Chapter 78: My Son Bears the Demeanor of a Great Emperor (4)

Qin Ye opened his mouth and let out a resounding sneeze, muttering as he rubbed his nose, “Back at you!”

Afterward, he took the prized rooster that had brought him merit, paired it with a fine, decades-old ginseng root, and stewed a nourishing chicken soup for Madame Cui and the children.

The old matron had just awakened; at that moment, Wu’er, the two-year-old son of Concubine Xing, was waiting in her chamber with Liu Yu. Qin Ye instructed that each child receive a portion of chicken soup, though it was only a small bowl. After all, children have small appetites; more would go to waste.

As soon as the old lady opened her eyes, a rich aroma filled the air, redolent with herbal notes that set her mouth watering. She asked, “What is that smell?”

“It’s the restorative soup the Master sent for Wu’er,” Concubine Xing replied proudly. “He simmered it with a decades-old ginseng root—an extraordinary tonic!”

The old matron was so shocked she nearly lost her breath and fainted again on the spot.

Concubine Xing, unaware of her misstep, looked questioningly at Liu Yu, who merely closed her eyes, thinking it was not Cui who wished the old matron dead, but Concubine Xing herself.

“That ginseng was the old lady’s treasured possession—she never used so much as a single root, not even a sliver, for herself,” Liu Yu explained.

Concubine Xing… Well, how was she to know? If the Master wished to favor his own son, what was wrong with feeling a little pride?

In truth, the chicken soup was meant chiefly for Madame Cui. Yet, whenever Qin Ye and Cui found themselves under the same roof, the two little imposters would inevitably appear, clinging and acting cute to stay by his side.

Cui, recalling her sons’ former attitude towards Qin Ye, felt a pang of sorrow at their changed demeanor. As their mother, she had failed to protect them—so much so that even at their tender age, they had to learn to curry favor and fawn upon others.

The two counterfeit children, eager to please, each accidentally dealt Qin Ye a good punch—one a flurry of blows, the other a bull’s charge. Qin Ye bore both the pummeling and the collision with a beaming smile, praising the two brats for their strength.

This time, Qin Teng and Qin Man’s laughter was genuine as they tugged hard at Qin Ye’s beard. “Father praised me! I’m so happy!”

Qin Ye, his face twisted with pain: … Fine, I’ll trim my beard short later.

To Cui, her sons’ efforts to secure a better life—playing the fool and acting cute for her sake—only made her question if she herself was not as capable as her own children.

To Qin Teng and Qin Man, the old fool deserved every bit of this—he should count his blessings and be grateful. With their mother still around, they wouldn’t go so far as to finish him off.

To the household servants, it seemed a miracle was unfolding—perhaps the mistress would finally rise again! Was it still time to curry favor and change allegiances?

To the other concubines, it was infuriating. Didn’t they all have children? “Go, my child,” they urged, “learn from your elder brothers—cling to your father at once!”

Qin Ye wore a constant, smiling mask, inwardly cursing, surrounded by these children.

Then, he dragged his original self over to take the brunt, and became a spectator.

The original soul tried to flare up, but Qin Ye promptly delivered a thrashing to his spirit.

If this were the modern age, the original soul would be clamoring to give Qin Ye a negative review.

All was well—pain transferred, Qin Ye’s joy restored.

Qin Teng found the old fool increasingly odd. Since when was the old man so even-tempered? But once he caught a glimpse of the familiar impatience flicker across his face, Qin Teng relaxed. All was as it should be—the old fool was still the same old fool.

Mischief under the guise of closeness—giving the old man a good pummeling—was a common endeavor for the two, yet they had never been caught in the act. The old man surely wouldn’t want it known that he’d been battered into coughing blood by his own sons—such a display of frailty would be intolerable.

So he had to bear it, to endure.

They had no intention of wasting time embroiled in household intrigue. The concubines’ schemes amounted to little more than petty harassment for Qin Man, nothing truly harmful. Once they had the old fool under control, the concubines lost heart.

After all, the old matron had never recovered from her last fainting spell—she was now perpetually bedridden.

Qin Ye, inheriting his predecessor’s strengths, was adept at eating, drinking, and playing—managing the family’s affairs, however, was utterly beyond him. He found it all tiresome, and Liu Yu was equally useless, reducing the household’s expenses to the bare minimum. With the old lady sick and unable to supervise, what could be done?

He simply handed the family business back to Cui.

Cui herself was reluctant, until Qin Teng approached, face upturned in indignation. “Mother, I ran into a fraud today. He claimed to know my uncle, said my uncle is now a general and will soon return to take me riding. How could I not know I have an uncle? He thought I’d be so easily tricked!”

A sudden light flared in Cui’s once-dull eyes. “What else did he say?”

“He said you love sweets, but you clearly don’t. And he said you like going out, yet you never do.”

Her voice was gentle. “Anything more?”

Qin Teng, playing the innocent child, pretended not to notice the tears brimming in Cui’s eyes as he chattered on about her girlish hobbies from the past. Then, as if offhand, he added, “He told me to tell you, no matter what, to keep hope alive. I don’t really understand what he meant.”

“Keep hope alive?” Cui murmured to herself, turning away. “Mother is tired now. Teng’er, why don’t you go find your father?”

“Alright,” Qin Teng replied, skipping out. The moment he left, Cui broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

Qin Teng heard her weeping but feigned ignorance. His mood soured, he happened upon Liu Yu, who had always targeted his mother, strolling with Wu’er. He smirked, approaching them.

That evening, Liu Yu came crying to complain, claiming Qin Teng had taught Qin Wu to poison her.

Qin Ye, having just endured a bout of trouble from the two imposters, responded calmly, “Oh?”

“Cousin, Wu’er is just a child. If the young master cannot tolerate even his little brother, how will he ever tolerate you, Cousin?”

“Nonsense. Yesterday, I met a fortune-teller—a wandering immortal, no less—who read my son’s fate. He has the bearing of a great emperor, destined for glory and high office. My son’s future is so bright, how could he possibly be the malicious sort you describe?”

“I’m telling the truth,” Liu Yu protested.

“I think you’re hysterical. Never mind—there’s no need for you to manage the household anymore. Attend to the old matron, pray for her recovery, and hope she gets well soon.”

With that, Qin Ye decided Liu Yu’s fate with a single sentence. She tried to defend herself, but one look from Qin Ye made her abandon all hope.

She understood she had neither the standing nor the hope to argue.

Throughout history, women dependent on men have almost always met such fates. Cui, though born to nobility, found herself ground down by her husband’s family the moment she lost her natal kin. Outwardly, she managed the vast household impeccably, but what did it matter? Her husband and mother-in-law could dismiss her with a word.

Liu Yu strove desperately to improve her standing in her cousin’s eyes, but the moment she incurred his displeasure, she was cast aside.

A few days later, Qin Ye made an announcement.

The bedridden old matron was absent; only Cui, Concubine Xing, and a few children were present.

“Master, are you going to the county seat?”

This little town was pleasant enough—here, the Qin family were people of means and status. In the county seat, they would be small fish in a big pond. But Concubine Xing, missing the implications, was merely puzzled.

Qin Ye drew Qin Teng forward with pride. “A great man has said my son has the bearing of an emperor. Therefore, I’ve decided to provide him the best upbringing and conditions possible, to prepare him for future greatness.”

Already, the signs of chaos were showing throughout the land. The dynasty’s borders swarmed with bandits, while the emperor, convinced all was well, imprisoned anyone who dared mention the threat. Loyal ministers languished in jail; the disillusioned left the court, leaving only sycophants. The emperor, lost in dreams of prosperity, pressed the common people into service to build his summer retreat and prepared to lead a campaign himself against the northern tribes.

Before his campaign, he needed provisions—leading to exorbitant taxes that drove countless people into vagrancy.

Thus, Qin Ye’s remarks were not considered treasonous. To claim his son had the bearing of an emperor—once a punishable offense—now drew little attention. Who would bother with a wealthy country squire?

The truly powerful were all quietly raising private armies, using the imperial court as a shield, demanding military provisions in the name of suppressing bandits.

The world was clearly in the throes of a dynasty’s end, but only the emperor remained lost in the illusory splendor his courtiers conjured.

Qin Ye’s plan was to move the family to Mingzhou, a famous granary city. Once there, he need do nothing—his two impostor sons would handle everything.

Even the so-called great fortune-teller was Qin Man’s arrangement, meant to placate their father and stop his abuse.

It seemed, in hindsight, that the plan had succeeded a bit too well.

After the Qin family relocated to the county seat, Qin Man soon realized the apparent success was but an illusion.

Qin Ye simply found new amusements—cockfighting and dog races—leaving the responsibility to the others. He tossed a mud-stained book to Qin Teng, claiming it was a secret martial manual from his youth.

Qin Teng opened it to find three hundred nursery rhymes.

Qin Teng: … His own cursed curiosity had come back to bite him.

With their father now stable, Qin Teng immediately began arranging for letters to reach Cui’s brother, who was still in the army.

He could not afford to waste his prime years. With his younger brother holding down the fort, he was determined to join his uncle and make his own way amid the rigors of the military camp.