The ninth day of the seventh month was Xue Rui's birthday.
The young masters and mistresses of the Xue Residence were not fond of extravagant banquets. Even Xue Rui, the eldest son of the first wife, was no exception. Last year when he returned to the capital, Xue Lingnan hosted a grand banquet. This year, as usual, he only prepared three to five tables in the residence and invited his colleagues and friends.
In the morning, when Xue Rui woke up, the steward of the courtyard brought along a group of servants to kowtow outside his room to congratulate him. The manservants and servant girls who were presentable personally presented birthday gifts to Xue Rui. They could not be considered as rare gifts, but they were all from their hearts. Xue Rui smiled and accepted them, then asked Baode to return to the back of his room.
"Has Grandfather returned from court?" Xue Rui asked the steward guarding the door. Xue Lingnan was of the first rank. Other than the winter and summer holidays, he had to enter the palace to attend to affairs. This was the so-called close minister of the Emperor.
"Young Master, Master has not returned yet."
"Go, send someone to keep an eye on him. When Grandfather returns, pass it to me."
Xue Rui stood in the corridor and looked at the rising sun. He thought to himself:
There is something that needs to be clarified today.
Xue Lingnan had just returned from the palace and changed out of his official robes when he heard that Xue Rui had come to pay his respects.
"Is today Cheng Bi's birthday?" Xue Lingnan turned to ask Xu Li.
As the second steward of the Xue Residence, Xu Li was Xue Lingnan's right-hand man. When Xue Lingnan was middle-aged, he once led an army at the borders. Xu Li was one of his generals. Later on, he violated military discipline and was spared by Xue Lingnan. Xu Li could not continue his career and stayed in the Xue Residence.
"Master did not remember wrongly." Xu Li took the cup of tea from a maid and lowered his head to smell it before handing it to Xue Lingnan.
"I have prepared a gift. It is a book on military strategy that you mentioned last month for Young Master to read. I had someone send it to the East Chamber early in the morning."
Xue Lingnan nodded and looked at the white hair on his temples in the mirror. He sighed softly:
"I am getting old. I am not as energetic as the day before. I cannot remember things."
Xu Li lowered his head and said, "Master is busy with state affairs. In order to share His Majesty's worries, I have racked my brains, how can I keep everything to myself? "
Xue Lingnan did not comment. After rinsing his mouth, he sent someone to summon Xue Rui to his room.
As soon as Xue Rui entered the house, he saw Xue Lingnan sitting on the couch and greeted him.
Although the grandfather and grandson lived in the same mansion, they did not see each other every day. The Xue Clan's Second Master had listened to Xue Lingnan's arrangements when he first took office in the Ministry of War and moved to the West Manor. In the eyes of outsiders, this action was obviously a display of Xue Lingnan's firm determination to pass down the Xue Clan's business to Xue Rui in the future.
"Have a seat." Xue Lingnan pointed to a chair not far from him.
Not a few days ago. The grandfather and grandson had a dispute in the study over Xue Jinxun's marriage. After the matter was over, they acted as if nothing had happened and continued to be Yan Zhangshun's daughter.
"Today, you have grown a year older. In the future, you must be more prudent. You must be well-mannered on the outside and cultivate your character on the inside. You must not bring disgrace to the Xue family."
Xue Lingnan reprimanded him. Seeing that Xue Rui was listening attentively and did not show any impatience, Xue Lingnan's expression gradually eased and he said,
"You came here in a hurry this morning. Is there anything else besides greeting me?"
People say that no one knows a son better than his father. This was because his son was taught by his father. Xue Lingnan also raised Xue Rui as his son. How could it escape Xue Lingnan's eyes.
Xue Rui's eyes were looking at Xue Lingnan. He said,
"It's about my marriage."
Xue Lingnan glanced at him and guessed what he was going to say. So he said, "The Earl's daughter is talented and beautiful. What is there to be dissatisfied with?"
"I am not dissatisfied with Miss Rui, but …" Xue Rui turned his head and looked at the open door.
Xue Lingnan understood and waved his hand for Xu Li to disperse the servants outside. He closed the door and waited outside.
Only the grandfather and grandson were left in the room. Xue Rui then slowly said,
"Some time ago, I dreamed of the Tenth Princess's soul."
Xue Lingnan frowned and said in a low voice, "She has been dead for so long and you still can't forget her. Why, are you telling me that it was her soul who told you not to marry? "
Xue Rui held the armrest and lowered his head, "The Tenth Princess only said that she died unjustly and asked me to help her find the murderer. Grandfather also clearly understands that it was impossible for Younger Sister to harm the Princess back then. The murderer was someone else, and their target was the Imperial Consort and our Xue Family. Does Grandfather not want to know who plotted against us from behind? "
Hearing this, Xue Lingnan was unmoved. He said coldly,
"Things have changed with time. What is the point of looking into this? Even if you find the murderer, do you think His Majesty will help you?"
Xue Rui carefully looked at Xue Lingnan's expression and suddenly showed a trace of self-mockery,
"Grandfather, you already knew that the whole thing was instigated by Prince Ning."
He had always wondered why Xue Lingnan was so indifferent when the Xue family suffered such a big loss. He even tacitly agreed that Xue Jinxun was the murderer of the Tenth Princess.
It turned out that he already knew the truth. That was why he kept silent.
It was no wonder that when he had just returned to the capital last year, Xue Lingnan had insisted that he break off all ties with Liu Hao. He didn't hesitate to fall out with him. He said that it was because Liu Tan had returned to the capital, but in fact, he had seen through Liu Hao's sinister intentions and had wanted him to stay away.
"Is this your idea or His Majesty's?" Xue Rui asked. He thought it was the latter. If the Emperor was kept in the dark and didn't say anything, Xue Lingnan could use this to bring down Liu Hao.
But he chose to swallow his anger. He had no choice but to swallow it.
Hearing Xue Rui's words, Xue Lingnan's expression finally changed. He put one hand on his knee and looked at him, saying,
"You are really old."
Every time he saw Xue Rui, it would cause him to recall his eldest son that had died young. Sometimes, he felt hatred, and sometimes, he felt pity. He hated the child before him for causing his beloved son to lose his life, yet it was a pity that this extraordinarily quick-witted child wasn't the bloodline of his Xue Clan in the end.
"Tell me, how did you know it was Prince Ning?"
Xue Rui said, "Grandfather, you forgot. My sworn sister, Yu Shu, is good at the Art of Death."
Xue Lingnan's eyes sharpened. He sat up straight, "Can the Art of Death really determine life and death?"
He thought it was just an exaggeration. But the Tenth Princess's death was so strange. It was unbelievable that it could be calculated so clearly.
"Yes, but I can only make a rough guess. For example, I can know that the Tenth Princess committed suicide that day, that she had an affair with someone before she died, and that the villain behind her is a man named Xiao Ji. Then, I can deduce and investigate."
Xue Rui didn't want Xue Lingnan to think that Yu Shu's Art of Death was omnipotent.
Xue Lingnan could see that Xue Rui didn't hide anything from him. Disappointment flashed in his eyes.
"After the incident, this old man used some spies to investigate the Tenth Princess's contacts. I found that she had an affair with Kong Qi of the Hall of Civil Splendor. And that Kong Qi was under the control of Prince Ning because of a murder case. So I knew the real murderer."
Xue Lingnan's eyes flashed with coldness. He told Xue Rui this secret.
Xue Rui sighed in his heart. Sure enough, the older the ginger, the spicier. The Xue family had a hundred years of foundation and deep roots in the court. Even he didn't know how many cards Xue Lingnan had in his hands.
"But I didn't make it public. I waited for His Majesty to punish me. It was important to know that the Princess had an affair with an official. A prince murdered his sister. How could such a scandal be exposed? Sure enough, His Majesty didn't intend to pursue this matter. "
The Emperor didn't investigate further, nor did he punish the Xue family. At that time, people thought that the Xue family was favored by His Majesty. But who knew that it was His Majesty who had a guilty conscience?
"Is that why Grandfather tolerated it?"
"What else could he do?" Xue Lingnan sneered. "A ruler is a ruler, and an official is an official. If a ruler wants an official to die, an official has to obey. Not to mention he had to take the blame for a prince."
Xue Rui's face was as dark as water. Even though he had guessed the truth, it still sent shivers down his spine.
Everyone envied the power of the Xue family, but who would have thought that But who would have thought that even though Xue Lingnan looked good on the surface. There were also times when his teeth were knocked out and he had to swallow his blood.
Everyone was like an ant under the feet of the Emperor.
Xue Lingnan looked at his expression. His heart was slightly at ease. Even though Xue Rui wasn't his grandson, this child valued friendship and loyalty. Just based on the Xue family's kindness in raising him, he wouldn't do anything to betray the Xue family in the future.
On the contrary, if Xue Rui had other thoughts, he wouldn't tolerate him.
"Ning Wang is shrewd and is a person who can achieve great things. His Majesty favours him. It's clear that he has the intention of making the Crown Prince. But Ning Wang is narrow-minded. The day he ascends to the throne will be the day my Xue family is destroyed. "
Xue Lingnan lowered his voice. His eyes were shrewd:
"Because of this, he must stop His Majesty from making him the Crown Prince."
Xue Rui deeply agreed. If the Xue family wanted to survive, Ning Wang couldn't be the ruler.
"It's just that Prince Jing isn't familiar with his thoughts. He's still young and inexperienced. Compared to the fully-fledged Ning Wang, it will be difficult to change His Majesty's mind."
Hearing this, Xue Lingnan restrained his expression. He lightly patted his knee and said to him:
"This old man knows what to do. With this old man here, it's not your turn to worry."
"Yes."
"Alright, this matter ends here. Don't mention it again," Xue Lingnan changed the topic:
"As for your marriage with the Count, don't try to use the Tenth Princess's death as an excuse. Give me a valid reason and I may reconsider. Otherwise, the marriage with the Count is not negotiable."
Xue Rui struggled for a moment. He sighed inwardly and stood up. He said softly:
"Grandfather may think it funny, but grandson already has someone he likes. In this life, I will not marry anyone else but her."
Xue Lingnan narrowed his eyes with a 'whoosh', his voice a little cold, "The person you're talking about, is she your so-called sworn sister?"
Xue Rui's face froze. He looked at him with some astonishment and said:
"Grandfather, why would you think so? The person I'm talking about is not my sworn sister."
Xue Lingnan stared at him and said: "Then who is it?"
Xue Rui lowered his eyes. He hesitated for a moment before carefully saying:
"It's Prince of Dongjing, Jiang Huai Ying's sister, Princess Jiang Miya."
This time it was Xue Lingnan's turn to be shocked: "Prince of Dongjing? What's going on? When did you know Jiang Huai Ying's sister? "
"I've been away from the capital for three years. Two of those years were spent in the northeast. That's how I got to know Prince of Dongjing. Jiang Miya is the daughter of a general. She is straightforward and doesn't care about trifles. In addition, she once saved my life. I will not let her down."
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