Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

This year's King's birthday banquet is unlike any other.

This was the first year after Ying Zheng came of age, assumed personal rule, eliminated Lao Ai, and dismissed Lü Buwei, truly taking control of the Qin state.

That year, he was no longer the young puppet sitting on the throne, no longer restrained by powerful ministers or controlled by the palace. He was the true King of Qin, the master of the Great Qin!

Therefore, this birthday banquet was not only a celebration for the court and the public, but also a grand ceremony to announce to the world.

Envoys from the six kingdoms will arrive, bringing with them congratulatory greetings, but also prying eyes.

They wanted to see whether the Qin state, which had just emerged from internal strife, was truly weakened or had sharpened its claws; they wanted to see just how much skill, magnanimity, and... sharpness the young King of Qin possessed that could keep them awake at night.

This is a silent confrontation.

The clinking of wine glasses is a test; the exchange of toasts is a sizing.

Therefore, this birthday banquet must be splendid and grand.

They needed to see Qin's strength, Qin's grandeur, and the young king sitting on his throne, whose gaze encompassed the entire territory.

—Make sure the envoys from the six kingdoms can't sleep at night after they return!

To ensure the success of this birthday banquet, those who needed to be involved had already begun their work.

The Shaofu (Minister of the Imperial Household) was responsible for core execution, meticulously preparing every item and every piece of equipment; the Fengchang (Minister of Ceremonies) formulated the banquet etiquette procedures, ensuring that no step was made wrong; the Langzhongling (Chief of the Imperial Guard) oversaw security affairs, having planted countless spies both overtly and covertly; and the Zhisu Neishi Temple (Supporting the Grain Administration Bureau) was responsible for logistical support and material allocation, allowing no room for negligence.

From top to bottom, every government office is on high alert.

Simply put—

This birthday banquet will be an incredibly grand affair, and at the same time...

It's also the perfect time to play GG!

Li Si could no longer contain his excitement. He stood up abruptly, all traces of fatigue vanishing from his face. His eyes shone brightly, like a wolf that hadn't eaten for three days smelling meat.

"Brother Zicheng!"

He solemnly bowed to Zhou Wenqing, his posture exuding righteousness and a willingness to die for his country.

"I can't contribute much to the birthday banquet, but I must do my part in this matter of the academy. I will go back and write a memorial explaining the advantages and disadvantages, and ask Your Majesty for a decision!"

Why is he suddenly so impassioned? This isn't like Li Si at all.

Although Zhou Wenqing was puzzled, he was also inspired by his enthusiasm, nodded solemnly, and watched him hurry out of the study.

Wait, something's not right!

He suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly shouted as he chased after him:

"Brother Gu'an, wait! Come back here!"

Li Si froze.

Then, it ran even faster.

With that speed and explosive power, it was as if his feet were greased. With a sharp turn, the hem of his robe swung out in a clean arc, and in the blink of an eye, he was already at the edge of the porch.

"Brother Zicheng, there's no need to see me off! We can't afford to delay, we really can't afford to delay!"

The sound drifted from afar, but the person had almost disappeared.

Zhou Wenqing was surrounded by manuscript papers. He was briefly sealed in, but when he finally managed to break free from the pile of papers, he only had time to grab onto the door frame. Watching his fleeing figure, he shouted angrily:

"What's the big deal?! There are still two whole months left! I promised I'd be watching you write that sick leave report, and a man who breaks his word is no gentleman—you come back here right now!"

Li Si didn't turn his head, but waved from afar:

"What did you say, Brother Zicheng? I can't hear you! Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. No need to see me off. It's cold, go back quickly!"

Give me a damn thing! Who needs to give you a gift?!

Zhou Wenqing watched helplessly as the figure fled further and further away, gritting his teeth in anger.

Did Xia Wuqie misdiagnose him? How come this weakling is moving faster than a rabbit?!

"You come back here—!"

It would be suspicious if he came back!

As Li Si listened to the shouts growing fainter and fainter behind him, he felt secretly pleased with himself.

At this critical juncture, let whoever wants to lie down lie down; I, Li, am not going to keep up.

Lying at home all day doing nothing but drinking herbal medicine? Dream on!

No one can stop him from making his mark on history!

He happily pondered the wording of his memorial while quickening his pace with his head down—

Suddenly, the light in front of me went out.

Li Si raised his head blankly.

Li Yi.

His face was smiling, very honest, and even had a touch of simple sincerity.

Li Si was taken aback by his laughter, somewhat confused: "Li Yi, what's this...?"

However, before he could finish speaking, everything went black, and he knew nothing more.

"Well done, Ah Yi."

Zhou Wenqing finally caught up, looked down at Li Si who was lying on the ground sleeping peacefully, and felt extremely satisfied.

He raised his hand and patted Li Yi on the shoulder:

"Wow, Ah Yi, I didn't expect you to be unafraid of Brother Gu'an!"

Li Yi scratched the back of his head, a subtle hint of guilt appearing on his face.

He helped Li Si take a half-step closer, lowered his voice, and asked for confirmation with a hint of caution in his tone:

"Sir... I can assure you, he absolutely did not see me make a move! Isn't the Legalist school supposed to value evidence?"

He paused, then looked expectantly at Zhou Wenqing: "He can't find any evidence, so... he shouldn't do anything to his subordinates, right? Aren't gentlemen who study prestigious schools of thought supposed to be the most principled, saying... that gentlemen are upright and honest?"

Seeing his expression, Zhou Wenqing couldn't help but chuckle.

He gave Li Yi a thumbs-up and waved it at him: "You're absolutely right! A gentleman is open and honest, well done, Yi, good job, I believe in you!"

Li Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief, the slight guilt on his face replaced by a smile. He bent down and gently scooped Li Si up, carrying him into the house like a sack of rice.

Zhou Wenqing followed slowly behind with his hands behind his back, looking at Li Si on his shoulder and feeling amused.

Run, keep running.

He still lay down, didn't he?

As he was inwardly complaining, Li Yi turned his head and asked:

"Sir, after we return him to his room, would you like us to have another physician from the royal family examine him?"

"No need," Zhou Wenqing waved his hand. "Let him get a good night's sleep first; that's better than anything else. We can talk about the rest tomorrow."

He paused, his gaze falling on the person sleeping soundly, and suddenly exclaimed:

"Speaking of which, this Brother Gu'an, I really can't see a trace of the uprightness, principles and bottom line of a Legalist gentleman. He's even playing the game of pretending to be deaf and dumb. Tsk tsk tsk! So naive."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yi, who was carrying the person, suddenly froze.

Why do you say that, sir?!

Countless images flashed through his mind: Li Si's smiling face, Li Si's pressing manner in the court, Li Si's eyes in the court that seemed to see through everything... none of them were childish.

So, will Li Tingwei, who "has no principles or bottom line," actually come to his senses and provide evidence?

Li Yi suddenly felt that the person on his shoulder was incredibly hot.

Just then, Fusu and Azhu, who had heard the commotion outside, hurriedly put down their pens and rushed in.

Fusu walked ahead, and as soon as he stepped out of the threshold, he hurriedly spoke:

"Sir! What happened? You didn't...?"

He stopped mid-sentence, his pupils contracted sharply, and he suddenly stopped speaking.

His gaze fell on Li Yi's shoulder—the person who was fast asleep, his head swaying back and forth—before sliding down to his own husband, who was calmly following behind with his hands behind his back.

He paused for a moment, stunned.

He paused for a moment, stunned.

then……

Fusu suddenly turned around and, taking advantage of his height, blocked Azhu, who was clinging to the door frame and anxiously trying to peek inside. At the same time, he silently and swiftly turned Azhu's head back to the inside.

"Ahem!"

He cleared his throat and said seriously:

"Ah Zhu, I suddenly remembered I need your help with something. Let's go back quickly!"

Ah Zhu was pushed forward by him, his face full of confusion.

He was worried that something had happened to his master, and stubbornly tried to turn his little head back:

"Senior brother, what happened? Is the master in trouble? Don't stop me, I won't act impulsively!"

Of course, the gentleman is fine.

But Li Tingwei... seems to be in trouble.

Fusu continued pushing the person without changing his expression, then carefully selected his words and lowered his voice to almost a whisper:

"The gentleman is fine, he was just... discussing 'rites' with Li Tingwei, and it seems... he gained quite a lot."

He deliberately pronounced the word "礼" (li, meaning etiquette) very clearly.

Ah Zhu froze suddenly, and the next second, without even needing his senior brother to push him, he hurriedly walked towards the study.

Fusu couldn't help but smile, and quickly followed after him.

"Fusu, Azhu, shall we come out and rest?"

Zhou Wenqing's voice came from behind, tinged with amusement:

"Perfect timing, come here for a moment, the master needs your help with something."

The two small figures stopped at the same time.

Huh? Even in this state, do you still want help?!

A gentle breeze blew under the eaves, carrying the chill of the melting snow. The half-melted snow on the branches crashed onto the bluestone slabs with a "crack," shattering into ice shards on the ground.