Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Wang Jian was so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks. He wanted to hear but couldn't hear clearly. He wanted to speak but was afraid of ruining Zhou Wenqing's plans. He really wished he could pluck his ears off and hand them to the center of the side hall!

Zhao Shi's lips curled into a cold, ambiguous smile. His gaze was fixed intently on Zhou Wenqing, and his voice was extremely low, audible only to the two of them. Every word was laced with a chilling undercurrent:

"Zhou Neishi holds a high position and is deeply trusted by the king. Naturally, he acts with integrity and is devoted to the public good. However, the deep palace of Xianyang is never a still pond. Some things may seem to have settled down, but in reality, their roots are still buried in the mud. Others may not know, but Neishi is so intelligent that he must know what is going on."

"Oh?"

Zhou Wenqing calmly picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his posture was as leisurely as if he were listening to other people's gossip.

It seems this so-called incriminating evidence originated from the Zhangtai Palace in Xianyang, within the palace…

Interesting.

Seeing that he remained calm and composed, Zhao felt a surge of annoyance. He took a deep breath, raised his voice slightly, and his eyes flashed with even more threat:

"A few days ago, the Crown Prince of Yan died suddenly in Qin. His crime was stealing a map of the Qin territory with the intention of fleeing back to Yan. This news spread throughout Xianyang, and everyone said that the King's judgment was fair and that he deserved his punishment."

He paused, his gaze sharp and fixed on Zhou Wenqing:

"But I've heard some different rumors. They say that the map of the territory has never left Xianyang City, and some even say that Crown Prince Dan's thoughts were deliberately guided, and that someone informed the King of Qin before he even took action..."

Zhao Shi drew out the last syllable, a cold smile curving his lips:

"I wonder if Zhou Neishi... knows about this matter?"

Prince Dan!

Zhou Wenqing paused slightly in his teacup, the bottom of which tapped lightly on the table, producing a very soft, crisp sound.

He felt a chill run down his spine, slowly raised his head, and his eyes suddenly darkened.

How could this be?

This matter... is indeed unreasonable, but it was clearly only he and the King who knew about it at the time. How could Zhao, who had only been in Xianyang for a few days, have found out?

Even when Li Si was so confused, he kept his mouth shut and never revealed it, so it should have been impossible for others to find out.

If it wasn't from my side, then who leaked the news?

The first name that flashed through Zhou Wenqing's mind was Zhao Gao.

Aside from him and the king, only the knife-wielder knew about this.

But... that's not right!

Once this news gets out, Zhao Gao will definitely be the first to die!

The king would never allow the knife in his hand to cut him, no matter how sharp it was. He would push the killing blade away, letting it break, or even shatter into pieces, never to be redeemed again...

Zhao Gao wasn't stupid; he should have known perfectly well that he was trying his best to hide it. How could he be so bold as to court death?

If it wasn't Zhao Gao, then who could it be?

Zhou Wenqing kept thinking to himself, but he wasn't worried about the matter being exposed.

After all, in the Qin Dynasty, on their own territory, would they really allow this Zhao envoy to spread this matter?

How dare they just throw this matter out like this and use it to threaten him? Do they really think Mr. Wei Liao and his group are just sitting around doing nothing?

He didn't even believe that Zhao Shi could obtain any effective evidence, but the source of the leak had to be investigated...

Zhou Wenqing's fingertips tightened slightly, and he lowered his eyes to conceal the fleeting coldness and confusion in them.

Seeing this, Zhao Shi thought he was scared, and the smile on his lips became even more smug.

Finally, we saw a change in the expression on Zhou Neishi's face, who had remained calm and composed throughout!

Thinking he had Zhou Wenqing's weakness, he was unwilling to give Zhou any chance to breathe or defend himself, and pressed his advantage, his tone suddenly turning cold:

"The Grand Historian is known for his meticulousness and often serves the King. He should know more about these palace secrets and confidential matters than the outside officials, but..."

He raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife, staring directly at Zhou Wenqing, no longer concealing the underlying threat:

"Some words, if they reach the ears of the King of Qin, will be seen as expressions of loyalty. But if they reach the ears of the envoys of the six states, and then drift back to Handan and Ji, the impression will be entirely different. Framed and harmed as the son of another state, Inner Minister, what do you think... will happen?"

Ok? !

Zhou Wenqing suddenly raised his eyes.

He wasn't swayed by the blatant threat, but rather keenly noticed a subtle detail in the other person's words—

Why should this matter be reported to the King?

This Zhao envoy was completely unaware that the matter of the Crown Prince of Yan was actually a grand scheme personally instructed and tacitly approved by the King of Qin.

Now there's no doubt, this guy absolutely can't produce a single piece of evidence.

He spoke with such certainty, yet he hadn't even grasped the most basic details, which shows that he knew very little about the situation. Who exactly gave him the information?

Whether the person who delivered the message was also unclear, or whether they deliberately dug a pit, waiting for this sucker to jump in, giving themselves a reason to go along with the situation.

The coldness in Zhou Wenqing's eyes suddenly dissipated, replaced by a hint of amusement.

If it's the former, he's probably just a small fry; he already has a guess in his mind. If it's the latter, then there's even less to worry about. He'll do him a favor, and if this person wasn't sent by the king, he'll naturally come forward to claim responsibility.

It seems this matter is nothing to worry about.

What he needs to figure out now is how to make the most of this situation.

He had to feign weakness, smoothly continue the charade, appease the fool before him, give him the promise he wanted, and then lead him to the king…

Thinking of this, a barely perceptible smile flashed in Zhou Wenqing's eyes.

It's much simpler now; he doesn't even need to come up with a reason, he can just go with the flow and make people believe him without a doubt.

After all, wasn't his weakness in the other party's hands?

It would be perfectly normal for him to show some apprehension, some fear, some anger, and even to do his best to cooperate with Zhao's envoy to facilitate this matter, wouldn't it?

On the other side, behind the screen.

General Wang Jian pressed his ear against the screen, almost pressing his entire body against it. His posture was incredibly awkward, even somewhat... alluring.

But in order to hear the sounds clearly, he couldn't care less about those things.

At first, he could only vaguely hear words like "upright and honest," "selfless," and "intelligent," leaving him completely bewildered.

The threat was so strong just now, but now it's all praise. Could it be that Envoy Zhao is using some kind of roundabout way to flatter Zicheng?

Later, as the Zhao envoy became more and more agitated and unrestrained, his voice grew louder and louder until Wang Jian finally heard him clearly.

He slowly sorted it out in his mind and suddenly realized.

Some time ago, that hostage from the Yan state did something incredibly foolish—

Was it Zicheng who orchestrated this?

Wang Jian's mouth slowly opened wide, and his eyes widened like copper bells.

Such a big matter, how could Zicheng... actually... he... he...

What a genius!

In his excitement, he instinctively wanted to slap his thigh, but remembering that he was peeping, he forced himself to stop. However, his toes slipped and he kicked the base of the screen hard.

"Click—"

A soft sound rang out, but it was exceptionally clear in the silent hall.