Incident on New Year's Eve
Sui Zhixu tilted her head and glanced at Sui Shan, then took Sui He's arm. "Mother, let's go out and watch their performance."
Sui He smiled and patted Sui Zhixu's hand, and the group followed the parade.
Night fell over Chang'an, and the lanterns hanging along the streets lit up the streets and alleys. In the distance, the deep sound of drums mingled with the laughter and chatter of the crowd.
Fan Lingzhang stood at the window of Yunlai Tower when a figure in lotus leaf green suddenly appeared in his eyes.
It is according to what is known.
His mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts, the tangled vines completely obscuring his heart. He hurried away from the window until he could no longer see Sui Zhixu's figure.
He always treated Sui Niangzi as A Ling, wanted to be with her, and agreed to her alliance.
Suffocation, pain, even a one in ten thousand chance...
Once again, Fan Lingzhang couldn't help but walk to the window and look up. The magnificent exorcism procession was parading, their colorful costumes dazzling and eye-catching. But all Fan Lingzhang could see was that patch of green lotus leaves. Images flashed through his mind, and Fan Lingzhang realized he was confused, utterly confused. He thought he should get himself drunk and throw himself into the lake to sober up.
How could he have come up with such a bold idea?
How could he dare to dream of being the apple of Sui He and Cong Lan's eye?
Before Fan Lingzhang could think any further, the figure in lotus leaf green on the street corner had already disappeared.
They came in a hurry, and they left in a hurry.
Like a dream, the jasmine leaves curled up completely and then unfurled, showing no trace of their former curling.
—
"cousin."
Sui Zhixu asked, "What is it?"
Sui Chengyu climbed onto her arm, her voice sweet and cloying, "Cousin, let's go see it together."
"Aunt, please?"
"Go on, go on, it's more fun for you young ladies to get together."
"Sui Chufeng, you go too. Protect your two younger sisters. If anything happens to them, I will hold you responsible!" Sui Li gave Sui Chufeng a push. Sui Chufeng smiled and came to Sui Zhixu'er's side, gesturing for her to come.
This made Sui Chengyu burst into laughter.
Sui Zhixu rubbed his temples and stood helplessly with the two of them.
She let the two men lead her into the crowd, once again facing the exaggerated mask of the Prime Minister.
The He sisters followed closely behind.
People prayed for divine protection, hoping for a bountiful harvest and freedom from disasters and illnesses in the coming year. The anticipation and joy on everyone's face were very evident.
Sui Zhixu glanced at the smiling faces of the crowd, and their smiles appeared on their faces as well. Sui Zhixu followed their movements, swaying her limbs and trying her best to appear as happy as the others.
Yueling stood in front of the water mirror, watching Sui Zhixu's every move, and took a big bite of the chicken leg, saying, "It's really hard to get any expression out of your face."
Age: Chewing
"It's hard enough to just pretend to like people, chew chew chew—"
Halfway through chewing, Yueling suddenly stopped and looked towards the direction outside the Imperial Preceptor's Hall.
—
Since Yueling didn't intentionally send a message, Sui Zhixu naturally couldn't hear Yueling's "backbiting".
A person dressed as a maid silently slipped through the crowd and whispered in Sui He's ear to report the situation. Sui He immediately gripped Sui Zhixu and Sui Li's hands tightly, gesturing with his eyes: Something's happened, let's go outside and talk.
Sui Zhixu grabbed Sui Chengyu, whose almond-shaped eyes widened as she pulled Sui Chufeng along. The three siblings pulled each other out of the crowd.
The group stepped through the crowd and boarded the carriage arranged by the maid.
"To ensure safety," Sui He said, "something went wrong during the exorcism ceremony at the palace."
Sui Li opened the letterbox and showed it to them.
Sui Zhixu quickly scanned the text, reading ten lines at a glance: "During the exorcism, the palace suddenly caught fire, and wooden pieces with strange patterns were found? In particular, the exorcist in the palace who played the role of Fang Xiangshi died."
Sui Chengyu and his sister exclaimed in surprise, "The palace's Nuo ritual was originally meant to exorcise evil spirits and bring good fortune, ensuring peace and safety. Now that such a thing has happened in the palace, isn't it just blatantly telling everyone that the emperor is not blessed enough and has even attracted evil spirits?"
Su Zhixu thought of the Xuanping Prince's plan. No, the Grand Nuo ceremony in the palace was the responsibility of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and had nothing to do with his father.
Slowly rubbing the patterns on his sleeves, his fingertips traced the cloud-like designs, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
I called out the baby's age in my mind, but there was no response for a long time.
If Yueling hasn't replied to her messages for so long, something must have happened. She said she was trapped in the Imperial Preceptor's Hall and could only chat with her. Every day, the palace maids were specifically instructed to place the three meals a day three meters away from the entrance of the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, and then she would use magic to get them in, for fear that the great formation of the late Master Yueling would harm mortals.
She's not by the water mirror right now, could it be that she didn't realize the time was right and forced her way out of the palace?
As soon as Xu's idea came out, it was immediately verified.
Dark clouds gathered above the depths of the palace, and a muffled rumble of thunder rolled in. Before long, a dazzling bolt of lightning, like a mountain-splitting blade, struck the ground in an extremely twisted shape, followed by a deafening roar that shook the people of Chang'an.
The thunderclap caused the entire city of Chang'an to tremble slightly.
"What's going on outside? Is the earth turning upside down?" Sui Chengyu and Sui Chufeng helped each other up so they didn't fall off their seats.
The carriage carrying her family hadn't gone far when, as the carriage swayed and bounced, she heard surprised shouts from the people behind her, "What's going on? It's snowing and thundering at the same time?"
Knowing that things were going badly, she grabbed Sui He's hand and asked, "Mother, is there any way for you to get into the palace now?"
Before Sui Li could grab the carriage wall, she was thrown off her seat as she trembled on the ground, her hairpin askew. "Ah Xu, no, that won't do. The palace guards will cordon off the area where the incident happened, and no one else will be allowed to enter. Besides, how can we let you in when such a strange thing happened in the palace? Don't worry, your brother-in-law will be fine. According to His Majesty's speed, things will be settled by tomorrow."
Sui Zhixu lowered his head and thought, not only worried about his father, but also because if Yueling came out recklessly, the trouble that would occur during the palace exorcism would be no small matter.
How much does the Prince of Xuanping know now? Given his actions, will he next spread rumors among the people that the emperor is immoral?
The same applies to wood chips with strange patterns.
No matter how you look at it, he seems to be the beneficiary, so Xu couldn't help but suspect that the matter had nothing to do with him.
Sui Zhixu jumped off the carriage with an umbrella, said a brief goodbye to them, and was about to leave.
"Catch!" Sui He took out a jade pendant and threw it out the window.
Sui Zhixu took the jade pendant that Sui He threw to her, glanced at it briefly, and put it away in a safe place.
"I will, Mother."
Sui Li was surprised by Sui He's actions. Seeing Sui He's serious expression, she opened her mouth but said nothing more.
Sui Chengyu held Sui Chufeng's arm, gazing at Sui Zhixu's departing figure, and lowered her eyes in deep thought.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the square, which had been bustling with activity, was now deserted. The people who had gathered together were bewildered by the strange thunder. As the snow fell heavier, they all packed up their belongings and went home.
In the blink of an eye, only the exorcism team was still performing. Fang Xiangshi's sleeves fluttered, and the wind and snow poured into his throat, but he still did not stop.
Sui Zhixu easily entered the palace gate with Sui He's jade token.
Sui Zhixu flipped the jade tablet in his hand. The Qi Dynasty assigned fish-shaped tallies to its ministers. For example, Cong Lan, as the prime minister, carried a fish-shaped tally in a goldfish bag. The tally was engraved with Cong Lan's identity information. This jade tablet showed Sui He's identity as the head of the Sui family.
Unlike the decree of the head of the household, this fish-shaped jade plaque was specially bestowed upon Sui He by the Emperor to show his respect.
She carefully put the jade pendant into her bosom, took a deep breath, and walked towards the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, her lotus-leaf green skirt swirling in the air.
The Imperial Preceptor's Hall was located deep within the palace, built extremely high, soaring into the clouds from the depths of the palace buildings, shrouded in mist and fog, making it even more eerie in the darkness of night. Especially since thunder roared incessantly above, churning within the clouds, accompanied by flashes of lightning and thunder.
The mountain-suppressing bell hanging from the eaves rang loudly in the wind, and the flashing lightning illuminated the bell again and again.
As Sui Zhixu approached, he discovered a group of people standing several miles away, centered around the Imperial Preceptor's Hall. The leader, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, had his back to Sui Zhixu, and beside him stood Cong Lan, whose beauty could not be concealed by time.
As soon as Sui Zhixu approached, Cong Lan noticed her, whispered to the Emperor, and then came to Sui Zhixu's side.
"Ah Xu? What brings you here? Did you come with your mother's jade token?" Cong Lan guessed in a second how Sui Zhixu got here.
It hadn't snowed near the Imperial Preceptor's Hall; the sky and earth separated the two places, creating a clear boundary.
“Father, I am Yueling’s disciple, so it is only right that I come.” Seeing the strange sight before him, Sui Zhixu turned his gaze to Cong Lan.
Cong Lan was somewhat surprised, but now was not the time to ask questions. She simply asked, "What do you plan to do?"
Although Sui Zhixu did not see Yueling, everyone was guarding the place, so Sui Zhixu felt that Yueling was still there.
"Moon...is Master inside?"
"Hmm." Cong Lan nodded. He and the Emperor had just arrived when they saw Yue Ling go in.
It was unclear whether lightning had struck her, but the dark clouds overhead showed no sign of a second lightning strike.
"I'm going in now." As soon as Sui Zhixu finished speaking, he rushed into the gate of the Imperial Preceptor's Hall.
A light blue figure passed through the Emperor's eyes as he looked at Cong Lan.
"Cong Qing?" His voice was deep and mellow, carrying the arrogant tone of someone in a superior position.
Cong Lan returned to the Emperor's side, saying, "Your subject is here."
"Is that the woman you and Sui He were dating?"
Cong Lan bowed and said, "Yes, she was just brought back from the Taoist temple a month ago. My daughter said that she and the Imperial Preceptor are master and disciple, and that she can enter the Imperial Preceptor's Hall."
"The younger generation is truly formidable!" The Emperor laughed heartily. His bright yellow dragon robe remained untouched by the wind and snow. The chief eunuch beside him, holding an umbrella, joined in the teasing of Cong Lan.
Cong Lan smiled, and the ministers behind him followed suit with flattery, trying to vent their frustrations and avoid mentioning the strange phenomenon of the exorcism.
—
She and Yueling have a master-disciple relationship; Yueling's master is her grandmaster, so there's no reason for the great formation to harm her.
Sui Zhixu rushed out with her eyes closed, but nothing happened. She guessed right. Her feet landed firmly, and she slowly opened her eyes.
The walls of the Imperial Preceptor Hall are as black as submerged water, the main hall stands majestically, and the vermilion pillars soar into the clouds, each requiring two people to encircle.
The black and red color scheme gives it an exceptionally dignified and understated look.
As Xu went up to the stage and opened the door, the statues of the Three Pure Ones enshrined on the stage came into view.
Taoists use a fist-and-palm salute when worshipping gods. The left hand represents yang and the right hand represents yin, with the left hand covering the right hand. The shape may resemble the Tai Chi symbol.
Yueling had told her, so Sui Zhixu bowed in accordance with Yueling's instructions.
After bowing, Sui Zhixu began searching for Yueling, asking, "Are you there?"
No one answered her, so Xu called out again.
A weak voice came from a hidden corner, "I...I'm here!"
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