Having reported two significant affairs, his own master showed no reaction.
Xue Changgui waited for quite a while and cautiously reminded his master before seeing him gesture vaguely with his hand, signaling him to handle the matters as he saw fit.
Another while passed before his master appeared to snap alert, suddenly standing up to look at him, instructing him to urgently contact the border generals who had come to the Capital, saying that danger loomed in the Capital and they must leave Capital City at once.
Just when he was about to fulfill the task, his master suddenly called him back, with a dazed look on his face, saying they couldn’t go, they couldn’t go, mumbling to himself with his voice growing quieter and quieter.
At last, he faintly heard something along the lines of "If they go, the Xue Family will collapse in an instant."
He thought to himself that he must have heard wrong. How could the Xue Family, rooted so deeply and firmly, possibly fall? Especially since the Noble Consort was a Miss of the Xue Family, and his own master was deeply favored by the Emperor, having received the title of Duke of Loyalty and Righteousness.
He waited a good while, and finally, his master came back to his senses, seemingly struggling to make a decision. At last, he resolutely took a piece of paper, wrote on it with his left hand, sealed it, and handed it to him, instructing him to dispatch a carrier pigeon to reach the other party.
He knew that his master could write with his left hand, but he rarely did so. If he did, it meant he was contacting someone of great importance.
After receiving the order, he hurried out of his master’s study. But as he turned away, he saw his master looking as if all his energy had been drained, his expression extremely vacant.
Xue Changgui passed through the many corridors of the Xue Residence, heading towards the main gate of the residence. This matter required utmost caution; the carrier pigeon couldn’t be sent from the Xue Residence.
Halfway there, he encountered someone and quickly bowed his head to greet them, waiting for the person to pass before he dared to rise.
Looking in the direction the person went, it seemed they were headed for his master’s study.
Xue Changgui didn’t dare to look further and continued to hurry towards the outside of the Xue Residence. As soon as he left the residence, someone secretly followed him, completely undetected.
The person Xue Changgui had encountered was none other than the third young master of the Xue Family—Xue Linyu, the son Xue Ping loved the most.
Xue Ping bestowed any good thing upon this son. Rumor had it that once, while drunk, he openly declared that the future of the Xue Family would rest on Linyu. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novel✦fire.net
Among Xue Ping’s sons, Xue Linyu indeed was the brightest, but his character was quite cunning and unruly, extremely domineering. He often bullied his two older brothers, who dared not express their anger, and he took pleasure in this. Xue Ping, however, never interfered.
At the moment, Linyu’s face showed dissatisfaction, and he was radiating a murderous aura as he headed towards his father’s study.
In the study, Xue Ping racked his brain trying to figure out how to turn the situation around but could not find a solution.
After weighing the circumstances, decades of navigating the court had been thrown into disarray by a mere gang of brutes. Such a childish scheme, yet incredibly effective, had thrown him into confusion.
He realized far too late...
He had thought about going all in, but as soon as the idea arose, he knew it was hopeless.
The border generals related to him had already been ensnared by the Emperor’s trap and called back. What awaited these men was a path leading only to death; that path was now impassable...
Especially now with Yuchi Zhao being unfathomable; any action against him would be like a mayfly shaking a mighty tree, only leading to self-destruction.
The path through the palace was closed off as well. Wanjun had no sons, and if his planted spies within the palace had not deviated from his expectations, following the issue with the Imperial Heir, they would have been completely eradicated...
Now, the truly pressing matter was how to preserve the Xue Family...
But could the Xue Family really be preserved?
He was lost in a maze of confusion.
A fierce shout snapped Xue Ping out of his musings.
He lifted his murky eyes and saw his third son appearing at the doorway.
Xue Linyu called out and was stunned; why did his father look ...
Xue Ping forced a trace of affectionate smile on his face, "Is it Yuyu who has come? What do you need from dad?"
Xue Linyu sensed that Xue Ping was very different from usual at this time.
But he didn’t want to care, as his heart was filled with rage and dissatisfaction that he had nowhere to vent.
He immediately questioned, "Dad, why did you reject the title that was within our grasp? Don’t you know how hard it is to obtain a nobility title?"
So it was about this matter, Xue Ping understood and had already prepared himself mentally.
He waved his hand wearily, "Yuyu, this matter is complicated, it’s difficult for dad to discuss with you. The title is not for the Xue Family, rather than letting others take it, it’s better to...
Xue Linyu, as if he heard some joke, let out a bizarre laugh cutting him off, angrily saying, "What a joke, since it was bestowed upon the Xue Family, even the Emperor, he should not dream of..."
Upon hearing those four words, Xue Ping’s heart skipped a beat and he scolded in a low voice, "Hold your tongue!"
Xue Linyu was taken aback, his father had never spoken to him with such severity.
Realizing he was too harsh, Xue Ping’s expression softened, he stood up and painstakingly said, "Yuyu, dad has his difficulties, you’re still young, there are some things dad can’t tell you. In the residence, everything follows your wishes, but outside, you must never speak like you just did, it’s taboo..."
"Are you asking me to act differently before others and behind their backs, like you?" Xue Linyu said.
He gave a sarcastic smile, "When people outside praised dad for being indifferent to fame and wealth, as a paragon among the upright officials, I didn’t believe it. Since when were you so noble and virtuous, haha, I never expected that dad, for such vain reputations, would refuse the title, hahaha, very good indeed. If they knew what you’ve done, they’d probably cut their own tongues."
Facing such sarcasm from his most valued son, Xue Ping’s face turned increasingly ugly.
He knew his son had a difficult temperament, was willful and unruly, and was rarely pleasant to others, but had never been so disrespectful to him. Those were nothing more than trivial faults. Those who aspire to great endeavors should not dwell on trifles. As long as one is smart enough and capable of handling affairs, it would be enough.
But today, he realized he was wrong; his son even dared to defy him.
Were these the words a son should be saying to his father?
Upon hearing the last words, Xue Ping’s blood rushed to his head, his chest heaving with strong emotion, as he tried to control his temper and said, "Who taught you to speak to your dad ?"
Hearing this, Xue Linyu, far from being subdued, directly challenged him, "You taught me, dad, have you forgotten? When I was seven, that old woman didn’t want me to pass by her estate, and I hit her, didn’t you also say it was well done?"
The ’old woman’ he referred to was Xue Ping’s legal wife.
Because Xue Linyu was born of a concubine, to pave the way for him, Xue Ping had him recorded under his legal wife’s name.
Just thinking of losing the title made Xue Linyu mad with anger, roaring with frustration, "You rejected the title without even a word to your son; that title was yours and would be mine in the future, how could you refuse it on behalf of your son!"
All the same he had invited people to drink that day, being called Heir Prince and felt very proud, not long after, it turned into a joke, he had never lost so much face in his entire life.
All those so-called difficulties, they’re all nonsense.
For every word said, he met resistance; this made Xue Ping’s chest hurt in waves of anger.
He clutched his chest, too angry to speak, and after a long while, he finally squeezed out two words: "Rebellious child!"
It was he who had spoiled him, allowing him to even defy him.