Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Ying Zheng's faint smile suddenly froze, his brows furrowed tightly, and the arrogance he had shown just moments before, when he had not yet found a virtuous minister and was blessed by Heaven, vanished completely, leaving him only with anxiety and doubt.

How could someone who was perfectly healthy suddenly become so weak?

Upon seeing this, Meng Yi was also greatly alarmed. He suddenly stepped forward and blurted out:

"What happened? Could it be that the guard had a hidden weapon and poisoned his own room, accidentally injuring the master?!"

"It's not poisoning!" Xia Wuqie, who was standing in the corner, stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the sky. He carefully observed Zhou Wenqing's pale lips, cold sweat, and shortness of breath while clutching his chest. After a moment, he said in a deep and firm voice:

"I observe that his lips are pale, his breath is short, and he is apprehensive and depressed. This is a sign that his emotions are agitated, which has triggered an old ailment and caused a sudden relapse of his heart disease."

"What?" The military officer exclaimed in astonishment, "So he really is a sickly, frail man..."

"Stop talking nonsense!" His colleague immediately hissed, glaring at him fiercely.

Inside the hall, people were in turmoil, and murmurs rose in low voices.

"Is this heart ailment a congenital deficiency, an intractable disease from birth?"

"Possessing unparalleled skills, yet shackled by illness, truly...a talent cursed by heaven."

"What a pity, what a pity!"

Li Si no longer cared about the proper etiquette in front of the palace. He was extremely anxious, staring intently at the sky while pacing back and forth.

"Oh dear, too much intelligence is bound to cause harm, too much intelligence is bound to cause harm! What should we do?!"

Meng Yi couldn't contain himself any longer. He stood up on the spot, his eyes fixed on the young man in the picture who was enduring pain. He wished he could tear open the sky with his bare hands and rush forward to check on him and help him.

"This guard is too slow! Quickly, go to the room and rescue them! Quickly, go and rescue them!"

He shouted sharply at the sky, and all the officials in the hall were on tenterhooks, their hearts pounding with anxiety.

The situation was fraught with danger.

Fortunately, just as Zhou Wenqing's wrist drooped and he was about to lose consciousness completely, Li Yi outside the door finally noticed the strange noise inside, kicked open the door, and rushed in.

Upon seeing this, Ying Zheng's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. He breathed a long sigh of relief without making a sound and sat back down on the dragon throne.

Fortunately, his beloved minister, who had not yet returned to court, was ultimately saved.

Zhao Gao, standing below the steps, kept his head bowed, secretly observing the emperor's every move and change in expression, and felt a chill run down his spine.

His Majesty seems to value Zhou Wenqing highly and cares about him immensely. If this man enters Xianyang in the future, he will surely become a pivotal figure in the court. He must not be taken lightly and should be befriended as soon as possible.

And that guard, is his name Li Yi? It seems his position could be promoted. What method should he devise to curry favor with this man?

Below, the officials in the hall also breathed a sigh of relief, watching the very familiar-looking physician busily treating Zhou Wenqing, but for a moment they couldn't remember who he was.

Xia Wuqie's eyes reddened, and he almost burst into tears, murmuring softly, "My mentor..."

Everyone suddenly realized that it was Physician Lü, who had long since retired and returned to his hometown, and whose whereabouts were unknown.

"With Physician Lü's superb medical skills, this child is definitely safe and sound." Someone breathed a sigh of relief, their tone confident.

As expected, Zhou Wenqing slowly woke up. After surviving the ordeal, the faint frown between his brows completely disappeared, as if he had put down all the burdens and grudges in his heart, and his expression became more relaxed and relieved.

Seeing this, Li Si's eyes gleamed slightly, and he immediately bowed and cupped his hands: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! The barriers between the two worlds have been resolved. It seems that such a great talent will soon return to Qin. This is an auspicious omen from heaven, and it also foretells that our world will soon have such a peerless talent!"

"Good! Well said!" Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng was overjoyed, his tense expression completely relaxed, and his eyes were full of delight.

How could he not understand the deeper meaning behind Li Si's words? The matter of the secret guards had already been made clear, yet Zhou Wenqing was able to let it go. Didn't this prove that his return to Qin was just around the corner?

I look forward to the moment when my beloved minister will join me in devising grand plans.

As if showing compassion for the anxiety and distress of everyone in the hall, the images on the sky shifted, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, as if deliberately selecting segments of peaceful daily life and slowly unfolding them:

In the bamboo courtyard, Zhou Wenqing leisurely holds a bamboo scroll, silently reading by the window. A rocking chair gently sways in front of the courtyard, and wisps of smoke rise from the chimney, the warmth of cooking fires filling the air.

When the image freezes on him bending down, patiently guiding the neighbor's child to stop being naughty, his eyebrows and eyes crinkle, each word spoken gently and persuasively, his gaze warm, and a smile playing on his lips, it is a peaceful scene of tranquility and serenity.

Standing among the court officials, Fusu watched this scene with a dazed look in his eyes, and an uncontrollable thought arose in his heart:

If this person were your husband, listening to him tell his stories every day would feel like escaping the hustle and bustle of the world. Wouldn't that make life easier?

Do not!

The thought abruptly returned to Fusu's senses, his expression changing slightly. He forcefully banished this inappropriate fantasy from his mind and silently repeated to himself:

He is the eldest son of the Qin Dynasty, bearing the weight of the nation's fate. He is destined to have no chance of comfort or ease, and must be even more strict with himself. How could he possibly have such cowardly, weak, and irresponsible thoughts?

Fusu's actions went unnoticed. The courtiers, watching this peaceful scene, felt their hearts finally at ease, and the tense atmosphere gradually relaxed. The entire hall was immersed in this rare sense of peace and warmth.

Even after Li Yi left again, Zhou Wenqing continued to bask in the sun with ease and contentment.

At this moment, someone remarked with a sigh, "That's good, it seems everything is alright over there. But why have we never heard of this person in our dynasty? Could he have already passed away?"

The words struck like a thunderbolt in the hall, instantly freezing all warmth.

The entire hall fell silent, the relaxed expressions of the officials freezing in place. They even held their breath, and the entire hall fell into a deathly silence, as if the air itself had been suddenly frozen.

On his throne, Ying Zheng's brows, which had just relaxed slightly, suddenly furrowed tightly, replaced by a surge of coldness and ferocity. His aura of power surged and pressed down heavily, sending chills down the spines of all the ministers.

"No, absolutely not!"

Li Si was deeply shaken, a chill running through him, but he forcefully suppressed it, stepped forward, steadied his tone, and tried his best to speak with utmost rationality:

"Your Majesty, since the heavens have revealed this person to be a worthy talent for our Great Qin, how could we allow him to perish so young? This is Heaven's will bestowing a gift of virtue upon our Great Qin, to aid its prosperity; there will be no such regret!"

"His Majesty!"

Meng Yi could no longer contain himself; his heart was burning with anxiety. He immediately knelt heavily on one knee, clasped his hands together, and raised them high above his head, his voice resounding and impassioned:

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you immediately issue an edict ordering me to lead troops in a search to find Zhou Wenqing's whereabouts!"

Ying Zheng gripped the edge of the imperial desk tightly with his five fingers, veins bulging slightly. His eyes were filled with a mixture of anxiety, anger, and appreciation for talent, creating a chilling and intimidating aura.

The next instant, he suddenly raised his hand and slammed it heavily onto the imperial desk.

"Granted! Immediately issue my decree, proclaiming to the world, order a full-scale search, even if it means traversing every mountain and river, digging three feet into the ground, to find him for me!"

"...Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must find this person for me!"

A single word resonates, its echo lingers.

What?

Everyone looked up in unison, their faces filled with shock.

But then the image on the sky suddenly changed from Zhou Wenqing to the young prince. At that moment, the two voices, separated by the sky and across countless layers of time and space, completely merged into one.

What happened?