Chapter 138: The Second Letter

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's face instantly bloomed with a gleam of joy; since Quan Quan Aoyu left the capital, this was the second letter she had received from his own hand.

She felt a warm current surge within her heart, as if Quan Quan Aoyu were right by her side. She carefully took the letter, her eyes filled with expectation and tenderness.

Jun Jun Zijin could not wait to tear open the envelope; lines of vigorous penmanship leaped onto the paper.

Jun Jun Zijin finished reading in one breath, gently folded the letter paper, placed it back into the envelope, and then carefully put it into the deepest part of the drawer.

The corner of her mouth curled up into a cunning, wicked smile; Quan Quan Aoyu was indeed black-hearted enough, but she liked it.

Back when smallpox broke out in the imperial palace, he said to keep some of the virus, as it would be of great use in the future; who would have thought it was for this purpose.

Even if the other party had suspicions, they had no real evidence; who could predict natural disasters or man-made calamities?

Blame only the Northern Kingdom's vassal state for foolishly plotting against Emperor Tianqi; failing to plot, it instead invited disaster upon itself. Who is to blame?

The Northern Kingdom's vines have suffered; now the melons on the Emperor Tianqi side should also surface.

Flying Eagle twitched his mouth corner to the side, sighing inwardly; this pair was truly a divine match; indeed, only family enters the same household.

Jun Jun Zijin sealed the letter carefully with wax before handing it to Flying Eagle.

She walked toward the dining hall while calculating the time in her mind. Her letters with Quan Quan Aoyu were all delivered by eagles; flying from Beicheng over here also took half a day.

In this battle at the Northern Frontier, the Northern Kingdom was already powerless to resist; simply quelling the internal rebellion was not difficult. If things went smoothly, in these few days, he should also be setting off to return to the capital.

As Guazi had just finished instructing the kitchen to serve breakfast, she saw He Ling'er strut in boldly, with the gatekeeper following behind with his head down. He Ling'er walked while complaining:

"Jun Zijin, your gatekeeper is too troublesome; saying we must report first. Coming and going like this, on such a cold day, can the cooled breakfast even be eaten?"

Jun Jun Zijin waved her hand, signaling the gatekeeper to withdraw.

She rolled her eyes at He Ling'er: "Does the General's Manor lack food for you or what? Running here to mooch breakfast and lunch so early in the morning, aren't you afraid of freezing to death!"

Flying Eagle on the beam twitched his mouth corner again; he hadn't discovered this girl was so venomous-tongued before. Did Young Lady He break her brain, and was his girl infected too?

He Ling'er pulled a chair for herself without any courtesy,

"Sigh, the food in the General's Manor is nowhere as appetizing as here at the Princess's place."

He Ling'er paused, then said:

"Let's talk business. In a while, let's go out and look around. The craftsmen for building the hospital are entrusted to my brother; construction starts immediately. At noon, I'm coming to your Bi Bo Ting for a meal. You have no objection, right?"

Jun Jun Zijin rolled her eyes widely: "You've already arranged everything; can I have any objection? Call Quan Qingle to come along."

She had received Quan Quan Aoyu's letter today, so her heart was slightly at ease; with the Fifth Prince watching over the soldiers training in the camp, she actually had a little free time; the matter of the hospital indeed needed to be implemented.

Just as the two were about to go out, they heard a commotion coming from the moon gate connecting the Second House to the First House.

Jun Jun Zijin frowned slightly and said to He Ling'er:

"Let's go see first."

The Old Lady arranged for craftsmen to block the moon gate today; most likely, the Second House, unwilling, had made a scene.

Indeed, when Jun Jun Zijin and He Ling'er arrived, they saw Li Shi shouting and scolding the craftsmen there:

"On what grounds do you block the gate? This gate has existed for how many years; how can you block it just because you say so?"

The craftsmen looked troubled, looking toward the steward sent by the Old Lady to supervise.

The steward cleared his throat and said:

"Second Madam, this is the Old Lady's order; after the two houses split, they naturally must be separated."

Li Shi still would not give up: "The Old Lady is old; she was likely deceived by people from the First House into giving this order. You all stop; I will go find the Old Lady to argue."

Jun Jun Zijin walked forward slowly and calmly:

"Second Madam, why continue to pester? What was said to Second Master yesterday was clear enough; the matter of the split is settled; acting like this will only make people laugh."

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, a flash of resentment passed through Li Shi's eyes:

"Are you talking about Xiang Xiang Junzheng? He is just a soft-shell; is it worth talking to him?"

Jun Jun Zijin let out a cold sneer:

"Second Madam, don't you have a count in your heart of what you have done? If you continue to make a scene, I'm afraid you won't even get this courtyard."

Li Shi, angry and ashamed, reached out to grab Jun Jun Zijin's face; seeing this, He Ling'er stepped forward and gave a forceful push; Li Shi stumbled a few steps and fell to the ground.

"You wild girl from outside, you dare meddle in the Jun family's affairs!" Li Shi sat on the ground and threw a tantrum.

"This Young Lady is meddling; so what? Do you want to go to the General's Manor to argue?" He Ling'er said with her hands on her hips.

"You..." Li Shi was so angry her eyeballs seemed to pop out; she almost foamed at the mouth.

At this moment, Xiang Xiang Junzheng arrived; seeing the scene before him, he scolded:

"Enough, Li Shi; if you don't feel ashamed, I do."

Then he clasped his hands to apologize to Jun Jun Zijin and He Ling'er. But the calculation flashing in his eyes did not escape Jun Jun Zijin's sight.

Jun Jun Zijin glanced at him and paid him no mind.

Xiang Xiang Junzheng looked helpless, turned to the craftsmen, and said:

"Do as the Old Lady ordered."

Li Shi still wanted to stop them; Xiang Xiang Junzheng glared at her and whispered: "Stupid woman, if you want to sleep on the street tonight, then just make a scene!"

Li Shi froze, as if remembering something; she gritted her teeth in hatred and had to give up.

Jun Jun Zijin called for Jun Chengcai; the several of them went together to stroll and prepare for building the hospital.

Since she had accepted him as her disciple, naturally she would take him along more regarding matters of hospital medicine and the like.

On the road, He Ling'er said worriedly:

"Jun Zijin, although the Jun family's Second House has split, I'm afraid there will still be trouble."

Jun Jun Zijin smiled calmly: "Saying 'split' was to save their face; to speak harshly, they were kicked out. Do people who are kicked out need to be treated politely?"

Every time, it was others who initiated the trouble; she merely counterattacked.

Having said that, the three quickened their steps, walking toward the market.

He Ling'er looked east and west along the way; saying she was busy with hospital matters was less accurate than saying she was using the hospital matter as an excuse to stroll and have fun. Buying, buying, buying all the way, Jun Chengcai followed behind with both hands full of items, his face bitter, cursing He Ling'er ten thousand times in his heart.

The time spent strolling always passed in the blink of an eye; before long, it was noon.

As the three had just arrived at the Bi Bo Pavilion, Quan Quan Qingle appeared.

Inside the restaurant, laughter and fragrant aromas rushed to meet them. The Bi Bo Pavilion's business was as prosperous as ever.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, the corners of his eyes lifted slightly; just as he prepared to step up the stairs, the enthusiastic Shopkeeper greeted him with open arms.

"Master, you have finally come. Not having seen you for these few months, everyone in the Bi Bo Pavilion has been missing you!"

The Shopkeeper's face was beaming with smiles, deep wrinkles gathering at the corners of his eyes; his voice carried intimacy and respect, as if he had met a long-lost relative.

While speaking, he diligently led the Princess and her party inside, not forgetting to turn back and urge the attendants to prepare tea immediately.

Jun Jun Zijin nodded slightly, his expression indifferent; he casually replied with a few words, his tone maintaining the proper etiquette between master and servant just right.

The group followed behind the Shopkeeper, passing through the carved wooden doors and entering the Immortal Shadow Pavilion.

Jun Jun Zijin's gaze inadvertently swept over the tightly closed door of the room next door, and his brows furrowed slightly.

She tilted her ear to listen for a moment, then raised her hand to signal everyone to remain silent.