Chapter 110 [Xue Taifu's Side Story] "I will enter the palace and become His Majesty..."

Chapter 12 [Xue Taifu's Side Story] "I will enter the palace and become His Majesty..."

“Azi, Azi.”

Suddenly, an urgent female voice kept calling his name. He tried to open his eyes, but found that he couldn't move and was caught in a vortex of memories.

Only his deceased mother and father would call him that. After he entered the palace, no one dared to call him that anymore. The palace servants feared him and respectfully called him Feng Jun. Later, when his adopted daughter ascended the throne, he was honored as Tai Fu, second only to the emperor, and could do whatever he wanted.

He was born into the noble Xue family. His mother was the Grand Tutor of the court, and his father was the eldest son of a member of the imperial family. Logically speaking, with such a background, coupled with his extraordinary good looks since childhood, he would surely choose a wife of similar family background and appearance in the future.

However, when Master Huiyuan of Fahua Temple saw him, he said that he was destined to be a phoenix.

The Xue family had never produced a Phoenix Prince before. At that time, he did not understand what a Phoenix Prince meant, only that he must be very precious. However, his mother was very worried. If someone with his appearance were to enter the palace, he would probably become a source of trouble for the court officials.

He was so beautiful he was almost bewitching; even the most virtuous and abstinent woman couldn't help but take a second look at him.

Moreover, Emperor Hui is currently in good health and already has a virtuous and dignified Phoenix Consort. The meaning behind his Phoenix Fate is indeed not good, and it may offend Emperor Hui's taboo.

He didn't take it to heart. It was just the ramblings of a monk. The incense at Fahua Temple was flowing in continuously, and those people were rushing to the Great Buddha Hall to worship Buddha because they all had something to ask for. If someone wanted to become the Phoenix Lord, he wouldn't mind giving up that fortune.

Even when he turned sixteen, he never thought that a woman could tame him.

Grand Tutor Xue was also very worried about this eldest son, but no matter how many portraits of talented young men from prominent families were sent to his residence, he would not even glance at them. Although these people seemed to be gilded on the surface, they were actually just lusting after his good looks.

He thought he would stay with his mother and father for a few more years, and when he could no longer delay, he would choose a suitable wife to marry. Unexpectedly, Fengjun suddenly died of illness. Emperor Hui listened to Master Huiyuan's words from many years ago and wanted to welcome him into the palace as the new Fengjun.

Emperor Hui was over fifty years old, old enough to be his grandmother, yet he was to marry such a person.

Not only could he not accept it, but even Grand Tutor Xue knelt before the Golden Palace, begging Emperor Hui to rescind his decree.

However, Emperor Hui was determined to bring him into the palace, and even when the old minister kowtowed until his head was broken, he did not budge an inch.

Grand Tutor Xue was old and physically exhausted. He fainted and then developed a high fever that wouldn't go down. He didn't even last a few days before passing away. He witnessed his mother taking her last breath, her mouth still calling out to him, Azi.

"Azi, Azi, you must live on..."

Xue Taifu was loyal to the emperor and loved his country throughout his life, working diligently for the court. How could he have imagined that he would suffer such a fate in his later years?

Upon learning of this news, Emperor Hui immediately posthumously conferred upon Xue the title of Grand Tutor, bestowing honor upon the entire Xue family, and also ordered Xue's eldest son to enter the palace three days later.

However, as soon as the imperial edict arrived at the Xue family, Xue Taifu's husband committed suicide to follow his wife, leaving him all alone.

The scene was so tragic, and it also showed how deep Emperor Hui’s obsession was, that he actually forced Grand Tutor Xue and his wife to their deaths. Even the eunuch who delivered the decree couldn’t bear to look at it. But when he saw the young master of the Xue family who was destined for greatness, the eunuch who delivered the decree suddenly understood.

How could there be such a beautiful woman in the world? Could she have stepped out of a fairyland? No wonder Emperor Hui tried so hard to get her.

The eunuch who delivered the imperial decree feared that he might also commit suicide, so he ordered the guards to keep a close watch on his movements and to knock him unconscious immediately if anything seemed amiss.

This memory is the most painful. He still remembers his father's blood splattered all over the floor, and his mother's coffin still sitting in the main hall. He doesn't know why, why things have turned out this way.

Before his father died, he held his hand and said sadly, "Azi, you must live well and never let others look down on you."

The father hoped to change Emperor Hui’s mind by dying, but even after the mother died, Emperor Hui was not moved in the slightest. This Emperor Hui was determined to have him, and he probably wouldn’t even blink an eye if the entire Xue clan were wiped out.

He said to the eunuch who came to deliver the imperial decree, "Your Excellency, there is no need to be so wary of me. I will not commit suicide."

There was still warm blood on his face, and his incredibly beautiful fox eyes held a chilling coldness. He was smiling, but it was terrifying.

"I will enter the palace and become His Majesty's Phoenix Consort."

Only by holding power in one's hands can one avoid being bullied; this is a truth he has only just come to understand.

Dressed in a bright red auspicious robe, he was welcomed into the palace by Emperor Hui with the honors due to a phoenix prince and granted residence in the Jiaofang Palace. Everyone envied his good fortune, and even some princesses rushed to curry favor with him, hoping to gain Emperor Hui's favor and receive some affection from him.

The Emperor Hui, who had served the court for over thirty years, had wrinkles around his eyes and exuded a strong sense of oppression befitting a ruler. When she saw her new Phoenix Consort, she couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

Such a beautiful face, yet somewhat similar to her beloved when he was young, only because of those bewitching eyes, which clearly distinguished the two of them.

He resembles him, but he is not him.

Emperor Hui knew perfectly well that his beloved had long since passed away, and the person before him was someone he had married for some purpose.

He looked at the majestic Emperor Hui before him, gripping his sleeves tightly, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply looked at her calmly. In truth, this woman had driven his parents to their deaths and was the Xue family's absolute enemy.

But he has to be obedient and compliant; he can even pay the price of his own body in exchange for power.

"I will not touch you." Emperor Hui looked at him for a long time, then suddenly said, "I welcomed you into the palace only for your destiny as the phoenix. Only if you sit in this position can my country prosper. I have several princesses under my knees now, and I also want to rely on you to test their abilities and see who is qualified to sit in my position."

"Don't worry, no matter which princess ascends the throne in the future, you will remain firmly in the position of Grand Tutor, the most honored man in Fengman."

After saying this, Emperor Hui left with his hands behind his back.

He couldn't help but sneer. What was this? Was it like slapping him in the face and then giving him a sweet treat?

Women in the royal family are used to saying grand and dignified things. If he hadn't later accidentally seen the portrait in the secret room of the imperial study, he probably would have really believed what Emperor Hui said.

It wasn't that they wanted to test the princess; they had long intended to pass the throne to the third princess, Zhou Wei.

Zhou Wei was born into a humble family, but her biological father was the white moonlight that Emperor Hui had long cherished in his heart. He passed away not long after giving birth to Zhou Wei's younger brother.

Zhou Wei was only a few years younger than him, yet she had to respectfully call him "Father Empress." He initially wanted to make things difficult for Zhou Wei to get revenge on Emperor Hui, but when the incident of the poisoning occurred, Emperor Hui intended to let it go and let him swallow his grievances. However, Zhou Wei stood up for him and argued with Emperor Hui, insisting that Emperor Hui execute the poisoning concubine.

He thought Zhou Wei was just putting on an act to please him, but after Zhou Wei was forced to kneel for three days and three nights without a drop of water and almost injured her knees, he finally couldn't help but walk to the front of the palace and ask, "If I can't have children, I'll be one less threat to your ascension to the throne. Why do you still go to such lengths to displease your mother?"

Zhou Wei's lips were pale, but when she saw him, she said firmly, "Because my father is good to me. I have never had a father since I was a child. Other palace servants do not like me, but my father is the only one who still cares about me. He often asks me to come to the palace to pay my respects, gives me pastries to eat, and teaches me to read and write."

"It's just that your daughter is incompetent and has no way to change Mother's mind. Father, from now on, my brother and I are your biological children. Please don't be sad, okay?"

His feelings were complicated. In fact, Zhou Wei was the reason he ended up like this. If Emperor Hui hadn't needed to find her a noble father and used him to divert the attention of the other princesses, he might not have entered the palace.

Emperor Hui favored Zhou Wei the most, yet he gave her the least care.

“I summoned you to my palace to pay your respects because the roads were slippery from the heavy snow, and I deliberately made things difficult for you. I made you eat pastries only because they were leftovers, and if you didn’t eat them, they would have been thrown away sooner or later. As for teaching you to read and write…” He took a deep breath. “That’s enough. I don’t want to explain anymore. You are a princess and you shouldn’t be kneeling here. Get up.”

Zhou Wei's face was flushed. He reached out to touch her forehead and found that she had a fever.

When Zhou Wei heard his words, she was only disappointed for a moment before stubbornly saying, "What Father said is all lies. Why is Father only like this to me, but indifferent to the other princesses? I don't believe it."

He frowned and said sternly, "Get up right now!" The person already had a fever, yet he was still arguing about these things.

She was still an immature child, a child who had lacked love since childhood. Seeing that she was not getting up for a long time, he patiently and gently said, "Wei'er, be good and get up."

Zhou Wei was finally willing to get up, but after kneeling for three days, she was already exhausted. When she suddenly stood up, she fainted in his arms.

He hurriedly called for palace servants to summon the imperial physician, but this alerted Emperor Hui inside.

When the aloof Emperor Hui saw his dying daughter, he felt a pang of heartache. When he saw the young Phoenix Prince, dressed in his own fox fur coat and with a cool and aloof expression, he recalled the past and was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. He lowered his head and said apologetically, "It is I who have wronged you."

"Your Majesty," he said, looking at the frail old man, "please look carefully and see who I really am."

Emperor Hui probably mistook him for Zhou Wei's biological father again.

Emperor Hui suddenly realized that she had misjudged him. Her beloved was always gentle and considerate, and would never speak in such a cold tone, nor did he have such a strange temper.

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She raised her hand, then lowered it again. "Wei'er will be registered under your name. When she ascends the throne, she will be grateful for your kindness."

"Wei'er is my daughter, so Your Majesty need not trouble yourself." He took Zhou Wei and left without looking back.

From that day on, he gained a daughter who was only a few years younger than him.

Seeing Zhou Wei with a high fever, murmuring "father," he couldn't help but think of himself.

He could once sleep soundly in his father's arms, but Emperor Huizong forever took away that happiness.