Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

"Speak."

Wei Liao looked up at him, her tone flat, revealing neither joy nor anger, yet exuding an imposing calmness.

"What exactly is your reason for insisting on going to Qi?"

Just as Zhou Wenqing was about to answer, Wei Liao saw through his prepared words and cut him off.

"Don't try to fob me off with that old rhetoric about the Jixia Academy being a gathering place for brilliant minds and seeking talent for the country."

Wei Liao's gaze darkened, locking onto his brows and eyes, her expression suddenly becoming solemn.

"When I came here, Gu'an specifically asked me to convey a message to you in person. These words are what I have been thinking, and they are from the bottom of my heart."

His gaze was open and earnest, and his words were deep and powerful:

"I believe that there are thousands of scholars and countless talents under heaven, but even if all of them were added together, there would be no second talent like you, Zhou Wenqing. Great Qin can lack a hundred officials and a thousand scholars, but it cannot lack you. If you try to recruit others and improve the court, it will put you in danger and cause you to make mistakes. That would be an irreparable blow to Great Qin."

Wei Liao looked directly into Zhou Wenqing's eyes, as if trying to see into his very soul, and said, word by word:

"Zicheng, you must understand this."

Zhou Wenqing was taken aback upon hearing this.

He looked up and was caught off guard by Captain Liao's completely sincere and unvarnished eyes. His ears instantly turned slightly red, and he subconsciously looked away, not daring to meet his gaze again.

This wasn't the first time someone had praised him like this; the last time... it was the King.

He was indeed moved at the time, but he only thought it was because the king valued his talent and wanted to keep him, and he never really took it to heart.

But this time, Wei Liao solemnly declared that these were his heartfelt words, leaving no room for doubt, yet Zhou Wenqing... felt it was burning hot.

It was so hot that he couldn't sit still. He wished he could stand up and walk around a couple of times to get rid of this unease that he didn't know where to put his head.

Zhou Wenqing thought to himself, if others might not know, how could he not know—how could he possibly be worthy of such high praise?

I have never been a genius, I have no photographic memory, no strategic planning talent, and no extraordinary innate knowledge.

In Zhou Wenqing's mind, he had only been lucky enough to glimpse the rise and fall of the next thousand years. By relying on the accumulation of that thousand years of civilization and standing on the shoulders of countless predecessors and giants, he was able to see a bigger picture and come up with a few more good strategies.

Papermaking, salt production, plow making, education... which of these was his own idea? Which of these did he not benefit from the work of his descendants?

Because he knew that all his abilities came from external forces rather than from his own exceptional talent or profound knowledge, he was always mindful of his own shortcomings and never dared to slack off for a single day.

Before implementing any policy, he would consult with the King of Qin and discuss its merits and demerits repeatedly with ministers such as Li Si and Wei Liao.

After all, there are countless cautionary tales in historical records, just like Wang Anshi. His new laws were intended to benefit the people and were not wrong. However, due to factional strife, weak foundation, and being out of touch with reality, he was too hasty and ultimately left behind only a mess.

Zhou Wenqing couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't follow in his footsteps.

Therefore, his insistence on going to Qi to seek out talented people, even to the point of disregarding his own safety, was never out of arrogance or willfulness, but precisely because... he knew his own shallowness.

Just as Zhou Wenqing said, everything he used was of the finest quality. Moreover, he was young and powerful, favored by the king in the court, assisted by close friends, respected by officials, and loved and respected by the common people in the countryside.

While feeling incredibly fortunate, Zhou Wenqing also harbored deep-seated pressure and...fear.

He feared that one day he might go astray, that the light he had borrowed might not be bright enough, and that the great ship of Qin might veer off course because of his own limitations.

A century of humiliation, how heavy the burden!

Therefore, he wanted to find the true pillars of the Qin Dynasty, those who could support this land even without him. He wanted to make the foundation of this great building more solid and the beams and pillars more stable.

When the golden age is established, and when those truly talented individuals are settled in their positions and support the world, even if they retire quietly after achieving their goals, the Qin Dynasty will no longer need to rely on their "unstable" glimmer of light and can continue to move forward steadily.

That was his true "success".

Zhou Wenqing was unaware that his daily dedication to paving the way and planning for the benefit of the world had already transformed him into the kind of unparalleled pillar of society he aspired to be.

After a long while, he finally raised his eyes, his gaze complex yet still somewhat hesitant, his voice dry and hoarse:

"Brother... and Brother Gu'an, you flatter me too much. I, Wenqing, am unworthy of such praise."

"well--!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Liao sighed softly.

Judging from Zicheng's expression, you can tell he still hasn't figured it out.

It was all for nothing...

It's only natural that people of his age would feel proud and arrogant if they achieved such success, even if they weren't boastful or conceited.

Why is it that when it comes to Zhou Wenqing, he always seems to underestimate himself?

Wei Liao couldn't understand and shook his head inwardly.

Oh well, let him be. Zicheng has always been like this, gentle and reserved. There's no rush. There's plenty of time. In time, he'll realize his own worth sooner or later.

The most important thing right now is to bring this worrying boy back to Xianyang safely.

So he ignored Zhou Wenqing's humble words, his expression serious, his tone leaving no room for argument:

"In short, if you continue to come to Qi only under the pretext of 'searching for talent,' I absolutely cannot accept it."

"Not to mention that the people we met this time, such as Hu Kui, Shen Liang, Xiao He, and Cao Can, are enough to support the current needs of the court. Moreover, when the academy is fully established in the future, our Great Qin will surely produce many outstanding talents. Why should we worry about a lack of talent?"

Wei Liao stared intently at him, issuing her final ultimatum:

"Zicheng, if you have no other sufficient reason to convince me, then our trip to Qi is off. You will return to Xianyang with me immediately."

The topic suddenly shifted back to business, and Zhou Wenqing, who had been feeling uncomfortable from the praise, quietly breathed a sigh of relief and felt much more at ease.

He held his breath slightly and quickly sorted out his thoughts.

The reason...

It seems that Mr. Wei Liao has done his homework before coming here—he has even figured out the reasons he gave to the king before leaving, as well as the ideas about the future of the academy that he only talked about with Li Si. It is clear that he will not give up until he brings me back.

However, he finally figured out the root cause of his repeated acting mishaps today.

Brother Gu'an, thank you so much!

He mentally reopened the ledger he had just marked for Li Si, and made another heavy note, but his face remained expressionless. He straightened his body slightly and looked at Wei Liao.

"Wenqing understands. Wenqing thanks you, brother, for giving me the opportunity to explain the whole story in detail."

"As for the reasons, when Wenqing was sent to Xianyang, it was indeed primarily to seek out and recruit talented individuals, but now..."

"Brother, have you forgotten whose name this delegation is currently operating under?"