Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Kui Zhuang bowed respectfully, and as he straightened up, his gaze swept over Zhou Wenqing's wheelchair. He paused for a moment, his voice softening slightly, but he still spoke directly:

"Your Majesty, I am not against building academies. Selecting artisans and doctors from the common people and teaching them to read and write would be a good thing for the country and the people. I have no objection to it."

"However, since it is named 'Great Qin Academy,' it cannot be done hastily, otherwise it may be ridiculed by the six states. Since it is established by the imperial court, it must conform to the imperial system. At that time, should we use the old buildings to make do, or should we choose a new site? If we are to build a new one, what will its scale be? What will its structure be? How many laborers will be needed? How much money and grain will it cost?"

He posed a series of questions in quick succession, his voice not loud, but each word clear and distinct, resonating in every corner of the hall:

"Such large-scale construction projects inevitably lead to the conscription of laborers and the expenditure of money and grain."

He raised his head, his gaze meeting the throne with unwavering composure:

"Your Majesty, although the national treasury is gradually becoming fuller, the expenses are also becoming increasingly heavy. Roads need to be repaired, canals need to be dug, borders need to be fortified, and weapons need to be manufactured. All these things cannot be accomplished without levying corvée labor, and there is no money to cover the expenses without increasing taxes. However, if corvée labor labor and taxes are levied, I fear that it will burden the people."

His gaze slowly shifted to Zhou Wenqing in the wheelchair, and he said, word by word:

"Your Majesty, may I ask you, if the people are not burdened with additional taxes, could the national treasury sustain this situation?"

"If it is permissible, I have no objection."

Call ~

Zhou Wenqing breathed a sigh of relief and slowly relaxed the hand he had placed on his chest.

The groin shape remains the same.

I don't take sides, I don't show favoritism, although... I don't approve of him either.

But it was definitely not for personal gain.

Zhou Wenqing admired such a person and did not wish to use the same methods he used on others to deal with him.

He raised his eyes, his gaze meeting Kui Zhuang's, a faint smile appearing on his lips—a smile devoid of calculation, only openness.

"What Doctor Kui is worried about is very true."

He spoke in a hoarse voice, not loud, but his words reached everyone's ears steadily:

"I am willing to answer all of your questions, Doctor Kui."

Answer them one by one?

Li Si felt a chill run down his spine.

On the contrary, he knew best about these ideas for the academy. From site selection to establishment, from funding to regulations, every aspect had been repeatedly scrutinized and each item had a basis. If he could explain them one by one, he could convince the entire court and save them from countless arguments later.

only……

He glanced at Zhou Wenqing's pale face out of the corner of his eye.

If Brother Zicheng were to answer each question in his manner, he might inadvertently reveal a flaw, which would likely give others ammunition to criticize him.

We need to find a way to take over the conversation.

He subconsciously took half a step forward, only to see Zhou Wenqing suddenly move.

He fumbled in his sleeve for a moment, then pulled out the small ceramic bottle that looked remarkably familiar.

Li Si's heart skipped a beat.

not good!

Zhou Wenqing poured out a pill, tilted his head back, and brought it to his lips—

"Zhou Wenqing!"

Ying Zheng let out a sharp shout, causing the candlelight to tremble. He sprang up from his throne, his knuckles clenching tightly as he tried to stop him, but the distance between them was too great.

Li Si has already made his move.

Fortunately, he was close enough to see the pill flipping in Zhou Wenqing's fingertips and to hear the roar of his own heartbeat hitting his eardrums.

He grabbed Zhou Wenqing's wrist.

The force was so great that Zhou Wenqing's hand trembled slightly, and the pill barely stopped at his lips, just half an inch away from entering his mouth.

The hall was deathly silent.

Li Si could feel his fingertips trembling. He lowered his voice, almost whispering, but the horror in his tone was almost overflowing:

"Are you crazy?!"

He gripped Zhou Wenqing's wrist tightly, his voice extremely low:

"This medicine can't be taken indiscriminately!!"

This is an emergency medication for sudden heart attacks. Its effects are so potent that they are visible to the naked eye; he has witnessed them firsthand. Zhou Wenqing, how could he dare to swallow it at this time?!

Zhou Wenqing's wrist ached from his grip, and she blinked blankly.

He looked down at the small ceramic bottle in his palm, then at the "pill" that he had almost crushed at his fingertips.

Ah! Didn't he say that?

This is in case someone really makes licorice-flavored maltose without any scruples!

Oh no, I forgot to mention that.

Meeting Li Si's surprised and angry gaze, he carefully lowered his voice, almost mouthing the words:

"sugar."

Li Si frowned, not quite understanding.

"Maltose." Zhou Wenqing subtly passed the "pill" in his hand toward his nose.

The faint sweet fragrance wafted into his nostrils, and Li Si was stunned for a moment. His eyes gradually changed from shock and anger to confusion, then suddenly snapped back to reality, and finally turned into a fierce glare that landed on Zhou Wenqing.

You, Zhou Wenqing!

Zhou Wenqing swallowed hard, his eyes quickly glancing around.

All the officials in the hall were watching.

Li Si bent down, and under the guise of adjusting Zhou Wenqing's cuffs, he squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth in a low voice:

"You'd better wait until the next court session."

The voice was extremely soft, so soft that only the two of them could hear it, but the anger in the tone was anything but mild.

Oh no, I've really angered them.

Zhou Wenqing inwardly cursed, and quickly gave him a fawning smile. The next second, his voice had already switched back to that weak tone:

"Li Tingwei... there's no need to worry, cough cough! It's just that the pottery bottle looks similar. This isn't a strong medicine for treating heart disease, but... cough! It's a new prescription from Physician Lü... it can temporarily stagnate the Qi and suppress the injury, cough cough cough cough!"

He coughed and frantically gestured with his eyes: Stop breathing, cooperate!

Li Si glared at him one last time before slowly straightening up.

The moment he stood up, the traces of gritted teeth on his face vanished completely, replaced by a dignified and solemn demeanor, making him look exactly like a good minister who was concerned about his colleagues.

"I see, you misunderstood."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the surrounding officials to hear:

"It's really worrying that Zhou Neishi is always so weak. I'm just being too concerned. Neishi should take the medicine as soon as possible."

Instead of pouring another pill from the porcelain bottle, he pushed Zhou Wenqing's hand, which was holding the medicine, back.

It has to be my brother Gu'an who puts the big picture first.

Zhou Wenqing took back the "pill" and put it into his mouth without changing his expression.

Before the sweetness could even melt on the tip of my tongue, a sudden chill ran down my spine.

He subconsciously looked up—and met the gaze from the throne.

Ying Zheng's face was ashen, his eyes fixed on him.

Oh no, this person is angry too.

Zhou Wenqing shrank his neck and silently swallowed the maltose in his mouth.

It tastes like licorice, so bitter it makes me want to cry. I'll never eat it again.

Seeing that he was unharmed, and considering that Li Si had already cooperated to smooth things over, Ying Zheng took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed his anger. He said no more and tacitly agreed to let Zhou Wenqing answer the questions one by one, although... his expression looked like he was plotting to settle scores later.

Kui Zhuang, who had watched the entire process, frowned slightly and said, "If Zhou Neishi is feeling unwell, he may return to rest. We can discuss this further at the next morning court session, no problem..."

"No need!"

Zhou Wenqing interrupted, his voice slightly shrill.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he had overstepped his bounds, coughed twice, and then slowly said:

"No need. I've already taken the medicine and feel much better. I'm fine for now. This academy is related to national affairs, so it's best to make a decision as soon as possible."

In just a short while, two things were recorded against me.

Let's not delay any longer.

Zhou Wenqing straightened up and faced Kui Zhuang directly:

"Regarding the selection of a site for the academy, I have observed a location northeast of Xianyang City. It is backed by mountains and faces water, with an open terrain. It is ten miles from the city, making travel convenient and not disturbing the people. If Your Majesty approves, then this site shall be chosen."

Wei Zhuang immediately pressed further: "A new site? Is it permissible to occupy residential land or farmland?"

Zhou Wenqing shook his head: "No."

Kui nodded, then pressed further: "What is the organizational structure?"

"Since it is the Great Qin Academy, it cannot be too small." Zhou Wenqing said calmly, "It can be modeled after the Jixia Academy of Qi. It does not need to be so grand, but the lecture hall must be spacious enough to accommodate classes. Then, we can build residences for teachers, a library, and dormitories for students. All of these are essential. As the scale gradually develops, we can expand it further."

Kui Zhuang frowned slightly: "With such expenditures, can the national treasury afford it?"

Zhou Wenqing smiled slightly: "Doctor Kui has not entered the Department of All Things, so he may not know how abundant the national treasury is, let alone—"

He paused, then met his gaze frankly: "I never intended for the national treasury to bear the burden alone."

Kui's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Their questioning and answering were so intense that they seemed oblivious to everyone else. The officials followed their conversation closely, some pondering the regulations for the academy, others silently marveling at the truth of the rumors—it was indeed true that Physician Lü possessed exceptional medical skills.

After taking one pill, Zhou Neishi looks much better. Look at him!

Zhou Wenqing's gaze was clear and upright as he calmly replied:

"If the academy is to be built, in addition to the Ministry of Works and the Bureau of Craftsmen providing personnel, I request that the common people and displaced persons who are willing to help with the construction be provided with two meals a day, and their wages be calculated separately. Once the academy is completed, those who participated in the construction and have school-age children in their families can be given priority to enroll and learn a skill."

Kui Zhuang's expression softened slightly. After pondering for a moment, he asked another question:

"Even so, with spring planting approaching, there may still be a shortage of manpower."

Zhou Wenqing answered very quickly: "Then we will conscript slaves."

"Moreover, most of the slaves are physically weak; how can they be used?"

"If they are provided with two meals a day and are full, how can they still be weak?"

After a moment's thought, Wei Zhuang asked, "Is this feasible? But buying slaves would also be extremely costly."

Zhou Wenqing smiled slightly, confident: "It's not a purchase, it's a search."

His gaze was unwavering: "Merchants who are willing to release their slaves and bring them into the state to help build schools will be granted a golden plaque inscribed with the four characters 'Public-spirited and Righteous,' which will be hung above their doors. Their children will be given priority in hiring if they later enter the Bureau of Hundreds of Items; those who release more slaves will be given priority in selection."

He paused, then said:

"The same applies to noble families who are willing to offer up their own slaves. Although the production of fine paper, fine salt, ink sticks, and fruit wine requires more manpower and time-consuming processes, and sales must be carried out on a monthly basis, a fixed quota can be allocated to them as a special reward."

That's a good idea!

Upon hearing this, the officials displayed a variety of expressions, but many of them secretly lit up in their eyes.

What are slaves anyway?

It's just a breathing object!

Send them out, and we can buy them later. If we can exchange them for the exclusive right to purchase fine paper, ink sticks, and fruit wine every month—those things are priceless and hard to come by, you can't even get them if you have money in your hands!

worth it!

Some people quietly swallowed, already calculating how many slaves they kept in their own treasury.