Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Li Si pondered the plan repeatedly in his mind, and in the end, he had to admit that he was impressed.

This plan seems simple on the surface, but upon closer examination, each step precisely targets the creases of the hearts of the nations, exploiting their greed and suspicion, and is intricately linked, leaving the enemy with no way to escape.

The existence of workshops further reduced the risk of leaking secrets to almost nothing.

Li Si dared to say that even without Mr. Wei Liao sending someone to deliberately provoke and induce them, once Korea obtained the papermaking technology, it would definitely act as Zhou Wenqing predicted. This was due to Korea's weak yet ambitious nature, and it was absolutely true.

He turned his head and glanced at Zhou Wenqing.

The firelight danced on his young face, making his features appear hazy, as if seen through a thin mist, carrying a soft, unreal quality.

Yet this seemingly gentle person, who even fusses over a bowl of ginger soup, harbors an incredibly meticulous mind. His plans are meticulously crafted, with each step carefully laid out and his schemes intricately linked. With just a few casual words, he has firmly grasped the lifeline of the state of Han and has also thoroughly understood the selfish motives of the six states, turning them into a sharp blade to destroy Han.

Li Si withdrew his gaze, and the slight worry in his heart quietly dissipated a bit.

It seems he can rest assured about his trip to Qi.

With Zicheng's methods and strategies, there are probably very few who can rival him in the entire Qin Dynasty, and even fewer among his peers. With such shrewdness and calculation, as long as he doesn't resort to force, no one among the states can outwit him.

As for a military assault—do you think our king is just a figurehead?!

Thinking this, Li Si couldn't help but laugh, and his heart relaxed a little:

"Zicheng, how ruthless... how cunning!"

He was too relaxed; the word "poison" lingered on his tongue, almost slipping out, and he guiltily offered a compliment:

"Zicheng is truly a genius; I am completely humbled!"

Zhou Wenqing squinted and glanced at him sideways.

Don't think I didn't hear you just because you packed up quickly!

Fine, considering you'll be taking on my work in the future and working yourself to the bone, I won't hold it against you.

He composed himself, his tone becoming more serious, and instructed, "Brother Gu'an, I entrust this matter to you. Remember to seize the opportunity; it's better to act quickly than slowly."

They staged a realistic play early on, making the Korean spy, with his skills, seem to escape back in a very dangerous situation. The more dangerous the situation, the more convinced the spy became, and he even felt smug and couldn't wait to present the treasure.

Even if General Wang Jian does not return to court at that time, it will not prevent the six states from developing their own suspicions. When the time is right, the general can make the matter public.

It would be best to wait until I returned from my mission to the State of Qi. By then, everything would be set in stone, and even if Han Fei wanted to do something, he would be powerless to change the situation.

This is one of the reasons why he agreed to take Han Fei with him.

Well, I feel a little guilty about going back to face Han Fei.

Let's take Brother Gu'an around this Sinful Mountain a bit more; he can go back later.

However, Li Si completely misunderstood this eagerness to destroy Han.

In Li Si's view, if the King of Han had not treated Zhou Wenqing so harshly, even to the point of blood feud, an ordinary person would inevitably feel emotional when faced with the destruction of their motherland, even if their stance was different, and would not have been so decisive.

He pondered to himself that Zhou Wenqing's pure and insightful nature must be due to something that King Han had done that angered both heaven and man, which made him so resolute.

Having known Zicheng for a long time, he always seemed to be alone, and I've never heard him mention his family...

hiss--!

Li Si's eyes darkened for a moment, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his cuffs.

He gritted his teeth secretly, thinking that after destroying Han, he would definitely find a way to "invite" King An of Han to the prison of the Court of Justice for a proper "visit". He thought that the king would surely tacitly agree to this.

If he manages to find out anything, then don't blame Li Si for showing no mercy to the king of this country!

Having made up his mind, Li Si immediately nodded in agreement, his tone utterly resolute:

"Zicheng, rest assured, leave this matter to me. There will be no mistakes. Tomorrow I will go to the palace to report to the King and discuss it in detail with Mr. Wei Liao. We will arrange this matter properly as soon as possible and ensure that the grand plan to destroy Han is not delayed!"

As he spoke, he reached out and patted Zhou Wenqing on the shoulder, giving him a look.

Zhou Wenqing was startled by the pat on the shoulder and glanced at him with a puzzled look. He felt that there was something wrong with Brother Gu'an's gaze, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Then... I'll have to trouble you, Brother Gu'an." He chuckled dryly, took half a step back, and touched his nose.

Li Si waved his hand, displaying a magnanimous attitude of "I'll take care of it," and strode forward with great strides, looking proud, arrogant, and righteous.

As Zhou Wenqing watched his retreating figure, that inexplicable feeling in her heart grew stronger.

Why are you in such a hurry? Don't you know the way?

"Brother Gu'an," he couldn't help but remind him, "you're going the wrong way. If you keep going, you'll enter the mountains!"

Li Si suddenly stopped, then smoothly turned around and passed by Zhou Wenqing without changing his expression.

His stride remained bold, the wind from his robes whipping up charcoal ash from the ground, but his expression was somewhat stiff, as if coated with a layer of paste, stubbornly refusing to crack.

"...I know." His voice was stiff, his gaze deliberately drifting towards the distant mountains and forests, trying to appear nonchalant. "I'm just...looking at the scenery over there."

Zhou Wenqing couldn't help but laugh out loud, then quickly covered his mouth and pretended to cough twice: "Ahem... So, Brother Gu'an, have you finished reading?"

"It's not good-looking at all!" Li Si's tone was urgent, tinged with embarrassment and anger.

"lead the way!"

------

After visiting the Sin Mountain and returning to the Li residence, night had already fallen over Xianyang City, the twilight was deep, and the streetlights were sparse.

As soon as Zhou Wenqing stepped into the mansion, he bumped into a figure with puffed-out cheeks, looking like a little bun in anger. It was none other than Azhu.

She looked so pitiful, with tears welling up in her eyes, huddled there in a small ball. Zhou Wenqing felt a pang of guilt just looking at her.

He quickly and gently coaxed him, spending a lot of time and effort to assure him that the trip would be safe and sound and that he would bring him a gift when he returned. He also solemnly instructed him that he would need to stay and take care of things in Xianyang City, as both the Zhou and Li families could not do without this reliable little helper.

After much persuasion, Ah Zhu finally relented and reluctantly agreed to stay, but stubbornly refused to move into the Li residence immediately. He insisted on waiting until the night before Zhou Wenqing's departure before he would move in to take care of the place.

Naturally, they bumped into Senior Brother Fusu packing his bags and putting them into the carriage along with Mr. Fusu's luggage, preparing to set off.

Ah-Zhu was so angry that he went back and drank three bowls of milk pudding, which he didn't usually like!

"When I grow taller than my senior brother, the master will take me to stay with him!" He secretly vowed in his heart, clenching his little fists.

Leaving aside Ah Zhu's little schemes for the moment, on Zhou Wenqing's side, the King put a lot of thought into his journey, personally selecting elite guards and arranging for three whole days before finally putting his mind at ease and allowing him to set off.

On the day Zhou Wenqing left the mansion, it was just dawn and the morning mist had not yet dissipated when Ying Zheng personally led his troops out of the city.