Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

"well……"

Zhou Wenqing sighed softly, feeling a little melancholy for a moment.

He will indeed leave soon, but his departure will be different from what Aunt Liu imagined.

He won't come back...

Zhou Wenqing stroked Azhu's soft head and said gently, "Azhu is a smart child. Grow up well and take good care of your mother when you grow up, okay?"

He wasn't exaggerating; Ah Zhu was indeed clever.

Zhou Wenqing never seriously taught these children to write—he himself wasn't very good at using a calligraphy brush.

Although I practiced haphazardly for a while in my previous life due to my profession and interest, how could my superficial skills compare to those of the ancients who grew up immersed in calligraphy and painting?

However, the original owner of this body, though of mediocre learning, somehow developed an extremely elegant and upright handwriting, with strokes that were both subtle and revealing, and a balanced and graceful structure, possessing a natural and unadorned charm.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the original owner was able to make many friends and gain some reputation among scholars.

Handwriting is like a storefront; good handwriting can ultimately impress many people.

Zhou Wenqing was initially curious and tried to copy it with a pen. Surprisingly, he was able to write it quite well by relying on muscle memory.

Later, when he had nothing to do, he often used this as a pastime. The children would gather around to watch the fun, mostly just for the novelty. Very few of them could actually remember the strokes or recognize the characters.

Ah-Zhu, on the other hand, would often squat to one side, watching intently, and occasionally stick out his little finger and secretly gesture in the air.

Ah Zhu looked up, blinked his bright black eyes, and quickly replied:

"I know! Ah-Zhu must grow up quickly, be as strong as Second Brother, so he can help Mother carry water and chop firewood, and protect Mother!"

The "second brother" he mentioned was Aunt Liu's second son, a simple and hardworking farmer who helped with the family's work year-round and was praised by his parents. He was Ah Zhu's most respected role model.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wenqing unconsciously raised the corners of his lips slightly, and gently rubbed the soft hair on the top of his head with his palm.

"Good boy, go play."

Ah Zhu nodded vigorously, then turned around and, like a playful puppy, hopped and skipped into the group of children. Soon, the courtyard was filled with the sound of cheerful laughter.

------

The materials were gathered that evening, and Zhou Wenqing came out of the backyard on the third day at noon, carrying a pottery jar.

Li Yi was squatting by the kitchen door washing vegetables when he looked up and saw the small basin in his hand fall to the ground with a "thud".

His eyes widened in disbelief, and he jumped up abruptly. The contents of the jar were white and misty, dazzlingly bright in the morning light.

Li Yi swore that it wasn't that he was too unambitious; he had thought that the young master might be able to produce fine salt that was white and fine enough, but he never thought that it would be more beautiful than the blue salt used by the palace nobles!

If it weren't for the fact that it wasn't the dead of winter, he would have almost thought that the young master had brought him a jar of snow to tease him.

Li carefully extended her fingertip, picked up a tiny pinch, and gently sipped it on her tongue.

Salty!

It's pure, clean saltiness, without a trace of bitterness or astringency. It's the freshness that salt should have, which explodes on the tip of your tongue and rushes straight to your head.

Li Yi's pupils contracted sharply, and he abruptly looked up, his voice slightly strained with shock:

"Young master...is this really...salt that you made?"

"Otherwise what?"

Zhou Wenqing gently placed the pottery jar on the table, patted the dust off his hands, and spoke in a casual tone as if he were simply serving a small dish.

"Use this to cook the meal in a little while. Don't be stingy with the salt. There's plenty of it. Less than 30% of the coarse salt blocks will be wasted."

As Zhou Wenqing spoke, he covered his mouth and let out a long yawn. He then slowly strolled out of the kitchen with his hands behind his back, his voice filled with weariness.

"These past two days have exhausted me. It's all your fault for rushing me like crazy. Cook well, and remember—whatever you do, don't tell anyone about it."

He walked to the door, turned back to give one last instruction, and then waved his hand, saying, "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when dinner is ready."

"Alright, young master, don't worry!" Li Yi answered crisply, holding the jar of snow-white fine salt.

As soon as Zhou Wenqing's figure disappeared behind the curtain, his eyes darted around and he quickly pulled out a small leather pouch that he had prepared beforehand from his pocket.

He naturally wouldn't "show off".

He secretly packed a bag into the package and sent it to Xianyang along with the secret report; there could be no more discreet approach.

The next day, at Zhangtai Palace in Xianyang.

"Your Majesty! The purity of this salt is unparalleled. If we could obtain this method of salt production, the salt administration of Qin would be completely transformed, the national treasury's annual revenue would increase by a huge sum, and the people would no longer suffer from eating coarse and bitter salt—this is truly a divine blessing upon Qin!"

He excitedly raised his head, his eyes shining brightly:

"The man who presented the salt, regardless of his previous concerns or status, is a man of unparalleled talent. I beseech Your Majesty to grant me permission—I am willing to personally go and welcome this worthy man to Xianyang. I urge Your Majesty to treat him with the respect due to a national hero, so that he may willingly serve my Great Qin!"

Ying Zheng stared at the white salt in his palm, overjoyed. He stood up, took a few steps, and stood by the palace window, speechless with excitement for a long time.

"Your Majesty!" Li Si couldn't help but bow again, pleading, "Your subject requests permission to proceed!"

Finally, the King of Qin slowly raised his head.

"No."

Every word uttered was resounding and powerful.

Li Si looked up in surprise.

Ying Zheng stood with his hands behind his back, his voice not loud, yet each word resonated like the clash of metal and stone, echoing in the empty palace:

"Such a person, I should personally go and meet him."

"His ability to produce such snow salt means he holds a weapon powerful enough to shake the foundations of the nation. If I were to send only an envoy, I would be disrespecting him and this very thing."

Li Si opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words of advice.

"Issue the order." Ying Zheng turned around, his black sleeves parting to create a chilling wind. "Three days later, travel light and secretly leave Xianyang."

"Minister Li." He looked at Li Si, who was still bowing, with a deep gaze. "You and General Meng Wu are accompanying me. This time, I want to personally see what kind of person this Zhou Wenqing is."

Outside the palace, evening clouds gathered, and the sky seemed to be rumbling with wind and thunder.

Li Si bowed deeply, his voice solemn:

"promise."

------

A few days later, in the middle of the night.

Zhou Wenqing suddenly opened his eyes on the couch.

The room was pitch black, with only a few slivers of moonlight filtering in through the window.

He didn't light a lamp, but quietly got up, walked barefoot to the window, and pushed the window open a crack.

Under the cold moonlight, the brown horse in the courtyard was pacing restlessly, while the other chestnut horse had disappeared.

Li Yi went out again.

Without hesitation, Zhou Wenqing quickly put on his coat and slippers, tiptoed to the door of the next room, stood still in the darkness for a moment, and then slowly pushed it open—

The door opened effortlessly.

Whether she left in a hurry or was too trusting of her "frail young master" at home, the door was left unlatched.

Zhou Wenqing slipped inside. The room was simply furnished, almost exactly the same as his own room—after all, the furniture was made according to his design, the only difference being the personal items.

The bedding on the couch was neatly arranged, indicating that no one was there. His gaze quickly swept over the luggage on the table, beside the couch, and in the corner of the room... finally landing on the wooden box in the corner of the room.

He approached, squatted down, and lifted the lid of the box. Inside were several pieces of coarse cloth clothing, which looked unremarkable. He reached out and groped under the clothes for a moment, touching several rolls of hard objects.

Wrapped in oilcloth and bound with thin rope, these are bamboo slips.

His heart suddenly skipped two beats.

Just as he was about to take it out for a closer look, a very faint neighing of a horse suddenly came from afar, growing louder as it approached.

Zhou Wenqing's pupils contracted.

Li Yi is back.