Chapter 11: The East Wing's Wine Sacrifice

  "Haha, Uncle Bao! I wasn't wrong, was I? Your third son is indeed a rare talent!" Li Shimin laughed and said, "He can brew divine wine, play the qin well, and write such excellent calligraphy. He's multi-talented, truly rare!"

  Qin Shubao was also surprised and delighted, cupping his hands: "Your Majesty is overpraising. My son's literary skills are not accomplished, his martial arts are not proficient, these trivial and insignificant tricks cannot be brought into the hall, what talent is there to speak of?"

  "There's no need to be overly modest." Li Shimin instructed the attending servant to carefully put away the score, and smiled as he looked at Qin Mubai, saying, "Qin Sanlang, you possess extraordinary skills that set you apart from others, and you are also a renowned official and a descendant of a prestigious military family. Have you ever thought about your future responsibilities?"

  "I shall report back to Your Majesty. I was ordered to return home and care for my ailing father, so I won't think about anything else for the time being." Qin Mu Bai replied.

  "Rebellious and foolish!" Qin Shubao rebuked sternly, "A man's ambition lies in the four directions. As your father, I have not yet ascended to heaven, so there is no need for you to observe mourning rites. The mansion has many servants, why do you need to attend to me?"

  "The father teaches, the child knows wrong." Qin Mubai nodded in response, but secretly laughed to himself: interesting. I'm letting him off for now, and Father is helping me by scolding him. The two of us are still performing a duet in front of the Emperor.

  "Haha, filial piety is the most important, Qin Sanlang can't be blamed for that!" Li Shimin smiled and nodded slightly, thinking for a moment before saying, "Originally, I saw that you have a special talent and wanted to let you enter the Taichang Temple's music department as a palace musician. But then I thought, you come from a military family with a high status, how could you become a lowly entertainer? It wouldn't be suitable. Moreover, if I arrange for you to take on other official duties, you would have to frequently attend court and handle affairs, which might affect your service to your father. So although I want to promote you, it's actually quite difficult. Why don't you tell me yourself, what kind of position do you want?"

  Blank check? --- Qin Mubai's heart couldn't help but feel a little excited, and it was a signed blank check from the emperor himself, fill in the amount yourself!

  Qin Shubao remained silent on the side, it was clear that he didn't want to express any opinion at this time, otherwise it would seem a bit pretentious and overdone. He could only quietly observe and let his son handle it himself.

  Qin Mubai thought to himself: The entertainers of today can't compare to the movie stars of the 21st century, they're the lowest of the lowly, not even worthy of being classified among the "four great classes" of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Moreover, the Tang Dynasty rules with benevolence and filial piety, Li Shimin's thoughts are indeed thorough. Now that he's given me a blank check, what rank or official position should I reasonably ask for?... Alas, I'm not too familiar with the Tang Dynasty's official system!

  Just as Qin Mubai was in a difficult thought, Li Ke, who had been silent and listening on the side, seemed to see his difficulties, stood up and bowed: "Father Emperor, I have something to say."

  Speak.

  "Thank you, Father Emperor," Li Ke said. "There happens to be a vacancy in my mansion for the position of Seventh-Rank Dongge Sacrificial Wine Officer, which should suit Qin Mubai well. The affairs of the Dongge Sacrificial Wine Officer are not busy, and my mansion is also not far from the Qin Mansion, so Qin Mubai can still return home to serve Wing Country Duke after attending court every day. Moreover, it's not convenient for Father Emperor to take a teacher to learn arts, but I am free to do so. If Qin Mubai comes to my mansion as an official, I can learn winemaking, music, and calligraphy from him, and also practice martial arts and archery with him under the guidance of Wing Country Duke. This is better than letting me idle around every day doing nothing. Please grant your imperial approval!"

  "Hmm? This proposal of yours is not bad." Li Shimin thought for a moment and nodded, "But this Eastern Chamber Jiu from the seventh rank, the official position is lowly and the salary is meager, I wonder what you father and son think?"

  "The dog son has no talent or virtue, and has not achieved anything. I think that even giving him a low-ranking official position is too much of an honor, it would make me feel ashamed and uneasy." Qin Uncle Treasure cupped his hands and bowed solemnly, "Moreover, I worry that with the dog son's incompetence and ineptness, can he handle the position of Dongge Sacrificial Wine in the Wu Wang Fu? Please consider this, Your Majesty and Wu Wang San Si."

  "Uncle Bao, you're being too modest." Li Shimin smiled nonchalantly and turned to ask, "Qin Sanlang, are you willing?"

  "Your Majesty has ordered that Wu Wang be treated with kindness, and I am deeply grateful. I am only worried that I have no experience in government and fear that I will not be able to handle the task, and having been appointed without merit, I fear that I will not be able to win the respect of the people," said Qin Mu Bai.

  "Haha, you are indeed a father and son who have inherited the bloodline, with an overly modest common disease." Li Shimin smiled and said, "My meritorious officials and their sons inherit, seal a relative king's mansion seven products east pavilion sacrificial wine, who will have any dissenting opinions? No one is born to be an official, learn! —— That's settled then, Qin Mubai, I personally appoint you as the East Pavilion Sacrificial Wine of the Wu King's Mansion, as long as your father Qin Shubao allows it, you can take office at any time!"

  "Thanks to Your Majesty for your great kindness! Long live our Emperor, may he live forever and ever!" The father and son were just about to kowtow when they heard the mountain calling out in gratitude.

  "No need for courtesy!" Li Shimin laughed heartily, "Come on, let's continue the feast! I'd like to hear this tune again. Qin Mubai, play it once more!"

  "Your humble servant obeys!"

  In the blink of an eye, Qin Mu Bai's self-proclaimed title changed from "little person" to "humble minister".

  At the banquet, wine was spoken of joyfully, and the pipa melody floated in the air above the Qin Mansion. From time to time, the hearty laughter of Emperor Li Shimin echoed out. The imperial guards and palace staff at the gate of the mansion thought to themselves: Since Empress Changsun passed away, the emperor had probably not laughed so heartily for at least half a year. Today he was so happy, the Qin Mansion would surely receive great favors.

  It wasn't until nightfall that Li Shimin took Li Ke and bid farewell to leave. The father and son had both drunk a lot of "Qin Xian wine" and were staggering as they walked.

  After sending away the emperor, Qin Shubao and Qin Mubai let out a long sigh together, feeling relieved.

  "Sanlang, come to your father's room for a chat."

  The two men entered the house. Qin Shubao looked at Qin Mubai's rare and gentle smile, and said: "Third son, will you blame your father for being too demanding and biased towards you in the past?"

  "What are you talking about, Father?" Qin Mu Bai cupped his hands and smiled, "If Father didn't have strict demands and prejudices against me in the past, that would be wrong."

  "Oh, why?"

  "It is often said that a son's misbehavior is his father's fault," Qin Mubai said, "In the past, my child was disobedient and did many things that damaged my reputation and dignity. A father must correct him, otherwise it would be indulgence. From this point of view, you are a good father."

  "Haha, good! You've been away from home for three years, and not only have your skills improved greatly, but you've also become knowledgeable and understanding of the greater meaning. Good, good." Qin Shubao nodded with some comfort, stroking his beard, and after a moment's thought, said, "As my father has been ill for many years, although he still holds the position of Left Guard General, he has long since withdrawn from court politics and military affairs, and it's inevitable that people have lost interest. Obviously, the Emperor came today specifically for you, and holds you in high regard. However, this regard is not because you possess any great talent or ability, but merely some trivial skills that happened to cater to the Emperor's private whims and gained his temporary favor. If you want to achieve something truly great in the future, you must continually improve yourself. There are many things to learn about literature, martial arts, and being an official - do you understand?"

  "My father's teachings, I will remember in my heart." Qin Mu Bai bowed his hands and said, "I understand that relying solely on some clever tricks is not enough to establish myself. As a child born into a noble family during a prosperous era, I will definitely work hard and strive for progress every day, and I dare not be even slightly arrogant or unworthy, lest I tarnish my father's great reputation."

  "A hero doesn't mention his past bravery, and the so-called 'eternal fame' is already a thing of the past that's not worth mentioning." Qin Shubao waved his hand and said, "As the saying goes, 'a poor family produces a filial son, while a wealthy one raises an unfilial child.' You were previously spoiled and disobedient, and as your father, I was truly disappointed. Now that you can be so sensible, it's a great comfort to me as your father. Now, all I hope for is that in the future, you'll be able to forge your own path and not rely on the emperor's favor towards me from old times. You understand that emotions and relationships are the most unbreakable bonds, but also the most unreliable things?"

  "Dad, don't worry, I understand." Qin Mubai smiled slightly and said, "I will work hard to climb up step by step, not only to achieve a life of glory, but also to bring honor to the Qin family."

  Qin Mubai was taken aback for a moment, his sword-like eyebrows slightly raised as he stared at Qin Mubai, nodding slightly and saying in a deep voice: "Ambitious, good! But I hope this is not just empty talk."

  "I will prove it with action." Qin Mu Bai nodded and smiled, then asked, "By the way, Father, what does the official position of Dong Ge Sacrificial Wine specifically do?"

  Qin Shu Bao chuckled and stroked his beard: "It's a pretty laid-back job as an official in the Prince's mansion, although it's ranked seventh grade like a regular county magistrate, but there's not much real power or major tasks. Mainly responsible for receiving guests from the prince's mansion, arranging banquets, music and dance performances."

  Qin Mubai was taken aback for a moment, and sneered in his heart: Isn't that just a hotel manager? ... Forget it, be content with what you have. Anyway, he has already stepped into officialdom, let's take it slow! Those commoner officials who studied hard through the window, participating in the imperial examination, may not necessarily get a seventh-rank official position even after ten or more years of hard work.

  The father and son had a heart-to-heart talk, parting ways late at night.

  He finally felt some of the "blood is thicker than water" feelings of a biological father and son, Qin Mu Bai's mood became even more pleasant. As he returned to his room, the effects of the alcohol began to take hold, and he inadvertently hummed a popular song. Just as he was about to open the door, a voice suddenly came from behind him: "Third Brother, what kind of lewd song are you humming?"

  "Little sister?" Qin Mu Bai chuckled, "It's so late, why aren't you sleeping? What are you doing here?"

  Qin Shuang'er stood up from the stone bench in the courtyard, giggling and saying: "I've been waiting for you here for a long time, I want to chat with you."

  "Only talking about King Wu?" Qin Mu Bai joked with a smile, and Qin Shuang Er's face turned red: "Bad egg!"

  "Let's go inside and talk."

  The brother and sister sat down in the house, Qin Shuang'er was still very thoughtful, early prepared a bowl of wine soup for Qin Mu Bai to drink.

  "Whoever marries this good sister of mine will be blessed with good fortune for eight lifetimes." Qin Mu Bai said with a smile, "Feng Er, tell Third Brother the truth, what's going on between you and Wu Wang?"