Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhou Wenqing opened his eyes, his vision slowly clearing. The sky outside the window was still dark, but the light from the lanterns under the eaves shone through, casting blurry shadows on the window paper.

He shifted, feeling a dull ache in his chest, as if a stone was pressing down on it. His throat was also extremely dry, as if someone had stuffed a handful of sand into it, making it painful to swallow.

"gentlemen?"

A voice came from the side, filled with barely suppressed joy. Li Yi's face came into view, his eyes were dark and swollen, as if he had been suffering for a long time.

"Sir, you're awake!"

He quickly brought over the warm water from the side, carefully helped Zhou Wenqing up a little, and brought the rim of the bowl to his lips.

Zhou Wenqing took a few sips from his hand. The warm liquid slid down his throat, and the clump of sand seemed to be washed away a little. He took a breath, his voice still hoarse:

"What's the casualty situation? Those...?"

"Sir, please don't ask anymore." Li Yi interrupted him, unusually firm in his tone, "You've just woken up, let's wait a bit. Besides, His Majesty has ordered that we not tell you."

Zhou Wenqing stared at him for a while.

Li Yi felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze. His back was almost soaked with sweat, but he still gritted his teeth and remained silent, staring back at him with his neck stiff.

In the end, Zhou Wenqing was the first to sigh.

"I can't say that." He paused. "But you can tell me where this is, right?"

"That's fine!" Li Yi nodded quickly. "This is a side hall in the palace. Your Majesty has arranged for the doctor to be placed here so that the Imperial Medical Bureau can provide timely medical treatment."

"How long have I been asleep? What time is it now?"

"It's almost 4:45 AM, sir." Li paused, then added, "Sir isn't asleep, he's unconscious. It's all thanks to Physician Lü's acupuncture. You can't worry anymore, otherwise his body won't be able to handle it, and he'll..."

The fourth quarter of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).

Zhou Wenqing's heart skipped a beat.

He took a deep breath and tried to sit up. Before the words were finished, he had already thrown off the thin blanket covering him. The dull pain in his chest immediately turned into a dull, pulling pain. He frowned and pressed on it, but showed no sign of stopping.

"Go to court." His voice was hoarse, but firm and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.

"The court assembly should have already started by now. I must go today, no matter what."

After what happened yesterday, he wants to see in court today if anyone is eager to jump out and impeach him.

Who exactly is behind this?!

Li Yi's voice trembled with anxiety, "You've only just woken up, Physician Lü instructed—"

Zhou Wenqing ignored him.

He braced himself against the edge of the bed and slowly stood up. His body swayed slightly, but the next second, he regained his balance, as if he had forcefully pressed that feeling of weakness back into his bones.

Li opened his mouth, then closed it again. He knew he couldn't stop him. He simply stepped forward, unfolded the fur coat that had been prepared sometime earlier, and draped it over Zhou Wenqing's shoulders.

Zhou Wenqing straightened his clothes and walked step by step toward the palace gate.

------

In the main hall—

A young censor stepped out from the crowd.

He walked steadily, his robes billowing in the wind, and reached the center of the hall. He bowed deeply, then raised his head and spoke passionately, his voice resounding through the roof tiles:

"Your Majesty, I impeach Zhou Wenqing, the Prefect of Grain Supply!"

This shout was like a stone thrown into a calm lake. Many officials in the hall turned their heads slightly, some exchanged glances, and some quietly pricked up their ears.

The official, oblivious to the situation, continued his impassioned speech:

"Zhou Wenqing has neglected his duties, failing to attend court for many days, causing a backlog of affairs at the Imperial Household Department, which has already generated public resentment! What's worse, last night he suddenly sealed off the Imperial Household Department, trapping many high-ranking officials inside until now. His behavior is utterly despicable, a blatant disregard for the law and the emperor!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, his chest heaving, and spittle almost spraying onto the back of the heads of his colleagues in the row in front of him:

"Your Majesty, I implore you to severely punish this scoundrel as a warning to others! Restore order and justice to our Great Qin Dynasty!"

After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a moment.

It was so quiet that you could hear the faint crackling of the charcoal fire inside the bronze crane incense burner.

Ying Zheng sat on his throne, his expression unmoving. He merely raised his eyelids slightly, his gaze falling indifferently on the censor, as if looking at a foolish moth trying to extinguish the warm summer sun.

"Pah! That's bullshit!"

A somewhat gruff voice boomed from the ranks, shaking the beams of the palace as if dust were falling from them.

General Wang Jian stepped forward, his tiger-like eyes wide open, his gaze like two knives stabbing straight at the young censor's nose, his voice so loud it could lift the roof off:

"I led the blockade of the Inner History Temple! You dare to throw all sorts of filth at Inner History Zhou—who do you think you are?!"

The official turned pale from the shout.

"You...you're being rude!"

The man was momentarily flustered, clearly not expecting General Wang Jian to step forward. He stammered, "Then...then...even if it's the old general, he can't...he can't just surround the Zhisu Neishi Temple without a reason!"

He seemed to have suddenly found his confidence, as if he had seized a handle: "This has prevented several colleagues from leaving, and we don't know what their current situation is. What a monstrous situation this is! Your Majesty must not tolerate this!"

"Outrageous! I think we can't tolerate such a troublemaker like you!"

This time it was General Meng Wu. He rushed forward and grabbed Wang Jian, who was about to rush over and slap someone. He gave him a wink, his eyes glancing towards where Wei Liao was standing.

Wang Jian looked over and saw Wei Liao gently shake his head. He then barely managed to suppress his anger, though his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Meng Wu snorted coldly, turned his head and questioned:

"Where did you get the news that the Neishi Temple is under lockdown?"

"Yesterday, a spy infiltrated the temple, and we were ordered to apprehend him. What are your intentions in spouting such nonsense? Have you betrayed the Qin state and the King?!"

"What?! You, you, you, this is slander! You're utterly unreasonable!?"

The official's face turned completely pale, and he trembled with rage as he pointed at Meng Yi:

"Your Majesty, this is...?"

"Silence!" The attendant's sharp shout silenced all other sounds.

Ying Zheng didn't even bother to look at that person again.

He's just a fool who's easily manipulated, eager to jump out at the first sign of trouble, not thinking of serving his country, but only of seeking credit and reward. Such a person isn't worth wasting even a moment of his time on.

Before the main character even appeared, this little grasshopper that was pushed out was already hopping around quite happily.

He raised his hand, gently stroking the jade thumb ring with his fingertips, his voice calm:

"Concealing spies, obstructing official inquiries, and leaking information from within the province should be punished the same as national spies."

He spoke each word slowly and deliberately, each word like a stone striking the official's heart.

"No, no, Your Majesty! I am innocent!"

The official's eyes widened suddenly, his knees buckled instantly, and he slid down as if all the bones in his body had been removed.

Ying Zheng did not look at him.

He merely raised his chin slightly and said to the palace guards:

"Guards, drag this man out—"

"Execute immediately!"

The last two words fell lightly, yet they felt like a mountain.

The official collapsed to the ground. Two guards stepped forward, lifted him up on either side, and dragged him out like a dead dog.

His mouth was open, and a gurgling sound came from his throat, but he couldn't utter a single word. He was so terrified that he couldn't even beg for mercy.

The hall was so quiet that you could hear the rustling of robes dragging on the floor.

That sentence, once uttered, was like a boulder thrown into a deep pool, suppressing all the undercurrents to the bottom. Some of those who had been exposed by rumors and had been hoping to take advantage of the situation now lowered their heads even further, wishing they could shrink into the cracks between the bricks.

The king has already made his position clear. To speak out again would be to be guilty of the same crime as a "national spy."

Those who want to jump around, those who want to pick up bargains, those who want to take advantage of the situation—you'd better think twice before you start thinking about how tough your neck is.

At this point, anyone who dares to be resentful, dares to make any unusual moves, or even jumps out directly... is bound to be implicated!

Li Si kept his eyes down, seemingly focused on the three-foot-long gold brick in front of him, but in reality, his peripheral vision subtly swept across every corner of the hall, like an extremely fine thread silently brushing over every face.

Someone is swallowing.

Someone is wiping sweat.

Several others had their shoulders taut, yet they gritted their teeth and remained motionless.

He remembered each and every one of those fools who dared to show any reluctance at this moment.

Li Si counted slowly in his mind.

One, two, three...

The morning court session seemed to have returned to normal. Reports on various affairs were made one after another. Some people stepped forward to report on the allocation of grain and fodder, some requested the repair of the imperial road, and some presented case files for review of criminal cases. It was as if the official who had just been dragged out was nothing more than a mosquito that had accidentally flown into the court. Once it was swatted, it was swatted.

He's quite composed.

Li Si sneered inwardly.

I'd like to see how long you can keep quiet.

The thought had barely crossed my mind when, sure enough, the next second—

"Your Majesty, I wish to inform Zhou Wenqing, the Prefect of Grain Supply—!"

A voice emerged from among the courtiers, like a breath that had been held back for a long time finally finding an outlet.

"We accuse him of misconduct, which has driven many commoners to their deaths, causing extremely negative consequences and fueling public resentment. If he is not severely punished, it could lead to widespread chaos. We beseech Your Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly!"