Xitala Debao was merely a minor official of the fourth rank, and in the capital, a place teeming with the wealthy and powerful, he was nothing special.

Fucha's daily life was not as busy as that of the matriarchs of those aristocratic families.

Now that Xiuning is growing up, the trivial matters that Fucha can talk to Xiuning about are nothing more than the purchase of goods for the mansion and the concubines and illegitimate children around Xitala Debao.

“Yesterday, Aunt Qin and Aunt Qiu had another argument, which made your father very unhappy. He has already told Mother today that he wants to send someone to live on a farm in the suburbs.”

Empress Fucha spoke calmly, as if making such a decision about the life and death of others was as simple as casual conversation.

It's important to understand that at this time, the countryside estate was not a place to enjoy life. It often represented falling out of favor and dying alone, because the people living in the estate were stewards of the mansions who were in charge of the Hitara family's business.

"Should we send them all over?" Xiu Ning was somewhat familiar with these two people. After all, Aunt Qiu had tried to scheme against her several times, but was eventually warned by Lady Fucha. In addition, her child died of typhoid fever after only three months, which finally made her behave herself.

“It’s mainly Aunt Qiu,” Fucha said, taking a sip of tea. “After all, Aunt Qin is someone close to the old lady. Your father prides himself on being a filial son, and Aunt Qin also has two illegitimate daughters.” Fucha shook her head, implying that the chances of her being sent away were slim.

“Aunt Qiu, what a pity,” Xiu Ning raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself that this woman was quite ambitious. If her father really sent her to a country estate in the suburbs, one could only imagine what her life would be like.

“Xiuning, take this as a warning,” Fucha looked at Xiuning seriously, and at the end did not forget to use the example of Aunt Qiu to admonish her.

Xiuning: ……

“Mother, I understand.” As Xiu Ning’s body began to develop, she no longer hid her talent. Fucha Shi now regarded Xiu Ning as half an adult, and the two would often exchange their experiences.

“Someone like Aunt Qiu, who doesn’t understand her own position and doesn’t have a powerful backer, must not offend anyone powerful before she can establish herself,” like Aunt Qin. “Otherwise, she will definitely be the one who gets abandoned.” Even if Aunt Qiu is indeed younger and more beautiful than Aunt Qin, Aunt Qin has an old lady and two children. When her father considers this, he will definitely prioritize protecting Aunt Qin’s lineage.

As she listened to Xiu Ning's analysis, Lady Fucha showed an expression of admiration, saying, "That's right. The most important thing in life is to understand yourself."

Being unloved or lacking a powerful background is not terrible; what's truly terrifying is failing to see the bigger picture.

Because of ignorance, one feels fearless; a fearless person is prone to making serious mistakes.

Fucha has been able to get to where she is today because of her caution and self-awareness. She hopes that her daughter will be like her. While a life full of excitement is wonderful, it is often followed by ruins. It would be better to live a simple and peaceful life.

Xiuning had to study music and chess with her master in the morning, so she couldn't stay with Fucha for too long.

The mother and daughter chatted briefly for a while before Xiuning left the main courtyard and went to the small courtyard where her master would usually give her lessons.

Why is my heart so troubled today?

After Xiuning finished playing a piece on the zither, the female teacher in charge of teaching the zither suddenly spoke up.

"It's just some trivial matter, it's the student's fault," Xiu Ning said, her head bowed with a hint of youthful shyness as she lowered her eyes, which required concentration to play the piano.

“It’s alright, everyone has their troubles,” the female master said, sitting opposite Xiuning and casually strumming her guqin. “There are many meanings to playing the guqin. You just need to understand why you play it.”

Why play the piano?

Xiu Ning was taken aback, and at the same time looked at the female master opposite her who was only in her early thirties and had an aura about her.

This was the first time in the three years she had been practicing the piano that her female teacher had discussed such profound questions with her.

Generally speaking, the two of them would play the piano and give guidance in silence.

"What? Don't you understand?" As the song ended, the female teacher withdrew her fingers and looked at Xiuning with a slight smile. "You are very special. I have taught many people, some younger than you and some older than you, but without exception, whether they are steady or lively, innocent or sophisticated, they all have a heart for life."

Life?

Xiuning was puzzled. "Does Master mean that I have no desire for life?"

That's impossible. She loves life. Whether she's transmigrating through mission worlds as a quick transmigrator or existing in the system space as Wanwan, she loves life.

The female chef shook her head upon hearing this. "No, you have the will to live, but it seems you haven't truly integrated yourself into life."

You give me the feeling of being a rational, detached observer, standing aloof and cold in the distance, calmly watching everything unfold.

I'm sorry, I didn't see the emotions and feelings I should have in your eyes. You played the piano very well, but...

As she said this, the female craftswoman unconsciously frowned. She found it hard to describe what kind of state she was in. She was like an empty machine, dryly repeating what others had done, even if the work was perfect, it had no meaning of its own.

Xiuning: ...

The female teacher's words sounded so sophisticated, but it turned out she was criticizing her for having technique but no emotion in her piano playing.

Xiu Ning couldn't refute this, because she was essentially more robotic than a robot. She had no heart and had long lost the seven emotions and six desires that originally belonged to humans. For any transmigrator who was merely imitating, this was normal.

Otherwise, if the transmigrators develop feelings, would they still be able to complete the missions in the mission world?

After finishing her lesson, the female teacher left behind daily training assignments as required before leaving Hittara Province to teach music at another institution.

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