A master of metaphysics is farming.

Chapter 161 He Family

The crowd behind me was noisy, some were happy and some were sad.

Everyone in the small circle was silent. He Sui'an said calmly, "It is indeed time to meet him."

He turned his head and looked down at He, "You guys go back first, I'm going to the He family."

Xiang He frowned. "Don't you need me to go with you? What if..."

The He family is all eager to kill He Sui'an. If we go now, I'm afraid they'll disregard their reputation and resort to underhanded tricks to harm him.

He Sui'an could clearly see the worry in her eyes, and his heart warmed. "It's alright, you all go back first. Xing Ji will go with me."

With Xing Ji by her side, Xiang He felt more at ease.

“Okay, I plan to make a trip to Cixi Temple.”

He Sui'an nodded, and Tang Yixue grabbed his sleeve. "Cousin, shall I go with you?"

Tang Yixue's worry was genuine, but He Sui'an raised his hand and brushed her hand away. "No need. You should also hurry up and bring the good news to your maternal grandfather. They are eagerly waiting for it."

She was still unwilling to give up. He Sui'an had already boarded He Yuncheng's carriage. Watching the carriage drive away, Tang Yixue turned around and glared at Xiang He, stomping her foot in anger.

"Why didn't you stop them! Don't you know..." she said angrily, "You should have known, why didn't you stop them!"

Xiang He, who was suddenly blamed, was stunned for a moment. "Miss Tang, he is a grown man in his early twenties. Does he need to be stopped? He naturally has his own ideas. Why should we interfere?"

"But!"

Xiang He brushed past her, saying, "No buts, he'll be fine. He's been through so many years, hasn't he? Going there will only bother him. Listen to him and hurry home to report the good news."

Aside from Xiang He, the other friends were quite puzzled, but they still got into the carriage first, leaving Tang Yixue alone standing there, angry.

The two girls in the carriage wisely kept quiet and looked out the window instead, asking, "Where are we going?"

"I need to go to Ci'an Temple. You can go back first."

The two grabbed Xiang He's wrists, one on each side, and said, "Let's go together. It's a rare occasion for us to have such a joyous occasion. We should also pray for our families' safety and well-being."

"it is good."

As they talked, Xiang He quietly looked out the window.

The He family's sudden request to see someone is likely related to the release of the exam results today. I wonder what their demands will be?

I'm really looking forward to the answer.

-

The carriage bound for the He residence stopped in front of the main gate, where guards stood watch. He Yuncheng got off the carriage first and led He Sui'an through the side gate.

He Sui'an followed without saying a word, while Xing Ji frowned and remained silent behind him.

Upon arriving at the unfamiliar mansion, He Sui'an felt no emotion whatsoever, only a sense of alienation.

After passing through the front hall and the central courtyard, a group of people sat together in the pavilion by the pond. When they saw He Sui'an, the group fell silent for a moment.

They were a family, and they couldn't help but be surprised when they saw He Suian.

The elegant lady sitting in the main seat frowned, her fingers clenching tightly around her teacup, as if suppressing her anger.

One of the women whispered, "He's here..."

"Did Father send them?"

“Since it was my elder brother who went to find him, then it must have been Father who summoned him.”

The lady loosened her grip, causing the teacup to fall onto the table and spill water. "It was just a meeting. Where were we?"

Everyone immediately looked away. The woman leaned affectionately against the noblewoman and said, "Mother, as mentioned earlier, my cousin from afar will be visiting soon. We have already prepared a guest room."

"Hmm, the results were released today, right? Did your fourth brother make the list?"

“He won, but…” the woman hesitated for a moment, “He… won the top prize.”

Silence fell again in the pavilion, and the noblewoman looked coldly in the direction He Sui'an had left.

Meanwhile, He Sui'an had already arrived at the study in the He residence.

The study door was open. He Yuncheng knocked lightly on the door and went in after receiving a response from inside.

Xing Ji stood guard outside the door, and He Sui'an followed him inside. He saw a man with a few strands of white hair at his temples, holding a pen and writing something.

The three remained silent until the man stopped writing, at which point he looked up at He Suian.

His gaze was extremely cold, as if he were looking at a complete stranger. "Sit down."

"No need, Lord He, what business do you have with me, young man?"

He Maode gripped the pen tighter, his eyes growing colder. "He really is a wild child. After all these years of being out and about, he doesn't even know basic manners."

His first words were sarcastic. He Sui'an nodded slightly, "Your years of pursuit have not been in vain. You even know exactly where this young man has been."

“No need for empty talk here,” He Maode put down what he was holding and straightened up, his eyes still cold. “I’ll give you two choices, so you’d better hurry up.”

"You say."

Seeing his unfamiliar aloofness, He Maode snorted coldly, "Give up the palace examination, and my He family will allow you to return to your ancestral home; leave the capital, and we will give you a quiet house to continue teaching, and you will never return to the capital."

Such conditions made He Sui'an laugh, "My lord, you're leaving me no way out at all. You just want me to give up the palace examination and leave the capital. It's really troublesome for you to see me again. I'm sorry to be an eyesore to you."

He Maode slammed his fist on the table. "This is your only way out! Don't think that passing the imperial examination will give you a way out. As long as you're in the capital, I will never let you have a chance to rise in the world!"

His words were a threat, but He Sui'an remained calm. "This young man is gentle by nature but stubborn by temper. Grand Tutor, please feel free to make your moves in the future. I will do my best to meet your expectations. Farewell."

Seeing him turn to leave, He Maode slammed his fist on the table again, "Do you think you're guaranteed to pass the palace examination in three days?"

He stopped in his tracks as he crossed the threshold, and turned back with a smile. “Sir, if you say that… could it be that you are colluding with the Ministry of Rites? You should know that I have recently been investigating a corruption case with the Imperial Guards, right? It’s hard not to be suspicious of you to act like this.”

"What nonsense are you spouting!" He Yuncheng glared at him angrily. "How could you pin such a crime on Father!"

"That's Young Master He's father, not mine. Farewell."

After saying this, he left the two men secretly angry and walked away with Xing Ji the way they had come.

As soon as they emerged from the side gate, Xing Ji felt incredibly relieved. "Young Master, shall we go look for the young lady?"

"Let's go back first; they won't be gone for too long."

"Yes."

The two walked back to the He residence, while Xiang He had already arrived at Ci'an Temple.

A large group of people went up the mountain, walking, stopping, chatting and laughing, having a wonderful time.

“It’s rare to be so relaxed,” Jiang Xinyue said, waving a tree branch in her hand. “Seventh Sister, when are you going to talk to Qianniang? Rongxing is short of people right now.”

"I told her yesterday, and Qianniang agreed, saying that if I have any questions, I can ask her anytime."

"Qian Niang is so kind!"

Qi Xin waved a foxtail grass in his hand, "You've all made all the arrangements, except for me, who hasn't made any plans yet..."

Xiang He turned slightly to look at him, "Your family matters are not yet resolved, so you can't have any other plans, can you?"

"Um……"

The two of them avoided talking to them, as it wouldn't be good for them to know about these things.

The group continued upwards, with many other people ahead of them. Among them was a young woman who was helping a middle-aged woman up the stairs, accompanied by a maid. They seemed to be from a wealthy family.

They walked quickly and soon passed by the family.

Xiang He glanced at her casually and noticed that the woman's legs were somewhat unsteady.

If someone still wants to climb to the summit like this, it seems something has happened at home, and they've come here personally to pray for peace.