Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhou Wenqing slowly reached into his robes, his fingertips fumbling for a moment before pulling out a map scroll. He nodded to Han Fei in acknowledgment.

"Han Zi, could you please move my teacup so it doesn't get bumped?"

His tone was natural, and Han Fei did not suspect anything. He reached out and picked up the teacups of the two of them, turned around and went to the side table, and gently placed the teacups in place.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhou Wenqing held the map scroll in his right hand, while his left hand stealthily reached for the edge of the chessboard, his fingertips lightly flicking it—

The simple chessboard slid silently off the table, down the edge, and was then caught by his foot with a gentle hook, before being quietly stepped on with the sole of his boot.

At the same time, the map was laid out smoothly on the table, perfectly replacing the chessboard.

The whole process was smooth and quick, taking no more than two blinks.

After Han Fei put down his teacup and turned to sit down, he saw Zhou Wenqing sitting upright, pointing at the map with a serious expression, as if his little action from earlier had never happened. He then said:

According to what Han Zi said earlier, our delegation departed from Xianyang in the east, passed through Hangu Pass, went through Luoyang and Xingyang, then took a detour through Daliang in Wei, crossed Dingtao and entered Qi. This is the northern route, close to Yizu, and has always been the route for envoys. He spoke steadily, his fingertips tracing the lines on the map.

Han Fei didn't notice anything unusual. His gaze followed the direction Han Fei pointed and landed on the map. He nodded slightly.

This is exactly the route he just pointed out, without any deviation.

But Zhou Wenqing suddenly changed the subject, his finger abruptly darting across the map, feigning concern:

"However, our delegation is quite large this time, with more than 300 people in carriages and entourage, and we also have armored soldiers protecting us. Passing through the Wei capital of Daliang in such a grand manner, the Wei people are already wary of our Great Qin. I'm afraid they will make unfounded suspicions and create unnecessary trouble."

"Even if we dare not easily resort to force due to the disparity in national strength, we will still have to expend energy to maneuver, which will only delay our journey. In my opinion, it would be better to take a detour."

Having said that, he slowly moved his fingertips southward from Luoyang, carefully outlining a new route:

"We changed our route to the south, heading south from Luoyang, first reaching Yangdi, then entering Chenjun, then going east past Pengcheng, and then turning north, passing through Xuejun and heading straight for Linzi, the capital of Qi."

"Although this route will take a few more days to travel, the entire journey is within the territory of our Great Qin. The guards at the passes are all our own people, and the supplies at the post stations are readily available. We can go whenever we want and stop whenever we want, without having to worry about the opinions of other countries. It's very safe."

Han Fei looked down at the winding southern route on the map, his gaze slowly moving along the route drawn by Zhou Wenqing, as if he were silently calculating the distance in his mind.

A moment later, he pointed his fingertip at a spot on the map.

"And what about Pei County?"

Han Fei's voice was unhurried, yet it revealed a chilling sharpness.

"The route you just pointed out, is it necessary to go around here?"

Oh, did I point it out?

Zhou Wenqing's smile froze for a moment.

He quickly replayed the action in his mind—when his fingertip swept upwards from Pengcheng, he saw the words "Peixian" and it seemed to be true... He subconsciously paused for a moment, less than a breath, and Han Fei caught it.

Isn't that a bit too perceptive!

"Uh... Pei County!"

He leaned closer, feigning composure: "That small county in Sishui Prefecture... it's on the way, on the way. Just turn northwest from Pengcheng and you'll get there. It's not much of a detour. I've heard the scenery is nice and worth a visit..."

His voice trailed off as he spoke, knowing his reason was unreliable and his confidence was clearly waning.

But what else could he say? He couldn't very well say that he had divined that this place was blessed with the finest natural resources and the essence of the sun and moon, and had nurtured a stone—cough cough!—that produced many outstanding talents, and that he was going to recruit them, could he?

That would make you a charlatan!

Zhou Wenqing managed to come up with a reasonably plausible excuse:

"Actually, I happen to have a friend here, so perhaps we can meet."

Han Fei didn't speak, but simply raised his eyes and looked at him quietly.

Zhou Wenqing felt guilty under his gaze and subconsciously wanted to explain, but then felt that the more he explained, the worse it would get, so he simply shut up and looked at him innocently.

He didn't speak, but Han Fei did.

The Legalist master's lips curved slightly, his eyes held a meaningful glint, and he spoke in his usual slow, deliberate tone:

"Zhou, the Minister of the Interior, is indeed very thoughtful. It seems he had this plan in mind all along. Has he informed the King of Qin?"

The last syllable rose slightly, clearly a question, yet it carried a certainty of "I already know the answer."

"Your Majesty is aware of this," Zhou Wenqing replied quickly, his tone carrying a hint of self-righteousness. He had indeed informed His Majesty before setting off, using the same reason, and His Majesty had agreed.

The King is the best; he never pries into things.

"Hmm." Han Fei nodded slowly, looking at him with a half-smile. "Then that's it. In my opinion, besides bypassing Wei Capital, Zicheng's purpose in Pei County is also quite significant."

You can even tell from that? I'll fight you bunch of intuitionists!

Zhou Wenqing made up his mind not to reveal any more information. He turned his head away, pretending to look at the scenery rushing past outside the carriage curtain, his face tense.

Han Fei didn't mind and continued:

"Zicheng has many friends, enough to be found all over the world. I'm curious, what kind of friends do they have that Zicheng cares about so much? You'll have to introduce them to me sometime."

"Yes, definitely."

Zhou Wenqing gave a perfunctory answer, his eyes slightly darting around, avoiding eye contact with Han Fei.

I'm not even introducing them myself, how can I introduce them?

Speaking of which, Xiao He should be the easiest to find, right?

The chief clerk of Pei County is quite prestigious in the county government office; he can be found with a little inquiry. Should I go straight into the county government office and reveal my identity, or should I arrange some kind of chance encounter...?

Zhou Wenqing was lost in thought, his fingers unconsciously drawing circles on the table, one circle, two circles, three circles...

"Zicheng, Zicheng!"

"Huh?! What? What happened?"

Zhou Wenqing snapped out of his daze and met Han Fei's questioning eyes.

"Zicheng, are you missing your friend? You seem so distracted. Could you talk to Fei about it...?"

"No, no!" Zhou Wenqing interrupted decisively.

How can he explain this fictitious friend?

I can't exactly say that I'm plotting against them when they don't even know me, can I?

"I'm just a little bored."

"Boring?" Han Fei raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Wenqing's face before he suddenly smiled. "That's easy, Zicheng, why don't you play a game of Go with me..."

As he spoke, he bent down and lifted a corner of the map, glancing at the table with a hint of doubt in his voice: "Huh? Where's the chessboard?"

Why do you still remember this?

Zhou Wenqing jolted awake and subtly exerted force with his feet, but the seemingly thin chessboard remained completely still.

He casually moved his foot away, tilting it slightly towards the carriage curtain, a smug smile plastered on his face: "Perhaps it fell off, let's... let's look again."

Han Fei glanced at him, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

Just then, Li Yi rode his horse to the car window, and his voice drifted in from outside.

"Sir, it's time for lunch. There's an inn not far ahead; shall we stop and rest for a while?"

You've come just in time, Ah Yi! I'll give you a raise when we get back!

Zhou Wenqing almost burst out laughing, but quickly covered his mouth and nodded, trying to appear calm:

"Let's stop. We've been walking all morning, everyone's tired. Let's rest, have lunch, and recharge before continuing our journey."

As he spoke, he reached out to lift the carriage curtain, grabbed Fusu, and was about to jump out of the carriage in a few steps.

------

Pei County.

A tall, handsome man with a high nose and full forehead had a bruise on his face, which stretched from his cheekbone to his chin, as if he had been punched.

He didn't seem to care. He leaned against the counter of the tavern, one foot on the table leg, the other circling on the ground, a blade of grass between his teeth, and squinted at the people coming and going on the street.