Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhou Wenqing had already made up his mind that no matter whether Liu Bang staged this "face-changing" act today, he would definitely keep Liu Bang by his side and keep a close eye on him at all times, and would never let him go unchecked.

Unlike Xiao He and Cao Can, these two men, if left here, would surely be able to clean up the mess and work diligently in government affairs. This would be making the best use of their talents, and there would be no mistakes whatsoever. He couldn't be more at ease.

But Liu Bang was different.

This future emperor, though currently only a minor official, is already showing signs of his restless spirit.

This man comes from the countryside and is naturally open-minded and cunning. He is skilled at social maneuvering and is adept at winning people's hearts and gathering fellow villagers. He seems to be casual and carefree, with no fixed mind, but in reality, his ambition is hidden in the streets and his courage far exceeds that of ordinary people.

If we leave him to do odd jobs in Chen County, what if he gets bored one day, or what if the inertia of history causes him to cause trouble again?

As for Lu Wan and Fan Kuai, they should have been taken away as well.

After all, the two had known Liu Bang since childhood, spent every day with him, and were as close as brothers. Lu Wan and Liu Bang were friends since the same age and were as close as brothers. Fan Kuai was brave and sincere, and followed Liu Bang's lead without question. The three of them were originally a united team, and it would be bad to separate them.

only--

Zhou Wenqing hesitated, carefully choosing his words before speaking slowly: "I would like to invite you two brothers to come along, but this journey has already been delayed for too long, and Chenjun absolutely cannot linger any longer. The road ahead is arduous, and your injuries have not yet fully recovered. I am truly worried that your bodies will not be able to withstand it..."

"It's alright!"

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Bang interrupted, waving his hand to answer for them:

"Sir, you're overthinking it! We brothers are all tough and resilient, used to rough treatment. Besides, with Doctor Lü's help, what's a little injury like this?"

As he spoke, he patted Lu Wan's uninjured shoulder, then gestured towards Fan Kuai with his chin, his face full of pride:

"If all else fails, please do me a favor, sir, and spare any of the miscellaneous goods in the group so that the two of them can huddle together for a few days. Anyway, the delegation isn't traveling very fast, so the journey will be leisurely and not too strenuous. By the time we reach Qi, their injuries should have healed completely, and it won't interfere with your important business!"

Upon hearing the word "carriage," Lu Wan's brows immediately furrowed, and she reluctantly declined, saying, "A carriage...I don't need it, do I?"

He deliberately avoided looking at his shoulder injury, raised his hand and patted his muscular chest hard, displaying a tough guy demeanor: "My injury is on my shoulder, not my leg, so riding a horse won't be a problem at all. Besides, I look like I'll be fully recovered soon. Let Kuai ride in the carriage; he's injured in his waist and needs it."

After saying that, he couldn't help but mutter a few more words under his breath, his tone carrying a hint of disdain:

"That carriage is no place for a human to sit. You can't stretch your legs or straighten your back inside. It's like a cage. It's so stuffy. What kind of man would sit in that? It's not comfortable at all. Only those fussy, pedantic scholars like it..."

"You blockhead, what nonsense are you spouting!"

Liu Bang slapped Lu Wan on the back of the head, causing Lu Wan's head to slump and forcing her to swallow the rest of her words.

"The carriages and horses in the mission, even the supply wagons carrying miscellaneous goods, are far superior to the makeshift carts you usually hire at the market, pieced together from a few broken planks."

He glared at her, poking Lu Wan's forehead with his finger, looking at her with a disappointed expression.

"Are you brainless like a donkey? If you've never seen the world, stop spouting nonsense and making a fool of yourself. If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll tie you up and stuff you into a henhouse and take you away!"

Liu Bang was very loyal; he considered tying the man up and taking him away, but he didn't intend to leave him behind. However, Lu Wan didn't realize this at all. She just kept her head down, covered the back of her head, looked aggrieved, and protested in a low voice.

"I've never ridden in any other carriage, how would I know? Besides... Brother Ji, if you think I'm stupid, then stop patting my head... I'm not very bright to begin with, patting me will only make me more stupid..."

"you--"

Liu Bang was so angry he choked.

This idiot's brain is sometimes sharp and sometimes not. He's used to speaking without thinking and doesn't know how to watch what he says.

Have they not realized that their words just now have already included Zhou Wenqing, who is sitting upright to the side, frail and sickly, and poor at horseback riding, as well as Han Zi, who looks like he comes from a noble family and is always accompanied by a carriage?

Liu Bang glared at him fiercely, his eyes darting around so fast they were practically spinning like tops. He frantically gave Lu Wan meaningful glances, almost as if he wanted to openly remind her.

But Lu Wan, with her head down and covering her head, didn't receive the signal at all and continued muttering:

"Besides, what I said wasn't wrong... those carriages weren't for men; only women, children, the elderly, and the weak rode in them..."

"Still talking?!"

Seeing that Lu Wan was about to say something shocking again, Liu Bang could no longer tolerate it. He raised his hand and slapped Lu Wan hard on the back of the head, interrupting him sharply:

"Shut up! Apologize to the master right now!"

"You uncouth country bumpkin, what do you know? Stop spouting nonsense! If you dare offend the master again, I won't let you off!"

Zhou Wenqing held his teacup, watching this scene with a blank expression.

—Actually, I feel that your demand for an apology is more offensive than what Lu Wan said earlier.

He silently added a sentence in his mind, but didn't say it aloud, because he couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Because Lu Wan's brain was finally "connected" by this slap, she frantically tried to make up for it, stammering.

"Sir... I wasn't referring to you... I was talking about those pedantic, pretentious scholars. You may be a scholar traveling by carriage, but that's only because you're so frail, oops! No!"

"What I mean is, it's only right that you ride in a carriage, unlike them who deliberately put on airs and make a big show, but in reality, they're so weak they can't even ride a horse. Your entourage is also quite large, but it's different. Your guards aren't just for show... it's you, oh my! That's right, that's right..."

Lu Wan was so confused that she couldn't explain herself clearly. She was sweating profusely and her eyes revealed a kind of despair, as if she thought, "Why hasn't my broken mouth been sewn up yet?"

"Alright, shut up now." Xiao He was exasperated and couldn't listen anymore. He bowed to Zhou Wenqing.

"Sir, Lu Wan is always outspoken, I apologize for making you laugh, but he had no intention of offending you. I hope you will forgive him. Besides, the delegation's carriages are part of the ceremonial procession..."

"Alright, alright." Zhou Wenqing waved his hand, indicating that Xiao He didn't need to explain. "I don't need to take this to heart. Since Chief Liu has already found a solution, and both of you can handle the journey, let's settle on this."

The more he tried to explain, the worse it got. He couldn't listen anymore and decided to skip the topic.