Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Before the sound of Fusu's footsteps had faded from the corridor, a commotion arose outside.

The curtain was lifted, and Li Yi stepped in first. He immediately saw Zhou Wenqing sitting against the headboard, his mind clear. His eyes lit up instantly, and he opened his mouth to speak, "Sir, you're awake..."

Before he could even finish speaking, someone casually shoved his shoulder.

"Go away, let this old man take a look first, get out of my way."

Physician Lü, with a stern face, squeezed to the bedside without any politeness, and shooed Li Yi, who was still holding the pottery bowl, aside without saying a word.

Li Yi's words "Awake" were still stuck in her throat. Upon hearing this, she didn't dare to say a word. She was still holding the ceramic bowl in her arms. She had already pressed herself against the wall, obediently shut her mouth and stood still, looking at her master expectantly. She showed no trace of the fierce demeanor she had shown when she led troops into battle the day before.

Fusu, Han Fei, Yao Jia, and Wei Liao followed in one after another, filling the small room to the brim.

Several pairs of eyes fell on the sickly figure on the bed, their gazes filled with barely suppressed anxiety, but because of Physician Lü's "formation," no one dared to get too close.

Physician Lü sat down on the edge of the bed, his face stern. He opened his medical kit and reached out to grab Zhou Wenqing's wrist. His posture was not like taking a pulse, but more like he was looking for someone to collect a debt.

Zhou Wenqing was startled by his imposing manner, subconsciously swallowed, shrank his neck, obediently rolled up his sleeves, offered his wrist, and gave him a fawning smile.

Unexpectedly, Physician Lü raised his eyes and glared at him fiercely, as if to say: You still dare to laugh.

Zhou Wenqing's smile froze in fright, his lips lingering there, unsure whether to accept it or not.

What's wrong? Why does Physician Lü seem a bit...irritable?

After a long silence, Physician Lü finally spoke, his tone still stiff, but his taut jawline relaxed slightly, and the heaviness in his brows and eyes lessened.

"You're lucky to be alive, kid!"

"Although this was dangerous, it was also a blessing in disguise. Most of the blockages in my heart meridian have been cleared, my Qi flow has become much smoother, and my physical foundation is actually a bit stronger than before."

As if recalling Zhou Wenqing's ability to torment him, his tone shifted, and he hardened his expression, his voice stern:

"But your body has been injured, the root of the illness hasn't been cured, and you're still weak! You must rest and recuperate, and you must still strictly avoid extreme joy or sorrow, anger or mental strain, staying up late and depleting your energy. You can't tolerate the slightest disturbance, do you understand!"

"I heard it! I heard it!"

Zhou Wenqing immediately nodded obediently, nodding his head like a chick pecking at rice, his attitude sincere and docile.

His eyes darted around, and he immediately put on a beaming smile, praising her in the most ingratiating way possible: "Don't worry, Physician Lü, Wenqing will definitely remember. This time, it was all thanks to Physician Lü's miraculous healing skills, divine medical expertise, and dedication to saving lives... This, this, Wenqing is extremely grateful and will definitely..."

Don't give me that!

Physician Lü interrupted him impatiently, withdrew her hand, and began packing her medicine box without looking up, saying:

"Sweet talk, all you do is fool people. If you really cared, you'd stop torturing me like this a few more times. That would be much better than anything else. My old bones can't take it anymore. If there's a next time, even my divine medical skills won't be able to save your life!"

Zhou Wenqing, embarrassed by the scolding, touched the tip of his nose and obediently shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.

"Take your medicine in a bit, drink half a bowl of porridge first, rest for a quarter of an hour and then finish the rest. You are not allowed to get out of bed today, we'll see how things go tomorrow."

After saying that, he quickly picked up his medicine box and left without looking back, his hurried steps revealing an undeniable weariness.

Zhou Wenqing watched his hurried departure, his brows furrowing slightly. He then turned to Wei Liao and asked, "Mr. Wei Liao, what was the situation with Physician Lü after the battle? Were the wounded settled smoothly? How are those loyal and righteous men doing?"

Physician Lü is usually calm, composed, and well-mannered, but today he is so agitated and exhausted, which shows that the pressure of post-war medical treatment must be considerable.

Wei Liao glanced at him but did not reply immediately.

He took the warm medicine bowl from Han Fei's hands, pushed it forward, and said in a calm but authoritative tone, "You've only just woken up and you're already worrying about external affairs. I don't think you've taken a single word of Physician Lü's instructions to heart!"

Zhou Wenqing opened his mouth to refute, but when he saw the hidden anger in Captain Liao's eyes, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"Drink your medicine first," Wei Liao said, pushing the bowl forward again.

Zhou Wenqing looked down at the bowl of dark, black medicine, his brows furrowing. He instinctively looked away, only to find that everyone in the room was staring at him menacingly.

Zhou Wenqing: "..."

He had no choice but to resign himself to taking the medicine bowl, tilting his head back slightly, holding his breath, and gulping it down in one go.

Bitter, sour, astringent, and bitter all at once—the prescriptions from Physician Lü are still this deadly!

"Hmph, complaining now? Serves you right."

Wei Liao stood beside the couch, looking at his grimacing face, and gave a light but not loud snort, her tone filled with barely concealed fear and annoyance.

While scolding him, her actions were anything but hesitant. She naturally took the empty medicine bowl he handed her, placed it on the table, then filled it with warm water and steadily handed it to his palm.

"I'll teach you a lesson so you won't always rush into danger without considering the consequences. You think you're made of iron? Knowing that reinforcements will arrive soon, you still insist on being stubborn. Can't you even wait one more night?"

His eyes still held lingering fear. Recalling Zhou Wenqing's desperate struggle, blood trickling from his mouth, and life hanging by a thread last night, he was filled with shock and fear, and his tone involuntarily hardened:

"I used to think that although you were young, you were always calm, composed, and thoughtful. But now it seems that you are ultimately too impetuous, too reckless, and too hot-blooded, completely lacking in self-awareness!"

Zhou Wenqing held the warm water in her hands, taking small sips to suppress the bitterness, listening to his repeated scolding, and felt a little aggrieved.

Having worked together day and night for a long time, he had long regarded Wei Liao as a respected and close elder brother. Although he dared not talk back after being scolded, he couldn't help but speak up in a low voice to defend himself after Wei Liao finished scolding him.

"Mr. Wei Liao, it's not that I'm being stubborn, but the situation is critical, and there's no time to wait."

His eyes held a hint of helplessness: "Fortunately, A-Yi and the others acted swiftly and managed to rescue them just in time. But if we hadn't entered the city and had delayed for another night, Song Yun would have realized what was happening, and I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to save A-Yi and the others' lives."

Human life was at stake; he had absolutely no way out.

After saying that, he breathed a slight sigh of relief, then raised his eyes slightly, with a hint of weakness in his expression:

"Brother, please stop nagging. Wenqing truly knows he was wrong. How come the usually calm and taciturn Mr. Wei Liao is now behaving like Brother Gu'an, so talkative?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Liao's expression did not relax, and he raised an eyebrow:

"Just like Gu'an, I want to feed you the entire cartload of Coptis chinensis, Sophora flavescens, Gentiana scabra, and Scutellaria baicalensis that I brought with me this time!"

He glanced at Zhou Wenqing indifferently and said quietly, "With Physician Lü's medical skills, adding these herbs will not affect the efficacy at all. You'll definitely remember the taste!"

What?!

Zhou Wenqing stared wide-eyed in disbelief, looking at Wei Liao with a bewildered expression.

I've never heard of reinforcements bringing a truckload of bitter medicine!

"No, no, no! Brother, please have mercy!" he pleaded hastily, his words quickening. "I know I was wrong, I really know I was completely wrong! I've been obediently drinking my medicine, haven't I? Let's get down to business."

He dared not interrupt again, but secretly made a mental note of it.

Given Mr. Wei Liao's kindness, even if he were angry and wanted to teach him a lesson, he would never have thought of such a despicable trick. Without a doubt, it must have been Brother Gu'an's idea.

Li Si, you just wait!

Suppressing his resentment, Zhou Wenqing quietly held the bowl of porridge that Li Yi had brought over, slowly and deliberately drinking it spoonful by spoonful, appearing to be strictly following the doctor's orders, listening attentively, and determined not to act recklessly.

Han Fei and Yao Jia, who were standing nearby, took in the whole scene and couldn't help but chuckle to themselves.

No one can argue with Zhou Wenqing's sharp tongue, yet he can't be hit, scolded, or persuaded. His obedient and submissive appearance today is truly a rare sight—finally, someone has been found who can control him!

Looking at his angry but speechless expression, Wei Liao subtly curled the corners of her lips upwards. However, before the smile could fully unfold, the thought of the devastating casualties caused the curve of her lips to fall back down, and her brows and eyes were once again covered with a solemn and serious expression.

Yesterday's fierce battle resulted in heavy casualties.

Despite being outnumbered, the delegation's soldiers were still well-equipped and protected. After a bloody battle, more than half of them were wounded or killed. What about the local militia under Hu Kui and Shen Liang?

Before the battle, more than a hundred men of unyielding spirit, who were determined to defend the city to the death, fought a bloody battle all night long. By the time the dust settled, only one or two out of ten were still able to stand steadily and catch their breath.

Even after reinforcements arrived and stabilized the battle, countless wounded soldiers succumbed to their injuries and exhaustion, lying on stretchers, closing their eyes, and never opening them again.

Wei Liao's throat felt dry, and he didn't know how to speak for a moment.

He felt both pain and self-blame—even though he had been traveling day and night to provide assistance, he still hated himself for not being able to go any faster.

Just one more night...

He remained silent, his gaze unconsciously avoiding Zhou Wenqing's eyes.

Zhou Wenqing paused slightly, then slowly put down the porridge spoon in his hand.

He glanced at Han Fei and Yao Jia beside him. The two, who were usually calm, eloquent and persuasive, now tacitly looked away, neither of them willing to meet his gaze.

They were all afraid of upsetting the person who had just escaped death.

Zhou Wenqing put down his chopsticks and lowered his eyes in silence for a moment.

"Speak."

He looked up, his voice slightly bitter, but still relatively steady.

"I need to know eventually, especially since I've already witnessed such a scene firsthand. I'm mentally prepared, and I'm not going to collapse again because of it."

Everyone remained silent.

Zhou Wenqing's gaze swept across the faces of Han Fei, Yao Jia, and Wei Liao, finally landing on Fusu.

"Fusu, you speak."

Fusu's lips moved: "Sir, how about tomorrow..."

"Speak," Zhou Wenqing said firmly, brooking no argument. "As the eldest son, don't tell me you don't know."

Fusu closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and spoke very quickly: "The delegation consisted of more than 200 soldiers, plus secret guards and attendants, totaling more than 300 people. Fifty were killed, seventy were seriously wounded, and there were also a hundred people with minor injuries. The local militia... a total of sixteen people survived, including Prefect Hu, Magistrate Shen, and Mr. Xiao and his party whom we met for the first time. All of them were seriously injured and in critical condition."

He paused, then quickly added in a low voice, "All the wounded were treated overnight by Physician Lü and his men, and for now... their lives are temporarily stable."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wenqing tightly closed his eyes.

Sixteen people...

If we exclude the five people from Pei County, and Hu and Shen, then that makes nine people.

Less than one in ten survives!

He silently repeated it to himself, his palms clenching tightly.

After a long while, Zhou Wenqing slowly opened his eyes, his voice hoarse:

"Seriously wounded soldiers should be treated according to their grade, and medicine should not be spared. All supplies on the embassy's supply wagons should be used. They should be guarded and protected day and night without any slackening. The remains of fallen soldiers should be collected cleanly, buried on high ground, and their names should be inscribed on stone so that their loyal souls will not go unrecognized."

"According to the Qin army's precedent, pensions of gold, silver, and grain were distributed to the families of the deceased to appease their spirits and comfort their loved ones..."

He suddenly froze halfway through his sentence.

These rural heroes, who hastily gathered to defend their homeland, mostly lost their families and lives. Where could they find relatives, wives, and children to receive this compensation?

He died on the battlefield, with no one to offer him solace...

Seeing that his expression was not right, Wei Liao quickly stepped forward.

"Alright, Zicheng." Wei Liao's voice softened, carrying a brotherly concern. "I've already arranged all these things. Registration, generous compensation for family members, erecting a monument for commemoration—nothing will be omitted. You don't need to worry. What you should do now is rest well and recharge your energy. The King is still waiting for you in Xianyang; it's time for you to go back."

"No," Zhou Wenqing interrupted, raising his hand. "How can I turn back halfway if this trip has not yet succeeded?"

Wei Liao looked at him, his brows furrowing. "Zicheng, listen to me. Those parasites in Xianyang have already been thoroughly purged by me, and after several crackdowns by the King, they can't cause any trouble for the time being. If you go back now, no one will dare to say a word against you."

"Your mission has been fraught with danger, which is truly worrying. Listen to me, once you have fully recovered, you will return to Xianyang with me. This is also the King's order."

His eyes widened, and his tone carried a hint of gritted teeth:

"Don't tell me anything about 'a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders.' The emperor has ordered me, his elder brother, to personally arrest you. How dare you disobey?"

Zhou Wenqing was taken aback upon hearing this, and looked somewhat helpless.

It seems that these words left a deep impression on the king and his men.

He must be furious.

He shook his head: "Brother, listen to me. Branches and leaves can be cut, but if the roots are not removed, it is not a true cleanup. Besides, it is precisely because I have gone through so many hardships that I cannot return empty-handed. Otherwise, wouldn't all the dangers I have faced have been for nothing?"

"What other merit do you expect?!"

Wei Liao's voice unconsciously rose a few decibels, even his beard trembled: "You risked your life to protect the people of an entire prefecture, eliminating the great traitor Song Yun and quelling the chaos in this region for the Great Qin! Isn't such a glorious achievement in saving the world and bringing peace to the country enough?"

"That was the achievement of Prefect Hu, Magistrate Shen, and countless local heroes; it has nothing to do with me!"

"Unrelated?!" Wei Liao was speechless with anger, glaring at Zhou Wenqing, his chest heaving several times.

If I hadn't arrived in time, these people would probably be dead already. They paid such a high price, barely escaping death, and yet they keep saying it has nothing to do with me!

Zhou Wenqing felt somewhat guilty, but he stubbornly stared at him, showing no sign of backing down.

He had made up his mind and could not return to Xianyang so hastily.

"Sir, don't get agitated, don't get agitated!" Fu Su and Li Yi rushed forward, supporting Zhou Wenqing on either side, afraid that he would faint again if he got too agitated.

"Mr. Wei Liao, calm down, calm down, let's talk this out!" Han Fei and Yao Jia quickly surrounded him, one pulling his sleeve and the other pressing his shoulder, dragging and pulling Wei Liao backward.

Han Fei added in a low voice, "Zicheng is still young. Why are you, as his older brother, getting angry with him?"

"I--!"

The usually composed and self-possessed Mr. Wei Liao finally understood why Li Si had repeatedly recommended various underhanded tricks to him in an attempt to restrain Zi Cheng.

It's so infuriating... I'm so angry at myself!

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These are today's two chapters. Yesterday's make-up update should be tonight. Tomorrow will also be quite busy, so tomorrow's two chapters should also be updated tonight. You can save them to read together in the morning (⊙ω⊙).