After taking attendance at the Supreme Court, Xue Rui returned to the estate. He summoned his personal manservant, Hōtoku, and learned that Xue Lingnan had not returned from morning court. He changed out of his official robes and went to the rear courtyard.
Hōtoku followed behind him. Sensing his direction, he hurriedly advised, "Young Master, if you want to visit the Madam, it would be best if you wait for the Great Master to return."
Hōtoku was fourteen this year. At the age of eight, he had been transferred to Xue Rui to serve at his side. In the past few years, he had often seen his eldest young master being censured by the old minister because of the First Madam.
The Xue Estate disciplined its servants strictly, but there were also some rumors that spread in private. For example, ever since the First Madam passed away, she had become insane. As a result, the Great Master had locked her up in the rear courtyard, not allowing her to go out or receive guests. It was even difficult for her to see her own son.
Xue Rui paid no attention to his advice. Without pausing, he passed through the corridors and crossed the garden into the rear courtyard. He paused outside the small courtyard next to the ancestral hall and ordered the manservant, Hōtoku.
"Wait here."
Seeing that he was being asked to keep watch again, Hōtoku couldn't help but grimace. When he was young, he had often been flogged for this, and even now, his buttocks felt numb.
"Then Young Master, please hurry." He could almost foresee that he would not be able to escape a round of physical pain today, but what could he do? Who asked the young master to treat him so well? Otherwise, how could a fatherless, motherless servant like him be able to eat well and wear well, with no one daring to bully him?
.....
Madam Xue's complexion seemed fine today. Although she was still thin, there was not much of the smell of medicine in the room. Xue Rui knew that her illness had not recently flared up.
"My son has gotten thinner again. Is it because the yamen is too busy and he hasn't been eating properly?" Madam Xue was blind and could not see Xue Rui clearly, so she took his hand and groped about. As always, she did not ask him why he had not come to see her in so many days.
Xue Rui looked at her wrinkled eyes and could vaguely make out the gentleness and beauty she had when she was young. But now that she was in her forties, she looked old and her hair was white. It was these years that had not seen the light of day that had wasted her.
In the past, he didn't understand what kind of stimulation his mother had suffered to cause her to go crazy and have a look of hatred towards him. Now that he understood, he knew that the truth was so unbearable. Half of her life's tragedy was caused by him, this evil creature.
He felt bitter in his heart, but he chatted with Madam Xue for a while as if nothing had happened. He naturally brought the topic to the deceased Xue Zao.
"Mother, I remember you said that I was born when Mother followed Father to the south."
Madam Xue's lifeless eyes stared at his shoulder. As if thinking back, she nodded and faintly smiled. "Yes, you were born in the south."
Ever since she had lost her sight, Madam Xue's memory had become very poor. Many of the things that had happened in the past were either forgotten or hazy. For example, three years ago, when the Tenth Princess died of illness and the disaster that had befallen the Xue family, she could not remember a single thing.
"What position did Father hold in the south at the time?" He then asked. In truth, a year ago, he had thoroughly investigated the matter of Xue Zao's previous position in the south. His current question was just to confirm it one last time.
"… I think he was in Suzhou, serving as your esteemed son."
Xue Rui's heart sank. He truly was the Suzhou magistrate.
"Mother, do you still remember what month I was born?" He carefully asked, carrying with him an indiscernible nervousness, afraid that he would bring back her sorrow and cause her to fall ill again.
Madam Xue forcefully grasped his hand. Displeasure was on her face, but she replied without hesitation, "Foolish child, what are you asking? How could Mother not remember what month you were born? Didn't your birthday just pass a few days ago? Ah, you were born on the ninth day of the seventh month in the twelfth year of Baotai."
"Mother, don't be angry. Your child asked a foolish question." As Xue Rui admitted his mistake, he thought to himself:
His date of birth and eight characters can't be fake, or else his divination from childhood would have been exposed long ago. It was a pity that his mother remembered his birth so clearly, but she had forgotten that he was not her biological son. It was only when she fell ill that she would go crazy and curse him for being the root of disaster. It was laughable that she was only clear-headed when she fell ill.
"Chengbi, what's wrong? Is there something on your mind?" Madam Xue nudged him. Although she could not see, her mind was very sensitive.
"No, I just suddenly thought of Father," Xue Rui whispered. "Mother, I remember you telling me that Father is an open-minded and cheerful person who doesn't care about trifles and has friends all over the world."
Madam Xue sighed, but then she smiled and said, "That's right. Although your father comes from an aristocratic family, he has a chivalrous heart. When he goes out, he can always make a few friends. No matter what their background is, whether they're poor or rich, he can even call the wandering heroes of the jianghu his brother."
Xue Rui seized the opportunity to ask, "Father served outside Suzhou for three years. At that time, did he have any particularly close friends?"
"…" Madam Xue thought for a long time. Her eyes lost focus, and after opening them for a few moments, she closed them again. With great uncertainty, she said,
"If you're talking about close friends, there was one. That person was a traveler of the jianghu, and he almost became sworn brothers with your father. Speaking of which, it was thanks to him that your father was able to avoid a few calamities."
Xue Rui's heart tightened, and he blurted out, "What was that person's name?"
Madam Xue shook her head. "How many years has it been? How could I possibly remember? Around the time we returned to the capital, we lost contact with that person."
Xue Rui's eyes flashed, and his mind churned. He had already come to a conclusion.
Three years ago, when he discovered the secret of his birth, Xue Lingnan only told him that he wasn't a child of the Xue family, and refused to reveal a single word to his birth parents. He suffered a blow and first traveled to the north. After pulling himself together, he went to the south to investigate his birth. However, with the passage of time, he discovered only one point of doubt.
When Father Xue was still in office, he had a guest who often visited Yiyang to meet friends.
Xue Lingnan claimed that his eldest son had died because of this evil creature, but when Father Xue died, he was still too young to remember. He only knew that Xue Zao had died of an illness before he was four.
According to the timeline, he was a baby brought home by Father Xue when he was out in the south. If he wasn't his own son, he was most likely entrusted to him by a friend, not picked up from the roadside.
It was because Xue Zao adopted him that he was killed. Xue Rui could not figure this out in the past. However, after listening to Yu Shu's confession yesterday and getting confirmation from his mother today, the mystery was finally solved.
If his speculation was correct, the story should be like this.
When Xue Zao left the capital, Suzhou was very close to Yiyang. He met Yun Hua's son by chance, and they regarded each other as best friends. Later, Yun Hua changed his name to Changzhou's Yun Mufeng and entered the capital for the Dayan Examination with an ulterior motive. He passed the exam in one go and was favored by Princess Luyue.
At that time, the late emperor was old and the fight for the throne was very tense. He was afraid that someone would investigate his background and make a fuss about his wife and child in his hometown. He secretly sent a letter to Suzhou and entrusted Xue Zao to help him take care of his wife and child. At the same time, he gave the precious "Zhuge Tong" to Xin Lishan, whom he trusted, and asked him to send it back to his hometown.
Everyone knew that the world was fickle. Xin Ya kept Yun Hua's treasure behind Xin Laowu's back, and Xue Zao did not have time to protect his friend's wife and child. In the end, the mother and child left, and in order to cover up, he raised the child as his own.
And he was the child that Yun Hua asked Yu Shu to find, who had been missing for twenty years, in exchange.
Because of Xue Rui's reminder in the morning, Yu Shu had left the Directorate of Astronomy long ago before sunset, and she went to the Forgotten Opportunity Pavilion to sit and wait.
Naturally, Jing Chen followed her.
Therefore, when Xue Rui came back and entered the door, he saw the two of them sitting in the tea room, facing each other and staring at each other. He was not in the mood to argue. After he sat down, he asked the servants to serve tea and fruits again. The three of them went into the inner room to talk in detail.
"Big brother, when I went to the Celestial Commissioner today, I was asked by the High Commissioner for questioning."
"What did they ask you?"
Yu Shu told the truth. In front of Jing Chen, she did not mention a word about the details of the black ring.
After listening, Xue Rui said, "It seems that they are not sure how much inside information you already know." He turned to ask Jing Chen, "Yesterday, when you entered the palace, did His Majesty and the High Commissioner mention Shu in front of you?"
"They did mention it."
Xue Rui frowned, "Did they ask if you told her about the Life Breaker?"
Seeing Jing Chen shake his head, he was relieved.
Yu Shu looked at his expression and could not help but feel puzzled, "What's the big deal? What is Big Brother worried about? Even if they asked me, as long as Jing Chen does not tell the truth, they can't do anything to me even if they suspect me."
Xue Rui glanced at her and said, "It would be great if it was that simple. Do you think that the Great Tiao Dian, being able to control the Imperial Astronomer for so many years, doesn't have any extraordinary means?"
Yu Shu heard the meaning behind his words and vaguely felt that something was wrong.
Jing Chen also interrupted, "What is Brother Xue referring to?"
"The aristocratic families of the twelve prefectures in the capital have a foothold because of their family's unique skill. The Zhu family is the first. The reason why the High Commissioner Zhu can be valued by the current His Majesty is because he has learned this unique skill."
The unique skills of the aristocratic families are secrets that are not passed on. Although some aristocratic families are not strict, most of the skills have been passed on. For example, the Xin family's "Qiqiao Zhen Zi" is said to have the creation method of the Six Vessels of the Founding Dynasty. For example, the Cui family's "Art of Spiritual Speech" is said to be able to read minds.
However, the unique skill of the Zhu family is not known by many. Traces of it have been passed on to the outside. Everyone only knows that it is an extraordinary skill of reading faces.
"This unique skill of the Zhu family is called" Art of Grand Insight "."
"Art of Grand Insight?" Yu Shu looked curious, "What ability is this?"
"The so-called Art of Grand Insight can distinguish between truth and falsehood. The High Commissioner has been immersed in Yi for dozens of years. He must have understood the true essence of this skill. The amazing thing about this skill is that he can distinguish whether you are telling the truth or lying. In short, as long as he uses this skill, no one can lie in front of him without being detected."
As Xue Rui explained, a mocking smile appeared on his face. The reason why he knew such a secret was because of his grandfather, Xue Lingnan. Not long ago, the old man had warned him that the Celestial Commissioner Zhu Zi had this ability and told him to be careful with his words in front of Zhu Muzhao.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
