Stubborn to the end
Sui Zhixu sat in the headmaster's room and picked up his pen to write a policy essay on Ni Zuilan's investigation.
Looking at the world, how should we view "following the way of Heaven and bearing the mandate of Heaven"?
The woman took up her pen and wrote over a thousand words. Ni Zuilan occasionally passed by her, glanced at the words unintentionally, and immediately closed her eyes.
Open your eyes, close your eyes.
After confirming that it wasn't a hallucination, Ni Zuilan stood there for a long time, feeling that the character was truly an eyesore.
As Xu noticed the gaze behind her, she quietly moved to the left, blocking her view.
She is self-aware; there's nothing she can do about it, her handwriting is already the best she can write right now.
It used to be even uglier. The pen seemed out of control in my hand, and the strokes were uneven, with inconsistent lines, like a dog crawling.
Knowing that Xu Xin's heart was as still as water, he picked up his pen and continued writing, "Follow the way of Heaven, bear the mandate of Heaven." It is nothing more than conforming to nature to bear the mandate of Heaven.
Spring brings forth life, summer fosters growth, autumn harvests, and winter stores away; all things flourish in this way…
Writing about planting crops according to the seasons, and about Yu the Great controlling the floods by dredging rather than blocking them... are all examples of following the laws of nature.
As she was writing, Sui Zhixu suddenly stopped. She wrote that following the will of Heaven, the birth of spring and the extinction of winter are reasonable in nature, and the high mountains and flowing water are also in accordance with the trend.
But let alone water flowing down a high cliff, even if you throw her onto a high cliff, she will still fall. The only difference is that she can find a way to avoid falling.
King Wu's conquest of King Zhou was a mandate from Heaven, but at the beginning he defied the king's command. It is said that the king should die for his subjects, and the subjects have no choice but to die. In the end, he became the one who carried the mandate from Heaven.
Of course, King Zhou's tyranny, like that of the previous dynasty, should rightfully be overthrown.
As Xu thought, King Zhou and the previous dynasty also had people who supported them. King Wen and King Wu went from rebelling against the king's orders to accepting the mandate of heaven because they did the right thing. So how do we judge the right and wrong of a thing? How did they make up their minds to rebel against the king who "accepted the mandate of heaven" in the face of King Zhou's tyranny?
How do people know if they are following the will of Heaven?
Prince Xuanping was blessed with good fortune, which earned him the approval of Heaven, making him a person who conformed to the Mandate of Heaven. But what about her fate?
Is she defying fate?
Thinking about this, she couldn't help but feel listless. In fact, she had no opinion on defying fate; whether she agreed or disagreed, she wouldn't choose. She simply hated most people in the world.
Just like the endless disputes between aristocratic families and the imperial court, people's hearts have become corrupted. Even her deal with Fan Lingzhang and her deception... she hated them all.
If she disliked people, and if the high mountains and flowing water were to be hers after the death of Prince Xuanping, she would not choose to seek opportunities, but rather go with the flow.
She felt out of place in the world, that she shouldn't be human. She kept imitating—imitating Yueling, imitating Fan Lingzhang, imitating Sui He and Cong Lan…
She doesn't imitate; she finds everything in the world tiresome and useless.
What does she have to do with destiny? How could someone as out of step with the world as her be targeted by Prince Xuanping, how could she have such good fortune, and how could she be persecuted to death because of it?
What exactly constitutes the destiny between her and Prince Xuanping?
She put down her pen and said truthfully, "I can't write anymore."
The article is disjointed; the tone and ideas of the first and second halves are completely inconsistent.
Ni Zuilan didn't say anything, but patted Sui Zhixu's head and told her to go eat first.
Sui Zhixu slowly rose, leaving behind a sheet of Xuan paper stained with ink. Her soft blue shawl gently brushed against the inkstone on the table, picking up a few drops of black ink.
She ran into Ning Yan and Xu Mingyi as she went out. Ning Yan's beautiful face was still radiant, while Xu Mingyi had a gentle smile, pure and beautiful. The two of them, one bold and the other subtle, one vibrant and the other elegant, were equally stunning.
“Ah Xu”.
"As you wish, my wife."
Unexpectedly, she stepped forward and asked, as always, "Why are you here?"
Xu Mingyi stammered, and Ning Yan, seeing this, said, "Oh, we ran into each other on the way. I asked Madam Xu if she wanted to come find you. Cheng Langjun is gone, and she's all alone now, so I came to find you by myself. To be honest, your second wife is very popular, even more so than me. As soon as school was over, a bunch of people surrounded her. Before I could even ask her anything, her friends took her away."
"Cheng Zhijie is gone?" Sui Zhixu knew about the small circle Sui Chengyu ran, and as long as nothing went wrong, she never interfered too much.
"Yes, Ah went back to Luoyang on business. He said he can only come back before our wedding." Xu Mingyi spoke shyly and somewhat unnaturally.
Ning Yan: "Oh, the celadon from Luoyang is really good, it's perfect for your wedding."
"Luoyang?" Sui Zhixu muttered to himself without showing it on his face, only saying, "If I see him tomorrow, I'll keep an eye on him for you, and bring Ayan a few pots of peonies."
"You always compare me to peonies, but am I that similar?" Ning Yan circled around Sui Zhixu.
Sui Zhixu: "Like, just as beautiful."
Ning Yan leaned on Sui Zhixu's shoulder and threw the pale red shawl from her arm at her. "You've been so quiet all day, and all you ever say is flirtatious stuff. Tell me, what do you take other people for?"
Sui Zhixu asked, "Who?"
"Where are Awan and Alian?"
"Pomegranate flowers and blue lotus flowers."
"I understand that Awan is a pomegranate flower, but why is Alian a blue lotus flower? Is it because of her name?"
Xu Mingyi listened carefully, her eyes wide, and then Xu Taohua's eyes curved into crescents. She suppressed her thoughts and said, "No, it just feels like it suits her temperament. She's very serene."
Ning Yan: "Okay, you always like to compare people to the flowers and plants in your heart."
Why?
After hearing Xu Mingyi's question and reflecting on today's policy discussion, she heard herself say, "I don't like people, but I like flowers and plants."
Ning Yan: "Then... uh, what about Xi Yushao?"
"Snake Number Two is more annoying than a person. I hate his hissing sound; it's so noisy."
Ning Yan couldn't help but laugh, especially when Sui Zhixu spoke so seriously, which inexplicably made her laugh.
She nudged Sui Zhixu with her elbow, "Don't say that in front of Awan."
Xu Ming understood, "Can't let go?"
"She can't let go. She met the wrong person when she was just starting to fall in love, and it will probably take her a long time to recover."
Stubborn to the end!
After Ning Yan finished speaking, four words slowly surfaced in her mind.
Must everyone stick to one path to the bitter end?
Ning Yan sighed, "She won't turn back until she hits a brick wall. Let's not talk about her anymore. Let her recover first. Let's go have our meal."
The three hadn't walked far when the entire academy was buzzing with chatter about the speeches of the three top-ranking scholars.
“I saw Xi Langjun when I came here just now.” Sui Zhixu noticed that the two were nervous and comforted them, “I’m fine, it’s just a bit of a coincidence.”
It was just a coincidence that I ran into two enemies.
Before they could get through the noisy and chaotic crowd, the group, dressed in simple coarse cloth, emerged from the surrounding crowd and greeted them.
"Junior sister, Madam Xu, Third Madam Ning, greetings." The newcomer smiled warmly, her voice clear and gentle, like a cool breeze that offered a touch of comfort in the sweltering May heat.
Sui Zhixu remembered him; he was also Cong Lan's student. Puyang Kai, the top scholar in this imperial examination, was different from Cheng Zhijie, who came from a prominent family. Puyang Kai came from an ordinary farming family in Jingzhou.
She also knew his other identity: an orphan adopted by the Xianjia Liao family, whose nominal mother was an embroiderer at the Xianjia Liao.
The Xianjia Liao is different from the Bingjia Liao, Yijia Liao, and Mojia Liao, which she visited in Luoyang in July and August. The Xianjia Liao is full of orphans and widows who live in poverty in the Jingzhou area. They formed a new home in Xianjia Liao, a home without blood ties.
Puyang Kai was one of them, and he was Cong Lan's long-cherished choice for a son-in-law.
Seeing that he had a headache, Sui Zhixu quoted Cong Lan as saying, "Although he is not as handsome as Father, he is well-educated, gentle, and an upright person, much better than those shady characters outside. When choosing a husband, you can't choose one who is too domineering, how can he be so domineering over you? Nor can he be too weak, you can't always protect him. The Sui family doesn't raise useless husbands. Xiao Kai is just right, he comes from the main family in Jingzhou, he is loyal and will never betray you."
I hope Aye won't tell him this, please don't.
"May the young man of Puyang be well."
"Junior sister, please don't stand on ceremony. Our teacher told me that I would do my best to assist you."
Sui Zhixu: "..."
Dead silence. Something inside me shattered with a deafening crash.
She wanted to pull Cong Lan down from his position as a plum blossom and make him a blade of grass under a peach tree, letting him sway freely with his charm!
“Your father is talking nonsense. You don’t need to listen to him.”
The two women beside her had huge, round eyes staring straight at her; their gazes were so intense that she couldn't ignore them.
She's already having a hard time dealing with Fan Lingzhang; if he knew, he'd probably go crying again.
Puyang Kai smiled but remained silent. Seeing Sui Zhixu lower his head, he said slowly, "I will not mention it again."
Greetings, ladies.
"My lady, what a coincidence, we meet again."
The top three scholars, Puyang Kai, Yu Fan, and Xi Yushao, all gathered here.
In an instant, all eyes in the academy square—kind, curious, and malicious—fell on Sui Zhixu.
Xu Mingyi carefully hid behind Sui Zhixu and Ning Yan, feeling very uncomfortable in this situation.
Seeing this, Sui Zhixu pulled the budding gardenia back, leaving herself to face the two people and the snake.
Hiss hiss hiss—
"I forgot, Brother Puyang is Cong Xiang's disciple, so he can also be considered Lady Sui's senior brother." Xi Yushao's tone was ambiguous, and Xu Shen felt disgusted by him, seeing him was like seeing the venomous snake, Prince Xuanping.
He was obsessed with killing her.
The pearls by her ears shimmered in the sunlight, their tiny reflections illuminating her face and catching her eye.
Sui Zhixu narrowed his eyes, his voice cold and unapproachable, "Could you please move aside?"
Puyang Kai stepped aside on his own, and Yu Fan, who had only arrived after seeing that the two of them had come, naturally withdrew as well.
Only Xi Yushao remained as steady as Mount Tai, standing in front of Sui Zhixu, "I haven't eaten either, why don't you take me with you, my lady?"
Ning Yan: "?!"
What's going on?
Her eyes darted between the two of them as she asked Sui Zhixu what was going on.
Sui Zhixu gave her a reassuring look, then bluntly refused, "If you don't know the way, go find someone else."
Puyang Kai cleverly blocked his steps forward, "Let me go with my junior sister. I happen to know the way. Brother Xi came with Prince Xuanping, it wouldn't be good to leave the prince there alone."
“Indeed, doesn’t the young master know Lady Liu? There might be even more ladies and gentlemen among them. Go and ask if anyone is willing to show you the way.” Sui Zhixu’s lips curled into a smile, subtle yet dangerous.
Like a hissing venomous snake.
Knowing Xu's attitude was clear, the students in the academy were not flowers in a greenhouse, especially Liu Xi, whom she had nominated, she gritted her teeth.
She always managed to attract attention in a crowd, always accompanied by her wife, who came from a humble background.
Xu Mingyi keenly sensed the hostile gazes and tried to investigate, but Liu Xi had already hidden himself in the crowd, leaving her no way to make a move.
She quietly tugged at Sui Zhixu's sleeve. Sui Zhixu met her wet eyes and heard her say, "Madam Sui, let's go. It won't be good if lunch gets cold."
“That makes sense, Junior Brother. Could you show me the way?” Sui Zhixu smiled faintly.
“Of course.” Puyang Kai gestured for the others to go first.
Xu nodded slightly and led the two away.
On the way, Xu Mingyi couldn't help but quietly ask Sui Zhixu, "Why would Madam Sui mention Madam Liu?"
“What she said before wasn’t without reason. I could maintain basic decorum with her because we are both from prominent families. But she doesn’t keep her word. Not only did she act in front of me, but she also brought up decorum with me afterwards. I can’t do that. Today is just an eye for an eye. Don’t come near me.”
Stay as far away from people you don't like as possible.
After listening to Sui Zhixu finish speaking, Ning Yan couldn't help but ask her, "When did you meet with her again?"
"I ran into him at Yunlai Restaurant yesterday morning."
"I admire you for running around to three different places in one day and resolving so many things. You've worked so hard." Ning Yan took Sui Zhixu's hand, her face full of apology.
"I wouldn't say, it just so happens that I had a complicated relationship with her."
There should be no more annoying "people in the world".
Xu Mingyi clenched the belt around her neck, then let go. It didn't matter that Ahui was gone. She could protect herself on her own. She could seek refuge with others, like Sui Niangzi.
A glimmer of light appeared in her eyes. After June, in July and August, she could stay at home and wait for him to come back.
Pu Yangkai smiled faintly throughout the journey, occasionally saying a few words, and the atmosphere was not dull.
Xu briefly explained to Ning Yan about Xi Yushao, saying that he was a mad snake.
Ning Yan had a headache. What kind of mess was this? It was also because A Xu didn't understand. Xi Yushao's behavior was probably because he had taken a liking to her. This was the most taboo thing between sisters. No, no, she had to think of a solution. So many of the cases in Dali Temple were caused by men. They absolutely couldn't let it happen to them.
Ning Yan was lost in thought, and her meal lost its flavor. She ate a few bites and then dragged Sui Zhixu and Xu Mingyi back to their lodgings.
After Xu Jian said goodbye to Pu Yangkai, he reiterated that everything Cong Lan had mentioned was nonsense.
“He’s never been serious. Listen to him when it comes to academics and literature, but don’t listen to his nonsense about anything else.”
“Kai has his own judgment, young master, please rest assured.” Puyang Kai said in a low voice as she turned to leave, “Everything you said just now is true. No matter what your identity is, Kai will wholeheartedly assist you, young master. It is the consensus of the Immortal Clan that you should inherit the position of clan leader.”
After Xu nodded and left, he pondered the affairs of the other departments. He had heard that the leader of the Mo family in Luoyang was a formidable opponent.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com