Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Upon thinking of Han Fei, Zhou Wenqing naturally thought of Yao Jia.

Currently, I'm still acting under the identity of "Guest Minister Yao." This morning, Ba Qing and A'Ruo should have met with the real Yao Jia, so...

Did I not expose myself?

Judging from A'Ruo's expression and behavior just now, she shouldn't be doing it. I just don't know what identity Yao Jia is using. I hope he doesn't give himself away.

Thinking this, Zhou Wenqing asked, "When Yao Keqing met with Madam Qing and Miss A'ruo this morning, did he introduce himself? What name did he use?"

Perhaps not expecting his train of thought to jump around so quickly, the guard paused for a moment before replying:

"Sir, Yao Keqing claims to be a staff member of the Yao family named Zhao Zhen. He has been serving Yao Keqing for many years. However, Yao Keqing has recently caught a cold and has not yet recovered, so he is unable to attend to external affairs. Therefore, he is temporarily acting on Yao Keqing's behalf."

Hmm? So detailed, even the reason why his true form hasn't shown itself yet has been thought out for him, so thoughtful...

Zhou Wenqing raised an eyebrow slightly.

It seems that Yao Jia has made ample preparations, temporarily handing over the title of "Guest Minister Yao" to him in order to deal with such matters.

This... I feel so embarrassed.

In fact, he never intended to keep it a secret from Baqing and Aruo for long.

Ba Qing is a man of great principle, and he has already implicitly tied himself to her, so there is little point in hiding it from her. A'Ruo is also intelligent and perceptive. Although the entire delegation has already agreed to stick to the story that "Zhou Wenqing" is dead, it is only a matter of time before the truth is revealed as they travel together for a long time.

However, since Yao Jia has so voluntarily stepped down, well! He won't stand on ceremony.

He didn't want to be without a suitable identity, which would not only make things inconvenient, but also risk arousing suspicion from the occasional subtle expressions of respect shown to him by the members of the delegation.

This unconscious tendency is really hard to hide. Zhou Wenqing also noticed it. Just the character of Fusu, whose deep-rooted respect for teachers made it difficult for him to act properly, not to mention A Yi.

Unless Zhou Wenqing continues to deliberately hide and avoid people as he did on the day he entered the city, it's only a matter of time before he arouses suspicion. But if he is given the identity of "Deputy Envoy Yao Keqing", everything will make much more sense.

Presumably, Yao Jia made this statement because of this consideration.

Let's keep this from Madam Qing and Miss A'ruo for a while longer and let nature take its course.

Zhou Wenqing stroked his chin, thinking that, considering this favor, he should at least try to maintain Yao Jia's image and even add some luster to it.

To be honest, he didn't put much effort into his disguise before, but it should still look pretty convincing, right? He didn't give anything away.

I don't think so...

Zhou Wenqing was lost in thought when A'Ruo returned carrying her youngest child.

Seeing that he was still standing there, A'Ruo was slightly taken aback and asked in confusion, "Why is Guest Elder Yao still here? Aren't you going back to rest?"

"what……"

Zhou Wenqing snapped back to reality upon hearing the sound. He glanced around and realized that the guards beside him had already vanished without a trace, leaving not a sound.

She must have been afraid of being discovered and having her husband's identity exposed.

As expected of the Qin King's personal bodyguard, he was quick-witted and had keen eyesight. It's just that we couldn't find any trace of him, whether he was hiding in a tree or on a rooftop.

He clicked his tongue in amazement, then looked away and said, "Nothing, I was just thinking about something and got lost in thought. Is your youngest... asleep?"

Upon hearing this, A'Ruo lowered her head, gazing at the child sleeping peacefully and sweetly in her arms. Her expression softened instantly, and she smiled gently.

"This child was really exhausted today. She was eating when she became so sleepy that she kept nodding her head and almost buried it in her bowl. Luckily, she had almost finished eating, and I was afraid she would choke while she was drowsy, so I brought her back early."

"I see." Upon hearing this, Zhou Wenqing couldn't help but smile gently. "Thank you for taking such good care of me, Miss A'ruo. It's getting late, and you've been traveling for a long time. You should go back and rest soon."

"Thank you for your consideration, sir. I will go and rest after settling my youngest son. I heard that you are still recovering from your cold, sir. You should also rest soon. I will take my leave now."

After exchanging a few polite words with Zhou Wenqing, A'Ruo turned to go inside with her youngest child in her arms. Just as she stepped across the threshold, she suddenly remembered something important and stopped abruptly.

"By the way, Mr. Zhou."

"Hmm?" Zhou Wenqing looked at her upon hearing the sound.

A'Ruo lowered her eyes and said in a low voice, "A'Ruo was busy taking care of these children and almost forgot that the head of the family went to the ferry during the day and saw the ship that was stopped. He asked me to tell you some things."

She paused, as if choosing her words carefully: "The head of the family said that the boat looked familiar, and she vaguely remembered seeing it in the Chenjun area before. Since there were no flags or merchant insignia on the hull, she assumed it was a fishing boat belonging to a commoner."

"But when we got closer, we saw that the ship was much wider and had a deeper draft than ordinary fishing boats, so it was hard to tell the difference. The head of the family paid extra attention to it and thought about it carefully. It seemed to be quite similar to the pirate ship we saw today."

"But the head of the family was delayed by an accident that day, and it was getting late when she arrived at the ferry. She was in a hurry, so she didn't see clearly. She only vaguely remembered that there seemed to be a dark red strip of cloth tied to the mast of the ship, but she didn't dare to say anything. She only asked me to tell the teacher the truth."

"A dark red strip of cloth... Chen Jun..."

Zhou Wenqing pondered in a low voice, silently reviewing these two key pieces of information in his mind, then looked up and smiled at her:

"Thank you for informing me, Miss Aruo. I am aware of this matter."

A'Ruo nodded, said no more, bowed slightly to him, turned and went into the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

The corridor returned to silence, and the evening breeze brushed against the eaves, bringing a slight chill.

The smile on Zhou Wenqing's face slowly faded. He walked a few steps forward with his hands behind his back, and at the end of the corridor, he looked up at the night sky, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the wooden railing.

Based on his brief contact with Madam Qing, he knew that she was meticulous and prudent in her actions. She would never have sent such a message without a certain degree of certainty.

Since she specifically asked Aruo to tell him this news, what she said was probably very accurate. However, she was always cautious and deliberately left some room for interpretation, unwilling to say anything definitively.

Chen County? What a coincidence, they happen to be passing through this place on their journey. They can stay for a few more days and investigate thoroughly.

As for the dark red strip of cloth...

Is this some kind of code, or a special mark exclusive to the pirate ship?

Zhou Wenqing looked up, his gaze falling on the nearest tree, and asked:

"Is there also a dark red cloth tied to the mast of the pirate ship you intercepted today?"

"Yes, sir, such a thing does exist," the guard replied, emerging from the shadows in the corner of the corridor.

Having guessed wrong, Zhou Wenqing turned his gaze away expressionlessly, pretending that nothing had happened.

Well! Since there is one, it seems more likely to be a unique marker.

He was overjoyed; the clue suddenly became much clearer.

Judging that Han Fei and the others probably didn't know about this news yet, he lifted his foot... then stopped.

At this hour, only he, who had slept all day, was still awake. Everyone else, including Fusu, had been busy for a day and a night and should be resting now.

Let's talk about it tomorrow.

Now, I need to go back to sleep and get my sleep schedule back on track. Otherwise, I won't be able to keep up with their schedules, and I'm afraid I'll only be able to see them sometime during a sleepwalking episode.

Zhou Wenqing turned and walked towards his room.