When Decius stood outside the rainmaker’s house, he felt that something was not right. He wondered how the whole thing got to where it was today.
It was supposed to be a job that did not require much effort. All he needed to do was to sit still and keep an eye on the workers. Once he got his job done, he was supposed to be appreciated by the emperor. However, he ended up looking for a man with a red birthmark all over the city with Zhang Heng. But as Zhang Heng said, at this point, the only way out for him was to look for the mastermind behind this matter. Otherwise, if he angered Commodus, he would not only lose his job, but it might also affect the emperor’s trust in his family.
Unlike him, Zhang Heng looked calm and relaxed from the beginning to the end. He even took out the time to see the tenants in the corridor. Decius was a bit unsure of what was going on with Zhang Heng. He thought that Zhang Heng would have to bear a part of the responsibility if he failed to ensure that the bronze statues were delivered on time. Or was he preparing to push all the blame to Decius? If that were the case, Decius would be living a miserable life after that.
Decius was so nervous that he continued to knock on his friend’s door. The latter was still taking a nap, but the continuous knocking on his door woke him up. Getting up from the bed, he groggily slipped on his clothes. While he was walking around in the house, Zhang Heng and Decius could hear the creaking of the floorboards. After that, he hurriedly opened the door and poked his head out.
“It’s you, aren’t you supposed to be busy with casting the bronze statue? Why are you here looking for me?” Decius’s friend was a little surprised when he saw the people outside the door.
“We are in a bit of a pickle, and we need your help.” Decius glanced at Zhang Heng quickly, not knowing how much information he should reveal to his friend. However, Zhang Heng did not say a single word. So, in the end, Decius asked the most crucial question: “We are looking for someone with a red birthmark on his face.”
“A person with a red birthmark on his face?” Decius’s friend shrugged, “Uh… I haven’t heard of such a person, is there anything else?”
“Huh?” The reply startled Decius. “No… nothing else.”
“Then I hope you can find the person that you are looking for as soon as possible.” Decius’s friend was about to close the door as he spoke.
But the next moment, a hand jammed the door that he was about to close.
“Mind if we come in and sit down?” Zhang Heng asked.
“To be honest, my house is a mess,” Decius’s friend rubbed his disheveled hair and said.
“It doesn’t matter. We are not here to build a relationship with you.” After Zhang Heng finished speaking, he stepped into his house.
Decius’s friend wanted to stop him, but his small body was quickly pushed aside by Zhang Heng.
“Ah, who are you?! I don’t even know you! Why did you break into my house?” Decius’s friend screamed.
Zhang Heng ignored him and looked around his place. As its owner had said, the room was an awful mess, with wine bottles and dirty clothes everywhere. Two drunk women were also on the bed. Apart from that, being a unit on the second floor with a balcony, the rent was expensive. The place could be compared to Zhang Heng’s insula by the Tiber River.
“Uh, this is Zhang Heng, the gladiatorial champion of the Amphitheatrum Flavium. He is also an advisor to His Majesty the Emperor.” Decius tried his best to calm the situation. “This is my friend, Klaus. He is a rainmaker and works for the senators.”
“Gladiator? No wonder you solve your problems with brute force. I am not like you. I rely on my brain and mouth to eat,” Klaus sneered.
“If you are smart enough, you should’ve been more polite. If you had upset me, I’d probably have thrown you out of here,” Zhang Heng said casually.
When Klaus heard that, his expressions changed. Not daring to look at Zhang Heng, he turned to his friend, Decius, instead. He was clearly irritated. “What is going on? Can you give me an explanation?!”
“This is a misunderstanding… a misunderstanding,” Decius quickly explained, “We are tracking down a man with a red birthmark on his face. Consultant Zhang Heng thinks that he should be working for a high-ranking person in the Senate. I know you know a lot of people in the Senate. That’s why I came to you.”
“You are really good at making trouble for your friends.” Klaus pulled the sheets and covered the two women on the bed. “I made it very clear when you were outside the door. I have no idea about the person that you are talking about.”
“Uhh… think about it again. This matter is essential to us,” Decius coaxed with a smile.
And Zhang Heng, on the other side, also spoke up, “I heard Decius say that when a bill is submitted to the Senate, your job is to persuade those who originally agree or disagree with the bill to change their mind.”
“Uh-huh. What does that have to do with this matter?” Klaus had no intention to treat Zhang Heng politely because he was worried that Zhang Heng would throw him downstairs. Hence, he did not dare to say anything provocative anymore.
“I believe there’s something fishy about this incident. Should I appoint two guards to follow you all the time?”
“How can you do that?!” Klaus snarled.
“Because I am the emperor’s adviser. It is my job to investigate the corruption of the Senate and ensure that the empire develops better.”
“So, you want to investigate the corruption within the Senate. Even if you are the emperor’s advisor, I don’t believe that you dare offend so many nobles,” Klaus scoffed.
“Who told you I’m going to offend those nobles? I just want to find a right reason to send someone to keep an eye on you,” Zhang Heng said indifferently. “I don’t care how corrupt the Senate is, nor do I care about what your colleagues do every day.”
Klaus was frightened and furious. He finally knew what Zhang Heng was planning to do. For people like them who help their employers do private deals, staying low-key was their way of survival. If two guards were keeping an eye on him all the time, he would not be able to move freely. Besides, the competition in this line was very fierce. If he did not perform well, he would be replaced by other rainmakers in a month or two.
“If I were you, I would answer his questions honestly,” Zhang Heng pointed at Decius.
Klaus’s expression changed. He then walked to the table and poured himself a glass of water. After drinking it to calm himself down, he asked, “Why are you guys looking for such a person?”
But this time, before Zhang Heng opened his mouth, Klaus spoke, “Forget it, don’t tell me, I don’t want to know.”
“You are indeed the rainmaker, a wise move.” Zhang Heng praised.
Klaus quickly wrote down an address on the papyrus and handed it to Decius. “The person you are looking for is also a rainmaker like me. Forgive me for not telling you where he lives. Being nosy is taboo in our line of job. It is better to keep ourselves out of unnecessary troubles.”
“I can understand that.” Decius accepted the note and apologized, “I’m sorry about this time. I will buy you a drink when the matter is over.”
“No. I will be grateful if you can forget about me.” Klaus replied with a sullen face.
