The old man was thin, with a wrinkled face, a snow-white beard, and wore a blue robe and a small hat, looking like an ordinary commoner.
Qi Yunxiao, however, dared not be presumptuous in the slightest. He stood up respectfully and bowed, saying, "I was unaware that you lived next door, teacher. I was very rude."
The old man then recognized Qi Yunxiao and was overjoyed: "Oh my! It's you? You live here?"
Qi Yunxiao obediently told the old man the situation: "The mad Taoist priest is my child's master, this is my wife, this is my wife's godmother, and these are my three children..."
The triplets sitting together in a neat row are quite visually striking.
The old man stared at the three children, completely stunned!
"All three are yours?"
“Yes, they’re all mine. Triplets,” Qi Yunxiao proudly introduced.
"Oh ho! You're quite something, kid..." The old man looked at the three children for a long time before turning to Shen Qingyu, "Your wife, which noble family are you from? You look unfamiliar!"
Qi Yunxiao had already lost his temper: "She's not a noblewoman, she's a country girl."
Before the old man could ask further, Qi Yunxiao directly shut him up, saying, "The reasons are too complicated to explain in a few words."
When Shen Qingyu heard Qi Yunxiao call him "teacher," she had already stood up. Now, hearing the two of them mention her, she took the initiative to bow and say, "I am Shen Qingyu."
Qi Yunxiao also introduced the old man to Shen Qingyu: "This is Grand Tutor Xue Juzheng, Elder Xue."
"Hahaha... What Grand Tutor? I've been retired from the court for a long time! Now I'm just an old man who doesn't care about anything else but food."
As if to provide further evidence, the old man's gaze was fixed on the table.
Bean sprouts and green vegetables are very common, but braised meat is something I've never seen before.
Shen Qingyu laughed: Some people live without being pretentious, and their actions make them easy to get close to.
"We've just started eating. If you don't mind, shall I get you an extra set of chopsticks and a bowl?"
"That would be wonderful! Your fragrance is so enticing, I can't sit still!"
Xue Juzheng plopped down on the ground.
The third princess awkwardly performed the disciple's salute, as they had all attended classes with the crown prince back in the day.
Xue Juzheng glanced at her with a half-smile: "I haven't seen anyone today."
Zhao Yuzhu kept smiling, and Xue Juzheng was sitting directly opposite her.
Xue Juzheng looked up and met Zhao Yuzhu's smile, then froze: "I didn't notice you just now, you...you are..."
Zhao Yuzhu smiled and nodded: "Yes."
"It's been a long time..."
Xue Juzheng's reflections ended when Shen Qingyu brought over bowls and chopsticks.
He picked up a piece of spicy braised pork and put it in his mouth. The look of pure enjoyment on his face the next moment was as if he had taken an elixir of immortality...
Shen Qingyu and Qi Yunxiao both had slight twitches at the corners of their mouths.
The three children were dumbfounded.
The Mad Taoist and Zhao Yuzhu, however, both wore smiles as if they had known all along.
After slowly refusing a bite of braised meat and swallowing it, Xue Juzheng finally praised it.
"This meat is spicy, savory, and fragrant, with a unique medicinal aroma that lingers on the palate! Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful..."
Qi Yunxiao laughed and said, "My wife made this herself; you can't buy it anywhere else."
Xue Juzheng's eyes immediately lit up with excitement as he glanced at Shen Qingyu: "This skill, kid, you're in luck!"
After the meal, the third princess ran away as if fleeing a famine.
Seeing Xue Juzheng reminded the Third Princess of the fear of being forced to copy books.
Xue Juzheng and Qi Yunxiao went into the study first to talk.
The Mad Taoist explained to Shen Qingyu, "This old Xue was originally the Crown Prince's tutor, and Qi Yunxiao was also the Crown Prince's study companion, so Qi Yunxiao also calls him teacher."
"Old Xue once taught the late emperor and the current emperor. But... the crown prince suddenly passed away, so he retired and is now completely idle."
"Old Xue has one great hobby in his life: he loves to eat. He has a keen sense of smell, and sure enough, he came over as soon as he smelled the aroma."
Shen Qingyu suddenly realized: So that's how it is.
In the study, Xue Juzheng asked Qi Yunxiao about the specific situation over the past two years.
Qi Yunxiao had a lot to say, but when he met his teacher's penetrating gaze, he suddenly didn't know what to say, or what he could say...
He felt stifled and lowered his head, looking somewhat aggrieved: "Teacher..."
He was just a young man in his early twenties, and he had nowhere to vent his grievances.
His mother abandoned him, and he couldn't tell her.
He expressed his guilt towards Shen Qingyu and the child to Shen Qingyu, wanting to make amends, but Shen Qingyu dismissed it.
His anger towards the Qingping Marquis's mansion and his unspeakable complex emotions were hard to explain.
And there are still doubts in my heart...
He looked at Xue Juzheng: "Teacher has aged, become thinner, and has more and deeper wrinkles."
His own troubles involve the harem and the royal family. His teacher has finally retired to his hometown. Why drag him into this again?
Qi Yunxiao's eyes reddened with suppressed emotion, but in the end, he said nothing.
Xue Juzheng's expression turned compassionate. He sighed softly and said with a smile, "Silly child, worrying is useless. Some roads will become clear as you walk them."
Did the path suddenly open up as you walked?
Will it?
Qi Yunxiao shook his head, but still replied, "Thank you, teacher, I understand."
When Xue Juzheng asked Qi Yunxiao about his future plans, he was surprised to hear that Qi Yunxiao was actually planning to go to the countryside.
"With your skills, if it weren't for this black birthmark on your forehead... you would definitely have a place in the imperial court. Why would you need to go to the countryside?"
Qi Yunxiao spoke with a wry smile about his past with Shen Qingyu and the origins of their three children.
"...I owe them a great deal."
“Now my wife has grown cold-hearted and wants a divorce, but our three children are terrified of the divorce… I want to try to win her back and also make it up to them.”
Xue Juzheng then realized what was happening.
Seeing his student, whom he greatly admired, entangled in family matters, Xue Juzheng couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
But unfortunately, his forehead... didn't really give him much of a chance.
Well, it's good that we can take care of one thing at a time.
"I have nothing to do here in Xinghua Lane, may I come with you?"
Xue Juzheng asked with a chuckle.
Qi Yunxiao was taken aback: "It's great that you live in Xinghua Lane. Why would you want to go to our rural area? It's remote and difficult to buy food there."
Xue Juzheng laughed loudly: "With your wife's cooking skills, why would I need to go out to buy food? Or do you think I'm eating too much and spending your money?"
Qi Yunxiao waved his hands repeatedly, and after considering it carefully, he finally spoke: "If you want to go, I would be more than happy to do so, but... I'm afraid it will require His Majesty's permission."
Xue Juzheng was a seasoned shrew, and upon hearing this, he knew there was something fishy going on.
For a fleeting moment, he thought he might as well give up.
Anyway, living in Beijing is quite nice, with all kinds of delicious food to choose from.
But then I think about that braised pork I just ate, and those exceptionally sweet bean sprouts…
The tutor of two emperors resolutely stood up: "I will go and plead with His Majesty!"
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