Living in the Prince's Mansion
Sima An whimpered in her arms, "I hate her, I don't like her, I don't like her pretending to be you, she even wore your dress and ran up to me, I hate her."
"It's a bit gory, not suitable for children." Sui Zhixu patted her on the shoulder.
“I’m not a child anymore, I’m eighteen years old.”
After thinking for a moment, Sui Zhixu said under Sima An's expectant gaze, "Eighteen years old is still young."
Sima An's face fell, and he turned his head away. "I don't want to talk to you anymore."
"If you're really ignoring me, then I'm leaving."
As Xu Zhixu made a move to get up, Sima An grabbed her sleeve, saying, "Where are you going? Don't go! Don't leave me."
"I'm just kidding, I'm not leaving."
As Sima An grabbed Xu's sleeve, the fear and sadness in her eyes stung her. She sat back down and hugged her again.
"Chang'an City is heavily guarded. I returned from Miao territory and didn't know how to get in. I happened to hear that Xi Yushao had performed meritorious service and was on his way to Chang'an, so I pretended to be his sister and appeared at the city gate to meet him..."
At the city gate that day
The guard who turned around was startled. "You walk silently, how did you end up alone at the city gate?"
Because she used her light-footed skill to appear behind him, of course she made no sound.
Sui Zhixu took out Xi Yushao's jade pendant and said tremblingly, "I am Xi's wife. I heard that my brother has returned. Where is he?"
She was alone, her hair slightly disheveled, and panting, clearly having rushed over in a hurry. The guard took her jade pendant and examined it for a while; it looked to be of good quality and didn't seem fake.
"This is a place of great importance, not a place for a courtesan like you. You should go back quickly."
Sui Zhixu took a few steps back, and asked again, unwilling to give up, "Has my brother not returned yet?"
"The city gate..."
"Oh dear, Brother Wang, why be so harsh on such a beautiful young lady? My lady, you're probably too late. Master Xi just went in not long ago. If you hurry back now, you can still see him. He might even be in the palace soon." Another guard put his arm around Master Xi's neck, teasing him while patiently explaining to Sui Zhixu.
Sui Zhixu nodded slightly, "Thank you both, brothers."
She took out some silver and handed it to them. Just as the man was about to speak sternly and resolutely, the guard on the other side took it, weighed it in his hand, and said with a grin, "Then thank you very much, Madam Xi."
How could you?
"Oh dear, you should at least consider the actress's feelings, shouldn't you? You're such a blockhead."
Knowing that Xu had left with a smile, he quickly left when no one was around. When he appeared at the street corner in front of the Xi Mansion, he pretended to ask the deputy general surnamed Lin, Xi Yushao, where he was.
First, to ensure Xi Yushao's location; second, to show outsiders that she was outside and to explain why she was there.
Xi Yuzhen had just been granted the title of County Princess of the Qi Dynasty when her elder brother conspired with Sima Xian to restore the previous dynasty. Given her outward personality, she would not leave the mansion until things were stable.
It just so happens that it's convenient to act according to Zhixu's wishes.
When they arrived at the opera house, she was indeed home.
"How's it going outside?"
"I heard that the young master has returned and even helped the King of Wei intercept a group of people."
Xi Yuzhen sat up from the couch and said leisurely, "Is that so? Brother, you are certainly enjoying yourself."
The maid knelt down in fear and timidly said, "Madam..."
What are you doing?
"This servant is afraid that my mistress will be angry."
“Why should I be angry? My brother might even be able to contribute to the rise of the new emperor, which is much better than me, a useless county princess.” Xi Yuzhen stood up, her chest rising and falling slightly, her eyes filled with emotions as dark as clouds, impossible to dispel or dissipate.
"Alright, go wait somewhere else. Seeing you like this annoys me."
Xi Yuzhen leaned back on the couch and pretended to sleep. The maidservant stood guard beside her without saying a word. Then, Zhixu flicked a needle through the thin window paper, aiming to kill the maidservant.
With a thud, the maid fell to the ground.
Xi Yuzhen suddenly opened her eyes and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the maid lying on the ground. The flickering candlelight inside the room reflected the figures of people outside.
She was so frightened that she fell onto the couch. Just as she was about to scream, she watched as the silver needle shot straight at her and pierced her throat.
Hearing the commotion, the person outside opened the door and came in. At that moment, Sui Zhixu had already kicked the person under the bed.
"It's nothing, just knocked over the incense burner. Why make such a fuss? Do you think there's a thief in the house?" Sui Zhixu mimicked Xi Yuzhen's tone and glanced at them sideways.
"Alright, how late is it? Why aren't you boiling water? I need to take a bath and change."
Sui Zhixu waved for them to leave, and they exchanged glances before sheepishly retreating.
Once outside, they whispered among themselves, "My wife's temper has been getting worse lately."
"And they always appear and disappear without a trace. The other day they were in the front yard, and I don't know when they ran into the house."
"My lord has rendered meritorious service; shouldn't my wife be happy?"
"Pah, pah, pah! Who are we to say such things?"
The voices grew softer and softer, and they assumed Xi Yuzhen couldn't hear them, but little did they know that the person inside was Sui Zhixu.
She can hear everything.
In the dead of night, she bent down and dragged the person out. Xi Yuzhen died with her eyes open, her eyes wide open until the very end.
Even though Xu didn't look at her, she wasn't wronged. The fact that she stole her carriage was enough to kill her, not to mention her subsequent little tricks.
They dared to use Gu worms on Little Hibiscus; it's too late to deal with her now. We didn't have time to deal with her before, but now we might as well just let her die.
Sui Zhixu dug a large pit and covered Xi Yuzhen's face with a shovel of soil, again and again, until she was completely covered.
As for the maids, Xu casually threw them into the lake; those who plotted against her little Furong should all die.
The next day, the servants of the Xi family discovered the body of Xi Yuzhen's maid floating on the lake, but Lady Ye from the Xuanping Prince's Mansion was urging Xi Yuzhen to come, so they had no time to pay attention to her.
After saying that, Sui Zhixu shrugged, and Sima An huddled in her arms, whispering, "That was scary."
Such an obedient Sima An would surely be called a monster by Ruolan if she were present, as she had never seen such a gentle and obedient Sima An since entering the manor.
"Scared? But you insist on hearing it."
"Sister~"
Sui Zhixu: "Okay, it was my fault."
"You stay here, don't go back to the Xi family. That bastard Xi Yushao is too cunning and always pretends to be a good person."
When Xi Yushao was mentioned, Sui Zhixu asked her, "Have you ever met He Miao?"
“That guy has always been acting strangely. During the New Year, the teacher had a fight with him for no reason, and he went back to seclusion. I haven’t seen him for a long time. Why did you suddenly ask about him, sister? He hasn’t been of any use all these years.”
Sima An muttered something under her breath, and Sui Zhixu patted her head, "It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered."
"Princess, the King and Princess Consort have returned," Ruolan called out from the doorway.
Sima An straightened up. "I understand. I'll be right there."
"Sister, I'll go first. You wait for me inside."
She agreed and, after Sima An left, sat on the steps to think about her next move.
forecourt
"Father, Mother."
Sima Xian had his back to Sima An, so she couldn't see his face, but after so many years as father and daughter, she knew he was in a bad mood.
“Anniang, your cousin’s wife…” Shen Huaiyu grabbed her hand, hesitating to speak.
Sima An's face showed just the right amount of surprise. "What happened to my aunt? Just now, Aunt Chun Tao brought Xi Yuzhen to my courtyard and said her clothes were wet. Could it be that my aunt also fell into the lake? Was it Xi Yuzhen who did it? I knew she was no good."
Sima An made a move to turn and leave, but Sima Xian called him back, "Come back, what kind of behavior is this, making such a racket every day?"
Shen Huaiyu shook her head at her, "Anniang, your cousin has passed away."
"What!"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Sima An staggered, grabbed Shen Huaiyu, his eyes filled with hope, trying to find a flaw in her face.
"Mother, say something."
Sima An shed tears, and Shen Huaiyu hugged her, feeling heartbroken. "It was all because of the thieves who broke into the mansion that your aunt was harmed. Your father will definitely avenge her."
Sima An buried her face in Shen Huaiyu's arms and cried softly. She was half truly heartbroken. Ye Taoyao genuinely loved her and would always bring her some unusual items when she returned from her trips, but her sister never received any.
From a young age, she never understood why Ye Taoyao treated her and her sister so differently.
She had tentatively asked Ye Taoyao about it, and occasionally mentioned her sister's mother in her words, so she could only attribute the mistake to her rarely seen aunt.
My aunt from Runan lived a secluded life, and I could only see my father twice a day. I couldn't even see my sister.
elder sister……
Thirteen Sister, Sima An remembered her very clearly. In the past, she always stole her sister's attention, making her not her sister's only sister, and presumptuously took care of her as a sister.
She never called her "elder sister," but always referred to her as "Thirteenth Sister."
"Thirteenth Sister, where is my sister?"
Thirteen Sister was picking fruit from a tree in the small building. When she saw her coming, she threw the fruit in her arms to her. "It's quite sweet. Try it. My sister is probably sleeping somewhere. You know her. She was forced to memorize policy essays by Madam Gu half the night."
When I was a child, Taozhu Xiaozhu wasn't called that. It had another name, which no one in the Wangfu (Prince's Mansion) ever mentioned: Lingye Yuan.
Taken from the Chu Ci: "I fear the changing of the seasons, the radiant spirits shine as they march westward."
Glorious and splendid.
With mountains and water, spacious interior, and flowers blooming in the courtyard all year round, it is like a paradise.
"I've searched the entire Lingye Courtyard. My sister can't possibly be in the lake, can she?"
"Huh?" Thirteen Sister jumped down from the tree and clapped her hands. "That's true. I'll go find her."
Thirteen Sister opened the door and pointed to Lu Kou on the roof beam. "Look, she's right there. She's probably scared by Madam Gu. Alright, let's not disturb your sleep, sister. I'll take you fishing. The newly raised koi in the pond are so much fun. You can catch them every time."
Sima An always wanted Lu Kou to have more love, more love. It didn't matter if her aunt didn't like it, or if her uncle and aunt didn't like it, it didn't matter if she liked it. But Lu Kou and Shisan Niang were a good match in age, and they were always together. So she had to stay with Shisan Niang as well.
"Will they really come up?"
"Yes! Absolutely! All they think about is eating." When Thirteen Sister smiled, two small dimples would appear on her cheeks, making Sima An smile involuntarily as well.
"Tch, I'll trust you this once."
After a moment, Sima An shouted, "Fish! Fish! The fish is coming up!"
"An'an is so amazing!"
Sima An put his hands on his hips and said, "Hehe, of course!"
Lu Kou opened the door and said coolly, "You two are trying to hook me?"
At that time, Sima An was only eight years old, Lu Kou was fourteen, and Shisan Niang was twelve.
Thirteen Sister tugged at Sima An and pleaded, "Sister, I was wrong. I was wrong, please forgive me. This fish is so beautiful, you can't blame me."
"You're corrupting her." Lu Kou tapped Sima An's forehead and glanced at Thirteen Sister.
"No, no, we're just learning something new. Fishing is a skill too."
Lu Kou: "Let's use unorthodox methods and practice more."
"?" Thirteen Niang was powerless. She collapsed, she screamed, she resisted.
Resistance was futile.
Sima An: "I want to see!"
Thirteen Sister was shocked, "Kid, you've turned against us!"
Sima An covered her ears; she hadn't heard those words.
Lu Kou picked up her sword and tossed it to Thirteen Sister, saying, "Come on, practice your swordsmanship."
"Sister, you need to rest."
"You're not fishing for my fish, you're fishing for my sleepiness."
Thirteenth Niang: "..."
The wind whistled through the air; every stroke of the sword, every slash and parry, exuded elegance and freedom. Sima An sat to the side, watching their synchronized swordplay, and a longing arose in his heart.
pity.
She can't learn it; martial arts require too much talent.
Sima An leaned against Shen Huaiyu's chest and cried, "She's dead!"
Everyone has a different definition of death. Sima An realized too late that Thirteen Sister was really dead and gone forever.
Just like when she first heard about her sister's death, her mind went blank, and she simply couldn't believe it.
Lu Kou is dead.
Her sister died.
She refused to admit it, yet it seemed that only by denying it, by deceiving and coaxing herself, could Lu Kou remain alive, and only then could she truly live.
Days passed, Lingye Courtyard was renamed, and my sister was gone.
Another year, the camellias bloomed, but her sister was nowhere to be seen. Later, the blossoms fell one by one, leaving behind a carpet of broken petals, and still, no one was there for her. Her sister had lied; she had promised to take her to southern Xinjiang, but she hadn't. Her sister was gone.
A person who looks very much like her sister appears, but it's not her. Her father's actions only make her realize once again, more profoundly, that her sister has disappeared.
Thankfully, my sister is still alive.
She is still alive.
"It's alright, Anniang. Mother is still here." Shen Huaiyu's heart ached from crying, so she could only pat her back gently and coax her again and again.
"I...I miss my sister."
“Your sister… isn’t that person at the Prince’s residence? Can you let her stay for a few days?” Shen Huaiyu glared at Sima Xian.
Sima Xian slowly spoke, "You've seen it before, An Niang doesn't recognize you."
"elder sister!"
Sima Xian sighed, "Keep them, keep them. At least they're good-looking."
Sima An spoke incessantly, and Shen Huaiyu stared at him silently. What else could Sima Xian say?
"Your Highness, the Princess Consort has suffered a terrible loss!"
A mournful wail came from outside the door, and even Sima An stopped pretending to cry and straightened up from Shen Huaiyu's embrace.
"What happened?"
She settled her sister in the Prince's mansion, but what happened to the teacher?
Chun Tao gasped for breath, "My wife has fainted."
"What!"
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