Chapter 129
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After sending Old Fifth out of the palace, Xue Yao and Old Sixth headed south.
“I heard recently that Prince Rui arranged a marriage for you, but you declined.” Xue Yao curiously turned his head to look at the warm baby.
Old Sixth just turned twenty this year, still as reserved as in childhood, keeping many words hidden in his heart.
Xue Yao was afraid he might already have someone in his heart, jeopardizing his marriage by not speaking about it.
“Yes,” Old Sixth nodded solemnly, “I asked Eldest Brother not to worry about me. I’m not ready for marriage at the moment.”
“Indeed, you’re still young.”
Old Sixth raised an eyebrow. “Maybe when I’m older, I won’t want to marry either. Second Brother chose not to marry, right? Can’t I pursue the path of cultivation?”
“Why would you think that way?”
“Why must I marry? Does A’Yao have a specific girl in mind for me?” Old Sixth inquired, looking at Xue Yao with curiosity.
“It’s not that I want you to marry,” Xue Yao said, “I’m concerned that you may already have someone in your heart, but it’s difficult for you to speak up.”
“Oh?” Old Sixth turned to look at Xue Yao, a smirk playing on his lips. His eyes curved like a slender crescent moon as he half-jokingly asked, “Have you figured me out?”
“Am I right?!” Xue Yao’s eyes widened. “Then why not just tell your eldest brother? Your Mother Consort isn’t arranging things for you now. You can only rely on…”
“Must one marry if they have someone in their heart? What if marrying that person means going against propriety?” Old Sixth looked at Xue Yao with a hint of seriousness.
“How does that violate propriety?” Xue Yao furrowed his brow. “Is she of lower status?”
“No.” A hint of disappointment flashed in Old Sixth’s eyes.
“Then what’s your concern?” Xue Yao urged. “How old is she? If you wait too long, she might marry someone else!”
“It doesn’t matter how old she is. I know it’s not allowed, but I can’t help it. So, I plan to cultivate with Second Brother. Is that acceptable?”
“Whether it’s acceptable or not, you won’t know until you try!”
“Do you really want me to marry?”
“No, if you were as indifferent as the Emperor, I wouldn’t worry about your marriage. But now that you have someone in your heart, you can’t hesitate. What if you miss the chance and end up regretting a lifetime of loneliness?”
Old Sixth smiled. The clear, deer-like eyes reflected Xue Yao’s graceful face. “Does this Prince have to grow old in loneliness? Does A’Yao not want me anymore?”
“I didn’t mean that,” Xue Yao frowned. “Between Your Highness and me…”
“Having you say that is enough,” Old Sixth interrupted with a smile. “In life, finding one confidant means you won’t be lonely.”
After leaving the palace, Xue Yao had been pondering the warm baby’s words.
What exactly was this kid thinking?
But then again, he was a year and a half older than the warm baby. He hadn’t married himself, so how was he qualified to worry about someone else’s lifelong matters?
Marriage was a strange thing. From a distance, it was filled with all sorts of beautiful fantasies, but when it was right in front of you, an indescribable anxiety and rejection arose.
Grandfather Zhou Chong and Mother Zhou Rui had been concerned about his marriage. Families with matchmakers came forward, but he politely declined, citing busy official duties.
What was he afraid of?
It seemed that only when facing the admiring gaze of A’Zhu did Xue Yao realize his feelings for the girl. It seemed to stop at admiration and curiosity. He never experienced the sparks and chemical reactions from those romance stories he read before.
His significant other had not appeared yet.
Back at the Zhou residence, the household staff hurriedly summoned Xue Yao to meet the Old Master.
As soon as he entered the hall, he saw Grandfather Zhou with a furrowed brow. “Set out immediately and go visit Old Madam Xue.”
Xue Yao’s grandmother was critically ill.
At the age of eight, the Old Madam who he had protected with his own body in the temple, the only elder in the Xue family who showed him favoritism, was nearing the end of her life.
“How did this happen so suddenly?”
“With age comes uncertainty. The Old Madam took a fall, and when she woke up, half of her body couldn’t move.”
It was a stroke.
Xue Yao rushed to the Xue residence on horseback, guided anxiously by the servants to the main hall.
The Xue residence was crowded with people inside and outside. Upon seeing Xue Yao, some looked at him with hostility, some with disdain, while others exchanged polite greetings and even made way for him.
Holding a high position in the imperial court, the Xue family’s eldest uncle was naturally aware that Prince Ning could ascend the throne at any time. The people in the Xue residence also knew that Xue Yao was the most favored attendant of Prince Ning.
In the face of power, all grudges could possibly be resolved, depending on whether one could swallow their pride and dignity.
When Xue Yao’s grandfather cleared his name and returned to serve in the cabinet, Zhou Rui, leveraging her father’s influence, severed ties with the Xue family and took her son away.
Because Xue Yao was still young at the time, the Xue family didn’t hold much resentment towards him. They only erased Xue Yao from the Xue family genealogy to irk Zhou Chong.
This was the least wise move by the Xue family. Who could have known that the tide of fortune would turn, and now it was on that eccentric Prince Ning!
Nowadays, this Xue Yao truly wielded considerable influence. Who didn’t know that young Prince Ning listened most to this young attendant?
Edest Uncle used to align with the Crown Prince faction, striving for half his life. Little did he expect to be surpassed by Xue Yao, who rode on that black horse of Prince Ning. It must have been a bitter pill to swallow.
Prince Ning, with his unassailable character, was beyond their understanding.
Trying to get close to Xue Yao, Eldest Uncle Xue seized this opportunity. As soon as he saw Xue Yao allowed in, he personally approached, crying as he grabbed Xue Yao’s hand, “Nephew, you’ve finally come. Old Madam was just calling your name.”
Xue Yao had no patience for pleasantries. He quickly walked to the bedside, knelt on one knee, and looked at the elderly person lying there.
He used to visit the Old Madam regularly, but due to the conflict between the Third Prince and the Crown Prince, everyone was on edge. As a confidant of the Crown Prince, he didn’t dare cause trouble for the Xue family. It had been half a year since he last visited Old Madam.
Unexpectedly, the old woman’s condition changed so rapidly. The last time they met, she was lively and had silver-white hair. But now…
Xue Yao felt a pang in his nose, and tears fell heavily onto the bedclothes.
For a moment, he gazed at the Old Madam, her face resembling dried wood in sleep. He hoped she would open her eyes to hear his apology, yet he also wished not to disturb her rest, allowing her to recover and regain health.
He had extended the Old Madam’s lifespan by more than ten years, a fact only known to him.
Yet, the Old Madam seemed to sense something from the depths of fate. Using the additional ten-plus years of her life, she wholeheartedly cherished her concubine-born grandson.
Even when the Third Prince wielded overwhelming power, scheming against Xue Yao’s grandfather, Zhou Chong, it was Old Madam Xue who defied public opinion. She sent a letter urging Xue Yao to return to the Xue family, fearing that if Zhou Chong were implicated and accused, her obedient grandson Xue Yao might suffer the consequences.
“Grandmother… This grandson is unfilial…” Xue Yao couldn’t suppress the pain in his heart, and tears flowed incessantly.
His uncle consoled him, “Old Madam often boasted about her talented grandson in front of us. Now that the talented nephew has a promising future, how can we say he’s unfilial? To say he brings glory to the family is not an exaggeration. If he can support his fellow clansmen in the future, it wouldn’t be in vain for Old Madam…”
Xue Yao wanted to cover his ears.
He couldn’t comprehend how a biological son could be busy paving his own career path while his mother lay dying.
A seemingly noisy but actually silent reunion between grandmother and grandson.
In the end, Xue Yao didn’t wait for the Old Madam to wake up or hear a few words of farewell.
Old Madam Xue passed away in a deep slumber.
In the past, he used to mock the characters in movies for not finishing their lines before dying, thinking that with a little effort, perhaps they could be saved.
Now, he realized it was his turn. Not leaving behind a single farewell, how cruel it was.
Death was not a severe punishment for the deceased. Its recoil attached to the living, making them repeatedly regret past mistakes, which could never be rectified.
Eldest Uncle Xue took the initiative to find a way for Xue Yao to make amends. The price tag was quite clear — he wanted his eldest son, the legitimate eldest grandson of the Xue family, to secure the lucrative position of Imperial Salt Inspector for the two regions along the Huai River next year.
The Imperial Salt Inspector in Great Qi didn’t have a fixed rank. It wasn’t a permanent position, and changed every year. It was appointed directly by the emperor and fell under his special delegation.
Serving in this position for a year was enough to fill the pockets of several generations and pave the way for future high-ranking positions like governor-general or provincial governor.
Usually, if someone brought up such a request to Xue Yao, he would scoff inwardly and politely decline, stating he held no official position.
However, facing the sudden death of his grandmother, and feeling the need for some form of restitution, he actually considered supporting the Xue family to repay his grandmother.
He needed some time to calm down, shake off the guilt, before he could make sense of this matter.
Xue Yao was self-aware. Honestly, he was not unsuitable for the officialdom. He just didn’t like it.
Once involved in such matters, he’d become a power figure in a certain faction, and he couldn’t easily wash his hands of it.
If the eldest grandson of the Xue family rose to prominence and took a wrong turn one day, getting impeached by the censorate, the interest group that would be uprooted wouldn’t spare Xue Yao.
So, this wasn’t a trivial favor to be casually bestowed.
Even if Lu Qian might genuinely follow his advice, even if Lu Qian would go all out to protect him in case of trouble, wasn’t this forcing Long Aotian onto the path of a feeble ruler?
Why should Lu Qian foot the bill for his guilt towards his grandmother?
Therefore, after obtaining leave from the palace and waiting until the seventh day of his grandmother’s passing, Xue Yao tactfully declined his uncle’s request.
This stirred up a hornet’s nest.
The Xue family members, who were treating him like a respected grandfather and kneeling to flatter him just a few days ago, turned hostile overnight.
Previously, during the mourning period, they were afraid he might hurt his knees or catch a chill from the draft. Now, they deliberately gave him a cushion with no elasticity to kneel on.
The Old Master, the eldest uncle, the second uncle, and his biological father managed to keep their composure, maintaining a non-submissive attitude. However, they subtly threatened him, intending to expose his unfilial conduct to Prince Ning.
Xue Yao listened expressionlessly, finding it quite amusing inside.
The spread of such rumors could indeed cause him trouble. In ancient times, filial piety was highly valued. His mother, Zhou Rui, used to be a concubine in the Xue family. As a concubine-born grandson, not assisting his relatives would surely earn criticisms from others.
But Lu Qian wouldn’t care about these messy rules. He always believed that Xue Yao moved from the Xue family to the Zhou family because the little reader-in-waiting preferred staying with his maternal grandfather.
That was enough, as long as Lu Qian didn’t misunderstand him.
When Xue Yao returned home, Xue Qiong caught up with him, asking for a private conversation.
This domineering older brother, who used to snatch food from him, was now a family man. Eight years ago, due to academic struggles, he was discarded by the Crown Prince. His path in the imperial examinations was exceptionally bumpy, and obtaining an official position was impossible. He could only wait for a position from his father, which lacked lucrative benefits, making his future bleak.
Without uttering a word, Xue Yao had already guessed what he wanted to say. After all, recommending him to Prince Ning was the only path for him to obtain an official position.
After patiently listening to his long-winded discourse, Xue Yao politely declined.
Xue Qiong’s expression changed. He lowered his head to pull a piece of paper from his pocket, displaying it menacingly to Xue Yao.
Xue Yao didn’t immediately realize what he was holding. It wasn’t until he carefully stowed the paper back into his pocket like a precious item that Xue Yao remembered. It was a small piece of the packaging from a milk candy…
Probably a fragment that escaped during the burning years ago, Xue Qiong somehow found it and had kept it hidden for a decade.
“What is the meaning of this, Big Brother?” Xue Yao pretended not to understand.
Xue Qiong sneered. “You know very well what it means. My mother saw through your witchcraft. Back when you deliberately joined Prince Ning, what were your intentions? If Prince Ning finds out about these unsavory things you’ve been involved in…”
“Big Brother is joking. What does the thing in your hand have to do with me? If you take that to Prince Ning to falsely accuse me, think about the consequences. I advise you to consider it carefully.” With that, Xue Yao coldly laughed and left.
Back at the Zhou residence, he spotted the gatekeeper disco-dancing from a distance, enthusiastically waving and nodding, urging him to hurry.
Xue Yao wondered what had happened in the residence again.
Hurrying over to inquire, he learned that Prince Ning had come to visit.
The gatekeeper, after finishing his explanation, suddenly knelt down with a “thud,” startling Xue Yao.
Upon asking, he discovered that the gatekeeper had just offended Prince Ning.
Prince Ning, without any guards, directly approached the gatekeeper and asked if this was the residence of the Deputy Prime Minister Zhou Chong.
The gatekeeper, almost in tears, recounted, “I’ve never seen a noble dragon and phoenix. This young man comes up and addresses Master directly by name. How could I maintain a good expression? Young Master, you have to plead for me!”
This was the future heir to the throne!
The gatekeeper felt that after Prince Ning returned to the palace, he would likely be summoned by the imperial guards and face execution at the Meridian Gate.
Xue Yao couldn’t help but laugh and cry. “You weren’t fierce to His Highness, were you?”
Lu Qian was someone who held grudges. If the gatekeeper’s attitude was too disrespectful, he might indeed get into trouble.
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