Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhou Wenqing raised his eyes and his gaze fell on Wang Wan.

The old thief was kneeling with his head bowed, his face still showing the grief and resentment that had not yet faded. He looked as if he had been wronged and finally breathed a sigh of relief after the king stopped the argument.

He acted so well that even after the king announced that he should get up, he remained kneeling with gold bricks stuck to his forehead, showing no intention of getting up at all.

The posture was perfectly appropriate, clearly indicating: I have failed to properly educate my son, I am guilty, I repent, but your investigation has gone astray, which I find extremely painful and I cannot agree with.

It ignites a burning rage within those who watch it!

Good thing...

Zhou Wenqing sneered inwardly and took a step forward.

"Wang Tingwei".

His voice was calm and unhurried, and it sounded particularly clear in the hall that had just quieted down.

Wang Wan raised her head.

That wrinkled face still bore the expression of an innocent victim.

But a fleeting look of resentment and vigilance flashed in those murky eyes, so quick it was almost imperceptible.

But Zhou Wenqing saw it.

Haha, it's too late to be vigilant now!

"Does Zhou Neishi have any further instructions?" Wang Wan's voice was hoarse, and his face showed helplessness.

"I wouldn't presume to offer guidance." Zhou Wenqing smiled slightly, took another step forward, and moved closer to him. "There is something I don't understand and would like to ask the Court of Justice. I hope the Court of Justice will be so kind as to enlighten me."

Wang Wan's brows furrowed involuntarily. For some reason, her heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition began to rise within her.

This kid's up to no good!

The thought flashed through his mind, and before he could even think about it, the words were already out of his mouth, blurting out as if trying to beat something to it:

"You're too kind, Zhou Neishi. We're colleagues, and cooperating in trials is simply our duty. As the Minister of Justice, how could I conceal anything? I'll speak frankly, Zhou Neishi. There's no need for you to ask for my guidance."

"It seems that I had a deep misunderstanding with Zhou Neishi. I blocked Neishi's path to being granted a title, so it is only natural that Neishi had some prejudice against me."

This old scoundrel, wasn't it a few moments ago when you offered to give me pointers?!

A spark of anger ignited within Zhou Wenqing.

The old man really doesn't miss any opportunity to smear him.

It seems that deliberately choosing to confront each other in public after curfew, rather than in the imperial court, was the right thing to do.

Otherwise, with just this one sentence, countless people would jump out to accuse Zhou Wenqing of taking revenge out of personal grudges and using his position for personal vendettas. If the label of "abandoning public duty for private gain" were pinned on him, it would probably take a lot of arguing, and it might even... let him get away with it.

Unfortunately, there were no ministers here to observe his behavior, and the wise king would not be swayed by such a low-level suggestion.

Therefore, Zhou Wenqing didn't even lift his eyelids; he simply gave a soft "hmm" and went straight to the point:

"Since that's the case, Wenqing will speak frankly."

Zhou Wenqing paused, his gaze fixed on his face, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Just now, the Court of Justice said, 'That wicked son was born to a maidservant. His father committed a serious crime and is imprisoned. What pity is there for him?'"

"Wasn't Wenqing sure he didn't add or subtract a single word from these words?"

There was no room for denial once the words were spoken. Even though she vaguely sensed something was amiss, Wang Wan still forced herself to continue:

"good."

"That's good then." Zhou Wenqing nodded slightly, took another half step forward, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Then I am truly curious."

"If I remember correctly, from beginning to end, whether it was Chief Secretary Li, Mr. Wei Liao, or Wen Qing himself, they all only said that your son was carrying a sharp knife, broke into a private residence at night, and intended to harm a child. As for who the child's father was—"

He paused, his gaze suddenly sharpening:

"Nobody has ever mentioned it!"

"But why did the Court of Justice insist just now that the child was Guan Chi's son?"

Wang Wan's pupils contracted sharply, her Adam's apple bobbed violently, and a fleeting look of panic crossed her eyes.

Zhou Wenqing took everything in, pressing closer step by step:

"If it were said that his father was Guan Chi, the Court of Justice could still offer a defense, but it was because he met Chief Clerk Li and knew early on who he was investigating that he made the connection..."

He leaned forward another half inch, his voice turning cold:

"But Guan Chi probably kept such a secret from his wife and children, even from his own mother. Li Changshi and I only found out about it half an hour ago after the interrogation. How did the Court of Justice find out?"

"The Court of Justice isn't going to say that this is just your guess, is he?"

He paused, then suddenly chuckled softly, a laugh tinged with undisguised sarcasm:

"Tsk tsk tsk! You were so logical and meticulous in your deduction of your son's actions just now, and now you've guessed so accurately again. What? Could it be that Guan Chi..."

He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, his gaze sweeping over Wang Wan's face before slowly uttering the second half of his sentence:

"Is he also your son?"

"Pfft—hahahaha!"

Li Si, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't help but burst into laughter, letting out all the pent-up anger in his heart.

"What Zhou Neishi said makes sense, but unfortunately he may still be wrong..."

He looked down at Wang Wan, who was kneeling on the ground, with a condescending gaze.

"At Wang Tingwei's age, it's probably impossible for him to have a son like Guanchi with graying temples. What a pity, what a real pity."

Wei Liao also let out a sharp breath, his eyes suddenly turning fierce as he stared directly at Wang Wan:

"What's so regrettable? He's not his son, yet he knows so much about it. Even we investigators only learned of these details just now during our interrogation. Yet Wang Tingwei can just spout off like that. I think he's despicable."

"What do you mean by 'lax parenting,' 'cooperating,' or 'being misled'...?"

"That's utter nonsense!"

He took a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Zhou Wenqing and Li Si. The three of them stood in a row, and six pairs of eyes fell on that figure simultaneously:

"Wang Tingwei, you who truly instigated this, what else do you have to say?!"

"I...I...it's not me...it's..."

Wang Wan's face was already deathly pale, and she almost couldn't maintain her kneeling position. Her lips opened and closed repeatedly, and after a long while, she could only manage to utter a few broken syllables, but she could no longer find a suitable excuse.

Zhou Wenqing looked at him like this and suddenly laughed.

"Does Wang Tingwei still have any objections?"

He spoke slowly, his gaze falling on Wang Ke, who was tightly bound and had a rag stuffed in his mouth:

"In that case, why don't Wenqing tear off this gag and let your son explain properly—how exactly did this usually sensible 'filial son' become so certain, just like the Minister of Justice was, that he was misled and compelled to act in accordance with others?"

The old father's elaborate explanation for his son was truly a testament to his painstaking efforts.

Besides shirking their own responsibility, they might also be trying to help their eldest son—it's better to portray him as an "accomplice" or "deceived" than as the "mastermind" or "silenced."

but……

He sneered inwardly.

If this good-for-nothing could actually support the story his father made up, that would be truly unbelievable.

He walked around to Wang Ke's side, bent down, and patted Wang Ke's shoulder lightly, yet the man shuddered.

He didn't seem to care and continued to suggest:

"Let's have this son of the Court of Justice prove his father's... innocence, and have him explain himself properly..."

"Tell me exactly when and at which banquet he was bewitched? What shady dealings did the Guan Chi family make him do to make him so eager to silence them?"

"Most importantly, how was this private seal handed over?"

He spoke slowly, launching into a series of questions, much like Wang Wan had just questioned Li Si, each one hitting the most crucial spot:

Zhou Wenqing's gaze swept over Wang Wan's deathly pale face:

"I just don't know whether saying this will increase the chances of clearing Wang Tingwei's name, or..."

"Is it more likely that this will uncover more possibilities?"

He didn't believe that a proud and complacent guy like Wang Ke would really be willing to be a pawn.

Of course... even if he's completely brainwashed by his father and would rather sacrifice himself to protect the family—that's fine too.

He wanted to see just how many lines of Wang Wan's carefully crafted story could match the biggest flaw in Wang Ke's father's story.