Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

What is there to consider here?

One percent profit doesn't sound like much.

Du He and Chen Kang had been in the business world for over thirty years, and they could smell the copper coins even with their eyes closed.

Fine paper, heated brick beds, and black gold auspicious cakes—each of these items was snapped up as soon as they hit the shelves in Xianyang, making countless merchants green with envy.

Even if it's just a small profit, the two of them know perfectly well that it's practically like stuffing a mountain of gold into their arms and providing them with a truck to transport it!

What businessman would push a mountain of gold away?

Moreover, once these goods are transported out of Hangu Pass, across the great river, through dangerous passes, and into Handan, Daliang, Jicheng, Linzi...

Du He quickly counted the abacus beads in his mind, making a clattering sound.

If it sells for this price in Xianyang, it should at least double in Handan, right? Daliang is far away, so doubling it again wouldn't be unreasonable, would it? The people in Linzi are rolling in money; it would be a disservice to their eight-courtyard mansions if the price weren't increased fivefold!

Du He's throat bobbed, and he didn't dare to think any further. He was afraid that if he continued to think about it, his mouth would stretch to his ears and he wouldn't be able to stop.

The two men bent down almost simultaneously, their faces flushed red, their voices trembling.

"I'm willing! I'm willing! Thank you for the promotion, I'll definitely handle this task perfectly!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Du He nodded vigorously, so excited that his tongue was almost tied in knots. "I will make sure that every inhabited place in the six kingdoms is burned, burned, just like Xianyang..."

"...Lively!" Chen Kang interrupted, "I'll definitely make the six kingdoms lively! Rest assured, Your Excellency, you have discerning eyes; I will certainly not disappoint you..."

"Yes, yes, yes, Your Excellency is benevolent, allowing these auspicious omens to benefit the six kingdoms. I am filled with admiration and will surely..."

"Indeed, the Grand Historian is concerned for the common people, has a broad vision, keen insight, and profound understanding. In my thirty-one years of traveling all over the country, I have never seen anyone as capable as the Grand Historian..."

"Alright, get up. There's no need for any more flattery."

As Zhou Wenqing listened to the two of them talking back and forth, practically praising him as a reincarnated saint, he took a sip of tea and swallowed back his laughter.

That's why people say merchants are good at talking; they have a whole repertoire of phrases, even better than Li Si.

"This is not flattery." Du He raised his head, his face serious. "These are my heartfelt words."

Chen Kang nodded vigorously beside him, nodding as if he were pounding garlic.

"That's right. Although we are just merchants, we know that you create things to benefit the common people, and we admire you from the bottom of our hearts."

Zhou Wenqing didn't reply. He simply raised his eyes, his gaze slowly sweeping across the two faces, lingering for a fleeting moment.

His gaze wasn't particularly sharp; it was like a casual glance at someone.

The two fell silent at the same time, stood up awkwardly, still standing with their hands at their sides, but their backs had somehow shrunk back two inches, their hearts pounding, and they dared not say another word.

The hall was silent for a few moments. After a while, Zhou Wenqing withdrew his gaze and said calmly:

"You did your best—"

He paused.

"Even if you don't say anything, you'll still get your share of the benefits."

"Otherwise..."

Before he finished speaking, the last syllable lingered there, like an icicle that hadn't yet fallen from the eaves.

Du and Chen were jolted awake, bending their backs even further down, their foreheads almost touching their chests.

"No, no! I wouldn't dare! I rely on the Inner Historian; how could I possibly slack off in the slightest!"

Zhou Wenqing lowered his eyes, his fingertips slowly tracing the rim of the cup, and said in a calm tone, "It's not for me, it's for the country."

The two were both stunned for a moment, then lowered their heads heavily, their voices overlapping:

"Yes, yes, the Grand Secretary is right! Serving the country requires utmost effort!"

"Well, besides selling these odds and ends, there's something else I need you to keep an eye on for me."

The two immediately perked up their ears.

"When you travel around, if you come across any kind of seed, whether it is useful or useless, whether it looks strange or you have never seen it before, bring it back to me as soon as you can get your hands on it."

"Bring everything you can, leaves, roots, vines, even if you don't know their names. Especially those from overseas, you have to be careful."

Du He and Chen Kang exchanged a glance.

That's not difficult. They travel all over the country, passing through prefectures and counties, and they are used to collecting rare items. They buy here and sell there, which is just a side job.

"promise."

The two agreed in unison, without asking a single question.

Zhou Wenqing nodded, put down his teacup, and the bottom of the cup touched the table with a soft sound.

"Alright, you can go and make preparations now. The travel permits will be delivered to you in three days."

For merchants in Qin who had already registered in the city, it was very difficult to get this done. Du He and Chen Kang exchanged a glance, suppressed their excitement, bowed deeply, and left the room. Their footsteps faded into the distance, and the hall fell silent.

The person is gone.

Zhou Wenqing looked out the window at the few patches of snow that hadn't completely melted, with icicles hanging from the eaves, their light gleaming coldly.

He tucked the hand warmer deeper into his fur coat and sighed.

—I really don't want to go out.

He's moved all his official duties back to his residence, just so he wouldn't have to brave the wind and snow to go out.

The woman accepted it, the pearl was accepted, the jade disc was accepted, and the message was given; now the matter had to be resolved.

Zhou Wenqing looked down at his clothes. He had at least tidied himself up when he met the guests. His clothes were straightened, his belt was fastened, and even the creases on his cuffs were smoothed out. So there was no need to change his clothes.

Okay, let's do it today, so we don't have to drag it out until tomorrow and then have to mentally prepare ourselves again.

He tightened his cuffs, got up and walked out. In the end, this matter was a case of acting first and reporting later, so he had to go to the palace to explain to the king.

Riding in a carriage, Zhou Wenqing was led into the palace with almost no waiting, bypassing the main hall and heading directly to Zhangtai Palace.

Ying Zheng raised his head from a pile of bamboo slips, his hand holding the pen suspended in mid-air. He skillfully offered him a seat, but his eyes clearly said: Why are you here?

"It's rare for you to come to the palace, my dear minister. Is there something you need?"

Zhou Wenqing's expression was somewhat strange. Other officials would come to the palace as if they were clocking in for work, and they would be questioned if they didn't come. But he was different; his presence surprised the king.

...Okay, okay, Zhou Wenqing took a deep breath.

It seems I can't be too lazy in the future. On days when the weather is nice, I can't push all the work that needs to be reported to Li Si.

He silently noted down the details, slightly adjusted his wording, and then recounted in detail how Du He and Chen Kang presented their calling cards, how he viewed the two men, and their visits to Yichengli, Liuguowang, and Xunliangzhong, revealing every single detail in its entirety.

After he finished speaking, he gestured to the eunuch to present the two boxes, placed them on the imperial desk, and waited calmly for the king to ask questions.

Ying Zheng didn't ask anything. He simply picked up the pearl, squinted at the snowy light outside the window, and slowly examined it.

The bead spun twice between his fingers, its light swirling around it.

Then he put it down, closed the lid, and said with a smile in his eyes:

"This bead is worthy of you, my dear minister. Those two merchants seem to be quite shrewd; you may keep it."

He paused, as if suddenly remembering something: "Oh right, there are still a few pearls in the storeroom that Qi presented as tribute a few years ago. They look quite nice, and they're just sitting there anyway."

He raised his eyes and looked at the eunuch waiting beside him: "Go and fetch it, and give it to Minister Zhou as well."

Then he looked up and asked casually, "Did you have a meal when you arrived, my dear minister? Why don't you join us?"

That's it... you passed the test?

Zhou Wenqing was stunned for a moment and almost didn't react.

After all, the Qin state despises merchants, and officials who associate with merchants will damage their reputation. Moreover, he believed that the king would at least ask a few questions about the private promises made without prior consultation. Therefore, he had prepared his arguments in advance, with a clear structure of introduction, development, transition, attack, defense, advance, and retreat. He polished each argument to the point that it could be directly engraved and presented to the king, just waiting to deliver it today.

The king asked: Have you eaten yet?

All those prepared arguments were stuck in my throat, like a fully drawn bow with the arrowhead sticking out, but the target had moved away by itself.

He paused for a moment, then slowly swallowed his words back.

"...not yet, not yet."

Ying Zheng nodded and gestured with his chin to the eunuch: "Go and prepare."

A moment later, Zhou Wenqing lowered his eyes, with several black boxes respectfully presented by the eunuch beside him.

He snapped out of his daze, looked down at the pearl that had been put back in the box, and then at the mountain of memorials piled up on his desk.

The king had already lowered his eyes and continued to review the document, as if he had only just approved an ordinary document.

Zhou Wenqing suddenly chuckled softly.

Why did I do this?

Whether acting for the Qin state is beneficial or detrimental, Your Majesty knows the scales in your heart. You have always been fair in rewarding and punishing, so there is no need for others to explain.

He should have known sooner, shouldn't he?

Zhou Wenqing smiled and shook his head, dispelling the lingering daze.

That's good, it saves us the trouble of talking.

By the time they left the palace, it was already getting late.

The eunuch brought over a brand-new fur coat and stood respectfully by the door.

Zhou Wenqing looked down at the coat he was wearing—a gift he had received just a few days ago, made of three layers of thick velvet, so thick that it could wrap a person up completely without any wind.

He opened his mouth, but the eunuch had already unfolded the fur coat and was waiting to the side, looking at him expectantly.

Zhou Wenqing swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

have to.

He resignedly stretched out his hand, letting the eunuch drape the fur coat over him, layer upon layer, until he was wrapped up like a walking ball of fluff.

—This is the fourth one since the beginning of winter.

He looked down at the newly added layer, then at the still-wearable clothes he was wearing, and suddenly felt a bit like laughing and crying at the same time.

Each time someone enters the palace, they receive one item.

If he were to enter the palace more frequently, it's uncertain whether the fur coats in the King's treasury would be enough for him to collect each time he makes these trips.

He was too full, so when the carriage was waiting at the door, he glanced at it and waved it away.

Take a walk to digest your food.

After the snow cleared, the snow on the palace road was swept clean, leaving only a thin layer of white on the green pines on both sides.

Zhou Wenqing carefully put away the hand warmer, not in a hurry or rushing back to his residence.

Dusk was falling, and the sky was a pale blue, like a half-warm cup of tea.

After turning a corner of the palace wall, a group of people walked towards us.

The leader was shorter but upright, tilting his head to listen to the eunuch beside him, nodding as he listened, a few snowflakes still clinging to his shoulder.

His steps, however, seemed somewhat slow, unlike his usual brisk pace.

—She seems...not very happy.

It is Fusu.

Zhou Wenqing paused for a moment.

Fusu also saw him, and his clear eyes suddenly lit up, like a ray of sunlight filtering through an icicle under the eaves.

He strode forward, then abruptly stopped midway, stood firmly, and curtsied.

"teacher!"