Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Wei Liao stared intently at Zhou Wenqing, his breath low and each word seemingly forced out from between his teeth, uttering each syllable slowly and deliberately:

"So, it turns out I was the one who was unnecessary and got in your way, huh?"

Zhou Wenqing's heart skipped a beat. He quickly raised his head, his face plastered with extreme urgency and sincerity, and words flew out like a machine gun:

"How could that be! Brother, please don't say that. If it weren't for your tireless efforts to come to our aid day and night, we would surely be in grave danger and our lives would be in grave peril—"

"Zhou Wenqing!"

Wei Liao suddenly interrupted him sharply.

"Bang!"

He slammed his palm hard on the table, the dull thud causing the teacup on the table to jump, and the clear water to ripple.

Wei Liao stood up straight, his aura suddenly dropping, and his pent-up anger surged up completely.

Zhou Wenqing suddenly shuddered and, almost reflexively, stood up.

The movement was a bit too abrupt, and the sudden movement caused the scab that had just formed on his knee to be pulled abruptly, which was quite painful this time. However, he frowned very slightly, quietly concealing the slight pain.

He knew he had really gone too far this time, and he couldn't blame Wei Liao, who was usually good-tempered, for being so angry.

The other party traveled thousands of miles day and night, worried about his safety, and rushed over to "put out the fire" for him.

But he was so focused on scheming to get rid of the other party so that he could go to Qi alone. No matter what his reason was, he ultimately betrayed the sincere heart of the person who was trying to protect him.

They were in the wrong first, and then they felt guilty.

Zhou Wenqing lowered his head, pursed his lips, and slumped his shoulders slightly, looking as if he had already admitted his mistake and was prepared to be scolded.

Unexpectedly, Wei Liao suddenly raised his voice:

"Someone come here!"

This won't do!

Zhou Wenqing suddenly raised his head, his pupils shrinking.

Ignoring the stinging pain in his knee, he strode forward, grabbed Wei Liao's arm, and said urgently:

"No, brother, let's talk this out. Why are you calling for help!"

Even in her rage, Wei Liao noticed his hurried steps and staggering figure, and instinctively raised her hand to support him.

But the next second, his arm was firmly grasped, and someone looked up at him earnestly.

"you!"

Wei Liao's heart skipped a beat. Considering his health, she didn't dare to break free for a moment. Just as she hesitated, she caught a glimpse of the doorway out of the corner of her eye.

Li Yi quickly turned around to face the guards who had broken in, his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, his posture upright and firmly blocking the doorway.

Wow, they even prepared this in advance!

The fire in Wei Liao's heart suddenly surged up again.

He forcefully pulled his arm away from Zhou Wenqing's grasp, glared at him fiercely, and, both angry and annoyed, flicked his sleeve and shouted at the guards at the door:

"go out!"

The guards exchanged glances and then retreated in unison.

Still seething with anger, Wei Liao glared coldly at Li Yi by the door, then turned away with his hands behind his back, leaving Zhou Wenqing with only a cold, tense, and furious profile.

This is bad news.

Zhou Wenqing's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly gave Li Yi a wink.

Li Yi understood, nodded silently, and quietly slipped out, gently closing the door behind him.

The room suddenly fell silent, with only the occasional sound of the wind passing by outside the window, making the windowpanes creak softly.

Zhou Wenqing stood behind Wei Liao, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, seemingly wanting to speak but unable to, every word he uttered soundly wrong, and for a moment he didn't know how to defend himself.

After a long silence, Wei Liao finally spoke up.

A deep sigh escaped his lips, the anger from before dissipating, leaving only weariness and worry.

"Ugh!"

He slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Zhou Wenqing, who stood with his head bowed and looking dejected. His tone was full of disappointment and frustration.

"Zhou Wenqing, what exactly do you want me to say to you?"

"Even if you insisted on going to Qi, you should have discussed it with me first. You shouldn't have deliberately deceived me, and you certainly shouldn't have gone to such lengths to try and get rid of me so you could venture into danger alone!"

Every word was sincere, and every sentence was filled with concern.

Zhou Wenqing secretly glanced at his tense expression and felt even more guilty.

If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have tried to be clever and deceive them; I should have just been frank and open about it.

But wasn't he afraid of being tied up and sent away? Just now, it was so close!

Fortunately, he had made arrangements in advance, although... it seemed to have the opposite effect.

Zhou Wenqing took a deep breath, quickly bowed slightly, and respectfully apologized with his hands clasped.

"Brother, I acted rashly, took chances, and deliberately deceived you, thus betraying your kindness and support. Please don't be angry anymore, brother. I apologize to you, okay?"

Before he could bend down, Wei Liao caught him.

Wei Liao didn't speak, but his gaze was already on his knees, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Ugh!"

Unable to bear seeing someone standing there injured, he sighed and reached out to pull over the chair that had been knocked over.

The chair leg scraped against the ground, making a short, sharp screech.

His tone had softened considerably, the sharp anger from before gone: "Sit down first."

Zhou Wenqing noticed the relaxation in his tone, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down a little.

It's good that we can sit down and talk; if we have something to talk about, things will be easier.

But he didn't sit down immediately. Instead, he stood up straight, looked earnestly at Wei Liao, and softened his tone:

"Brother, please take a seat. How could I dare to sit if you don't?"

Wei Liao snorted, turned her head to glare at him sideways, her eyes filled with annoyance, clearly still fuming:

"You only remember to be respectful to me now? Why didn't you remember before?"

Zhou Wenqing smiled bitterly, lowered his eyes, and dared not utter a sound.

He couldn't answer that question. For some reason, his acting skills completely backfired today. Ultimately, he was in the wrong.

Despite her harsh words, Wei Liao pulled up another chair and sat down with a flick of her sleeve.

He turned his head to look at Zhou Wenqing, slightly raising his chin and giving a meaningful look.

"Alright, sit down, Zicheng. Let's have a good talk. Is it absolutely necessary for you to go to Qi?"

Zhou Wenqing squinted and carefully examined Wei Liao's features. Knowing that Wei Liao was extremely well-mannered, and that his expression had softened considerably at this moment, Zhou Wenqing took advantage of the situation, his tone carrying a hint of probing and a fawning smile:

"If my brother promises me that he will not be angry and will not have anyone tie me up, I will sit down."

"You still dare to negotiate with me?" Wei Liao's tone instantly rose a few notches, his eyes widened, and he made a move to get up.

"No, no, please sit down, I'll sit down right away."

Zhou Wenqing quickly waved his hand with an embarrassed smile and obediently went over and sat down.

------

The thesis is finally almost finished. I'm planning to go out with my classmates tomorrow to relax, so I might have to update one less chapter. Please forgive me (・ε・｀).