Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Fusu was completely baffled, his eyes filled with confusion, as he tried to "rescue" the letter.

Zhou Wenqing gently sidestepped, while simultaneously raising his arm to hold the bamboo slips steadily in mid-air, just out of Fusu's reach.

Fusu reached out and tiptoed several times, but he was always a step behind. He dared not move too much, for fear of hurting his teacher in the process. So he could only retreat angrily and stand there looking at his toes, sulking.

—After he goes back, he wants to drink a bowl of milk pudding every day, just like Ah Zhu!

He secretly vowed in his heart that he would grow as tall as his father.

"Remember to downplay your intention to 'hide' things next time you hide something."

Zhou Wenqing raised his hand and tucked the letter into his sleeve, the movement as natural as if he were putting away his own belongings.

"I'll keep this letter for you for now, and return it to you later."

After saying this, he put away the rest of the letters that Fusu wanted to send, and without waiting for anyone to protest, he turned and left.

Fusu: "...???"

He stood there, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

When Father entrusted this task to him, how could he have thought he could deceive the Master? Wasn't that giving him a bit too much credit?

------

On the other side, Zhou Wenqing handed the letter to Xianyang to his bodyguard, watched him ride away until he disappeared from sight, then sighed softly and turned to walk back.

It was late, and the night was quiet. The lanterns under the eaves swayed gently in the wind, casting his shadow long and short.

As he walked, he wondered to himself—had Mr. Wei Liao also sent a letter to Xianyang at the same speed?

Hopefully, he's too late.

Back in his room, Zhou Wenqing sat down at the desk, his gaze falling on the letter brought by Li Sitong and Wei Liao.

He had already read the letter and could tell it was written in a hurry.

The handwriting throughout was flamboyant and unrestrained, a far cry from its usual neat and dignified style. The ink varied in shade, with some parts even bleeding into a blotch. Clearly, the writer had lost his temper halfway through writing, put down his pen abruptly to catch his breath, and then continued.

Even so, it does not diminish the letter's substantial thickness, rich content, and considerable anger.

Where the ink was thick, it almost seemed to penetrate the paper, and he wrote a whole basketful of reprimands.

Zhou Wenqing watched with a wry smile, and he could almost hear Li Si's furious voice in his ears.

"You left with such certainty, promising not to take any risks or act recklessly, and what happened? I shouldn't have listened to your nonsense and let you out!"

"You've grown quite capable, haven't you? So, when you're in the field, you think you can disobey the king's orders? Wait till you return, and see how the king settles this score with you. If I utter even a single word in your favor, I, Li Si, will change my name!"

"Don't take risks, don't rush ahead. How many times have I told you? Do you think you have too much life, or do you think we have too strong hearts? Come back with Mr. Wei Liao obediently, immediately!"

Zhou Wenqing rubbed his ears, feeling as if the voice was chasing him from behind.

He tried to skip over the official matters and only look at the official ones, but he couldn't. Brother Gu'an knew him too well. He mixed the political matters with these reprimands throughout the entire piece. One sentence of official matters was followed by three sentences of scolding, another sentence of official matters, and then five sentences of complaints. He couldn't avoid "listening" to it, and he couldn't skip over it even if he wanted to.

By the time Zhou Wenqing finished reading, he could already picture Li Si writing the letter: his brows furrowed into a deep frown, his grip on the pen creaking, his teeth clenched as he wrote and cursed, the paper almost pierced through by his own efforts.

However, despite the criticism, the important matters were not neglected and were written clearly.

First, regarding the blast furnace iron smelting project, the experiment progressed exceptionally smoothly. The first batch of iron produced was of excellent quality and has been successfully used to forge a batch of agricultural tools and weapons. The king personally inspected and approved the project, and was overjoyed, praising it highly and awarding him a tremendous credit.

However, Li Si did not present the "King's Sword" that Zhou Wenqing had been so eager to offer to the King.

The letter read: "This sword is what Zicheng desires, and should be presented by Zicheng himself. I dare not presume to do so."

Zhou Wenqing felt a slight warmth in his heart when he saw this sentence.

He added, "It's taking up so much space, it's really in the way. If you don't come back soon, believe me, I'll melt it down!"

His lips twitched, and he felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.

It's a pity, though, that I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint Brother Gu'an again, as he doesn't plan to go back yet.

In addition, things are going relatively smoothly at the university.

At first, some powerful and influential officials tried to manipulate the teaching staff and place their own people in positions of authority. Fortunately, Imperial Censor Youwei kept a watchful eye on the situation and chopped off the hands of anyone who dared to make a move.

The Imperial Censor Wei kept his word, acting swiftly and decisively, and was impartial and incorruptible. In addition, Li Si's vetting of candidates was extremely meticulous, to the point that he wanted to dig up every candidate's ancestors for eighteen generations. After several rounds of back and forth, those people saw that there was no opportunity to take advantage of him, so they gave up in frustration.

Forget it, it's just teaching a few lowly people, no need to go up against that stubborn old censor, Wei.

There were also Zhou Wenqing's "disciples in name only," Li Si specifically mentioned them. They all came and studied diligently. He said he had a group of good students, including Ji Ming and Ji Qing, who, like A Zhu back then, also became class monitors.

For some reason, when Ah-Zhu was mentioned, he was only briefly mentioned, with the only words being that he was fine and there was no need to worry about him.

As for the Craftsman's Workshop...

When Zhou Wenqing saw this, the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

The Korean spy who infiltrated the craftsmanship bureau has already chosen a candidate. If everything goes smoothly, judging by the time, that person should have already "successfully" stolen the papermaking technique and is rushing back day and night to "escape".

He leaned back in his chair, gazing at the night view outside the window, and let out a soft breath.

The bait has been cast; now it's up to the King of Han to take the bait.

However, Zhou Wenqing knew in his heart that the King of Han would not refrain from biting.

That man was short-sighted and eager for quick success. Now he was forced into a corner like a trapped beast and had long since reached a dead end. With such a "powerful tool" as papermaking technology being offered to him, why wouldn't he swallow it?

It might even be faster than he expected.

There's no need to wait for him to return from Qi. At this rate, he'll probably arrive in Linzi before Han is destroyed.

As Zhou Wenqing thought of this, his brows furrowed slightly, and his fingers unconsciously tapped twice on the edge of the table, silently calculating the time.

He had to find a way to keep Han Fei calm, at least in a foreign land, to prevent any trouble.

Of course, the most important thing is to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't do anything rash. That written agreement will be needed soon, and we need to figure out what he should say to stir up trouble...

wrong!

Zhou Wenqing suddenly sat up abruptly.

He remembered that Chen County, where they were now, bordered the Korean peninsula.

Chenjun and Han are only a few days' journey apart.

In other words, after some time, the news that Han had successfully stolen Qin's secret techniques would probably reach Chen County even faster than it would reach Xianyang.

Han Fei...