Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

"He is a businessman."

merchant?!!

Zhou Wenqing looked up at him with a slightly shocked expression, a hint of disbelief flashing in his eyes.

Li Si actually chose such an identity for that "friend"?

He began to doubt whether this friend was actually Qin Shi Huang, the King of Qin.

This is precisely why Li Yi rushed over to pave the way.

After he finished speaking, he seemed to feel that this identity was a bit weak, especially in the context of the Qin state, and even had a hint of... "self-deprecation".

Li Yi closed his eyes briefly, then forced himself to add, "From what Young Master Li mentioned, he's... a very well-traveled and knowledgeable merchant! It's said he owns many shops and can get his hands on a lot of rare items; he's quite capable."

He gritted his teeth and finished speaking in one breath. Even under Zhou Wenqing's scrutinizing and surprised gaze, he tried his best to remain calm and straighten his back.

If Zhou Wenqing hadn't already seen through the deception, he probably would have been fooled by Zhou's seemingly serious performance.

Pretend to be a businessman...

Zhou Wenqing sighed inwardly, a complex emotion flashing across his eyes. He had to admit that, in order to gain his trust and to keep this "fishing" game going, the other party was truly... ruthless!

Although... the identity of a large merchant is indeed suitable for providing resources and is a good cover,... the status of merchants is really not high!

At this time, although the attitudes of the various states towards merchants differed, the status of merchants in Qin was the lowest. After Shang Yang's reforms, "emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce" was established as a national policy, and the status of merchants was almost equivalent to that of criminals.

They were registered as "city residents," which not only barred them from holding official positions for life, but also left their property without protection. They could be "requisitioned" or confiscated by the state at any time for various reasons. Moreover, merchants who broke the law were often punished more severely than ordinary people. In addition, they faced numerous restrictions on their clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

They could only wear undyed coarse cloth clothes and coarse cloth headscarves (at that time, it was said: "If the headband is not neat, then use a headscarf"). They could not even wear the crowns that scholars and commoners could wear, let alone jade ornaments, gold and silver that symbolized status. They could only use bone hairpins and wooden hairpins to tie their hair. There were also strict regulations on carriages, horses, and housing.

If... if King Ying Zheng of Qin really condescended to come disguised as a merchant, then this whole drama would be incredibly interesting.

To gain his trust, other small items are manageable; they can be concealed in this rural town where no one will scrutinize him or nitpick, so the requirements aren't too strict. But clothing... it's obvious at a glance; he can probably only wear coarse cloth clothes.

It seems a bit unfair to his top idol, Zhou Wenqing thought.

However... their brilliant and ambitious ancestor might not be so concerned with the appearance of a respectable physical body.

Face? What is that? Can it be exchanged for increased crop yields and easier farming tools? Perhaps His Majesty even finds this kind of "incognito visit" quite interesting.

Of course, there is another possibility: the King of Qin would definitely have someone protecting him when he traveled, but it is unknown which general it was. If the general was forced to dress as a merchant, and the King of Qin came under another identity, that is also possible.

Zhou Wenqing withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyelids, and concealed the shock and contemplation in his eyes.

He picked up the bowl of water that had long since gone cold, took a small sip, and when he looked up again, his face had returned to calm.

"So... he's a big merchant." His tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger. "Brother Gu'an certainly... has a wide circle of friends."

"I'm quite curious to hear such high praise from him. I hope this 'businessman friend' really does have some connections, as he says."

"That would make it much easier if I wanted to build something else!"

He did not show any disdain for the identity of a "merchant," as that would have made him seem shallow—although he could not possibly have any obsession with the hierarchical system of "scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants."

He didn't appear overly eager, as that would immediately alert the other party, making them suspect that their identity had been exposed—even though he had indeed seen through the other party's "cards."

In short, by adopting this ambiguous and slightly reserved attitude, one can subtly steer the conversation away from the topic and avoid making mistakes.

Sure enough, once the topic changed, Li Yi visibly relaxed and became much more at ease.

Hearing Zhou Wenqing's last sentence, he asked with some curiosity, "What kind of novel object does Young Master want to create this time?"

Li Yi really didn't know.

Li Si hurriedly sent him back to prepare for the event, only giving him the identity of a "merchant" and the order to "keep the prince calm." As for the other details, Li Si was in a hurry to meet the King of Qin and had no time to explain them to him.

So Li Yi was completely bewildered, only knowing that the matter seemed to be very serious and urgent.

But as he spurred his horse back, his sharp ears caught a faint glimpse of words like "ironware," "difficult to handle," and "handle quickly" popping out in the hurried argument between Li Si and General Meng Wu.

He also heard the sentence, "If what Zhou Wenqing said is true, then it is the creation of a national treasure," and then he suddenly realized.

No wonder Li Keqing was so eager to solidify his identity as a "great merchant".

"Young master is indeed a man of great talent!" Li Yi thought to himself with heartfelt admiration once again. It was worth all the little tricks he had secretly put into submitting the secret report.

He looked at Zhou Wenqing with a mixture of admiration and curiosity.

I wonder what it is that Young Master has brought out this time that has made Guest Elder Li so anxious.

Zhou Wenqing noticed his curiosity, deliberately drawing out his words and squinting at him: "Want to know?"

Li nodded repeatedly.

Zhou Wenqing suddenly became mysterious, a sly smile playing on his lips: "Once it's finished, you'll know, won't you?"

"Young Master—!" Li's expression suddenly turned resentful. "Why are you like this!"

"Hahahaha!" Zhou Wenqing burst into laughter at his aggrieved little eyes. After laughing enough, she waved her hand and said, "Alright, alright, don't look at me like that anymore. It's too complicated. I don't want to explain it again. You'll naturally understand when you need it later."

"Come on, forget about that, help me grind the ink first. We haven't finished the important work yet."

"Tsk! Here it comes."

The study returned to silence, with only the soft rustling of ink being ground.

……

Li Si and his group arrived in the afternoon.

Zhou Wenqing spent almost the entire morning in his study, revising the wooden tablets. He instructed Li Yi that if Brother Gu'an brought his "friend" here, he should lead him directly to the study.

The afternoon sun slanted through the window, casting long shadows on the floor.

Zhou Wenqing put down his pen and was about to stretch his shoulders and neck when he heard footsteps from more than one person in the courtyard, followed shortly by Li Yi's low-pitched knocking on the door.

"Young Master, Young Master Li and the others have arrived."

Zhou Wenqing's heart skipped a beat.

coming!

I believe no one could remain calm and excited upon learning that they would soon be able to see Qin Shi Huang in person.

He took a deep breath, quickly straightened his sleeves and collar to make sure he didn't lose his composure.

Then, he walked steadily to the study door, a perfectly timed smile already on his face.

The door was gently pushed open from the outside by Li Yi.

The first to enter was Li Si, dressed in a patched Confucian robe. He nodded to Zhou Wenqing, then stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.

Immediately afterwards, another figure stepped into the study.

The newcomer was indeed dressed in the most ordinary coarse linen brown clothes, and apart from the bone hairpin in his hair, he had no other ornaments on his body.

However, this attire could not conceal the calm and dignified demeanor that naturally emanated from the person.

Handsome and charming...

The somewhat "offensive" description from later generations flashed through Zhou Wenqing's mind subconsciously.

He paused for a moment, then smiled and went to greet them, bowing with his hands clasped in greeting:

"Brother Gu'an, this must be your friend who is 'well-informed and has many connections'? He certainly has an extraordinary demeanor."

He turned slightly to face the newcomer, his voice gentle, "My name is Zhou Wenqing, courtesy name Zicheng. My dwelling is humble and I apologize for not greeting you properly. I hope you will forgive me."

Ying Zheng remained calm, his gaze meeting Zhou Wenqing's with composure. He returned the greeting with a clasped hand, his movements swift and decisive.

"Zhao Zhong, courtesy name Shengzhi, I apologize for disturbing you."