Chapter 497

After Yu Shu fell asleep, Xue Rui quietly left. He boarded a sedan in the back street and returned to the Xue Estate.

Hōtoku, who was chatting with a few manservants at the second gate, saw someone enter the courtyard. He hurriedly threw the melon seeds in his hand back onto the plate, dusted off his hands, and trotted forward. He pulled out a large fan from behind his waist and fanned Xue Rui as he said,

"Young Master, why did you come back in the middle of the afternoon? It's so hot outside."

Xue Rui glanced at him, not minding that he had come out to play instead of staying in the inner courtyard.

"Has Grandfather returned?"

As Xue Rui's personal manservant, Hōtoku had an extremely good relationship with the servants of the Xue Estate. He also loved to run around, so he knew all the big and small matters of the Minister's Estate even without going out.

Hōtoku even knew Xue Lingnan's whereabouts.

"Great Scholar Song invited the Master to Liu Feng Restaurant for tea. He's not in the estate right now."

Xue Rui nodded, then casually asked, "Did Doctor Zhou come to my mother's place today?"

Xue Lingnan had never advocated for Xue Rui to go to the West Court. Thus, while Madam Xue had been ill, he hadn't even gone to the inner courtyard to see her.

"Madam seems to be better these days. I haven't seen Doctor Zhou come to see her," Hōtoku cautiously observed Xue Rui's complexion. Seeing that there was no one around, he ingratiatingly said, "Great Scholar is not in the estate.

Young Master, why don't you go see Madam? I'll keep watch for you. "

"Meddlesome." Xue Rui patted the back of his head. His eyes were unruffled, as if unmoved. He passed through the east corridor and returned to his residence.

.....

An hour later, outside the small courtyard next to the West Court's ancestral hall, Xue Rui was dressed in the pine green gown he had just changed into. His hair was neatly wrapped in a square scarf, revealing his handsome and scholarly features. His refined appearance caused the maid guarding the courtyard to blush. By the time she recovered, he was already inside.

Madam Xue had lived next to the ancestral hall for more than ten years. The wutong tree in the courtyard had grown from a sapling to a height above the walls. Xue Rui still remembered that whenever he had the chance to visit his mother, Madam Xue would take him to the courtyard to water the tree. She had coaxed him that when the tree grew, he could see her every day.

Now the tree had grown to the point where he had to look up, but his mother's promise had been destroyed three years ago.

He had personally destroyed it.

"Young master! The maidservant that was dozing off in the hall woke up with a start when she heard the sound of the curtains moving, and she exclaimed in surprise when she saw the person that arrived was Xue Rui.

"Mother is awake?"

"This … Young master, please wait a moment." The maid hurriedly tugged on her skirt, stood up, and tiptoed into the inner room.

Xue Rui stood at the door, listening to the faint sounds of conversation coming from within. In a few moments, the maid retreated and pursed her lips into a smile.

"Young master, come in. Madam is awake."

Saying this, she walked to the door. "This servant will stand guard outside."

Xue Rui nodded and entered the room.

The room was not large. There was a bed, a couch, a dressing table, and a cabinet. It was so simple that it did not seem at all like the living quarters of the lady of the first branch of the Xue Estate.

Madam Xue was sitting up on the couch, a thin blanket covering her knees. Her eyes were slightly open, unfocused as they gazed in the direction of the door. A smile hung on her sickly face as she slowly extended her hand.

"Rui'er."

Xue Rui's footsteps paused. His gaze swept over her face and he inwardly sighed in relief. He then quickly walked to her side, tightly grasped her hand, and sat down next to her. A bright smile appeared on his face, not caring that Madam Xue could not see it.

"Mother, your son has been busy with official business these past few days and was unable to visit Mother. I've missed Mother."

"It's not a problem. It's good that you were able to come." Madam Xue patted the back of his hand and then pinched his arm. Her brow slightly creased, she said,

"You've gotten thinner again. You've worked hard, but you still have to obediently eat your meals. Don't think that just because I can't see you, I don't know."

Xue Rui made a sound of assent, but he did not say that the last time he came to visit her, the weather had been cold and he had been wearing thick clothes. Now that the weather was hot and he had taken off his clothes, he naturally felt thinner.

Madam Xue was just like any other mother. She pulled him over and chattered for a while, mostly about Father Xue.

"… At the time, your father was the prefectural magistrate of Yiyang. He was also busy from day to night, as if there was no end to his work. In the first year, he lost a great deal of weight, but he was quite spirited. When he returned to the capital after his term was over, he found it hard to sleep. Every day, he would go to the morning court at the five o'clock and wake up at the four o'clock."

Xue Rui seemed to carelessly interject, "Father returned to the capital when I was two years old. Mother, did you hear about the matter of Yun Hua Yi Zi and Crown Princess Luyue?"

Madam Xue tilted her head, closed her eyes, and thought back. "I did hear about it, but by the time we returned to the capital, those two had already passed away, so I had no chance to meet them."

That year, Xue Rui's father, Xue Zao, was still alive. The two of them were loving and harmonious, and Madam Xue's health had not yet collapsed. Old Minister Xue did not confine her to the West Court like he did now.

Counting the years, Xue Rui knew that his parents had never met Yun Hua, but he did not feel disappointed. Instead, he asked:

"Then, Mother, have you ever heard that this Yunhua Yi's son had a first wife in his hometown?"

Madam Xue did not seem to remember the events of ten-odd years ago. She furrowed her brow in thought for a long time, then forcefully grabbed Xue Rui's hand and said:

"Yes, when I was young, I faintly heard a few rumors. They said that this Yi Zi had once publicly defied His Majesty's decree and refused to become the Emperor's son-in-law. It seemed like they said that he already had a wife."

Xue Rui's spirit rose, thinking that his mother had a very good memory when she was sober. There was no mistake. Then the story told by the storyteller in the teahouse was most likely true.

"Then what happened later? Why did he marry a princess?"

"Who knows? Perhaps he coveted royal power and riches, or perhaps he changed his mind after seeing someone else. Isn't there a saying in the books: even heroes have a weakness for the charms of a beautiful woman?"

Madam Xue smiled coldly. One could vaguely make out the elegance of her youth on her pale face, but she was blind, so she could not see just what sort of grace those eyes had held ten years ago.

Seeing the sadness on her face, Xue Rui did not dare to ask any more questions, afraid that he would bring up her sad past and cause her to fall into hysteria again. As a result, he changed the topic.

"Mother … your son has someone he admires."

Madam Xue froze, then joy and curiosity appeared on her face. Pushing his hand, she urged:

"When did this happen? Which family's young lady? Did she tell your grandfather to send someone to propose marriage?"

After living in seclusion for ten-some years, Madam Xue had long since lost the authority and self-awareness of a mother. She did not even dare to think that she could make the decision on her son's marriage.

Xue Rui's eyes flashed as he chuckled. "She is a person from Yiyang, not a female master of disguise from a noble clan. Last year, she took the Dayan exam and is a famous female fortune-teller. She is intelligent and knows how to handle affairs. She also has a younger brother at home, and she is a person who cares about the old and cherishes the young. I still haven't mentioned it to my grandfather, so I'll talk to Mother first. "

Hearing this, Madam Xue's face alternated between smiling and worried. "As a girl, it's best for her to be educated and reasonable. I don't have any ideas. If you like it, tell your grandfather as soon as possible so that you don't miss out on a good marriage."

"En, your son is attentive."

Madam Xue patted the back of his hand and sighed. "Your father and I were husband and wife for several years, but in the end, we only have one child. Your father is gone, but even if I have a single breath left, I still want to see you start a family and hold a grandson. Only then can I close my eyes in peace."

Hearing these words, Xue Rui's face darkened. He tightly pursed his lips and carefully grasped Madam Xue's ice-cold hand. Pressing it against his forehead, he softly said:

"It was your son who was unfilial."

Madam Xue seemed not to hear his words. Blinking her empty eyes, she continued to warmly smile at him.

As Xue Rui gazed at her, he felt a wave of pain in his heart. Three years ago, she had gone crazy. When she awoke, she no longer remembered Jin Xun. All she knew was that he was her son, so she could not see Jin Xun, or else her illness would relapse.

He could still come here a few times a year, but Jin Xun had not been able to see his birth mother since three years ago.

This was a sin he had committed, but he didn't know whether or not he would be able to repay it while they were still alive.

By the time Yu Shu woke up, it was already dusk. She lay alone in the cool and ventilated courtyard. Opening her eyes several times, she still felt that it was somewhat unreal.

She had actually told Xue Rui everything in one breath.

Rubbing her swollen head, she sat up cross-legged and slowly recalled the details. Suddenly, she giggled.

"Ha, I've been vexed for several days for nothing. It's much easier to say it out loud."

She stretched and stepped on her shoes. Just as she got off the bed, Xiao Qing and Xiao Die, who had been standing guard outside, heard the noise and entered.

"Miss, you're awake. Drink some tea and wash your face."

Yu Shu felt refreshed. Returning to her room on the second floor, she changed out of her wrinkled clothes and asked:

"Did my eldest brother say that he would be back tonight?"

Xiao Qing squatted in front of her and smoothed out her belt, replying, "Young master said that he wouldn't be coming tonight. He told Miss to eat first before leaving."

Yu Shu was not a clingy person. Hearing these words, she was only disappointed for a moment before continuing to do what she had to do.

After dinner, Yu Shu returned home and asked the concierge. Knowing that He Fangzhi had returned early today, she remembered what she had promised Yu Xiaoxiu the day before, so she didn't even return to the house and went straight to Zhao Hui's courtyard.

He Fangzhi and Zhao Hui were playing with their son in the room. Yu Shu came in and sat down. She hugged He Xiaochuan and mentioned that she wanted Yu Xiaoxiu to recognize them as his godparents.

The first to nod and agree was He Fangzhi:

"Even if you didn't say it, I was going to mention this to you. You two siblings, one calls me father, and the other calls me uncle. Not to mention that it's hard to pronounce, you two have drifted apart for no reason."

Parents were biased. If Zhao Hui doted on Yu Shu more, then He Fangzhi undoubtedly liked to bring Yu Xiaoxiu more.

Zhao Hui hesitated and said, "It's a good thing, but have you asked your mother about this?"

"Of course I've asked before I came to tell my parents. Xiaoxiu is also happy to be your godson. My mother is not a good person. In the future, when Xiaoxiu grows up, there will be no elders to teach him. Even marriage will be difficult. My mother understands this."