Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhou Wenqing clearly understood the meaning behind his gaze and shrugged innocently.

"I thought that Chief Secretary Li was knowledgeable and well-read, and should be able to recognize this mere filth, cough! This trivial thing, but I didn't expect..." He paused, then said sincerely, "It is indeed Wenqing's fault. He should have thought more carefully and made it clear earlier."

So you're blaming me now?!

I think you did it on purpose!

Li Si turned his head with a hint of frustration, casting a longing gaze at Ying Zheng on the throne.

Your Majesty! You saw it all, didn't you? How can you tolerate this? I have been working tirelessly to improve the lives of the people by providing heated kang beds, and he... he has played a trick on me like this! You must uphold justice for me!

Ying Zheng: "..."

He sat steadily, his expression unchanged, and calmly raised his head. His gaze passed over Li Si, who was pleading for a decision, and Zhou Wenqing, whose face was full of innocence, and landed precisely on the snowflakes swirling in the air outside the window. His tone was calm, with a hint of emotion:

"This year's first snowfall was really heavy!"

Fortunately, I asked about the burning stone first, otherwise I would be the one being teased and mocked by Minister Zhou for not being knowledgeable enough!

Ying Zheng nodded slightly, his expression more of an affirmation of his own swift and risk-avoidance response than an appreciation for the first snow.

Li Si: "..."

Well, he knew this would happen.

Forget it! Considering his immense achievements, he won't hold it against him, but he can't be the only one who loses face, can he?

That's so inappropriate!

Li Si's eyes flickered slightly, and when he raised his head again, his expression was solemn and composed.

"Your Majesty, I believe that what Zhou Neishi just said about 'cow and sheep dung cakes' is still worth improving. This item should be produced by the Department of All Things."

Upon hearing this, both Ying Zheng and Zhou Wenqing looked at him in surprise.

Zhou Wenqing was particularly suspicious, his gaze lingering on Li Si's face for a moment, his fingers almost itching to touch his forehead.

Is this person delirious from a fever?

There's really no need for this item to be included in the Department of Items!

He intended to make this dung cake technique public so that all the common people could make it themselves. If the common people could make it themselves, why would they need to go to the Ministry of Works?

As for the nobles of Xianyang, they have cartloads of charcoal and firewood in their mansions, so who would bother to come all the way to buy these mere dung cakes?

The two of them waited quietly for him to explain.

Li Si remained calm and composed, his tone steady, each word spoken with ease:

"Your Majesty, I have thought about this matter many times—few people know what this dung cake is."

He paused briefly, his gaze calm, but a subtle smile played at the corners of his lips:

"If that's the case, why not have the Department of All Things manufacture it, reshape it, and add fragrance, so that this thing is completely different from dung cakes?"

"I can order the Department of All Things to select the best manure, sift out all the coarse and impurities, mix it with Wucheng fragrant grass or other spices, press it into a mold, and make it into cakes of uniform thickness and shape. After drying, wrap them in plain silk, so that they will have no off-flavors and can be stored for a long time."

"Thus, its form is refined and its taste is clear and mild. When it is given a fine name, who will recognize its original form?"

Zhou Wenqing's hand holding the cup trembled slightly, and his expression became somewhat strange.

He seemed to have guessed what Li Si wanted to do.

This is like putting a gold rim on a manure cake and then selling it to those nobles to warm themselves around a fireplace.

Sure enough, Li Si continued:

"Now that this item has been renamed and reshaped, and possesses a refined fragrance and an exquisite and beautiful appearance, it could very well be valued a hundredfold, or even a thousandfold, and brought into the national treasury. In that case, who could still associate this item with such crude and vulgar things from the countryside?"

He paused, a confident and composed expression on his face.

"If each goes its own way, without interfering with the other, and without any risk of being exposed, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?!"

Ruthless, absolutely ruthless! No wonder you're Li Si!

Zhou Wenqing felt that he had become several degrees more gentle and mild-mannered.

While both were about siphoning money from the nobility, at least he actually provided something: fine paper that could actually be used for writing, fine salt that could actually enhance the flavor, and a heated kang bed that could actually warm people.

But Li Si's actions resulted in those nobles in Xianyang spending a hundred times the price to buy a pile of dung cakes with gold trim, thinking it was a sign of elegance.

Isn't this a complete scam?!

However… Zhou Wenqing subtly curled the corners of his lips.

Well done, that's exactly what they were fooled!

He suppressed the smile that almost overflowed in his eyes, straightened his expression, and bowed to the throne:

"Your Majesty, I believe what Chief Secretary Li said is feasible."

"The Bureau of All Things will produce new cakes to sell to wealthy households, while the border people will continue to follow the old ways of self-sufficiency. The two can coexist without conflict, and there is no risk of being exposed. This will also enrich the national treasury. It is truly a good idea!"

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng lowered his eyes, seemingly trying to hold back, but he couldn't completely suppress it, and the corners of his lips turned up slightly.

"Since both of you agree—"

He looked up, his tone still calm, but a smile clearly flickered in his eyes:

"Then I bestow upon this item a new name: Black Gold Auspicious Cake."

He looked at Li Si: "Li Changshi, I'm leaving this to you."

Li Si bowed deeply and respectfully, saying, "Yes, sir."

------

The snow had just stopped and the sun was shining brightly.

But this clear weather is three times colder than when it snows.

Icicles hung from the eaves like swords, and sunlight fell on them, refracting into a cold gleam. Although the snow in the courtyard had been swept to the corner and piled into a small mountain, a thin layer of ice had formed on the bluestone slabs, which were crisp and crunchy when stepped on.

Zhou Wenqing, wrapped in his sable fur coat, huddled in the soft chair in the study, with a pot of boiling water beside him, a thick velvet blanket draped over his lap, and two copper hand warmers tucked under the blanket.

With such an exaggerated outfit that could be described as "strictly guarded," he has been staying at home handling official business for several days.

"It's not cold when it snows, but it's cold when the snow melts." Who said that old saying again? Zhou Wenqing was too lazy to think about it. He just felt that the ancients were right. The weather was so cold that he didn't even have the slightest thought of going out.

The curtain moved, letting in a sliver of cold air.

Zhou Wenqing reflexively tightened his collar a little and looked up.

"Sir." It was Li Yi who entered, holding a thin stack of pages. "These were sent by Prince Fusu. He said that the list of households in the suburbs of Xianyang suitable for building kang (heated brick beds) this year has been completed. Please take a look, sir."

Zhou Wenqing took it and casually flipped through it.

The handwriting is neat and the entries are clear. Each item—which neighborhood, which household, how many people in the family, how many elderly and weak, what they used for heating, and how many kang beds they planned to build—is listed clearly.

He curved his lips into a smile, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Except for the first few days when he was still worried and accompanied Fusu several times in the biting wind, the local officials bowed lower and lower and spoke more fluently than the young master whenever they saw him, as if they wanted to have the words "Don't worry, young master" engraved on their foreheads.

At first, Fusu was a little reserved and not very skilled, but after half a day, he was able to talk to people on his own, clearly and logically, neither humble nor arrogant. Occasionally, he could even ask questions about the special circumstances of a certain household, and he did a very good job.

Zhou Wenqing, on the other hand, was thoroughly chilled by the cold wind that day and was knocked down. It took him several days to recover.

He closed the booklet and handed it back to Li Yi:

"Tell the young master that he handled this matter very well. From now on, he can make his own decisions and there is no need to send it over for review again."

He paused, then added:

"Let him just do it. If he encounters any difficulties, he can come and ask me."

Li Yi accepted the order, but did not leave immediately.

Zhou Wenqing caught a glimpse of the boot tips of the man standing still, and paused in his flipping through the pages.

"Is there anything else?"

Li Yi hesitated for once, his Adam's apple bobbing before he finally spoke:

"Sir, someone outside the mansion requests an audience."