Planning for Chang'an

Let's go back to when Xu Gang had just arrived at the Taoist temple and arranged the manpower and important matters.

According to the schedule, Chaoyang would give birth in half a month. In her previous life, it was also at this time that the palace gates were breached, and Chaoyang had to escape through a secret passage while still pregnant. The royal family abandoned the capital and went to Luoyang, the eastern capital.

Sima Xian moved into the palace and imprisoned his parents, thus beginning the saga.

Sui Zhixu looked at the city defense map in her hand. The streets of Chang'an were crisscrossed. Her gaze fell on a certain spot, and she pointed to it with her fingertip.

In just half a month, we'll see the willows turn green.

The secret passage outside the city used by Pei Qinglian and her brother is, to be honest, not the royal secret passage for emergencies, but one that the current Duke Pei used when he was young.

Pei Qinglian and her brother were unaware that their home contained a secret passage.

"Why would Aye want to build a secret passage?"

Noticing Pei Qingzhuo's strange expression, Duke Pei slapped him on the back of the head in annoyance. "What do you mean! Do I look like someone who wants to do bad things? Back then, I was often confined to the house by your grandfather. There was no way to even climb through a dog hole, so I secretly built a secret passage leading out of the city. It hasn't been used for a long time."

Madam Pei coughed lightly and patted Pei Qingzhuo a few times.

Pei Qinglian understood; it turned out that she wanted to sneak out of the city to go to the Shanhai Academy to find her mother.

He quickly replied, "Your father is wise."

It was very well hidden, because it was under Duke Pei's bed.

When Liu Lu went up there, there was no one there.

The secret passage hadn't been repaired for years and was covered in dust and cobwebs. Liu Lü calmly dusted herself off and walked out of the room.

"Oh my god! Who are you? How did you get into my house?"

Liu Lü remained calm, but compared to her, Duke Pei was terrified. If it weren't for Madam Pei behind him, he would have almost fallen to the ground.

Madam Pei's eyes lit up, and she grasped Liu Lü's hand. "I remember that you were one of Ah Xu's people. They met up with Ah Xu, right?"

Liu Lü was suddenly grasped, and out of consideration for Madam Pei's status, she suppressed her unease and nodded.

Duke Pei eventually fell to the ground. He got up on his own, rubbed the sore spot, and muttered to himself.

"Has Ah Xu brought people from the Sui family?"

Liu Lü nodded.

Xu had long ago ordered the medical staff and the military staff of Jingzhou to go to Chang'an and settle them outside the city.

Duke Pei suddenly sighed. He had worked hard for most of his life, but in the end, he still had to rely on a junior to save him. He had lost all face.

"Go find your prime minister." He waved his hand; this was the only secret passage he had left.

"I'm not looking for him."

"What?"

Duke Pei straightened up, looking at Liu Lü in disbelief, then regained his senses, "Looking for your family head?"

Liu Lü paused in thought. To find her master, she needed to find the head of the family first, so she had to find the head of the family.

"right."

"Oh, you can go now. Climb over the wall from the backyard. The people outside are watching very closely."

Liu Lü nodded, then quickly used her lightness skill to fly away, leaving behind Duke Pei and his wife.

"This child is highly skilled in martial arts, but he doesn't seem very bright."

Madam Pei: "Alright, alright. They're better than you. This world will eventually belong to the next generation. We're old and faded, so it's already good enough that we're doing them a favor."

“What you say is true, my lady. A-Lian and San-Lang have both gone out. I’ll go check on A-Kuan.”

"Yeah, it's not easy for Ah Kuan to be the boss."

Liu Lü scurried back to the Prime Minister's residence and landed in front of Sui He with a "whoosh".

"Hello, Master."

Sui He was startled by her. When he saw that it was her, he quickly asked her about Sui Zhixu's situation.

"My lady is currently unharmed. The young master instructed me to ask my master to mobilize troops to protect the people of Chang'an, take care of the Ning family, and protect Danhong."

"What, what! Did my wife mention me too? I knew my wife liked Danhong the most." Danhong jumped out from behind Suihe. If it weren't for Zhou Mama holding her back, she probably would have jumped up.

Sui He smiled and said, "Go find your master, and Dan Hong will come along too. Now you can really put your poison to good use."

"Dan Hong obeys, I guarantee they'll never forget this." Dan Hong's drawn-out tone reveals her playfulness and vitality.

"This servant will be leaving with Liu Lü now. This servant will miss my wife terribly."

Danhong grabbed Liulu and ran outside, her chattering questions still echoing along the path.

"Has my wife gained or lost weight? She looks beautiful no matter what."

"Does my wife often mention me? Is my wife unharmed? Has Mr. Fan bullied my wife? My wife, she..."

Sui He and Granny Zhou exchanged glances and laughed helplessly.

"Patriarch, the young master is outnumbered and outmatched. Even with the help of the entire Sui family, without the assistance of other aristocratic families, given the current situation where the royal family is trapped in the palace, can the young master really win?"

“Ah Zhou, we must believe in her. She already possesses the abilities of the Sui family head.” Sui He said, somewhat lost in thought.

Fu Mingguang's slightly mocking voice echoed in his mind, "Sui He, your child has done a lot of things behind the scenes."

"So what? At least she's not a child who can be bullied."

Sui He put down his tea and smiled gently.

"What? Aren't you afraid that she'll ruin the entire Sui family with her single-minded pursuit of revenge?" Fu Mingguang stood in front of Sui He, meeting her gaze directly, as if trying to discern a trace of the emotions she was expecting.

“I am her mother. I will clean up her messes. The Sui family no longer needs me as the head of the family.”

"What do you mean? You're saying you'll die with her just because she dragged the Sui family into this? And then you'll leave the Sui family to someone else? Sui He, you're really generous to give away half your life's legacy to someone else."

Fu Mingguang's eyes were filled with too much. He lowered his head to avoid her gaze and left her embrace.

“Mingguang, the situation is different now than it was back then. You shouldn’t transfer your hatred for me onto her.”

She scoffed, stood up, and looked at Sui He. "Is she your child?"

Why do you say that?

"Sima Xian took in Xi Yuzhen with the intention of winning over Fan Lingzhang. Ultimately, it's because she looks like Lu Kou. You must know why the Emperor valued her face and made her a county princess. She looks too much like Zhou Qin, like they were made from the same mold. Oh, not her, but Lu Kou. Do you think the Emperor didn't suspect this?"

She didn't beat around the bush and continued, "Tao Ning didn't die. The Emperor sent her out to atone for her crimes and found the old nanny who was now Consort Sima. It has been confirmed that Lu Kou is the little princess who died young. She met with Granny Su in the twenty-fourth year of Jianwu and then disappeared. Don't forget that the Prince's Mansion held a funeral for her in the twenty-third year of Jianwu."

“Sui Zhixu has a close relationship with Fan Lingzhang and a grudge against Sima Xian. Last winter, you were ambushed because of the Prince’s mansion. Are all these things just coincidences? Sui Zhixu is Lu Kou. She is not your child.”

“She is!” Sui He said firmly. “She is my child. She just had a different experience than others, but I am certain that she is my child. Mingguang, I know this better than you do. I wasn’t sure before, but thank you for telling me that Lu Kou is the Emperor’s lady.”

Fu Mingguang: "You knew all that?"

“The Imperial Preceptor Yueling is her master. There’s nothing that can’t happen to her. She’s been my child from beginning to end, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

She was also afraid that the emperor would take the child from her.

"Mingguang, I wronged you in the past, what grievances do you have against me..."

"Shut up."

The two parted on bad terms.

As Sui He recalled this, he turned his head and said, "Ah Zhou, go and call the son-in-law to my study."

"yes."

With their vibrant reds and greens perfectly matched, the two successfully escaped the Prime Minister's residence.

"Let them try my newly developed bone-dissolving water. It's a good deal for them. It's better for them to just disappear into the world."

Liu Lü hugged Dan Hong's waist. "Stop talking nonsense, let's go."

A second after the two dodged, the patrolling soldier said in surprise, "How come there's a puddle of water here? Strange, I clearly saw someone patrolling here just now."

Dan Hong smiled, but Liu Lü covered her mouth, and she glared at Liu Lü with considerable displeasure.

Liu Lü didn't understand why her wife said she and Dan Hong worked together best, since she could knock someone unconscious and still leave.

Unbeknownst to her, after they left, the patrolling soldiers, being cautious, reported the incident, and a while later, someone came to the Prime Minister's residence to investigate.

Sui He and Cong Lan stood before them, giving them cold looks.

Cong Lan: "I never expected that you, Vice Minister of War, would actually be one of Prince Wei's men."

"Hmph, where are the people from the Prime Minister's residence? Is your precious apprentice missing, Prime Minister?"

"Is Your Excellency looking for me? I am but a minor official of the fifth rank, yet Your Excellency has taken notice of me. I am humbled." Puyang Kai arrived late, a gentle smile on his face, and stood before the Vice Minister of War.

The Vice Minister of War swept through the Prime Minister's residence, and Cong Lan reached out to block Sui He. The others were also cautious and wary, and it seemed that there was no problem.

He laughed too, “We’ve worked together in the officialdom for many years. If you surrender, I will take into account our camaraderie as colleagues.”

"There is no need to persuade me further. His Majesty has shown me great favor. There is absolutely no way I would side with the Prince of Xuanping."

The group parted on bad terms.

Pu Yangkai's eyes flickered, "Junior Sister is back?"

Sui He shook his head, "He only sent Liu Lü back to handle the matter."

"I see." His eyes were filled with desolation, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips. "Is my junior sister alright?"

"There is no serious problem at the moment."

"It's alright, it's alright."

More than for her to remember him or see him, he hoped she would be safe and sound; he didn't know how long this calamity would last.

"By the way, teacher and teacher's wife. Headmaster Ni of Shan Hai Academy sent a letter through someone."

Puyang Kai took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to the two men; he was a little late because of this matter.

"Why would Alan send a message?" Sui He frowned and opened the envelope to read it.

Cong Lan was also puzzled. The students at Shan Hai Academy were all studying. Could Sima Xian really be so heartless as to attack them? Did he not think about how to appease the people after he actually ascended the throne?

"Who delivered the letter?" Sui He closed the letter, his expression serious.

Puyang Kai realized something was wrong and quickly said, "That person is still here. I'll call him over right now."

Sui He sensed something was wrong and raised his hand to stop him, "How did he manage to evade so many soldiers and armor and get all the way from outside the city to the Prime Minister's residence by himself?"

"But he has Ni Shanzhang's token, with a silver background and bellflower pattern, and a sword mark on the bottom. It is indeed really good."

Ni Zuilan's headmaster token is rarely displayed in front of others, and the sword mark at the bottom is even less known. Those are all old stories that no one should know about.

"Since he's here, let's meet him. Dihuang, go and follow the young master."

Cong Lan gripped Sui He's hand tightly. Sui He's eyes darted around, ready to meet force with force. She wanted to see who it was.

"Sima Xian has had a good reputation among scholars for many years, he shouldn't have brought trouble upon himself."

"It's hard to guarantee that there aren't other people among them who are two-faced and treacherous."

As Sui He and Cong Lan whispered in each other's ears, Dan Hong Liu Lü had already arrived at the General's Mansion.

The general's mansion was heavily guarded, with patrols roaming outside. The guards, their hands on their swords at their waists, had sharp eyes, and the cold light reflected from their armor shone on Liu Lü's eyes. She covered her red mouth and hid in a corner.

Dan Hong gestured with her hands, and a few seconds later Liu Lü nodded, and the two went their separate ways.

"There's not enough bone-dissolving water. I should have known better than to pour so much into the area near my house."

Dan Hong shook the bottle in her hand, watching the human figure on the ground gradually disappear. It took her a lifetime of acting skills to fool both of them; she had never spoken in such a high-pitched voice in her life.

"Let's go in first." Liu Lü looked around, heard a noise, and grabbed Dan Hong as they climbed over the wall and went inside.

Sure enough, patrolling soldiers appeared around the corner after they left.

"Boss, what's that puddle of water up ahead?"

"It's just a puddle of water, what's the big deal about it being under the tree roots?"

Dan Hong scratched her head inside the wall and whispered, "I'll study it some more."

Next time, I'll definitely make the bone-dissolving water disappear too.

"Master, my wife asked me to find you and gather the troops in Chang'an. We cannot let the Prince of Wei capture the palace gates."

"I'm afraid we really need Lady Danhong's help with this matter."

"Me? Don't worry, I've got you covered!" Dan Hong raised her head, her eyes shining.

"Come here." Chu Feixuan led the men to the study. "These families in Chang'an are worth our attention. General Wang Piao, from the Langya Wang clan, went to the battlefield before he came of age. He has influence with both noble families and the court. Most importantly, he is loyal."

Chu Feixuan raised his head appropriately, and Liu Lü met his expectant gaze, nodding repeatedly.

Dan Hong's eyes widened instantly. "You infiltrated the Wang family, right? I'll go and research bone-dissolving water, sleeping pills, and mind-control powder. He'll have to obey whether he wants to or not."

"..."

That's not what he meant, is it?

Seeing that the person had run away, I decided to forget about it and explain in detail next time.

"And these are a few more, Liu Lü, remember them well."