Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

After a long period of churning darkness, the stagnant consciousness slowly rose from the boundless chaos.

The biting cold and excruciating pain completely subsided, leaving only a calm, soft sense of peace, as if one had endured all the hardships and finally found a moment of tranquility.

It seems... the pain has subsided?

Zhou Wenqing's eyelashes trembled, fragmented memories returned, and he realized that he seemed to have... ultimately failed to hold on.

He had overestimated himself after all. A faint bitterness spread through his heart. Unfortunately, there were still many things he hadn't had time to do.

He hadn't even had a chance to visit the students at the academy, nor had he had a chance to see the king unify the world, and most importantly, he hadn't even had a chance to present the seed potatoes he had worked so hard to obtain to the king!

Upon realizing this, he felt a pang of regret.

This is a huge loss.

However, once you become a ghost, can you still feel the heaviness in your body?

With eyelids feeling like they were filled with lead, Zhou Wenqing struggled to open them a crack, and what came into view was an unfamiliar roof beam.

So now it's...?

"Sir, you're awake!"

The wooden basin in Fusu's hand crashed to the ground with a "bang," splashing water everywhere and wetting his clothes and shoes, but he was completely unaware.

She rushed to the bedside in a few steps. Looking into her husband's eyes, which had regained their clarity and gentleness, Fusu could no longer hold back. She bent down and buried her face in her husband's hand. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and a sob that had been suppressed for a long time burst out of her throat, soft and aggrieved.

Zhou Wenqing was taken aback, then realized what was happening.

He survived.

It's not easy. He managed to save her life. He should really put up a longevity tablet for Physician Lü.

Zhou Wenqing sighed inwardly, laboriously raising his hand to gently stroke Fusu's hair. His voice was hoarse and dry, carrying a faint warmth from just waking up:

"Why are you crying?"

He gently ruffled the boy's hair, his tone soft and smiling:

"I'm perfectly fine, don't cry anymore."

"gentlemen……"

Fusu looked up at him, her eyes red-rimmed, and called out in a pitiful voice.

"Sir is here, it's alright, don't be afraid." Zhou Wenqing's lips curved slightly. "Didn't you say you would never cry again? Why are you shedding tears again, hmm?"

Fusu's cheeks flushed, and he awkwardly raised his hand to wipe the corner of his eye.

He didn't want to cry, but every time he made up his mind to be calm and capable, and vowed never to cry again, his teacher would always give him a big scare—it's not something you can just endure.

He hurriedly suppressed the tears welling up in his eyes, turned to the side to pick up the bowl of warm water from the table, and carefully helped Zhou Wenqing sit up, his voice still nasal:

"Sir, please have some water first."

Zhou Wenqing didn't let him feed her. She took the bowl herself, picked it up, and sipped the water to moisten her throat.

He could clearly sense the abnormality in his body.

This awakening was completely different from the previous feeling of exhaustion and depletion after a serious illness, when all the vital energy and blood had been drained. There was only a slight soreness and a dull ache in my chest, but no longer the heavy and suffocating feeling of the past. My mouth was no longer filled with the bitter taste of medicine, but rather with the lingering taste of ginseng slices, a clear and slightly bitter taste with a hint of sweetness.

A faint, stinging pain came from the tip of his tongue, indicating that he had accidentally bitten it. Zhou Wenqing frowned slightly, put the bowl back on the table, and turned his head to look out the window.

It was still early, and the gray-blue morning light had just seeped in through the window, hazy and indistinct, just like before he fainted.

The sore on the tip of my tongue was still clearly painful, and the fatigue in my body had not yet dissipated; it felt like only a moment had passed.

He asked softly, with a hint of surprise, "How long have I been unconscious?"

"It's been a whole day and night, sir." Fusu responded immediately, his tone revealing undisguised lingering fear. "You're finally awake."

A day and a night?!

Zhou Wenqing was somewhat surprised.

He thought he would sleep for three to five days, half a month, or even longer, but he didn't expect it to be so quick.

It seems that it wasn't that Physician Lü later used some means to snatch him back from the clutches of death, but rather that he truly survived—a rebirth from the ashes, a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Fusu finally came to his senses, took two steps back, and reported in a rambling, detailed manner:

"Sir, are you hungry? Guard Li has been keeping watch all night. Physician Lü said you should wake up soon. He just went out to get you some porridge and should be back soon. Mr. Han, go to the backyard to check on the medicine being prepared..."

"Oh, right, the medicine!"

He suddenly remembered this most important matter, his expression tightened, and he immediately turned around. "Sir, please wait a moment, I'll go and fetch Physician Lü right away!"

"Wait! Fusu!"

Zhou Wenqing didn't even have time to stop him. The boy was so eager that he rushed out of the room in the blink of an eye, leaving Zhou Wenqing with no trace of his back.

Zhou Wenqing shook his head helplessly at the thought of the child.

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Something came up today, I'll make it up tomorrow (￣▽￣) ノ