Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

"Sir, what should I do?"

Fusu looked at him earnestly, his eyes burning with two bright flames, an eagerness to put things into action.

"Perhaps I could volunteer to lead a group to go door-to-door to count the number of people suffering from the disaster and hunger, and distribute firewood and grain? Or, I could immediately write to my father, explaining the pros and cons, and request that the mountains and forests near Xianyang be opened up, allowing people to go into the mountains to collect withered branches and leaves for firewood? If all else fails, I have some myself..."

"Alright, Fusu." Zhou Wenqing gently interrupted his rapid-fire ideas, raising his hand to press down lightly, signaling him to calm down.

He could understand the passion and sense of responsibility that the young man was feeling at that moment, but things needed to be done in a structured way.

"I understand your intentions, but if you wish to do this, you must do so legitimately and with the permission of your father, the King."

He pondered for a moment: "As for how to implement it... perhaps there is no need to start from scratch. Since the Department of Hundreds of Items has the responsibility to benefit the people, it is a ready-made way. I already have a prototype in mind. If it can be made and promoted, it may alleviate the people's difficulty in keeping warm in winter."

"Really?!" Fu Su's eyes lit up instantly. Almost without thinking, he reached out and grabbed Zhou Wenqing's wrist, his voice urgent.

"Sir, what are we waiting for? Let's go back to the city now, and I'll go see my father right away! My father will definitely allow me to participate in this matter, and he will definitely support me!"

As he spoke, he pulled Zhou Wenqing toward the carriage, his steps quick and hurried, as if he wished he could sprout wings and fly back to Zhangtai Palace immediately.

"Hey, slow down!"

Zhou Wenqing was pulled so hard that he stumbled, feeling both amused and helpless. He quickly regained his balance and looked back at the other two little figures playing happily in the snow.

"How can you, as the elder brother, abandon your younger brothers? You should have called Hu Hai and A Zhu along too!"

"Oh! Right!" Fusu suddenly realized, embarrassed, and released his hand, patting his forehead.

He turned towards the snow and raised his voice, calling out, "Hu Hai! A Zhu! Pack up, we're going back, come quickly!"

"Okay, senior brother, I'm coming!" Upon hearing this, Ah Zhu got up, brushed the snow off his hands, and jogged towards the carriage.

"Huh? You're leaving already?!" Hu Hai's protest suddenly rose, drawn out, full of reluctance.

He was kneeling in the snow, his little bottom sticking out, carefully making the final touches on his seventh snowman, which was already taking shape and had half a withered branch as its nose—trying to put two pebbles on the snowman for eyes.

Seeing that his brother and teacher were really about to leave, he let out a desperate "howl," and promptly threw himself to the ground, flailing his arms and legs in a desperate act of fussing and howling.

"Brother~ I haven't had enough fun yet! The snowman is so cute, it's almost finished! No, no, don't go! Let me build one more, just one! Even a small one is fine! I don't want to go back so soon~"

Looking at his younger brother rolling around on the ground like a gourd, Fusu felt a throbbing sensation in his temple.

He suddenly understood why his father seemed to dislike this boy so much lately, and would "teach" him a few times every now and then.

Sometimes, it's not that Father is easily angered; it's just that this kid... can't be well-behaved for long before he starts causing trouble again.

"You look like a snowman to me." Fusu said irritably, bent down, and with lightning speed, grabbed Huhai by the back of his collar. With a little force, he lifted the "lump" of a person out of the snow.

Hu Hai's feet suddenly left the ground, and he kicked twice in mid-air, shouting, "Put me down! Brother, my eyes, my eyes, they're not back on yet!"

"Stop making a fuss. The snow isn't going to grow legs and run away. We'll come back to play next time when we have more time." Fusu's tone was decisive and left no room for argument. He half-dragged, half-lifted the still struggling Huhai towards the carriage, leaving a crooked trail in the snow.

"Now, immediately, come back with me. The master has important business to attend to."

Zhou Wenqing stood to the side, sleeves rolled up, watching Fusu's somewhat "rough" but highly efficient lifting action, and then hearing that familiar admonition, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly involuntarily.

These words... this tone... this simple and direct solution... why does it sound so familiar?

He subconsciously touched his nose, his eyes darting around for a moment, and he muttered to himself guiltily:

Could it be that Fusu, this child... has unknowingly been led astray by me in some of his ways?

Zhangtai Palace —

"Your Majesty, the eldest son and the Zhou Inner Historian request an audience."

The servant's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the hall.

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng, who was discussing the winter border grain transport with Li Si, paused slightly in his writing, raised his eyes, and a hint of surprise flashed between his brows, which was quickly replaced by a gentle expression:

"Oh? Minister Zhou has arrived too. Please come in quickly."

The waiter bowed and withdrew to deliver the message.

Li Si, standing to the side, stroked his short beard, a smile in his eyes, and bowed to Ying Zheng, saying, "It seems that the Grand Historian Zhou saw the first snow in Xianyang and the rare scenery, so he specially brought his eldest son to enjoy the snow scene with Your Majesty and celebrate this auspicious occasion."

His words carried a hint of joking.

After all, Zhou Wenqing wasn't the kind of person who would fawn over the emperor for no reason or just say nice things. But since he came on a snowy day and brought Prince Fusu with him, Li Si couldn't think of any other reason besides congratulating the emperor on the snow.

Ying Zheng gave a noncommittal "hmm," his gaze already fixed on the palace gate.

Before long, footsteps approached from afar.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

"Your subject Zhou Wenqing greets Your Majesty."

Fusu and Zhou Wenqing bowed to each other, still carrying the chill of the outside air.

"Get up quickly." Ying Zheng frowned slightly as he looked at the thin layer of snow remaining on Zhou Wenqing's robes and the barely noticeable mud on his boots.

"Where have you been, my dear minister? You're covered in snow. Are you alright?" His tone was clearly concerned. He gestured for her to rise, offer her a seat, and serve her some hot soup to warm her up.

The eunuchs quickly brought over seats and served hot ginger soup to ward off the cold.

Zhou Wenqing thanked the emperor and sat down, holding the warm ceramic bowl in his hands, which dispelled some of the coolness from his fingertips.

He did not drink it immediately, but instead turned his gaze to Li Si, who was standing to the side, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Chief Secretary Li is here too?" His tone was gentle and familiar. "Today seems to be a day of rest, yet Chief Secretary Li is still not at ease, discussing state affairs with His Majesty in the palace. He is truly a pillar of the state, working diligently day and night. However..."

Zhou Wenqing's gaze lingered for a moment on the undeniable signs of fatigue on Li Si's face, and his tone became more sincere, "No matter how busy you are with official duties, you must remember to take care of your health."

It had only been a few days since their last meeting. Yet, Li Changshi, known for his vigor and efficiency, looked so haggard, with sunken eyes and a pale face. At first glance, he appeared even thinner than I, who was often worried about being "weak."

Could it be... this is the motivating power of the "big pie"? Zhou Wenqing muttered to himself, wondering if he had used too much of this "big pie" potion. He didn't want to exhaust the future powerful prime minister prematurely.

Upon hearing this, Li Si felt a pang of embarrassment, as he was reminded of this by Zicheng, a man who usually didn't pay attention to his health.

"I'm so sorry, but I've been quite busy lately with all sorts of things going on... cough cough, it's alright, it's alright."

He waved his hand, as if to brush away the insignificant fatigue, "I'll be fine after a few days of rest... well, actually, it's okay if I don't need to rest."

At this point, he suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze fixed firmly on Zhou Wenqing. His eyes, slightly red from weariness, suddenly blazed with an almost burning expectation, dispelling his previous dejection.

"Let's see what important matter brings you here, Zhou Neishi. If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know!"

These days, Li Si has indeed fallen into a state of near-madness in his pursuit of "achieving great deeds and establishing a career," wishing he could truly split himself into eight pieces and devote them all to the magnificent blueprint of "joining in the great undertaking and being remembered in history."

He was indeed exhausted, but when he thought of Brother Zicheng braving the wind and snow to bring the eldest son here in such a hurry, he knew that there must be a new strategy that could shake the court and benefit the people for generations to come. Suddenly, all his fatigue disappeared, and he was in a posture of "Just give the order, I can fight another three hundred rounds".

Well, Zhou Wenqing looked at the burning light in his eyes and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

It seems that the "big pancake" not only didn't choke him, but he actually enjoyed it, so there's... nothing more to say to him.

"Chief Secretary Li, you flatter me." Zhou Wenqing smiled slightly and smoothly steered the conversation back on track. "However, Your Majesty, I have come here today with a matter concerning the people's livelihood and warmth this winter. It may be necessary to rely on the efforts of the Department of All Things to promote this. Since Chief Secretary Li is here, we can discuss this together."

He paused briefly, then turned his gentle gaze to the young man beside him: "This matter actually stems from the fact that the eldest son, Fusu, was moved by the sight of snow and concerned about the well-being of the common people. He earnestly asked me for advice, and I believe that what the young master thinks and considers is the essence of governance. Therefore, I specially brought him here to present this to Your Majesty in person."

"Fusu?" Ying Zheng's gaze indeed turned to his eldest son, a hint of surprise flashing in his deep eyes.

He had just noticed his son's unusually excited expression, unlike his usual calm and lifeless demeanor, and couldn't help but take a closer look at his eldest son.

"What strategy did you ask for? Tell me about it."

Called by his father, Fusu took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully. The young man's voice was slightly strained with nervousness, but he tried his best to speak clearly:

"Father, today I accompanied my teacher out of the city and we saw heavy snow. While enjoying the snow, we saw poor children in the suburbs suffering from the cold winter, and sick and weak elders lying in the ice and cold. My heart... my heart is truly uneasy."

"I wondered if... if there were a way to ensure that ordinary families, especially the poor and vulnerable, could have a truly warm bed in the winter, so they wouldn't have to shiver in the cold every night?"