Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

The following day, in a side hall of Zhangtai Palace.

Sunlight streamed obliquely through the window, casting a pale golden halo on the blue bricks.

Zhou Wenqing sat back on the bed, his eyes slightly closed, looking tired. His face had regained some color compared to yesterday, but a lingering weariness still clung to his brows.

Physician Lü stood before the bed, his fingertips twirling a silver needle. He focused intently on finding the acupoints, then steadily inserted the needle in one swift motion.

Xia Wuqie stood to the side holding the needle pouch, his eyes fixed on his master's movements.

A moment later, Physician Lü ordered the needles to be removed, stood up, and washed his hands.

Li Si immediately stepped forward, his voice not daring to be too loud, but unable to conceal his urgency:

"Brother Zicheng, how are you feeling now? You hadn't fully recovered yesterday, yet you still insisted on going up to the palace, and you even fainted as soon as you came down. It scared me half to death! Are you feeling unwell anywhere now?"

Zhou Wenqing opened his eyes, managed a weak smile, and only managed to shake his head before he could even speak—

Wei Liao stepped forward, her gaze falling on his pale and haggard face, her brows furrowed.

"Zicheng's body can't withstand this kind of torment." He paused, his voice turning serious. "But some people, precisely because they see your sincere heart, deliberately target you and resort to such underhanded tactics. It's truly despicable."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

He had never forgotten the painstaking persuasion he had shown during that long journey. Wei Liao knew better than anyone that Zhou Wenqing was the most sincere person he ever treated, never holding back—but this sincerity had become a weakness that others could exploit. How could he tolerate that?!

The more I thought about it, the more fiercely the fire in my heart burned.

He suppressed his anger, turned to look at Li Si, and said in a deep voice:

"Chief Secretary Li, Guan Chi is currently imprisoned in the Court of Justice, which is a special situation. Wang Guan will likely be even more vigilant in guarding him, making it difficult for Liao to intervene. Only you, Chief Secretary, being on duty at the Court of Justice, can have a convenient position. I will have to trouble you to investigate this matter carefully."

"Of course," Li Si said solemnly. "Since yesterday's events, I've arranged for men to keep a close watch on him, ensuring that scoundrel doesn't find the slightest loophole!"

Hearing this, Zhou Wenqing felt much more at ease. He steadied himself and asked, "Brother Gu'an, what about those guards that day...?"

Li Si and Wei Liao exchanged a glance, and Li Si spoke with a hint of disdain:

"We, Mr. Wei Liao and I, have thoroughly interrogated those men—their words in court were nothing but a ploy to trick that old dog. These guards can't utter much of useful information; they're just being used as pawns, blindly following orders."

Wei Liao shook his head, his tone revealing helplessness:

"They only know that the order was given by a high-ranking official in the court, but after questioning him, they only managed to find out that it was Guan Chi, the Junior Chamberlain of the Imperial Household Department. If they dug any deeper, he knew nothing. There was no evidence, no proof, and no proof. It's unlikely that they can get any breakthroughs with him."

Zhou Wenqing frowned, then nodded: "I see... Could you bring them here so I can question them further?"

"Uh..." Li Si and Wei Liao's eyes flickered for a moment at the same time.

"Of course," Li Si quickly replied, though his tone was somewhat ambiguous.

"But Brother Zicheng is not feeling well today, so let's do it tomorrow. I will bring it here myself and hand it over to Zicheng for questioning."

—Go back and get those guys back to a decent appearance overnight, so they won't be dragged out and provoke Brother Zicheng again.

Fearing that Zhou Wenqing would insist on interrogating the person now, Wei Liao quickly changed the subject and turned to Physician Lü:

"Thank you for your hard work these past few days, Physician Lü. I wonder how Zicheng is doing now? Is he alright?"

Doctor Lü paused slightly while wiping his hands, but did not speak immediately.

Li Si and Wei Liao both felt a sudden jolt in their hearts, exchanged a glance, and broke out in a cold sweat.

"Physician Lü?!"

Physician Lü put down the handkerchief, turned around, and his face showed a rare solemnity.

He frowned slightly, seemingly still lost in his own thoughts, and after a long while, he slowly spoke: "Secretary Zhou is now out of danger, but..."

"But what is it?! Could it be that some hidden ailment has been left behind?" Li Si stamped his feet anxiously and bowed repeatedly. "Physician Lü, please just tell me! This stammering is really agonizing for me!"

"Oh!" Physician Lü finally came to his senses and quickly waved his hand. "Chief Secretary Li, don't be anxious. It's not like that. Chief Secretary Zhou's condition only requires proper care and rest for a few days. He just needs to avoid getting emotionally agitated. What I wanted to say is not this..."

"What else could it be? Just tell me!"

Physician Lü stroked his long beard, his expression growing increasingly grave:

"In that case, I will speak frankly—the illness of Secretary Zhou this time is particularly dangerous. Apart from the fact that excessive stimulation was indeed a contributing factor, I believe... that someone may have done something underhanded."

"They used underhanded tactics?!"

A majestic voice suddenly boomed from the palace gate.

Ying Zheng strode in, his black robes fluttering, clearly having rushed here after dealing with urgent court affairs. His face was so gloomy it could drip water.

"What do you mean by this?! Who dares to plot against my beloved minister?!"

This furious roar, carrying immense pressure, hurtled straight towards Lü Yiling.

Doctor Lü's knees buckled, and he almost knelt down on the spot.

It wasn't that he was cowardly, but rather that the sudden outburst of the king's wrath was too intense, as if it were tangible and real, coming straight at him, making it difficult to even breathe. He quickly bowed, his voice trembling slightly:

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger... It's merely my speculation, and it hasn't been confirmed yet..."

Wei Liao and Li Si immediately bowed in greeting, but their eyes burned with rage, and their fists were already clenched in their sleeves.

Seeing this, Zhou Wenqing quickly tried to stand up, cupping his hands in greeting:

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Wenqing is fine now. If you continue to be so angry, Physician Lü's old bones will probably fall apart from kneeling."

Ying Zheng was taken aback. He looked down at the Imperial Physician, who was almost curled up in a ball, and then at the mocking look on Zhou Wenqing's pale face. For a moment, he felt both angry and helpless.

He shook his head, quickly stepped forward and pressed down on Zhou Wenqing's shoulder. His intimidating aura subsided somewhat, and his voice deepened:

"My dear minister, there's no need for such formalities. Look at the state you've become, yet you still have the mind to joke. Quickly lie down."

"Wenqing is much better now." Zhou Wenqing leaned back on the couch and forced a pale smile. "It's all thanks to Physician Lü and the other physicians. Your Majesty need not worry too much."

Ying Zheng sighed, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment, feeling both angry and helpless. He was angry that he never seemed to care about his own health, but how could he vent his anger on him when he saw him like this?

But if it's someone else...

Ying Zheng's eyes darkened. He turned around, the gentleness between his brows gone, replaced by the imposing aura befitting a monarch.

"Physician Lü, what exactly did you mean by what you just said?"

Doctor Lü took a deep breath, knowing that there was no longer any room for concealment.

"Your Majesty, although Zhou Neishi has a history of heart disease, it rarely flares up. Moreover, he is always good at self-control. I have served him for many days and have seen it clearly. The more anxious Zhou Neishi is, the calmer he becomes."

He paused, his gaze falling on the pale face on the bed, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes:

"But this time, it happened repeatedly and uncontrollably, which is really abnormal."

Zhou Wenqing pressed his hand to his chest, pondered for a moment, and slowly nodded:

"That is indeed the case. Yesterday, I noticed several times that my emotions... were out of control."

Wei Liao frowned and tentatively asked, "Is it because... the stimulation was too excessive this time?"

In the past, no matter what, it had never resulted in a death, but this time...

A dark cloud hung over Ying Zheng's brow. He raised a hand to stop Wei Liao's speculation and looked directly at Physician Lü:

"Go on."

"promise."

Physician Lü lowered his eyes and carefully recalled, saying:

"Yesterday, when I heard that the Grand Historian Zhou insisted on attending court, I rushed here just in time to receive a new coat from His Majesty to keep warm. I hurriedly stood behind him to be on the safe side, but unexpectedly, I faintly smelled a medicinal scent on the outer robe he had taken off—"

"Extremely faint, so faint as to be almost imperceptible. If it weren't for the hem of my robe fluttering and accidentally brushing against my nose while I was changing, I probably wouldn't have noticed it at all."

When he looked up at Ying Zheng, there was a hint of deliberation in his eyes:

"At first I thought it was a misperception, but this matter was of great importance, so I took the robe without permission and asked my disciple Xia Wuqie about it."

Physician Lü pointed to the disciple standing bowing beside him and continued, "This child has always been meticulous and has extremely keen senses. After he carefully discerned it, he said that he also had the same feeling. The scent was faint and fleeting, and that's when I became aware of it and confirmed it."

As he spoke, he took out a neatly folded handkerchief from his sleeve and presented it with both hands:

"Your servant Lü has carefully examined the old robe that Zhou Neishi wore that day. The smell was strongest at the shoulder. It was carefully cut and preserved, but even so, after a night, the smell had mostly dissipated and was almost gone, making it difficult to distinguish."

He raised his head, his face showing a mixture of shame and caution:

Therefore...we dare not make a definitive judgment.

Ying Zheng took the fabric, glanced at it, then looked up again, his gaze chilling and imposing, exuding authority without anger.

"I forgive you for your crime. Speak boldly, what medicine is this?"

Physician Lü's Adam's apple bobbed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"I believe this substance is called 'Heart-Calming Powder,' originally a formula for calming the mind. However, if the ingredients are slightly modified, it becomes something else entirely."

He paused, then lowered his voice even further:

"The effects of the medicine, once absorbed into the body, will not be fatal, but it can cause mental instability, emotional turmoil, and even..."

"It can even cause uncontrollable hallucinations; for those with mental illness, this is like adding insult to injury!"

The moment the words were spoken, the air in the hall suddenly froze.

Silence, deathly silence, so quiet that you could hear the faint crackling of the charcoal fire in the bronze furnace, one crackling sound after another, like something being burned to ashes.

Ying Zheng's chest heaved violently, his face was so dark it seemed to drip ink, and the dark clouds pressing between his brows instantly solidified into a monstrous killing intent that almost overflowed from his eyes.

"check!"

"Find out for me who came into contact with this robe, and who made this medicine!"

"I want to bring this man here—"

"To be torn to pieces... to be ground to ashes!"

As the last three words were uttered, the temperature inside the hall seemed to drop several degrees.

Li Si and Wei Liao exchanged a glance, bowed in unison, and spoke in unison, their voices resolute:

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

When the two straightened up, the anger in their eyes was no less than that in Ying Zheng's, but it was forcibly suppressed in their chests, causing them pain and making their fists clench so tightly they cracked.