We're Professionals at Acting

Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch.

Meanwhile, back in the afternoon, on Kang Shilin's side...

Wu Zong told Zhang Changshen that he wouldn't go looking for his master, but as soon as Zhang Changshen went to the palace, he left the house and rode his horse straight to Beining.

As soon as he entered, he shouted, "Master..." drawing out the sound.

Kang Shilin turned to look at Wu Zong, his brows furrowed. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Master, I haven't done well what you asked me to do." Wu Zong with a mournful face, his voice trembling with tears.

After years of working together, master and apprentice had performed the same trick countless times. As soon as Kang Shilin saw Wu Zong's expression, he knew that the kid was really up to something.

His small eyes darted around, his face hardened, and he sternly rebuked, "You can't even handle this little thing? What use are you as my disciple? Your junior sister calls you senior brother, yet you can't even buy her a farm or a shop?"

"If it were any other farmhouse, it wouldn't matter. But those women from the Wei Family abandoned your junior sister in the countryside to fend for herself; it's lucky she survived. Now that the Wei Qiu family's property is being sold, shouldn't your junior sister, as the aggrieved party, receive some land or shop?"

Wu Zong quickly replied, "No. There's only one estate left in Beining. Lord Zhang had already agreed to sell it to me, but then the second son of the Marquis of Pingnan came and accused our lord of favoritism, saying that my junior sister wasn't the victim. Our lord had no choice but to sell it to the Fu Family."

At this point, he seemed to break out in a sweat, wiping his forehead with his sleeve before continuing, "Our superiors said that the Marquis of Pingnan is stationed at the border. Since his family has made this request, it's not easy to refuse, lest people say that we don't care about the soldiers at the border. They're protecting the country at the front, and we wouldn't even allow them to buy a manor. It's easy to say, but hard to say."

Kang Shilin was originally cooperating with Wu Zong's act, but this time he was genuinely angered.

Yes, the Marquis of Pingnan was stationed at the border, but he still received many rewards from the imperial court. As a military general, he received a salary from the court, and for preferential treatment, the emperor granted him hundreds of acres of fertile land, and frequently bestowed gold and silver treasures upon him. Even so, he wasn't satisfied; he acted as if the entire Great Jin owed him something, wanting whatever he pleased, and expecting everything he pointed at to be his. Is there any justice in this world?

However, although Kang Shilin was an impatient person, he was also extremely shrewd and insightful. He was angry, but he knew he couldn't say it out loud.

He looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle and sighed sadly, "So be it. We are just painters, powerless and of little use to the court. Even if your junior sister's unique painting skills are of some use to the court, how can they compare to the soldiers stationed on the border? Let's just let this matter go."

He blinked hard, but couldn't squeeze out a single tear.

He hastily wiped his face with his sleeve and said, "Your junior sister didn't want to start this class at first. She said she was too young to take on students, and charging money wouldn't be appropriate; people would criticize her for being greedy. But I heard you say that this painting technique is very beneficial to the court. Whether in the capital or in various county offices, if someone understands this technique, criminals won't be able to escape. So I forced her to teach everyone."

"I originally wanted to buy her a manor as compensation, but now, I can't even do that. Sigh!"

When it came to the last line, his acting reached its peak. That sigh, with its deliberately convoluted tone, inexplicably evoked a sense of melancholy in this bleak autumn season.

Artists are often the most sentimental, and those present felt a sense of shared sorrow and grief, sighing and mourning along with them.

"How about... I give my estate to Layperson Zhiwei? It's in Beining, and its size is no less than that of Wei Qiu," Zhou Wenbai said.

Upon hearing Zhou Wenbai's words, everyone chimed in, "Yes, yes, I also own two shops in the capital, in good locations. I'll give them to Layperson Zhiwei as part of her dowry."

"I'll give you a two-courtyard house and a shop."

"My family's estate is in Nan'an County. Although it's Beining, the land is excellent..."

Wu Zong Zongrao had worked with his master many times, and even he was speechless when he saw this scene.

It was nothing more than buying a farm for her junior sister, and her resentment at the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence's interference. But with Master's superb acting, she not only gained so much wealth for her junior sister, but also completely cleared her name of all the criticisms leveled against her.

Although they certainly wouldn't accept these people's estates and shops, the students in the painting class were too embarrassed to learn their unique skills for nothing, so they sincerely offered up estates and shops worth ten thousand taels of silver. The story of the master and junior sister refusing the property and only accepting three thousand taels of silver was enough to spread throughout the entire Great Jin.

What a loving and touching relationship between teacher and student! The painting technique that the junior sister created with a fire poker in the stove was directly labeled as "worth ten thousand taels of silver." In the end, she only accepted a low price of 1,500 taels from the imperial court. This was the junior sister's selfless contribution to the Great Jin. From now on, if anyone dares to say that the junior sister is greedy for money by accepting money from the imperial court, they can use this incident to tear them apart.

As expected, experience truly matters. Master's skill remains as profound as ever, undiminished from its prime, which is truly admirable.

For a time, Wu Zong's admiration for his master was as boundless as the surging river.

Sure enough, when Kang Shilin saw everyone offering up their land and property, his eyes widened in anger, and he said, "What do you take us for? Who wants your land and houses? Are you trying to put us, master and disciple, in an unjust position? Alright, all of you go back and say no more. This ceremony is off; I'm taking my little disciple on a journey in a couple of days."

"Get out, get out, all of you!" He shooed people away.

When everyone realized that Kang Shilin wasn't just saying things out of anger, but was serious, they all got anxious.

Before they learned, it was fine. Now that they've just tasted the flavor of meat and are starting to understand its nuances, they're just getting hooked. But if they're told that they won't be taught anymore, they'll be so anxious that they won't be able to sleep for several nights.

Isn't this going to kill someone?

"Everyone, go back first. I'll try to persuade my master. He's in a bad mood, and it's understandable that he said some hurtful things." Wu Zong started to play the good cop, winking and gesturing to everyone to leave.

After everyone left, Wu Zong returned to the painting academy, gave his master a thumbs-up, and grinned, praising, "Master, you're awesome!"

"Hmph, you're still too green to compare with me."

"Yes, yes, yes, you're definitely an old fox." Wu Zong used all his flattery skills to Gao Xing his master, fearing that he might really upset him and let it fester in his heart.

"Where is your junior sister?" Kang Shilin asked.

"At the Court of Judicial Review, they've already painted a portrait that looks remarkably like the criminal, and they're planning to paint more and post them everywhere."

"Oh dear, Master, you have no idea how amazing your new little apprentice is..."