Fang Chengyu stood at the door and saw Miss Jun's somewhat somber expression.
Liu'er saw him, about to shout, but Fang Chengyu hastily gestured for her to be quiet.
Of course, it was in vain.
"Miss, the young master is here," Liu'er said with an eye roll, raising her voice.
Miss Jun lifted her head, and Fang Chengyu walked in with a cheerful smile.
"Gongzhu, has Doctor Feng sent a letter?" he asked, "Is the capital alright?"
Miss Jun shook her head and handed him the letter.
"The capital is fine, but there's trouble on the west road of Hebei," she said.
Fang Chengyu quickly scanned the letter in his hand and got the gist of it.
"It's from the north again," he remarked, "Recently, there really has been no shortage of incidents there."
The "again"?
Miss Jun looked at him.
Fang Chengyu stopped smiling, his expression turning solemn.
"The Jurchen people have broken through Hejian Prefecture," he said.
Hejian Prefecture.
Miss Jun looked somewhat surprised.
It was summer now, and the Jurchens had managed to break through the Hejian Prefecture? The largest prefecture on the eastern road of Hebei.
It wasn't uncommon for the Jurchen to attack cities, but ever since the Duke of Chengguo had been stationed in the northern lands, their raids had been minor and always during winter.
Winter was harsh for the Jurchens, so they would raid and plunder.
But to so blatantly break through a prefecture city in the midst of summer...
"The army is strictly disciplined; it's the Jurchen cavalry," said Fang Chengyu.
A disciplined army, Jurchen cavalry.
Miss Jun's expression grew solemn.
This meant it wasn't just random soldiers harassing but an organized military campaign — a declaration of war.
"Looks like war is upon us again," she sighed.
It hasn't been even ten years since the northern lands had last seen peace.
"Now the country is prospering and the people are at peace, and the Duke of Chengguo is in his prime and not yet old," Fang Chengyu said with a smile, "The timing chosen by the Jurchen isn't right."
Miss Jun smiled faintly but didn't comment.
Sometimes prosperous times are exactly when external enemies choose to invade.
Who can say for certain?
"But don't worry, with the Duke of Chengguo in the northern lands, he has already contained the Jurchens," Fang Chengyu reassured with a smile.
This time, Miss Jun nodded with a smile.
"Yes, with the Duke of Chengguo there, I feel at ease," she said.
"But this matter of the smallpox vaccine, we can't rely on the Duke of Chengguo," Fang Chengyu said, looking at her worriedly, "Gongzhu, what do you think is going on?"
Miss Jun glanced at the letter in his hand.
"It's not impossible for the smallpox vaccine to cause deaths," she said, "After all, it is a poison. Though its toxicity is much reduced, nothing is certain."
Fang Chengyu nodded.
"I believe the vaccine is a good thing," he said.
"I believe so too, and I won't let this affect the rollout of the vaccine," Miss Jun stated, "I need to make a trip to the west road of Hebei."
Fang Chengyu immediately nodded.
"Alright, I'll start the preparations," he said, then, squeezing his fingers added, "But this time, Gongzhu, would you listen to me?"
Miss Jun looked at him with a smile.
"Let's hear it," she said, smiling.
"The northern lands are somewhat unstable, so I hope this time when you go out, you won't go alone," Fang Chengyu spoke seriously, "Bring more people for protection."
So, this was also why he mentioned the Jurchen breaking through Hejian Prefecture first. He actually wanted to talk about the instability in the northern lands.
Hejian Prefecture had just been attacked, and Fang Chengyu knew about it soon after, probably just as the emperor had received the news.
With De Sheng Chang in his hands, his reach had indeed expanded.
He was the first to know about such things, and he surely knew about the issue with the vaccine in Hebei.
He knew she would certainly go and wouldn't dissuade her; he just hoped she would take more people.
Miss Jun reached out and gently touched his head.
"Alright," she said, "then you have to prepare not only the funds but the personnel as well."
Fang Chengyu beamed, patting his chest.
"Leave it to me," he said, then remembering something, added, "But, Gongzhu, please don't pat my head next time, I'm an adult now."
Miss Jun laughed heartily.
"Yes, our Chengyu is an adult now," she said.
........................
Miss Jun was always a person of action, and the next day she shared her plans with the Fang family.
Old Lady Fang and the others, of course, wouldn't stop her, but they sighed.
"Doing something is indeed difficult," they said.
"It should be alright," Miss Jun said with a smile.
"Yes, mainly it's about reassuring people. Just having Zhenzhen walk there and speak holds more credibility than the explanations from those doctors and officials," Fang Yuxiu said.
"Then go early and return early," Old Lady Fang said.
While they were still speaking, a maid ran in.
"Miss Jun," she did not address Old Lady Fang or Lady Fang, but looked directly at Miss Jun, "A letter from Noble Son Ning."
That kid, here he is again, Old Lady Fang raised an eyebrow, about to say something, then noticed Fang Chengyu blinking exaggeratedly at her.
"Oh, a letter from the Top Scholar Ning, how rare," she exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, startling everyone in the room.
Fang Chengyu almost burst out laughing, while Fang Yuxiu patted her chest.
"Grandmother, you're more excited than Zhenzhen," she said. "If grandfather were still here, he surely wouldn't be happy."
Everyone took a moment to understand her joke, and then burst into laughter.
"You cheeky girl, even daring to tease me and your grandfather," laughed Old Lady Fang.
By now, Miss Jun had already received the tightly folded note with a smile.
"He's asking to meet me at Shunde Building tomorrow," she said.
The room fell silent as everyone exchanged knowing looks.
"Then, are you going to meet him or not?" Old Lady Fang asked cautiously.
Why ask this? Miss Jun looked at her, puzzled.
"I will meet him," she said, "Perhaps he also knows..."
Before she could finish, Old Lady Fang clapped her hands.
"Meet," she declared loudly, "Of course, you must meet. In the past, our Zhenzhen wanted to meet with Noble Son Ning and couldn't; now that he's taking the initiative, we definitely should."
Turning to Lady Fang, she gestured.
"Arrange it. Book the entire Shunde Building for tomorrow."
Book the entire place?
Miss Jun was a bit taken aback.
"That's not necessary..." she began.
But the room was already abuzz.
Lady Fang complied immediately, while Concubine Yuan called the maids to prepare the carriage.
"Who delivered Noble Son Ning's letter? Have they been invited in for tea?" Concubine Yuan also shouted loudly, "Prepare a red packet for him."
Why not invite him for a meal as well?
Miss Jun thought, watching the liveliness in the room, somewhat helplessly shaking her head with a smile.
The day before they had stopped her from meeting Ning Yunzhao, and now what's with this sudden eagerness, almost as if they wished the whole city knew Ning Yunzhao wanted to meet her?
Well, as long as they are happy.
Perhaps, Jun Zhenzhen would be very happy too.
This was something she had always hoped for but never seen unfold.