The height of the temple
White banners fluttered in the wind throughout the hall as Sui He, dressed in mourning clothes, stood before Sui Cheng's coffin to offer incense.
Brother, rest assured, I will surely achieve great things.
Let the Sui family be born!
Wisps of cigarette smoke curled around Sui He, and behind her were all sorts of monstrous figures, each one coveting the position of young master.
Before the funeral hall, Sui Cheng's father, the current head of the Sui family, issued an order that Sui Cheng's younger sister, Sui He, would succeed him as the young master.
These words caused an uproar in front of the mourning hall, with many criticizing Sui He.
"How can a woman like her succeed as the young master? Will she become the head of the family in the future?"
How did she pass the family trial?
"The head of the family is confused! There has never been a precedent in our Sui family for a wife to inherit the family business!"
...
The crowd murmured amongst themselves, but the patriarch coldly snorted, "That's settled then, no more talk!"
He gripped the comb tightly in his hand. His life was marked by the loss of his wife and children, and despite being the head of the family, his ambitions remained unfulfilled.
The Sui family, though outwardly appearing noble and virtuous, is inwardly corrupt and degenerate. They constantly boast of their noble lineage, but who outside of Jingzhou even remembers the Sui family?
He tried his best to help Suicheng marry Zheng, a woman from Rongyang, but she was only a legitimate daughter from a collateral branch.
If things continue like this, within a hundred years, how will the Sui family still exist in this world!
Rather than that, let's take a gamble and bet on his sons to preserve the family line.
With the support of the Lord, the momentum of its birth is unstoppable.
She founded the Immortal Temple, hoping that the gods could protect the poor children without parents and the women whose fates were fraught with setbacks, and that they could live peacefully and smoothly thereafter, and be blessed by the heavens.
I also hope that the word "immortal" can watch over her and protect her, just like my brother.
Her temperament became increasingly calm and composed. She was born and established the Xianjia Temple. Sui He took this opportunity to use the literati to promote the Sui family's spirit.
Suddenly, the Sui family of Jingzhou was in turmoil, with the secret support of the family head, He, and the family's reputation soaring.
But that wasn't enough. Sui He knew this was all temporary; the Sui family of Jingzhou had never been at the center of power.
With her ambitions set in motion, Sui He set her sights on the capital, Chang'an.
Meanwhile, Zheng Niangzi's month of pregnancy had arrived. During her pregnancy, she was busy with matters in Jingzhou, so Sui He would often drag his tired body to visit her.
Madam Zheng jokingly said that she had become a very busy person since becoming the young master, but she was worried in her heart. She was prenatally pregnant and had been thinking a lot. Her husband had passed away. One thing after another weighed on her heart.
Inside the delivery room, she held Sui He's hand, "I can't go on, you take care of this baby for me... I can't hold on any longer..."
"Hang in there, we can see the baby's head, it'll be out soon."
Madam Zheng shook her head, "I...I can't hold on any longer."
Sweat beaded on her forehead, and Sui He wiped it away while holding her hand. "No! You have to hold on. Think of this child, think of your brother. Your brother is gone, and you're leaving too. Won't he become an orphan?"
"I……"
"Keep going!"
As the sun rose and set, Madam Zheng gave birth to a baby boy. She held him up for Sui He to see, saying, "Do you think he looks just like my husband?"
"It's similar, very similar."
He looked at the familiar face and forced back his tears. Seven years was too short; it had passed in the blink of an eye, and his child had already been born.
The head of the family came over, took a look, said nothing, and left behind a jade pendant that he had prepared long ago.
Sui He recognized her as Ling, the newly appointed head of the Mo Family Lodge. Under her guidance, the Sui family established the Immortal Family Lodge, and the head of the family wanted to change the old rules and objects. Previously, the Medical Family Lodge had raised gyrfalcons, but he waved his hand and threw them to the Immortal Family Lodge.
The people she picked up were of varying abilities. Chu Feixuan had a talent for martial arts, Xia Wan had a talent for medicine, and the rest were either talented or ordinary. The head of the family directly told them to raise birds and not to stay at home and eat for free.
The patriarch left the jade pendant and left quickly. Sui He looked at his back. Few people in the Sui family knew that Sui Cheng loved mechanical arts. As the young master, he had too many things to deal with and do well. He couldn't have too many distracting thoughts, even about the mechanical arts of the Mo family.
As Madam Zheng's gentle voice soothed the child to sleep, she lowered her head, a flicker of unreadable thoughts in her eyes.
Less than half a year later, the head of the family passed away, and Sui He succeeded him as the head of the family. The matter of going to the capital was urgent. She suppressed the rebellious elders and set off in the golden autumn of September.
"Sister, do you really have to go?" Sui Shan asked her at the entrance of the Sui family home.
"You've done enough for the Sui family. Wouldn't it be better if we just stayed together like before?"
“Xiaoshan, I have to do it.” Sui He’s eyes were firm. “I am no longer just myself. The responsibility of the head of the family means that I have to take on more responsibility.”
“You wanted to leave when I first came to the Sui family. In the past two years, you have devoted all your attention to the Immortal Temple. Do you still care about me, your younger brother?” Sui Shan grabbed Sui He’s hand and asked sternly.
"I'm clearly your younger brother, why don't you care about those irrelevant people?!"
"Xiaoshan!" Sui He said disapprovingly, "Didn't you listen to a single word of the lessons the scholars taught you?"
“Sister…” Sui Shan put down her hand and met Sui He’s disappointed eyes.
"Can I go with you?"
“You’re only fourteen years old, you can go to Chang’an, Bojuyun Gui.”
After all, he was his younger brother. Sui He placed his hand on his head and said, "When you grow up a bit more, you and Xiao Li must take good care of each other at home, okay? When you grow up, you shouldn't always be fighting."
After bidding farewell to He and the others, he boarded the carriage and waved to them through the curtain, saying, "Don't worry!"
Madam Zheng: "Be careful on the road! We're waiting for you at home."
Sui Shan hid in the crowd, not looking at her, but after the carriage went down the mountain and disappeared from sight, he couldn't help but go forward to look for her.
Last week, Madam Zhou massaged Sui He in the carriage, saying, "My lord is young, and it's always hard for him to be separated from the head of the household."
“Xiao Li wouldn’t do that; she knows what I’m doing is very important.”
Madam Zhou didn't say anything, but waved her hand at He, "Let's go quickly, he'll calm down on his own."
Sui He's journey was fraught with difficulties, including two assassination attempts, but fortunately, she was accompanied by many people from the military strategist's camp.
It happened when she first took over as the young master. At that time, the patriarch was still alive, and he was furious. After that, her life became much more peaceful, but unexpectedly, it happened again now.
Sui He lowered his eyes; he was truly restless.
"My lady, there seems to be a dilapidated temple ahead!"
Sui He clutched his shoulder and pulled Zhou Niangzi along, "Let's go!"
Upon entering, I discovered a pile of burning straw mounds in the dilapidated temple's main hall, but there was no one around.
The newcomer entered from outside, and the soldiers surrounded Sui He, remaining vigilant.
"There's always a first-come, first-served order, isn't there?"
The newcomer raised an eyebrow, his face full of mockery.
Sui He clutched his shoulder, saying, "It was you who started the fire, my lord. It was all a misunderstanding."
Sui He lingered, watching him with a smile, while he added dry grass to the fire.
The only sound in the quiet night was the crackling of matches.
"What is your name, young master? Are you also going to Chang'an?"
He glanced at her indifferently, "Fu Mingguang."
"Mingguang is a good name."
There was no response, and Sui He felt a little awkward. "Judging from your appearance, are you a scholar who has come to the capital for the imperial examination?"
"Um."
"My name is Sui He, and I am from Jingzhou."
He responded calmly, seemingly unconcerned about what had just happened.
"My lady, it's time to change your dressing."
Sui He nodded, but because he was the young master, he had no choice but to go behind the dilapidated Buddha statue to change the dressing.
They thought it was an unexpected encounter, but the group ended up traveling together, and Fu Mingguang gradually became more talkative.
"We're almost in Chang'an," she said, turning to Fu Mingguang.
The previous carriage was destroyed in the assassination attempt, so Suihe made a new one.
“I reasonably suspect you’re after my carriage,” Sui He said from outside on horseback to inside.
Fu Mingguang leaned against the carriage and remained silent in response.
Sui He: "..."
If it weren't for his literary talent, which made him worthy of being recruited to work for the Sui family, she wouldn't have indulged him.
"snort."
Fu Mingguang heard her soft humming outside. He lifted a corner of the carriage curtain with an ambiguous expression and looked at her with his eyes slightly lowered.
He chuckled very softly, a sound that was somewhat cold.
Upon closer inspection, there seems to be an elusive joy.
He leaned back and sat down in the carriage with an air of nonchalance, treating it as if it were his own.
"Master, we've found someone who's about to die." A member of the military guild appeared beside Sui He.
"where?"
Human life can prevail over fate. With a thought of doing good for Sui Cheng in her heart, Sui He rode her horse to check.
The horse's hooves stopped in front of him. He lay on the ground, and it was clear that he was a young man. His clothes were dirty and messy, and his book box was also lying aside in a mess. A few pieces of paper that had fallen to the ground had elegant handwriting on them, which were probably copied by him.
Sui He reached out and placed his hand near his nose. His breath was weak. "He's still breathing. Call the medical staff here."
Sui He had him lifted onto the carriage, and Fu Mingguang was so frightened that he kept backing away.
"Put him in the car..."
"It's a matter of life and death, so you should mind your own business."
Fu Mingguang was speechless and laughed in anger.
Inside the inn, in the lobby, Fu Mingguang, still preoccupied with what had just happened, sat opposite Sui He without saying a word, coldly watching her.
Sui He spoke gently and patiently coaxed him, "I'll buy you new clothes when we get to Chang'an. Just bear with it a little longer, we'll be there soon."
"Hmph, do you have some kind of fetish for picking up people around you? You're really bold, aren't you afraid of picking up bad people?"
"Whether he's bad or not, we can't just stand by and watch him die in front of me."
"That...wife?"
As Sui He and the other man turned their heads, his figure was similar to Fu Mingguang's, and his clothes fit perfectly.
Dressed in snow-white clothes, with a smile on his lips and crescent-shaped peach blossom eyes, he exuded an alluring charm. The snow-white clothes somehow made him look incredibly alluring. His gaze fell on Sui He, burning with a hint of ingratiation, making him seem pitiful.
Meeting his captivating eyes, Sui He's gaze softened. "Let's eat."
Fu Mingguang: "Tch—"
Sui He lowered her head, somewhat dazed, but her brother was gone and would never return.
He walked up to Sui He and said, "My name is Cong Lan. I was on my way to Chang'an to participate in the imperial examination when I unfortunately fainted from hunger on the road. Fortunately, my wife saved me. I have no way to repay her, so I wish to..."
"Stop, stop, stop. Go eat your food, or you'll faint from hunger."
Fu Mingguang put down his chopsticks, looking impatient.
Cong Lan looked at Sui He helplessly, glancing left and right with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong with you two?"
"Aren't you going to eat? It's getting cold."
Sui He picked up a steamed bun from the table, ate it, and handed one to each of them.
Cong Lan thanked Sui He and sat down on her other side, where she met Fu Mingguang's gaze.
The unknown thing opposite was simply an eyesore.
The two people shared the same view.
The head of the Sui family is much busier than the young master. In the past, when the previous head of the family was alive, he would handle some of the tasks for Sui He, but now all the heavy responsibilities fall on Sui He's shoulders.
"Ah Zhou, go and compile another report on the powerful families of Chang'an, especially the influence of the maternal families of the princes."
As Sui He flipped through the Xuan paper, she knew she had to be even more cautious after entering Chang'an, and absolutely could not get involved in the power struggles of the imperial court without knowing the truth.
Cong Lan, just like Fu Mingguang before her, naturally stayed. Fu Mingguang had a cold face and was sarcastic, but after Cong Lan took out her own poems and essays, he didn't say a word.
As they approached Chang'an, Sui He arranged for the two of them to ride in the same carriage. She couldn't understand why they always seemed to dislike each other, especially since they clearly shared the same ideas but would always end up arguing.
They didn't appreciate each other; rather, they couldn't continue the same path.
Helpless, Sui He continued riding his horse outside. When he reached the woods on the outskirts of Chang'an, Bingjialiao suddenly blocked his way.
"Master! Something's happened."
Sui He looked up and saw that the other person was speaking in typical bandit language. She frowned and wondered if it was someone from the Sui family again.
Family matters should not involve outsiders.
"You guys go first."
What are you saying?
Fu Mingguang's tone was unusually strange, but the coachman only obeyed Sui He's orders, turned the carriage around and ran in the opposite direction.
"Stop them!"
The bandits attempted to surround Sui He and his group, but Bing Jia Liao drew his sword and quickly engaged the bandits in combat.
Fu Mingguang, inside the carriage, was agitated and shouted at Zhou Niangzi outside, "Shouldn't you have let her leave first?"
"The family members obey the head of the family's orders, and the head of the family must have her reasons for doing so."
Madam Zhou looked worried, but she still followed Sui He's orders.
"The guards around the patriarch have been carefully trained by the Sui family. Even those troublesome elders sent by us have come all the way here. There's no reason for them to fall at the gates of Chang'an. Let's wait a while not far away."
Cong Lan tried to comfort him, "Brother Fu, don't worry. After spending so many days together, the head of the family has high aspirations. You should trust her. Let's wait for now. If there's no news in half an hour, we can detour and seek help from the city gate guards."
Fu Mingguang sat back down, clenching his fists, his chest heaving as he struggled to control his emotions. He punched the car wall.
Cong Lan kept peeking out the window, extremely anxious.
The biting winter wind whipped at Cong Lan's face. His gaze shifted to the thick sleeves of his coat; he had never experienced such warmth in winter before.
He was an orphan who grew up on the charity of neighbors, and his winter clothes were all gifts from his neighbors. He was already very content.
As he grew up, his face attracted much trouble, both from men and women. He was poor and had no connections. At first, he fantasized that they appreciated his literary talent, but after several near-death experiences, he gave up on that idea. After passing the autumn imperial examination, he set off for Chang'an.
Fortunately, his hometown was not too far from Chang'an, otherwise he would probably have starved to death on the way and would not have been able to wait for Sui He to rescue him.
May you and your wife be safe and sound.
After a long while, he spotted a figure in the distance and leaned out of the window. "Is that my wife?"
He rode up alongside them, calling out from afar, "Let's go!"
Madam Zhou's eyes lit up instantly, and she urged the driver on.
"My wife!"
"Don't worry, I'm fine. This time it was just ordinary bandits."
Sui He looked at her with amusement as she looked at her tearful face and gently comforted her.
"I've come to pick you up."
This time, but what about before?
Cong Lan and Fu Mingguang had the same question in their minds, while Sui He's face was all smiles, revealing no other emotions whatsoever.
As the year draws to a close, Sui He gradually gets busy after spending a huge sum of money to buy a house.
She moved among powerful families, and her arrival in Chang'an, her identity, and her gender caused a huge stir.
Sui He wasn't without a plan; for a time, they made a fool of her.
They didn't take her seriously at all. They were friendly on the surface, but they still despised her in their hearts. As a woman, she shouldn't stay at home and get married peacefully. Instead, she had the audacity to try and take over the position of head of the family.
They were all watching her make a fool of herself, hoping that one day she would fall from that position.
She refused.
After taking over as the head of the family, she became more and more calm and gentle, just like Sui Cheng, but deep down she was still Sui He from Pingcheng, who was audacious and would punish everyone if she was dissatisfied.
After the results were announced, Cong Lan and Fu Mingguang were both on the list. After the palace examination, Fu Mingguang won the top score and Cong Lan won the third-highest score.
The two of them ran to Sui He at the same time to share the good news, and the news reached Sui He's ears.
The crown prince is dying.
The Crown Prince, who served as the examiner for this exam, vomited blood in public during the exam, and after the exam, many rumors spread in Chang'an.
The Emperor and Empress dispatched all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy to the Eastern Palace to provide emergency assistance.
According to Cong Lan and Cong Lan's recollections, during the palace examination, the emperor appeared solemn. After selecting three candidates, he hurriedly left with the eunuch.
When the Emperor passed by Conglan, he heard that the matter concerned the Crown Prince, so he lowered his head and dared not listen any further.
As He seemed to be deep in thought, half a month later news came from the palace that the Crown Prince had died.
The Emperor was seriously ill, and the Crown Prince's younger brother, the Prince of Huai, and the Empress were put in charge of the state affairs.
Sui He also learned that Shan Haishan, deeply grieved and already in his eighties, had passed away.
He has only one daughter named Ni Zuilan, who is now imprisoned.
She might be able to start from there.
She met with Ni Zuilan, providing him with talent and money to help him secure his position as headmaster and drastically change the academy's standards, allowing more women to enroll.
With the Empress's strong support, Sui He's fame soared overnight.
With Cong Lan and Fu Mingguang staying in Beijing to take up their posts, the three of them finally had the opportunity to get together.
"Finally, the head of this family has established himself in Chang'an and can hold his head high!" Sui He tilted his head back and drank.
Cong Lan specially wore a newly made wide-sleeved dress today, and restyled her hair, finding the best pose to face Sui He.
"Congratulations, our patriarch."
"Congratulations."
"Rest assured, I will never mistreat my subordinates."
Fu Mingguang rolled his eyes. "That's right, you just threw me into the Mountain and Sea Academy. I have to take credit for that."
"I can't let you down, I can't let you down."
Sui He chuckled foolishly; she was a little drunk, repeatedly saying she wouldn't mistreat them. When Madam Zhou saw this, she tried to help her away, but Sui He insisted on drinking more.
Cong Lan lowered her head, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.
Seeing his sarcastic expression, Fu Mingguang said, "Look at you! You actually expect her to have any feelings for you right now? You're dressed up in all sorts of flashy clothes today, do you think she'll even glance at you?"
"Fu Mingguang!"
"Oh, are you angry? As the head of the Sui family, her marriage must be carefully considered. How can you, in your current position, be worthy of her?"
Fu Mingguang swirled the wine in his hand, looked up at the moon, and realized that the moon in Chang'an wasn't so round after all; the moon in his hometown was still better.
Cong Lan was so angry that she couldn't speak. She sat alone in her chair, sulking and drinking alone.
She pondered in her heart when she would be worthy of Sui He.
He tried sending flowers to his wife and cooking for her. He practiced countless times in private, and finally, he felt that the finished product was to her liking.
But she barely ate a couple of bites, throwing herself entirely onto Sui Jia.
Cong Lan gazed at the moon with melancholy, wondering how he could possibly win his wife's heart.
Cong Lan's heart was filled with love, and she desperately climbed the social ladder to be with He.
Fu Mingguang was also busy with his own affairs in private, and Sui He saw that they were not neglecting their duties and continued to work on elevating the Sui family to a higher level.
Everything was going in a good direction until one day Fu Mingguang was imprisoned.
Sui He was also learning for the first time that Fu Mingguang was a woman. She had only known that Fu Mingguang was avenging his family, and that he would occasionally mention his father, mother, and older brother, his words filled with sorrow.
She was imprisoned, and Sui He spent his days trying to build connections, but the Wang family was too powerful, and the Dali Temple was completely blocked. Sui He didn't even have a chance to see her.
Sui He sighed as she sat on the chair in the study. How could she not worry after nearly a year of getting along with a kindred spirit in a foreign land?
Did the Wang family use torture against Fu Mingguang? How is she doing in prison? Can her frail body withstand the hardships of Dali Temple prison?
"Why don't you eat something first?"
Cong Lan brought over the food, but Sui He was feeling irritable and felt even more nauseous when he saw it. He waved his hand, indicating that he couldn't eat.
“Brother Fu, no, Madam Fu must have room for maneuver. She wouldn’t want you to hurt her.”
Upon learning that Fu Mingguang was a woman, Cong Lan felt a slight, almost imperceptible joy. He had always worried that she had designs on Sui He and was his biggest rival, and that she always spoke sarcastically to him. Cong Lan had a very bad impression of her.
Now that she's in prison, Cong Lan has mixed feelings. She hopes she can get out soon, because the Dali Temple is no place for a human being.
"I'll try again; there must be another way."
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