Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Li Yi looked at Zhou Wenqing's utterly devastated expression and slapped his forehead.

He knew it would turn out this way.

Having served by his side for so long, I may not have mastered all other skills, but I'm absolutely certain that I know him best when it comes to his picky nature.

He doesn't eat undercooked food, food with strange smells, or food made from insects or meat. He even refuses to eat oddly shaped food.

When he prepared meals for his husband, he would subconsciously choose the freshest and most upright radishes, and the cut pieces had to be neat and tidy, let alone something like pickled radish.

It smelled of a faint, fishy, ​​and strange odor, and its appearance was terribly unappetizing. It was densely covered in dark brown sauce, with a greasy sheen on the surface. Just looking at it was enough to completely kill my already poor appetite.

When Li Yi first switched from being a secret guard to a personal bodyguard, he wasn't very skilled at the job and only knew that the target had a poor appetite and couldn't eat.

How can he not eat while recovering from his injuries? The task the king entrusted to him cannot be taken lightly. He mustn't miraculously revive and then die in his care; that would be a grave sin.

So Li racked his brains and went to great lengths to find a dish of braised fish sauce, thinking of improving his teacher's meals. Surely this time he wouldn't complain that it was tasteless.

This was a rare delicacy at the time, a delicacy served only to royalty and nobility at sacrificial banquets. Its production process was complicated and meticulous. It was also a rare meat sauce with a savory and salty flavor in those chaotic times. Ordinary people rarely even saw it.

This snail meat sauce looked better than the oyster meat sauce, but it was a bluish-gray paste that smelled even fishier than fish. Zhou Wenqing was curious, so he pinched his nose and took a closer look. Luckily, he didn't touch it. Even so, when he learned that it was made from snail meat, his face changed drastically, and he covered his mouth and vomited for a long time.

Fortunately, the man's wound had already healed to a considerable extent by then. If it had happened a few days earlier, the wound would have burst open. Li Yi still breaks out in a cold sweat when he recalls that scene.

From that time on, Li Yi became extremely cautious in managing the meals. Regardless of whether they were expensive or not, if they didn't look good, he wouldn't accept them. He wouldn't even touch sauces or soy sauces.

So much so that Zhou Wenqing only feels that the food nowadays is just a bit bland and uninteresting compared to later generations, but he has never experienced such an impact again.

Therefore, when Li Yi acted strangely, he didn't think about it at all.

Curiosity really killed the cat. The road ahead was uncertain. Before even encountering the first wave of assassins, Zhou Wenqing was "stabbed" by the food at this inn. He was completely dejected, filled with an indescribable sense of unease.

Seeing this, Li Yi quickly stopped Fu Su, who was about to reach out to divide the sauce, and hurriedly cleared away the bowl and plate before Zhou Wenqing could see the exact amount.

He turned around, his movements swift and precise. With a flick of his wrist, he steadily tossed the bowls and plates onto the guard's table in the distance. His speed and dexterity were no less impressive than that of a throwing dart.

Turning back to meet the equally shocked and puzzled gazes of Han Fei and Fusu, Li Yi forced a simple, honest smile:

"Mr. Han, young master, the smell of this pickled asparagus is a bit too strong. Why don't you try this pickled crisp radish that I brought? It's pickled with fine salt according to the recipe you gave me. It'll cleanse your palate."

As he spoke, he took out a small earthenware jar from his sleeve, lifted the lid, and a refreshing sweet and sour aroma wafted out, instantly washing away the lingering fishy smell of the oyster sauce.

Fusu's attention was immediately drawn to it. He leaned over, his eyes sparkling: "Guard Li brought this too?"

"I prepared this before you left," Li Yi pushed the earthenware jar to the center of the table. "I was worried that you might not have an appetite on the road, so I pickled some to keep on hand."

Seeing this, Han Fei glanced at Li Yi, then turned to look at Zhou Wenqing, his eyes filled with a complex and inquisitive look.

"I only thought that Guard Li was straightforward and efficient, but today I realize that he is also so meticulous and thoughtful, even taking care of his food. Zicheng, no wonder you no longer have the guards bestowed by the King by your side, and instead place great trust in the King of Qin!"

Zhou Wenqing was holding a bowl, wanting to drink some hot soup to calm his nerves, when he heard this, his mind raced for a moment before he realized that the "King" Han Fei was referring to was naturally King Han An.

The guards bestowed by the King of Han that he mentioned... are they referring to that hothead who would draw his sword and stab at the slightest provocation?

His eyelids twitched, he put down the bowl, and said in a somewhat complicated and meaningful tone:

"Han Zi, you don't know this, it's not that I didn't keep that guard, it's that I couldn't keep him. He... wasn't disloyal or negligent, it's just, alas! This matter is too complicated to explain, let's not talk about it."

He picked up the soup bowl, lowered his head to drink the soup, looking as if he were looking at the past in a way he didn't want to recall.

Zhou Wenqing remained silent, but Li Yi, unusually, became angry. He abandoned his usual good temper, his voice filled with barely suppressed rage:

"Hmph! As a guard, he failed to protect his master. What kind of loyalty is that? I disdain to be compared to him. You should know that if it weren't for him, your health wouldn't be in this state—"

"Enough, A-Yi!" Zhou Wenqing interrupted, frowning. "Let's eat. We still have a long way to go. Why bring up old stories again?"

"promise!"

Li Yi reluctantly agreed, then fell silent, picked up the bowl, and began to eat his rice. However, the force with which he stuck the chopsticks into the rice was noticeably greater than usual.

Han Fei's gaze swept between the two men, and the probing look in his eyes deepened.

He had assumed that it would be natural for Qin to replace him with Qin guards after he had returned to Qin, but Zhou Wenqing's evasive and hesitant manner only piqued his curiosity.

Even such trivial matters as the entanglements between Zhou Wenqing and Qin and Han are the topics he is most interested in and most eager to know at this moment.

Unfortunately, he stayed at the Zhou residence for a long time, and he deliberately avoided asking questions, fearing that inquiries would shake his beliefs.

But now that he was about to leave Qin for Qi, if he didn't find out the truth soon, he would be so anxious that he couldn't eat or sleep!

Han Fei ate his meal absentmindedly, hesitant to speak, and unable to eat. His gaze kept lingering on Zhou Wenqing, burning with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. It was hard for Zhou Wenqing not to notice.

He chuckled inwardly, thinking, "This time you brought it on yourself, so don't blame me."

Killing two birds with one stone! That's great, I don't have to worry about anyone bothering me to play chess anymore.

Zhou Wenqing, looking startled and resigned by the gaze, sighed, put down his soup bowl, and looked up at Han Fei:

"If Han Ziru is really curious, I'll tell you slowly when there's a chance later. Let's eat now, the food is getting cold."

Don't rush, let me go back and work on it properly. How should I tell you?

Anyway, the bandit version is definitely not going to work. We have to get rid of this blame... ah, no, wait!

How can this be considered a scapegoat? It was clearly the King of Han who did this despicable thing. He made his bodyguards into assassins and even gave them a death order. They deserved to be killed by crickets!

------

The journey took seven or eight days to pass through Hangu Pass.

Han Fei still couldn't find out from Zhou Wenqing what the guard had done, but... he had some guesses.

Only now has he truly grasped the reality of what others often say about Zhou Wenqing's frail health.