Chapter 33: Xue's Father Teaches His Son

Under the attentive guidance of the waiter, Xue Zhen and his son came to the upper room. The room was very clean, and there were some bottles, jars, calligraphy and paintings that were bought from somewhere. Although they were worthless, the shopkeeper's intentions could be seen.

There was a bed on each side, and Xue Ke was quite satisfied after seeing it. He pulled the waiter who was about to close the door and leave, and told him the names of a few dishes, but the waiter had never heard of them.

Seeing this, Xue Ke did not make it difficult, but took out two taels of silver from his bag and handed it to the waiter, saying: "Then pick up some light dishes, some fresh fruits and vegetables, and prepare a pot of your local good wine."

The waiter shook the silver in his hand and said a little panicked: "Young man, this doesn't cost so much."

Xue Ke smiled and said nothing. He stepped back and closed the door himself. The waiter finally reacted and bowed as the door closed, saying, "Thank you, young officer, thank you, young officer, rest assured, I will do my best."

Xue Ke may have heard it, but he had heard similar words so many times that it was difficult for him to react. He turned around and came to the tea table, sat next to Xue Zhen, and was about to pick up the teapot to pour himself a cup to quench his thirst, when he saw Xue Zhen's face full of worry.

He couldn't help but stand up, came behind Xue Zhen, raised his hand and knocked on his shoulder, "Dad, are you tired from the journey, where are you feeling uncomfortable?"

"It's okay, Dad is fine." Xue Zhen patted his son's hand, and then said suddenly, "Ke'er, have you ever thought that maybe one day you will end up in a similar situation as that waiter."

Xue Ke's hand couldn't help but stop. The Xue family was a wealthy family. He grew up in luxury since he was a child. When he grew up, he was taken by Xue Zhen to travel around the country. Even though he had seen a lot of the world at a young age, he suddenly didn't understand what Xue Zhen meant.

"Ke'er, come and sit down first." Xue Zhen didn't explain, but suddenly asked his son, "Do you think this storekeeper He deserves to die?"

Xue Ke lifted his robe and sat in the same position as before. The young man said without hesitation: "Of course he deserves to die. He took human life lightly and should be executed according to the law. He used the name of the pawnshop to lend money privately at high interest, and falsely reported the silver to the owner, embezzled it, and made the owner suffer an unjust accusation. If this kind of insect is not killed, what will the shopkeepers of other shops think when they see it?

In my opinion, we should count his property and give it to Wang Sheng and his family as an apology, together with the 1,500 taels he embezzled, to clear the grievances of our Xue family."

Xue Zhen sneered without comment and said, "But what if we came here to save his life?"

The young man stood up from his seat and said anxiously: "Dad, this is not possible. Since I was a child, you have taught me to behave in an upright and aboveboard manner and to focus on the survival of the family. Once this is done, how can our family manage other shops in the future?"

"Is... is this what your aunt wants?" Xue Zhen narrowed his eyes and stared at Xue Ke.

"This... this..." Xue Ke was also dumbfounded. Thinking of his aunt's friendly personality, he thought that maybe his aunt didn't understand the truth. "Why not tell her the whole story? Dad, as long as we persuade her a few more times, she will listen."

Xue Zhen looked at the young man's clear eyes and didn't speak for a long time. Until the end, he sighed in disappointment: "It's Dad who made you read too many books, making you look so pedantic."

Xue Ke felt a little unfair when he heard this. He studied hard since he was young and was kind by nature. He couldn't figure out what he did wrong for a while, and bowed stubbornly and said, "Please teach me, Dad."

No one knows his son better than his father. Xue Zhen was very proud of his advantages in the past, but now he couldn't help but regret that he didn't have time to teach him some of the evil in people's hearts, so he said in a deep voice: "Who is the head of the Xue family?"

"Of course it's my uncle." The young man responded.

"How long has your uncle been dead?"

"Almost five years."

"Who is the patriarch of the Xue family now?"

"Yes..."

Just as Xue Ke was about to open his mouth, a buzz suddenly sounded in his head. He suddenly remembered something he had not noticed on weekdays. It seemed that the Xue family had not appointed a new patriarch since his uncle's death.

Internally, everything was decided by his aunt. Externally, his father was in charge of dealing with the imperial merchants. During festivals, when the family worshipped their ancestors, it was always his father who took his elder brother Xue Pan's hand to burn incense in the ancestral hall.

"Dad, why are you talking about this?" Xue Ke turned his head strangely. If he still couldn't figure it out, it would be a waste of his father's teaching since he was a child. He just didn't want to think the worst of people and things in the world. At this moment, he was awakened by Xue Zhen, and he shrank under the wings like a frightened bird, pretending not to know.

"Stupid boy." Xue Zhen couldn't help scolding his son when he saw that his son refused to reveal the family secrets. He then said, "This shopkeeper He is your aunt's confidant. If she doesn't compete with me, how can she show that she is the mistress of the family? If I want to kill her, she wants to save her. If I want to compensate her, she wants to keep things quiet. She is just as stupid as you."

"Maybe my aunt just thought wrong. I know that my father has no intention of coveting the clan leader." Xue Ke said very seriously. After all, his father loves reading and is upright. He usually teaches him and his sister to get along with brothers and sisters.

"How do you know that your father doesn't have it?" Xue Zhen snorted. Anyway, when it came to this, he simply picked up the golden hoop and wanted to wake up his son, the stone monkey.

"Dad..." Xue Ke's face turned pale. He knew that the result of brothers fighting and relatives fighting was nothing more than being laughed at by outsiders, and the family was destined to never have peace in the future.

Xue Ai raised his hand and signaled his son to calm down, "Okay, dad has seen that you have grown up to be such a virtuous person. He also knows that grabbing this family property will sooner or later be defeated by your pedantic temperament. Besides, a family is about to die. "What's there to fight for? It's too late for me to take you away."

Xue Biao felt a little relieved when he heard it. But when he heard it later, he felt a knot in his heart again and said in a panic, "Why did daddy say that?"

"It is a sign of unrest for relatives to be suspicious of each other and to bully each other. The 'head of the family' only sees relatives from his mother's family. They guard the yard all day long, thinking that the world will be peaceful if the wind does not blow or the rain does not rain. He is bent on currying favor with the capital. The powerful people can't even understand the general situation of the court, so what if it's not a way to die."

Seeing his son fall into silence, Xue Ai continued: "Think about it for yourself, how our ancestors got rich."

"My grandfather became a Ziwei family member and was deeply favored by the Supreme Emperor. He made a living by buying for the palace."

"Then where is the Supreme Emperor now?"

"Retiring to old age in...Ningshou Palace." After all, he was the emperor's official. Little Xue Biao even knew this.

"It has been ten years since His Majesty ascended the throne, and our Xue family has never been to the palace." Xue Ai narrowed his eyes and said in a faint tone.

"But... His Majesty has a problem with us." Xue Biao shuddered, and suddenly felt a huge fear covering his body and mind.

"Why can't they understand the truth that even you can understand?" Xue Ai looked sarcastic, then shook her head and sighed, "Is wealth really charming? Is wealth blinding the mind?"

"But the eldest sister of the Jia family, hasn't she already entered the palace? Dad, the last time we were outside the palace gate, the father-in-law in charge said that the eldest sister is very popular with His Majesty." Xue Biao said with hope. He has been very fond of it since he was a child. I admire Xue Ai and believe in his judgment. But when it concerns the family, one has to be suspicious.

"This is the second chance given by His Majesty." Xue Ai smiled, but his tone was very bleak, "The first time was when Your Majesty just ascended the throne, he asked the man he chose to marry the eldest daughter of the Jia family. What's more, it was Your Majesty. What does the opportunity given to the Jia family have to do with the survival of our Xue family? His Majesty is afraid that he is too lazy to take time to consider us. "

At the end of the conversation, Xue Ai didn't even know how ugly his face looked. Xue Biao saw it in his eyes and was anxious in his heart.

"Then why did dad never tell aunt about these things?"

After talking about this, seeing that her son still didn't understand, Xue Ai became anxious and said: "You idiot, come and tell me, is your aunt's surname Wang or Xue? If she really pretends to be the Xue family, she can take it. Are you going to use our family’s money to pave the way for her brother?”

Seeing Xue Ai scolding him, Xue Biao quickly stood aside, as if listening.

"Zha'er, the benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom, and trust that dad teaches you are the foundation of life. Without these roots, you can't even get out of your own door, and no one will look down on you. But if you only know how to regard them as a standard, then that's okay. It's beyond stupid. You have to learn to assess the situation and be flexible, don't stick to rigid principles, you know..."

"I...my...son understands." Xue Biao lowered his head unwillingly. He hoped that everything was just his father's guess, but he felt that his father's analysis was so profound that he had to believe it.

"Now you know why your father has been traveling around the world with your family since you were a child. The first is that your aunt can't tolerate us and is worried that our family will seize power. Only when we are far away can she feel safe in running the family. The second is that Broaden your horizons and no longer be trapped in the fight between one family and one family.”

Xue Ai gave her sincere instructions, but she couldn't help comforting herself that she was not in a hurry. After all, her children were still young and she was still in her prime. At least she could protect her children from starting a family and starting a business in the future. It's just that he will get old one day. If he doesn't teach Xue Biao now, how will he protect Baoqin and take charge of this family in the future when he gets old.

"Then shopkeeper He..."

"Help, after all, your aunt is the mistress of our Xue family." Xue Ai raised her eyebrows in a rather mocking tone.

Xue Biao was silent when he heard this. What he heard today was really a headache for him. On one side is my aunt, whom I usually respect, and on the other side is Shopkeeper He who is doing bastard things. The two villains were fighting in his mind, one was shouting to fight and kill, the other was saying he wanted to settle the matter.

The two villains kept arguing until midnight, which made Xue Biao unable to sleep well tonight.