Both sides' calculations

The Shanhai Academy was built in the mountains and forests outside Chang'an City, far from the city, secluded and quiet, with a high elevation, making it an excellent place for austere study.

"May Your Majesty be well!"

The newcomer lifted his black hood, revealing a cold and stern face, with the corner of his bright yellow robe peeking out from under the hood.

"Rise. I thought Lord Cui was resting at home, but I didn't expect him to be here, along with all of you."

"Something went wrong at Shanhai Academy. My youngest son is restless and keeps causing trouble. I came to clean up the mess, and luckily I ran into His Majesty." Old Master Cui squinted his eyes. He hadn't expected His Majesty to actually come out.

The young lady from the Sui family is quite cunning.

Cui Zhuyu stood behind Old Master Cui, smiling without saying a word. Cui Xingzhi's eyes darted around, and he nudged her with his elbow, "Hey, why are they all here?"

He glanced around and saw that they were all prominent figures from Chang'an: members of the royal family, the head of the Sui family and the prime minister, the Duke and his wife of the Pei family...

Cui Zhuyu ignored him, so he could only let his imagination run wild, "When did our Shan Hai Academy become so grand?"

A loud crash.

Cui Xingzhi took two steps forward, looked into the distance, and thought to himself that something was wrong.

"Little niece, your thirteenth uncle is taking his leave first!"

He slipped away without a second thought, completely ignoring Old Master Cui's advice.

Good heavens, what's going on?!

With Sui Zhixu's martial arts skills, how could he possibly be no match for Xi Yushao, a weak scholar?

Fan Lingzhang was originally going to find Sui Zhixu after taking care of the rest of the arrangements. Hearing the voice, he instinctively knew it was her and followed the sound to find her.

Sui Zhixu used his internal force to shake open the kitchen door, and instantly the kitchen was filled with gray smoke, the thick smoke enveloping the place in a hazy mist.

"Cough cough..." Sui Zhixu ran out looking disheveled.

I was careless and forgot there was a stove in the kitchen; I was covered in firewood ash.

"Ah Ling?"

Fan Lingzhang was slightly taken aback at first, then widened his eyes and pursed his lips, trying his best to suppress his smile, unaware that his expression had already betrayed his laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" Sui Zhixu wiped it haphazardly a couple of times, but the more he wiped, the dirtier it got.

She felt a bit disgusted, and was even more furious at Xi Yushao, who was neither human nor ghost.

"Let me wipe it for you." Fan Lingzhang took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and carefully wiped her face. The jasmine fragrance on the handkerchief was delicate and refreshing.

His movements were gentle, and his voice lingered softly in her ear, "Look, your clothes are all wet. What happened?"

As he spoke, he draped his cloak over Sui Zhixu's shoulders.

She used her internal energy to dry her clothes and hair, but still felt uncomfortable, so she pulled Fan Lingzhang's cloak tighter around herself.

"I'm so angry!"

"Hmm? What are you talking about?" Fan Lingzhang pinched Sui Zhixu's cheek and couldn't help but laugh when he saw the two black fingerprints on the handkerchief.

Sui Zhixu slapped his hand away and wiped it with her own handkerchief. Xiao Furong didn't listen to her at all; she was only looking at her face.

"Go and tell the people from the Mo Family Lodge to clean up this dilapidated secret room." Sui Zhixu wiped his face clean and threw the handkerchief directly into Fan Lingzhang's arms.

She was going to find her mother and ignored Little Hibiscus.

"As you wish!"

She had just taken a step when Cui Xingzhi came running out, panting, "Are you alright? Where's Xi Yushao? Is he dead or did he run away?"

"...They ran away."

"He escaped! You really? He's a penniless nobody who can't even shoot properly. How could he have escaped from you?" Cui Xingzhi drew out the last part of his sentence, filled with astonishment and doubt.

Sui Zhixu's face darkened even more, and he even shook off the hand that Fan Lingzhang had finally managed to hook, and strode away.

He left behind the words, "Let him live a little longer."

Fan Lingzhang sighed slightly; A-Ling still had a strong competitive spirit.

"Hey, you should go to the main hall to see the Emperor!"

"knew."

"As for you..." Cui Xingzhi looked at Fan Lingzhang with a strange expression.

"I am..."

"Stop! I know who you are. The Fan family is renowned, so it's not like I don't know you, Fan Zirong. You are indeed good-looking, no wonder Xu Xin is fond of you. But could you tell me about the ways of the martial world?" Cui Xingzhi had wanted to put on the airs of a young master from a prestigious family, but he couldn't quite replicate Cui Zhuyu's composure, so he simply gave up.

"……ah?"

He acted unpredictably, catching Fan Lingzhang off guard. He then said decisively, "No, I need to go find my Ah Ling. Cui Langjun, make way."

As they approached the main hall, they caught a glimpse of their backs, and Sui Zhixu stopped in his tracks, not daring to go forward.

Every few days in winter, it snows in Chang'an, turning the entire city into a world covered in silver.

She stood under the tree, lost in thought, her skirt sweeping across the white snow beneath her feet. Sui He, on the round platform of the main hall, seemed to sense her presence and suddenly turned around.

"Mother!"

Sui Zhixu pursed her lips and ran towards Sui He, like a bird returning to its nest, she flew into Sui He's arms.

At first, her breathing trembled slightly, but when she felt the warmth in Sui He's arms, a tear fell unexpectedly onto Sui He's neck, shattering into tiny water droplets.

Sui He seemed to be burned by the tears and abruptly turned her head away. Sui Zhixu buried her whole body in her arms, taking up most of the space on her body, making it impossible for Sui He to see the expression on her face.

She gently stroked Sui Zhixu's back, and the person in her arms swayed slightly, like bamboo bending over in the cold wind.

"I...I saved you. Waaah...That's great."

Fate did not take your life; I saved you.

"And Father! Father is here!"

When Su Zhixu raised her eyes, her usually clear and calm eyes were now covered with a layer of mist, and the area around her eyes was red, as if they had been soaked in the juice of peach blossoms.

I hate you.

Cong Lan: "?"

Sui Zhixu hugged Sui He tightly, hating that he had died without a word, leaving her without a single sentence.

Puyang Kai and Sui Chengyu comforted Cong Lan from the side, praising his junior sister in every word, making him seem petty and narrow-minded as her father.

"How come you've turned into a crybaby after just a few months?"

Chaoyang walked up to her and playfully pinched her nose. Sui Zhixu then buried her face in Sui He's shoulder, ignoring everyone else.

"Hey, you've got a temper now."

Sui Zhixu sniffed, left Sui He's embrace, and resumed her aloof demeanor.

"I'm sorry, I can only delay for half a month." Her tone was cold, with only a few words revealing a tremor from crying. "When did you arrive? Where are Uncle Chu and the others?"

As Xu looked around, he saw that the injured disciples and Ni Zuilan were being treated by doctors brought by various families. Although the leaders of the aristocratic families were chatting and laughing with the Emperor and Empress Dowager, they were not on good terms.

Cui Wan pulled Pei Qinglian aside and poured out her heart. The Pei family members checked on everyone to make sure they were alright, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

But she did not see Chu Feixuan or Dan Hongliulü.

The month of birth wasn't even mentioned.

She pursed her lower lip, feeling a little worried. She was concerned about Xi Yushao from her previous life.

"Half a month is no easy feat." Chaoyang bent his arm to show her his strength. "Although I'm still in my postpartum period, I'm able to recover to my current state thanks to you. General Chu is a veteran of countless battles; escaping Chang'an is no problem for him."

"What's the age in months?"

When asked about the baby's age, Chaoyang shook his head. "I even sent Awan to ask her, but the Imperial Advisor only told us to look for you. She has important matters to attend to."

As Xu felt increasingly uneasy, she noticed another gaze. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it was the Emperor.

His gaze was strange, and Sui Zhixu had a gut feeling that he knew, but she was in no mood for any messy family reunion or to explain her complicated experiences. Besides, Sui Zhixu didn't like him, even though she didn't like him.

Since he doesn't yet hold great power, why waste the life of his beautiful wife and cause her to die young?

"It's General Chu and the Lieutenant General!" Cui Wan spotted Chu Feixuan's figure from afar.

A group of figures gradually came into Sui Zhixu's view, but there were none, none, still none.

"Where are the red blossoms and green willows?"

"Where is Ayan?"

One voice came from Sui Zhixu, and the other from Pei Qingzhuo.

Pei Qingzhuo's elder brother, Pei Qingkuan, grabbed him and warned him with his eyes that the Emperor was here.

Chu Feixuan dismounted, his face grave. He knelt on one knee before the Emperor, saying, "Your subject is guilty; I failed to defend Chang'an."

The Emperor sighed heavily, “This matter is not Chu Aiqing’s fault, but mine. I failed to notice that the Prince of Wei and Sima Xian were colluding in private.”

General Wang snorted lightly, "How can it be His Majesty's fault? Who would have thought that the late Prince Wei was so loyal to the late Emperor, yet his son would betray him and join the remnants of the previous dynasty?"

"Perhaps the former King Wei has long harbored rebellious intentions; if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked as well."

The leaders of the powerful families pondered their own words. They had already exposed their manpower to the emperor, and they had no choice but to contribute, as there was no excuse to avoid this calamity.

Since that's the case, they must win, so that they can be remembered in history.

"The most urgent task is to gather troops from all over the country. The King of Wei is powerful, and his men have already occupied most of the northeastern part of the Great Qi."

“We should find a place to settle down first. If you ask me, we should go to the Eastern Capital first.”

"The Eastern Capital also has the soldiers of the Prince of Wei."

"Then let's head south."

"Is Chang'an no longer going to be taken care of?"

"Chang'an is full of Sima Xian and the Prince of Wei's men. It was already difficult for His Majesty and the others to get out. Given the situation, we should abandon Chang'an and look for another place."

Cong Lan couldn't stand it anymore. "No! What will happen to the people of Chang'an? If we act like this, how will the court appease the people!"

"What are your thoughts, Prime Minister? Are we really going to stay cooped up in the Mountain and Sea Academy?"

“Although the academy is not large, we can still accommodate you all,” Ni Zuilan said slowly. “You don’t need to worry.”

The group of people started discussing and arguing again.

Xu Zhixu was too lazy to listen to their arguing, so she quickly pulled Chu Feixuan away. Anyway, she didn't care about a military general like him now.

"Where are the red blossoms and green willows? Where is Ayan?"

"The plan was flawed. I deliberately avoided the southwest route, but we were still intercepted by the King of Wei's men. Dan Hong and Liu Lü split up with me. I was worried about her and wanted to turn back, but the King of Wei attacked us from both sides. Seeing that the city gates were closing, we had no choice but to flee Chang'an quickly."

It was only possible that Xi Yushao was the one who anticipated her plan.

Xi Yushao...

She wanted to ask Yueling about the array in the secret room, but Yueling wasn't there. She wondered how He Miao and Xi Yushao had managed to come together to plan it.

One is more ruthless than the other; what deal did they make?

"Red blossoms and green willows..."

Even when she fell into the round pool, she never felt like she was drowning. Her vision went black, and a throbbing pain filled her nose and lungs.

She was having some difficulty breathing.

“Xi Yushao always ruins my plans.”

Sui He patted her shoulder, "Dan Hong is clever and skilled in poisons, and with Liu Lü's martial arts, they will be safe."

"No, it's not." Sui Zhixu closed her eyes. How could she say it? Her fingers curled up under her robes, as if she wanted to grasp something urgently.

"...I'm fine, let me think of something else."

“Junior sister can use this to search.” Puyang Kai opened his palm, revealing a white parrot.

“Parroting is not appropriate.”

In Chang'an, parrots were widely regarded as symbols of wealth, good fortune, and high moral character. There's even a Buddhist story about Liu Qian's daughter reading scriptures with a parrot, who eventually transformed into a white parrot. Keeping a considerable number of parrots certainly served as a cover.

“I specifically trained it using the bird training methods from the Immortal Abode. It can still deliver a message to Danhong. It's a bit shy and won't talk in front of strangers. I originally wanted to give it to you as a birthday gift to cheer you up, but since we don't have any other options, why don't we give it a try?”

Pu Yangkai's ears turned slightly red. Fan Lingzhang, standing at a distance, squinted and asked Jiang Li beside him, "What is he doing?"

"Oh? That's perfectly normal. In the past, many young men would compete to give Ah Ling gifts to win her favor. You should be more generous."

"I'm magnanimous... I!"

“Ah Ling is very busy as the young master of the family. She will also succeed as the head of the family in the future. You can’t always be jealous and bother her. Besides, what’s wrong with having a few more heads of the family?”

"No, absolutely not!"

Jiang Li: "Small affections and petty love."

Fan Lingzhang: "..."

You are always cold and heartless.

"Give it a try." She lowered her head, her long eyelashes casting a shadow, lost in thought.

They didn't even hear Fan Lingzhang's voice.

"Ah Ling?"

"Ah?" Sui Zhixu suddenly saw Jiang Li's figure and remembered another important matter.

Mother and Ah Niang...