Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Li Si turned around, raised his hand and pointed at Guan Chi, his voice as cold and sharp as a knife:

"The ringleader of these rumors is none other than Guan Chi—the servant of Prefect Guan!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Wu seized the opportunity to rip the handkerchief out of Guan Chi's mouth, kicked him in the lower back, and sent him flying to the center of the hall.

General Wang Jian glared angrily at Guan Chi, his face filled with disgust. Unable to restrain himself, he stepped forward and kicked him, pointing at him and cursing:

"So it was you who incited the common people, spread rumors, and tried to frame Zhou Neishi! You even put on a show, standing in this court, righteously denouncing others. In all my years, I have never seen such a shameless person!"

He was about to charge forward again when Meng Wu grabbed his arm, stopping him while shouting sternly:

"What exactly are you trying to do?! Who's behind this?! Speak up!"

Guan Chi was kicked so hard that he spat out a mouthful of blood. He coughed for a while before he could catch his breath. He slowly raised his head, his face covered in blood, but his eyes revealed a fierce and crazy look after utter despair. A cold smile appeared on his lips, and he pursed his lips, remaining silent.

"Hey!" Meng Wu roared, "You're acting tough with me now? Believe me or not, I'll beat you to death!"

Both generals had fiery tempers. Wei Liao quickly stepped forward, sidestepped between the two, blocked the enraged Meng Wu, and looked down at Guan Chi, who was lying on the ground.

"You incited the common people and misled their hearts, causing them to gather in key locations of the imperial court—this is tantamount to treason. Moreover, innocent people froze to death in front of the Inner History Temple. Human lives are at stake, and the blood debt is immeasurable!"

His voice was like an ice scalpel scraping across Guan Chi's face:

"Such a heinous crime, according to the law, should result in the extermination of nine generations of your family, and for you, even being torn to pieces would not be too much..."

He paused, his tone softening slightly:

"But Your Majesty is merciful. If you reveal the person behind this now, I will plead with Your Majesty for a swift and merciful end."

Exterminated along with their entire clan... sliced ​​to pieces...

Guan Chi lay on the ground, closed his eyes tightly, but still gritted his teeth and remained silent.

"Oh."

Li Si suddenly chuckled softly.

The laughter was soft, yet it inexplicably sent chills down one's spine. He slowly crouched down, leaned close to Guan Chi's ear, and whispered so softly that only the two of them could hear it:

"Young Master Guan, do you know what it feels like to be torn to pieces?"

Guanchi's shoulder blades suddenly tensed up.

"You've offended Zhou Neishi, which means you've offended me, Li Si..." Li Si even had a gentle and polite smile on his lips. "I've always been narrow-minded. We should settle this score properly. Guess what I'll do?"

Guan Chi suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head and glared at him, while Li Si also raised his eyes, met his gaze, and smiled.

"I will find the most skilled, meticulous, and discreet executioner, and use the dullest knife to slowly and painstakingly grind you down, bit by bit."

He reached out and gently ran his fingertips across Guanchi's arm.

"Start with the limbs, peeling away the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones layer by layer."

Guan Chi's breathing became noticeably heavier.

"But don't worry, you won't die, and you won't die, because I will have someone guard you closely, give you ginseng soup, keep you alive, and let you clearly feel every cut and every slice. Even after the 999th cut, you will still be able to breathe and open your eyes, seeing that you are just a skeleton."

Guan Chi's jaw clenched so tightly it made a grinding sound.

Li Si stood up, looking down at him, and even reached out to straighten his disheveled collar, his movements as gentle as if he were treating an old friend:

"It's okay if you don't tell me now."

He lowered his eyes, meeting Guan Chi's bloodshot eyes, his smile deepening as he spoke, each word deliberate and deliberate:

"I have all the time in the world. When you're nothing but a bloodied skeleton, I'll ask you again. Then, do you think you'll say anything?"

"The longer you hold out, the more you suffer, and in the end you'll still have to confess. What's the point?"

His voice was still very soft, but those words were like a needle, piercing deep into the bones of Guanchi.

Guan Chi froze, and a trace of panic finally flashed uncontrollably across his bloodshot eyes. It was extremely faint and fleeting, but Li Si took it all in.

"You...you evil spirit! You evil spirit!!"

Guan Chi pointed at Li Si with trembling hands, his voice sharp and shaky:

"This is an abuse of power! The King will not allow it! You deserve to be torn to pieces and die a horrible death!!"

Li Si was secretly pleased to be scolded—the harsher the scolding, the more it showed that the string was about to snap.

Just as he was about to press his advantage, a voice beat him to it.

"Young Master Guan, things have come to this point, why continue to resist?"

Wang Wan suddenly spoke, her eyes fixed on Guan Chi's face, speaking rapidly as if afraid of being interrupted:

"Even if you yourself are not afraid of being torn to pieces, don't you think about your wife and children at home? If they were to be killed by swords and axes, could you bear it?"

"Tell me now whether there was anyone who instigated this, and I will plead with the King to grant your entire clan a swift end."

Oops!

Li Si's heart skipped a beat.

Wei Liao's brows furrowed suddenly. Wang Jian and Meng Wu exchanged a glance, their expressions changing drastically—they were too late to stop her and could only watch helplessly as Wang Wan hurled those words into Guan Chi's ears.

"Hahahaha!"

Guan Chi suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly, coughing as he laughed, with bright red blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

The officials looked at each other, puzzled as to why he was laughing.

After a while, the laughter stopped abruptly.

Guan Chi suddenly raised his eyes, which were no longer filled with panic or fear, but only with a bone-chilling, ashes-like hatred.

He raised his hand, and with all his might, pointed fiercely at Zhou Wenqing—

"Who ordered this?! There isn't one!"

"I did everything by myself! I just wanted to destroy him! I just couldn't stand him! I just hated him!"

Li Si's expression changed, and he shouted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting! What has Zhou Neishi ever done to offend you? Stop making accusations and tell the truth at once—who exactly is he—"

"shut up!"

Guan Chi turned his head abruptly, his bloodshot eyes looking like he wanted to devour someone, his voice shrill and shaky:

"Who said he didn't offend me?!"

He gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling, but his gaze was fixed on Zhou Wenqing's face, as if he wanted to burn a hole through it.

"Aren't you frail? Don't you have a history of heart disease? I'm just provoking you, why aren't you dead yet!"

"So many common people have died, and you claim to be compassionate and merciful? I think... you're just putting on an act!"

"What kind of nonsense are you, Zhou Wenqing?! A penniless nobody who appeared out of nowhere, what gives you the right to be appointed as the Junior Master Craftsman? What gives you the right to suppress the Junior Master's Mansion so much that it can't even lift its head?!"

"Yes, the Craftsmen's Workshop is impressive. They don't produce many things, but each one is exquisite—refined salt, paper, kang (heated brick beds)—benefiting the country and its people. But it's just in my way!"

"In the past, the Imperial Household Department was in charge of salt and iron, all kinds of crafts, and the procurement of all kinds of items for the palace! What kind of life was that? It was a life where you could make a fortune every day!"

"But what about now? Fine paper is cheaper than silk and better than bamboo slips. Who in any department or prefecture still comes to the Imperial Household Department to collect bamboo slips?! Inside and outside the palace, who still uses the old salt supplied by the Imperial Household Department?!"

"If they keep draining me dry, leaving the manor deserted and my income dwindling day by day! If this continues, I'll starve!"

His voice grew louder and sharper, and he sounded like a mad dog whose tail had been stepped on.

"I hate him! I want him to be tainted! As long as the Craftsmanship Bureau falls and the Department of All Goods is ruined, all those businesses will go back to the Young Master's Office—only then can I continue to amass wealth and continue living my good life!"

"Inciting the common people? That was me! Spreading rumors? That was me too!"

He tilted his head back, his face covered in blood, and laughed wildly yet tragically:

"I've already done it, but I'm just unlucky; things have been exposed. Do with me as you please!"

This is tricky!

Li Si and Wei Liao quickly exchanged a glance, then subtly turned their gazes to Wang Wan.

Wang Tingwei—there must be something fishy going on!

It is even highly likely that he is the real mastermind behind it all.

His "advice" just now was timed too perfectly and abruptly. He seemed to be giving kind advice, but as soon as he finished speaking, Guan Chi went completely crazy. What a coincidence!

but……

The position of the Court of Justice is one of the Nine Ministers, holding a high position and great power. Without solid evidence, how can one make an accusation?

Li Si clenched his back teeth, his cheeks bulging out two hard ridges.

He lowered his eyes, concealing the turbulent emotions surging within them, his fist clenched so tightly in his sleeve that it cracked—but he could only clench it, unable to do anything else.

Just one step away.

He was just one step away from getting Guan Chi to talk, but Wang Wan cut him off.

If he had been any faster, even just half a breath faster, and had just pressed him with one more word… how come he was silenced before he could say anything?

He closed his eyes and swallowed the surging blood and qi.

Things... seemed to have reached a stalemate.

"Ahem... Your Majesty."

At that moment, a hoarse voice suddenly rang out from one side of the main hall.

Everyone turned their heads at the same time.

It was Zhou Wenqing, who had been silent and recuperating for a long time, who suddenly spoke up.

He had somehow managed to stand up, supporting himself on the armrests. His face was still frighteningly pale, his forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, and his lips were completely bloodless. His eyes, however, seemed to glance away from the chaos in the hall, steadily watching the throne.

Wang Guan? So what if he's one of the Nine Ministers? He said he wouldn't let a single one of them go!

Zhou Wenqing took a deep breath and, with the help of Physician Lü, walked step by step to the center of the hall and stood still.

"Your Majesty... has something to say."