Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Chenjun, Songfu

It was late at night. Inside the main bedroom, the curtains were drawn, and a warm fragrance filled the air. Prefect Song Yun was embracing the soft, fragrant woman, drifting into a hazy dream, a satisfied smile still lingering on his lips.

"Bang—bang bang—"

A sudden, urgent, almost violent banging on the door shattered the tranquility of the courtyard, accompanied by the servants' hushed, urgent shouts.

Song Yun was jolted awake from his deep sleep. Without even opening his eyes, he stretched out his long arm and pressed the startled beauty beside him back into bed, his heart filled with anger at having his sweet dream disturbed.

"How dare you! Who would dare disturb the magistrate's rest?!"

"Prefect, it is I who have urgent business to report!"

The servant's voice was extremely low, yet it betrayed an barely suppressed panic.

Recognizing the voice of his trusted confidant, he knew that the man would never call him unless it was something extremely important.

Song Yun suddenly opened his eyes, suppressed his anger, reached out and wrapped the brocade quilt tightly around the beauty next to him, and whispered a scolding, "Stay put." Then he casually grabbed an outer robe, the collar still half open, his belly protruding, slipped on his shoes, got off the bed, and yanked open the door.

"What are you howling about?!"

He glared fiercely at his confidant kneeling on the ground, his eyes still filled with the rage of someone whose sweet dream had been shattered.

"You'd better have something really important to do, or... I'll rip your tongue out tonight and throw it outside the city to feed the wild dogs!"

"No, no, Your Excellency, please calm your anger. I truly have important business to attend to!"

The servant pressed his forehead firmly against the cold flagstone, speaking hastily and rapidly, as if afraid that if he spoke too slowly, his tongue would be ripped out:

"It is the city gate guard who reports that the Xianyang delegation suddenly arrived at the north gate in the middle of the night, brandishing their official seal and forcibly knocking on the gate, claiming that the eldest son, Fusu, is ill and demanding that the gate be opened immediately to allow entry into the city, requesting all the physicians in the prefecture to come. The guard guard dared not act on his own initiative and specially ordered me to come and report this immediately!"

The delegation has arrived!

These four words struck Song Yun like a thunderclap, causing him to jolt violently awake. The drowsiness that had gripped his body vanished instantly, leaving only a chill and disbelief throughout his being.

How could they have arrived so quickly?

My hangover brain started working again, and I was thinking fast.

The eldest son is ill; could this be the reason?

It seems they heard that the delegation was attacked on the way, and a rather unfortunate man of considerable reputation was killed. The eldest son had to recuperate for a long time before he could barely set off. Now, after days of bumpy travel, it's quite reasonable that his old illness has flared up again, but...

He gripped his collar tightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He paced back and forth in the room for a couple of steps before suddenly stopping.

"Has the man sent to the west of the city returned?"

The servant trembled even more violently, lowered his head even further, and spoke in a voice barely audible: "No...no news yet."

Song Yun's face darkened completely.

Everyone had arrived, but the mess was still not completely cleaned up. The uneasy premonition in his heart was like a wet cotton ball, getting tighter and tighter.

"Useless trash!" Song Yun gritted his teeth and kicked the servant hard in the chest. "A bunch of good-for-nothings who're good for nothing!"

The servant felt a sweet taste in his throat from the kick, and his vision blurred, but he clenched his teeth tightly, not daring to utter a single cry of pain. He could only struggle to kneel on the ground, trembling.

"Send men over there! Immediately send men to the west of the city to investigate. Regardless of whether they are alive or dead, successful or unsuccessful, they must send me a definite report within half an hour!"

"Yes! I'll arrange it right away!"

The servants were scrambling to retreat when a cold shout froze them in place.

Song Yun took out a heavy token from the pocket of his inner garment, bent down and handed it to him, whispering in his ear.

"Take this and go to the eastern suburbs to transfer all the people I have been training. Have them change into ordinary clothes and quietly surround the post station. Remember, be quiet and hide well so no one can find out. Without my orders, they are not allowed to make any rash moves."

The servant's face turned deathly pale instantly, his pupils contracted sharply, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to collapse to his knees.

He suddenly raised his head and saw the sinister and vicious look in Song Yun's eyes. He trembled all over, lowered his head shakily, took the token with both hands, and bowed in agreement.

"What are you all standing there for?" Song Yun straightened up and shouted sternly, "Don't forget to tell Xu Kun to get over there and greet them too!"

"Yes, yes!"

The servant dared not utter another word, turned and stumbled away, his footsteps hurried and disordered, quickly disappearing into the deep night.

The wind in the courtyard grew stronger. Song Yun gritted his teeth, a dark light flashing in his sinister little eyes. He suddenly flicked his sleeve and turned to go back into the house.

He pushed aside the panicked concubine who rushed forward to serve him, and a moment later, he had already changed into a formal prefectural governor's uniform. He then raised his hand to smooth out the wrinkles on his clothes and slowly walked to the mirror.

The person reflected in the bronze mirror had an ordinary and harmless face. There was no trace of the rage and ferocity in his eyes and brows. All that remained was a respectful and submissive demeanor, along with a hint of panic and unease at not being able to greet him in time.

He carefully crafted a perfect expression on his face before picking up the prefect's seal from the table, solemnly tying it around his waist, and then strode out of the room.

His personal guards outside the gate had already prepared a fast horse. He mounted it, pulled on the reins, and shouted in a low voice, "To the north gate, quickly!"

------

Before the city gate, the torchlight illuminated that small area as bright as day.

Yao Jia remained at the forefront, facing off against the group. His voice grew louder with each rebuke, his shouts laced with deliberately amplified rage. He was stern and showed no mercy to the minor official on the city wall, appearing as if he couldn't wait to break down the gate.

But in reality... he wished this stalemate could last as long as possible.

The reinforcements from Luoyang have not yet arrived. Every moment that is delayed will stabilize the situation.

The guards on the city wall were being lectured until their faces turned pale and their faces were covered in dust. They could only bow and respond repeatedly, their posture submissive, but they were adamant that they dared not open the city gate without authorization.

Zhou Wenqing listened with his head down, but couldn't help but shrink back a little, hiding himself in the shadows behind Physician Lü.

Thank goodness! He pressed his chest. Luckily, he couldn't get angry or startled, as everyone knows. Otherwise, when he was flipping the carriage, he probably would have choked and shut up before he could even open his mouth.

Ever since Physician Lü began to help Han Zi treat his stuttering and achieved some success, the two men's eloquence soared like firewood doused with oil.

Especially their ability to banter. After spending so much time together and even working on a big case, their relationship has not improved at all. Instead, they seem to have gotten used to it and start arguing whenever they meet. Their words have become increasingly unrestrained, evolving from "open and subtle sarcasm" to "sharp and biting remarks".

Zhou Wenqing sometimes even suspected that they had secretly practiced cursing without using any vulgar words, yet every sentence was designed to pierce people's lungs.

Just then, the sound of hurried hoofbeats came from inside the city gate; Song Yun had arrived.

He was still dozens of steps away from the city gate when he dismounted, casually tossed the reins to his attendant, grabbed the hem of the prefect's robe, and hurriedly ran to the city gate in a flustered manner.

As if granted a pardon, the captain hurriedly presented the official seal. Song Yun took it, examined it carefully, and immediately bowed loudly, his tone full of trepidation.

"That's right! This is indeed Guest Elder Yao's seal! Quickly, open the city gates immediately and welcome the eldest son and Guest Elder Yao into the city!"

The heavy city gate creaked open, and Song Yun immediately rushed out to greet him. His steps were hurried, and he even tripped, nearly falling in front of everyone. He barely managed to regain his balance and stepped forward, bowing deeply to the ground.

"Your subject, Song Yun, Prefect of Chen Commandery, respectfully welcomed the delegation but failed to greet them in advance. This was due to my negligence in fulfilling my duties, and I beg your forgiveness!"

He headed straight for Yao Jia, who was at the very front. Zhou Wenqing quietly turned his head, glanced at him, and couldn't help but frown.

How could someone with such a useless character be appointed as a prefect?