Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

"Achoo—Achoo!"

In the carriage traveling from Luoyang to Chenjun, Zhou Wenqing sneezed twice in a row.

"Did you catch a cold?"

Han Fei, who was sitting quietly opposite, frowned slightly, gently placed the white chess piece he was holding back into the chess basket, and was about to get up.

"I'll go find Dr. Xia to take a look."

"No need, no need." Zhou Wenqing quickly raised her hand to stop him, gently rubbing her sore nose. "It's just an itchy nose, nothing serious."

More than catching a cold, he suspected that someone was talking about him.

Judging by the time, the messenger sent by the king with the tiger tally should have arrived in Luoyang by now.

It's highly likely that it's Mr. Wei Liao.

Hello Mr. Wei Liao! He's emotionally stable and has a good temper, so I definitely won't blame him!

Thinking he had escaped another disaster, Zhou Wenqing found the chessboard in front of him much more pleasing to the eye. Unfortunately, the next second—

"Clatter".

Han Fei calmly placed a piece.

Zhou Wenqing's upturned lips curved upwards and then fell back down, her eyes widening:

"How did you end up here?!"

He had just painstakingly laid out his strategy, and the black pieces had barely shown a glimmer of hope, thinking he had the upper hand. But with that one move, the entire board was instantly sealed off, surrounded and blocked by a dense array of white pieces. The black pieces were completely trapped and there was no way to save them.

At least given Zhou Wenqing's abilities, there's no way to save him.

Having failed once again in his attempt to salvage his image, Zhou Wenqing was utterly devastated and on the verge of tears.

He clearly dreamt every night of studying chess scores in the system space, playing against the computer repeatedly for so long, and even winning several games. He was convinced that his chess skills had improved significantly. Although he couldn't be considered the pinnacle of skill, he could at least be considered a first-rate strategist.

Who would have thought that when he clashed with contemporary sages like Han Fei and Yao Jia, he would lose every single game. While they had never been defeated, he had never won, and he was often defeated very quickly.

Those two wretched fellows showed him no mercy whatsoever; he was finished in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Oh, the first time I played chess with Han Fei, I lasted for an hour because Han Fei thought I had some strange methods and was deliberately setting traps. He was very careful for a long time.

As a result, his chess skills were not good.

Zhou Wenqing can still recall the look Han Fei gave him after the game ended—a look of shock and bewilderment more intense than if he had seen a ghost in the middle of the night.

The image of a profound and inscrutable chess master that he had tried to maintain had long been shattered beyond repair by a series of crushing defeats.

Zhou Wenqing pushed aside the chess basket beside him expressionlessly, took a deep breath, and looked at Han Fei with a resentful gaze.

Isn't it said that skilled players prefer to play high-level matches? Why are they targeting him to stomp on noobs?

Han Fei seemed to see through his thoughts and returned a resentful look to him.

If I can't win an argument with you, am I not allowed to vent my anger through chess and card games?

Zhou Wenqing turned his face away guiltily, pretending to look at the twilight passing by outside the car window.

In fact, Han Fei and the others originally did not agree with rushing to Chen County so hastily, as it was too dangerous. They believed it would be better to wait for reinforcements to arrive and then proceed gradually.

Fusu was so anxious that he paced back and forth. Knowing that he couldn't persuade them, he pulled Yao Jia and Han Fei along to try to dissuade him, taking turns to do so.

But in the end, he couldn't persuade Zhou Wenqing, who had already made up his mind. He used his silver tongue and his ability to clutch his chest when he was angry to insist that they should just go on their way first.

The reason for stopping him was out of concern that something might happen to Zhou Wenqing. If, on the contrary, stopping him causes his old illness to flare up, then it would be a loss.

Therefore, everyone thought again, between Luoyang and Chenjun, there is still Yangdi in between.

Let's take it one step at a time and see. At worst, we can slow down along the way and send those children who are not from Luoyang back to their hometowns one by one—this was also Zhou Wenqing's suggestion.

If this delays things and reinforcements arrive, Zicheng himself won't have anything to say, right?

Little did they expect that it was this journey back that shattered their idea of ​​a slow pace.

These children, rescued from the abduction, had already become familiar with Han Fei and Yao Jia during the bumpy journey. Their initial fear and unease gradually dissipated, and their innate innocence and cuteness began to emerge.

The bolder ones would tug at Han Fei's sleeve and secretly slip the honeyed fruit given to them by Miss Aruo into his palm, saying in their childish voices, "Sir, eat this." At this point, Han Fei, who had become quite used to it, would squat down, pat their little heads, accept their "gifts," and then take out a "return gift" from the pouch he was already used to wearing at his waist.

The younger children nestled obediently in Yao Jia's arms, listening to him tell stories in a soft, gentle voice. Sometimes their childish, puzzled words amused Yao Jia, who clapped his hands and laughed. Along the way, Yao Jia distributed countless nuts and snacks to them.

Fusu, surrounded by children, experienced such pure childlike joy for the first time. Playing with them, he became much more lively, his eyes often crinkling with laughter.

Along the way, the laughter of children, mixed with the rumble of wheels and the clatter of hooves, created a warm and tender atmosphere.

Unfortunately, the good times are not long.

They thought that as long as they sent the children home safely, they could reunite with their parents and give their arduous journey a happy ending.

When they finally arrived at the first encampment, partly to delay and partly out of reluctance, they went door to door to visit the families and escort them back. The scorched earth and devastation that greeted their eyes caught them off guard.

Some children already...have no home.

They returned home with the hopes they had accumulated along the way, longing to rush into the arms of their loved ones and hear familiar, gentle words of advice. But what they saw was only a desolate scene of looting and ruin. Some children stood before the scorched earth and broken walls, tears streaming down their faces in bewilderment; others, upon learning that their loved ones were no longer alive, cried their hearts out on the spot.

Those tender yet desperate cries were like heavy hammer blows, striking the hearts of Han Fei, Yao Jia, Fu Su, and the others. They felt a tightness in their chests, a heavy weight enveloping their breath, and a surge of helplessness and sorrow welled up within them. Yet, even a single word of comfort seemed futile.

That night, Fusu tossed and turned in bed, Han Fei stood by the window of the inn for a long time, and Yao Jia also didn't sleep, pacing back and forth in the next room, the candlelight flickering on the window.

After that, no one tried to persuade Zhou Wenqing or slow down the journey. The sound of hooves grew faster and faster as they got closer and closer to Chen County.

At this moment, they have just settled the last group of children who can return home in Yangdi.

Although the children's homeland was still ahead, the journey to Chenjun was fraught with danger and unpredictable. In the end, they could not take these children, who had already suffered so much, into dangerous territory. They could only temporarily settle the children, who had nowhere to go, in Yangdi City.

Fortunately, the administration in Yangdi was not as bad as in Luoyang. Perhaps because it was not the county that originated the kidnapping case, nor the hub for the transfer of criminals, the local officials were relatively honest and did their best to settle the children. With the children left here, everyone could finally put their minds at ease and head to Chen County without any worries.

There is a small post station not far ahead. After spending the night there, it will be at most half a day's journey to reach Chen County.

Han Fei sighed, knowing that Zhou Wenqing was unwilling to play another game with him. He was also somewhat uneasy, so he simply gathered up the chess pieces one by one.

"Zicheng, are you so convinced that the King of Qin would send someone with the tiger tally from your vague memorial?"

"If Han Zi doesn't believe me, how about we place another bet?" Zhou Wenqing said with a smile.

Han Fei resolutely shook his head and refused.

Just as Zhou Wenqing was trying to seduce him, Li Yi suddenly spurred his horse closer and whispered:

"Sir, a scout reports that there seems to be some trouble in Chen County. The city gates were closed early this morning. Apparently, several rebels and bandits have suddenly appeared and are now wanted by the authorities."