Sui Family

"Let's go, let's go out."

"Yes, this servant will help you out, madam." Danhong reached out to help.

As soon as Sui Zhixu and Dan Hong stepped out from behind the screen, Sui Li excitedly hugged Sui Zhixu and spun her around.

"Hmm, Auntie knew you looked good in red."

Caught off guard, Xu spun in the air, her red skirt resembling a pomegranate flower blooming in the blazing heat of May. The skirt was specially embroidered with cloud patterns, which were so graceful and lively that they seemed to come alive.

"Third Aunt, please put me down quickly."

Danhong also tried to dissuade Sui Li, saying, "Third Aunt, please put your wife down quickly. She just felt dizzy."

"Oh, oh." Sui Li quickly put Sui Zhixu down and asked her with concern.

Sui Zhixu continued with her usual line, while Sui Li mimicked Sui He's old manner of playfully pinching her nose, calling her "little glutton."

"Hmm, what an adorable young lady. It's so nice to have a lady around. Da Lang would never let me touch him." Sui Li's hands were itching, so he reached out and rubbed Sui Zhixu's cheeks.

The red dress was perfectly tailored, outlining the lady's graceful figure just right. Reflected in the red light, her peach blossom eyes seemed to sparkle with affection.

"My third aunt and cousin are back, but where is my third uncle?"

“Your third uncle hasn’t come back. Don’t be fooled by the fact that Dalang is the same age as you; he’s a restless fellow. Before you even returned home, he and his father ran off with a group of friends from the martial arts world. Dalang and I just happened to run into them when we entered Chang’an.” Sui Li’s head ached at the mention of him, and her temples throbbed.

As Xu Liaoran and Sui He had mentioned, their third aunt's husband was a wanderer in the underworld, with no surname. After their marriage, they agreed that their children, regardless of gender, would take the surname Sui, so that they wouldn't end up like their third aunt's husband, a person without a surname.

Having a surname is like having a home, rather than being a lonely wanderer in the night.

Therefore, he followed Chu Feng and took his mother's surname, Sui.

Knowing that Xu Si was the one in question, he looked around but couldn't find Sui He anywhere.

"Oh, right, I was just about to tell you. Jingzhou sent New Year's gifts, but your mother went to deal with them first. Do you want to go see what nice things Jingzhou sent this year? I bet there are good fabrics and embroidery. The young ladies of Jingzhou love to send gifts to their elder sisters. Come on, let's go, your third aunt will take you to see."

Before Sui Zhixu could speak, Sui Li pushed her out of Jianjia Pavilion.

A thin layer of snow covered the plum tree branches in the courtyard of Jianjia Pavilion. The fiery red plum blossoms were dotted with snowflakes, shimmering with a captivating luster in the sunlight.

Along the way, people cleared the snow from the road and said auspicious words to Sui Zhixu and Sui Li.

Sui Li smiled and turned back, while Sui Zhixu nodded to indicate that she had heard him.

"My wife has such a cold personality," the maids whispered among themselves after Sui Zhixu left.

"Indeed, I've never seen my wife smile."

The snow was mixed with red plum blossoms that had fallen from the trees. As the servants swept the snow, the petals tumbled in the snow, as if following Zhi Xu, who was dressed in red, walking in the snow-covered world.

"Mother." As Sui Zhixu stepped into the room, he called out to Sui He, who was sitting at the head of the table.

"Cousin!" Sui Chengyu moved closer to Sui Zhixu, blocking her view.

As Xu Zhi glanced sideways, she saw the Sui family standing neatly to one side. The Sui Chengyu in front of her didn't seem to be from the Sui family; instead, she was the one who was very enthusiastic towards her, as if she were from their own family.

"Tch, eavesdropper, if it weren't for..." Before she could finish speaking, Sui He glared at her, and she had no choice but to shut up.

"Alright, alright, hey? Where's Da Lang?"

"Didn't Mother see me?" The young man standing behind Sui He was wearing a bamboo hat, and his voice was clear and cheerful. He looked very much like Sui Li.

"Where did you come from?" Sui Li asked in surprise, her brows furrowing slightly. "Could it be that you were already thinking about today when I met you at the gates of Chang'an? So the person the clan sent this year was you, you shameless brat, hiding it from your mother!"

"Hahaha, Mother, you didn't expect this, did you? It's me, your husband, who carries the affection of the people of Jingzhou."

Sui Chufeng laughed even more heartily, revealing his white tiger teeth, and took out bolts of cloth from the New Year's gifts. "My two younger sisters, come and take a look. The ladies of the clan have specially prepared this brocade for you. The styles are all fashionable and will suit your tastes. The head of the family and your aunt also have some. The aunts in Jingzhou are so hospitable. When they heard I was coming to Chang'an to see the head of the family, they practically sent over all the cloth they had woven in a year. And this..."

As Chu Feng unfurled the silk, a lithe and agile Qilin, with a majestic yet serene expression, darted through the sea, surrounded by red, festive treasure vases, corals, longevity pine branches, and all sorts of rare and precious artifacts.

"What a beautiful 'Qilin Offering Auspiciousness' embroidery! The ladies of Jingzhou have put a lot of thought into it." Sui He took the embroidery and examined it carefully. "Not bad! The background is smooth and even, and the lines of the fur are dense and even. It's even better than in previous years. It seems that the ladies' embroidery skills have improved by leaps and bounds in just one year."

"It's all for the patriarch. Other people in Jingzhou also sent various gifts to the patriarch." Sui Chufeng laughed, like a busy bee flying around among a pile of New Year's gifts.

Following Sui He's gaze, Xu Zhixu seemed lost in thought. The Qilin represented power, talent, and wisdom. The common people also presented Jiangling lacquerware, Jingzhou rice, and seafood.

The people of Jingzhou loved their mother dearly. When Sui Zhixu inadvertently saw Sui Shan's dark face, he felt much better.

She bypassed Sui Chengyu and walked to Sui He's side, saying, "She's very suitable for my mother."

"Ah Xu thinks so too?"

"Chengyu thought it could be made into a screen and placed in her aunt and uncle's room, so that they could feel the love and respect of the people of Jingzhou for her aunt at all times."

Following Xu Weilai's voice, Sui Chengyu followed closely behind.

Sui He's smile froze, the young woman in front of him pursed her lips and shifted her gaze to the side.

"Chengyu, I'm asking Axu now."

"I'm sorry, cousin. It was my fault. I shouldn't have spoken before you." Sui Chengyu bowed her head and apologized.

Xu Qing hummed in response and distanced himself from her.

Sui He took Sui Zhixu's arm, and warmth seeped into his heart through his skin.

It was as if a drop of water had fallen into a spring of the heart, causing ripples to spread throughout the soul.

“I’m fine. What she said makes sense. It would be nice to make it into a screen. Mother can consider it.”

To be honest, Sui Zhixu had no opinion about Sui Chengyu, neither good nor bad.

She's not very old, has good acting skills, but sometimes her intentions are too obvious; she's still a young lady.

Sui He smiled and said, "Mother, think about it. Why don't you go and pick out some fabric? Chu Feng is calling you."

Sui Zhixu casually picked out several pieces of fabric in different shades of green, and Sui Chengyu saw that after Sui Zhixu finished picking, she chose lotus root color and light pink.

After everything was settled, Xu followed He and made a move to leave, as she wanted to go and take a look at the library.

Just as Xu stepped out, a sweet, charming voice came from behind him.

"cousin!"

Sui Zhixu felt somewhat helpless and turned to look at her, "What do you want?"

"Is my cousin going to the library? I want to go too, why don't we go together?"

Sui Zhixu glanced at him up and down, then said indifferently, "Let's go."

The reception hall was in the East Mansion, and the library was in the West Mansion. The road was full of twists and turns. Sui Chengyu and Danhong chattered on and on to Sui Zhixu, giving him a lot of information. Sui Zhixu was getting a headache listening to them.

"Stop!" Sui Zhixu covered their mouths. "I'll let go if one of them agrees."

Dan Hong and Sui Chengyu looked at each other and nodded.

“The East Mansion was bestowed by His Majesty three years ago. It’s said to have been the residence of the former prime minister. Since it was right next to the Sui Mansion, it was given to you when you were appointed prime minister. It’s a three-courtyard mansion, but the Sui Mansion has five courtyards. The head of the family and his wife didn’t really want to move, so they combined the two houses to form the East and West Mansions. Originally, the East Mansion was dilapidated, and the head of the family spent a lot of money to repair it.” Dan Hong spoke first, and Sui Chengyu glared at her, but it was to no avail.

As Xu imagined the scenery along the way, the East Mansion was magnificent and the West Mansion was elegant and dignified, separated by a moon gate, which made them quite different.

It was all done to impress Prince Xuanping, precisely at a time when his father's reforms three years prior had brought down the remnants of the previous dynasty.

The three-courtyard Prime Minister's residence is smaller than the five-courtyard Sui residence, yet it is luxurious, exquisite, and incredibly expensive, perhaps a subtle satire of the extravagant lifestyle of the former prime minister.

I wonder how this former prime minister fared under the watchful eye of the Prince of Xuanping; his days must have been quite eventful.

The three-story library towered into the clouds. Sui He did not have the rule of "books not being divided among generations, and books not leaving the library," and often lent them out for people to read.

Sui He believed that opening up the library was a good deed. Over the years, Sui He had brought many people to the library, and bringing people to the library had almost become a routine. Compared to the value of gold and silver in the previous dynasty, the Great Qi valued the value of character more, and reading was even more important.

There are a group of secret guards from the family in every part of the library, so no one can damage or steal the books. People who love books would not damage them maliciously anyway.

The first floor was mostly filled with common books for the imperial examinations. Sui Chengyu casually mentioned, "The candidates who have come to the capital for the examinations will be taking place in a few days. I heard that my cousin fell off a cliff because a brother and sister were robbed of her horse by bandits, which caused the carriage to go out of control, is that right?"

As Sui Zhixu was looking through the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, he heard Sui Chengyu's probing and slammed the book down. Sunlight streamed through the fluttering pages, and the round mermaid pearl by his ear shimmered with iridescent light.

Sui Chengyu is right. She fell off the cliff because a brother and sister were fighting over a horse, and then she encountered the men in black who were robbing her.

Even the Prince of Xuanping couldn't believe her luck was so bad, and when Sui Zhixu recalled it, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

His words carried a sense of detachment. "What's wrong?"

"No, I just suddenly wondered if they were also going to the capital for the imperial examinations," Sui Chengyu replied awkwardly.

"They are indeed scholars. Uncle should know that, after all, he was the one who pointed out a clear path for the two of them, making them the people of the Prince of Xuanping."

Sui Zhixu looked at her throat bobbing and said, "You should know that, right?"

"What? What is my cousin talking about? Chengyu doesn't understand. Why would Father tell me about a girl born out of wedlock? Does my cousin not like me?" Sui Chengyu bit her lower lip, her eyes misting over.

"We haven't met many times, so it's really hard to say whether I like you or not. As for what you said earlier, that you wanted me to resent your father so that you could use him to do your dirty work, that's unnecessary. And there's no need for you to be so eager to please my mother."

Sui Zhixu leaned back lazily in his chair, his voice unchanged.

"I...I didn't, cousin, you must have misunderstood me. How could I think that?" Sui Chengyu grabbed Sui Zhixu's sleeve, her voice hesitant.

Tears streamed down Sui Chengyu's cheeks and landed on Sui Zhixu's wrist.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Sui Chengyu took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from Sui Zhixu's wrist.

Sui Zhixu closed his eyes and ultimately said nothing more.

Yueling clicked her tongue in amazement, "How did she manage to cry so easily? To be honest, your acting skills are still lacking. You couldn't cry at the Prime Minister's mansion, so you pinched your own wound until it hurt and you cried. I really admire you, young lady, how can you be so ruthless to yourself?"

Sui Zhixu closed her eyes and silently replied to her, "I'm ruthless? She wants to get away from Sui Shan and even wants him dead. But she doesn't want Sui Shan to be expelled from the Sui family. She's afraid, afraid that she will leave the Sui family with Sui Shan. Cui Niangzi, her two sons, and the Cui family can still rely on her. But she's born out of wedlock, and Cui Niangzi beats and scolds her all the time, so she doesn't care about her. Once she's expelled, she'll have nothing left."

Yueling continued, "So this young lady used a strategy of retreat to advance. Although she wasn't removed from the list of those in the Sui Mountain clan, she left early and even kept herself behind. Wow, this is almost as good as the late emperor's harem!"

"She is smart, but too shallow-minded."

Sui Zhixu opened his eyelids. The young woman's almond-shaped eyes were red. She sat silently beside Sui Zhixu without saying a word.