Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Fusu nodded: "Prefect Wang has made the arrangements perfectly, thank you for your trouble."

"I dare not, this is my duty." Wang Wu bowed and then spurred his horse to the front to lead the way.

Fusu lowered the carriage curtain again and looked at her husband, Zhou Wenqing, who was leaning against the carriage wall, his fingers tapping unconsciously on his knees.

A caravan of over two hundred people, accompanied by dozens of armored soldiers as guards, was a spectacle that ordinary small merchants could not afford.

However, upon further reflection, Luoyang is the center of the world, a hub for merchants and a place where various forces are deeply intertwined, so it's not too surprising to find a caravan of this size.

Zhou Wenqing lowered his eyes, suppressing the fleeting doubt in his heart.

"Sir, is there something wrong?" Fusu asked in a low voice.

Zhou Wenqing shook his head gently, his tone calm: "It's alright. Once we're settled in the post station, we can have A-Yi go and investigate to find out what this caravan does and where it came from."

Such a large caravan, with its numerous carriages and horses and escorts, is bound to attract attention, and it would not be difficult to find out its details.

After all, the enemy had soldiers and armor, and the lesson learned from the previous ambush made Zhou Wenqing more cautious and dare not be careless.

Fusu quickly responded, but remained on guard.

Physician Lü ignored these matters. He estimated that the time was almost up and the medicine was taking effect, so he grabbed Zhou Wenqing's wrist, placed three fingers on it, closed his eyes, and carefully took his pulse.

Zhou Wenqing, who had just been calm and composed, instantly changed his expression. His brows furrowed, his face fell, and he lowered his voice, pleading helplessly:

"Physician Lü, look, I've been taking my medicine on time, and I feel perfectly fine. There's nothing wrong with me at all. Please, have mercy on me and let me off the hook?"

Seeing that Physician Lü didn't respond, he added with a forced smile, "You see, my carriage isn't very spacious. Physician Xia must have a lot of questions waiting for you. Why don't you go ahead and take care of them?"

What Zhou Wenqing fears most now is that every time Physician Lü finishes taking his pulse, he will pick up his pen again and add some "deadly" medicinal ingredient to his prescription. Then he will have nowhere to turn to for help.

Fusu looked at the spacious distance between himself, his teacher, and Physician Lü, which was wide enough for two people to fit together, and his eyes twitched. He then decisively chose to remain silent.

If the gentleman says it's not spacious, then it's not spacious at all. His ceremonial carriage—that of Fusu, the eldest prince of the Great Qin—is the narrowest!

Upon hearing this, Physician Lü merely glanced at Zhou Wenqing indifferently, his expression unchanged. He simply gestured for Zhou to switch hands and continue taking the pulse. Only after examining the other hand did he calmly speak:

"I am a healer, not a horse herder. If you don't want to be bothered by me every day, then take good care of yourself and heal your injuries. I will definitely not come to get in your way."

One sentence left Zhou Wenqing speechless. He opened his mouth but didn't dare to say anything more, and simply put his hands back on his knees.

The old man has quite a temper; why hasn't he calmed down after all this time?

The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the post station. After dealing with the magistrate and others and settling in, Li Yi immediately went out to gather information.

He returned to report in less than half an hour.

"Sir, there's no need to worry." He lowered his voice and reported, "I've investigated, and the caravan that entered the city at the same time as us is indeed a merchant caravan. Everyone in Luoyang knows them; they frequently travel this route for trade and have an excellent reputation. There's nothing wrong with them."

"That's good," Zhou Wenqing breathed a sigh of relief, nodded slightly, and gestured for him to continue.

"The owner of that caravan was surnamed Ba, and his given name was Qing. He was a wealthy merchant from Ba County, mainly dealing in cinnabar, and also mercury, vermilion, and other substances. He had over a thousand servants and hundreds of guards, and his men were spread throughout Bashu, Guanzhong, and the Central Plains. This time, they were on their way to Qi to trade goods, and they happened to run into us while passing through Luoyang."

He paused, then added, "There are also more than twenty armored soldiers, all of whom are guards she has raised at great expense. Although they are skilled and not ordinary merchant escorts, they are still far inferior to us and are not worth fearing."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wenqing paused slightly in his tea-serving hand.

A wealthy merchant in Ba County, named Qing, not only maintained his own armed guards but also dealt in cinnabar and mercury...

He looked up in surprise and asked:

"The person you're talking about, could it be a woman?"

Li Yi was stunned, her eyes widening in surprise: "How did you know, sir?"

He had intended to keep the most surprising part a secret until the very end, but the gentleman revealed it in a single sentence.

Fusu, standing to the side, also stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief: "Sir, you...you don't necessarily know that woman...?"

"Snapped!"

"Ouch~"

A tap landed on his forehead, and Fusu instinctively shrank back, touching his forehead and looking at his master with a pitiful expression.

Sir, did you perhaps get carried away with hitting him last time, and now that Hu Hai, this punching bag… cough! With the mischievous one not around, you're using your eldest disciple to fill in?

Zhou Wenqing slammed his folding fan shut, gave him a disapproving look, and said in a tone that was both helpless and amused:

"What nonsense are you thinking, kid? It's just that your husband has traveled around a lot and knows a lot about this person. That's all."

"oh."

Fusu nodded with some disappointment. So that's all there was to it. He had thought…

Zhou Wenqing remained silent.

Who led this perfectly good child astray?

Could it be that Generals Wang Jian and Meng Wu, after drinking, spoke recklessly and let Fusu hear them?

Hmph! When he gets back, he'll order the Director of the Imperial Household Department to cut off the wine supply to those two's residences!

He secretly made a note of it, already plotting how to "shift the universe" along with the wine in the two old generals' cellars. Little did he know that a king, far away in the Zhangtai Palace, who was worried about his beloved minister's apparent lack of interest in marriage and was too embarrassed to ask about such a private matter, suddenly sneezed violently.

However, Ba Qing...

Zhou Wenqing snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes flickering slightly.

I never expected to run into this person.

This is quite a legendary woman!

Ba Qing, a native of Ba County, came from a family that had been in the business of cinnabar for generations. Her husband died when she was in her thirties, and everyone thought that her family business would surely fall apart. However, she resolutely refused to remarry and depend on others. With just her weak woman status, she not only stabilized the internal strife and intimidated the clan, but also managed to protect the huge ancestral business. Furthermore, she extended her reach to the entire Bashu, Guanzhong and even the Central Plains, and single-handedly supported a vast cinnabar empire.

In chaotic times, many men struggle to protect themselves, yet she navigates the various factions with ease and remains steadfast.

What is even more remarkable is her extraordinary business acumen and political wisdom. She is well-versed in the current situation, knows when to advance and retreat, and is tactful. She strikes a perfect balance between politics and business, never overstepping boundaries or deliberately currying favor. Yet, she commands respect from many officials in the court. She also makes decisive bets, providing strong logistical support for Qin's conquest of Chu. Even the king respects her greatly, treating her with state honors and erecting a platform and monument to commemorate her merits.

This person is exactly the kind of business genius they've been lacking!

A dark light flashed in Zhou Wenqing's eyes as he lightly tapped the edge of the table with his fingertips.

Should we contact this person beforehand?

At this moment, Ba Qing should have just stabilized the family business and was still in the early stages of vigorous expansion, making it a good time to win him over.

To his surprise, before he could even make up his mind, the other party came knocking on his door first.