When Fang Jinxiu and Miss Jun left the Jinyun Hall, the park was still drenched with the festivities of March 3rd. Everyone was still as lively as before.
What happened in the Jinyun Hall was actually not leaked out at all.
Fang Jinxiu could not stop the shock from showing in her eyes, and she tsked.
"Much too fearsome," she said. "Before I only heard of the Jinyun Hall"s awesome power, but today I saw that it"s much more fearsome than that."
Being able to control this many people was no laughing matter.
She looked to Jun Zhenzhen who was walking in front of her.
"Ai, could it be you talked to the Jinyun Hall ahead of time? Why would they protect you?" she said, rus.h.i.+ng to catch up.
Miss Jun smiled.
"That would have no effect on them," she said. "They"re merchants."
"So what if they"re merchants?"
Miss Jun gave her a look.
"Merchants are all about profit, not affection," she said.
Fang Jinxiu suddenly glared.
"Who are you insulting?" she said ill-humoredly.
This Jun Zhenzhen was still full of contempt for merchants, everyday saying such despising words.
So what if they were merchants? Your food and drink is because the Fang Family are merchants.
"How did I insult anyone?" Miss Jun looked at her. "You, child, don"t understand."
You"re the child!
Fang Jinxiu glared harder. Jinchuan tugged on her sleeve.
"Third Miss, young Lady is saying that the Jinyun Hall has rules. She won so much money, so how could the Jinyun Hall not protect their client, instead brus.h.i.+ng her off," she explained. "Our De Sheng Chang also would not do such a thing."
The resentment did not leave Fang Jinxiu"s face. Obviously she still wanted to react, but there was more shock in her eyes.
Could it be that she didn"t just randomly gain interest in pitch-pot? Was it all for now?
Fang Jinxiu looked at Miss Jun"s back, her expression complicated.
If one said that Jun Zhenzhen did not know fear and was incited or because she wanted to be in the spotlight that she played pitch-pot, she would not think it strange.
If one said she was planning ahead, playing in order to gain the Jinyun Hall"s cooperation, then that really was… not like her.
This Jun Zhenzhen.
Fang Jinxiu bit on her lower lip.
"Ai, this young miss, did you get rich?"
A man"s voice came from beside her.
Fang Jinxiu jumped in fright and turned to see Seventh Chen.
"Get get get," Fang Jinxiu shooed away irritably.
"I heard that the Fang Family"s young miss made big money at the Jinyun Hall today. Is that you?" Seventh Chen asked curiously.
It seemed that news of Jun Zhenzhen"s great victory was transmitted, but Lin Jin"er"s matter was hidden. At least, for now.
"So what if it was me? You want to take a cut?" Fang Jinxiu gave him a look.
Seventh Chen laughed.
"No, no. I don"t need to take a cut of the money you won at the Jinyun Hall. I can go there for my cut," he said with a giggle. He stepped closer and lowered his voice. "I heard you won very, very much. You really are a G.o.d of wealth. Taking you in was a good decision."
He happily went over to the Jinyun Hall.
That person, lived very happily.
Fang Jinxiu"s lips curled and she looked ahead again. Miss Jun was already surrounded by the Fang Family maids, being led to the carriage.
"Third Miss,"—Yinbao waved over—"let"s go back."
The servant girl who had been chased away by her before was no longer uneasy. Seeing Miss Jun and Fang Jinxiu return, her face suffused with a smile.
These servants were all very happy that their a.s.signment was completed so easily.
For them, going on a peaceful journey was a satisfactory conclusion.
But they did not know that this peace was just one step away from danger.
Fang Jinxiu looked at the people laughing, talking in the garden.
"You missed seeing the fun, seeing the Fang Family"s Third Miss run in crazy, yelling and screaming," she muttered to herself. "I will be regretful on your behalf."
She stepped forward then stuck out her hand.
"My horse," she said.
Yinbao hurriedly pa.s.sed her the horsewhip, and Fang Jinxiu took the reins from a servant boy.
"I didn"t come here with you, and I won"t leave with you," she said. She mounted the horse, ignoring the servant girls dissuasion and sped through the crowd, leaving chaos behind.
"Let her go, nothing will happen," Miss Jun said.
Right now she could run wild in the Jinyun Hall and no one would stop her.
"Young Miss, are we going back now?" a maidservant asked, looking in. "Miss Lin…"
"Miss Lin"s father came to get her," Miss Jun said. "We can leave first."
The servants consented and helped Miss Jun up into the carriage, then sped away from the Jinyun Hall.
Ning Yunzhao opened the door.
The young misses in the room did not know how long they"ve been here for, but because Ning Yunzhao was there, they did not worry. They were chatting and laughing normally, and had ordered tea and snacks.
No matter how much money they had lost before, or that they had seen the scandalous thing of a girl in a private rendezvous with a man, for these young girls in the springtime of their youth, it did not seem to be serious.
They did not know how dangerous such a thing that had happened before was for a girl. Or how easily that girl had resolved such a danger.
That girl was different from other girls.
Ning Yunzhao was silent.
When the doors opened, the girls were alerted but they didn"t care, thinking it was an attendant. When they lifted their heads, they saw Ning Yunzhao and immediately their eyes sparkled, or they affected shyness, or boldly grinned, faces and eyes full of adoration.
"Big Brother, you"re back. What happened?" Ning Yunyan asked.
"Nothing," Ning Yunzhao answered.
Nothing? It was resolved?
Ning Yunyan was immediately cheery.
"That Jun Zhenzhen was arrested?" she asked impatiently.
Ning Yunzhao did not answer her, instead looking at the young misses in the room.
"Everyone should go home. Afterall, what happened would make your families worried," he said with a smile.
The girls stood up and looked at him.
"The money you spent today at Jinyun Hall I will pay," he added.
The pleasant surprise made smiles bloom on their faces.
They had already come up with what to say to their families. They were going to say that they"d met Tenth n.o.ble Son Ning at the Jinyun Hall, and he was going to play pitch-pot, so they had all betted.
Betting on a person like Tenth n.o.ble Son Ning was not a matter of money but of elegance.
Spending a little money on a person like that would not be a crime.
But now it was even better. Tenth n.o.ble Son Ning was shouldering their expenses. This was the elegance of Tenth n.o.ble Son Ning, and they had the good fortune of becoming part of his elegance.
"That"s good, we want to play together," a girl said shyly.
"You can play together." Ning Yunzhao looked at her with a smile. "This is a holiday for you girls, so having me pay is as it should be."
Happy smiles broke across their faces.
Tenth n.o.ble Son was not just a bore who only read books. He was elegant and interesting, gentle and caring as the spring breeze.
Living their whole life with such a person was every maiden"s dream.
"Okay okay, you can leave now," Ning Yunyan said impatiently.
The servants had tried persuading these young misses to leave earlier, but they wouldn"t" listen to them. When Ning Yunzhao spoke, the servants immediately jumped at the chance to encourage them.
Though they didn"t want to leave, the girls did not want to give Ning Yunzhao an unreserved impression, so they left.
The room was finally quiet.
"Big Brother, what happened? What happened with Jun Zhenzhen? Did the Lin Family directly took her away, or first to the Fang Family?" Ning Yunyan asked eagerly.
Ning Yunzhao looked at her.
Excitement was in Ning Yunyan"s eyes, excitement in response to hearing of a girl"s fall out of luck, being destroyed, or even dying.