Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

After straightening his clothes, Zhou Wenqing looked down at the slightly oversized hand warmer in his arms, hesitated for a moment, then chose to hold it in his arms and slowly walked out of the study.

Li Yi, who was guarding the outer room of the study, saw his teacher come out and was about to follow him when Zhou Wenqing turned his head and whispered a few words of advice to him.

After hearing this, he paused slightly, then lowered his head and said, "Yes."

Zhou Wenqing then adjusted his sleeves and stepped into the main hall.

Inside the main hall, two merchants, one sitting and one standing, were whispering something to each other with their knees close together.

Upon hearing the noise, the two of them sprang to their feet almost simultaneously, their clothes rustling, and immediately bowed deeply, their backs forming two obedient curves.

Zhou Wenqing walked past them, sat down in the main seat, placed the hand warmer on his lap, covered the lid with his palm, and let the warmth slowly seep into his fingertips through the copper body.

He then raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the two of them unhurriedly.

As Li said, he is not young anymore—but it is the most suitable age for a businessman; any younger and he would not be able to handle things, any older and he would not be able to run around, but at this age, he can travel long distances and remain calm.

The fabric was ordinary dark brown fine linen, clean and neat, without patches or embroidery. A plain belt hung at his waist, without jade or gold, with only a palm-sized wooden talisman hanging from it. It should be a personal identification tag, with the engraved side facing inward against his hip bone. Outsiders could not see the pattern, but someone like Li Yi could see it all in a moment as he moved.

This was hung up for him to see, and the two of them were quite sensible; Zhou Wenqing simply waved his hand dismissively.

No need for formalities.

The two straightened up, but still kept their eyes down, not daring to look directly at each other.

Zhou Wenqing's gaze swept across their faces, and he asked bluntly in a low voice:

"Tell me, who are you, and why have you come?"

The two exchanged a quick glance, and the older man in front spoke first. He lowered his back slightly, and spoke in a plain tone, without any deliberately piling up of honorifics or trembling with fear, only as sincere as possible.

"Reporting to the Inner Historian of Zhou, I am Du He, originally from Ye City of Zhao State. I traveled between the seven states trading furs and cloth, barely making a living. Later, Ye City was annexed by Qin, and I was registered in Qin State, which has been more than a year now."

He paused, and the younger man behind him immediately followed:

"The Zhou Inner Historian, Chen Kang, is in a similar situation to Du He, except that I am originally from Anyang in the State of Zhao."

After he finished speaking, the hall was quiet for a few moments. The two men stood with their hands behind their backs, both cautiously watching Zhou Wenqing's movements.

Zhou Wenqing tapped the hand warmer lid twice with his fingertips.

Last year, the king conquered nine cities of the Zhao state.

Even now, Zhao Ji, who has been a merchant in Qin for no more than a year and a half, already has the audacity and connections to send his calling card into the residence of the Nine Ministers.

Kind of interesting.

When Yecheng and Anyang were first brought under Qin control, these two people were able to immediately register their citizenship on the spot without hesitation or looking around. This decisiveness and pragmatism is something not everyone possesses.

Having been a citizen for only a year, she was able to establish herself in Xianyang and seize the opportunity to act decisively, handing him her calling card. This ability and courage are not something everyone possesses.

Moreover... merchants were practically considered lowly. To trade in Qin, one had to bend their back lower than others, pay heavier taxes, and travel on more difficult roads. To have developed to its current state in just one year, one must have been a very accomplished merchant before entering Qin.

Having figured things out, Zhou Wenqing stopped beating around the bush and asked the most important question:

"Are your relatives residing in Xianyang?"

Du He and Chen Kang looked up almost simultaneously.

This question was more profound and important than all the previous interrogations. Both of them understood it and naturally wouldn't make a mistake at this crucial juncture, having already made arrangements in advance.

Du He replied steadily, "Reporting to the Inner Historian, my family consists of seven people, currently residing near the pass outside Xianyang City. I have only one younger brother, He An, who has accompanied me on business trips since childhood. He is capable of handling accounts and customs documents. To facilitate our business, he is temporarily staying with me in an inn in Xianyang."

Chen Kang followed up, saying, "My parents, wife, and children are all in the second lane of East Street in Juli City. Only my uncle and I are temporarily staying at the Xianyang Inn."

My family members are all near Xianyang. They all have ties to me, but none of them are burdens to me. That's good.

The more Zhou Wenqing looked at the two men, the more satisfied he became, and the calculating look between his brows gradually faded.

He indeed prefers dealing with intelligent people—it's worry-free, effortless, and they understand things instantly, without needing to waste a single word.

Uh... not counting people like Li Si.

That's not "clever" anymore, that's cunning. You can't argue with them, you can't afford to offend them, so you can only try to keep them in check by making empty promises.

Du He had been carefully observing his expression, and when he caught the subtle change, he felt relieved. He immediately seized the opportunity and took out a palm-sized black lacquered wooden box from his sleeve, holding it above his head with both hands.

"I apologize for my intrusion in visiting your residence," he said earnestly, his voice almost burning the dark, heavy box lid. "I implore you, Your Excellency, to accept this gift; otherwise, I will find it difficult to remain at ease!"

As he spoke, he gently lifted the lid of the box, revealing a precious pearl lying quietly inside. It was about the size of an infant's fist, its surface smooth and lustrous, with a shimmering light that seemed to emanate from behind clouds or ripple like water.

"This pearl shines as brightly as the night, it is..."

After he finished his introduction, Chen Kang hurriedly reached into his robes and pulled out a jade disc of excellent quality. He presented it with both hands, saying, "Although it is not as precious as Brother Du's, it is still a worthwhile item. I hope the Imperial Secretary will..."

Zhou Wenqing listened half-heartedly, but his gaze never fell on those things.

He was holding a teacup, glancing at the doorway out of the corner of his eye.

Li Yi had returned sometime earlier and was standing quietly by the curtain, nodding slightly to him.

His identity is not in question, and there was not a single falsehood in what he just said.

That's good. Zhou Wenqing felt relieved, switched the hand warmer to the other hand, and leaned back in his chair.

He didn't rush to take the box or look at the jade disc. Instead, he turned his gaze away from Li Yi and slowly focused on Du He and Chen Kang.

After a moment, he slightly raised his hand.

"I'll accept this."

Du He's fingers, gripping the edge of the box, suddenly tightened.

Zhou Wenqing paused, then continued in a flat voice:

"As for your desire to become my disciples—"

"I'll take this person with me too."

Zhou Wenqing didn't try to refuse. At this point, refusing would only make people uneasy. The more you refuse, the less they would trust you; the more polite you are, the more they would feel that they haven't "settled down" yet.

Rather than letting someone go back feeling uneasy with something in their possession, it's better to accept it openly and decisively. What you accept may be precious, but what you gain is peace of mind.

Du He was overjoyed, and Chen Kang blushed and immediately knelt down, his forehead hitting the cold blue bricks hard.

"Thank you, Minister Zhou! Thank you, Minister Zhou! We will do our utmost to serve you!"

Zhou Wenqing asked them to stand up, his expression becoming more serious, and said, "Don't rush to thank me. I know very well why you've come."

Du He's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't dare to reply.

"Since the establishment of the Department of All Things, every item—fine paper, fine salt, and black gold auspicious cakes—has been snapped up as soon as it left the warehouse. And those tables, chairs, furniture, and rare trinkets—the moment they're displayed in the warehouse, people outside are already handing over slips of paper to ask about the price."

Chen Kang recalled the scene he had witnessed outside the Xianyang warehouse last month, where people lined up from the warehouse gate to the alley entrance just to wait for a single sheet of fine paper. He nodded subconsciously.

Zhou Wenqing put down the teacup, the bottom of which touched the table with a soft sound.

"Xianyang is bustling with activity now."

He raised his eyes, his gaze slowly sweeping across the faces of the two men.

"But so many places in the six kingdoms are still deserted and desolate; isn't that a pity?"

Du and Chen's breathing suddenly became heavy, and they almost blurted out:

"I am willing to serve the Inner Historian!"

Zhou Wenqing nodded in satisfaction, looked at the two of them, and said unhurriedly, "The profits from these things in Xianyang are naturally accounted for by the Bureau of Hundreds of Items, and every penny is regulated."

"But if you can sell it to the six kingdoms, I can decide to give up 10% of the profits. You... can think about it carefully."