Master and Miao

"I'm here." Sui Zhixu held onto the railing as she went downstairs and reached out to catch Sui Chengyu, who rushed towards her.

Sui Chengyu raised the revolving lantern, its light swaying into Sui Zhixu's eyes. "Did you win this?"

"Hmm! Isn't it beautiful? I never expected that Mr. Fan would actually regard this revolving lantern as the king of lanterns."

Sui Zhixu: "What's wrong with this lamp?"

"About five years ago, Prince Xuanping met Young Master Fan by chance and thought he was a suitable son-in-law, so he went to her house to act as matchmaker for Lady Lu. It is said that after Young Master Fan met Lady Lu once, he exclaimed that she was a fairy descended from heaven."

"After their marriage, the two had a very good relationship. They would go for walks in the spring, pick lotus flowers in the summer, go hunting in the autumn, and brew wine in the winter. This Four Seasons Lamp in Yunlai Tower was made by Fan Langjun himself for Lu Niangzi after studying under Master Ma. Its magnificence is no less than any of the King of Lamps in Yunlai Tower."

"Unfortunately, three years ago, Madam Lu passed away from an illness. After that, Master Fan put the lantern away. I never expected that this revolving lantern would reappear after three years." Sui Chengyu recounted in a gentle voice, her eyes filled with a faint sense of nostalgia.

"I was fortunate enough to see it for the last time three years ago, and I have never forgotten it since. I never expected that it would be the King of Lights this year."

As Chu Feng reminisced about those days, he said, "That year was not peaceful. My mother and aunt wouldn't let us go out. Cheng Yu and I even sneaked out, hahaha. I never expected you to remember that one time we met so long ago."

Sui Chengyu's cheeks flushed slightly as she handed the lantern to Sui Zhixu. Sui Zhixu was taken aback for a moment before accepting the lantern.

The dim yellow candlelight shone through the scroll and onto the pale blue dress, while the white of the wooden handle was reflected in the fingertips of the child.

"For many years, I have envied the unchanging affection between my aunt and uncle." Sui Chengyu's gaze fell on the mermaid pearl by Sui Zhixu's ear, "Just like the mermaid pearl by my cousin's ear, it is enviable. This revolving lantern depicts the beautiful past of Fan Langjun and Lu Niangzi, just like my aunt and uncle."

The young woman in front of him said timidly, "I want to give this to my cousin, wishing her all the best."

Sui Zhixu rubbed Sui Chengyu's head, while Sui Chufeng pouted and cried out, "Sui Chengyu! What did I not do? You never gave me any of the prizes you won in previous years, waaaah, it's so hateful, I need blessings too!"

Sui Chengyu turned her head, the blush on her face fading. "You don't need it. Any woman who takes a fancy to you is doomed. I will definitely advise her to get out of this misery as soon as possible."

"You, you, you—" Sui Chufeng was so angry he was practically fuming, pointing at Sui Chengyu but unable to utter a word.

As Xu Qi raised his head and chuckled, a genuine smile curving his lips as he watched the two playfully bickering. The kind gazes of those around him fell upon the three siblings, and the laughter that filled the room added to the joy and liveliness of the Lantern Festival.

Fan Lingzhang looked down from the second floor. His wife stood there holding a lantern, a sight of breathtaking beauty. A bitter smile appeared on his lips.

In the shadows, Prince Xuanping glanced at the pale blue figure before stepping out the back door and leaving.

In the darkness, Prince Xuanping put on the hood of his cloak and hid in the shadows.

"Go and investigate the young lady wearing the light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress)." Prince Xuanping waved to his subordinates.

He twirled the white jade ring on his thumb. "Wait, never mind her. Let's bring that idiot He Miao back first. How dare he take it upon himself to disrupt the palace's grand exorcism ceremony? Not only did he make me clean up his mess, but he also ruined my plans. He deserves to die."

"Yes, ma'am."

The man in black disappeared into the night without anyone noticing. Prince Xuanping pulled down the brim of his hat to cover half his face and walked alone into the noisy crowd outside the alley.

"Cousin, cousin, come quick, let's sing and dance with them!"

"My lady, my lady, let's go together!"

Dan Hong and Sui Chengyu confronted Sui Zhixu, who nodded and then dragged Sui Chufeng into the conversation before leaving.

"Ahhh, no!"

"No, Sui Chengyu, don't step on my foot! No, auntie, could you please be careful?"

"Who are you calling an aunt? I'm only sixteen, okay?" She glared fiercely at Sui Chufeng and then kicked him hard again.

"Aww—"

Amidst the laughter and chatter, Sui Chufeng occasionally let out a sharp scream. The Sui Zhixu sisters exchanged glances and silently moved away from Sui Chufeng.

That's terrifying.

"You two heartless little women, I'm in so much pain!" On the way back, Sui Zhixu made Liu Lü carry Sui Chufeng.

Sui Zhixu calmly said, "You insist on calling her 'wife' or 'aunt'."

“You deserve it. It’s good enough that they kicked you twice.” Sui Chengyu nodded repeatedly.

Sui Chufeng rolled his eyes without any regard for his image. "I was just saying it offhand, I didn't mean to talk about her. It really wasn't intentional, I apologized eight times! That woman, sigh... I can't even talk about her, ugh! My foot is definitely swollen."

"Liu Lü, throw him up there."

After Xu and the others boarded the carriage, he finally called out to Liu Lü.

"You want me to sit outside? Please, my feet are all swollen."

Sui Zhixu said, "There are no seats available. If we send someone to find a carriage for your residence now, it will be too late to get back."

"Fine." Sui Chufeng's ears drooped, and he was forced to accept.

"Liu Lü, be gentle, my foot is injured." Sui Chufeng said to Liu Lü with a playful smile.

"Um"

With a blank expression, Liu Lü picked up Sui Chufeng and carried him to the carriage.

Sui Chufeng: "..."

That's not what he wants!

Oh no! My reputation is ruined.

Sui Chufeng remained silent for several days until he escorted Sui Shan and his wife back to Jingzhou, at which point Sui Zhixu finally saw him.

Sui Chufeng sat on his tall horse, his disheveled appearance from the previous days gone by. Behind him, in the carriage, sat Sui Shan and his wife, Cui Niangzi.

Sui Shan and Cui Niangzi spoke to their two sons with reluctance, while Sui Chengyu stood silently to the side, arm in arm with his aunt.

"Chengyu, you've reached the age where you must find a good marriage in Chang'an. Jingzhou isn't as prosperous as Chang'an, and there are fewer good families. You must seize the opportunity. Also, your aunt is in your care." Sui Shan called over to Sui Chengyu.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Sui Chengyu grasped Sui Shan's hand and said, "Father, rest assured, I will definitely follow your teachings and take good care of Aunt. May you and Madam have a safe journey."

Sui Zhixu leaned lazily against the door with a cold expression. She had failed to use Sui Shan to probe the Xuanping Prince's system. That person was too good at pretending, and had Sui Shan and the others completely bewitched.

She needs to think of other solutions.

He placed his hand on the pearl by his ear and stroked it. The master of Prince Xuanping was also from Yueshan.

"Have you had any ideas lately?" Sui Zhixu asked Yueling in her mind.

"have."

Yue Ling's words were bitter: "It should be my junior brother, He Miao."

Sui Zhixu: "Junior brother?"

"Well, Master didn't take in many disciples. Besides me, who was taken in by Master when I was a child, I had another junior brother, two years younger than me, who became a disciple of Yueshan when I was a teenager. He came from a wealthy family, but his entire family was wiped out by enemies, and he was the only survivor. He ran all the way to Yueshan and begged Master to take him in. Master had a good relationship with his father, so he took him in as his last disciple. He was arrogant and domineering and obsessed with revenge, so he didn't hesitate to practice forbidden techniques. After he got his revenge, he suffered a backlash and became neither human nor ghost. When Master found out, he abolished his techniques and expelled him from Yueshan. For nearly a hundred years, I thought he had died long ago. Now it seems that he may have learned forbidden techniques again and, by chance, became a master under the command of the Prince of Xuanping."

Sui Zhixu pondered, "Perhaps the backlash caused his soul to need the nourishment of the mermaid pearl, but you kept the mermaid pearl and me in the dojo until I returned home. He had been suffering for many years without an opportunity, and after hearing the news, he instigated the Prince of Xuanping."

Yue Ling's tone was sullen, unlike her usual lively self. "Hmm, I think he supports Prince Xuanping because he wants to emulate his master and take the opportunity to ascend to immortality."

"Did our grandmaster really become an immortal?"

Yueling scoffed, "No, I buried the body myself. If simply serving the emperor could make one an immortal, countless ministers in the court would have become immortals by now. He cultivated forbidden arts, his methods were cruel, and he harmed countless innocent lives. What kind of immortal would he become? An evil immortal?"

"Is it possible for a pie to fall from the sky?" Sui Zhixu rested his chin on his hand, looking out at the departing carriage, and shook his head. "Generally, it's impossible. The system's ability is so great that it can transfer its fortune to Prince Xuanping and make him the chosen one. There must be a price to pay, right?"

"What don't you want to do?" Yue Ling became serious, and she always had a bad feeling about what Sui Zhixu was saying.

"He stole my luck. Now that I've been reborn, he should be reacting to it."

"Your luck will definitely return to some extent now that you've come back, but it's difficult for it to return completely. Right now, he won't notice it unless he's paying attention."

“It’s a bit difficult. Do you have a way?” Sui Zhixu flicked the gleaming mermaid pearl. “Then let him notice it and see how the system finds him good fortune.”

"You will be in danger this way."

"So what? You can't catch tiger cubs without going into the tiger's den."

Sui Zhixu's eyes were sharp, and the warm sunlight shone on her eyelids, causing her to squint and look up at the sky.

The sun hangs high in the sky, and there are no clouds for miles around.

"The weather is nice," she said casually, then turned to see Sui Chengyu's ambiguous gaze.

Hatred, murderous intent.

She was all too familiar with this feeling; it was like a bugle call etched into her very bones. When the enemy approached, the bugle call would alert the entire camp, and everyone would be on high alert.

"Do you think your cousin would kill your uncle? It's like watching a palace drama."

"Well, the feelings of the three thousand beauties in the harem are different from your little cousin's feelings, right? She's committing patricide. The concubines in the palace are all tied to their families when they fight each other. I've never seen anyone commit patricide, but I've heard of emperors being murdered in the previous dynasty, but she didn't succeed."

"What a coincidence! The last emperor of the previous dynasty was the grandfather of the Prince of Xuanping. My master said he was cruel, tyrannical, and dissolute, which is why he refused to take over as the Imperial Preceptor and ran back to Yueshan to become a Taoist priest. As for that concubine, her surname was Sui, and she was also a lady from the Sui family in Jingzhou. She was forced to enter the palace to serve the old emperor until his death. When she failed to kill him, she was still shouting 'tyrant' in her mouth. I heard my master mention it, and he looked regretful."

“You and your wives are ‘rebellious’ for murdering the emperor and father.”

"Heretical"?

"Indeed, this world has become extremely 'unorthodox'."

Sui Zhixu recalled the ancestral tablets in the ancestral hall. Unlike other families, the three members of the Sui family had left their mother's name, Yang Jiuyan, instead of Sui Yangshi. On the contrary, they had not left their father's name, simply writing "Sui Dalang." Sui Zhixu couldn't figure it out; he couldn't really be called Sui Dalang, could he?

"There's no way around it, birds of a feather flock together. I think killing Prince Xuanping would be tantamount to regicide."

Sui Zhixu's eyes flashed with a hint of a smile, "I guess Uncle won't die for a while after arriving in Jingzhou. My cousin cherishes her reputation very much."

She had to get her hands on the Lantern King for the Lantern Festival every year. The first thing she thought of when she killed her father was to use someone else to do the dirty work. How could she let herself get into trouble?

Yueling: "You didn't like her at first, because you felt her intentions were obvious."

“I told you, I have no preferences. Her thoughts are obvious to me, but did her father notice? Clearly not.”

Yueling grumbled, "You awkward brat."