Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhou Wenqing remained standing in the dangerous spot, silently watching him, seemingly waiting for his answer.

Li Si steeled his heart, gritted his teeth, and took a few steps toward the edge of the cliff.

He dared not get too close to Zhou Wenqing, for fear of provoking him, and stopped a few steps away from him.

Immediately afterwards, to Zhou Wenqing's somewhat bewildered gaze, Li Si did something that left him dumbfounded—

The scholar suddenly raised his arm and threw the torch he was using to light the way off the cliff!

The firelight traced a brief arc before being quickly swallowed by darkness. Then, Li Si lifted the hem of his plain Confucian robe, making a move as if he were about to take a step forward, his posture suggesting he was about to leap off!

"What are you doing?!" Zhou Wenqing's pupils shrank suddenly, and he was shocked and speechless.

Good heavens! This place is truly ominous! In such a short time, two people have come here to jump off the cliff!

He's not even back in the game yet, and the new generation is already rushing to take his place?

Ignoring the fact that he had just been standing on the edge of a dangerous boulder, Zhou Wenqing turned around and jumped down. Before he could even regain his footing, he staggered forward and grabbed Li Si's arm tightly, pulling him backward with all his might.

"Come back! Come back here!"

He dragged them with all his might, and the two of them stumbled backward seven or eight steps until they were completely away from the edge of the cliff and could no longer see the terrifying abyss.

Zhou Wenqing finally calmed down a bit, letting out a long, trembling breath. He covered his chest with one hand and wiped his forehead haphazardly with the other, his hand covered in cold sweat.

Except for the moment when Zhou Wenqing suddenly jumped down from the boulder and pounced on him, Li Si instinctively reached out his hands, and afterwards he was unusually "cooperative" throughout the entire process.

No matter how hard Zhou Wenqing gripped his arm, causing him pain, or how he was dragged backwards and almost lost his shoes, he didn't struggle at all. He even used the other's strength to back away, obediently like a weightless rag doll, letting Zhou Wenqing "rescue" him to safety.

Only after confirming that the two had reached a safe area did Li Si seem to "come to his senses" and begin to "struggle".

He used his arm to shake off Zhou Wenqing's hand and made to rush back, but he was "half a beat slower" and was grabbed by the waist by Zhou Wenqing and kept in place.

"What are you doing! You're so young, why are you so desperate?!"

Zhou Wenqing, panting heavily, held the scholar tightly, both anxious and angry.

"Judging from your attire, you look like a scholar. And your clothes don't seem to indicate poverty. Why would you be so foolish as to abandon a promising future and come to this desolate wilderness to seek death?!"

Here comes the moment to test his acting skills. Li Si adjusted his expression.

"Who are you? Let go!"

His voice appropriately conveyed surprise, alarm, and anger at being offended.

Seeing that he had no intention of rushing towards the edge of the cliff, Zhou Wenqing felt a little relieved. He then loosened his grip on her arms and raised his hands, palms facing outward, to indicate that he meant no harm.

Li Si immediately turned around to face Zhou Wenqing, pointed at him, and said in a questioning tone.

"Aren't you here to jump off the cliff too?! If you're not going to jump, fine, but why are you stopping me?!"

"Ah, I... this..."

Zhou Wenqing was taken aback by his question.

"Or is there a specific order to jumping off the cliff here?"

Li Si persisted, even taking half a step closer, his face filled with even more "grief and indignation." He turned to the side, raised his hand, and gestured "please" towards the cliff.

"If that's the case, please go ahead, I'll be right behind you!"

He said "please" but lowered his head, taking advantage of the darkness to keep his eyes fixed on Zhou Wenqing, as if afraid that he would really rush down.

Fortunately, Zhou Wenqing didn't do anything reckless. He was completely speechless and exasperated by Li Si's "courtesy of jumping off a cliff" attitude.

But he couldn't bear to watch someone commit suicide. Zhou Wenqing frowned, racking his brains for a way to persuade the person to come back.

"Please don't act impulsively, stay calm, please stay calm!"

He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound sincere, as if it were heartfelt words spoken with the other person's best interests at heart:

"Actually, to be honest, when I was standing there just now, the mountain wind chilled me to the bone, and it cleared my head quite a bit."

"Think about it carefully, jumping off the cliff... it's really not a good idea! Didn't you hear the roaring sound of the water below? What if... what if you don't die from the fall, but just end up paralyzed, with broken arms and legs, stuck in that icy river, unable to go up or down, how painful and agonizing that would be! You wouldn't die completely, and you wouldn't live well either... Why bother? Let's not jump, let's just enjoy the breeze and admire how beautiful the moonlight is..."

Zhou Wenqing racked his brains and painstakingly organized his words to comfort the scholar, completely unaware that the scholar opposite him, who was "seeking death in grief and indignation," was laughing so hard that his gums were showing.

But he dared not utter a sound, and could only tremble with suppressed sobs that his jaw ached slightly.

Li Si secretly praised: This Zhou Wenqing is a true gentleman!

To rush over and stop a complete stranger, disregarding one's own safety, and now racking one's brains and pouring out one's heart to persuade them—such sincerity is truly rare.

Zhou Wenqing was unaware of his thoughts. He only saw that the man was trembling violently and thought that his words had touched a sore spot, causing him to grieve and choke up.

He reached out and gently patted Li Si's still "trembling" shoulder, feeling a bit like when he used to give motivational speeches to his juniors in college.

"Young master, life is full of ups and downs, it's inevitable. Don't let a temporary setback get you down. Why don't you tell me what happened? Telling me will ease your mind, and maybe... I can be of some help?"

Li Si's eyes lit up almost imperceptibly—that's exactly what I wanted to hear.

He took a half step back and solemnly bowed to Zhou Wenqing.

"Young master, you are so kind. I am ashamed. I was just momentarily blinded by anger and spoke without thinking. I offended you in many ways, which was not my intention. I am grateful that you spared my life and came to my rescue, and also comforted me with your kind words. I will remember this kindness and virtue. I hope you will forgive my rudeness."

Zhou Wenqing quickly helped the person up.

"Young master, there's no need for that. May I ask your esteemed name?"

"Sigh~"

Li Si sighed dramatically, then stood up, straightening his posture with Zhou Wenqing's help, but still lowered his head and sighed softly.

"My name is Li...Fa, courtesy name Gu'an. I am from Yiyang, Han State. I came west here because I admire the King of Qin's demeanor and wish to serve under him and display my learning. First, I encountered the 'Edict of Expulsion' incident. Although the order was abolished soon after, I missed the opportunity. Afterwards, although I tried my best, I was ostracized by my peers and envied by petty people. No one was willing to recommend me..."

He raised his head, looked up at the dark night sky, his eyes vacant, and smiled bitterly:

"I have great ambitions, but no way to serve my country. My funds are almost exhausted, and my future is bleak... That's why I had a momentary lapse of judgment. I felt that in all the world, there was no place for me. In my grief and despair, I... Alas! I'm sorry to have made you laugh, sir."

Oh ~

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wenqing immediately understood.

He turned out to be a disheartened person who felt his talents were not recognized, his job search was unsuccessful, and he was ostracized.

He had even had a slight suspicion when they first met that this person was sent by the King of Qin!

Now it seems absolutely impossible. How could someone under the King of Qin jump off a cliff without saying a word? That would be too... too reckless!

Zhou Wenqing never imagined that the person in front of him was such a ruthless person who could assess the situation and take risky moves.

Relieved, he patted Li Si on the shoulder and said with a pained expression:

"How foolish! A true man keeps his talents hidden, waiting for the right moment to act, instead of giving up on himself!"

"I only just realized this myself, and I am truly ashamed."

Li Si blushed and readily agreed, then raised his eyes and looked at Zhou Wenqing with sincere eyes.

"I haven't yet had the pleasure of learning your esteemed name, young master, and... why are you wandering alone in this perilous place so late at night?"

Zhou Wenqing immediately returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "My name is Zhou Wenqing, courtesy name Zicheng. Coincidentally, I am also from Xinzheng, Han State."

When asked why he had come here, a complex and indescribable expression flashed across his face, and he vaguely replied:

"As for why I'm here... well, it's a long story. I'm just feeling a bit troubled and confused."

He paused, then changed the subject, looking at Li Si: "The mountain wind is chilly, and it's really not a good place to stay. If you don't mind, Li Jun, why don't you come with me and leave this place? We can find a place, light a fire, and talk slowly."

It's so late at night, I can't go home, I'll just have to make do for the night.