Chapter 67 Brother-in-Law

Chapter 67: The Maternal Uncle

Wei Yan walked back to Chongyuan Palace looking as he always did.

What Lu Jiming was after, Wei Yan had once thought he understood clearly. So he used everything Lu Jiming desired to keep him firmly by his side.

But later he realized that perhaps Lu Jiming desired nothing at all. He scornfully cast everything aside. He stayed simply because he was willing.

It wasn't until the day Lu Jiming completely left that Wei Yan came to the vague realization he had never truly understood him in the first place.

In Chongyuan Palace, Wen Tongpu had just finished presenting tea to Lu Jiming and hadn't even had time to rise from his kneeling position. Seeing Wei Yan, Wen Tongpu immediately kowtowed again on the spot to pay his respects.

Wei Yan waved his hand, signaling him to stand up, and said with a light laugh, "So the teacher's ceremony is complete?"

"Naturally," Lu Jiming said. "You must keep an eye out for Tongpu from now on."

Wen Tongpu got embarrassed hearing that and lowered his head, scratching his cheek.

"Technically speaking, we are fellow disciples. As the senior brother, I should always help my junior brother," Wei Yan said cheekily.

Lu Jiming immediately shot Wei Yan a glare, telling him not to speak nonsense. Wen Tongpu, however, was baffled, not quite grasping Wei Yan's meaning.

"What's there to hide?" Wei Yan knew what Lu Jiming was concerned about, but the more he cared, the more Wei Yan insisted it didn't matter. "The whole court knows you served as the Crown Prince Tutor. Your entry into the Eastern Palace was personally appointed by Father, and your marriage into the Eastern Palace was also by Father's imperial decree. What part of that is improper?"

Lu Jiming shook his head, realizing he was being overly sensitive. It had all been officially recognized long ago, the culprits had been punished, and no one in the world dared question their relationship.

"You're right. Tongpu, this is your senior brother."

Wen Tongpu was left confused by the emperor and empress's tag-teaming. In the end, he could only blush and say to Lu Jiming, "Please don't tease me, sir."

Wei Yan got the biggest kick out of teasing people. Seeing Wen Tongpu like this, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Call me 'senior brother,' and I'll arrange a good position for you—whether in the Hanlin Academy or a provincial post, you can choose."

Hearing this concerned his future, Wen Tongpu immediately took the hint and ran with it. Stumbling over his words, he called out "senior brother" and then said, "Senior Brother, I've thought about it. I'd prefer to gain experience through a provincial assignment."

Wei Yan chuckled. This kid really took him up on the offer. Since the emperor's word is his bond, Wei Yan hadn't been just saying it offhand, but he hadn't expected Wen Tongpu to show no politeness at all.

Lu Jiming had no strong opinion either way. If Wen Tongpu stayed in the Hanlin Academy, he could teach him regularly, but the environment there was relatively simple, lacking opportunities to temper his character.

While a provincial assignment could hone his skills, Lu Jiming would be beyond his reach in many matters. Some subtleties would require Wen Tongpu to figure out on his own; Lu Jiming couldn't teach him everything.

"Then go outside," Wei Yan agreed with Wen Tongpu's idea. "Your teacher might not have the energy to instruct you fully in the coming years. Go out and learn the ropes for a few years. By then, your teacher should be able to free up his hands."

Wen Tongpu still didn't quite understand the implication in Wei Yan's words, but Lu Jiming caught it immediately. He pursed his lips and glared at Wei Yan again.

Wei Yan meant that in the next few years, there would be children to bear, and he wouldn't have the physical stamina to manage. But saying this to Wen Tongpu was...

After Wen Tongpu took his leave, Lu Jiming finally spoke up to question him. "Why do you say everything out loud?"

"What did I say?" Wei Yan blinked, feigning ignorance. His eyes were bright and round; when opened wide, they looked utterly innocent and pitiful.

"Saying that I won't have the energy to teach him..." Lu Jiming lowered his head, covering his round belly, and didn't continue.

Wei Yan chuckled inwardly, but put on a clueless and innocent act. "After the child is born, even though you won't need to personally care for them all the time, their early education will still require your attention. Besides, you can't stay in the Hanlin Academy forever. In a few years, you'll need to advance, so naturally, you'll be busier these next few years. Did I say something wrong?

"Or is it that Xuping himself thought of something he shouldn't have?"

Lu Jiming was fooled by Wei Yan, truly believing he had overthought things. The tips of his ears instantly turned red as he mumbled, "It's nothing."

"Really nothing?" Wei Yan leaned in, his lips brushing against Lu Jiming's reddened ear tip.

Lu Jiming suddenly felt a tingling sensation. He closed his eyes, shivered slightly, and let out a soft "Hmm."

"Tell me, what were you thinking just now?" Wei Yan whispered.

Wei Yan was no longer a young man. In recent years, his voice had grown deeper. Hearing it made Lu Jiming blush even more. He pushed Wei Yan away, hugged his belly, and turned to the side.

"Good Xuping, tell me."

Unable to resist Wei Yan's pestering, Lu Jiming confessed, "I thought you meant to take advantage of our youth to have several more children."

"That depends on my ability," Wei Yan laughed. "I'll do my best to let you get this ordeal over with early."

"How can it be an ordeal?" Lu Jiming took Wei Yan's hand and placed it on his abdomen, letting him feel A-Luan's current movements. "I hope to give him a few more younger siblings."

He still remembered how A-Luan had called the imperial concubine's children "younger siblings" in their previous life.

In their past life, he couldn't give A-Luan that. Now, he would give A-Luan whatever he wanted.

Previously, discussing this topic had left both of them teary-eyed. Wei Yan didn't want to make the same mistake again, so he thought for a moment and changed the subject. "Xuping, there's something I haven't told you because of all the recent events. Someone from your maternal uncle's family has come. They're temporarily staying at the posthouse. Would you like to meet them?"

When Wei Yan first learned that the Hu family had come to the capital, he was highly suspicious, as he had never heard of or met any Hu family members in his previous life. But after personally seeing the man who claimed to be Lu Jiming's maternal uncle, Wei Yan was left speechless—because Lu Jiming and the man were the spitting image of each other.

The same strikingly beautiful features, the same eyes that curved when smiling. Although it was said that nephews resembled their uncles, Wei Yan hadn't expected the resemblance to be this strong.

But Lu Jiming's maternal uncle lacked the gentle, composed demeanor that came from Lu Jiming's extensive scholarly upbringing. He appeared more flippant and, in a sense, even more like a cunning fox than Lu Jiming.

And he just happened to be surnamed Hu.

This man's appearance also made Wei Yan realize something: he wasn't particularly fond of smiling eyes in general; it was only because those eyes belonged to Lu Jiming that they held special appeal for him.

Wei Yan always felt that since Lu Jiming had completely severed ties with the Lu family and no longer had blood-related relatives, it was somewhat regrettable. If there were worthy relatives from his maternal uncle's family to connect with, it wouldn't be a bad thing for Lu Jiming to grow closer to them. It was better than being alone in the palace.

"Alright," Lu Jiming agreed without hesitation.

His maternal grandparents seemed to have passed away long ago. As for his maternal uncle's family, even when his mother was alive, Lu Jiming had little contact with them. After his mother's death, all ties were completely severed.

In his previous life, even when Lu Jiming held high positions, no one from his maternal uncle's family ever appeared. This showed that the Hu family were not people who coveted power and wealth. Their sudden appearance now must have a reason.

Wei Yan made arrangements for the Hu family to enter the palace the next day. Afterward, he discussed the examination fraud case with Lu Jiming.

After calming down, Wei Yan felt that since Chi Mengsheng and Sun Buyi had already been executed, exterminating the Chi family's nine clans was unnecessary. After all, such a punishment, spoken lightly, would implicate many innocent people. A-Luan hadn't been born yet, and it wasn't good to create such heavy karma.

As for the others involved, Sun Buyi had provided a list before his death. Those on the list who were part of the Empress Dowager's faction naturally couldn't be spared. The imperial examination candidates who participated in the fraud would all have their titles revoked and be permanently barred from future examinations.

Chen Yiqing, who had colluded with the Empress Dowager, remained imprisoned. Wei Yan still didn't plan to deal with him immediately, letting him suffer slowly for now.

As for the Empress Dowager himself, Wei Yan could only temporarily confine him to Cide Palace for now. He couldn't disregard filial piety and directly punish his own birth parent.

As long as the Empress Dowager remained peaceful and didn't persist in his delusions, Wei Yan didn't truly want to take action against him.

Thus, the matter was temporarily settled. Early the next morning, Lu Jiming's maternal uncle entered the palace. Worried that his presence might make the two uncomfortable, Wei Yan returned to the long-unused Chixin Hall to handle government affairs, leaving the space to Lu Jiming.

Lu Jiming observed his maternal uncle, feeling only unfamiliarity. But those smiling eyes were indeed characteristic of his maternal uncle's family. Moreover, he bore a strong resemblance to Lu Jiming's memory of his mother. Looking at him, Lu Jiming even felt his eyes growing slightly moist.

"My name is Hu Si, like the 'Si' in 'wine shop,'" Hu Si said without any restraint, carefully examining Lu Jiming. "Ming'er, you've grown so much."

"Maternal Uncle... I don't think I've ever met you?" Lu Jiming was very hesitant about this. He had just carefully recalled everything but seemed to have never heard his mother mention having a younger brother, let alone having met him before.

"I was chosen by an immortal master who said I had the bone structure for immortality, so he took me away from the Hu family to travel... You were still in swaddling clothes at the time," Hu Si declared confidently. "The family might have been afraid that mentioning it would cause unnecessary sorrow, so they never told you."

Lu Jiming was skeptical but open to the idea. Having been reborn with memories of his past life and being around extraordinary figures like the State Preceptor, he now believed in the existence of supernatural forces. Hu Si’s words were not entirely far-fetched to him.

Hu Si seemed to sense Lu Jiming’s lingering doubt but didn’t mind, smiling as he said, “You’re probably not going to believe this, but your mother and I were actually twins.”

Lu Jiming certainly didn’t believe it—the man looked to be in his early thirties at most, which made no sense given his mother’s age.

But the family resemblance was undeniable. Regardless, he was undoubtedly a member of the Hu family.

“Actually, I came this time for the baby you’re carrying,” Hu Si said, moving closer and reaching out to touch his belly.

Lu Jiming instinctively flinched. He wasn’t fond of physical contact, and since becoming pregnant, only Wei Yan and the physician had touched his stomach.

But then it occurred to him that Hu Si claimed to possess extraordinary abilities. Letting him check on the baby—on A-Luan—might not be a bad idea. So Lu Jiming stopped himself and didn’t pull away.

To his surprise, the sensation of Hu Si touching his belly wasn’t uncomfortable at all. In fact, Lu Jiming even felt the constant pain in his waist and abdomen—caused by A-Luan’s growing size—suddenly vanish, leaving him much more at ease.

Hu Si raised an eyebrow and asked, “This child was fated to be frail from the start. How is it almost fully recovered now?”

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Author’s Note: Hu Si’s specific identity and backstory will be explored in a separate bonus side story later. In short, it’s connected to Lu Jiming and Wei Yan’s rebirth.