Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

The wheels of the wheelchair rolled over the blue bricks, making a soft creaking sound that was particularly clear in the deep corridor.

On their way to the morning court, the officials, as if by prior arrangement, stepped aside to make way for her. But after they did, their gazes involuntarily lingered on the slender figure in the wheelchair—

Wasn't he said to be seriously injured and unconscious? Is he healed or not?

What is that? Why is Zhou Neishi sitting...sitting on a chair with wheels?

Is this some rare item from the Department of Hundreds of Items again? Tsk tsk tsk! This time, was it specially made for Zhou Neishi?

His face was frighteningly pale, but he didn't look like he was about to die...

The weather is gradually warming up, but the morning light has not yet covered the eaves, and there is still a bit of dew at dawn.

Zhou Wenqing did not wear the heavy fur coat, but only covered his knees with a thin blanket. He was still wearing the dignified and heavy black official robe.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the eaves, falling on his pale face, but revealing little color.

He sat there quietly, a faint smile playing on his lips, letting the gazes fall upon him from all directions.

Li Si pushed the wheelchair himself from behind, his expression tense, revealing no emotion, his steps unhurried.

It hadn't been long since the palace gates opened. The civil and military officials had gathered in a circle, but as soon as they saw Zhou Wenqing, palace servants immediately came forward to greet them and led them inside without waiting.

Behind him, the officials who could only stand outside the hall and wait looked on with envy—but after so long, they had gotten used to it.

They may envy him, but they themselves don't really want to exchange the honor Zhou Wenqing received.

It's always good to be healthy.

Having escaped the gazes of his pursuers, Li Si finally couldn't help but relax his tense shoulders slightly, lowering his head and speaking in a low voice:

"You specifically told me to come early so I could go with you, just to push your wheelchair?"

Zhou Wenqing rolled her eyes and said irritably, "This bluestone pavement isn't heavy to push, and you're still complaining? Whose fault is it anyway?"

"It's my fault, it's my fault." Li Si quickly admitted defeat, but his expression became increasingly conflicted. "I didn't mean pushing the wheelchair was tiring, I meant... didn't you say you were going to suggest building an academy today? In the state of you, how will you make that suggestion when you get to the palace?"

The affairs of the academy are far-reaching, and there will surely be people who try to stop us. In a moment, a debate will break out. Brother Zicheng has pretended to be so weak, and he has even made a show of himself in front of the civil and military officials. In order not to reveal any flaws, he has become more restrained.

It would be better to go there in a palanquin as usual, and the king will surely offer you a seat in the palace. That way, no one will be able to tell what's going on.

Zhou Wenqing smiled and said, "That's exactly the effect I wanted."

Brother Gu'an is used to debating with ministers and arguing with reason, so today let him see the power of what later generations called "a wheelchair guarding the goal".

He turned his head, his gaze landing on Li Si's face, his tone resolute:

"When you go up to the hall later, you can give your advice on building the academy. Just give me your reasons and stand there. If anyone raises any objections, I will handle them."

You expect me to offer suggestions while he handles the responses? Isn't that just putting the cart before the horse?

Li Si was taken aback for a moment, and was about to ask for clarification—

The palace doors behind them suddenly opened, and footsteps approached from afar as officials strode in one after another.

He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, his back tensed instantly, and the doubt on his face vanished in a second, replaced by his usual solemn expression.

At the morning court session, the King of Qin took his seat.

"If you have something to report, please do so; otherwise, the court may adjourn."

Li Si glanced at Zhou Wenqing, saw him nod slightly, then took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

Ying Zheng sat upright on his throne and nodded slightly: "Granted."

Li Si bowed again, then straightened up, his gaze slowly sweeping across the faces of the assembled officials in the hall, his voice clear and resonant:

"Your Majesty, since the establishment of the Bureau of All Items, fine paper, heated brick beds, folding fans, ink sticks and other products have been selling well throughout the land, and the national treasury has been gradually filling up. This is all due to Your Majesty's wisdom and the ingenuity of the Zhou Inner Historian. We dare not take credit for the work of Heaven."

There was a slight commotion in the hall. Some people stroked their beards and nodded, their faces showing approval; others had their eyes flashing, as if deep in thought.

Several pairs of eyes quietly fell on Zhou Wenqing in the wheelchair, only to see that his face was pale, his brows were slightly furrowed, he raised his sleeve to cover his mouth, and coughed softly.

That damned Han envoy, cutting them in half was too lenient, especially since one of them escaped... He truly deserves to be torn to pieces.

Many people had the same thought at the same time, and their gazes toward Zhou Wenqing became more complicated.

There was admiration, regret, and some people quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that no matter what Li Tingwei says, he is all alone and Zhou Neishi can't help him.

Meanwhile, Li Si, who was "alone," changed the subject, his voice becoming somewhat somber:

"However, recently, the Zhou Inner Historian has been presenting more and more exquisite items, which should be a sign of divine favor for Great Qin, but alas..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials, and said, word by word:

"Skilled craftsmen are severely lacking."

These words immediately sparked discussion within the hall.

"A shortage of craftsmen?" someone asked Chen Shaofu in a low voice. "Isn't the Department of Crafts always hiring?"

"Hiring people is easy, but finding skilled craftsmen is difficult." Chen Shaofu shook his head. "Those delicate tasks are not something ordinary people can do."

Ignoring the whispers, Li Si continued:

"The orders for all goods are piling up, and the craftsmen are working day and night, but it's still not enough. If this continues, firstly, production capacity will be limited, and the national treasury's revenue will be difficult to increase; secondly..."

His voice was slightly deep: "Many of the six states covet the wonders of our Great Qin. If we cannot supply them in sufficient quantities in time, they will surely take the risk of making their own imitations. At that time, the items of our Bureau of Hundred Items will become tools for others to profit from."

That hit the nail on the head.

Several senior officials' expressions changed slightly; some stroked their beards in thought, while others exchanged glances with their colleagues.

While fine paper, refined salt, ink sticks, and honeycomb briquettes are certainly difficult to imitate, the tables, chairs, furniture, kang beds, and stoves are not some closely guarded secrets—it is said that craftsmen from six countries have been secretly imitating them.

Seeing that the time was right, Li Si straightened his robes and bowed again.

"In my humble opinion, the only way to solve this problem is to select those with the best aptitude from among the common people, train them in a concentrated manner, teach them to read and write, and impart their skills. After they have completed their training, they can be added to the craftsmen's team of the Department of Hundreds of Items."

He took a deep breath, his voice suddenly rising three octaves, clear and resonant as a bell:

"Therefore, I request the establishment of an academy in our Great Qin!"

"An academic institution?"

Someone repeated the word in a low voice, their brows furrowing.

"Teaching commoners to read...this..."

Whispers rose and fell.

"Li Tingwei is mistaken!"

A middle-aged official stepped out from the crowd of censors, bowed towards the throne, and then turned to Li Si, his face showing undisguised disapproval.

"Commander Li, it is unprecedented for commoners to be literate. Craftsmanship has always been passed down from master to apprentice, through oral instruction and personal guidance. Why bother building a grand academy? Not only would it waste money and resources, but it would also likely be a futile effort!"

Just as Li Si was about to retort, he suddenly heard a few low coughs—

"Cough cough."

He paused, turned around, and saw Zhou Wenqing turning his wheelchair and tumbling out of the queue.

That wheelchair was spinning quite fast.

Li Si: "..."

I almost forgot, I almost retorted on my own, but Zicheng, do you have to be in such a hurry?

You want me to cough and push you up? Wouldn't it look better if I pushed you up than if you just spun around by yourself?

Li Si sighed helplessly and rubbed his forehead.

Zhou Wenqing stopped in the center of the hall, facing the censor. He seemed to have exhausted a lot of energy; his face was even paler, his breathing was slightly rapid, and he raised his hand to cover his lips and coughed a few more times. He looked like he was about to collapse.

Oh no, this situation...

Finally, Zhou Wenqing caught his breath, raised his eyes, and looked at the man's face with a gentle gaze, but it sent a chill down the official's spine.

Then he spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Absurd...cough cough! It's simply...fallacy!"

He spoke while panting, his chest heaving violently, yet that finger trembled as it rose—shaking like a withered leaf in the wind—pointing straight at the other person:

"Who...cough cough cough! Who decreed...that the art of craftsmanship can only...only be passed down orally?!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, and his coughing became more severe. He sat in his wheelchair, his chest heaving violently, his face turning pale and then red, looking as if he was about to pass out at any moment.

Censor: "!!!"

His mind went blank for a moment, and he suddenly remembered what punishment the Han envoy who had angered Zhou Neishi to the point of vomiting blood had been given.

Cut in half!

hiss--

Let's talk this out, please don't point fingers at me!

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead in an instant. He stared intently at Zhou Wenqing's hand covering his mouth, not daring to blink, afraid that he would see something he shouldn't see in the next second.

Thankfully, not yet.

The official breathed a sigh of relief and quietly moved half a step to the side—

But then Zhou Wenqing's hand trembled as she moved over, still pointing directly at him, while her other hand covered her chest, her lips moving, clearly indicating that she wanted to continue arguing.

Censor: "..."

So you've got your eye on me?!

This was a real crisis. He craned his neck, swallowed hard, and in a flash, made a decision—

"What Zhou Neishi says is absolutely right!" He bowed sharply, his voice crisp and clear, "Your subject has no objection!"

Before he finished speaking, he didn't even turn around, but instead retreated back into his own group.

With that speed and that agility, Li Si only saw a blur before he was gone.

The official returned to the ranks, patted his chest, and let out a long breath.

Call ~

Finally, they stopped pointing fingers at me.

What a close call! It's alright if I don't get the reputation of speaking frankly and offering advice, but if I anger this person to the point of illness, I might be infamous for eternity!

The main hall fell silent for a moment.

Li Si's eye twitched; he finally understood what Zhou Wenqing meant by those words.

It's... a complicated situation.

As long as it works, that's fine.

He instantly regained his composure, almost unable to suppress a smile, and his gaze slowly swept over the officials below him, the next one...

Who else?!