Chapter 80: My Child Bears the Presence of a Great Emperor (6)

Qin Ye regretfully withdrew his gaze. After all, that was someone else’s chicken, not his own—he couldn’t just decide to stew it on a whim. He shifted his attention back to the cockfight in the ring, watching with great interest, when he suddenly felt someone attacking him. He dodged quickly.

But then he realized that dodging didn’t quite fit the image he’d cultivated—an idle, good-for-nothing old dandy, aimless and useless. So, instead, he grabbed hold of the big black dog.

“Dahei, go get him!”

Dahei obediently barked and charged forward, only to come flying back even faster, having been kicked back onto Qin Ye, landing heavily on top of him.

The dog let out a miserable howl, and the man groaned in pain. Dahei’s sheer weight alone nearly left Qin Ye paralyzed. Fearing he’d end up as dog stew, Dahei struggled to his feet, tail tucked, standing protectively before his master.

“Well, Qin Youde, do you still recognize who I am?”

His family name was Qin, given name Ye, courtesy name Youde.

But very few people knew his courtesy name; only those who’d met him during the Qin family’s impoverished days. For instance, members of the Cui family.

The young man in armor calling himself “Young Master” was clearly from the Cui clan—one look at his handsome face, so strikingly similar to his sister Cui Yuwan, made that obvious.

In this era, girls were considered of little worth. Even daughters of noble families were usually called only by a childhood nickname—no proper name—much less those from lesser houses. It was Qin Ye who had named Cui Yuwan. After marriage, if a husband truly cared for his wife, he might give her a name known only to those closest to her. Back then, Qin Ye had been little more than a pretty face living off his wife’s wealth. Having married into the illustrious Cui family, he’d been secretly delighted.

To show his devotion, he’d pored over the classics and bestowed upon his wife the name Yuwan, meaning “endowed with grace and beauty, gentle and lovely.”

Yet, that grand show of devotion hadn’t lasted a lifetime—his true colors had shown before long.

After discovering where his sister and brother-in-law were now living, Cui Ge had come with only his personal guard. Upon arriving in the county town, he hadn’t gone straight to them to reveal himself, but had chosen instead to watch from the shadows.

When that pretty boy had shamelessly wooed his sister, Cui Ge had suspected he was no good. Later, when disaster befell the Cui family and he himself had fallen from grace, suffering hardship, he’d even consoled himself that at least his sister had married early and left Langya City with her husband.

But that had been then. Since then, Cui Ge’s own talents had allowed him to rise in the military ranks. He’d met an upright superior like Li Bing, and soon regained all the youthful vigor and confidence he’d lost.

Now, returning in glory, Cui Ge naturally saw fit to go undercover first—to see whether, in all these years since the Cui family’s fall, Qin had remained true to his sister or had revealed his ugly side at once.

If it were the former, Cui Ge would apologize and treat him as kin henceforth. But if it were the latter—well, even if he weren’t now a general of the imperial court, he’d still have all the martial skill he’d honed since boyhood.

Clearly, the results of his investigation were unfavorable, otherwise he wouldn’t have rolled up his sleeves and started a fight as soon as he found Qin Ye.

Qin Ye grinned cheerfully, swearing internally, and greeted him with forced enthusiasm, “You… you’re Little Ge, aren’t you? It’s me, your brother-in-law Youde!”

“Like hell. With a courtesy name like that, you ought to be called Youdepraved, not Youdecent.”

Cui Ge wasn’t having any of it—he raised his foot and kicked.

Well, there was really nothing else for it.

Qin Ye immediately dragged the original’s memory forward to take the beating.

The third party seemed about to interject, but then fell silent, feigning disconnection under the sudden threat of that dazzling golden sword energy.

Ah, the client should really be content. After all, who else is lucky enough to send a posthumous commission to have their last wishes fulfilled? Only someone with cosmic virtue could expect such luck. So, could he not just suck it up and give his task-bearer a good review at the end?

As the saying goes, only when everyone’s happy is it truly well.

Surely the client would understand that.

Qin Ye returned home with a face black and blue.

Qin Man, seeing him battered, paused, then clenched his fists. “Who did this?”

Scheming to get rid of the old fool was his business, but if anyone else dared lay a hand on him first, it would be an insult to both him and his brother!

Qin Ye rushed over and hugged Qin Man, wailing.

After his sobbing complaint: “It was Cui Ge!”

Qin Man: …

He unclenched his fists. “Father, it must be because you caused trouble outside again and got yourself into a brawl.”

Cui Ge, trailing behind, snorted with laughter. “Qin Wude, you really are shameless—getting beaten up and coming home to tattle to your six or seven year old son. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“You know nothing. My son Qin Teng has the bearing of an emperor, my son Qin Man is a first-rate strategist. You, a lone brute who only knows how to use your fists, can hardly understand the joy and security of having such brilliant children.”

Though it was the original who’d earned the beating, and Qin Ye felt he deserved it, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t snap back at Cui Ge.

Cui Ge’s lips twitched at the insult, itching to teach this scoundrel just what pain a brute could inflict.

But then his eyes met the bright gaze of a slightly frail-looking boy in scholar’s robes, and he stopped short.

If he couldn’t spare a thought for the father, he could at least spare one for the nephew.

Cui Ge and Qin Man locked eyes. While Cui Ge was still searching for the right words, Qin Man had already stepped forward, tilting his face up. “You’re my uncle, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Mother says that no matter what hardships we face, there’s no need to fear—because Uncle, who is healthy and well, is the greatest general and hero in all the land. He’ll come with his mighty army and save us all from the fire and flood!”

Cui Ge’s eyes reddened. “Is that what your mother told you?”

“Of course. Uncle is a great hero—Mother always says so.”

Cui Ge knelt and lifted Qin Man high. “And your name is Wubing?”

“Because I was always sick, Mother named me Wubing—‘Without Illness’—so that sickness would stay far away, and I could grow up healthy and strong, to become a hero like Uncle.”

Qin Ye found the sight truly unbearable. His children had always looked at him, their father, with such worship and adoration.

Unable to bear it, Qin Ye sidled over. “How come your father never knew you had a nickname like Wubing?”

Qin Man: …

He’d had no intention of making the old fool look bad, but if the man insisted on butting in, he couldn’t be blamed for what followed.

Qin Man put on an innocent, well-behaved smile. “Perhaps it’s because Father never really paid any attention to Wubing or Mother before.

Mother was made to kneel at the gate by Grandmother before dawn every day, rain or shine, never once spared. In the dead of winter, she had to kneel in the snow until Grandmother rose. Wubing and my brother felt sorry for Mother and wanted to ask Grandmother’s blessing on her behalf.

But Grandmother forbade it, saying it was Mother’s duty as a daughter-in-law. Wubing thought Father would surely take Mother’s side, so I snuck off to complain to him.

But Father scolded me for disrespecting my elders, accused Mother of teaching me rebellion, and impatiently kicked me away.”

The smile on Cui Ge’s face gradually faded. “He kicked you?”

Qin Ye: …

He dropped his hands and bolted.

Shameless brat, tattling like this!

Qin Teng trained in martial arts every day, leading a gang of rough-and-tumble boys, older than him by a year or two, out before dawn and returning only at dusk. Like a local strongman with a band of loyal followers, more than ten boys from all walks of life—rich, poor, even street urchins—clustered around Qin Teng.

As usual, he came home just as night was falling.

No sooner had he stepped inside than two dark shapes sprang at him from the shadows.

Qin Teng kicked reflexively, his hand slipping a cold, gleaming dagger from his sleeve.

“Ah! Dahei, you’re on top of me again.”

“Woof, woof…”

Qin Teng: ???

The lamps were lit along the road and at the gate—Madam Cui had ordered them so her son wouldn’t stumble on his way home. Yet Qin Ye and Dahei had hidden in a corner and leapt out all at once; all Qin Teng had seen was two shadows flying at him.

“Old… Father, what are you doing now?”

He almost blurted out “old fool.”

“Teng’er, you have to stand up for your father!”

In the lamplight, Qin Ye’s face was swollen nearly twice its size.

Qin Teng’s lips curled upward. He tried desperately to suppress the smile, but it was hopeless—how could he not smile at such a sight?

Poor old fool—he hadn’t even had his turn yet, and someone else had already beaten him to it.

Dahei whimpered, biting at his master’s sleeve.

Let’s go, master—this one’s not going to help you. Let’s slip away.

Qin Ye shook off the dog, clinging to Qin Teng. “Wah! Teng’er, that Cui fellow has gone too far—he’s beaten me like this! He may have struck me, but he’s also slapping your face!”

Qin Teng folded his arms. “It’s fine. If he’s not satisfied after hitting the left side, I’ll offer him my right as well.”

Qin Ye had expected as much. He howled and wailed all night.

Inside the house, after a tearful reunion with her younger brother, Madam Cui finally composed herself. Her voice was cold. “Tell him to stop howling. He’s giving me a headache.”

“My lady, how is it that your beautiful, warm lips can utter such chilling words?”

Cui rolled her eyes. After the fall of the Cui family, she learned of her parents’ deaths and was overcome with grief. Later, she discovered her brother, sister-in-law, and infant nephew had all perished as well, with only her youngest brother missing.

Immediately, she used her dowry, spreading money far and wide in hopes of finding him.

Her husband, the one she’d relied on, upon hearing the news, snatched her dowry away and placed her under house arrest.

Afterward, Madam Liu of the Qin family took on the airs of a mother-in-law and found ever new ways to torment her.