
High-pitched to the point of almost breaking, it sounded somewhat jarring.
This call not yet finished, he shouted again.
The loud, hoarse, and sharp voice seemed to pierce the heavens and earth, echoing through the wilderness one after another.
Horse hooves clattered rapidly, accompanied by the sharp crack of a horsewhip.
"Zhu Zan, what are you doing, going crazy!" Miss Jun shouted angrily.
Zhu Zan then lowered his hands, watching as Miss Jun riding her horse came back.
"Nothing," he smiled, "just calling your name."
"Is that how you call someone's name?" Miss Jun said, "I'm not deaf, why do you keep calling endlessly?"
Zhu Zan looked at her and smiled.
"I just wanted to call your name," he said, spreading his hands, "so I called."
Just wanted to call your name.
Miss Jun looked at him, and Zhu Zan didn't avoid her gaze like usual but smiled and met her eyes directly.
Suddenly, Miss Jun remembered; on the road back from the northern lands to the capital not long ago, she had teased Zhu Zan by asking him to call her Jiuli, but Zhu Zan had angrily refused without hesitation.
Then she recalled that since knowing Zhu Zan, he had never called her by the name Jiuli.
Was it because he didn't remember the name?
Of course not. He had traveled to the capital and personally visited Princess Jiuli's grave, where he meticulously arranged his attire even when facing a silent, empty grave.
Was it because he didn't like the name?
Of course not. When out traveling, he openly declared his name whenever asked, Ling Jiu, Ling Jiu.
He would become dejected whenever Zhang Baotang mentioned this name inadvertently at the dinner table.
He would turn hostile at her mere mention of "I am Princess Jiuli."
Why was that?
Why did he never mention the name?
Why did he suddenly dare to call it so loudly?
Why did he suddenly speak so little instead of rambling, only grinning unconsciously, smiling widely when walking beside and behind her?
Because he liked this name, perhaps.
Miss Jun looked at him, acknowledging with a sound, gathered the horsewhip, and spurred the horse to go forward once more.
Perhaps, she herself hadn't noticed, she spurred the horse faster than before, allowing the wind to hit her face harder, thus more effectively taking away the heat from her face, preventing the warmth from scattering and spreading like spring grass, breaking through stone walls, emerging from the earth, and wantonly flourishing.