Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wenqing frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over Wei Liao without making a sound.

Wei Liao looked back, her eyes reflecting the same thoughts. Their gazes met for only a moment, yet they clearly understood each other's doubts.

Why does this sound so much like...a plan to sacrifice a pawn to save the king?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Zhou Wenqing shook his head.

It's not that I don't believe it—it's that I dare not believe it.

Where is this?

Before a single word was spoken, before any guilt was determined, and before even the half-mud stamp could be presented, Wang Wan probably had no idea what had happened, let alone whether there was any room for maneuver in this matter.

But is he already prepared to give up this son?

This is a bit too much...

Zhou Wenqing lowered his eyes and looked at the figure in the center of the hall that resembled a pool of mud.

Wang Ke was tightly bound, his mouth stuffed with rags, unable to make a sound. He could only cower there, looking utterly pathetic. He dared not look up, but couldn't help glancing at his father—who looked completely different from when he had just defiantly proclaimed, "I am the son of the Minister of Justice."

To be honest, Wang Ke was really not very capable—he could even be described as stupid.

But that depends on who you compare it to.

It wouldn't be surprising if anyone fell into the hands of Li Si and Wei Liao, but if you really compare Wang Ke to that group of spoiled brats in Xianyang—

Having served on the battlefield and earned military merits, the fact that Wang Wan would consider entrusting him with tasks demonstrates that he possesses some skill. Although he lacks common sense and is somewhat cruel and bloodthirsty, his ability to act is quite good, making him one of the more capable individuals among his peers.

What's more, this guy is the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and he was probably raised as the heir since he was a child.

How much effort did Wang Wan put into him?

More than 20 years of cultivation, from early literacy to official training, from fighting on the battlefield to navigating the court—every step was paved according to the path of succeeding him.

Just like that, without the slightest struggle... he gave up?

It shouldn't be... right?

Li Si was clearly not so optimistic. His face darkened, and his voice turned cold: "Is the Minister of Justice trying to evade responsibility? Does he not know why the King has summoned him?"

"I truly do not know."

Wang Wan answered extremely quickly, as if she had prepared those words long ago.

His gaze passed over Li Si and landed on the throne, his expression so calm that there was not a single flaw to be found.

"However, judging from this situation, it seems that my good-for-nothing son has done something wrong. I beg Your Majesty to enlighten me."

Ignore me?

Li Si almost laughed out of anger.

He took a step forward and stood face to face with Wang Wan, the two of them no more than three feet apart.

"Since the Minister of Justice claims he doesn't know, then fine, let me remind him—"

"Half an hour ago, your son Wang Ke, accompanied by four servants and armed with sharp blades, broke into a private residence at night with the intention of killing someone to cover it up. I was able to stop him and catch him red-handed on the spot."

"He also spouted wild words, saying that he was acting on his father's orders, which was extremely arrogant."

Li Si stared at Wang Wan's face, speaking each word clearly:

"Wang Tingwei, you didn't know about this either?"

Wang Wan's eyelids twitched violently.

So that's how it is. No wonder Li Si dared to surround his residence directly; he truly knew nothing about it.

What an idiot!

Acting on my father's orders?!

When did he ever receive such a fate?!

He clearly told him repeatedly not to touch Guanchi, not to make any rash moves, and to stay at home obediently. But what happened?

As it turned out, this fool not only made a move, but he also targeted such a dangerous person, personally leading his men to their door, only to be caught on the spot, and then spouting arrogant nonsense claiming he was acting on his father's orders?!

Wang Wan lowered his eyes, trying his best to maintain a calm expression, but the fire in his heart was burning so badly that it hurt his internal organs.

Rage, rage! It would be best if you lost your mind! Li Si pressed on relentlessly.

"Wang Tingwei, if you truly do not know, why did your son not implicate others, but instead implicate his own father? How do you, Tingwei, explain such a rebellious act?"

"An explanation?" Wang Wan sneered, but did not fall into his trap. "Since it was Chief Secretary Li who discovered this matter and caught my son on the spot, he must have already interrogated me thoroughly."

"Since you keep saying that my son is acting on his father's orders, then may I ask Chief Secretary Li—what orders did he give? When were they given? Where were they given? Are there any witnesses? Are there any physical evidence?"

He bombarded Li Si with four questions in one go, quickly and densely, giving him no chance to interrupt.

"If there is nothing, then I must explain..."

He stared into Li Si's eyes:

"I cannot help but question Chief Secretary Li's intentions."

"Was it obtained through torture?"

"Or is it a malicious attempt to frame me?"

"Since Chief Clerk Li has handled the case so carelessly, I cannot help but suspect that my son may also have been framed?"

This old fox!

Li Si gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly.

When he was forced into a fit of rage and failed to prove his innocence, the judge turned the tables on him and questioned the fairness of the trial. As expected of the Chief Justice, his reaction was quick!

He was about to speak in rebuttal—

"An arrest on the spot—how could it be fake?"

A voice came from the side.

Li Si turned his head and saw that Zhou Wenqing had gotten up at some point and was slowly walking towards the center of the hall.

"Didn't Wang Tingwei want evidence?"

Zhou Wenqing stopped in front of him, handed the lacquer box forward, his movements unhurried and deliberate:

"Why don't you take a look at these things and see if they look familiar?"

Wang Wan's gaze fell on the lacquer box and paused for a moment.

He didn't reach out to take it.

Zhou Wenqing wasn't in a hurry. He opened the box, took out the half-dried mud imprint, held it in his palm, and moved it forward, almost right in front of Wang Wan's eyes.

"Is this your personal seal?"

"You instructed others to commit serious crimes. In order to gain their trust, you used a private seal and offered them great rewards. Now that the matter has been exposed, you know that evidence has been left behind and fear that they will confess. Therefore, you let your son commit the crime in an attempt to destroy the evidence."

"Such ruthless and outrageous behavior has ironically exposed its flaws..."

He paused, his gaze suddenly sharpening, piercing straight into Wang Wan's eyes:

"Wang Wan, what else do you have to say?!"

Wang Wan lowered her eyes, staring at the half-mud print. She remained silent for a few moments, then raised her eyes and suddenly smiled.

"Zhou Neishi's words sounded righteous and eloquent, and the content was so rich that it seemed to be right before my eyes, extremely realistic. I admire him. If it weren't for the fact that he was accusing me, I would probably applaud Zhou Neishi."

He withdrew his gaze, his voice suddenly turning cold:

"Unfortunately... in the end, it's all just speculation."

"guess?"

Zhou Wenqing raised an eyebrow slightly.

"The Court of Justice speaks so lightly, but unfortunately, this seal cannot be faked; it is clearly—"

"What is it clearly?" Wang Wan suddenly interrupted him, her gaze falling on the half-mud print, and sighed.

The sigh was long and lingering, carrying an indescribable complexity, as if someone had finally made a difficult decision.

He turned around, faced the throne, and bowed deeply:

"Your Majesty, now that Chief Secretary Li and Inner Secretary Zhou have investigated the case to this extent—"

He paused, his voice trembling with a hint of bitterness:

"I have simply taken a wrong turn, and I dare not remain silent about it."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and looked at Zhou Wenqing. The coldness in his eyes was gone, replaced by a deep, almost bottomless weariness.

He raised his hand and pointed to the half-mud print in Zhou Wenqing's palm:

"The design of this seal is indeed identical to that of my 'household' seal, and no one can imitate it. I cannot refute this."

Admit it? !

Zhou Wenqing narrowed his eyes slightly, about to speak, but Wang Wan didn't give him the chance and continued:

"But this half of the mud seal is not mine."

Zhou Wenqing's hand, which was holding the mud seal, suddenly tightened.

Wang Wan had already raised her hand, her fingertips trembling slightly, pointing to the incomplete lower half of the imprint:

"This missing part below... is actually the private seal of my good-for-nothing son!"

Before anyone could react, Wang Wan had already turned around, facing the throne, and as if her bones had been removed, she slumped down and knelt down.

"My personal seal was made by the same craftsman and from the same piece of jade, split in two—originally intended to encourage my eldest son, to be seen as a successor, and for him to inherit my mantle in the future."

His voice was hoarse, trembling uncontrollably:

"But unexpectedly... he made such a grave mistake."

When Wang Wan looked up, her eyes were already glistening with a thin layer of tears.

"As a father, I failed to properly educate my son, spoiling him and causing him to harbor evil intentions and commit such a crime..."

"Your Majesty... cannot escape your guilt."

He bent down, his forehead touching the cold gold brick.

"We beg Your Majesty to punish us."

As he uttered the last few words, his voice trembled with tears, and he looked utterly heartbroken and filled with regret.

Zhou Wenqing's pupils suddenly contracted.

The candlelight flickered in his eyes, reflecting a fleeting chill in his gaze.

OK!

We really underestimated him, and underestimated this noble family!

He originally thought that Wang Wan was just quick-witted, good at maneuvering, cold-hearted, ruthless and decisive.

Now it seems that this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision at all, but clearly something that had been prepared in advance, so that the eldest son could be pushed out at any time to be the scapegoat!