Chapter 114 [Xue Taifu's Side Story] "This is the child, it's you and..."
Reading Settings
Chapter 16 [Xue Taifu's Side Story] "This is the child, it's you and..."
Grandfather Su was extremely envious of the old man Pang's good fortune. His granddaughter-in-law was so lucky that she gave birth to a big, healthy granddaughter within a year of marrying into the family. But he was already halfway to the grave and had never even seen his granddaughter-in-law.
His granddaughter was good in every way—ambitious and promising. Many young men wanted to marry her, but she didn't like any of them. This worried him a lot, as he didn't know what kind of man his granddaughter liked.
Because of my good relationship with the old man from the Pang family, I stayed at his place for a few more days, hoping to share in his good fortune.
Unexpectedly, his granddaughter came to invite him in person, saying that she had brought her granddaughter-in-law back, and that he was pregnant with a child. This surprised him so much that he almost fell off his chair and quickly asked the servants to take him back.
Seeing how anxious he was, Su Yawan quickly helped the old man up and advised, "Grandfather, pack your things first, and you can come back tomorrow. Besides, you haven't said goodbye to Grandpa Pang yet."
Grandfather Su gradually calmed down. What his granddaughter said made perfect sense. Besides, he was so excited right now. If he met his granddaughter-in-law and couldn't say a complete sentence, or if he frightened him, that would be terrible. Moreover, he couldn't come empty-handed; he hadn't prepared a gift yet.
After Grandfather Su had settled everything, his granddaughter picked him up the next day.
Yesterday, when Xue Taifu heard from Su Yawan that her grandfather was coming back, he didn't feel anything at first. But as the meeting approached, he became inexplicably nervous. He was no longer as delicate as those young masters. He wondered if the old man would not like him or if he wanted to find Su Yawan someone younger.
Upon meeting Su Yawan's grandfather, Xue Taifu realized that his worries were unnecessary. The old man had a very kind face and showed satisfaction upon meeting him. He even nodded to Su Yawan, seemingly very fond of him.
When he first entered the palace, he was harassed several times by Emperor Hui's biological father, the old and eccentric Grand Tutor. In the end, he won by virtue of his age and became the only one in the harem. No one dared to speak ill of him anymore.
When Grandfather Su saw his granddaughter-in-law, he felt a great sense of kinship. He never expected that his granddaughter would be so capable, marrying such a beautiful and fertile man. If her parents knew, they would surely be gratified in the afterlife.
Feeling somewhat uncomfortable under Grandfather Su's constant gaze, Xue Taifu offered to help Grandfather Su forward, saying, "Old man, please sit down."
Grandfather Su took out a silver bracelet and said with a smile, "You are Yawan's husband, so you should also call me grandfather. This is my dowry when I married Yawan's grandmother, and I'm giving it to you now."
Before Xue Taifu could refuse, Grandfather Su put the bracelet on Xue Taifu's slender wrist and sighed, "Look at this fair skin and delicate figure, our Yawan is truly blessed."
Although Xue Taifu had seen all kinds of gold and silver jewelry, this bracelet was of extraordinary significance. He declined, saying, "This is too precious..."
He tried to take the bracelet off, but found that he couldn't remove it no matter what he did.
“Wearing this bracelet means you’re now a daughter-in-law of the Su family. Besides, you’re carrying the Su family’s bloodline. I even think Yawan isn’t thoughtful enough; I haven’t made you a few sets of jewelry.” After saying this, Grandfather Su glared at Su Yawan. This careless man didn’t even know to buy jewelry for his husband. A beautiful woman like him should dress up nicely.
Faced with the elder's good intentions, Xue Taifu could only look at Su Yawan. Seeing that she nodded, he could no longer refuse.
Grandfather Su then pulled Xue Taifu aside and asked him some questions, such as how he met Su Yawan and whether Su Yawan had angered him. Xue Taifu made up some stories, only saying that he was a young master from a poor family who entered the palace as a servant at a young age and was only released when he got older, which is how he formed this relationship with Su Yawan.
Grandfather Su asked him his age, and Grandfather Xue bit his lip and answered in a low voice.
When Grandfather Su heard this, he did not show any disgust. Instead, he patted his hand affectionately and said, "Good child, you must have suffered a lot in the palace for so many years. After you enter the Su family, if Yawan dares to bully you, I will be the first to teach her a lesson."
Xue Taifu couldn't help but tear up.
Su Yawan then stepped forward and said, "Grandfather, how could I dare to bully Azi? He's the one who bullies me all the time."
“Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking to my granddaughter-in-law. If you hadn’t bullied her, how would she be pregnant? You don’t even know how to give her a proper status. All those years of my teaching have been for nothing.” Grandfather Su said to Su Yawan with a bad temper, but then turned to Madam Xue and said gently, “Don’t worry, I’ll make the decision. You two will get married tomorrow.”
Lady Xue was very surprised, "We're getting married tomorrow?"
Time is so short, there's no time to prepare. Besides, he was just saying it casually. He still has the status of a Grand Tutor. If he were to marry a subject, how absurd it would be if word got out.
Seeing Xue Taifu's reaction, Grandfather Su understood. "You haven't told your granddaughter-in-law yet, have you?"
Xue Taifu looked at Su Yawan, wondering if she was hiding something from him.
"I prepared everything for the wedding ceremony a few days ago, and we can get married tomorrow." Su Yawan smiled back at Xue Taifu. "It'll be done in time, there won't be any problems."
Grandfather Su knew this was a matter between the young couple, and as an old man, he shouldn't interfere too much.
He returned all the money Su Yawan had deposited with him, told her to buy her granddaughter-in-law a few sets of male concubines, and then went to rest.
For a moment, only the two of them remained. Xue Taifu looked at her and chuckled, "You've kept this from me quite well."
“I just wanted to give Azi a surprise.” Su Yawan took his hand. “I said I would marry Azi. Although only my grandfather may witness this wedding, I will personally write your name in the Su family genealogy. You will be my only husband.”
Xue Taifu was somewhat moved, and some words caught in his throat, "You really are... bold."
He entered the palace as the successor to the Phoenix Prince, and the late emperor did not include his name in the royal family register. Even after the current emperor ascended the throne and wanted to include his name, he refused.
He loathed the late emperor and naturally disdained having his name associated with him. He even hoped that he could get rid of the late emperor forever.
He is who he is, not the late Emperor's heir, nor the adoptive father of the late Emperor's third princess. He is simply Xue Azi, the most beloved legitimate son of his parents.
His thoughts wandered slowly, these memories were too painful for him.
Su Yawan led him by the hand into the inner room. Xue Taifu rubbed his temples and saw Su Yawan writing something at the table. She finished writing it in one go without pausing, taking advantage of the moment he was lost in thought.
The ink on the Xuan paper was not yet dry when Xue Taifu saw Su Yawan's calligraphy for the first time. She was the top scholar in the imperial examination, and her literary talent was beyond question. Her calligraphy was also as graceful as a dragon in flight.
With a hint of curiosity, Xue Taifu slowly read the contents of the document.
"With this vow of lifelong commitment, I write this on fine paper, so that our pledge of love may be recorded in the marriage register. This is my proof." A hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. "This is a marriage certificate?"
Su Yawan bowed slightly and presented the document with both hands. "This is the marriage certificate I wrote for Azi. It contains our birth dates and times. I have had it calculated, and it is an auspicious sign. The fortune teller said that we are destined to become husband and wife."
"I've never believed in fortune tellers. As long as you give them some money, they'll say all sorts of nice things," said Xue Taifu, seemingly unconvinced.
He finally said sullenly, "But I'll still accept this marriage certificate."
Suyawan laughed.
Empress Xue looked at her and smiled awkwardly, saying, "What are you laughing at? I've only accepted the marriage certificate. Tomorrow I'll have to see if you're well-prepared before deciding whether to marry you or not. It's just that you have the title of top scholar and your handwriting is a bit better. You should know that I don't accept marriage certificates written by just anyone."
"Good, good, good." Su Yawan said "good" three times in a row. "Then this humble subject is truly honored to be able to marry the Imperial Concubine. Even if it means losing my title as the top scholar, I would be willing to accept it."
Her words made Master Xue blush for no apparent reason.
He carefully put away the marriage certificate and deliberately pushed Su Yawan, saying, "Don't try to sweet-talk me. I'm no longer a sixteen or seventeen-year-old young master."
Empress Xue took off her shoes, climbed into bed, and pulled down the bed curtains, saying, "I want to sleep."
He was extremely domineering and didn't leave any room for Su Yawan.
He found that he was slowly losing the initiative in front of Su Yawan, which made him resentful. He was not so easily tamed. Some people described his eyes as fox eyes, so he was the most unruly and arrogant fox.
Xue Taifu was waiting for Su Yawan to arrive, but he didn't expect her to say such a thing.
"I know Azi prefers peace and quiet, and I'm sure she'll be busy for a while tomorrow, so I won't bother you any longer. Get some rest."
After she finished speaking, she opened the door. As Xue Taifu heard the door close, he thought to himself that she was really getting bold, refusing to stay with him. He knew that he could never sleep soundly without her by his side.
He hurriedly pulled back the bed curtains, only to find that Su Yawan had somehow walked to the bedside, leaned down to look at him, and said with a smile in her voice, "So Azi doesn't want me to leave."
Su Yawan finally settled down on the bed. Xue Taifu, smelling her unique scent, stopped making a fuss and closed his eyes peacefully.
Only in this woman's arms could he stop having nightmares.
Su Yawan gently brushed a stray hair from his ear, listened to his steady breathing, and asked softly, "Azi doesn't prefer quiet; she just doesn't want to be disturbed by others. And I am within the range where I can disturb Azi, right?"
Xue Taifu snuggled closer to her, put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Whatever you want to do, haven't I always indulged you?"
Even after several acts of pleasure, knowing the risks involved, he still willingly became pregnant.
If it were anyone else, and they dared to bother him after he had had his fill of them, he would have killed them long ago. He had no scruples whatsoever with even court officials; these people were of no value to him.
"Azi, you must spoil me for the rest of my life." Su Yawan hugged him tightly.
"Why are you acting like a child now?" Xue Taifu opened his eyes and smirked.
Xue Taifu placed her hand on her abdomen, his voice tinged with warmth, "This is the child, your child with me."
-----------------------
The author writes: "With this vow of lifelong commitment, I write it on fine paper, so that our pledge of love may be recorded in the marriage register, this is my testament." (Source: Internet)