Originally Posted by
Ian Liew
I'm not sure about the novels, but in the serials it was said that Ximen's son was born without arms, and hence would never achieve the ambition which Ximen had for his child. This certainly wasn't mentioned in the Phantom Mansion, but I'm not sure if it was taken from any of the other novels.
If Ximen really had a disabled child it would have been so cruel, and while it's very possible that he would abandon his wife and child (or at least, not spend time with them anymore) it would also paint a very poor picture of this cool character.