Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

The moment the name "Jiang Taigong" was uttered, coupled with that obvious fishing rod-swinging motion, the meaning was crystal clear.

Jiang Taigong fished with a straight hook on the banks of the Wei River, waiting for those who were willing to take the bait.

He wasn't waiting for fish, he was waiting for King Wen of Zhou; what he wanted was for the king to come and invite him in person!

Li Si suddenly looked up, staring at Zhou Wenqing in disbelief, almost unable to sit still.

He was truly dumbfounded this time, his mind a jumbled mess. He couldn't tell whether Zhou Wenqing genuinely intended this, was planning something shady, and waiting for the right person to buy his services, or...

He already knew his true identity and even guessed that the King of Qin was nearby, which is why he dared to make such a shocking statement so recklessly, as a bolder test or... a table-flipping?

"What...does this mean?"

Li Si's voice was dry, like sandpaper being rubbed.

"Brother Gu'an, don't you understand?" Zhou Wenqing's eyes were frank. "What I mean is, we don't need to go to Xianyang. Right here, in this small town, we can find a way to get the King of Qin to come personally... um—~"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Si stood up abruptly and covered his mouth with his hand.

"Huh?" Zhou Wenqing blinked innocently, his voice muffled by his palm, "Why are you covering me?"

"Plotting against the monarch?!"

Li Si lowered his voice, almost gritting his teeth, his tone filled with shock, anger, and lingering fear.

"Brother Zicheng, you just said it so openly in front of everyone, in broad daylight?! Such...such arrogant and rebellious words, aren't you afraid...?"

"What are you afraid of?" Zhou Wenqing gently brushed his hand away, her expression calm.

"Brother Gu'an is so persistent in serving the King of Qin, traveling everywhere. He must be deeply impressed by the King's courage and regard him as an unparalleled wise ruler. If that's the case, why would he be afraid of hearing his words of eagerly seeking talent and wishing to emulate the sages?"

"Could the King of Qin be the kind of narrow-minded monarch who would be punished for his words?"

Li Si's lips twitched violently.

Well, so you've stolen all the words I was supposed to say. What am I supposed to say then?

Overwhelmed with mixed feelings, he took a deep breath, slowly took a step back, barely managing to maintain his composure, and whispered.

"Brother Zicheng...be careful with your words. Some things are better left unsaid; it's never appropriate to say them out loud."

Li Si only told him not to make a fuss, but didn't say that he was indulging in wishful thinking.

After all, they really did it. The King of Qin is currently "inspecting the people's conditions" in this village!

Wow! This day felt like a dream.

He had prepared himself for a long period of disguise, to patiently guide and slowly infiltrate.

As a result, the task objective popped up, and the task was completed on its own!

Now, shouldn't he go back and report to the king?

Li Si was really torn.

Zhou Wenqing listened to Li Si's advice and nodded readily, appearing humbly receptive to instruction.

"Brother Gu'an meant well, but Wenqing is reflecting on his own actions."

After speaking, he secretly glanced at Li Si out of the corner of his eye.

He knew his words were outrageous, and wondered what his "friend in adversity" thought, whether he would find him arrogant or have other ideas.

But Brother Gu'an seemed to have been struck on a pressure point, standing there blankly, his expression changing unpredictably—conflicted, bitter smile, helplessness, confusion, and utter bewilderment, which Zhou Wenqing found quite interesting.

As he looked around, his attention was drawn to the empty rocking chair next to him, which was still swaying slightly due to inertia.

He usually lounges on the chair and sunbathes, but now, sitting on the hard chair, he feels uncomfortable no matter how he sits or does anything.

He glanced at Li Si, who was still lost in thought, and then at the alluring rocking chair; the scales in his heart immediately tipped.

Zhou Wenqing held his breath and tiptoed past Li Si, who seemed to be petrified, slowly moving to the rocking chair.

Then, with a turn of his head, he "thrown" himself back into his exclusive throne.

"Squeak—" The rocking chair groaned softly under its weight.

Zhou Wenqing closed his eyes contentedly, as if his shocking "fishing theory" was just an insignificant interlude in the afternoon.

Li Si was awakened by the slight noise. He turned his head and saw that Zhou Wenqing had already slumped back in the rocking chair, looking as lazy as if "life is peaceful and has nothing to do with me".

Li Si: "..."

What on earth did he recommend?!

Li Si suddenly felt that his heart-pounding, turbulent mental activity just now seemed... a bit unnecessary?

Is this guy genuinely carefree, or has his acting reached such a high level that he's returned to simplicity?

He sighed helplessly and decided not to sit down, lest Zhou Wenqing spout some wild words and his knees couldn't take the strain of sitting and standing up.

After calming himself down, Li Si decided to go with the flow and take half a step forward.

"Since Brother Zicheng has such lofty ambitions, we must devise a plan. We can't just sit here and wait idly. I wonder what method we can use to 'lure the King of Qin to come in person'?"

Li Si looked at Zhou Wenqing.

If you don't flip the table, you'll have to bring out some more bait.

Zhou Wenqing tilted his head slightly in the chair, his eyes showing surprise.

Wow, I didn't realize you were so bold, Brother Gu'an. You came to your senses so quickly.

Not only did they come to their senses, but they also began to implement their plans.

Indeed, scholars in this world all possess a ruthless spirit that dares to think and act.

"Good question!" Zhou Wenqing straightened his body slightly. Although his posture remained relaxed, his eyes became a little clearer.

"Brother Gu'an, do you think that the King of Qin has recently been rectifying domestic affairs, showing appeasement to the outside world, and allowing the people to rest and recuperate... Could it be that he has lost his ambition to conquer the world?"

"How could that be?" Li Si immediately retorted, his tone resolute.

"Your Majesty's ambitions are grand, but this is merely a temporary measure to accumulate strength!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wenqing clapped his hands and chuckled, his eyes revealing approval and appreciation, before slowly speaking.

"By lying low and accumulating strength, streamlining internal affairs, and ensuring smooth and efficient governance throughout Qin, while outwardly displaying leniency, the King of Qin aimed to appease the hearts of the six states and reduce resistance to annexation. This was not a sign of weakness, but rather the King of Qin's comprehensive preparation for the future conquest of the world!"

"color!"

Li Si clapped his hands in praise, "Brother Zicheng's insight coincides with my own!"

Zhou Wenqing nodded and then asked, "In that case, Brother Gu'an, how long do you think this 'preparation' will need to take?"

"this……"

Li Si already had the answer in his heart and could have blurted it out, but Li Fa, who was constantly running into obstacles, could not.

He paused for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly as if he were considering something seriously, before speaking cautiously.

"In the court today, the war drums are silent, but the bowstrings are taut. However, the granaries in Guanzhong are not yet full, and the Zheng Guo Canal is not yet fully completed. Your Majesty intends to proceed cautiously... However..."

He paused, then his tone became more certain, "At the latest by May, after the harsh winter has passed and spring planting has been staggered, with sufficient grain and irrigation channels, we can gather momentum and launch our attack."

"May……"

Zhou Wenqing repeated in a low voice, his knuckles tapping lightly on the armrest of the rocking chair, lost in thought.

After a moment, he looked at Li Si, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Then... how about we shorten this 'May' period a bit?"

"Shorten it?" Li Si's heart skipped a beat. He leaned forward slightly and pressed for an answer: "How do you shorten it?"

"An army marches on its stomach," Zhou Wenqing said slowly, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest of his rocking chair. "If I had something that could increase crop yields, wouldn't... I be able to move this time forward a little?"

He spoke casually, as if he were talking about the weather.

Li Si's eyes suddenly lit up. "What is it?"

He grabbed Zhou Wenqing's sleeve and eagerly pressed, "Brother Zicheng, please stop keeping us in suspense! What kind of miraculous object is it? If it can increase our grain supply, it would be an immense achievement!"

"Quyuanli."

Zhou Wenqing uttered these three words, and seeing Li Si's blank expression, he reached out and began to draw in the air.

"Brother Gu'an, have you ever seen the long, straight-shafted plow used in the fields today?" He gestured as he explained, "The plow shaft is long and straight, making it extremely clumsy when turning and turning, especially in small plots of land. It is difficult to maneuver, laborious, and time-consuming, causing hardship for both the oxen and the people involved."

Li Si nodded. Although he was not a farmer, he had seen the hardships of farmers.

"And this 'curved plow' I'm talking about."

Zhou Wenqing bent his finger, making an arc, "The beauty lies in the word 'curved,' changing the long straight shaft into a short curved shaft, with the shaft head curved and connected to the plowshare."

His hands kept moving: "In this way, when turning, you only need to push the plow tip, and the plow body can turn nimbly. There is no need to lift the plow to turn around. It saves more than half the effort. One person and one ox can operate it freely. Even in a narrow field, it can move around freely."

Li Si's eyes lit up. Although he couldn't imagine what the curved plow looked like just from hearing the gestures, Zhou Wenqing knew!

The explanation was so clear that it was obvious the speaker had a firm grasp of the situation.

"That's not all," Zhou Wenqing continued, "This plow can also adjust the up and down of the plowshare to control the depth of tillage. It can break up hard, compacted soil when it's deep, and moisten soft soil when it's shallow. It also comes with a plowshare, which can finely adjust the angle of entry into the soil, so that the plowshare can turn the soil, break it up, and form ridges in one go. The soil clods are broken up, the moisture is better retained, and it is conducive to sowing and seedling emergence."

He put down his hand and summarized: "In short, this plow is nearly half as labor-saving and more than 30% faster than the old-style long straight-shaft plow, and the quality of plowing is also better. Originally, two oxen and a person could plow three acres of land in three days. With this plow, one person and one ox can easily plow four or five acres with a little effort."

"This way, people and oxen work less, and the timing of cultivation is more precise. With the same land and the same fertilizer, intensive farming can increase the yield by another 20%. Wouldn't that be a natural outcome?"

Li Si was stunned. After a long while, he finally let out a long breath, his eyes burning with fervor.

"Effortless, faster, increased production..."

He could almost see countless curved plows galloping across the fields of Qin, and the granaries filling up at an even faster pace.

"Brother Zicheng, where is the painting of this item? May I have a look?"