Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Having already acquired such valuable wolf pelts, they certainly wouldn't begrudge this one bone pendant.

He held the wolf bone pendant and examined it for a moment. The bone pendant was polished smooth and round, with a warm luster. At first glance, it looked like a crystal-clear white jade pendant, and it didn't have much of a wild temperament.

It seems some people use wolf fangs as amulets?

He silently compared them in his mind. Compared to this flat, smooth kneecap, the wolf fang was more ferocious, but...

Zhou Wenqing subconsciously pinched it with his fingertips—harder and harder, until his fingertips turned red, but not even half a mark was left on the bone.

Wow, that's tough.

He silently gave the bone pendant a perfect score for hardness in his mind, then weighed it in his hand. The size was just right, the weight was moderate, and it fit perfectly against his chest. Plus, there was that "for your safety" in the name...

This... it's hard not to overthink it.

The scene in Zhou Wenqing's mind had already started playing automatically:

The arrow whistled through the air, startling him. Unable to dodge in time, a sharp "clang" rang out, striking him squarely in the chest. He collapsed to the ground, spitting blood. The crowd wept, but stared in disbelief as he slowly rose, pulled the shattered arrow from his robes, and sighed deeply, "Thank goodness..."

No, stop thinking!

Zhou Wenqing quickly paused the mini-drama in his mind.

It's all because we watched too many TV dramas in later generations, which led us astray. How could such a coincidence happen?

Bah! He absolutely will not encounter any stray arrows!

Despite his inner grumbling, his actions betrayed him; he promptly stuffed the wolf-leg stone into his robes.

Well... on the other hand, what if...?

In these times of war and chaos, although Xianyang City is as solid as a rock, who knows when we might be sent out of Xianyang and encounter some unforeseen disaster?

Zhou Wenqing lowered his head and touched the hard bone in his arms, and suddenly felt a little more at ease.

I'll take it with me from now on.

I hope it really brings me good luck; as for the stray arrows and such, forget about it.

Peace and safety are more important than anything else.

He raised his head, looked at Wang Jian, and cupped his hands, saying, "In that case, thank you very much, General Wang."

"Hahaha, why be so polite with me, Zicheng?" Wang Jian laughed heartily, then his eyes darted around, and he drew out the last syllable, deliberately raising his head, "Unlike some people~"

The old general had also learned to speak in a sarcastic and unsettling way, but... he hadn't quite mastered it.

While others would steal glances, he simply crossed his arms and stared straight at Meng Wu.

"They're all here to visit someone in the hospital, how can they be so rude, coming empty-handed?"

Meng Wu: "..."

The boomerang spun around and then pierced itself.

He took a deep breath and cursed Wang Jian eight hundred times in his mind.

Well, Wang Jian, you old scoundrel, you have no martial ethics!

We agreed to come and drink together, but you secretly prepared a gift and managed to get there before me... no, wait! You actually dared to trick me!

Fortunately, I was prepared!

"Hmph! Who's being impolite?"

Meng Wu waved his hand, his voice strong and full of pride:

"What's the point of that fur? By the time it's made into a fur coat, you might not even be able to wear it anymore. No good, no good!"

He shook his head, moved the packages on the table aside to make room, and then turned to his eldest son, his voice rising an octave:

"Meng Tian! Show your Uncle Zhou our manners! Let 'certain people' learn something!"

For the last few words, he deliberately imitated Wang Jian's tone, drawing out the last syllable long and ethereal.

"Hey!" Wang Jian's eyes widened, and he raised his fist.

Meng Wu was not to be outdone, and stubbornly took half a step forward.

Just as the two were about to start fighting, Meng Tian, ​​with great insight, "just happened" to walk between them and quietly separated them.

In front of their junior, the two had no choice but to back down and watch Meng Tian place the package behind him on the table.

A muffled thud was heard, the sound of wood colliding with stone.

Meng Tian untied the sealing rope and lifted the wrapping cloth, revealing a heavy jujube wood chessboard. He then took out two lacquered boxes and placed them on the left and right. The boxes were round with lids, and the whole body was covered in black lacquer, so shiny that it could reflect a person's image. The edges of the lids were painted with vermilion cloud patterns.

Meng Wu smugly leaned closer, personally opened a lacquer box, picked up a white coin, and shoved it into Zhou Wenqing's hand:

"Zicheng, quickly try this! This is top-quality Yunzi jade, warm and smooth to the touch, and it makes a clear sound when you place a piece. Don't underestimate it just because it's not jade; it's even more exquisite than jade! I had someone knowledgeable mix the material specifically for me. 180 each of black and white jade, not a single piece more or less!"

Zhou Wenqing took the cloud-shaped coin. The touch of it was warm and smooth, just as Meng Wu had said. It was neither cold to the touch nor slippery.

He held the chess piece up to the light and examined it; the piece was pure white, with a faint warmth emanating from it.

"General Meng, this courtesy..." He raised his head, but before he could finish speaking—

"I know, I know, it's too heavy, isn't it?"

Meng Wu intercepted him in advance, reached into the lacquer box, grabbed a handful of chess pieces, and shoved them into Zhou Wenqing's hand.

"Then take fewer! You don't carry the chessboard while playing chess, so this way it won't be heavy!"

Zhou Wenqing looked down at the five or six extra chess pieces in his hand, momentarily speechless: "No, I..."

"Oh dear, Zicheng, you can't show favoritism!"

With a domineering wave of his hand, Meng Wu pushed the two lacquer boxes towards him again.

"Don't be polite with me! Keep it!"

Zhou Wenqing held the chess pieces, looked at Meng Wu, then at Wang Jian, and finally gave up the struggle:

"...Okay, I'll keep it."

Meng Wu immediately beamed: "That's more like it!"

He glanced at Wang Jian beside him, raised his chin slightly, and added smugly:

"This is the true etiquette of a gentleman, most suitable for Zicheng, and far superior to those vulgar things."

Wang Jian twitched his beard: "Hey! Who are you calling a vulgar person?"

"Whoever responds, I'll criticize them."

"you--"

Seeing that the two were about to start fighting again, Zhou Wenqing quickly gathered the two lacquer boxes towards himself, patted the wolf skin on his lap, and spoke up:

"There's no need for the two generals to argue. Both are good, and Wenqing likes them both."

He paused, his gaze falling on the Go set, his expression becoming more serious:

"General Meng's gift of black and white pieces, clearly distinguished, is a wish for Wenqing to stand firm in the court, just like these chess pieces—to maintain a righteous mind and not lose balance; to never regret a move once it's made, to plan carefully before acting. The game of chess is like the affairs of the world, and no move should be taken lightly. I understand the profound meaning behind this. Wenqing has learned a lot."

He lowered his eyes again, his fingertips tracing the silver-gray wolf pelt on his lap, his voice softening:

"General Wang's gift of this garment to keep warm is a wish for Wenqing to roam freely like a wolf across the wilderness, with the mountains and rivers in his heart and the ambition to rise above the world, not to confine himself to a small space. The garment is also a form of protection—protecting the heart to preserve one's true self, and also protecting the body from the frost and cold. It is a reminder that Wenqing must take good care of himself. How could Wenqing ever forget such kindness and sentiments?"

He raised his head, his gaze slowly sweeping across the faces of the two old generals, and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting:

"The value of the gifts from the two generals lies not in the material things themselves, but in the sentiments they have shown. Although I am not talented, I will remember them well and live up to their high expectations."

"Huh? Hahahaha!" General Wang Jian was taken aback, then stroked his beard and laughed loudly, "That's right, that's right, Zicheng is right, that's exactly what I meant!"

Meng Wu snapped out of his daze, nodded repeatedly, and laughed heartily:

"Yes, yes, Zicheng is absolutely right! Hahaha, I'm glad you like it, I'm glad you like it!"

Zhou Wenqing withdrew his gaze and shook his head helplessly.

These days, even receiving gifts requires serving water; it's not easy!

and also……

Zhou Wenqing turned his head, his gaze lingering on the corner.

Fusu was looking down, holding a pen in his hand, with a corner of a small notebook peeking out from his sleeve.

"Fusu," Zhou Wenqing said gently, "put down your pen. You are not allowed to write this part down."

Fusu's hand froze. He looked up and met the teacher's ambiguous smile. He awkwardly put the pen back on the table.

Ah Zhu muttered quietly from the side, "Senior brother, you're too careless, you got caught again."

Fusu expressionlessly put away the notebook and gave Azhu a cold glance: "Those who haven't even touched the pen are not allowed to speak."

Zhou Wenqing quickly told Li Yi to put away the two valuable gifts, then breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the two generals again.

"Generals, Wenqing knows why you've come here. This wine..."

Before he could finish speaking, all twelve eyes of the six people lit up and stared straight at him.

Good heavens, this group of people, young and old, are all heavy drinkers!