Chapter 112 [Xue Taifu's Side Story] He was like a beautiful fairy...

Chapter 14 [Xue Taifu's Side Story] He was like a beautiful fairy...

The baby in Xue Taifu's belly is almost three months old. Under the careful care of Doctor Jiang, apart from being a little sleepy and having no appetite at the beginning, there are no other discomforts.

His waist was slender, and his wrist could be completely encircled by one hand. Perhaps due to pregnancy, he was slowly starting to gain weight.

However, after three months, her pregnancy will become apparent. If she stays in the palace, it will be difficult to hide as the months progress. Therefore, Consort Xue has already made preparations to give birth at the imperial palace. Her subordinates have already made arrangements in advance, and they are ready to depart at the appropriate time.

Su Yawan said he wanted to marry him, and he was waiting.

A few days later, news spread that Consort Xue was going to Fahua Temple to offer incense and stay for a few days. The Emperor was somewhat surprised, after all, Consort Xue had never believed in ghosts and gods, and if it weren't for Master Huiyuan's words, she might not have married the elderly late Emperor.

Emperor Wei knew that Consort Xue harbored resentment. Consort Xue hated her mother, the Empress, and even hated her, her adopted daughter, as a result.

The Emperor couldn't help but ask, "Father, you've only just recovered from your illness, yet you insist on traveling to Fahua Temple at this time. Do you know why you must go at this time?"

She was the supreme ruler, yet in front of Xue Taifu, she acted like a docile daughter.

Although she came to pay her respects almost every day, the Imperial Concubine Xue rarely saw her. Each time, he would only say a few words in a hurry before asking her to leave. Sometimes, the Emperor didn't even know what to do to make his father happy.

Empress Xue lay on the chaise longue, a blanket covering her lower abdomen. She casually played with her hair and said indifferently, "I just had nothing to do and wanted to go pray for blessings."

His long eyes slowly rose as he looked at the Emperor, "Don't you want me to go?"

The Empress did not mean that. She was just worried about the health of the Imperial Physician Xue. Although Physician Jiang's inner turmoil was gradually healing, he should not overwork himself. His biological father had passed away early, his mother had died, and his younger brother had gone to marry a foreign ruler. She only had a few relatives left and did not want to lose them easily again.

The Emperor said in a panic, "Your daughter dares not. Your daughter will arrange for someone to escort Father Empress there immediately."

"No need, what I like most is peace and quiet." Xue Taifu closed his eyes. The appearance of the current emperor was too similar to that of the late emperor. Looking at him too much would make him think of the past.

After all, she was his adopted daughter, and it was far from the point where he didn't want to see her at all, but he still couldn't control his emotions.

Upon hearing Xue Taifu's words, a look of disappointment appeared on Emperor Wei's face, but it vanished in an instant, and he regained his composure.

"Everything is done in accordance with the wishes of the Queen Mother."

For some reason, Emperor Wei always had the illusion that Consort Xue was going to disappear completely. Consort Xue was in the prime of his life, and it would be too cruel for him to be trapped in the deep palace and waste his life like this. Emperor Wei had considered sending him out of the palace. The old ministers of the previous dynasty were also worried that Consort Xue would interfere in politics and suggested sending him to a temporary palace to live out his old age. However, Emperor Wei was extremely reluctant to part with him.

"Actually, sometimes I just want Father to look at me more, just like before. Father always protects me." The Emperor smiled softly, with a hint of bitterness. "As soon as Father woke up and learned about the Xue family's son, he sent a palace servant to tell me to betroth Prince Feng's eldest son to the Jiang family's eldest daughter. Father and Prince Feng have known each other for many years, so he should have known that his eldest son had died young."

"If the Empress Dowager treats her grandnephews like this, how can she be so heartless to her daughter?"

After Emperor Wei finished speaking, he paused.

She used the word "ruthless," which may have sounded too harsh.

"Your Majesty, you are the Son of Heaven, revered by all people. You have already gained so much." Xue Taifu looked at his adopted daughter, who, under his tutelage, had become a mature emperor.

He didn't blame her for punishing the Xue family. If it were the late emperor, he would have executed the entire Xue family, cutting off their lineage forever. The current emperor, however, spared the Xue family members out of consideration for his feelings.

Did Xue Lingyi make no mistakes at all? Her mistake was misjudging people. As the prime minister, the head of all officials, she associated too closely with villains, and in the end, she was labeled with such a big accusation, which ultimately implicated the entire Xue family.

If the current emperor truly followed the example of the former emperor, he should be imprisoned in the cold palace, or exiled to the imperial mausoleum to live out his remaining days, and finally, when no one is paying attention to him, he should be quietly strangled to death.

A court official who could arbitrarily interfere in the affairs of the previous dynasty was bound to be a threat to her throne.

Xue Taifu raised his eyebrows and his tone softened, "Go and see your children."

He was destined to leave the palace. The emperor was too naive to expect ordinary family affection in the imperial family.

Emperor Wei nodded, "Yes."

On the surface, Xue Taifu was going to Fahua Temple to pray for blessings, but in reality, he took a detour halfway there, and a person of similar build went to Fahua Temple in his place.

Everyone knew he preferred quiet and that he was of noble status. His meditation room was not easily disturbed, and no one would have discovered that the Grand Master of the Court was actually in a dilapidated house in the capital.

Xue Taifu lowered the cloak covering his face and looked at the house in front of him. It did not look like the residence of an official of the imperial court at all. Even ordinary people would probably not live in it.

A look of surprise flashed in his eyes as he asked Su Yawan, "Is this where you live?"

Su Yawan nodded somewhat embarrassedly. After all, given Xue Taifu's status, he was probably tired of living in any kind of magnificent palace, and her residence was unlikely to catch his eye.

"Your salary must be quite high, right?" Xue Taifu was somewhat puzzled, as even the poorest official in the court wouldn't have fallen to this level.

"The salary is indeed quite high, but I have developed a frugal habit since I was a child. I am afraid of being poor, so I want to save more money."

Part of her salary was used to support charitable schools in the capital, enabling more outstanding children from poor families to have access to education, while the other part was entrusted to her grandfather for safekeeping.

She lost both her parents at a young age and only had her grandfather to depend on.

She stole glances at Xue Taifu's expression, afraid that he would despise her because of it. She was not the kind of noble lady who grew up in luxury and had no worries about food and clothing from birth, and whose future was paved by her family early on. Everything she had obtained was earned through her own efforts.

Instead of showing any disgust, Xue Taifu suddenly realized and said, "No wonder you reacted so strongly when I dirtied one of your official robes last time."

He was saying that the last time Su Yawan came to the palace, he insisted on being affectionate with her, but Su Yawan was afraid of messing up her clothes, so she left after a while, making him think that he had lost his charm and he was angry for a long time.

The number of official robes for each court official was fixed. If one was damaged, the official had to report it to his superiors and pay out of his own pocket to make a new one.

The silk threads used in official robes are all of the highest quality, not to mention Su Ya's purple and crimson official robes, which have even more intricate and elaborate patterns. The money spent on making just one of them is enough to support several poor students.

He always spoke these words without any restraint, but Su Yawan couldn't help but pull his hand and cough softly a few times, "Azi, don't say these things outside."

Xue Taifu raised an eyebrow at her and said, "Then let's go inside and talk."

They've been intimate, yet she acts like an innocent young girl, telling him not to say anything, but he insists on saying it anyway, saying they can talk about it later tonight.

Suyawan's mansion had only a few servants, who were specifically there to take care of her elderly grandfather.

She does everything herself, even washing her own clothes.

When Xue Taifu saw her dressed in official robes, with her beautiful features and dignified bearing, her demeanor far surpassing that of ordinary people, if not told otherwise, others would surely assume that she was also a young lady from some noble family. He never expected that she would be so busy with such trivial matters.

“The room on the west side is still empty and it’s usually very quiet. Why don’t you stay there, Azi? I’ve already tidied it up.” Su Yawan had already arranged the room according to Xue Taifu’s preferences.

"You really think I came out for a stroll?" Xue Taifu hooked her palm and tickled her lightly, his eyes, which seemed to be smiling but weren't, staring at her without looking away for a moment.

"There is no quieter place than Fahua Temple. The reason I came here is to be with you." His breath was as fragrant as orchids, almost making Su Yawan lose her guard. He was like a beautiful enchantress, seducing her at every moment no matter what he did or said.

But she just falls for that.

After teasing her for a while, Xue Taifu felt much better. He lifted his robe and turned to Su Yawan, gesturing, "Go in. According to etiquette, I should pay my respects to my elders."

“Grandfather has been visiting the Pang family next door for the past few days and hasn’t returned yet,” Su Yawan explained.

The Pang family recently welcomed a healthy baby girl and invited all the neighbors for a seven-day feast. The grandfather, wanting to share in the good fortune of his grandchild, decided to stay for a few days.

The Pang family lived next door, and the servants had gone with Grandfather, so Su Yawan didn't need to worry too much.

After hearing her explanation, Xue Taifu thought to himself, no wonder there wasn't a single servant in the house. But he couldn't very well call the servants from next door to cook dinner, could he?

It was getting dark, and he was getting hungry, but he was truly a novice who had never lifted a finger to do housework. He didn't even know how to wash rice, let alone cook.

Xue Taifu blinked, touched his belly, and looked at Su Yawan.

"The child seems hungry." He deliberately made up an excuse, refusing to admit that he wanted to eat the food she cooked.

"There should still be some vegetables in the kitchen. I'll go cook now," Su Yawan said, turning and going into the kitchen.

Because of Jiang He, she had the opportunity to learn a few skills from the head chef of Ruyi Restaurant. Moreover, when the two of them were young, they often went on picnics and the most common dishes they made were beggar's chicken and grilled fish.

However, these are all too "heaty" and not suitable for pregnant men to eat.

While she was busy, Xue Taifu was not idle either. He followed Su Yawan into the kitchen and became very interested in learning to cook. Although he had no real skills, he put on a great show and fooled Su Yawan into thinking that he really knew how to cook.

Su Yawan told him to rest so he wouldn't get tired, but he looked confident and said he could manage.

But the consequence of trusting him was that Su Yawan lost his pot forever.

"I wanted to make fried rice, so I thought I'd put the rice in the pan and fry it, but I didn't expect the pan to burn." Xue Taifu said stubbornly, like a child who had done something wrong, "I saw you put it in like that."

"You can't put raw rice in the pot to fry." Su Yawan couldn't bear to blame him, so she moved her lips but swallowed back the words she wanted to say.

“Azi is doing very well. I’ll take care of these things from now on,” Su Yawan said sincerely.

This is for his own good, and also for the good of the kitchen.