Miss Jun had never been this angry before.
She paced back and forth in the courtyard, hands clenched in front of her, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
Everyone in the courtyard was terrified.
Ever since they had known this girl, they had seen her cry and laugh, and she had mostly been good-tempered, but they had never seen her angry and furious.
Even when facing those bandits she had not been like this.
"Miss, what's wrong?" Liu'er bounced over and called out excitedly, "Who has made you angry?"
But Miss Jun, instead of answering her as usual, just continued to pace back and forth with an angry expression.
"Miss..." Liu'er didn't know what to ask, so she just followed along, being angry.
The village women dared not talk or advise, and the Shopkeeper of De Sheng Chang didn't dare to pick up the letter and bamboo tube thrown on the ground. Liu'er was being ignored, and he didn't know whether he should ask or not.
The sweet aroma of New Year's cakes scattered in the courtyard, and the laughter from the village echoed, making the atmosphere here seem even more stifled.
"Miss Jun, come here," said a woman's steady voice, brooking no refusal.
Miss Jun glanced at her but didn't comply.
The girl's eyes were wide, like an angry little beast.
This child must have been prideful, stubborn, and very opinionated from a young age.
Madam Yu watched her.
"What's the use of smashing and hitting?" she said. "If you don't want to look at it, just burn it."
Eh, is she scolding my Miss? Liu'er glared at her.
Who do you think you are?
She wanted to say something but saw Miss Jun exhale and bend down to pick up the bamboo tube and the letter.
"Something has happened," she said to the women in the courtyard as she stood up, "Aunties, please wait to make the New Year's cakes."
The women sighed in relief.
"Alright, alright, we'll go and distribute the ones that are ready," they said.
As they spoke, they quickly and efficiently began putting things away, busy yet orderly.
The young man who had retreated to Madam Yu's side watched in surprise. He had mingled with these village women for two days, and whether it was their speech or actions, they seemed like very common village women. But at this moment, watching these women's uniform actions, he was inexplicably reminded of the men's reactions when they had encountered robbers.
The pots, pans, ladles, and cutting boards in these women's hands—if replaced with spears and swords, they might not look less formidable than those men.
In almost the blink of an eye, the women had finished clearing up and left the courtyard.
The courtyard fell silent once more.
Madam Yu didn't speak anymore and, supporting the young man's arm, was about to head inside.
"Emperor." Miss Jun suddenly spoke, her voice a bit hoarse, clearly struggling with her emotions, "He wants to negotiate peace with the Jurchen people."
The Shopkeeper uttered a sound in surprise, his expression stunned, while Madam Yu stopped in her tracks, her tall figure stiffening slightly.
Only Liu'er was quite pleased; the Miss was willing to talk, what she spoke didn't matter.
"How to negotiate peace?" the Shopkeeper hastily asked.
He didn't even care that there was a strange woman in the courtyard, especially since the Miss hadn't avoided her.
"Could it be true, really using the Jurchen people's conditions..." the Shopkeeper continued.
Miss Jun tore up the piece of paper viciously.
"Yes," she shouted angrily, "Yes, that useless man."
As she spoke, tears blurred her vision.
Wasn't he very powerful? Having killed his brother, driven his father to death, and seized the empire.
Wasn't he very powerful? For the sake of his empire, he could commit dehumanized acts of cruelty, disloyalty, unfiliality, and brutality—how is it that when others come to snatch his empire, he wants to negotiate peace?
Six provinces, such vast territories, so many subjects, he simply discards them?
He just gives them up?
They were reclaimed after ten years of campaign, purchased with the blood of numerous soldiers, after ten years of hard winters spent defending, allowing for recuperation and propagation, the prospering of a well-nurtured populace.
He just gives them up?
"How could he say that?" Miss Jun looked at the Shopkeeper of De Sheng Chang, "How could he bring himself to say it?"
The Shopkeeper looked at her and shook his head, instinctively taking a step back.
He couldn't answer that question; he didn't know either.
Why are they negotiating peace already?
The hundred thousand Jurchen soldiers haven't even assembled yet, and the battle hasn't even started—does this mean they're scared already?
"The Duke hasn't been defeated," he could only say. "No matter how many Jin thieves come, the Duke will not be defeated. Thirty thousand, fifty thousand, a hundred thousand, the Duke won't be afraid. How can it be that... "
The soldiers at the front aren't afraid to die. They sit safely in the rear—what's there to be afraid of?
"What are they afraid of?" Miss Jun looked at Liu'er.
"Exactly." Although unsure of what Miss was talking about, Liu'er immediately followed with angry shouts, "What are they afraid of? We're not afraid of anything."
Miss Jun looked at her and laughed with a burst of laughter, yet also with a touch of wanting to cry.
"Yes, we are not afraid. What is he afraid of?" she said, looking toward another person in the courtyard.
Madam Yu unknowingly turned around with the young man, listening to her talk.
Her expression was solemn and tranquil while the young man was obviously shocked and angry, veins bulging on his face.
Miss Jun watched him.
"Young man, if I give you a knife now and tell you to go kill a Jin thief, would you dare?" she asked.
The young man was not yet twenty years old, a very timid and shy person who hadn't said a word since arriving two days ago.
"Of course I dare!" he shouted immediately.
"Yes, we all dare. Why wouldn't he dare?" Miss Jun inquired.
This child really demanded an answer.
"Because everyone has their own fears," Madam Yu spoke, gesturing to Miss Jun, "That's enough, child. Don't be too hard on yourself; sometimes you can't expect others to be like yourself."
Expecting others to be like yourself—that's not how it's used, right? It's just like those previous couplets mourning the separation from loved ones.
This lady is really...
Miss Jun couldn't help but laugh again, raising her hand to rub her nose and pout.
With this interruption, her mood had slightly calmed down.
Yes, you cannot expect others to be like yourself. Just because she dares doesn't mean others must dare as well.
"Let's wait for the Concreteness of the news," she took a deep breath and looked at the Shopkeeper.
The news was urgent; only the most crucial parts were sent first by pigeon, and the details would definitely be transmitted later by fast horse.
The Shopkeeper nodded.
"I'll head back now," he said.
Miss Jun watched him depart, standing motionless in the courtyard.
Perhaps the women had already spread the word around, the laughter that once filled the village had disappeared, returning to the quietness of past days—an even deeper quietness, so quiet that not even the sounds of cattle and sheep could be heard.
"I could never have dreamed of it," Miss Jun murmured to herself.
I thought he was cruel and shameless, I thought he was ungrateful and treacherous, I thought he was a beast, but never had I imagined that he would be such a timid and useless thing.
The so-called cruelty, the so-called cunning, it turns out they were only used against his own kin, against those who were unguarded against him.
"Miss, what are you thinking about?" Liu'er asked from the side.
Miss Jun looked ahead.
"I'm thinking of swearing," she said.
......................
"I **** my ancestors' grandmother!"
A person leapt up from the rock, loudly cursing, throwing the letter in hand onto the ground, and fiercely stomping on it with his leather boots.
Because the movement was too violent, the beard that was half-hanging around his ears also fell off.
"Big brother." A man to the side who heard the noise looked over and reminded him, "Your beard fell off."
The one called big brother turned his head, revealing Zhu Zan's clean-shaven, sharply contoured face.
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Thanks for the famous reward, He's Bi, on page 11 (*^__^*) hehe... thank you.
Thank you, everyone. This week has really been long.