Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

This eunuch… Zhou Wenqing turned his head, a deep glint flashing in his eyes.

If it weren't for the fact that the day they first met was his first time stepping into the Qin Dynasty court, and he hadn't deliberately reminded himself to keep every nerve taut, instinctively questioning and weighing any unexpected "good intentions" repeatedly...

They might actually be fooled by the other party's meticulously crafted, almost flawless, attentive manner, and believe the thin layer of "goodwill" coating on the surface.

To be fair, this eunuch's performance was truly excellent.

Aside from that first encounter, where his advice was somewhat deliberate and ingratiating, he perfectly portrayed the image of a humble eunuch who was "blessed by the emperor's grace and fortunate enough to serve a noble person" in every subsequent interaction.

His demeanor was impeccably respectful, his work was efficient and thorough, and while he spoke warmly, he always maintained the boundaries of respect for superiors. His reverence for those in power and his admiration for those who had made contributions were perfectly balanced and natural.

Even that one and only instance of "overstepping the bounds" could be explained, upon closer examination, as an eagerness to flatter, a deep admiration, or an attempt to curry favor with him, the newly favored one before the king... In short, there are too many plausible reasons to explain it.

A lowly eunuch who looks up to you with an almost reverent attitude, whose status is as insignificant as dust, who wears the lowest-ranking white linen clothes, and who casually mentions his humble origins as a poor farmer... This combination seems to be a carefully crafted facade tailored to the target's personality.

It was precisely because they had seen that Zhou Wenqing had shown compassion to farmers in the countryside and had shown tenderness to young and weak children before he entered Xianyang that they predicted he would naturally be less wary of the weak who had similar backgrounds or even "worship" them. They even predicted that he might gradually develop a sense of closeness to them.

Ah, what a coincidence!

A cold sneer rose in Zhou Wenqing's heart.

Ironically, it was precisely this seemingly most "genuine" and "showing weakness to the enemy" move that revealed his true colors!

How could a lowly eunuch who had never left the walls of Xianyang Palace and was supposedly completely cut off from outside information know so clearly about Zhou Wenqing's compassion for farmers and his appreciation by the king for offering items that benefited the people, even before Zhou Wenqing had entered the court and made a name for himself?

That's absolutely impossible!

The King of Qin was a man of great stature, with a mind as deep as the sea. He planned carefully before acting, and his strictness in governing his subordinates and his profound authority were known throughout the world.

How could the specific reasons and details for discovering such a talent as him be casually revealed to an insignificant eunuch?

If it was something I heard in court that day...

That's utter nonsense!

The white linen clothes, deliberately chosen to emphasize humility and reinforce the image of a harmless and vulnerable person, ironically became the most fatal flaw.

With such a lowly position, he probably didn't even have the right to stand guard outside the main hall of the court every day and listen to summons. Where would he "listen" to those court discussions that involved the evaluation of his own merits and the king's intentions?

Unless... someone informed us in advance.

Then, things become clear.

Before Zhou Wenqing entered the court, he had the opportunity to observe him closely and understand some of his style of doing things. He must have been someone who had visited his country courtyard.

These people have enough motive, cunning, and resources to specifically dispatch and place such a seemingly harmless "eyes and ears" around them, attempting to build a closer relationship, observe reactions, and perhaps even exert subtle influence to incite conflict between them and important officials in the court...

The area narrowed down immediately.

Zhou Wenqing's gaze narrowed slightly as a name silently surfaced in his mind.

Zhao Gao...is that you?

As the Director of the Imperial Carriage Office, he should have no problem arranging the palace eunuchs' duties and responsibilities, and it wouldn't even attract anyone's attention.

If his previous encounters with this white-robed eunuch were merely vague speculations, suggesting that the eunuch's appearance was too coincidental, his information too readily available, and his attitude too perfect, then his observations over the past half-month have almost confirmed this for Zhou Wenqing.

Perhaps to prevent him from becoming suspicious, the other party did not allow this eunuch to appear frequently.

But every time this figure in white linen appears, it is always accompanied by good fortune—

It was either a gift from the king that arrived, or a time when Zhou Wenqing was visibly happy and relaxed because of something.

How could it be such a coincidence?

It's because when people receive a reward, are in a good mood, and are least guarded, they are more likely to develop a liking for the person who brings them good news, and are more likely to unconsciously let down their guard and become closer to them.

Zhou Wenqing pulled the imperial sable fur coat tighter around himself; beneath the warm fur, his heart remained clear and calm.

He no longer looked back at the figure who was still respectfully seeing him off, but a playful smile appeared on his lips.

Very well, since someone has already lost patience and secretly placed the pieces under his nose, and also dragged Changping Jun, this potential traitor, onto the chessboard, and now that I have turned the tables and the enemy has come into the open, then this game of chess... might as well be played slowly and we'll see.

He wanted to see what other tricks this Chief of the Imperial Carriage, who had already been given a suspended death sentence by the King, could pull besides secretly planting spies and trying to create discord and incite conflict between him and other important officials like Lord Changping.

If you really want to play that "drive the tiger to devour the wolf and reap the benefits" trick... Zhao Gao, you'd better step up your game and show some real skills.

Simply making some underhanded moves and planting a few spies isn't enough.

You need to truly disrupt the game, to provoke that old fox, Changping Jun, who may or may not be harboring malicious intentions, into revealing some real, telltale signs that will make even the King frown.

As for relying on whispering in the king's ear and giving us newly rich people you don't like some ineffective and unfounded criticism... do you really think you can accomplish anything?

Unfortunately, you're probably... a step too late.

How much weight can the barking of a vicious dog that has long lost its credibility in the king's heart carry?

That trick isn't even enough to scratch an itch.

But then again...

To sow discord in front of the king, and to feign weakness in front of the enemy to lower their guard...

The more I think about this approach, the more familiar it seems.

This question lingered in his mind. From the moment he stepped off the palanquin and transferred to a horse-drawn carriage, until the carriage wheels rolled over the slightly damp streets of Xianyang and slowly drove back to the gate of his mansion, he still couldn't figure out where this strange sense of familiarity came from.

At this moment, his mind... was really not working properly.

The reason is simple—

Zhou Wenqing has gloriously caught a cold!

Sometimes, you really shouldn't make promises you can't keep.

He had previously thought he wasn't so frail that he would collapse from a little cold rain, but the truth was just that unreasonable—he was indeed sick!

Upon closer examination, this illness wasn't entirely unjustified.

Inside the main hall of the imperial court, several bronze braziers were burning brightly, the charcoal fires warming the air to a comfortable, even stifling, temperature that caused some elderly people to faint from the heat.

He stood there in his court robes, his mind tense as he clashed with others. He appeared calm and composed, but in reality, it was the most mentally and physically exhausting thing for him.

Once the matter was over, he felt a sense of relief. In order to get rid of his colleagues' encirclement, he almost fled from the hall, which was heated by the charcoal fire like a greenhouse.

The first thing you step into is the damp, cold draft that blows through the palace path after the winter rain has just stopped!

Let alone Zhou Wenqing, who was not physically strong to begin with and had a history of heart disease, even a person who was relatively healthy would probably have a hard time recovering completely after such a rapid switch between "ice and fire".

So when the carriage finally stopped in front of the mansion gate, Zhou Wenqing got off the carriage with the help of the shaft. He felt dizzy, his legs were weak, his nose was a little stuffy, and his throat began to feel dry and itchy.

The most annoying thing is my temple, which throbs and throbs with a dull and persistent throbbing pain, as if a small hammer is slowly and steadily pounding inside.

Well, he closed his eyes and sighed resignedly.

I had previously considered using respectable reasons such as "devoting myself to research" or "organizing regulations" to close the door to visitors and get some peace and quiet for a few days.

Now, things are much better; there's no need to even look for an excuse, they can just lie down and relax.

Under Li Yi's worried gaze, he waved his hand to shoo the person away, forced himself to take off his damp outer robe and the imperial sable fur coat, gulped down a bowl of ginger soup that the kitchen had prepared in advance, and then buried himself deeply in the soft, thick bedding.