Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Han Fei spoke almost without thinking: "A state is one where there are boundaries to its territory, ancestral temples for worship, distinctions in clothing and customs, and a place for the people to rely on."

Zhou Wenqing nodded, his voice rising slightly as he pressed on:

"What Han Zi said is absolutely right. Now, Wen Qing, please ask another question—"

"Since a state can only be called a nation if it possesses all four elements: borders, ancestral temples, clothing and people, then if the borders are dilapidated and the ruler does not repair them, the ancestral temples are crumbling and the ruler does not offer sacrifices, the clothing and people are in ruins and the ruler does not protect them, and the people are displaced and the ruler does not care for them, then is there any need for such a state to exist?"

He paused briefly, his voice becoming more forceful, his words hitting the nail on the head, his gaze sharp:

"Today five cities are ceded, tomorrow ten more; exorbitant taxes and levies are imposed at every level, oppressing the people with tyrannical exploitation, all for the sake of the king's one night's rest. Is this the country that Han Yu longed for?"

this……"

Han Fei was speechless for a moment.

How could he not understand? Zhou Wenqing's words were all directed at South Korea, yet he didn't say a single word explicitly, which was already to save face for him. But the roots of his homeland were hard to sever, and his old land was hard to leave. How could he possibly give up and let go of his obsession?

Moreover, is it really true that the situation is hopeless, to the point that Zicheng described?

"Zicheng... that's an exaggeration."

His brows furrowed, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, and after a moment of silence, he raised his head and forced himself to argue:

"The current ruler may be indulging in comfort and pleasure, and has lost his ability to make wise decisions, but the ancestral temples of the Han dynasty have not been extinguished, and the state still exists. If he can be awakened one day and correct his mistakes..."

Han Fei's voice grew softer and softer, especially his increasingly subtle gaze at Zhou Wenqing, as if to say: Do you really believe that Han Wang An still has the possibility of suddenly realizing the truth?

He felt a tightness in his chest from being stared at, his words caught in his throat, and he was momentarily speechless.

If the ruler cannot govern, what can the ministers do?

Compared to the powerful and mighty Qin ruler, their king appeared increasingly incompetent and weak, leaving no room for argument.

Seeing his guilty look, Zhou Wenqing raised her eyebrows slightly, and a hint of triumphant joy had already quietly appeared in her eyes.

He still had countless arguments in his mind that he hadn't yet uttered, but his own king was capable, unlike some mediocre ruler who was simply unpresentable.

Zhou Wenqing was secretly pleased with himself, but Han Fei's next words left him speechless.

"Or... we 'request' that the king abdicate and a new ruler be appointed!"

Perhaps fueled by pent-up resentment and unwillingness, or perhaps due to his inherent nature as a strategist who refused to easily admit defeat, Han Fei gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, opened them again, and continued, steeling himself:

"As long as the new ruler can be close to the virtuous and keep away from the wicked, and reorganize the army and pacify the people, given time, the ravaged territory can be recovered, the dilapidated ancestral temples can be restored to stability, and the displaced people can enjoy peace. In this way, there is still a sliver of hope for a turnaround!"

No! "Please"? Are you emphasizing that word correctly?!

Is this something that can be openly discussed like this?!

Well, Han Wang'an's words weren't entirely unacceptable, but Zhou Wenqing truly hadn't expected them to come from Han Fei's mouth.

His eyelids twitched, and for a moment he was speechless.

Well... at least after all his persuasion, he managed to get rid of the word "loyal to the emperor" before "loyal to the emperor and patriotism" in Han Fei's speech. It was a small success, much better than his previous stubborn and unyielding attitude.

Let's strike while the iron is hot—

"Han Zi's words make sense," Zhou Wenqing said with a smile. "Then let's discuss whether there are any loopholes in this so-called 'opportunity for maneuver'?"

Han Fei's heart tightened, and he instinctively wanted to avoid it.

He knew that this was just a self-deceptive statement, full of flaws, but... Zi Cheng gently covered his wrist and cuff with his injured right hand, leaving him no way to escape.

The bandages on his hands had only been removed recently, and the new scars were particularly noticeable. It was unclear whether they had healed completely. Han Fei was afraid that if he struggled, he would tear the wound, so he had to remain stiff and listen to him continue.

"Putting everything else aside for now, Wenqing just wants to know, how long exactly is 'given time' that Han Zi mentioned?" Zhou Wenqing held up one finger. "One year? Three years? Or ten or eight years?"

Han Fei felt a slight stirring in his heart, but did not respond.

"In one year, the people can still gnaw on tree bark and swallow grass roots, gritting their teeth and enduring hardship; in three years, there will be corpses everywhere, people will exchange children to eat, and they will cook by breaking up bones. Countless families will be torn apart, and families will be destroyed."

"If this drags on for ten or even decades... the lives of the people of Han will likely have been completely wiped out, bones exposed in the wilderness, and not a rooster crow for miles. What's the point of waiting then, what's the point of talking about a turnaround?"

"Moreover, the world is in such a state, in a time of chaos, with the collapse of social order and the struggle for power among numerous warlords, where the strong prey on the weak. Now that your state of Han is about to establish a new ruler and strengthen its military, how can other countries sit idly by?"

"Even if you manage to persuade Qin to hold back for now, what about Zhao? What about Chu? Who will give you a chance to breathe? Are you going to raise a tiger to threaten your own future? In the end..."

"Enough—!"

Han Fei suddenly interrupted loudly, his tone rising abruptly.

But his momentum, which had just begun, vanished instantly, and he collapsed helplessly.

"Zicheng...stop talking, that's enough..."

His voice trembled, almost pleading, his brows furrowed with deep pain and despair. He abruptly closed his eyes, and even his straight spine slumped down, all traces of his former sharpness gone.

Seeing that he looked like he had been pushed to his limit and was on the verge of collapse, Zhou Wenqing turned his head slightly away. He felt extremely sorry for him, but he could only harden his heart and give him another push.

Zhou Wenqing's tone suddenly hardened, and he shouted sharply, "Han Fei, how long are you going to keep hiding?!"

He raised his palm and placed it on Han Fei's shoulder, sighed softly, and softened his tone. He applied slight pressure with his palm, as if to give him strength and support his faltering mind, or as if to force him, not allowing him any escape.

"You are a master of Legalism, who values ​​the debate between name and reality most highly. So today, you might as well ask yourself: what are you risking your life to protect—the empty name of the country, the lineage of ancestral temples and state, or the reality of a nation where the people live in peace and prosperity, where the laws are clear, and where people have a place to live and work?"

"Who truly supported your studies and success: the Han king who abandoned you and betrayed you, the Han clan members who coldly watched and ignored you, or the millions of ordinary people who supported the entire state of Han with their blood and sweat?!"

These words were like a sharp blade, piercing straight to his heart. Han Fei shuddered violently, suddenly opened his eyes, and stared straight at Zhou Wenqing.

Even the most stoic and self-controlled person, when relentlessly pressed and stabbed in the sore spot until bleeding profusely, will inevitably be unable to suppress their pent-up anger and sorrow, bursting forth with every word a heart-wrenching lament:

So what?!

He abruptly stood up, took a step back, his chest heaving violently, and pointed at Zhou Wenqing:

"Zhou Wenqing! You yourself said that in this chaotic world, with endless wars, have the common people ever had a single day of peace?"

"I only wanted to preserve the state of Korea and protect my country. What's wrong with that?!"

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Zhou Wenqing: "Your aggressive and veiled words are nothing more than an attempt to force me to abandon Han and submit to Qin. But how can you be sure that the powerful Qin of today won't repeat the mistakes of Han?"

"You keep condemning the King of Han for his tyranny and expressing your pity for the suffering of the people of Han, but what makes you so certain that serving this tyrannical Qin will truly provide the people of Han, and indeed all the people of the world, with a peaceful and stable life?!"

"Good! Han Zi is right!"

Zhou Wenqing neither retreated nor avoided him, but met his bloodshot eyes with a kind of... relieved composure.

"Finally, he's willing to speak his mind."

I'm not afraid of his anger, I'm not afraid of his outburst, I'm afraid of him retreating into his shell and continuing to deceive himself.

"Since Han Zi doesn't believe Wen Qing's words, nor does he believe in this 'tyrannical Qin,' why don't we take a gamble?"

"What are we betting on?" Han Fei asked, his brows furrowed, his tone still sharp.

"I'm betting on this journey."

Zhou Wenqing raised his hand and pointed out the window: "From here to Qi, all the way east, I urge Han Zi to take a good look at the Qin prefectures and cities along the way and see how they differ from those of other countries. Where does Wenqing's confidence come from?"

"If, after this journey, Han Zi remains unmoved and still chooses to return to Han and continue serving as your subject, Wen Qing... will utterly admit defeat!"

"If that's the case, then Wenqing will risk his life to plead with the King that there will be no attack on Han for the next ten years. What does the King of Han think?"

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This was really difficult to write, so I'm posting it a little late ∑(￣□￣*|||

No extra update today, I'm completely exhausted >_<

I'll most likely write the last placeholder chapter tomorrow as a side story for the Heavenly Curtain. That way, I'll have all the make-up chapters for the exam, and I won't miss any extra chapters. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. I've been incredibly busy lately, but thankfully I haven't let anything slip by. ٩(•̤̀ᵕ•̤́๑)ᵒᵏᵎᵎᵎᵎ