Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhou Wenqing didn't turn around, but only slightly curved the corners of her lips:

"Brother Gu'an, didn't you foresee this long ago?"

Li Si stood up, walked over to Zhou Wenqing's side with his hands behind his back, and squinted at the direction in which Wang Ke disappeared into the night.

"Guan Chi is about to have his entire family executed and be torn to pieces, yet he still refuses to confess about Wang Wan. He must have some weakness that Guan Chi has caught his attention."

Li Si spoke slowly, his tone carrying a hint of leisurely detachment, "This cunning old fox has really hidden his tail well, it's just a pity..."

He paused, his smile deepening.

"I gave birth to a brainless son."

The saying "It's not the god-like opponents I fear, but the pig-like teammates" probably describes Wang Ke perfectly.

Originally, all the clues had been thoroughly cleared up by that old fox Wang Wan—the guards hadn't missed anything, the medicine was obtained in Guan Chi's name, and the person was instigated by Guan Chi's subordinates. The investigation had all come down to Guan Chi. Beyond that? Nothing!

On that day in the imperial court, Wang Wan emphasized the words "entire clan" with particular force. Li Si had guessed that Guan Chi must have some shady bloodline hiding outside, trying to deceive everyone and avoid being implicated. However, this old scoundrel was hiding it too well, and with Wang Wan's protection, it was estimated that not a single clue could be found.

Li Si was also in a bit of a predicament, unable to find a starting point.

Just then, a "brilliant" person popped up.

The task of silencing witnesses is always left to subordinates. The master stays far away, afraid of getting even a little bit of blood on them. Even if they are worried and want to keep an eye on them, they only dare to hide in the shadows and never show their face.

He actually went and "stared" at it literally, and he did it with great interest.

As the son of the Minister of Justice, no matter how careful he is, his actions always draw more attention than others, and Li Si eventually managed to find out some of the details.

Tsk tsk tsk!

Fortunately, Wang Wan, that old fox, was cunning and shrewd, and unfortunately gave birth to such a son who was "somewhat cunning but couldn't figure things out." How could Li Si let go of such a meat that was delivered right to his mouth?

They immediately focused their attention on him.

With his way, he also gave his body.

They had people pretend to be disaster victims, incite the common people, cause panic and blindly follow their own kind, and they were killed. Zhou Wenqing simply suggested that they use the people close to him to win their hearts and minds, and make him full of doubts so that he would take the knife and hand it over!

That's why we have this scene today.

"Tap, tap,"

A soft knock came from outside the door.

Chen Zhonglin pushed open the door, quickly walked forward, and bowed respectfully.

"Zhou Neishi and Li Changshi, the message has been delivered as you two intended. Wang Ke is in a hurry; I reckon he's about to make a move."

"good."

Li Si's gaze passed over him and landed on Chen Shaofu, who was standing in the shadows, with a half-smile.

"Chen Shaofu has indeed raised a fine son."

The performance was natural, and the direction was smooth, leaving no room for suspicion.

Chen Shaofu quickly bent down, the sweat on his forehead still damp.

"You fool, you are ignorant. Chief Secretary Li is too kind."

"only……"

Li Si's gaze slowly shifted back to Chen Zhonglin, and he looked him up and down.

"You should be careful about your circle of friends. Don't befriend just anyone, lest you ruin your future... that wouldn't be good."

If this kid hadn't spent all his time hanging out with those spoiled brats, he wouldn't have had the chance to play this role.

Fortunately, this young man only drank and didn't get too involved, which is why he had the opportunity to make a contribution today. Otherwise, even a trusted minister like Chen Shaofu wouldn't have been able to protect his son.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhonglin felt a tightness in his back. Just as he was about to speak, Chen Shaofu slapped his son on the back with considerable force, causing Chen Zhonglin to stumble forward.

"You good-for-nothing son!" Chen Shaofu glared and cursed. "Did you hear what Chief Secretary Li said? From now on, you'd better study properly! If you keep hanging out with those good-for-nothing friends, I'll break your legs!"

"Son wouldn't dare! Son wouldn't dare again!"

Chen Zhonglin immediately bowed, adopting an extremely humble posture:

"Li Changshi's words of advice are well-deserved; I will certainly keep them in mind."

Seeing the father and son's coordinated performance, Zhou Wenqing finally waved his hand, his tone softening:

"Chen Shaofu need not worry."

His gaze fell on Chen Shaofu's anxious old face, with a hint of reassurance:

"Thanks to the assistance of the Prefect Chen, Wenqing will truthfully explain the situation to Your Majesty. I believe Your Majesty will consider the Prefect Chen's oversight accordingly."

"Thank you, then I thank Secretary Zhou."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shaofu bent down even lower, and the anxiety that had been hanging over him for days finally settled back into his stomach.

Zhou Wenqing nodded to him, then looked at Li Si:

"Brother Gu'an, Wang Ke must have secretly gathered his men without his father's knowledge. Let's hurry and follow him."

Li Si smiled slightly and set down the cup of tea that had long since gone cold.

"Just what I wanted; it's finally time to close the net."

The two left the room one after the other, and several figures silently disappeared at the end of the corridor.

------

As night deepened, several figures moved furtively along the wall at the end of the alley.

Wang Ke walked at the front, his steps both hurried and light. Behind him were four men, all of whom were servants who had signed death contracts, their hands stained with blood, and their mouths tightly shut.

"Young master, it's the house up ahead." A servant approached and lowered his voice. "There's only one woman living there with that child. There are no neighbors, so it's easy to make a move."

Wang Ke squinted at the low earthen house, where a dim light shone and the faint sound of a woman soothing a child could be heard.

—Everyone's here, that's really great.

A sense of pride welled up inside him.

My father always said he was impulsive and reckless, but this time, it was clearly my father who was timid and hesitant. Guanchi was locked up in prison, and no one else knew about the child's existence. He took care of it quietly and without anyone noticing, and from then on, all troubles were eliminated!

Thinking of this, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he lowered his voice to give the order:

"Be quick and efficient. It's just a woman and a baby; don't make a big fuss."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the dilapidated mud house, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "After it's over, fake a fire and burn this place down completely."

Regardless of whether Guan Chi has any dirt on him and his son, once they're burned to ashes, everything will vanish!

Wang Ke felt increasingly smug. This time, he had thought things through thoroughly and made meticulous arrangements, leaving no room for error. Once this matter was accomplished, he would see what his father had to say next.

"What are you waiting for? Go on!"

The four servants exchanged glances and nodded in unison.

They crouched down, reaching the edge of the courtyard wall, their hands just touching the top—

"Young Master Wang, it's late and the dew is heavy. Why aren't you resting at your residence? What are you doing in this desolate place?"

A clear, cheerful voice came from behind me, carrying a hint of leisure, as if asking how the moonlight was tonight.

Wang Ke froze.

He turned around abruptly—

At the alley entrance, torches lit up one after another, their flickering flames tearing the thick darkness to shreds.

At the very front, Wei Liao stood with his hands behind his back. He spoke calmly, his eyes fixed on Wang Ke like those of a hawk.

Behind him stood a dark, imposing troop of armored soldiers, bows drawn and swords unsheathed. The firelight illuminated their armor, making it gleam menacingly and revealing their expressionless faces.

After that, Zhou Wenqing and Li Si were firmly protected.

Li Si looked at Wang Ke with the same scorn and disdain he held for a fool who had walked right into a trap.

And Zhou Wenqing...

The firelight illuminated only half of his body, the other half hidden in shadow. He was still wrapped tightly in a thick fur coat, and his face was still somewhat pale in the lamplight, but his eyes were calm and serene, gazing at this side indifferently.

It's like watching a farce whose ending you already know...

Wang Ke's face drained of all color in an instant.

it's over...