Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhou Wenqing bent down, his hand already reaching for the rag in Wang Ke's mouth—

"No……"

A hoarse voice came from behind.

His hand froze in mid-air. He turned his head and looked at Wang Wan.

Wang Wan almost collapsed to the ground in despair. The last light in her bloodshot eyes was slowly dying out, like a candle that had run out of oil.

He ultimately didn't dare to gamble.

He dared not gamble on whether the son he had abandoned would give him one last push at the last moment, and push the Wang family one last time, plunging the entire family into an endless abyss.

"There's no need for Secretary Zhou to do it."

Wang Wan's voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible. With each word she spoke, her shoulders trembled violently, and her straight back finally bent over, making her look as if she had aged ten years in an instant.

"minister……"

He opened his mouth, his throat bobbed, and finally, with great difficulty, squeezed out those few words from between his teeth:

"Your subject... confesses his guilt."

Wang Wan felt that the whole world was eerily quiet at this moment, so quiet that she could hear her own heartbeat.

Thump, thump, thump—

Each sound was so heavy, so loud, as if someone were tolling a death knell inside his chest.

After a long while, he slowly raised his head and turned towards the throne.

"Your Majesty!"

Wang Wan's voice suddenly rose, carrying a desperate resolve, the last struggle of a dying person.

"Your Majesty...I was momentarily confused and bewitched, and committed this terrible mistake...I am guilty and deserve to die a thousand deaths."

He looked up, tears streaming down his wrinkled face, his cloudy eyes filled with sorrow:

"But I have absolutely no intention of harming the Qin dynasty or its people, nor do I intend to incite them to rebel. I beg Your Majesty to see the truth!"

His tone rose slightly, and before he finished speaking, he buried his head heavily with a loud "bang."

The sound came from the ground, hoarse and trembling, like the mournful cry of someone on the verge of death.

"Your Majesty, I have served you diligently and faithfully for decades. When Your Majesty first ascended the throne, the court was in turmoil, and I served you tirelessly without the slightest slackening. When the rebellion of Lao Ai was quelled, I was stationed in Xianyang, coordinating various parties, and I dared not close my eyes day and night. Over the years, I have shared Your Majesty's burdens and worked tirelessly for the court. Although I have not achieved great merit, I have certainly endured hardship..."

"I humbly beg Your Majesty to grant me special favor, considering my years of loyalty and dedication..."

He bent down and kowtowed deeply once more:

"Your Majesty, I am willing to resign from my post as Minister of Justice, and only beg to retire... No!"

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly paused, then abruptly changed his tune, declaring with a do-or-die resolve:

"My son is so incompetent that I am willing to resign and never set foot in Xianyang again! I only beg Your Majesty to spare my life and allow me to return to my hometown to live out my remaining years..."

Zhou Wenqing stood still, watching coldly.

Wang Wan was still crying.

He cried his heart out, his forehead bleeding from banging his head against the ground; he looked so pitiful that anyone who saw him would say, "Poor thing."

But in his eyes, he couldn't see his false facade at all.

In his ears, he only heard—

That old scoundrel is still scheming!

What are these phrases like "his son is unfit for office," "he resigned to take responsibility," and "he will never set foot in Xianyang again"—listen to them, what beautiful words they use!

By promoting a legitimate eldest son and bearing the undeserved reputation of "not properly disciplining his son," he can retire unscathed, return to his hometown, and leave the entire family untainted, without even a significant impact on their reputation.

Which noble family hasn't produced a worthless and disobedient son?

As long as the storm passes and Wang Wan is still alive, with so many cronies, disciples, old friends, and former subordinates in the court—as long as he is alive and breathing, someone will always find a way.

To make up for past mistakes with past merits.

He used his legitimate son's life to escape unscathed.

They made an empty promise of "never setting foot in Xianyang" in exchange for a chance to make a comeback.

Well thought out.

That's a brilliant plan!

Zhou Wenqing lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on this unrepentant person, and deep in his eyes, two flames were clearly burning.

Yes, they show no remorse.

No matter how pitifully this old scoundrel cried or how hard he kowtowed, all he kept saying—crying, pleading, and repeatedly defending himself—was that "inciting the common people, gathering them in the court, is tantamount to treason."

Because he had planned so clearly, he knew that only this one charge was truly enough to condemn him to a thousand cuts and exterminate his entire family.

Therefore, he repeatedly explained that he had no intention of harming the Qin Dynasty or inciting unrest, hoping for the king's leniency.

but--

So many lives lost?

There were so many innocent people who perished that even the heavy snow couldn't cover them up, so many that dozens of doctors spent the entire night treating them, and so many that even General Wang and his troops were short-handed to carry them away.

In the mouth of this old thief, it was nothing more than a casual remark, "I was confused for a moment and bewitched," which was then lightly dismissed.

So lightly, as if they had never existed.

How can this be tolerated?!

Zhou Wenqing stepped forward and directly interrupted his ridiculous rambling.

"To retire to my hometown and live out the rest of my days?"

He sneered, his smile filled with contempt and disdain.

"Wang Wan, how dare you say such a thing?"

"What do you mean by 'devoting yourself wholeheartedly' and 'achieving great merit'? You actually dare to use that to make a deal with the King?"

"This is absolutely ridiculous!"

His voice was not loud, but every word was precious and resounding.

"You boast of your merits, but tell me, has the king ever mistreated you?"

"It was the King who bestowed upon you such a high rank, making you one of the Nine Ministers, wielding immense power and receiving the greatest favor! What favor you have received that didn't come from the King?"

He took a step forward, looking down at the tear-streaked old face, his voice suddenly turning cold:

"Now you have betrayed the king's favor, harmed the people, and after your failure, instead of repenting, you want to use the grace the king bestowed upon you to bargain?"

He lowered his voice, emphasizing each word:

"Are you worthy?"

"you--!"

Wang Wan finally couldn't hold back any longer. The grief on her face instantly crumbled, her expression twisted to the point of being almost ferocious, and the veins on her forehead throbbed.

It's him again, that brat, ruining my plans!

He suddenly raised his hand, trembling as he pointed at Zhou Wenqing, his eyes filled with venomous hatred, as if he wanted to tear a piece of flesh off him.

Wei Liao's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively stepped in front of Zhou Wenqing, saying in a deep voice:

"What does Wang Tingwei want to do?"

Li Si stepped forward, bowed deeply to the throne, and when he straightened up, his face was grim.

"Your Majesty, I agree with what the Grand Historian Zhou said—this man must not be let off lightly!"

He turned around and gave Wang Wan a cold glance, as if he were looking at a dead person.

"Wang Tingwei, as an official appointed by the imperial court and receiving the emperor's salary, abused his power and treated the common people like dirt. More than seventy lives were less important to him than his own selfish interests!"

His voice suddenly rose in pitch:

"The law is the balance of power in a nation; those who circumvent the law will be punished by it."

"This person deliberately instigated and provoked the common people to freeze to death on the road. This is not dereliction of duty, but the principal offender; not a mistake, but a deliberate act."

He turned to the throne and bowed again:

"Your Majesty, I request that this be punished severely according to the law. Only in this way can we serve as a warning to others and set a precedent for punishment!"

"Your Majesty! I am innocent! I had no such intention!"

Wang Wan instantly turned towards the throne, crawled two steps on her knees, and her voice cracked with a shrill tone:

He absolutely cannot allow the charge of deliberately indulging someone to fall on his own shoulders.

"I was just angry for a moment. Seeing Zhou Wenqing being so aggressive, I wanted to teach him a lesson... I didn't mean to cause a death! I really didn't!"

He lay prostrate on the ground, trembling all over:

"The deaths of those commoners...it was all Guan Chi's fault! It was Guan Chi who acted on his own initiative and made things like this! I am innocent, I am truly innocent!"

"Wang Tingwei has probably forgotten!"

Zhou Wenqing's voice slowly and deliberately interrupted.

"Guan Chi is definitely not going to cover for you right now. He's in jail, and he's probably hoping to implicate a few people to lessen his own punishment. If Wang Tingwei keeps trying to shift the blame onto him..."

Zhou Wenqing bypassed Wei Liao and slowly walked up to Wang Wan:

"Let's guess... what if he accidentally reveals something else?"

He bent down slightly, getting closer, and lowered his voice to a whisper, so low that it sounded like a secret between the two of them:

"For example... why would your son want to silence a mere member of the Yao family?"

Wang Wan seemed to be choked by something, her voice abruptly stopped, leaving only a gurgling sound in her throat, like a phlegm stuck deep inside, unable to be spat out or swallowed.

"You...you..."

His lips trembled violently, and his face turned pale and then flushed, as if all the blood had been drained from him and he was covered with a layer of deathly grayness.

Zhou Wenqing straightened up, looking down at him with calm and unwavering eyes.

"puff--"

Wang Wan's body suddenly arched, and a mouthful of blood spurted out.