At this moment, Xue Yao and his son Xue Chao, who were standing in the ranks of military officers, blushed with fear. They knew what the divine artifact was about to say.
[This father and son are both idiots. Their grandson and son have been missing for two days, and they didn't even know. They thought the children were at their maternal grandparents' house.]
Their colleagues glanced at the father and son without leaving a trace, wondering if they were really that confused.
Those standing in front of them were itching to see what expressions the father and son, whom the divine artifact had rated as fools, would have now!
The bumbling father and son duo: their faces are already red with embarrassment, please do not disturb them. (JPG)
"Uh, this? Isn't it said that people here value their eldest sons and grandsons highly? These two... are far inferior to the Ling family!"
Upon being praised by the Little Immortal Lord, Ling Yinghua immediately straightened her back, and even the sparse wisps of beard on her chin seemed to look more energetic.
[It's far from the truth. According to the original timeline, it was more than half a month later when they discovered the child was missing. By then, Xue Ju had already been taken thousands of miles away.]
Xue Chao was busy marrying a new bride, and only sent his trusted confidants with the guards of his mansion to search for several days inside and outside the city.
His own father was busy marrying a new bride and didn't care about his son's life or death. Servants are the best at judging people by their status. Since the master didn't care, they also did a perfunctory job when looking for people.
Those in the city were alright; they followed the Ling family members who were searching for their young master. But those outside the city often spent their days drinking tea and chatting as soon as they left the city.
As for Xue Yao, the grandfather, he was truly anxious and genuinely searching. The people following the Ling family in their search were the ones he had sent to find his grandson.
However, Xue Yao had seven or eight grandchildren, and his second son's eldest grandson was with him, so he wasn't in such a dire situation as the Ling family, who mobilized relatives and friends to help with the search.
The Xue family father and son glanced at Yue Fuguang and said coolly, "Is it because you have too many children that losing one or two doesn't matter?"
Xue Yao blushed. The eldest son's second grandson was not as likable as the second son's eldest grandson. He... he usually doted on his eldest grandson more and neglected Ju Ge'er a bit!
As for Xue Chao, the biological father, he felt a little heavy-hearted at this moment, with a bad feeling lingering in his mind.
He glanced cautiously at Emperor Mingxi, then quickly lowered his head. "Your Majesty..."
"And you just said that Xue Chao is going to marry a new woman. Aren't all marriages wives? You can't use the word 'marry' to describe taking a concubine, can you?"
"Master, it's all about taking a new wife. Xue Chao is a widower now. His mother, Liao, died in childbirth a year ago. His ex-wife, who died before giving birth to his child, has only been gone for a year, and he can't wait to marry a new woman."
A month later, the Liu family's daughter will enter the family as their second wife.
Xue Chao, who was described as someone who couldn't wait to get married, blushed and paled in turns, feeling that his reputation was about to be ruined.
Although personal morality is not the standard for judging their abilities, it is a tacit understanding among colleagues. Today, being commented on like this by these two ancestors will be a bad thing for him in the eyes of His Majesty and his superiors.
Those two ancestors disliked people and things that even their emperor dared not cross the line with; he is now that line!
"No wonder the family didn't find the child after so long. It turns out the cabbages in the field were turning yellow. The child has lost his mother, and they're afraid his father will remarry..."
[Master, I can sing the rest of this: I married my stepmother two and a half years ago, and she gave birth to a younger brother who's better than me. My brother eats noodles while I drink soup, and when I pick up the bowl, my eyes are filled with tears. I miss my dear mother...]
The system's inorganic electronic voice was hardly pleasant to listen to; the distorted tone echoed in the ears of the Da Yan ruler and his ministers, who could also discern the full sarcasm in it.
"So, like the Ling family's children, Xue Chao was never found?"
"Uh... they really didn't find the child. The Renling family searched for him in many ways for the next few years. They searched for a month, and when the new bride was about to enter the house, they had to bring everyone back to help."
After the new Crown Prince's wife entered the household, no one mentioned going to find Xue Ju again; it was as if the Xue family had collectively lost their memory.
Those who shared the same idea forgot that their family also had a second young master, the rightful heir to the Marquis's mansion.
Yue Fuguang sneered, "Heh, the problem probably lies in those words, 'heir to the Marquis's mansion'! If he didn't have that status, even as a son of a concubine, he could stay at home peacefully."
Indeed, Xue Ju also had a younger sister from the same mother, who was three years younger than him. The girl had lost her mother and her elder brother, so life in the Marquis's mansion was not easy, and she lived like a nobody.
But at least she grew up in the Marquis's mansion. If she had been a boy, her fate probably wouldn't have been much better than her elder brother's.
If the faces of the Xue father and son had been alternating between red and white just moments before, now they were deathly pale.
This makes it sound like the Xue family is some kind of den of wolves and tigers...
The crowd countered: Isn't that so?
Master, there's a "but"...
"Little Pearl, there's always a 'but' in everything. Tell me the 'but' now. After all this going around in circles, are you finally going to tell me the gossip you wanted to hear?"
Hehe, this is to explain some information to the owner before opening the melon, so that you won't be confused when you're eating the melon.
Xue Ju was not found by the Xue family, but seven years later, at the age of fifteen, he found his way home on his own.
"Find your way home yourself?"
Ling Yinghua glanced at the Xue family father and son with complicated feelings. He was genuinely envious. The lost child could walk back on his own. Why hadn't his family had such good fortune?
Unlike his grandchildren, who disappeared without a trace, they had no idea whether the two children lived or died.
Ling Yinghua took a deep breath. Thankfully, none of this could happen again!
Yes, according to Xue Ju who later returned home, he was sold to the southernmost part of the country by people who sold flowers, but over the years he has always remembered who he is and where his home is.
She started secretly saving money when she was eight years old and continued until she was fifteen. Once she had saved enough, she ran away and came back.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple. This description lacks any important information. First of all, didn't the Xue family all think he was at his maternal grandparents' house?"
How did he get abducted by kidnappers? Didn't his maternal grandparents realize he was missing?
[Because Xue Chao was getting married, he used the excuse that he was too busy at home to take care of his eldest son's studies, and sent Xue Ju to his maternal grandparents' house before the Lantern Festival, saying that he would stay there for a while.]
"Doesn't he have a five-year-old sister? Isn't a daughter even younger and more in need of care from elders? The Xue family has lost the heir's wife, but does that mean the Marquis's wife is gone too?"
"Can't you take care of your grandchildren?"
While Lady Hou was still alive, Xue Ju's younger sister, Xue Shao, was raised by her.
"My younger sister has been raised in the Lady of the Marquis's room, and she's become practically invisible. The Lady of the Marquis certainly knows how to raise children!"
Anyone could hear the endless sarcasm in that "ah".
Xue Yao closed his eyes again, feeling that their family's old secrets were about to be exposed!
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