Old Lady Fang looked at him and smiled too.
Indeed, if they couldn't find them in one day, they would look for two days, and if not in two, they would look for three days. As long as they were alive, they would keep searching. What was there to fear?
Just like when the old master was gone, the son was gone, the grandson had been harmed, she had to hold on, endure one day, and then the second day, and the third day.
As long as she lived, she would not fall.
"As long as one of us is still here, we must keep searching," Old Lady Fang said to the daughters-in-law and granddaughters before her. "If Heaven wants our Fang Family to live such a life, we are not afraid, we are not daunted, we will live it out boldly for it to see."
Lady Fang, Fang Yunxiao, Fang Yuxiu, and the others all nodded solemnly.
"Yes, grandmother (mother), rest assured, I will definitely keep searching," they said in unison.
"Alright, now we must divide into teams. Yunxiu, Concubine Yuan, and I will go back to rest for a while. Chengyu, you and your mother continue searching. We will come and replace you after noon," Old Lady Fang said, then looked at the guards, maidservants, and money business staff by her side, "You all should also take turns."
Everyone agreed loudly.
"Old Lady, I will arrange it. The staff from other money businesses have all rushed over today; we have plenty of hands," Manager Gao said.
While they were being lively, another group of horse riders swiftly approached from outside the city gate.
"Fang, maiden name Cao! Stop this nonsense now."
The leading man shouted harshly even before the riders had drawn near.
These people were dusty from travel. Even though they were dressed in plain clothes, everyone still recognized them as the officials from Taiyuan prefecture who had left Yangcheng the day before. The one who had issued the rebuke was Magistrate Ma Shengzhi.
Magistrate Ma's demeanor was nothing like his previous impassiveness. His expression was one of shock and anger, while the expressions of the officials behind him were complex.
"Do you know what you are doing?" Magistrate Ma approached quickly and, without waiting for his horse to stop completely, dismounted and marched up to Old Lady Fang, shouting, "Did the former emperor's imperial decree command you to disrupt the peace and ****? Do you even understand what you are doing?"
He then looked around at the residents, who were either obviously or subtly hiding nearby.
"Do you realize what this implies?" he said in a lower voice, furrowing his eyebrows and shouting.
A merchant who runs a money business had actually brought out the emperor's imperial decree.
What did this mean?
Old Lady Fang certainly knew what it meant.
Otherwise, she had never dared to reveal even a hint of it for so many years.
The imperial decree was their protection but also undoubtedly a weapon, entangling even more suspicions and speculations, bound to provoke great upheaval.
Old Lady Fang looked at Magistrate Ma.
"My lord, I know what I am doing," she said. "The imperial decree did not command me to disrupt the peace and ****, but it is also meant to protect my Fang Family. Now that my family faces such calamity, when else should I use it if not now?"
Magistrate Ma pointed his finger at Old Lady Fang.
"What calamity has your family encountered?" he said through gritted teeth in a low voice, turning to look at Fang Chengyu, "Now your grandson is healed, your enemies have been punished; this is supposed to be a time of blessings after great troubles. Is it really necessary to create such upheaval just because a daughter-in-law did not come home one night?"
"This granddaughter-in-law is the sky of my Fang Family," Old Lady Fang, too, claimed vehemently, her expression resolute and frenzied as she pointed to the sky, "If she is in trouble, the sky is overturned, and my Fang Family is overturned."
This old woman has really gone mad.
Magistrate Ma's face turned ashen. Just as he was about to speak, a female voice came from the crowd.
"What happened? Who is in trouble?"
The sound drew attention. Magistrate Ma and the other officials had barely reacted when Fang Chengyu was the first to turn his head, followed by the women of the Fang Family.
Standing outside the crowd, Fang Jinxiu also incredulously followed the sound.
The circle of guards, compelled by these gazes, instinctively parted and turned to look.
Behind them, unbeknownst to them when she had appeared, stood a young girl with disheveled hair and clothes stained with dust, looking somewhat disheveled but with a gentle face and bright, spirited eyes.
She held a bamboo basket with some herbs placed inside, just like a herb gatherer returning in the morning.
Silence filled the space.
Miss Jun scanned the crowd with a surprised, puzzled, and bewildered expression.
"What happened?" she asked again.
What happened indeed?
Fang Jinxiu felt her heart stop and her mind go blank.
Zhenzhen, you've really killed me now!
Silence solidified in the space.
This silence was because some people of the Fang Family calmed down, and naturally, the onlookers quieted too.
Not everyone recognized this girl.
Miss Jun was, after all, a young woman who, despite her scandalous reputation due to the marriage arrangement with Tenth Noble Son Ning, was only well-known by name, not personally familiar to everyone.
Those familiar with her were only among the young women.
Now, the onlookers were mostly men, who didn't recognize her.
For instance, Magistrate Ma.
As Magistrate Ma looked on, the officials also looked over, particularly a servant at the back squinting his eyes.
This girl was about fourteen or fifteen years old.
Despite wearing fine clothes and having an elegant and gentle demeanor, the slight messiness of her clothes and hair did not conceal her distinctive quality of a well-brought-up lady of fortune.
Was this the person the Fang Family had been searching for since last night?
Although they had not seen her before, the reactions from Old Lady Fang and others made it clear who she was.
The daughter of Jun Yingwen, the external granddaughter of the Fang Family, and the Young Lady who, according to legends, had cured Young Master by a marriage of convenience.
Clearly aware of her identity, Magistrate Ma still pointed his finger.
"Who is she?" he demanded sharply.
This was clearly a mocking question asked knowingly.
Before Old Lady Fang could respond, a shrill female cry erupted.
"Miss!"
Before everyone could react, wondering where she had come from, Liu'er had already rushed to Miss Jun, hugging her and sobbing loudly.
"Miss, where did you go? You scared me to death."
With this outburst, there was no need for Old Lady Fang to speak further; everyone present now knew who the girl was.
What happened?
What exactly was going on?
Everyone was perplexed; the person they had been frantically searching for all night had suddenly appeared.
"Zhenzhen, where did you go?" Lady Fang couldn't help but shout out as she quickly approached.
Miss Jun, being hugged and cried upon by Liu'er, and seeing the gathering crowd, was clearly very confused as well.
"I went to gather herbs," she said.
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This is an extra update for the monthly ticket.
The rewards from the Alliance Leaders etc. will be tallied and included in an extra update after May.
Today and this month have come to an end.
Whatever the result, we have done what we could, left the rest to fate, prepared to win or lose without regret.
I sincerely thank you all once again.
We'll meet again tomorrow and next month.