Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Like a fish in water...

These four words, spoken by the monarch, carried more weight than any reward. The assembled officials exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with shock. Their gazes darted back and forth between the throne and Zhou Wenqing, unsure of how to react.

Li Si was the first to come to his senses.

He raised his glass, smiling, and said loudly:

"Your Majesty is wise! The Zhou Inner Historian's presentation of these three treasures is truly a blessing for Qin. Your Majesty, I offer my congratulations!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the courtiers seemed to awaken from a dream, and they all rose to echo their sentiments:

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on acquiring such a worthy minister! Heaven blesses the Qin Dynasty!"

"Zhou Neishi is a man of exceptional intelligence; truly a gift from heaven to the Qin Dynasty!"

Praises rose and fell, echoing throughout the hall. Whether sincere or feigned, they all turned into eager gazes directed at that slender figure.

Zhou Wenqing was stunned for a moment.

He never expected the king to say such a thing in front of all the courtiers and envoys from the six kingdoms.

Zhou Wenqing looked up in surprise, only to meet Ying Zheng's smiling eyes.

It felt as if something had gently bumped into a corner of my heart, causing warm ripples that spread from my chest to my limbs and bones.

He lowered his eyes, took a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions, and reached for the wine cup in front of him:

"I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's favor. I am unworthy of such kindness and ability. I have only done my best to share Your Majesty's burdens."

Zhou Wenqing raised his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips, a warmth emanating from his eyes, and said sincerely:

"To be able to serve Your Majesty is the greatest honor of my life. I will serve you with all my heart in the future..."

"Very well, Zhou Aiqing, there's no need for further words."

Ying Zheng interrupted him with a smile, picked up the teacup on the table, and raised it towards him.

"Come, let us, my beloved minister, drink tea instead of wine to celebrate this moment!"

Zhou Wenqing's hand froze in mid-air.

He looked down at the wine cup he had just picked up, then at the tea cup in Ying Zheng's hand, and suddenly chuckled.

Your Majesty, is it truly...?

He casually set down his wine cup, picked up the teacup with both hands, and bowed slightly to Ying Zheng across the hall.

"My lord, I respect you, your Majesty."

Ying Zheng drank his tea with a smile, his gaze remaining fixed on him.

All the officials in the hall raised their glasses in unison:

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"

The cry of "Respect, Your Majesty!" echoed throughout the hall, lingering for a long time.

At the seats of the envoys from the six countries, all the envoys rose, their faces plastered with polite smiles, but beneath those smiles, there was an undercurrent of their own thoughts.

The Qi envoy held a wine cup, his face beaming with smiles, but his eyes kept glancing at the stove.

He quickly calculated in his mind: Qi and Qin have always been on good terms and haven't had any major conflicts in recent years. If this thing could be used in Qi—in studies and warm chambers, for banquets and entertaining guests, without smoke or ash... wonderful! If he could bring it back, it would be a great achievement. He wondered if the Qin people would be willing to sell it.

The Zhao envoy's gaze lingered on Zhou Wenqing thoughtfully, remaining fixed on him for a long time.

He secretly weighed the options in his mind: This young scribe Zhou is so favored by the King of Qin, and his gifts just now were all ingenious ideas that he had never heard of before. If he could persuade him...

He lowered his eyes, concealing the calculating glint in them, while his face remained gracious and gentle.

The Yan envoy responded politely, but the hostage Yan Yuan drank his wine alone, his eyes downcast, as if the surrounding festivities had nothing to do with him.

But the hand holding the wine cup had white knuckles and was trembling slightly.

What a perfect match between ruler and minister!

How perfectly they were in their element!

Congratulations to the Qin state! It's like a tiger with wings.

He tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp. The wine was spicy and made his throat feel tight.

At the very edge of the seating area, a young man among the Korean envoys stared intently at Zhou Wenqing, his gaze unwavering.

He stared at the smiling figure holding the tea, at the tacit understanding between the man and the King of Qin as they smiled at each other, and stared for a long time.

Then, he nodded very slightly, gesturing to the leading envoy.

it's him.

The Korean envoy withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes, and maintained his respectful and proper smile.

But that smile never reached his eyes.

……

The tea has been served, but the banquet must continue; Brother Gu'an's gift has not yet been presented.

Taking advantage of the heightened atmosphere, Zhou Wenqing put down his teacup, smiled, and looked at the throne, his tone relaxed:

"Your Majesty, I merely used the tools without permission. I am truly unworthy of such praise from Your Majesty."

He paused, glanced at Li Si, and his smile deepened.

"But Li Tingwei is quick-witted and skilled in strategy, truly a pillar of the nation. My meager skills are no match for his ability to share the burdens of Your Majesty. When Li Tingwei presents his gifts later, Your Majesty might change your mind. Having Li Tingwei is like a fish in water."

After he finished speaking, he added, his tone tinged with a playful, teasing tone:

"When the time comes, Your Majesty must not forget your old friend."

As soon as he finished speaking, a light, friendly laugh rang out in the hall, bringing the atmosphere to a climax.

Li Si paused slightly in his hand holding the wine cup, and glanced at Zhou Wenqing with a deep look in his eyes.

His eyes clearly said: Brother Zicheng, I just got you out of a tight spot, and now you're going to put me on the spot?

But the barely suppressed smile at the corner of his mouth betrayed his true feelings.

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng burst into loud laughter, a hearty and unrestrained laugh that echoed throughout the hall.

"Minister Zhou, you..." He shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness, but the smile in his eyes was impossible to hide. "So eloquent and persuasive, yet you claim to be only skilled in craftsmanship?"

He finished laughing, his gaze shifting back and forth between Zhou Wenqing and Li Si, his eyes filled with satisfaction:

"Both of you are my trusted advisors, complementing each other perfectly. I am truly blessed to have you both; there is no distinction between new and old fish."

Having said that, he glanced sideways at Li Si, his tone now carrying a hint of expectation:

"Minister Li, Minister Zhou has praised your gift to the skies. Why don't you present it quickly and let me see what kind of generous gift could make Minister Zhou feel so inferior?"

Zhou Wenqing smiled and sat back down, using the backward movement to conceal the fleeting smile in his eyes.

The King has always been unconcerned with hiding his feelings and has a clear sense of right and wrong—this is clearly him supporting Brother Gu'an.

Having said all that, he wanted to see if anyone would dare to spoil the king's mood at a time like this and jump out to find fault and oppose him.

He put down his teacup and glanced subtly at Changping-jun.

The man maintained his humble and polite smile, nodding slightly, as if genuinely pleased that Zhou and Li had received praise.

But the moment Ying Zheng finished speaking, Zhou Wenqing saw it clearly.

He lowered his eyes almost immediately, his fingers tightened slightly on the wine cup for a moment, his brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed again, and he casually picked up the cup and took a sip.

The movements were fluid and seamless, executed in one breath, so fast it was as if nothing had happened.

But Zhou Wenqing saw it.

He looked away, took a sip of tea, and smiled slightly.

now it's right.

Over there, Li Si stood up amidst the attention of the crowd.

He straightened his clothes, walked to the center of the hall, and bowed solemnly to the throne. His movements were meticulous, showing both the respect of a subject and a sense of composure that indicated his determination to succeed.

"Your Majesty, your subject Li Si has indeed prepared a small gift to present."

As soon as he finished speaking, two waiters came forward carrying a vermilion lacquered tray.

The plate was covered with brocade, making it impossible to see what was inside; one could only vaguely make out that it was a square object.

Li Si reached out and lifted the brocade—

It was a neatly bound book, with three large, gold-embossed characters written in vigorous small seal script on the cover:

Cangjie Chapter

Ying Zheng's eyes flickered slightly: "This is..."

Li Si picked up the top volume with both hands, opened the cover, and revealed neat handwriting on the inner pages:

"Your Majesty, the writing system in the world varies from place to place. The same character is written differently, and the same meaning is expressed in different forms. I am not talented, but I have dared to take the Qin seal script as the basis, simplify it, unify the variant characters, and compile this 'Cangjie Pian' into one volume. It contains more than three thousand commonly used characters, and each character is marked with its standard form, so that students throughout the world can study and copy it."

He paused, his voice growing increasingly solemn:

"I wish to use this book as a foundation to unify the script of our Great Qin Dynasty, ensuring its continuity for ten thousand generations!"