Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Fortunately, without Zhou Wenqing needing to reply, Yao Jia calmly raised his hand to straighten his cuffs, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"Jia once heard an old story: Long ago, a man was wandering in the woods when he saw a bird perched there. He pointed at it and declared, 'This bird has a purpose.' Those around him were puzzled and pressed him for an explanation. The man replied, 'The bird's purpose is to fly far away to another land.'"

He walked back to the pond and saw fish swimming in the water. Pointing at them, he said, "This fish has intention." When asked again, he replied, "The fish's intention lies in its deep abyss."

Later, upon encountering insects among the leaves, he pointed and remarked, "This insect has a purpose." When asked repeatedly by bystanders, he replied, "The insect's purpose is to gnaw on the dead wood."

"Upon hearing this, the bystanders were puzzled and asked, 'Birds have thoughts, fish have feelings, and insects have desires; how can you know them all?' The man replied frankly, 'I am merely judging their thoughts by my own standards.'"

Upon hearing this, Han Fei's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. He couldn't immediately grasp the deeper meaning behind Yao Jia's quotation of this old story, so he simply frowned and waited for what was to come.

Yao Jia calmly withdrew his gaze, his smile still as warm as a spring breeze, but his tone became increasingly melodious:

Others say this person is laughable, but whenever Jia thinks of him, he feels that although he is used to judging others by his own standards, he is straightforward and frank, never hiding his thoughts, which can be considered a true nature.

"Jia Sheng was dull-witted and held a lowly official position. He lacked the skill to navigate complex situations and the ability to conceal his true intentions. Therefore, he could only imitate this person, trying to understand others' thoughts based on his own, in order to secure his place in the world and find a way to protect himself. This was nothing more than the common behavior of an ordinary person."

As his words faded, he slowly turned his head, his gaze falling calmly and steadily on Han Fei. The gentle smile on his lips remained unchanged, and his words, though spoken with composure and ease, carried a sharp and profound meaning:

"Given Han Zi's unparalleled talent and noble character, he need not engage in such speculation. He can speak frankly and honestly about everything. Why would he resort to veiled attacks and indirect criticism, thus losing the magnanimity of a gentleman?"

"Oh!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Fei sneered, suddenly understanding the situation.

Yao Jia frankly admitted that he was good at understanding people's hearts, but instead pointed the finger at him, implying that he claimed to be frank but actually mocked others, was hypocritical, and didn't even dare to openly admit his intention to understand people's hearts, which was far less upright than Yao Jia's.

A chilling aura settled over Han Fei's brows and eyes as he fixed his gaze entirely on Yao Jia, his tone icy:

"As expected of Yao Keqing, he is indeed eloquent and persuasive. I have truly witnessed his skill today."

Yao Jia's smile deepened, his face displaying an air of unperturbed humility. He then bowed slightly to Han Fei, feigning ignorance in his tone:

"Master Han is too kind. I am unworthy of such praise. I am simply too dull to understand why Master Han would suddenly offer such praise."

Han Fei's eyes narrowed slightly, and he was about to speak when his gaze was suddenly blocked by Zhou Wenqing.

"stop!"

Zhou Wenqing looked like he had a toothache and thought to himself, "Are all you famous scholars and writers so subtle when you have a debate?"

If I hadn't received nine years of compulsory education and later chosen humanities, I'd probably be asking myself, "What exactly do you mean by this?!"

Seeing that the two people's gazes had returned to him, Zhou Wenqing coughed lightly and quickly forced a smile: "Well... I am very grateful that you both care about Zicheng. Why argue and hurt our harmony?"

"Zicheng, you are mistaken..." Han Fei raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on his face, and said, "What dispute do I have with Guest Elder Yao? It is I who wish to ask Guest Elder Yao for guidance on how to guess correctly."

"This ability to turn the crooked into the round, the black into the white, to hide one's cunning in gentle words, to describe worldly speculations as common sense, and to be eloquent and adaptable is something I cannot even dream of."

This is a satire of Yao Jia, misrepresenting Han Fei's accusation that he judged others with a petty mind as an ability to understand people's hearts.

Upon hearing this, Yao Jia's smile remained unchanged. He calmly brushed his sleeve aside, his tone elegant and composed, neither humble nor arrogant:

"Han Zi is too kind. There are no absolute rules in the world, and human relationships are difficult to generalize. Jia is merely speaking according to the situation and the facts, and there is no question of using clever words to cover up the truth."

"In contrast, Han Zishou's solitary and unyielding stance, adhering firmly to a single principle, is truly admirable!"

This is a satire of Han Fei's stubbornness, extreme prejudice, and inability to adapt.

Zhou Wenqing was completely helpless this time.

Well, so you've all reached a consensus on refuting me? Does being eloquent give you the right to use people as tools?!

In a fit of anger, Zhou Wenqing turned and left.

If I can't afford to offend them, can't I at least avoid them?

Anyway, no matter how sharp the words of these two scholars are, they can't turn into real swords that pierce people, but if I continue to listen, I'm afraid my brain will really get tangled up.

Just then, Fusu returned from washing up, and Zhou Wenqing's eyes lit up. He reached out and ruffled Fusu's hair, saying earnestly:

"Fusu, remember this well: no matter how profound your knowledge becomes, you must always speak like a human being, understand?"

"Huh?" Fusu looked bewildered and blinked. "Sir, what are you saying? Fusu doesn't understand!"

"That's good, you don't understand!" Zhou Wenqing ruffled his hair again, messing up the neatly styled hair ornament, as if venting her anger: "Because even I don't understand!"

Fusu: "...?"

Fusu sighed helplessly, certain that Mr. Han and Yao Keqing had quarreled again.

In fact, gentlemen are harmonious but different. Fusu thought that a few words exchanged were harmless and perfectly normal. Li Tingwei and Mr. Wei Liao would sometimes bicker, not to mention General Meng Wu and General Wang Jian, who sometimes even fought!

These two are arguing rather...refined?

Okay, maybe it was a little too frequent, and she was especially prone to arguing with her husband, making the listener's head spin and their ears burn.

Fusu looked at Zhou Wenqing and comforted him gently: "Sir, there is no need to worry. Luoyang is not far ahead. It is said to be an exceptionally rich and prosperous place with many interesting things. You can travel with those two then, which may help to resolve the misunderstandings and dispel any misunderstandings."

Zhou Wenqing sighed again; he felt it was unlikely.

These two are just naturally incompatible. He thinks he's hypocritical, and he thinks he's aloof. They can't stand each other and they'll fight anywhere.

Seeing his usually omnipotent master looking troubled and helpless, struggling with this problem, Fusu couldn't help but curl his lips slightly, almost bursting out laughing.

Caught off guard by a sharp glare from Zhou Wenqing, he immediately suppressed his smile and hastily tried to salvage the situation, saying with a serious expression, "If all else fails, when it comes time to arrange accommodations, we can put Mr. Han in the east wing and Guest Master Yao in the west wing. Anyway, the Luoyang Prefectural Residence is big enough, with seven or eight courtyards in between, so they won't even bump into each other. They can't possibly start arguing, can they?"

That's not a bad idea; at least it will give him some peace and quiet for a couple of days.

Zhou Wenqing nodded in satisfaction: "Very good, then I'll leave the arrangements to you."

"Rest assured, sir, I will handle it perfectly." Fusu patted his chest confidently, then paused, cautiously probing, "Then, sir, about the trip..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Wenqing interrupted him directly.

"What's the point of sightseeing? We are on official business as part of a mission, and we have business to attend to throughout the trip. How can we indulge in leisure activities?"

Fusu was suddenly startled, and couldn't help but lower his head, a look of shame appearing on his face.

So, sir, you didn't intend for the group to slow down their journey and sightsee along the way? You misunderstood and almost delayed the important matter.

"That's called understanding the people's sentiments and making an incognito visit. Remember that!" Zhou Wenqing said confidently.

Fusu: "..."

No wonder Mr. Han and Mr. Yao love to argue sophistry in front of you; they are truly "like-minded"!