Going home for Chinese New Year
"I originally intended to perform a soul-crossing ritual for him, but now it's impossible. His soul is gone, so who am I supposed to cross? Recite a few scriptures for his physical body. You go to the hall and find some books to read to pass the time. The rest..."
Yueling sighed, "I roughly know who this special soul-guiding array on Yueshan is for. Let me think about it. You should go and rest."
Xu nodded, indicating that there was no need to delve into the details of many things.
Yueling was left alone in the courtyard to recite scriptures for "Fang Xiangshi".
The Imperial Preceptor's Hall doesn't have a large number of books, but it is comprehensive in its variety, having a little bit of everything.
After reading a bit of the Book of Changes, Xu immediately closed the book.
My mind is a mess, filled with a jumble of images and words.
Sui Zhixu tried to read the book word by word with her finger, but her eyebrows twitched. How could there be such an obscure and difficult book? She decisively chose to give up.
My mind was completely blank; I couldn't utter a single word.
Sui Zhixu slumped over the table and sighed, his whole body radiating disgust.
I went to the toilet in the middle of the month and took a break to drink a cup of tea. Seeing this, I said that she had no talent. Sui Zhixu was happy to admit it. It's too painful for talented people to have to read these books.
"Read other things. There are enough books in the Imperial Preceptor's Hall for you to read. Reading more books will always be useful."
Sui Zhixu glanced at it and nodded sullenly. He picked up a book from the bookshelf at random, and at first glance, he didn't seem to notice anything, but the more he read, the more engrossed he became.
Half an hour later, he became completely fascinated by mechanisms, and even found many small mechanisms of his age, playing with them from the beginning, such as the Nine-Linked Rings and the Luban Lock...
When he returned after the moonlight ceremony, he found his disciple missing, trapped in a maze of traps and mechanisms.
She thought Sui Zhixu wasn't interested in anything.
Yueling pulled Sui Zhixu out of his daze, saying, "So engrossed in watching? You didn't even see me coming back."
Sui Zhixu rubbed her red eyes. "You're done? Everything's resolved?"
The implication is, have you come up with any ideas about the grain pattern on the wood chips?
"Okay. That's all for you. I'll take care of the wood chips. These are all minor matters, so don't worry about me. Take care of yourself instead. Go back and eat more during the New Year holiday, get some weight. You're so thin, not strong at all. You were able to swim to the shore thanks to me."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Yueling started being arrogant again. Sui Zhixu was used to it and, as always, brushed her off, pretending to take away Yueling's book.
"Hey! What are you doing? What are you taking my books for? Don't you have enough books in your Sui family library? Why are you taking books from me? Go away, go back now."
Yue Ling kicked Sui Zhixu out of the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, just as she had kicked the Emperor years ago.
Sui Zhixu: "..."
With a tightness in her chest, she longed to cut off the flesh of her baby.
The dust kicked up covered Sui Zhixu's face. Sui Zhixu patted her clothes and felt that Yueling was fine. She had braved anything, not to mention being struck by lightning.
Sui Zhixu walked straight out. Princess Chaoyang was just teasing her by saying she wanted to stay for several days. She was too busy during the New Year to spend time with Sui Zhixu.
Sui Zhixu went to the front and found a palace maid to summon Cong Lan.
She had already taken care of the body and said goodbye to Cong Lan.
As the prime minister, Cong Lan was so busy during the New Year that he couldn't stand still. He had to pay homage to the emperor, accompany the emperor in sacrificial rites, and attend all sorts of banquets he couldn't avoid. Unable to return to the prime minister's residence, he asked Sui Zhixu to convey his longing for Sui He.
"I'll go back as soon as I'm done with this. You'll all miss me, right?" Cong Lan said hesitantly, complaining, "It's all this mess's fault. Otherwise, I would have run away long ago."
Sui Zhixu nodded; she would relay the message to her father, whether her mother wanted to hear it or not was another matter.
"Father, please be careful and take care of yourself."
Walls have ears, and even if you know someone, you can't guarantee who might be nearby.
Yesterday, upon hearing that Prince Xuanping intended to ruin her father, she hadn't even had time to think of what to say before he had already made his move.
Sui Zhixu shook the jasmine-patterned jade pendant at her waist. The jade was clear and translucent, with a lustrous sheen.
Cong Lan remembers that her amorous peach blossom eyes darted around, and she patted Sui Zhixu's shoulder, pretending to be relaxed, "Don't worry, Father has been around for many years, he'll always take good care of himself."
Cong Lan whispered in his ear, "Take this opportunity to get out of the palace gates quickly. Your mother's secret guards are protecting you outside the palace."
As Xu looked up, two similar peach blossom eyes met. She blinked silently and nodded in agreement.
In addition, she also knew that the Emperor had described the heavenly lightning incident as Yueling undergoing a tribulation, thus making Yueling a deity among the common people.
The unexpected incident at the palace exorcism ceremony was overshadowed by the matter of Yue Ling's tribulation, and the Emperor downplayed the seriousness of the matter. A joint sacrificial ceremony will be held on the second day of the Lunar New Year to exorcise the curse.
The New Year's Eve palace exorcism ceremony came to an end, and Sui Zhixu boarded the carriage to return home.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the streets were bustling with people. Couples dressed in new clothes strolled through the streets and alleys with smiles on their faces, and blessings of "good fortune and happiness" were heard everywhere.
When Sui Zhixu arrived in the neighborhood, there was the sound of firecrackers going off everywhere. Children, mostly dressed in red, were running around at the entrance and almost bumped into Sui Zhixu's carriage. Fortunately, a maidservant pulled them back.
It just so happened that they were children from the Pei family. Xu vaguely remembered that they had sent a message to the palace on her behalf, so she got off the carriage.
"May you have a happy new year, Madam. I am the wife of the heir of the Duke's mansion. I apologize for my child's mischievousness." The lady picked up the child who had almost bumped into Sui Zhixu's carriage and said auspicious words to Sui Zhixu. The child in her arms stared at Sui Zhixu, imitating his mother.
May the New Year bring you good fortune.
He speaks slowly and deliberately, and has an endearingly simple and honest appearance.
"It's alright, may you have a happy new year, my lady." Sui Zhixu returned the greeting, took out a gold bead from her sachet and handed it to the child, somewhat awkwardly, "May you also have a happy new year."
"Thank you, Madam Sui." The young master's wife smiled. They were all neighbors, and the Duke of Pei and the Prime Minister's residence had a close relationship, so there was nothing wrong with her accepting the gift.
Xu nodded slightly and walked a short distance back to the Prime Minister's residence.
Upon receiving the news, Sui He was already waiting for Sui Zhixu at the door. "Come quickly and step over the fire basin. Leave all the bad luck and disasters of the past behind, and let the new year begin afresh."
Sui Zhixu stepped over the brazier in a daze, letting Sui He pull her home. She stepped over the red paper scattered everywhere by the firecrackers on the ground, and also stepped over the threshold, returning to Jianjia Pavilion, where she saw her mother and third aunt holding up a pile of new clothes in front of her.
The two looked each other up and down, laughing and chatting, occasionally disagreeing.
“Wear this. It’s New Year’s, so wear something red. Listen to your third aunt and wear red. Red is so festive, and it will definitely bring you good fortune in the new year.” Sui Li pushed aside Sui He and held up the clothes against Sui Zhixu.
“Ah Xu likes green. Look at the new green shoots I prepared for Ah Xu, which symbolizes new life. She has passed the great tribulation of her eighteenth birthday, so she is reborn. Finally, she can live a good life like other young ladies, studying, making friends, and playing and enjoying herself. Listen to your mother, this is pretty.” Sui He was not as strong as Sui Li, so he turned Sui Zhixu around to face him.
"Sister, what are you doing? You'd better listen to me."
"Listen to me, my way is better."
"Listen to me, my way is better."
...
Sui Zhixu hesitated between the two, a rare look of embarrassment on her face.
"Mother! Mother!"
"Third Aunt! Third Aunt!"
Sui Zhixu called out several times, but the two seemed not to hear her. Helpless, Sui Zhixu took their clothes directly, saying, "I'll wear both. I'll wear red in the morning and green in the afternoon."
Sui He and Sui Li exchanged a glance and laughed. "You can wear whatever you want. Your third aunt and I have prepared plenty for you. There will definitely be enough for you."
What Xu thought was, "Does the Prime Minister's mansion have that much money?"
She regretted it a little; she should have agreed to Fan Lingzhang's request. Oh well, she figured she might as well just hire him for money.
When Sui Zhixu voiced her thoughts, Sui He affectionately pinched her nose again, saying, "Don't worry, I have more than enough to support you. I don't even need your father's salary. The Sui family owns shops and fertile land. The harvests have been good in recent years, so I have enough money here."
Knowing she had made a fool of herself, Sui Zhixu remained silent, clutching the clothes in her hands. Sui He and Sui Li hugged Sui Zhixu tightly, saying, "What an adorable little lady, she's actually from our family."
Sui He offered words of comfort, "My wife is wonderful. I'm so glad I gave birth to such a wonderful wife."
“He must have taken after my mother, not my father who died young. Just look at Sui Shan. He died so young and never taught him anything, yet he looks exactly like the description my mother gave him. Luckily he didn’t die young. If he had been raised by him, I might look like Sui Shan now. Fortunately, it was my mother and sister who taught me, and I’m also quick to learn, which is why I’ve grown up the way I am now, hahahaha.”
Sui Li rolled her eyes, then put her hands on her hips. Sui He pinched her cheek in annoyance, "Aren't you afraid of being overheard if you say that? You can say it in private, but remember not to tell anyone else. You still have the nerve to say that I taught you this. I've taught you this so many times and you still can't remember it."
"Oh dear, I just didn't say that to Ah Xu, I'll only say it this once, hehe. I won't say it again next time." Sui Li put her hands together, with a pleading smile on her face.
Xu Jing watched them quietly, noticing the dark figure outside the door.
She tugged at Sui He's sleeve, pointed at the dark figure, and the two stopped talking. The person outside the door seemed to understand and quickly disappeared.
As Xu opened the window, he indeed saw Sui Shan's back.
"Where are the maids at the gate? Don't they know to announce our arrival?" Sui Li shouted at the maids in the courtyard as she lifted the curtain.
A maid stepped forward and timidly said, "My uncle instructed us not to make a sound."
Sui Li's vision went black, and she was about to speak when Sui He stopped her, "Everyone in the courtyard will have half a month's salary deducted. If anyone violates this rule again, they will all be kicked out. There is only one master of Jianjia Pavilion, and everything is for the lady's sake. Do you understand?"
"Yes, we servants will follow your instructions."
"Alright, you can go about your business." Sui He pulled Sui Zhixu's hand. "Reward those who deserve it and punish those who deserve it. I know you're emotionally stable, but we can't ignore it. If we let them off the hook this time, they might do it again next time."
Sui Zhixu: "I understand, thank you, Mother. Don't worry, I won't mistreat myself."
"Don't worry about your uncle. I'll find out who let him out of the yard. Go try on the clothes and see how they fit."
It wasn't until Danhong and Sui Zhixu took the clothes behind the screen that Sui He's face turned cold. "Zhou Mama, go and investigate. When did the people of the Prime Minister's residence become so bad at guarding their own courtyard?"
"Yes, Master."
Dan Hong was quick and efficient, and soon tidied up Sui Zhixu. She exclaimed, "My lady looks beautiful in red too, she looks even more like the Prime Minister. When she wears green, she looks like the head of the family. Each of them is like a fairy descending to earth."
Her gaze fell upon the bronze mirror on the dressing table. The girl in the mirror was as pale as paper, only her peach blossom eyes shone with an astonishing brightness. Through the mirror, Sui Zhixu seemed to see a blood-red blur, a blade slicing through the long night, a man standing above, his voice cold, "Here, I am merely a king..."
Sui Zhixu felt dizzy and staggered. Dan Hong supported her and asked softly, "My lady, what's wrong? Is your injury from back then still not healed?"
"It's nothing, don't make a fuss. I just drank too much last night and I feel a little dizzy this morning." Sui Zhixu picked up the bronze mirror. The young woman in the mirror had upturned eyes and a rosy complexion. Her red dress made her look even better and added a touch of Cong Lan's charm.
As soon as Xu blinked, the image in the mirror remained unchanged—her rosy face—as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.
But Xu knew it wasn't; it must be her past memories, blurry and bloody memories.
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