Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhou Wenqing almost jumped up from his chair; his movement was so fast that the chair creaked and screamed.

Our savior has arrived!

He suppressed the smile that was about to spill from the corners of his mouth and turned to Wei Zhuang with a serious expression: "Doctor Wei, you see... the king's summons is no small matter, and Wenqing really dares not delay."

Kui Zhuang put down the file, glanced at him, and Zhou Wenqing felt inexplicably guilty and swallowed hard.

"Since Your Majesty has summoned me, I naturally dare not delay."

Kui Zhuang slowly stood up, put the thick, heavy dossier back into his sleeve, and added in a calm tone:

"Then why don't I go with Zhou Neishi? It just so happens that His Majesty has ordered me to oversee the construction of this academy. There are still many details to discuss on the way."

"No!"

Zhou Wenqing jolted awake, his voice suddenly rising in pitch, almost cracking.

If we go together, won't his ears be tortured the whole way?

Kui Zhuang frowned slightly and looked over.

"Ahem!" Zhou Wenqing realized he had lost his composure, quickly straightened up, cleared his throat, and his mind raced.

"Doctor Wei, please don't misunderstand. What I mean is that His Majesty's summons to the palace this time may be related to the arrival of that Han envoy. After all, this matter involves Wenqing, so I had no choice but to show myself. But how can the secrets of this academy be exposed to the Han envoy? It's really inappropriate, really inappropriate..."

He nodded as he spoke, convincing himself of his own words.

"This..." Kui Zhuang pondered for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully: "What Zhou Neishi said makes sense. Alright, then I will go back first and come back another day to discuss this in detail with Zhou Neishi."

Zhou Wenqing felt as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly got up to see him off, saying, "Okay, okay, another day, definitely another day!"

He would rather die than stay at the Zhou residence on his day off!

He personally escorted Wei Zhuang to the courtyard gate, watching her slender figure disappear outside the moon gate before letting out a long breath and finally relaxing.

saved.

He wiped non-existent cold sweat from his forehead and walked into the mansion with lingering fear, muttering to himself:

"Finally, they're gone. That was a real headache. From now on, I'll have to move to the Li residence during my days off. I hope Brother Gu'an won't mind?"

Looking at his husband's post-traumatic expression, Li Yi's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but whisper a reminder:

"Sir, your joy is... quite obvious. Doctor Wei hasn't gone far yet."

Zhou Wenqing was startled again and reflexively turned around to look.

The courtyard gate was deserted; there wasn't a soul in sight.

He snapped out of his daze, rolled his eyes at Li Yi, and puffed out his chest defiantly: "So what if he didn't go far? I didn't say anything bad about him, what's there to be afraid of?"

"Oh, right!"

He suddenly remembered something, and immediately became furious. He glared at Li Yi, who had come to deliver the message, and pointed fiercely at him.

"Where did you run off to when Doctor Wei came to visit? You didn't even let me know beforehand, I almost didn't have time to hide... get ready! You, you, you dared to sneak off without telling me, if you do this again, I will... I will... deduct your monthly pay!"

That's absolutely outrageous!

In the past, when the king suddenly visited the village, he would run away faster than a rabbit, which was fine. But today, when Doctor Kui comes to the door, he doesn't even think to take him, the doctor, with him when he runs away. His monthly salary must be deducted, and deducted severely!

Li Yi was yelled at and retreated repeatedly, waving his hands in a fluster, looking completely innocent.

"I'm innocent, sir! You clearly instructed him personally that if Doctor Wei had official business, he could enter the residence directly without prior notice. I'm not a guard at the gate. He left so quickly, how could I have had the opportunity to inform you beforehand?"

"Besides, it was you who just said that eating too many chestnuts would cause internal heat and asked me to get some fruits to relieve it, that's why I left."

Did I say that?

Zhou Wenqing's eyes darted around for a moment, and his tone became somewhat weak.

Ah Zhu, who had quietly approached from the side, tilted his little face up and nodded seriously: "Sir, Ah Zhu can testify that you did say that."

Okay, I think I did say that.

Zhou Wenqing was speechless for a moment, then raised his hand and gently patted Azhu's head, forcibly regaining his composure:

"What are you trying to prove, you little kid? Instead of focusing on the lessons your teacher taught you, you're memorizing all this nonsense. That's outrageous!"

Ah Zhu covered his head, angry but not daring to speak out, and muttered softly, "Ah Zhu didn't, Ah Zhu has remembered all the principles the teacher taught, it's the teacher who forgot..."

Zhou Wenqing pretended not to hear at all and strode into the mansion, leaving behind only a sentence that drifted back to him:

"Let's go! Quickly change your clothes and go to the palace, lest we delay important matters!"

------

Inside Zhangtai Palace, the atmosphere was quiet but not solemn.

Ying Zheng sat upright behind his desk, holding a scroll in his hand, but his gaze kept drifting towards the palace gate. He held the scroll between his fingers for a long time without turning a single page, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edges of the pages. Clearly, his mind was no longer on the words.

Li Si sat at the lower end, holding a teacup in his hand, discussing matters in hushed tones with Wei Liao beside him, their voices soft and not disturbing the tranquility of the hall.

"Your Majesty, I am late. Please forgive me."

Zhou Wenqing hurriedly entered the hall, and was the last to arrive. He quickly composed himself, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully.

"Minister Zhou has arrived. No need for formalities. Please take a seat." Ying Zheng's tone was calm, and his eyes relaxed slightly.

Zhou Wenqing bowed and took his seat, subtly glancing around before leaning closer to Li Si and asking in a low voice:

"Has the Han envoy already arrived at the palace? Didn't you see him?"

"Soon." Li Si lowered his voice and raised his eyes slightly. "The scouts just reported that they have entered the gates of Xianyang and will arrive in a moment."

Zhou Wenqing nodded slightly, feeling somewhat relieved, but unconsciously raised his eyes and glanced discreetly towards the throne.

Just then, Ying Zheng slowly put down his book, got up, walked to the window, and looked into the distance with his hands behind his back.

As he stood up, Zhou Wenqing's gaze lingered on him for a few more moments.

Upon closer inspection, the black robe was clearly new; the fabric was crisp and there were no creases yet, indicating that it had been specially changed into today.

He understood why he was being treated this way.

It seems that it must be Prince Han Fei who has arrived.

No wonder, after all, the king has long admired this young master Han Fei.

Several years ago, the king happened to read Han Fei's essays "Solitary Indignation" and "Five Vermin," and was astonished by their brilliance. It is said that he read them by candlelight that night, unable to put them down, and at dawn he slammed his fist on the table and exclaimed, "Alas! If I could meet this man and befriend him, I would die without regret!"

The longing in his tone was even greater than a thirst for talent; it was as if he had found a kindred spirit.

Now, Han Fei has finally arrived.

Now that you're here, don't leave.

The King's Palace is short-staffed. What can we do to keep people here?

Zhou Wenqing ripped off the folding fan from his waist, unfolded it with a "whoosh," and snapped it shut. He stroked the fan ribs with his fingers and looked at Li Si thoughtfully.

It is said that Han Fei and Li Si were both students of Xunzi, and studied the art of rulership together. Back in Lanling, the two were classmates for several years, discussing law and strategy, and they admired each other. Li Si once said that Han Fei's talent was superior to his own. Later, Li Si went to Qin, while Han Fei went to Han. One was in Xianyang, and the other was in Xinzheng, separated by vast distances.

If we're talking about winning someone over through personal relationships, and getting this talented person—I mean, this ox or horse—to stay willingly, then Li Si is clearly the most suitable person to do it.

but--

Zhou Wenqing's gaze swept over Li Si's face, his expression subtle.

Brother Gu'an... you wouldn't kill him again, would you?

Li Si's face remained calm and composed, but Zhou Wenqing, who was close to him, could clearly see that his other hand was hidden in his sleeve, his knuckles slightly curled up and then relaxed, then curled up again, repeating this several times. His gaze also occasionally drifted towards the palace gate, and the expectant light in his eyes could not be suppressed.

It seems unlikely.

Zhou Wenqing withdrew his gaze, and the slight worry in his heart quietly dissipated.

Given Brother Gu'an's current status in Qin, he is no longer the Li Si of history who needed to frame his fellow disciples to protect his position.

He served as the Minister of Justice, oversaw all affairs, and compiled the "Cangjie Pian" (a book on ancient Chinese texts). Each and every one of these achievements was a solid accomplishment, earning the king's trust and the respect of his ministers. His position was very secure.

Now, he is tasked with overseeing the construction of academies and promoting the written language. Soon, he will also be required to reorganize the Qin laws. He is busy with countless affairs every day and wishes he could split himself into eight. Looking ahead, his future is dazzlingly bright. Where would he have time to think about those trivial matters?

He has no reason to harm Han Fei; on the contrary, he probably wishes Han Fei would stay and help him.

They're fellow disciples, so there's no need to be polite when using them. They're definitely more convenient than Zhang Han, who's both scholarly and martial, aren't they?

As Zhou Wenqing pondered this, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.

I don't need to worry about it anymore. Brother Gu'an is probably already planning how to "coax" people onto the boat and get them swept up with him.

At this moment, Ying Zheng suddenly turned back quickly and silently, returned to the throne, straightened his crown, smoothed his sleeves, and sat upright on it, solemn and dignified.

A moment later, the eunuch's voice rang out from outside the palace: "Your Majesty, the Korean envoy has arrived."

"Announce."