Better not to meet
She bumped into Wen Ke as she went out; their eyes met, and they looked away simultaneously.
"My lady, the young master from the neighboring courtyard has brought his men in. Look—"
A maid came to make a call. Mingyi's eyes were red and swollen, and she rubbed them, waving her hand to indicate that she didn't need to worry about it. She knew who it was; it couldn't be anyone but Cheng Zhijie.
"I'll go first."
As she turned her head, she was like a deep and calm lake in the light and shadow. Her gaze toward Mingyi was quiet and deep, containing thoughts that Mingyi could not understand, but Wen Ke beside her seemed to understand.
She nodded, not wanting to delve too deeply into their relationship. She certainly didn't want to see Cheng Zhijie with red eyes.
She strode away, not lingering on Wen Ke for long, and turned back into the house to clean herself.
As she walked steadily into the front yard, the three of them seemed to be getting along surprisingly well when she arrived.
"My wife." Fan Lingzhang took her hand, glanced at their clasped hands with Chu Ke, and suppressed his temper as much as possible.
He still said something reckless.
Fan Lingzhang pretended not to hear, put her arm around Sui Zhixu's shoulder, and seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, she turned to look at Cheng Zhijie.
He had changed a lot; he was thin, and the wind made his wide robes billow, making him look even more frail.
She never interfered in Mingyi's relationship with him; she respected Mingyi's choice.
Has there been any change in the imperial court?
When the conversation turned to official business, Cheng Zhijie was quite at ease. He cupped his hands and said, "Teacher believes we should temporarily lay low. Most of the children of the Chang'an clan have been arranged for marriage by the Emperor, except for the heir of the Prince of Wei, who has not yet been decreed."
"The other clan members accepted it naturally, but His Highness Prince Xun seemed quite dissatisfied."
The Emperor's decree to grant the marriage had its reasons, and the clan members knew this from the beginning; it was merely a power struggle between the two sides.
However, Xun Wang learned from Ning Yan about his marriage to Lady Xie, the Minister of Ceremonies. The Emperor had personally bestowed an imperial staff upon him, so Xun Wang could not possibly refuse this marriage.
Oh, by the way, it seems that Xun Wang has gotten involved with Xi Yuzhen; both of them were beaten by Xie Niangzi.
"The Prince wanted to make Xi Niangzi his concubine, so he took her to the palace to plead with the Empress Dowager. The Emperor happened to be there. Hearing the news from the palace, the Emperor seemed to be quite interested in Xi Niangzi, which caused a lot of rumors. The teacher couldn't figure out the Emperor's thoughts either."
Cheng Zhijie's words were concise and to the point, revealing the many waves that had been stirred up in Chang'an. No wonder the Emperor threw him out; once the Emperor set his mind on something, the powerful officials and noble families in the court would all have their own plans for the inner palace.
Sui Zhixu nodded. There was no point in trying to figure it out; she would put the princess on the throne, and no one could stop her.
"It's alright, nothing serious. You all stay here, I'll go ahead."
Sui Zhixu specifically told Sui Chuke, who was nagging Cheng Zhijie, "You stay with him, don't follow me."
I don't know why he was so curious, or if it was his inner sense of justice that drove him to follow her all the way from Luoyang to Qianzhou.
"I know, I know, I can't worry about you right now. How can you be so thin? Do you even eat? How can you eat like this? You're as thin as a skeleton. In this state, no heartless woman who has forgotten about you would even look at you!"
Sui Chuke waved to Sui Zhixu to leave quickly, and the rest of his words were addressed to Cheng Zhijie.
Sui Zhixu: "..."
She could tell that he was Cheng Zhijie's biological father.
Cheng Zhijie only replied with one sentence, "Really not?"
As Chu Ke breathed his last, it turned out that he only heard half of what Chu Ke had said before.
Knowing that Xu wouldn't listen to their commotion, she turned to Wen Ke, who was standing silently behind her, and said, "Let's pack our things and leave."
She pursed her lips slightly, exuding a cold indifference that kept people at a distance.
Wen Ke was the same.
Fan Lingzhang sighed. How did the two of them end up like this? He secretly glanced at his wife's profile. She was exquisitely beautiful, with her eyes half-closed, cold and aloof. He was in a terrible mood.
When the lady is in a good mood, her eyes become rounder and her peach blossom eyes become fuller, but now, it's better for them not to see each other.
Mingyi knew that Sui Zhixu was leaving for good, and she was reluctant to part with him.
Sui Zhixu said in a kind tone, "Just do what you want, and worry about the rest later."
"Is it dangerous?"
"fine."
Mingyi nodded, feeling a pang of jealousy for the first time that Fan Lingzhang was often by Sui Zhixu's side.
Mingyi went out to see Sui Zhixu and the others off, and inevitably ran into the Cheng brothers in the front yard.
"Why are you still at my house? Turn left after you go out and you'll find the inn. Please go there yourself."
"Mingyi..."
Cheng Zhijie listened to Chu Ke's nagging. On the one hand, he couldn't refute his elder brother, who was like a father to him; on the other hand, he knew it was for his own good. Unlike his father in the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion, his cousin was genuinely good to him.
But as soon as Mingyi appeared, his gaze couldn't help but fall on her, and his decaying soul and long-empty heart found satisfaction and solace.
But Mingyi didn't even glance at him; the shawl she wore slipped through his fingers and disappeared.
Sui Chuke thought the child was going to cry again, but instead he laughed.
That's it, it's better not to see him at all. We've made him look like an idiot.
Please, think about how to take advantage of your proximity to get the moon first, okay?
Silly boy, you don't even know how to pursue a wife.
"Let's go, let's buy the place next door." Sui Chuke grabbed his shoulder and led him outside.
"Huh? Next door?"
“I’ve inquired around. The house next door is the owner’s hometown. The whole family lives in another city and doesn’t come back often. If you ask for a higher price, you can get her! Don’t be so naive when you’re pursuing a woman. Be more proactive. It’s not like when you were studying.”
"Thank you, cousin."
Seeing Cheng Zhijie bow, he casually waved his hand, thinking, "My brother is a handsome and refined gentleman, how could he not win over this young lady?"
"Keep it up, I have faith in you!"
Actually, Chu Ke didn't want them to get entangled any longer, but Cheng Zhijie was so stubborn and inflexible that after talking to him, he realized that he had always thought he felt more personal and responsible towards Mingyi.
He wanted to die. If that's not love, what is it? Is it kindness?
How did the Marquis of Wu'an's family raise his brother to be such a fool? He doesn't even understand love. He's stupid too, and he can't even understand Cong Lan and Sui He.
But what could he do? He was his brother, after all. His mother had been thinking of him before she passed away. How could a five or six-year-old child be bullied by him? He must have seen through the heavens.
By the way, what was Sui Zhixu supposed to do again?
Before Chu Ke could even register what was happening, they had already vanished without a trace.
"Wait a minute, she traveled all this way just to sweep the tombs?"
As Chu Ke gazed into the distance, a sense of doubt arose in his heart. Turning around, he accidentally bumped into someone.
"oops--"
The young woman fell to the ground, her head bowed, revealing a section of her fair and slender neck. She raised her sleeve and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Are you alright? My God, I'm so sorry." Sui Chuke was at a loss, looking up to see where Cheng Zhijie had gone.
Mingyi wasn't there either; it's possible that Cheng Zhijie, that heartless bastard, ran off without considering his brother.
"Can you get up?"
"Yes, I can." Her voice was timid as she struggled to stand up, glancing at him cautiously with her eyes, then immediately looking away when he looked at her.
"Here, go to the clinic." Sui Chuke didn't have any money on him, so he took off the jade pendant from his waist and gave it to her.
Her figure was slender and graceful as she carefully accepted the gift, saying timidly, "Thank you, my lord."
Chu Ke waved his hand, his gaze searching for Cheng Zhijie's figure, unaware of the dark light in the young lady's eyes.
—
The moonlight was hazy, and mist rose from the mountains. As Xu and his group walked on the withered branches, their feet made soft, rustling sounds.
Only Fan Lingzhang and Wen Ke were by her side, one on her left and one on her right.
As night fell, the birds on the branches flapped their wings and flew away, emitting sharp, long cries that stood out starkly in the silent mountains.
The night breeze swirled up the withered leaves in front of the grave, making them dance in the air and drift around the group of people.
The area in front of the tombstone has been left uncleaned for years, accumulating layers upon layers of fallen leaves. The moment you step on them, the withered leaves crack and crumble into tiny pieces.
She bent down and reached out to touch the words on the monument: the birth and death dates of Cao Ning and Lu Xian, the person who erected the monument, Lu Kou, when the monument was erected, and the epitaph she wrote, etc.
"...Thinking back on the past, tears fall. This is inscribed on stone to commemorate it, may your soul rest in peace, and may we meet again."
Fan Lingzhang looked closely and murmured to himself, "Their deaths occurred precisely when my wife was seriously ill that year."
A flicker of light crossed his eyes as his gaze fell upon Sui Zhixu's sorrowful face.
"I'm back."
As Xu poured the wine in his arms onto the monument, the aroma of the wine filled the air, along with a faint fragrance of osmanthus, lingering around the three of them.
"Here you go." She handed the wine to Wen Ke, took a step back, and let her offer it as a sacrifice.
Her gaze was cold, her face somber, and her dark eyes were particularly eerie under the night sky, especially in front of the tombstone in this desolate wilderness surrounded by mountains.
Fan Lingzhang was startled. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, looking at her with concern and asking her what was wrong. She seemed not to see him, or perhaps she saw him but did not react.
She closed her eyes and leaned wearily against Fan Lingzhang's chest.
Thirteen Sister's death was because of her.
The fragments of her memory led her to misunderstand, but the emotions she carried would not.
Grief, guilt, and an overwhelming sea of bitterness nearly drowned her.
When she dreamt of the memories of avenging them, she realized that Thirteen Niang's death was just Ye Taoyao's "whim".
"It was just a dog I had by my side. If it dies, it dies. What's the big deal?"
Coupled with Ye Taoyao's innocent and puzzled gaze, Lu Kou couldn't help but laugh. What she said next sent chills down one's spine.
"In a way, she died for you."
Ye Taoyao playfully pointed in the air, then twirled around. "Ah, let me think... how did she die?"
"That's right!"
She clapped her hands as if suddenly realizing something, turned to Lu Kou and smiled, her smile twisted and vicious, her words even more sarcastic, "Who told her to be so blind, to insist on praising you in front of me, every word was disgusting and made me unhappy, so I pushed her into the group chasing me. Doing something for me before she dies is a fitting end."
"I didn't expect you to come here too. You've come to get revenge on me for a dog you have by your side? That's utterly ridiculous, ha, ha ha ha ha ha!"
So she killed all of Ye Taoyao's lackeys.
The one who deserves to be killed the most is Ye Taoyao.
With the sword pressed against her chin, Ye Taoyao remained relaxed and at ease, flicking the sword with great interest.
"What, my dear niece, should you kill me? If you kill me, how will you explain it to them? Hahahaha—"
Ye Taoyao laughed maniacally, staring directly into Lu Kou's eyes, and watched as Lu Kou retreated step by step, fleeing in panic.
Her thirteenth sister, her childhood sweetheart, died in such an unclear and ambiguous way, dying in Ye Taoyao's "worthy death".
Ye Taoyao had everyone evacuated, leaving her all alone to face dozens of martial arts figures she had provoked, resulting in her death in the desolate forest and her body left to rot in the wilderness.
"Blame me."
The memories remained vivid, like the rising tide that had been relentlessly surging through her mind since she awoke.
Sui Zhixu looked up at the tombstone, and it seemed as if her figure appeared before her eyes, "Sister."
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