Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Xianyang, Zhangtai Palace—

Ying Zheng leaned against his desk, holding a memorial in his hand containing detailed information about a person.

"Your Majesty, it seems that Wu Kan is the most suitable candidate among the Han people."

Li Si sat at the lower end of the table, slowly setting down his teacup. The tea gently rippled, creating a dark brown wave.

Calling it dark brown is being kind; the soup is so dark it's almost black.

Ever since Li Si accidentally discovered a few days ago that strong tea had the miraculous effect of refreshing the mind and dispelling fatigue, he has become completely obsessed with this way of drinking tea, and his taste has been getting increasingly stronger.

The stronger the tea, the better. It should be so strong that it turns black, so strong that it makes you feel shivering from the bitterness, so strong that after drinking it you feel as if you've been pulled out of cold water, your eyes shining, and you wish you could work through the night to approve three hundred more official documents!

In Li Si's taste buds, the bitterness of this strong tea was different from that of medicine. It was a real, sharp, and astringent taste when it entered the mouth, but the sweet aftertaste lingered on the tip of his tongue and became more and more addictive with each sip.

Li Si even prepared a small bronze stove next to his desk and brewed tea for himself every day, although... the color of the tea soup he brewed looked rather indescribable.

Later, when Ying Zheng visited Li Si's residence to discuss official business, he caught a glimpse of Li Si drinking this dark tea soup every day. He almost thought that Li Si was overwhelmed by the heavy workload of government affairs and was trying to poison himself to escape.

Ying Zheng was shocked and rushed forward, nearly overturning the teacup and the table along with it.

"Why is Li Qing so distraught?!"

Li Si: "???"

Why did Your Majesty overturn my table?!

Fortunately, after his timely explanation, Ying Zheng was relieved to know that he would not lose another right-hand man after losing Zhou Aiqing. His Li Aiqing was still the same Li Aiqing who was so engrossed in his official duties.

He would even voluntarily "chew fodder" just to "grind the millstone" for me day and night!

The two "kings of rolls" got together, not seeing anything wrong with their behavior at all.

However, out of curiosity, Ying Zheng also picked up the dark tea and took a sip.

As a result, if he hadn't been mindful of his status, he felt he might have blurted out his anger on the spot!

The moment the tea entered his throat, Ying Zheng felt as if a thunderbolt had struck his tongue out of nowhere. A strong bitterness swept over him like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing his entire mouth until his taste buds were completely numb.

He swallowed stiffly, put down his teacup, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly said, "Li Qing, this tea of ​​yours..."

Ying Zheng carefully considered his words before giving his assessment: "Very individualistic."

Finally gaining approval for his taste, Li Si, unusually oblivious, didn't notice anything amiss and excitedly exclaimed, "Does Your Majesty agree? I knew it!"

He seemed to have finally found a kindred spirit. "That Wei Liao guy has terrible taste. He even said that my tongue was ruined by Xia Wuqie and that I've developed a liking for medicinal soup. Nonsense! How can those be the same?"

Li Si picked up the cup of strong tea as if it were some kind of celestial nectar, took a reverent sip, his face full of intoxication, and exclaimed:

"This sweet aftertaste is refreshing, rich, and lingering—simply wonderful! Your Majesty, wouldn't you agree?"

Ying Zheng remained silent.

My tongue is numb, I can't taste anything, let alone any sweet aftertaste!

He completely agreed with Wei Liao's point of view, but it was better not to point it out—his Li Qing seemed to have been corrupted by Xia Wuqie, so he should wait for Physician Lü to return before thinking of a solution, and not to discourage him for the time being.

Ying Zheng looked at Li Si with a hint of pity, and even kindly comforted him: "Indeed...sweet."

Li Si slapped his thigh, completely unaware of Ying Zheng's thoughts, and continued to complain:

"Exactly! Ah-Zhu even said I was ruining the tea ceremony created by his husband, spitting it out after just one sip! Humph! Just a kid like me, he doesn't know how to appreciate it at all!"

Ying Zheng's heart tightened.

Ah Zhu actually drank this stuff?

Don't ruin the precious talent that Minister Zhou left for me!

After that day, although Ying Zheng could not accept Li Si's peculiar taste and forbade him to let anyone try it, it did not stop him from ordering people to change the tea to his preferred strange flavor when Li Si came to Zhangtai Palace.

Of course, this was under the condition that he was unaware of the dangers of strong tea.

Firstly, Zhou Wenqing had always loved tea, and he was physically weak. Doctor Lü had never stopped him from drinking tea, so everyone naturally assumed that tea was harmless.

Secondly, the hobby of brewing tea was created by Zhou Wenqing, and most of the tea varieties currently available were selected by him. They inevitably take into account his individual constitution and preferences, and are all relatively mild and harmless varieties. Otherwise, given Li Si's current drinking habits, he would have already suffered a perforated stomach long before Zhou Wenqing returned.

In addition, with official duties becoming increasingly heavy lately, Ying Zheng, a workaholic on par with Li Si, would even hold his nose and drink a cup of wine when he was too busy.

It's estimated that when Zhou Wenqing returns and finds out, there will be a sharp explosion!

At this moment, inside Zhangtai Palace, the teacups on the two people's desks were filled with this dark, frighteningly thick tea.

Except for Wei Liao.

He glanced at the "potion" in their hands with a hint of awe, unconsciously holding onto his own cup of tea more tightly before speaking:

"That's right, Your Majesty. Your Majesty, Li Tingwei and I have thoroughly investigated all the Korean spies, informants, and informants in Xianyang City who could be found to be even slightly suspicious. There are a total of forty-seven people. Among them, Wu Kan is the most suitable."

"Forty-seven? I had no idea there were so many rats hiding in Xianyang."

Ying Zheng frowned and put down the memorial in his hand.

"Your Majesty, please calm down," Li Si said hastily. "Most of these forty-seven men are just lowly soldiers, spreading rumors and delivering messages. They are not capable of anything. Only three or four of them are truly capable."

He seemed to curl his lip in disdain before continuing, "If it weren't for Zicheng's plan, these people would never have been able to smuggle out a single piece of valuable information from Xianyang in their entire lives."

"I don't know what the King of Han was thinking. All the people he trusts are like this... Calling them useless is too kind of him. Yet, those he doesn't trust are all such talented people. It's really puzzling."

"Why bother with him? Anyway, the fate of Han is nearing its end." Wei Liao interjected casually, then continued, "Your Majesty, this Wu Kan, now known as Lin Xun, is originally from a collateral branch of a noble family in Chu. After his family fell into decline, he and his ancestors went to Han. He is deeply trusted by King An of Han. He has been instilled with loyalty to Han since childhood and is quite determined. He has been infiltrating Xianyang for more than three years."

"Previously, he used his identity as a retainer of Lü Buwei as a cover, mingling among wandering scholars from all walks of life, making friends with people from all walks of life, being well-informed, and acting quite cautiously."

"Lu Buwei's retainers..." A cold glint flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes. "After Lu Buwei's downfall, most of his retainers scattered like birds and beasts, but this person remained?"

Ying Zheng's gaze fell on Li Si.