My Lady Always Lacks Ambition

The continuation of the family glory, or the cooling-off of the entire family, is a choice that could be made with one’s toes.
Marquis Ancheng received those small boxes containing the so-called evidence, handing over to Lin Xiang an exquisite small-leaf red sandalwood box, and with an ashen face, watched him disappear into the darkness.
After he had left, Marquis Ancheng stumbled and nearly lost his balance, supporting himself on the doorframe and turning his head to glance at the glaring small box, feeling almost nauseous with the urge to vomit blood.
In the place where that small box now sat, there had been a long box filled with thousand-year-old ginseng before, and now it was replaced with this truncated Death Sentence.
Had he known it would end like this, he would have happily exchanged it when Lin Xiang, that Old Fox, brought out the ginseng. It wouldn’t have been such a loss like now.
No, not a loss, that small box was literally hanging the heads of over a hundred members from Marquis Ancheng’s household.
Marquis Ancheng shivered, calling out for attendants, no matter how gentle and frail that woman was, she could no longer be kept.
The night was deep and profound.
Lin Xiang sat in his carriage, listening to the rumble of wheels, slightly opened his eyes, and his gaze fell upon the small-leaf red sandalwood box next to him. His slender fingers brushed over it, and a trace of a smile hooked at his lips.
This debt of gratitude could be repaid without burden.
“Prime Minister, to exchange these evidences so simply for that with Marquis Ancheng?” The steward, kneeling by his side, quietly asked, “Not keeping even a slight contingency?”
Lin Xiang, touching the wooden box, replied, “Why keep one? They are but useless pawns to be discarded.”
The steward paused, saying, “It seems Marquis Ancheng has profited from this deal.”
A matter concerning the lives of over a hundred people.
Lin Xiang curled his lip, “A five-hundred-year-old Jiao Pearl is indeed rare, it’s not a loss. Besides, the evidence is real, but the person may not necessarily be.”
The steward gasped.
“The Saint will not allow anyone to threaten his position. The real person has long been found; this one is just a substitute,” Lin Xiang whispered, “Even if she is a fake, the remaining forces of Prince Jia won’t care. They just need a pretext.”
The steward drew in a breath and said, “Does this mean Marquis Ancheng has been duped by you?”
Lin Xiang glanced over.
The steward, realizing his impertinence, raised a hand to his mouth, “This servant has spoken out of turn, please punish me, Prime Minister.”
Lin Xiang looked at another long box and sighed, “I did not wish for this; I truly intended to exchange the thousand-year-old ginseng sincerely. Marquis Ancheng is truly deserving of his title—honest, genuine, and generous.”
The steward: Thankfully, you’re only saying this here. If Marquis Ancheng were to learn the truth, he’d likely bleed three liters in a bath of blood.
What a terrible pitfall!
The steward said, “Regardless, even with a substitute taken care of, it can prevent misfortune from those people from befalling us.”
“That’s correct, which is why it’s not like I am taking advantage without giving anything in return; I’ve prompted him to seek fortune and avoid disaster,” Lin Xiang claimed with the air of a benevolent person.
The steward wanted to laugh, yet curiously looked at the box, “What exactly is this five-hundred-year-old Jiao Pearl?”
Lin Xiang picked up the small-leaf red sandalwood box, opened it, and revealed the treasure inside. Under the light from the Wind Lamp and Luminous Pearl within the carriage, the round Jiao Pearl shone with a moon-white luminous light, akin to the color of moonlight, very soft and crystal clear.
“Truly beautiful,” the steward exclaimed in admiration.
Even if merely displayed, the pearl had its own charm.
“It is beautiful,” Lin Xiang said as he closed the wooden box, obscuring the radiance. Yet, no matter how beautiful, without knowing its purpose, to him, it was just a river dragon’s Dan Pearl, no different from pearls formed by clams, like the Southern Pearl.
River dragon: Are you being polite? I am a river dragon that has cultivated to a spirit, merely lacking a bit of fate, unable to transcend Tribulation and become a dragon? But a river dragon is still a dragon; what fish, utterly ignorant!
The next day, Qin Liuxi took the carriage personally sent by the Prime Minister Mansion. Lin Xiang had invited her to give the Old Lady a Peace Pulse reading and then led her to his study. He took out a small red sandalwood box and pushed it in front of Qin Liuxi.
“Mission accomplished.”
Qin Liuxi had guessed a bit before her arrival, and upon opening the box, indeed it was a Jiao Pearl; her face immediately lit up with a smile.
Lin Xiang asked seemingly casually, “What do you intend to do with this pearl?”
“Use it in medicine.”
Lin Xiang remained expressionless. So it really was for medicine.
Qin Liuxi simply confirmed the Jiao Pearl and then closed the box, bringing out a talisman to seal it.
“What’s this for?”
Qin Liuxi explained, “I need to seal its spirit; otherwise, once it’s used in the medicine, the effects won’t be as potent.”
Lin Xiang uttered an “Oh.”
After sealing the box, Qin Liuxi finally turned to Lin Xiang and said, “As I’ve said before, the offer still stands. If Lin Xiang can get this Jiao Pearl for me, I can do a life reading for you, or someone in your family, or someone else. Tell me, whose fate would you like to see?”
Lin Xiang’s eyebrows lifted slightly, “People of the Mystic Sect, like Face Reading, aren’t they about keeping Heavenly Secrets undisclosed? Yet you dare to reveal them, unafraid of the repercussions of the Five Disadvantages and Three Deficiencies?”
“Anyhow, it would not dare to strike me dead,” Qin Liuxi arrogantly retorted.
Lin Xiang: As bold as her words are, this kid is quite bold!
Heavenly Dao: She has tested the edge of courting death countless times; whom have I told?
Lin Xiang turned down Qin Liuxi’s offer, “There’s no need for that.”
Qin Liuxi was surprised and looked over to him.
“It’s human nature to seek fortune and avoid disaster, but if one could know everything in advance, then what’s the meaning of living? The rises and falls in a person’s life are determined by fate. If one is influenced by knowledge of the future, it would cloud their true judgment,” Lin Xiang said with a light laugh. “There’s a saying that my fate is in my own hands, not decided by the heavens. I prefer to rely on my abilities to shape the future. Success and failure come down to a little bit of luck and a lot of skill—it’s all a battle.”
Qin Liuxi remarked, “No wonder you hold such high office at such a young age. You’re truly lucid in the mortal world.”
“Not at all, merely a common man,” Lin Xiang laughed heartily, “There’s another reason I dare not let the Junior Temple Master read my fortune; you’ve already given me a hint.”
When was that?
“The health of my mother.” Lin Xiang pursed his lips slightly, uttering only these few words, but Qin Liuxi had already hinted to him about how long the Old Lady would live. This was enough to give him time to prepare.
It’s not that he’s unfilial; knowing, he would not waste this hint because the timing of mourning matters too.
So he dared not know more, learning about others would equal his greed. Qin Liuxi is not afraid of the Five Disadvantages and Three Deficiencies, but he is.
Human desires are hard to fill; he cannot allow this greed to start, for once it does, he might sink into a quagmire from which he can’t extricate himself.
Lin Xiang’s self-discipline left Qin Liuxi in deep reflection. If the court had more officials like him, a renewed era of great prosperity wouldn’t be impossible.
What a pity, not everyone is Lin Xiang.
“Fine, if you don’t want it, then I’ll save the effort.”
Lin Xiang’s eyes flickered, saying, “I wouldn’t want to trouble the Junior Temple Master with these Five Disadvantages and Three Deficiencies. I’m over fifty now, not as robust as before. I want to put more effort into Da Feng, carefully considering my energy. I’ve tried the medicinal tea the Junior Temple Master gave to my mother; if I could ask you for some, that would be wonderful.”
Qin Liuxi: “!”
When I entered the mansion, I seemed to hear a servant inform the kitchen that you were going to eat spicy braised pig’s trotters tonight. With such a good appetite, you’re telling me your health isn’t as good as before?