Yes, she thought of many things, understood many things, but she just couldn't understand this.
When she desperately ran through the dark night, she had not expected anyone to come to her aid.
She had thought about the man at the relay station behind her noticing something amiss, and she had thought about how he would definitely give chase.
So, the only thing she could think of was to run fast, faster, and even faster, because the faster she ran, the better her chances of winning.
She had prepared her clothes, gathered her herb-collecting tools, and thoroughly prepared all the evidence. As long as she could escape from there back to the city, everything would follow naturally without any suspicion.
But the prerequisite was that she could escape from there.
Otherwise, if she were caught on the spot, no matter how well-prepared she was, it would be futile.
While her heart raced, she did feel slightly regretful, never expecting that Yuan Bao, who seemed so honest in her memory, would be so astute. When he scrutinized her at the doorway, it really made her hairs stand on end.
Perhaps she shouldn't have been so rash. Since she already had suspicions, maybe she shouldn't have been so eager to verify more on her own.
It was too dangerous.
But danger was not something new to her.
When she had previously hidden a knife and walked straight toward the imperial palace, did she not know how dangerous the path ahead was?
She had braved the dangers alone, and then died alone.
Would this time be the same?
Just like this, braving the dark night alone to investigate, and then in this dark night, to be killed alone.
Several times she thought she heard the sound of horse hooves behind her, and even the sound of bows being strung.
She kept running and running, and unexpectedly, she ran until dawn, ran back into the city, just as she had planned and arranged.
She had done it.
She had actually done it.
Then, looking at the bustling Yangcheng, she finally understood what had happened.
To find her, the Fang Family had actually issued an imperial decree, carrying out a thorough search of the city.
An imperial decree.
It was this imperial decree that attracted those officials at the relay station and diverted that man's attention from probing further. Everyone, like beasts smelling blood, pounced toward Yangcheng, pounced toward the Fang Family.
The Fang Family had an imperial decree, which did surprise her slightly. But thinking about the family secrets she had speculated on, the surprise was more a confirmation of her suspicions.
What really astonished her was how well they treated her.
So she really didn't understand why Old Lady Fang would issue an imperial decree.
Holding the imperial decree in her hand, adhering to unspoken secrets, enduring the deaths of loved ones, hidden dangers from enemies, a group of women had no choice but to take up the family business, sustain the enterprise, while also enduring the cursed names.
Throughout these years, despite all the bitterness, difficulties, and hatred, they never issued the imperial decree. Now, just because her granddaughter did not return home for one night and worried to the point of madness, they spared no effort and preferred to expose secrets that shouldn't be unveiled to the public just to find her.
In fact, to find her, the Fang Family had many methods; issuing an imperial decree to search the city might have been the most effective but was surely the most irrational and inappropriate.
If Fang Chengyu had not been cured, this approach might have been understandable, but now Fang Chengyu had been cured.
With rational thought, they should not have chosen to do this.
Old Lady Fang said it was because she had cured her grandson, and she might need her in the future, so that was why she did this.
Other people might act crazily for the sake of future events yet to occur based on speculation, but these women of the Fang Family would not. For them, burdened with a life with no foresight, enduring day-to-day, they never considered the future, only caring about the present.
Their actions were simple because, in the present, they cared tumultuously, they were mad with concern.
They already cared about her so much.
Although it was because she had cured Fang Chengyu, it was not just because she had cured Fang Chengyu.
For her, Old Lady Fang did not care about the consequences; for her, the people of the Fang Family stopped at nothing.
This, she had truly not expected.
She originally just wanted the Fang Family's money, but she had not expected that they would also give her their true hearts.
Sincerity indeed.
Miss Jun had never cared about or thought about wanting sincerity.
Her identity determined that she didn't need, nor could she get, sincerity. Whether there was sincerity or not, people would fear, please, guard against, and dislike her. What use was sincerity then?
However, the feeling of sincerity was quite nice.
Thinking about it, she had never embraced her parents like this.
Her mother was the crown princess consort and had to take care of her father and deal with the numerous affairs of the East Palace. Moreover, with wet-nurses, palace maids, and eunuchs, she didn't have to personally take care of and embrace her sisters.
When her sister was young, she always felt she was annoying, watching her every move, forbidding her from doing this or that; the two sisters were often playing hide and seek, hardly ever embracing.
In fact, on the day she got married, she was a bit scared. Her sister probably saw her fear and wanted to embrace her, but she really wasn't used to it and avoided it.
Miss Jun rested her head on Old Lady Fang's shoulder.
Actually, embracing felt very good, not uncomfortable at all, quite warm, especially having just escaped extreme danger.
Old Lady Fang didn't feel comfortable, but rather stiff and uneasy.
Grandmother, you are so good to me.
How bizarre! What is all this about! I can't understand what you mean!
Why hold onto someone so tightly! It's not like I'm a three-year-old!
"We are, of course, good to you, we only have Chengyu as a male heir. If something happens to him, who will take care of him?" Old Lady Fang said irritably, extending her arm to push the girl embracing her, "Off with you, no hugs, what kind of behavior is that?"
Fang Chengyu watched, smiling on the side.
Miss Jun let go of her.
"Don't think that you're off the hook just like that." Old Lady Fang said with a stern face, "This time your actions were absurd, all unclear and odd, scaring everyone like that; it's all your fault."
"Yes, this was indeed my fault." Miss Jun nodded seriously, paying respect to Old Lady Fang again, "It was my reckless behavior."
Old Lady Fang grunted, her expression still carrying some discomfort.
"So, what do we do now?" she said.
She was just making conversation to ease her discomfort. Surely, as an old woman, she wasn't expected to ask these two children how to handle things.
Her expression became even more uncomfortable after uttering those words.
"What you need to do now is get rid of the trouble caused by the imperial decree," Miss Jun said seriously, not minding Old Lady Fang's embarrassment, "And take this opportunity to recuperate."
Old Lady Fang nodded and cleared her throat softly.
"An imperial decree is a good thing, what trouble, don't talk nonsense," she corrected.
"In this world, fortune and misfortune coexist; good things are bad things, and bad things are good things," Miss Jun said, laughing again with a touch of sentiment, "No one feels this more deeply than I do."
Such an old-sounding lamentation from someone so young, where does all that melancholic sentiment come from?
Old Lady Fang glared at her.
"I will arrange for the imperial decree," she said, "Along with the execution this time, those old issues should be dealt with as well. You kids should rest; I, an old woman, will go rest first."
She said, walking off quickly as if fearing another embrace.
Fang Chengyu and Miss Jun exchanged a smile.
"Let's go back too," Miss Jun said.
Yet, Fang Chengyu walked up to her, then turned and knelt.
What is this?
Miss Jun was taken aback.
"Gongzhu, after running around all night, did you hurt your legs?" Fang Chengyu asked, slightly turning his head.