Chapter 507: Chapter 499: Hey, I’m Throwing in the Towel
After He Shou finished his business here, he returned to the Prefecture City with Ding Yongliang, each of them going back to their own fathers.
Landlord He, having heard about his son’s ordeal, was so alarmed that he broke into a cold sweat, and repeatedly asked, “Are you sure that thing is gone? It won’t come back to haunt you again, will it?”
Good heavens, he had toiled hard for many years, and all he had was one son and one daughter. His daughter was married off, and He Shou was the only successor of the He Family. If anything were to happen, wouldn’t his lineage be cut off?
He Shou said cheerily, “It definitely won’t. Leaving aside the fact that the Junior Temple Master is so capable, I also have this protective talisman. No evil spirit dares to come near me now.”
He purposely pulled out the Thunder Struck Wood Talisman hanging around his neck and said, “I wanted to buy one for father, mother, sister, and my nephew as well, but they all said these aren’t easy to come by; one has to rely on fate. However, I got this amulet, so you and mother should keep it close to your bodies. No, father, since you are often out and about, you should wear this talisman.”
He Shou was about to remove the talisman, but Landlord He quickly stopped him, saying, “You should keep it on. Now explain in detail, don’t leave out any details about the Junior Temple Master’s conduct.”
He Shou was puzzled but recounted the story honestly anyway.
Landlord He’s eyes sparkled with a smart light, saying, “Hearing you talk about it, this Junior Temple Master seems to have some discontent with Mr. Ding from the governor’s house.”
“Why would you say that, father?”
Landlord He carefully explained everything to him, and He Shou suddenly realized, saying, “No wonder I felt it was strange at that time, it seemed like they were particularly targeting Brother Ding, and I didn’t understand why.”
“You can’t just bury yourself in your books all the time. Whether you’re going to be an official or engage in trade, you need to keep an ear out for news from the outside to avoid being caught off-guard and to better analyze the current situation. There’s been some talk in the literary circles outside about the Ding Family acting unscrupulously and being ungrateful.” Landlord He said, “However bad Mr. Ding might be, he helped you find the Junior Temple Master to resolve this issue. We must remember this favor. Later, have your mother prepare a generous gift for you to personally return.”
He Shou nodded and then said, “Father, speaking of studying, the Junior Temple Master said my destiny is wealthy, but I’m not meant for an official career.”
Landlord He felt darkness before his eyes and steadied himself on the table, his lips trembling as he asked, “Is her divination accurate? Don’t speak nonsense.”
“I think she truly has genuine abilities; otherwise, she wouldn’t have resolved the issue with that old ghost effortlessly and even predicted accurately that our He Family has accumulated merit.” He Shou grinned sheepishly, “Father, I know what I’m capable of, I’m not cut out for studying. Even becoming a child student was down to luck, and failing to pass the Scholar examination twice isn’t by chance.”
A metaphorical arrow struck Landlord He’s heart, and he pursed his lips, saying, “You still have to continue with your studies, but get married and have a child for me right away. If you’re not up to it, while I still have some vitality left, I’ll make sure to properly cultivate your son.”
He Shou: “…”
“The Qingping Temple has built a new hall and is about to reopen, hasn’t it? Your mother and I will personally go there to offer incense oil; that settles it.” After Landlord He finished speaking, he left in a hurry, needing to consult with his wife about finding a matchmaker for arranging his son’s marriage. Being poor was one thing, but what mattered most was having someone literate in the family; otherwise, if he found an illiterate wife, any grandchildren would turn out just like their parents, which would be disastrous.
He Shou stood there, dazed. Get married?
On the other hand, the conversation between Ding Yongliang and Ding Shouxin was far from pleasant, especially after learning that Qin Liuxi had once been an esteemed guest of Prince Rui, Ding Shouxin felt darkness before his eyes, fearing that his official cap was becoming unstable atop his head.
“She really has such abilities.” Ding Shouxin’s face was ashen, and he had to gulp down several mouthfuls of tea to suppress his anger.
Ding Yongliang said with a mournful expression, “To have such an amazing connection to the heavens, yet keep it so well-hidden; it’s baffling what the Qin Family is up to.”
Ding Shouxin calmed down before saying, “I’m afraid even the Qin family doesn’t realize how capable she is and how formidable her connections are. Otherwise, why would they let a few men suffer in the northwest?”
Sparked by the reminder, Ding Yongliang had a flash of insight and said, “The Qin family may not know, but even if she has such connections, she hasn’t really done much. Father, could this mean that her affection for the Qin family isn’t that deep, after all, she left home to join the Taoist Sect at a young age?”
“Most likely,” Ding Shouxin also thought of this, and his unease slightly subsided, saying, “But the saying goes, ‘you can’t write the character Qin twice in the same stroke.’ Even if her affection is shallow, she wouldn’t completely ignore the Qin family. We’ve learned a thing or two from the setback our family experienced.”
Ding Yongliang’s expression was despondent as he said, “Our family has really managed to offend her thoroughly.”
Ding Shouxin snorted, “It’s all that stupid woman, your Third Aunt’s fault. So shallow and such a troublemaker, stirring up your grandmother, turning the house upside down with her antics. This is the original sin of coming from a small family—she gets too excited over petty profits and is utterly senseless. Your future wife must not be like this.”
Ding Yongliang offered a bitter smile and said, “Father, if it wasn’t for what happened before, perhaps we could have worked things out and sought a noble lady, but now, due to the Qin family matter, our Ding family’s reputation is really… And I am yet to partake in this imperial examination.”
His scholarship wasn’t exceptional; his teachers all advised him to wait another three years, so he wasn’t attending this imperial examination either. He was just a commoner, and now that the Ding family had gained a reputation for ingratitude and teacher-deceiving, which high house would want to marry their daughter to him?
Not to mention himself, his sisters might not even be able to find a truly suitable husband.
His cousins from his third uncle’s family were still young, not yet at the age for discussing marriage, but their main branch had really been utterly dragged down by this.
Ding Shouxin’s face grew uglier, and at this moment he could only struggle to climb higher desperately.
“I suppose she wouldn’t take any more drastic actions against us, but we definitely can’t curry favor with her either. Let’s just hope not to further antagonize each other. When Qingping Temple reopens, you should personally go and support them with incense oil,” said Ding Shouxin with a dark face. “Other matters, we shall plan them slowly hereafter.”
That was all they could do.
Thus, when Qingping Temple opened anew with a refreshed facade to welcome devotees, Qin Liuxi, as the Junior Temple Master, also personally presided over the Daoist Temple. Not only did she see those whom she had once treated support her enthusiastically, but she also saw Ding Yongliang, smiling like a blooming chrysanthemum, full of eagerness to please.
“This Mr. Ding is capable of bending and stretching, yet his luck isn’t that great,” Qin Liuxi muttered with a light snort.
Master Chi Yuan tapped her on the head, “That’s enough. Don’t overpress the common people. Your leg is still injured.”
Qin Liuxi glanced at her unhealed legs, discontentedly saying, “I haven’t done anything unforgivably evil. Saving the Si Family’s daughter was the equivalent of saving many citizens; that’s a meritorious deed. And yet I’m still left in this condition for so long, heaven truly isn’t fair to me!”
Boom!
The people looked up at the sky. Why had thunder suddenly sounded?
Qin Liuxi’s face darkened.
Master Chi Yuan said with schadenfreude, “I’ve been teaching you since you were young to have a kind mouth, not to always be so contentious. You got a warning, didn’t you?”
With a forced smile, Qin Liuxi said, “Then I’ll listen to you. My legs are injured, and my body and mind have both suffered harm; I need to recuperate. I’ll leave it to you and the junior monks in the temple to earn the incense money.”
Let it warn, let you nag, heh, I’ll be stubborn and drop the burden!