Second Master Xue is the father of Xue Jiayan and the younger brother of the current Marquis of Jiancheng. He heads the second branch of the Xue family. He is described as a decent man free from vices like drinking, gambling, or womanizing, and does not keep a concubine. However, he is indifferent in his official career, holding a meaningless sinecure. He is powerless to help his son secure a position and can only rely on the Marquis of Jiancheng. He is lenient with his son, sometimes raising a willow switch to discipline him but always lowering it again, allowing his son to idle around past the age of twenty.
