Taiheiki

Chapter 202 Work
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Cockfighting Hall.

Qin He cautiously glanced behind her, and only when she was sure no one was paying attention to her did she rush through the gate as if she were returning to her own home.

Unlike Qin Ke, who was single-mindedly focused on his family's identity and dreaming of reviving the family business, Qin He, the second son in the family, was a carefree child from a young age. To be precise, he was born with a cheerful and lazy nature. He enjoyed all things that brought him pleasure, such as drinking, pheasant gambling, fishing, and dog fighting; while he avoided physical and mental labor such as business management and farming. Actually, there was nothing wrong with this; most people in the world are like this. It's just that the burden of life forces them to work hard every day. After all, having an older brother like Qin He who single-handedly rebuilt the family business and soared to great heights is extremely rare. Since he had this kind of luck, it would be a shame not to enjoy it.

So even though his elder brother had repeatedly forbidden him from going to these places, Qin He ignored him and found an opportunity to go to the cockfighting arena, intending to have some fun and reward himself for his hard work over the past few days.

But as soon as he entered, he noticed something was amiss. The cockfighting arena, usually bustling like a market, was eerily quiet today, with hardly anyone in sight. He only saw a man standing on a ladder, scribbling something on the wall. He frowned, looked around, and then asked the man scribbling on the wall, "Hey, yes, you, why is the cockfighting arena deserted today?"

Xie Bing turned around. He didn't like the impetuous young man in front of him, but he still answered honestly, "The cockfighting arena is closed for five days today. Come back in a few days!"

"Closed for five days?" Qin He exclaimed in disappointment, "Why?!"

"We need murals!" Xie Bing answered honestly, "If we open for business, with so many people coming and going, I'm afraid someone might accidentally scratch the walls!"

"A mural?" Qin He then noticed that the man wasn't painting on the wall, but rather drawing on it. He looked at it with great interest and saw that it depicted scenes of cockfighting, pheasant shooting, and other popular gambling activities during the Han Dynasty. The murals were incredibly lifelike, and he couldn't help but praise, "Your drawing is really good!"

"Of course!" Xie Bing glanced back at Qin He and found the young man much more pleasing to the eye. "This is my livelihood. If you want to play cockfighting, go to the next street! The cockfighting arena is temporarily closed for a few days and has moved there!"

"Really? That's wonderful!" Qin He was overjoyed upon hearing this, quickly thanked him, and turned to go out to the next street to have a good time. When he returned home, it was already late at night. Reeking of alcohol, he climbed over the back wall and entered his room. Just as he lit the oil lamp, he heard someone coldly say, "You still know how to come home? Tell me, where have you been gallivanting off to this time?"

Hearing the familiar questioning voice, Qin He subconsciously turned around, only to find Qin Ke sitting at the table, looking at her coldly with anger between his brows. He subconsciously replied, "I was discussing business with a friend, so I had a couple of drinks!"

"Friends? What friends? What business?" Qin Ke slammed his hand on the table. "Tell me the truth!"

"This—" Qin He was speechless. Qin Ke, seeing this, knew perfectly well that his younger brother had gone off to fool around again. He couldn't suppress his anger any longer and stood up, shouting, "Don't you know what time it is now? The Prince has entrusted me with such an important task. If I do well, I'll soar to the top. Everyone in the family is doing their best, but you're out there fooling around all day? Do you even consider yourself my brother? Do you even consider yourself a member of the Qin family?"

Qin He was speechless after Qin Ke's words. He was simply lazy and playful, unable to control himself, not stupid. He knew his brother's words made sense. The Qin family's current good fortune was largely due to the government, or more precisely, Wang Shou's trust in Qin Ke. Wang Shou had entrusted such a significant event as the ceremony for Governor Wei's entry into the city to Qin Ke. Qin Ke had to handle it perfectly, even if it meant ruining the family. If he did well, the Qin family would naturally prosper along with Governor Wei. If he failed and lost Wang Shou's trust, the Qin family's current business might not even survive. After all, there were far too many people in Panyu City who wanted to climb the social ladder by associating with Wang Shou, and in terms of family background and talent, who wasn't a hundred times better than Qin Ke, a mere "Gongshi" (a low-ranking official)?
"Speak up! Why aren't you saying anything?" Qin Ke became even more annoyed when his younger brother remained silent. "Fine, since you don't consider yourself part of this family, then don't stay in Panyu. Go back to Guangxin tomorrow!"

"No, no!" Qin He cried out in alarm, quickly grabbing her brother's sleeve. "I really am going to see a friend to discuss business!"

"Fine!" Qin Ke sneered, "Which friend did you meet, and what business did you discuss? Tell me everything. If it's true, I won't send you back to Guangxin; I'll even give you two thousand coins as a favor! But if it's fake, don't blame me for not showing brotherly affection!"

Forced into this situation, Qin He suddenly had a flash of inspiration and quickly said, "I was talking to a friend who can paint murals!"

"The friend who paints murals?" Qin Ke frowned. "Why do you want to see him?"

"That's how it is!" Perhaps due to a sudden burst of inspiration, Qin He's mind raced, and he spoke fluently: "Last time, didn't my brother mention that he was entrusted by Wang Shougong to hold a grand ceremony for Governor Wei's triumphant return? I thought, seeing is believing. Governor Wei's campaign against the barbarians was thousands of miles away. At most, everyone sees the proclamation, but nobody knows the specifics of how he won. Why not hire a painter to paint a picture of Governor Wei's campaign against the barbarians and place it at the city gate or elsewhere? Let everyone see Governor Wei's martial prowess. I'm sure Governor Wei will be satisfied, and if Governor Wei is satisfied, Wang Shougong will certainly be satisfied too!"

Hearing Qin He's words, Qin Ke's anger gradually subsided. He looked at his younger brother with some doubt and said, "Your idea is not bad, but since it's a good thing, why didn't you say so from the beginning?"

"This—" Qin He hesitated for a moment, then smiled wryly, "Brother, you don't know, I did go to the cockfighting arena, wanting to have some fun, but I didn't expect that the cockfighting arena had hired a painter to paint a mural. I stumbled upon it and that's when I had this idea. I was afraid of being punished by you, so I didn't dare to say anything!"

"You—?" Qin Ke was about to get angry, but then he thought that he only had two younger brothers, and his business was growing bigger and bigger. If he didn't rely on them, who else could he rely on? His second brother was able to come up with this idea, which showed that he had put his heart into official business. Otherwise, how could he have thought of using it for Governor Wei's entry ceremony after seeing someone paint a mural? As for his love of fun, it could only be changed little by little. Expecting him to change his personality overnight would be too much to ask.

"Alright, bring that painter to see me tomorrow and we'll discuss it!" Qin Ke sighed. "Second brother, I know you enjoy having fun, but this family doesn't belong to me alone. You also bear the surname Qin, and you have a share in this family business. You should also do your part in family matters, understand?"

Qin He had expected his brother to give him a severe scolding if he found out he had gone to the cockfighting arena, but to his surprise, Qin Ke only offered a few words of advice. Seeing his brother's tired and haggard face, and remembering his brother's daily toil, he couldn't help but feel ashamed. He whispered, "Brother, it was indeed my fault. From now on, I will definitely not go to those places again and will focus on helping you with the family matters!"

"That's enough!" Qin Ke shook his head. "Old habits die hard. These things aren't so easy to change. Just keep this family in your heart. It's getting late, get some rest! Remember to bring that painter to see me tomorrow!" With that, Qin Ke stood up, patted Qin He's shoulder twice, and left. Qin He lay in bed, tossing and turning, before finally falling asleep after a long while.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Qin He went out and arrived at the cockfighting arena, only to find the door closed. He knocked for a long time, but no one answered. He knew he had arrived too early; the painter probably hadn't arrived yet. He thought about getting something to eat first, but then worried about missing him, so he simply sat down on the stone steps in front of the door to wait. After about half a cup of tea's time, he saw the painter carrying a bamboo box, yawning as he walked over.

Qin He was overjoyed and rushed forward, grabbing the other man's arm and laughing, "I've been waiting for you for so long! Why did it take you so long?" Xie Bing was startled, thinking she was a robber in the street. He recognized Qin He and angrily said, "What are you doing?"

"Of course I have something to ask you!" Qin He said with a smile.

Xie Bing looked at Qin He warily: "What do you want with me?"

"That's certainly a good thing!" Qin He smiled and pointed to himself: "My name is Qin He. May I ask your esteemed name?"

"I dare not accept such praise, Xie Bing?"

"Alright, Brother Xie, come with me to see my brother. There's a big deal waiting for you!" Qin He grabbed Xie Bing's arm and was about to leave, but Xie Bing shook off his arm: "I still have work to do here. Who has time to mess around with you!"

"You really have no taste! My brother works for Governor Wei. If you miss this opportunity, don't regret it!" Qin He said anxiously.

Xie Bing ignored Qin He and opened the door of the cockfighting arena. While preparing to paint, he casually replied, "One must take things one step at a time. Since I've already promised and received the deposit, I have to finish the murals here before doing anything else. You either wait until I've finished here, or you ask your brother to come here for a face-to-face meeting. Otherwise, there's no other way!" With that, he picked up his brush and began to paint, ignoring whatever Qin He said behind him.

Helpless, Qin He had no choice but to return to her brother and recount the situation to Qin Ke. Finally, she said, "Brother, I didn't expect that fellow to be so ungrateful. Let's just let it go! I'll find another painter!"

After thinking for a moment, Qin Ke asked, "Is Xie Bing's painting skill really that good?"

"It's really good, otherwise I wouldn't have thought of this!"

"Alright, then I'll go!" Qin Ke stood up. "Also, Second Brother, go and get two thousand coins. He's right about one thing: once you've taken the deposit, you have to do the job well. We're only bringing one mouth, so of course he won't care!"

So the two brothers returned to the cockfighting arena. Qin Ke stopped his younger brother from disturbing Xie Bing's work, and first stood quietly by the wall, silently looking at the murals for a while. The figures in the paintings were drinking, cheering for the fighting cocks, betting, cheating, stealing, or searching for someone—all were lifelike and vivid, a perfect depiction of the various aspects of life in the cockfighting arena. Qin Ke silently looked for a long time before walking to Xie Bing's side, bowing and saying, "You must be Master Xie Bing? I am Qin Ke. My second brother, Qin He, was rude and disrespectful! Second brother, why don't you apologize to Master Xie?"

Although Qin He was reluctant, she still cupped her hands in greeting to Xie Bing: "Master Xie, I was rude earlier, please forgive me!"

Upon seeing the Qin brothers, Xie Bing quickly climbed down the ladder, put down his brush, and returned the greeting with clasped hands, saying, "I dare not. It's not that I'm arrogant, but I'm just too busy to get away right now. Please forgive me!"

"Master Xie, there's no need to explain, I saw it all!" Qin Ke laughed. "To be honest, my younger brother usually acts carelessly, and he's not always right. Yesterday he went back and praised your painting skills, and I thought he was just talking nonsense after drinking some horse urine. But after seeing it with my own eyes today, I believe it. Second brother, bring it here!"

Qin He quickly handed over the bag of money, which Qin Ke presented with both hands: "There are two thousand coins in here, consider it a deposit. Please accept it, Master Xie. Take good care of yourself, and I will reward you handsomely after the matter is completed!"

"This—" Xie Bing looked troubled: "It's not that I'm refusing, but I've already promised the owner of this cockfighting arena that I'll finish this part first before it's your turn to do your work!"

"How many more days do you need?"

"It will take another four or five days here, and with the back yard included, it will take at least fifteen or sixteen days!"

"That won't do," Qin Ke laughed. "But it's alright, I've got it all under my control, I won't make things difficult for you!" With that, he told Qin He to wait there while he called the cockfighting arena to invite the owner. He explained his purpose and how he wanted to borrow Xie Bing to paint for Wei Cong's army's entry ceremony. The cockfighting arena owner readily agreed: "Since it concerns Lord Wei, what more can I say? Let the painter go with Master Qin, I only ask that he mention it to the prince in the future!"

"Definitely, definitely!" Qin Ke replied with a smile. After saying this, he took Xie Bing with him to Wang Shou's place and explained his idea. Wang Shou was overjoyed upon hearing this and laughed, "You're a young man after all! Your idea is excellent; Governor Wei will surely be pleased. Let's do it this way. According to the plan, Governor Wei won't enter the city for another seven days, so we must prepare beforehand!"

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When Wei Cong's triumphant army returned to Panyu, it was already April of 168 AD. As far as the eye could see, there were rice paddies and orchards on both sides of the road. Under the bright subtropical sunshine, the rice seedlings swayed and blended with the green river surface. In the distance, the barking of dogs and the calls of water birds could be heard. Shepherds sat on the backs of water buffalo, leisurely traveling between the ridges of the fields.

"These are all prepared for you!" Wang Shou carefully pointed to the silk paintings behind him: "There are twelve paintings in total, each depicting scenes such as when you led your troops across the Five Ridges, defeated Zhang Xu at Gaoyao, were appointed governor by imperial decree, and led your troops to Jiaozhi... You can hang them by your carriage when you enter the city so that the people of Panyu can see your achievements!"

(End of this chapter)