Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Li Si was so excited he almost rubbed his hands together.

Brother Zicheng is really kind; he helped me take sick leave and even gave me two pieces of uncut jade as a bonus!

Since he doesn't intend to teach me personally, then I'll—cough!—help Brother Zicheng settle in properly. That shouldn't be a problem, right?

Li Si had made up his mind, but his expression became even more amiable. He squatted down and looked the boy in the eye.

"Good children, you did me a great favor before, and I haven't even asked you your names yet?"

The boy pursed his lips, seemingly a little embarrassed about saying he had done a great favor, but his eyes brightened when his name was mentioned.

He puffed out his thin chest, and answered earnestly in a low voice:

"Reporting to Li Tingwei, my name is Jiming."

He paused, then turned slightly to the side, pulling his younger sister, who was peeking out from behind him, forward a little: "My sister's name is Jiqing."

"Jiming...Jiqing..." Li Si murmured twice, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Was this name chosen by Zhou Neishi?"

"Um!"

Jiqing peeked out from behind her brother, her voice soft but filled with barely suppressed joy, "Zhou Neishi said that Ji means the sky clears after the rain, Ming means brightness, and Qing also means brightness. He hopes that our future days will be bright and cheerful."

After she finished speaking, she quickly shrank back behind her brother, revealing only her curved eyes.

Looking at this little girl, Li Si couldn't help but feel a pang of tenderness in his heart.

He reached out and ruffled her hair, smiling, "Not bad, it's a good name. How old are you?"

Ji Qing lowered her head and whispered, "Four years old."

Her voice was soft and tinged with shyness, and her little face was almost buried in her brother's robe.

Looking at her shy appearance, Li Si knew clearly that this girl was not as timid as she appeared.

Back then in the imperial court, all the testimonies that nailed Guan Chi to the ground were heard by this little girl. If she hadn't curled up under that broken stone trough and memorized every word those people said, how could things have gone so smoothly afterward?

At the age of four, he dared to curl up alone in the dark and listen to the villains plotting.

This courage is something many adults lack.

What great talent! We couldn't find any in the whole village before, and now we've got two at once!

Li Si couldn't suppress the urge to smile; he was pondering how to persuade the two children to "take over" his side—

"Brother Gu'an."

A familiar voice suddenly came from behind.

"Why aren't you lying in your room? What are you doing standing here?"

Li Si's smile froze slightly, a strange sense of guilt creeping in. He slowly turned his head to meet Zhou Wenqing's ambiguous smile.

"Brother Zicheng, you've finished court?" He chuckled dryly. "I came out for some fresh air, just a little..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his gaze passing over Zhou Wenqing and landing on the large group of people behind him.

Li Si's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with disbelief, and his voice rose eight octaves:

"You... how did you manage to bring up the entire Imperial Medical Bureau?!"

He subconsciously took a half step back, his gaze quickly sweeping over the robes of the group of people, which resembled those of the Imperial Medical Bureau. His heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly felt incredibly fortunate that he hadn't run away.

If he runs away, this "high-profile" method will probably force him to stay in his residence for a while and not see anyone!

He craned his neck, swallowed hard, and spoke dryly:

"Well... Brother Zicheng, I feel like I slept incredibly well, really! There was really no need to trouble so many doctors."

He shrank back, trying to stand up straighter and appear more "healthy":

"Didn't the physician from the Xia family take my pulse? He said a few doses of herbal medicine and a few days of rest would be enough. If that's not enough, I can just stay in bed for a few more days, don't you think?"

"That's good, lying in bed for a few more days is a good idea, but..."

Zhou Wenqing finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, waving his hand to interrupt him:

"Brother Gu'an, what are you thinking? They're just here to inspect those few sheets of paper!"

Yesterday, Xia Wuqie brought the stack of medical books back to the Imperial Medical Bureau, and within an hour, the entire bureau was in an uproar.

Physician Lü and several colleagues examined the patients overnight. The more they examined, the brighter their eyes became, and the more they examined, the more they felt itchy to do so. When they went to court today, all of them had red eyes and were still engrossed in their books.

Apart from those on duty, everyone else from Brother Gu'an came to the Zhou residence without saying a word.

Firstly, it was to continue reading the medical classics, since it was really inappropriate to copy them without permission. Secondly, it was so that if there were any questions, they could directly ask Zhou Wenqing, the "source."

Oh, looking at the manuscript? Good, looking at the manuscript!

It's fine as long as you don't come to see him.

Li Si felt a sense of relief and maintained his composure: "So...so that's how it is."

Zhou Wenqing smiled and shook his head. Just as he was about to say something, he caught a glimpse of two small figures beside him.

Ji Ming and Ji Qing had already stood up straight at some point and were quietly waiting to the side. When they saw Zhou Wenqing looking over, Ji Ming quickly pulled his sister forward and bowed, saying, "Master has returned."

Ji Qing bowed slightly, her voice soft and gentle: "Hello, sir."

Zhou Wenqing bent down and gently patted the two of them on the head.

"What were you doing just now?"

Jiming lifted the box in his hand, opened it, and said somewhat shyly, "The pharmacy has dried some medicinal herbs, and we've collected them and are preparing to send them back."

Zhou Wenqing glanced at the box, which contained neatly arranged medicinal herbs, and nodded in approval.

These two children have been helping out at the pharmacy for some time now, and they're becoming more and more competent.

"You've done a good job." He reached out and ruffled Ji Qing's hair, then patted Ji Ming's shoulder. "Study hard at the pharmacy. The doctors at the Xia family are highly skilled. As long as you are willing to work hard and be humble, you will definitely go further and faster than others in the future."

The two children's eyes lit up immediately after receiving the praise.

Ji Qing couldn't help but smile, a faint blush spreading across her face. She was so happy that even her two thin braids swayed. She nodded vigorously, her voice crisp and clear:

"Thank you, Mr. Zhou. We will definitely work hard!"

As Li Si listened from the side, his mind began to stir.

Effort? Of course, that's great.

But you don't necessarily have to strive to study medicine.

He cleared his throat.

"Cough cough."

He took half a step forward, hands behind his back, chin slightly raised, looking nonchalant.

"It's certainly good to work hard, but actually, Brother Zicheng, I don't think they necessarily have to study medicine."

As he finished speaking, he turned slightly to the side, his gaze falling on the two children. His previous nonchalance lessened, replaced by a gentle, persuasive look.

"Good child, didn't you just say that being able to read would be a wonderful thing?"

Ji Ming nodded, and Ji Qing blinked in response.

"That's right." Li Si bent down to look them in the eye, his voice soft but clear and distinct.

"If you stay by my side, I can not only teach you to read, but also to study history, classics, and the writings of various schools of thought. Once you have thoroughly understood the books, I will teach you to study the law, distinguish right from wrong, and protect the good. Wouldn't that be better?"

After saying that, he looked up and winked quickly at Zhou Wenqing.

His eyes clearly said: Brother Zicheng, do me a favor, say something.

Zhou Wenqing immediately understood—she had taken a liking to these two children!

Just as he was about to say a few words to pave the way for Li Si, a voice suddenly broke out from the side.

"Li Tingwei is mistaken!"

Xia Wuqie stepped forward, staring at Li Si with almost wary eyes.

He had been watching these two little seedlings for a long time.

Ji Ming is calm and has a good memory; he can remember the medicinal herbs he has been taught. Ji Qing is clever, with sharp ears and bright eyes; her tenacity makes her a natural-born physician.

He had long planned to formally take his two children as disciples and pass on his skills when they were older. How could he let someone else intercept them halfway?

"Studying medicine allows you to read and write, just like studying medicine," Xia Wuqie said, his chest heaving slightly, his voice rising a few decibels. "More importantly, studying medicine allows you to practice medicine, heal the sick, save lives, and accumulate good karma. Isn't that even better?"

As he spoke, he suddenly turned his head and looked intently at Zhou Wenqing:

"What does Zhou Neishi think?"

Zhou Wenqing blinked.

Look at Li Si on the left, his face full of expectation, and then look at Xia Wuqie on the right, who is fiercely protective of his own.

Is this... a robbery?