My Lady Always Lacks Ambition

The ritual was complete, and Qin Liuxi officially gained two little disciples, her responsibilities growing larger—though in the eyes of everyone else; she herself did not feel so.
Teng Tianhan, watching his son formally embracing monastic life, resigned himself to fate but couldn’t bear to look at the Daoist School where Teng Zhao would cultivate—it was much too small for his son, who loved order and cleanliness.
Teng Tianhan gave the small seal of the Da Feng Bank to Teng Zhao, telling him to take silver with the seal from the bank whenever he needed it. Never would he have expected that this honest child would turn around and hand it to Qin Liuxi.
"What’s mine is the master’s—Master just needs to manage it."
Had Teng Zhao not been wary and jumped away after handing over the seal, Qin Liuxi almost wished to embrace him and plant several kisses—it was true affection for a disciple.
Teng Tianhan was dumbfounded. Thinking that Qin Liuxi had even given away something as important as the Merit Power to his son, he let it go, but took out a stack of silver notes and passed them over.
"For the Daoist School where Zhao’er will live and cultivate, please have a new one built for him by the great master. Simplicity doesn’t matter—just make it spacious and clean, lest he feels uncomfortable."
But Qin Liuxi declined, saying: "A Cultivator has no need for so many requests. There’s no need for this; besides, they won’t be staying at the Daoist School often. They will live and cultivate together with me."
Teng Tianhan froze: "Don’t you also live in the Daoist Temple?"
"Sir, my family name is originally Qin." Qin Liuxi thought for a moment, then dropped a bombshell: "Right, and I am also of the female discipline."
f|re(e)web.n\ovel. (c)o.m
Oh.
"What did you just say?" Teng Tianhan’s eyes almost bulged out of his head, thinking he was hallucinating.
The female discipline—the meaning of a female crown. Does it mean she is a girl?
Before Teng Tianhan could react, Qin Liuxi continued with another even more shocking revelation.
"I am of the female discipline, my surname is Qin, and I am the eldest granddaughter of the criminal official Qin Yuanshan. I entered the Daoist path at the age of five and have been running between the Daoist Temple and my familial home; now more than ever."
Teng Tianhan staggered, not only a female disciple but also the daughter of a criminal official?
Qin Yuanshan, the former Minister of the Ministry of Rites?
Teng Tianhan’s vision went dark, and he took two steps back, staring at Qin Liuxi in disbelief.
Why is she only saying this now? This is acting first and reporting afterward, scheming against his son with all her heart!
"Scared, Sir? Even if you are, you can’t take it back now. Zhaozhao is my disciple now, one that has been given a Daoist name and the transmission of initiation. You simply can’t frivolously betray the master."
Teng Tianhan’s expression was beyond colorful, with a trace of anger in his heart, but upon looking at his son beside her, a sense of powerlessness emerged, fuming without a place to vent.
"Follow me," Teng Tianhan inhaled deeply and turned to enter the Daoist School.
Qin Liuxi shrugged her shoulders indifferently and followed him in; Teng Zhao, frowning, also followed.
Once seated inside, Teng Tianhan did not beat around the bush and directly asked: "Are you really Qin Yuanshan’s granddaughter?"
"Do you think I would claim a criminal official as my grandfather for fun?"
Teng Tianhan was briefly choked up and then asked somewhat bewilderedly: "How did you, an official lady, enter the path of Daoism?"
Qin Liuxi lowered her gaze, "When I was a child, I was frail and sickly, and not deeply connected with the Qin family, so my master took me back to the old mansion and brought me into the Dao." She looked toward Teng Zhao and said, "Therefore, the predestined relationship between master and disciple is not false; our experiences are quite similar."
Teng Zhao sat kneeling by her side, pursing his lips.
Seeing this, Teng Tianhan’s frustration deepened. The saying ’Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire’ rang in his mind. Why should his son also leave home at such a young age?
"Are you cursing me in your heart?" Qin Liuxi touched Teng Zhao’s bundled hair and said, "I understand the principle of not imposing on others what one does not desire oneself. I, who have not received the warmth of a family, would be ashamed to deprive others of it. However, sir, even if Zhaozhao does not go with me, did he truly receive the warmth of the family? You may be able to provide for his material needs, but you cannot reach his heart. Nor can you protect him completely, whereas I, as his master, can."
Teng Tianhan’s expression changed drastically.
He wanted to argue, but he didn’t know where to begin, because what Qin Liuxi said was predictable. Teng Zhao only wanted to stay in Ningzhou Prefecture City and not return with him to the capital, making it difficult for the father and son to meet.
If he waits until next year to take another concubine and have other children, would he really pay less attention to the one who is not in front of him?
Teng Tianhan did not dare to make such a guarantee, fearing he would be proven wrong, for the human heart tends to favor those it is close to.
Forget it.
Teng Tianhan closed his eyes and said, "You’re right. I might not be able to protect him completely, I hope you can."
"Of course," she replied confidently, "you can go out and ask around. I, Qin Buqiu, am famously protective of my own."
Look at that ruffian air—does that resemble a lady at all?
The more Teng Tianhan looked at her, the more he saw her as a young man. Thinking about the Qin family’s plight, he frowned and said, "With your divine skills, why did you not foresee the disaster befalling the Qin family?"
"Fortune or disaster, if it’s meant to happen, it can’t be avoided. The Qin family was destined for this calamity," Qin Liuxi responded lightly. "All I can do is provide them a shelter from wind and rain. Whether they can rise again depends on whether the Qin descendants can make something of themselves."
Teng Tianhan felt a slight stir in his heart and asked, "You’re not planning to help?"
"I have helped. I’ve done what I should do. Whether they turn out to be dragons or worms depends on themselves. As someone who has entered into Daoist enlightenment, I cannot sort everything out for them and let them reap the benefits without effort. They do not yet deserve me to go to such lengths." Qin Liuxi said, "I can only say I’ve tried my best to create the conditions. Whether they can seize the opportunity is up to them. I have my own path, and they have theirs."
Teng Tianhan looked at Teng Zhao, who was silent with his eyes downcast, and wondered whether this mode of thinking would also influence his son’s future.
f|re(e)web.n\ovel. (c)o.m
Indeed, sent into exile at the old mansion to grow up alone at such a young age, can one expect her to have much warmth to reciprocate?
Teng Tianhan did not dare to contemplate what kind of attitude Teng Zhao would have toward the family in the future. He said, "All the Qin family men are exiled to the northwest, unable to return without an imperial pardon. As for the crime of your grandfather, do you also have no intention of seeking to overturn it?"
Qin Liuxi laughed lightly, "If I were to say that my grandfather was wronged and caught in someone else’s trap, would you be willing to help overturn the case? The Ministry of Justice is supposed to be adept at investigating cases, aren’t they?"
Teng Tianhan thought that this was an incident involving mishaps in sacrificial rites, offending the Holy Emperor— who would dare to touch it?
But looking at Teng Zhao, who was Qin Liuxi’s disciple, her well-being was crucial for him to fare better.
Teng Tianhan gritted his teeth and said, "To overturn the case, we need an opportunity, and it cannot be rushed. Also, it hasn’t been half a year since the incident; the Holy Emperor may not have calmed down yet. Rashly raising it may only remind the Holy Emperor of the Qin family, prompting him to add to their charges. After all, regardless of whether it was a trap, your grandfather fell into it. Given the incident, as the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, he bears an inescapable responsibility."
"I know," Qin Liuxi smiled and gave a salute, "Then I’ll have to trouble you to pay attention."
Teng Tianhan opened his mouth, wanting to say that he hadn’t agreed yet, and thought: Are you taking my son just to wait for this?
But his son stood up and also saluted him in thanks, "Please trouble yourself, father. On behalf of my master, I am extremely grateful."
Teng Tianhan felt a dull ache in his heart. The disciple’s bond had been formed, yet it seemed to align with his master too quickly.