In the dead of winter
As winter sets in, the plum trees in Jianjia Pavilion sprout buds, their slender branches stretching to one side of the corridor, their proud posture drawing people to linger.
Sui Zhixu stood in the corridor, his gaze fixed on its outer skin. Hearing the noise behind him, he said, "It won't be long before it blooms."
"Then we will admire the red plum blossoms in the snow together, and warm wine under the pavilion."
"Okay." She turned around and wrapped her arms around his waist. The jasmine jade pendant on her husband's waist was smooth and lustrous, with a lifelike blooming jasmine.
Fortunately, they can still be together this year, but she might not have him by her side next year.
Cong Lan had come to understand the Emperor's feelings during this time, but seeing Ah Xu's distress, he didn't want to kick him out. So he turned around and went back to his study to write a letter of more than ten pages to Sui He.
"Xiao Hei, stop fooling around." After finishing writing the letter, Cong Lan summoned Sui He's gyrfalcon, but it ignored him and stood motionless by the window.
"Go and deliver a message to your master. She must miss your little master. Be good, listen to me." Cong Lan reached out and patted his head, and sure enough, she pecked his hand.
Xiao Hei was careful with his strength; at most, he would peck him until he bled.
Cong Lan sighed. Xiao Hei really only listens to Sui He and ignores everyone else. He's been pestering him for two days and hasn't sent a single letter.
“Listen to me, little master has suffered a lot, your master must be very distressed.” Cong Lan tried to use bird language.
He tilted his head, his beady eyes staring straight at Cong Lan, snatched the letter from his hand, and took flight.
It's been four months since my wife left. I miss her, I miss her, I miss her.
Cong Lan had no choice but to work on her own plans while being forced to endure Fan Lingzhang's constant visits.
He still didn't like Fan Lingzhang. Thinking of how Sima Xian forced A Xu to marry him, he couldn't help but feel angry towards him. But A Xu was different. She had always been cold-hearted, and her indulgence towards him was already a sign of her affection.
He endured it.
Sui He's letter did not return. Upon receiving the news, Cong Lan went to Chang'an to find the king.
As the head of all officials, Cong Lan had to go.
Cong Lan: I'm already annoyed. What's the point of sending someone to the capital to be questioned?
"Why is my dear minister so impatient to hear me speak?" The Emperor noticed Cong Lan's unusual behavior in the Imperial Study and asked.
Cong Lan's brows twitched slightly. "Your Majesty, I was distracted. Please punish me."
"Oh? Tell me about it, but don't tell me it's because you've been away with He for too long."
Duke Pei, always eager for drama, said, "I think it's possible."
Cong Lan glanced at him respectfully, "I was thinking about the lady at home, that's why I was distracted."
"Sui's wife?" The Emperor remembered her. He put down the memorial in his hand. "A while ago, your wife went to Chaoyang to ask for help in managing the Pei family's affairs. Chaoyang initially refused to see anyone, and I remember that he had to ask the Imperial Tutor for help. Your wife is quite something, actually asking the Imperial Tutor for help."
The Emperor glanced at Fu Mingguang in the corner and joked.
Fu Mingguang: "It was just something I did on the spur of the moment."
Cong Lan proudly said, "Everyone says that daughters resemble their fathers, so she's naturally smart."
"Hey, look at you showing off." Duke Pei leaned closer to him and nudged him with his elbow.
"Clever." The memorial was grasped in the Emperor's hand. "It's that young lady who seems to regard me as an emperor who would 'sacrifice family for the greater good.' I met her when I went to see the palace maid in front of Empress Wenzhao. She seemed very distant from me and seemed to dislike me."
Cong Lan was puzzled. Didn't he know how terrifying Empress Wenzhao was? He must have scared their Ah Xu.
He didn't show it on his face. "Ah Xu used to live in a Taoist temple with the Imperial Preceptor. She has a calm personality. Besides, His Majesty has an imposing aura. She is still young, so she is naturally afraid."
In Chang'an, he had never heard anyone mention the niece of the Prince of Xuanping before, until she married Fan Lingzhang and people started talking about her, saying she was a divine concubine and a fairy, stunningly beautiful at first glance.
He hadn't taken it seriously before, but after Ah Xu explained it to him, he realized that Lu Kou wasn't someone who never left the house; rather, she had been trained as an assassin all along.
Cong Lan's sense of oppression lessened, and he bowed respectfully, changing the subject, "I wonder how Your Majesty intends to settle Prince Xun?"
The Emperor was indeed intrigued. "Looking for the Prince? I remember he was just born when I ascended the throne. He's only twenty-seven years old now. Young man, so ambitious. My dear minister, go and show him your power. Don't let him get too cocky just because he's been in Xuzhou for a while."
Cong Lan: "Your Majesty understands and will certainly not fail in your trust."
—
Life must go on, Yunlai Tower needs to operate, and Fan Lingzhang cannot stay with Zhixu at the Prime Minister's residence forever.
The golden abacus shone brightly in the dappled sunlight, so bright that it was almost difficult to look directly at it.
She was slightly surprised, "A golden abacus?"
"yes."
She paused for a moment, then said, "It suits your personality perfectly."
Very flamboyant.
Sui Zhixu lifted her skirt and sat next to Fan Lingzhang, watching him process the account books.
Fan Lingzhang would occasionally turn to the side and hug him; he called this a way of "reserving water."
"Just as a pond needs to be filled when it dries up, so do I."
As Xu stroked the little hibiscus nestled in her arms, her cool fingertips touched his face, and he shuddered. He then took her fingertips and kissed them.
The Gu worm was there, perhaps dormant, perhaps weak, but it definitely existed. She could sense that he had become increasingly tired lately.
He used to be in good health, and although he practiced martial arts, he wouldn't get very tired even after traveling continuously. Now, he gets sleepy every now and then.
He always made excuses for himself: it was cold, and Yue Nu slept on his chest at night, waking him up; or Yue Nu nestled on his face while sleeping, almost suffocating him...
Various excuses, with Yue Nu recently becoming one of his pretexts for the cold weather.
She privately asked Chi Gong and finally learned that the Gu worms were drawing nutrients from him to grow.
He covered his mouth and yawned, then continued, "Last night, Yue Nu..."
Did Yue Nu wake you up by pressing on you, or was she just making a fuss, or did she cause trouble?
“Bring her here. There are many people in Yijialiao who also take care of cats and dogs, and they can look after pregnant cats.”
Realizing her tone was stern, she relaxed and pointed to the bed behind her. "Go and rest for a while. I'll take care of things."
“Do you miss Yue Nu? She’s actually quite attached to you, and she’ll want to see you.” Fan Lingzhang smiled slightly. “Her kitten is a calico. You haven’t seen her since she was born. Ahua often snuggles up next to her mother to worship Buddha. She has a very good temper and isn’t afraid of people. If you want to see her, I can snatch her from her mother.”
Sui Zhixu tapped his forehead, "Go to sleep. Yue Nu will talk to you when you wake up. If Ahua finds out, she will definitely stay far away from you."
She pushed him to rest, pulled the blanket over him, and said, "Sleep for a while."
Fan Lingzhang looked at her, but a heavy drowsiness prevented him from speaking, and he eventually fell into a deep sleep.
She had been looking at him for a long time. She had imagined giving up on herself countless times. Revenge seemed to be pulling at her life, forcing her to live.
She was simply annoyed, but he wasn't. He loved the world and was willing to die for it.
As Su Zhixu's breathing became choked, a tightness settled in her chest. She finally stopped sketching his face, got up, and picked up her pen to do the accounting.
She had been taught by Yueling, and she had also seen her mother do accounts, so it wasn't difficult for her.
The sun moved from the east to the center, and the thick ledger was finally settled. Sui Zhixu stretched his sore neck.
Fan Lingzhang showed no signs of waking up, so he squinted and looked up through the window.
It was noon, and he always needed to eat something.
"My lord!" Afu pushed open the door and entered, his usual loud voice causing Sui Zhixu to frown.
"He's still resting, so please keep your voice down."
Ah Fu quickly shut his mouth and lowered his voice, "A distinguished guest has come to private room number three. He ordered all the most expensive dishes in the building, but he is too difficult to serve. His servants cannot handle him, so I had to come to find you, sir."
"I'll go take a look first." He then learned that Fan Lingzhang, who was behind the screen, was still fast asleep.
His sleeping posture was very proper, with his hands folded in front of him, which was completely unlike his personality.
Her heart sank a little, and she called to Afu to wake him up, "You take good care of your husband, I'll go check on him first."
As he reached the door, Sui Zhixu could already hear the lewd flirting inside.
An unpleasant expression flickered across her usually calm face. She pushed open the door and peeked out to see the person sitting in the center.
"Oh, a beauty has arrived." He casually reclined on the couch, his gold-threaded brocade robe clearly expensive at first glance, and his upturned fox-like eyebrows made him even more dashing.
Sui Zhixu only glanced at her before turning her gaze to the trembling Hu woman on the ground. She went forward to help her up and told her to leave.
Seeing this, the person on the couch tilted his head back to drink, raised an eyebrow and said, "You chased away my beauty, why don't you stay?"
The smell of alcohol hit him hard, and Sui Zhixu took several steps back, saying coldly, "Yunlai Tower never requires its ladies to accompany guests. You may go to Chunfeng Tower or Nanfeng Tower on your own."
"How dare you! Do you know who I am? You just told me to go find a male prostitute!"
There was a chorus of snickers around them, but the young man glared at them angrily and immediately fell silent.
Looking for the king, who else could it be?
With those fox-like eyes, and a face that at least six-tenths resembled the beheaded Minister Lu, he still dared to swagger around Chang'an.
Shouldn't he be received by Ayer?
"It was just a suggestion, why make such a big deal out of it, sir?"
If she had known it was him, she would have immediately notified her father to get rid of him, and would never have allowed him to harass the Hu woman in the building.
He chuckled. "I've never heard that the owner of Yunlai Tower is a woman."
Although Xu didn't respond to him, even though Xun Wang was a member of the royal family, her family could still afford to offend him.
"If you're dining, please be more at ease." She grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him to a large table of food.
"The next meal won't be like this."
Her voice was calm as she pressed him into his seat. The king struggled desperately, but it was as intimidating as a light drizzle.
"Who exactly are you? How do you know my identity? And since you know me, how dare you defy me?"
His voice was hoarse from drinking, and he almost cracked in his anger; one might mistake him for a duck emerging from the ground in winter.
Xun Wang squeaked and cried out, and Sui Zhixu asked in confusion, "Aren't you going to eat?"
The chopsticks in her hand snapped in two with a snap. Xun Wang swallowed hard. "Eat! I'll eat!"
Sui Zhixu shook his hand, as if he had used too much force. Never mind, as long as he's safe.
As she stepped out of the room, Fan Lingzhang rushed over, anxiously asking, "Are you alright?"
Sui Zhixu calmly shook his head, "What could possibly be wrong?"
He paused, glanced at the half-chopstick in Xun Wang's hand, remained silent for a moment, then waved for Afu to bring two pairs of chopsticks, since they were there to eat.
"Your chopsticks aren't very sturdy."
"Then I'll change it next time."
Sui Zhixu nodded, looking at him from side to side, "Are you still sleepy?"
"A little, but it's okay."
Sui Zhixu lowered her eyes, seemingly lost in thought, and the next second she took his hand, saying, "Let's go, I'm hungry."
"OK."
He moved closer to Sui Zhixu, a smile playing on his lips. His eyes, framed by long eyelashes, reflected only one person's image, his gaze gentle and affectionate.
The two walked side by side, surrounded by endless beauty and tranquility.
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