Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhou Wenqing listened to Li Si's rambling and nodded frequently, though his ears were practically calloused from hearing it all.

Wow! Brother Gu'an is just as good as Tang Sanzang.

Li Si continued rambling, from "we need to communicate more in the future" to "taking care of your own health," and then to "how cunning the old foxes in the court are."

Zhou Wenqing felt dizzy from listening and was about to beg for mercy—

The palace gates opened.

Ying Zheng strode in, the hem of his black robe billowing in the candlelight.

Li Si's voice stopped abruptly, and he stood up abruptly to bow.

Zhou Wenqing also wanted to stand up, but Ying Zheng fixed him in his wheelchair with a single look.

"Sit down."

Zhou Wenqing sat obediently, his eyes involuntarily glancing upwards.

Is Your Majesty still angry?

Ying Zheng didn't speak. He walked behind his desk, sat down, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then gestured with his chin toward the door.

A group of doctors carrying medicine kits filed in.

Looking at Xia Wuqie mixed in with them, Zhou Wenqing felt a bad premonition.

"Your Majesty, this..."

"Taking the pulse."

Ying Zheng put down his teacup, his tone indifferent.

Physician Lü had already walked up to him and gestured for him to extend his hand.

Zhou Wenqing looked at Li Si—the man had his eyes downcast, looking as if he knew nothing.

He looked at the king again... but never mind, he dared not look.

Zhou Wenqing obediently extended his hand.

After examining the patient, Physician Lü stepped back and bowed, saying, "The pulse is still stable, but the qi and blood are slightly insufficient, the stagnation has not yet dissipated, and the constitution is still somewhat weak. You need to take good care of yourself."

As Zhou Wenqing listened to this series of diagnoses, he silently translated it in his mind:

Nothing serious, but there are some minor issues everywhere; it will get better with rest.

Oh dear, I already told you I'm fine.

He had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ying Zheng nod slightly, and another physician stepped forward.

After the second patient finished their consultation, the third patient stepped forward.

After the third patient finished their consultation, the fourth patient stepped forward.

Zhou Wenqing looked at the row of doctors in front of him and felt completely overwhelmed.

Is it absolutely necessary to diagnose some kind of illness?

He opened his mouth, trying to struggle: "Your Majesty, Wenqing was reckless today, but..."

Ying Zheng raised his eyes and glanced over indifferently.

Zhou Wenqing's words got stuck in his throat; his verbal skills hadn't even been used before he was declared a failure.

Well, this person has no intention of listening to any explanation.

Ying Zheng understood Zhou Wenqing's thoughts perfectly—no matter how much he tried to persuade him to consider his own interests, Zicheng would just let it go in one ear and out the other. Rather than wasting words, it was better to take direct action.

Once you've taken good care of your health, I won't have to worry about you anymore.

Lately, I've been drugged and exhausted, and with the weather warming up and becoming unpredictable, I heard that Xia Wuqie wanted to diagnose my pulse and prescribe a treatment, but he always politely declined or made excuses.

I will sit right here and see how you try to shirk your responsibilities.

This is not settling scores later; it's the preparatory stage for doing so.

Zhou Wenqing silently shut his mouth and obediently continued to extend his wrist.

Finally, the last doctor finished his examination and found nothing serious besides the old ailment. Zhou Wenqing breathed a long sigh of relief.

It's finally over—

He secretly glanced at Ying Zheng, thinking that this time he didn't need to explain, the king should understand that he was not in any serious trouble.

Why does it seem like it's not over yet?

Ying Zheng's gaze slowly swept over the group of physicians, finally landing on the young face in the crowd.

"Xia Wuji."

Zhou Wenqing's heart jumped into his throat again.

"Your master often said that you are most skilled at tailoring treatments to individual patients, and your methods are quite unique." Ying Zheng put down his teacup, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on the weather. "Tell me, how should we take care of Zhou Aiqing's health?"

It's over, this time it's really over.

Zhou Wenqing recalled Li Si's "difficult survival" days under Xia Wuqie's command—the room filled with the smoke of medicine, the mountain of medicine bowls, and the face that looked like it had lost all will to live from the smoke.

Is it my turn now?

Xia Wuqie stepped forward, his expression earnest to the point of reverence:

As the family physician, he finally didn't have to trouble the guests and could take the pulse of the host. Was it easy for him?!

"Your Majesty, the pulse of the Imperial Censor Zhou is still stable, but he is deficient in qi and blood and depleted in spirit, which requires treatment. I believe that the treatment should focus on gentle tonification and proceed gradually."

Ying Zheng nodded slightly: "Go on."

"I propose to use Astragalus membranaceus, Codonopsis pilosula, and Angelica sinensis as the main ingredients, one dose per day, taken in the morning and evening, combined with medicinal diet to regulate the body, such as Astragalus membranaceus stewed chicken or Codonopsis pilosula soup, to provide both dietary and nutritional benefits."

As Zhou Wenqing listened to this string of medicine names, his scalp began to tingle.

Ying Zheng nodded: "Anything else?"

Xia Wuqie pondered: "It can be combined with massage, three times a week, to soothe the mind and spirit, and also with medicinal baths, twice a week, using a decoction of mugwort and cinnamon twigs to bathe, to warm and promote the flow of qi and blood."

Zhou Wenqing no longer wanted to speak.

How come I never noticed before? Your Majesty is so good at exploiting people's weaknesses!

Ying Zheng's gaze swept across the room and landed on Zhou Wenqing, who was hanging his head and wishing he could shrink into a ball.

The man sat dejectedly in his wheelchair, radiating an air of utter despair, as if saying, "I don't want to live anymore." The imposing presence he had displayed in his debate with the scholars in the imperial court was now completely gone.

Ying Zheng's lips finally curled up slowly.

now it's right.

He picked up his teacup, took a slow and deliberate sip, the movement so elegant it was almost deliberate.

If you ever think about taking risks again, think twice.

Is the medicine palatable?

Is the massage comfortable?

Does a medicinal bath smell good?!

……

It's not tasty, it's really not tasty!

Fusu was sent by his father to "personally supervise" the doctor's recuperation, but he ended up being disliked by the doctor.

It tastes absolutely awful!

How can candy taste this bad?!

But the gentleman said that this candy was also maltose, made from grain. His father forbade him to eat it, but couldn't bear to waste it, so he had no choice but to feed it to him.

What can Fusu do?

I could only bring my junior brother along to keep me company...

So the two little figures sat side by side at the table, leaning back and trying to get away from the bottle of dark licorice candy. Their little faces scrunched up, their eyebrows and eyes almost squeezed together.

They looked at Zhou Wenqing expectantly, trying to find a trace of sympathy on his face.

however……

The gentleman leaned back, his face stern and his brows slightly furrowed, trying to keep his distance from the medicine on the table, while staring longingly at Li Yi standing in front of him.

Li Yi stood with his arms crossed, unmoved.

Zhou Wenqing was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth.

When did Ah Yi become so cunning? I used to be able to occasionally get him to do something, but now he's like he's rooted to the ground. He won't budge until he's drunk his medicine!

"Sir." Li Yi stepped forward, carefully picked up the medicine bowl, and handed it to him, saying softly, "We can't wait any longer, or the medicine will get cold."

Zhou Wenqing shrank back with a look of resistance.

Li Yi pushed it forward again, his expression seamlessly switching from "gentle admonition" to "righteous indignation":

"Sir, the King has instructed that if this medicine cools down unnecessarily, the entire family of the perpetrators will be executed!"

Zhou Wenqing was taken aback.

Li Yi continued his impassioned speech, his eyes resolute:

"When the time comes, I will personally take action! I will gather all its relatives—licorice root, astragalus root, angelica root, codonopsis root… throw them all into a pot and boil them, making several bowls, to present to you, sir!"

Zhou Wenqing: "...?"

This is a threat, isn't it? This must be a threat!

Ah Yi, is the king out of his mind, or have you gone mad? Listen to what you're saying.

How could you say that?!

Also, if we could really wipe out the entire family of the nine generations of this medicine, would brewing a few bowls be enough?

That would require boiling it in vats!

Zhou Wenqing glared at him speechlessly, but still took the medicine bowl, held her breath, and drank it all in one gulp.

This taste is so bitter, it's a complex and multifaceted bitterness, indescribable...

He frowned deeply, grabbed a glass of water from the table and gulped it down. Just as he put the glass down, a piece of maltose appeared in front of him.

Li Yi handed it over with fluid movements, and his excuse was incredibly well-practiced:

"Sir, this is a new type of maltose developed by the Department of Cereals. Would you like to try it? Is it a little too sweet?"

Zhou Wenqing took the candy and put it in his mouth; the sweetness finally suppressed some of the bitterness on his tongue.

Yes, choosing this candy for Hyakumonji was definitely the right decision.

"It is a bit sweet," he said reservedly, still holding the candy in his mouth. "But we can't waste it, so let's keep it safe."

After saying that, he turned his gaze to the two little ones.

Ah Zhu and Fu Su: "..."

That's it, it's our turn.

The two exchanged a glance, resignedly picked up a piece of licorice candy each, and swallowed it with a death-defying air.

Zhou Wenqing nodded in satisfaction: "Good boy, don't waste anything."

Although the taste is a bit off, this licorice candy is indeed a good thing. It replenishes qi, clears heat, moistens the lungs, and detoxifies. Only a small porcelain bottle was made, so it would be a pity to throw it away.

Keep it... it makes him angry as soon as he sees it.

Let's give them to Fusu and Azhu.

Just then, a guard rushed in, cupped his hands, and said, "Sir, General Wang and the others have arrived."

Zhou Wenqing raised an eyebrow.

Oh, you didn't just barge in, you even gave me a heads-up?

You stood by and did nothing, are you feeling guilty now?

"Please let them in."