Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Seeing that Yao Jia did not respond, Fusu called out twice more, "Guest Minister Yao, Guest Minister Yao?"

Yao Jia then came to his senses.

He raised his hand wearily and rubbed his throbbing temples, pressing hard with his fingertips as if trying to untangle the tangled mess of emotions in his mind.

"Very well, Zicheng must be feeling very sad after what happened. It's not appropriate to bother him now. Let's save the good news of our youngest son finding his relatives for tomorrow. Perhaps that will bring him some comfort."

After saying this, he straightened his sleeves slightly, seemingly to calm himself down, then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and turned to leave.

Just a few steps out—

"Guest Yao!" Li Yi quickly reminded him, "You're going the wrong way, it should be this way."

Yao Jia paused, staring blankly at the path leading out of the courtyard that he had just walked along, as if he had just realized that he had taken the wrong turn.

He gave a wry smile, slowly turned around, offered no explanation, simply bowed to the two of them again, quietly corrected his direction, and left.

The courtyard returned to silence.

Fusu and Li Yi stood side by side under the tree, watching the figure gradually recede into the distance and disappear behind the pillars.

A breeze swept past the eaves, and a very soft sigh seemed to drift on the wind, carrying a few delicate words that gently reached their ears:

"What a pity...what a pity..."

------

The next morning, Li Yijing stood quietly in front of Zhou Wenqing's bedroom, her finger hovering over the door, not falling for a long time.

Morning light streamed in through the window, casting a thin line of light on the blue brick floor. He stared at the line for a while, took a deep breath, and finally made up his mind to knock gently twice.

"Sir, are you awake? It's time for breakfast."

The silence inside didn't last long. Soon, the rustling of clothes and soft footsteps could be heard. Zhou Wenqing's gentle voice came through the wooden door, slightly hoarse, yet steady and calm:

"She's awake, I'm coming right now."

"Okay," Li Yi was delighted and unconsciously took a step closer, quickly replying, "Sir, please take your time, there's no rush. I'll wait for you outside."

After speaking, he silently retreated, stood with his hands at his sides, and waited quietly.

However, a moment later, the door was gently pushed open.

Zhou Wenqing walked out slowly, dressed neatly in plain white clothes, his black hair tied back in a crown, his appearance tidy and composed, as always. Only his complexion was slightly paler than usual, his lips were pale, and he looked somewhat haggard.

Li Yi's gaze swept over them quietly, taking in the group carefully. Seeing no signs of dejection or sleepless nights, the heavy weight in his heart finally lifted, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Indeed, Physician Lü's calming decoction is extremely effective and produces immediate results. I imagine that yesterday, as soon as they left, the gentleman fell into a deep sleep.

Breakfast was laid out: porridge, pancakes, and two small dishes, all of which were Zhou Wenqing's usual fare. The two sat down at the table one after the other, and the room fell silent for a moment.

Zhou Wenqing picked up the bowl of porridge and sipped it slowly. Li Yi, holding the bowl and chopsticks, couldn't help but glance at him and carefully observe his expression.

Zhou Wenqing put down the porridge bowl, picked up the pancake, broke off a small piece, and chewed slowly. Li Yi's gaze quickly swept over again.

Zhou Wenqing picked up a small dish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, while Li glanced at it again.

"Ugh!"

Zhou Wenqing finally couldn't hold back any longer. He gently put down his chopsticks, sighed helplessly, and turned to look at the anxious-looking person beside him.

"Eat your food properly and don't overthink things."

His tone was gentle and calm, his brows and eyes relaxed, and his demeanor exuded composure and tranquility, as if he had indeed returned to his former self.

"Relax, I've really recovered. He's just leaving, not that we'll never see each other again. Even if we sever ties, it's still better than being separated forever. I'm very open-minded about it."

really?

Li Yi wasn't entirely convinced.

But he didn't dare to point it out. He immediately shoveled two mouthfuls of porridge into his mouth, his cheeks bulging. After chewing a couple of times, he looked up and gave Zhou Wenqing a look that said, "I'm not worried, I'll eat well."

then……

He choked on his own saliva.

"Cough, cough! Cough cough cough!"

Li Yi suddenly turned his head away, raised his hand to pound his chest, his face flushed red, and coughed violently.

"You... sigh!"

Zhou Wenqing was both amused and exasperated. He quickly got up to help him catch his breath, and once he had calmed down, he poured him a glass of warm water and handed it to him.

Li Yi took the water, gulped down two mouthfuls to suppress the choking sensation, lowered his head, wiped his mouth haphazardly with his sleeve, his face still flushed, whether from embarrassment or choking, he didn't know, his eyelids drooping, not daring to look up and meet Zhou Wenqing's gaze at all.

That's so embarrassing!

He, Li Yi, the master's top bodyguard, the dignified commander of the Great Qin Guard—although only temporarily—actually choked while comforting his master!

I need my husband to help me calm down!

Li felt utterly ashamed and couldn't bear to face anyone.

Seeing Li Yi so out of control was a rare sight, so Zhou Wenqing couldn't help but joke:

For a moment I couldn't tell whether I was more down and out yesterday, or whether you had lost your soul.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi lowered his head even further, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet, and could only stammer, "...I'm sorry for making you laugh, sir."

Seeing that Li Yi was about to bury his head in the ground if they continued talking, Zhou Wenqing couldn't help but chuckle, coughed lightly, stopped joking, and changed the subject.

"By the way, where is Fusu today?"

He frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of doubt.

Although he repeatedly said that he was fine, given Fusu's personality, no matter how much official business he had, he would definitely come to see him before leaving, and only after seeing him safe and sound would he feel at ease to leave.

Why is there still no sign of them?

Upon hearing this, Li Yi finally snapped out of his embarrassment, raised his head, his eyes brightened, and quickly responded.

"Sir, it's great news! I didn't have time to tell you yesterday—our youngest son's older brother has been found!"

He spoke quickly and with genuine joy, reporting in detail: "The child just arrived at the prefectural governor's residence this morning, sir. Would you like to see the child?"

He paused, glanced quickly at Zhou Wenqing, and added:

"Young Master, I reckon you would like to see her. The youngest child admires the teacher the most, and the teacher also pities her. He regrets that he was unable to help her find her family and has been regretting it for a long time. So Young Master, you went to Xiao Yuan's place before dawn to verify her identity and also to see how she is doing."

"If things are alright, bring the person back to recuperate and recover quickly so that the siblings can be reunited as soon as possible. Also, let the master meet the person. They should be arriving soon."

Li Yi took half a step forward and tentatively asked, "Sir, would you like me to go and greet them, and try to find out what's going on?"

Sure enough, a hint of joy flashed in Zhou Wenqing's eyes, and the gloom between his brows lessened, replaced by a touch of warmth and vitality.

He immediately raised his hand and waved it lightly, his tone gentle and cheerful: "Go quickly, go quickly."

Seeing the gentleman's cheerful expression, Li's eyes lit up, and his previous embarrassment vanished. He responded with a nod, turned around, and left.

Behind him, Zhou Wenqing rubbed his sleeve, sighed softly, shook his head slowly, and then a faint, gentle smile quietly appeared on his lips.

------

Congratulations to all students who have finished the college entrance examination! We wish you all the best in your exams!

For those of you who haven't finished yet, keep going! It's the last day, so stay calm and remember that perseverance is key to victory!