Snow in June

I learned that Xu had indeed gained a lot, having participated in the unique Dragon Boat Festival poetry gathering at Shanhai Academy.

Unexpectedly, Liu Xi was paired with someone else. Halfway through the poetry recital, Liu Xi cried out in anguish, "Please don't hold me back, okay?"

She had to admit that Liu Xi was very strong, and their good results were all thanks to her.

She didn't expect to be included in the graduation ceremony in June.

When Ni Zuilan walked up to her, she asked, "Do I count too?"

Ni Zuilan smiled and pinched her cheek. "Of course, every student who has graduated from Shan Hai Academy has this wish. I hope that you will have the world and the mountains and seas in your hearts, not be bound by the height of the court, and not be trapped by the pinnacle of power. Speak out for the people and seek the well-being of all people. This is the fundamental principle of Shan Hai Academy. I wish every student the best."

Ning Yan looked at Sui Zhixu and Xu Mingyi with tearful eyes; she wanted to stay for another year.

As Xu Zhixu spread his hands expressionlessly, Xu Mingyi remained shy, and Liu Xi gave a light snort, seemingly mocking him.

Ning Yan pursed her lips, rolled her eyes, and said that people who didn't get along with her couldn't stand her doing anything.

"Ouch!" Ning Yan turned her head and yelled at Pei Sanlang, "Why did you flick me?"

Pei Sanlang: "Be more refined."

"Old fogey, blockhead, I can't even make a living, and you're still arguing with me about these things. Why did you come to pick me up today?"

"My sister asked me to pick you up."

Ning Yan: "..."

Go to hell, you won't say a word.

Sui Zhixu leaned on Yueling's shoulder, watching them play and joke around, counting the days left on her fingers. In three days, she would be setting off for Luoyang.

“Ah Xu, I’ll go with you. Just leave him aside.”

Ning Yan suddenly ran out and grabbed her arm, acting coquettishly. Before she could say anything, Pei Sanlang led her away with a stern face.

"Stop talking nonsense."

"Pei Qingzhuo, let me go! Waaaaah, you're bullying me and won't let me go with someone else! How can there be such a person in the world? I'm breaking the contract! I'm not going to be with you anymore!"

Seeing Ning Yan both attacking him and clinging to him, and then the two of them sticking together and making up as before, it could only be said that one was willing to hit and the other was willing to be hit.

One thing can subdue another.

Sui Zhixu yawned, packed her things, and knew she had to leave. Time really flies.

When she got home, the jasmine spices that Fan Lingzhang had sent filled an entire wall. She casually tossed the candied fruit to Danhong and pointed to the wall of spices, asking, "Did he send all of these?"

With a candied fruit in her mouth, she nodded and mumbled, "This servant went to great lengths to avoid being discovered by the master and the lord."

Sui Zhixu closed his eyes. He must be crazy. Sending so many at once, doesn't he know to send them separately?

On the day of her departure, after bidding farewell to her parents at the city gate, she met up with Fan Lingzhang.

She stared coldly at Fan Lingzhang, while Yue Ling leaned against the tree, clicking her tongue in amazement.

"If you have nothing to do, go look at the horses. Don't loiter around here." Sui Zhixu ruthlessly shooed Yueling away.

Yueling shook her head, her eyes crinkling with laughter, "Let me see if my apprentice and her young master are any good... Hmm, why are you so angry... Hehehe—"

She was too lazy to listen to Yueling's rambling, so she reached out and shooed her away, saying, "You're not allowed to eavesdrop on our conversation, or I won't let you dine at the Prime Minister's residence anymore. You can eat at the Imperial Preceptor's Palace instead."

"Fine, fine, I won't listen then. Did you bring any of the Prime Minister's cooks with you?"

Sui Zhixu replied decisively, "No."

"Alright, I've suffered greatly following you. Fine, I'll forgive you for being my disciple..."

As soon as Xu pushed the child away, the world became much quieter without the baby's constant chatter.

"Ah Ling, I was wrong, I won't do it again next time." Fan Lingzhang moved in front of Sui Zhixu, his bright and sunny smile radiant.

It resembles a hibiscus flower in full bloom.

Knowing that Xu Xin had been reprimanded, she silently pushed his face away and said coldly, "This is a one-time thing, and there will be no next time."

The first time Fan Lingzhang was in a carriage with Zhi Xu, he unceremoniously found a seat next to her and lay down.

"There are plenty of seats over there, why squeeze me in?"

Sui Zhixu put down the book about mechanical arts in his hand, his expression indifferent.

"I haven't seen you in so long." Fan Lingzhang leaned even closer, resting his head on her lap.

The delicate fragrance of jasmine lingered between the two, transforming into a gentle breeze that ruffled their intertwined hair.

Xu remained unmoved and used a book to cover his face, saying, "It's hot, move away."

"Shall I fan you, my wife?" Fan Lingzhang sat up, picked up a round fan from the side, and gently fanned her.

Sui Zhixu took the fan handle from his hand and lifted the curtain of the car window. "Never mind, the afternoon sun is too strong. I'll look at it later."

She turned to look at Fan Lingzhang, a few beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. She pressed down with her wrist, sending out a gust of wind, carrying the delicate fragrance of jasmine, which made Fan Lingzhang dizzy with delight.

"Fan yourself a little, I need to take a nap, don't disturb me." Sui Zhixu casually tossed the fan to him, found a comfortable spot for herself, and nestled down next to Fan Lingzhang.

The mermaid pearl landed right in Fan Lingzhang's hand. He gently ran his fingertips over the pearl's smooth surface, vaguely remembering that she had been wearing this earring in the dilapidated temple.

That group of people still came from Tianque Tower, a name that had been distant to him for a long time.

The carriage moved smoothly as Fan Lingzhang gently fanned his sleeping wife, just as they had done long ago.

They married in the spring, when all things were coming to life. At that time, he was just beginning to experience love and felt that he should take her to see many, many things, and wanted to present the things that made him happy to her.

He took her hand to go for a spring outing, but she was impatient in the carriage, annoyed by his teasing.

He knew that he was the only one who had fallen in love at first sight, and he always thought about being good to his wife, as they had a long future together.

By the end of June, the earliest cicadas had already begun to sing.

The wind was even hotter now, and the lady was not sleeping soundly. Fan Lingzhang watched her and gently stroked her furrowed brows.

"What is Ah Ling dreaming about? She seems so uneasy."

A thin layer of sweat glistened on her fragrant neck, and the glossy pearls were stained with the sweat, while the delicate silver chain clung to her fair skin.

Fan Lingzhang increased the speed of fanning, but it still couldn't quell his wife's panic.

In her dream, fragmented images transformed into dazzling white light that pierced her eyes. Suddenly, Xu Zhixu awoke with a start, leaning on Fan Lingzhang's shoulder, panting heavily.

He took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her body, his voice filled with concern, "What did you dream about? It was so terrifying."

Sui Zhixu shook his head, the sweat on his forehead even smearing onto his shoulder, but he didn't care. Instead, he hugged the person tightly and patted him gently.

She leaned on Fan Lingzhang's shoulder, forcefully suppressing the pounding in her heart. The bamboo forest was stained with blood, and she was being chased by countless people behind her. She vaguely heard someone calling her to turn around, but she couldn't see anything clearly, leaving behind only desolation.

After a long time, long enough that Dan Hong outside the carriage told her that they had arrived at Dongyang Post Station.

Sui Zhixu looked up, released his grip on his sleeve, and lifted the carriage curtain. Outside, the sunset painted the sky with a soft glow, and orange clouds shone on the earth.

She was stunned for a moment, then got up from Fan Lingzhang's arms, "How long have I been asleep?"

Feeling empty in his arms, he took her hand in his. "It's been more than an hour. You didn't sleep well, and your clothes are soaked. We've already rushed enough for today. Let's stay here tonight so you can rest."

Su Zhixu nodded. Dongyang Post Station was a post station in Weinan, located beside the Dongyang Valley River. It was not safe to travel at night, so it would be better to set off for Tongguan tomorrow.

She stepped off the carriage, loudly made arrangements for everyone, and found an inn nearby.

"Have you heard? It snowed in Dongdu in June!"

"Snow in June? Could it be that there's some injustice in Luoyang that has displeased Heaven?"

As soon as she stepped into the inn, she caught a few words. She stopped to look at the two people who had just come out of the inn. The two looked surprised, and it didn't seem fake.

Seeing this, Fan Lingzhang used his skill in speaking to people in a way that was easy to understand and quickly became very friendly with the two.

Having gathered the information, Fan Lingzhang ran up to Sui Zhixu to claim credit, but Yueling blocked his movement with a whisk at her waist.

She smiled and said, "Young Master Fan, please be mindful of your behavior in public."

Fan Lingzhang was forced to stop, his waist fan obscuring the upper half of his wife's face, preventing him from seeing the emotions in her eyes.

“I have already heard about it, so there’s no need for you to tell my disciple.” Yueling pushed Sui Zhixu away, leaving Fan Lingzhang and Afu looking at each other in bewilderment.

Noticing Fan Lingzhang's displeasure, Afu chuckled and said, "Young master, you should arrange some accommodations."

"Go away, go away, you've been out here eight hundred times already, it's the same old thing."

Unlike Fan Lingzhang's distress, Sui Zhixu was perfectly fine and took the lead in bathing and changing clothes.

When she came out, Yueling was already eating at the table, so she invited her to join her.

While twisting her hair, Sui Zhixu sat on the stool with her back turned and said, "Help me dry my hair, Master."

"Tch, you're using me as a tool." He said this, but his hands moved quickly.

"There's no way." No matter how much she practices her martial arts, her internal energy is still low. How could she possibly regain the internal energy she has accumulated over the years in a single day?

She used a jade hairpin to tie up her hair, then lowered her head to eat. She hadn't lied to Yueling; this time she hadn't brought the Prime Minister's cook. Having grown accustomed to the food at the Prime Minister's residence, she found the food outside truly...

Tasteless and bland.

He casually ate a couple of bites and then put down his chopsticks.

"Why aren't you eating? Has the cook at home spoiled you? Sigh, whose fault is this?" Yueling spread her hands, her eyes filled with resentment, the meaning of which was quite obvious.

It's your fault for not bringing it; you've made things difficult for both of us.

Sui Zhixu closed her eyes, too lazy to pay attention to her, "Go to sleep early, we have to travel tomorrow morning."

Yueling told her that anything is possible in this world, and that she had lived a long time and had seen snow not only in June, but also in July, August, and September.

But she was always uneasy, not knowing whether it was the elusive nightmare of the afternoon or the important matter that her father had mentioned about Cheng Zhijie being entrusted by the emperor.

To outsiders, Cheng Zhijie was giving gifts to his newlywed wife, but in reality, he was acting on the emperor's orders.

Although Xu remembered the solemn look in Cong Lan's eyes when she talked about this matter, she never told her what it was.

She touched her chest, fragments of her dream flashing through her mind. Did the bamboo forest in her dream have any outstanding features?

She tried to examine the dream details closely, hoping to find some clues.

But apart from the bloodstains magnified before his eyes, all around him were blurry phantoms.

Although Xu had no choice but to give up, perhaps because he had taken a nap in the afternoon, his mind was now clear, and that string remained taut.

She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

She simply sat up, walked to the table, picked up a pen, and wrote down the news about the Mo Family Lodge in Luoyang.

The Sui family has four branches: the Mo family, the Medical family, and the Military family, which have been passed down through generations. Since Mother took over as head of the family, the Medical and Military families have almost entirely followed her, and their branch leaders are also her personally appointed retainers.

The Mohist school was different from that one; the head of the school was chosen from among the family members and clans.

Mother uses a system of checks and balances, taking three-quarters and leaving one-quarter for the Sui family, so that no one can take all the benefits.

The current leader of the Mo Family, Sui Chuke, is the young master of the Sui family's direct lineage. He is exceptionally capable, cunning, willful, arrogant, and conceited.

Moreover, his father was the young master of the Sui family back then.

It is indeed not good.

Sui Zhixu opened the inn window. The moonlight outside was hazy, and the occasional barking of dogs and chirping of birds could be heard in the distance, making the night seem even more desolate.

She reached out the window, moonlight spilled onto her hand, and suddenly noticed a furtive figure.

Sui Zhixu narrowed his eyes, propped one hand on the windowsill, and saw him looking around to make sure no one was around before quietly releasing the wooden kite.

As soon as the others left, Xu Yi shot an arrow and Liu Lü emerged from the darkness, lightly touching the bushes and catching the fallen wooden kite in mid-air. Her movements were swift, light, and silent.

Liu Lü handed the wooden kite that delivered the letter to Sui Zhixu. Sui Zhixu fiddled with it for a while, and after about an incense stick's time, the letter was released from the mechanism with a "click".

With just a few strokes of the pen, he knew Xu Ming would remember it. He put the letter back into the wooden kite, a dangerous smile playing on his lips.

"What an annoying person, always doing annoying things."

After being released back into the air, Sui Zhixu sat at the table all night without sleeping.