Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhang Han glanced left at Wang Ben, whose face was full of anger, and right at Meng Yi, who was not giving an inch. A deep sense of powerlessness rose in his eyes. He sighed helplessly and raised his hand to rub his throbbing temples.

Again!

In terms of age and seniority in officialdom, he was clearly the youngest of the three and should have been the most carefree. However, since they started working together on the battlefield day and night, he became the most worried and busy one. He was either breaking up fights or on his way to break up fights every day!

What kind of mess is this?!

With his elite guards all around and countless eyes watching, these two were still openly arguing without any restraint, their noise so loud that even the whistling wind couldn't drown them out. Zhang Han finally couldn't take it anymore.

The dignity of the family will be completely lost.

He stepped forward, forcefully tearing a gap between the two, and inserted himself between them, his voice low but laced with gritted teeth:

"Senior brother, Mengge, stop arguing, let's talk this out!"

Just then, a small cavalry unit finally stopped in front of Liu Bang and surrounded him.

Zhang Han sat upright on his horse, looking down at Liu Bang with undisguised disdain. His gaze swept over Liu Bang's face, which was covered in dust and sweat, his clothes, which were wrinkled and coarse. Finally, his eyes fell on Liu Bang's still slightly trembling legs.

"This man is not wearing armor, dressed in commoner's clothes, and has a slovenly air about him. He is clearly no match for the elite of the Wang and Meng families. Why are you arguing and fighting over him? Be careful not to give him an opening and fall into his trap of sowing discord!"

What? Me! A divisive tactic!

Liu Bang's previously stiff expression instantly cracked. His eyes widened, and he raised his hand in disbelief, his fingertips trembling as he pointed to the tip of his nose, his face filled with shock and astonishment.

You can dislike me all you want, but being caught looking like this, all wrinkled and dirty, is just bad luck, I admit defeat. But what about the divisive tactics?

What did I do?!

He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and swallowed back the grievances that welled up in his throat.

A true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm. If the other side has more people and is more powerful, I will endure it!

"Three young generals, it's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding."

Liu Bang dismounted, hastily wiped his face, tugged at his clothes, and dusted off his body, trying his best to look neat and salvage his image.

Unfortunately, the results were not good.

He had just straightened up when the chestnut horse behind him noticed that its grazing spot had been taken and nudged him with its head in displeasure.

Liu Bang's legs went weak and he staggered forward half a step, his carefully maintained composure shattered in an instant.

Looking up, sure enough, the disdain in Zhang Han's eyes was even more obvious.

Liu Bang: "..."

He took a deep breath, deciding not to argue with a beast. He cleared his throat, forcibly suppressing his embarrassment and awkwardness, and said as seriously as possible:

"I was sent by the eldest young master to greet you all, but I am not familiar with the horse's temperament, so... cough! I am a little disheveled, please forgive me."

Liu Bang's gaze swept over the three men's faces. He clasped his hands in a fist salute, deliberately raising his voice to emphasize each word clearly:

"I am Liu Ji from Pei County. I'm sure Mr. Wei Liao and the other young generals mentioned this in their letters."

Having said that, he straightened his chest slightly, his heart already quietly reassured.

No matter what, he was a meritorious hero who rushed to the aid of Chen County. In Mr. Wei Liao's letter, when he described the process of requesting aid, he must have mentioned his name, Liu Ji.

He was even prepared for these people to fall from grace, apologize, and look at him with new respect.

They're going to say "Excuse me, excuse me" in a bit, what pose should I strike to appear more reserved...?

However, the expected reversal of courtesy and politeness did not materialize at all.

Zhang Han tilted his head slightly, looking at Wang Ben and Meng Yi. The three of them exchanged glances for a moment in the air, communicating silently.

Wang Ben raised an eyebrow: Do you remember this name?

Meng Yi frowned slightly: I don't remember, it doesn't seem to have been mentioned in the letter?

Zhang Han's gaze was firm: The letter clearly only said that we should protect Uncle Zhou, and didn't mention anyone else at all!

The three exchanged glances and nodded emphatically – That's right!

Mr. Wei Liao wrote three whole pages of letters, repeatedly urging and instructing him, saying that Uncle Zhou's journey was fraught with difficulties, as he was constantly being spied on by unknown villains, making it extremely dangerous!

It was also said that it was very likely due to a clash in Uncle Zhou's destiny, and the cause and effect of this was mysterious and profound. Therefore, they were instructed to be vigilant at all times, guard against any negligence, and not to be careless or negligent, so as to ensure Uncle Zhou's safety.

If he finds out that the three of them were easily swayed and fooled, he will definitely ask Generals Wang and Meng to personally clean house when he goes back and meets them!

Thinking of this, the three of them shuddered in unison.

So this person... could he be a spy sent by some scoundrel?

The three young men, who lacked experience in "fighting" Zhou Wenqing, completely ignored the subject that Wei Liao repeatedly emphasized, telling them not to trust him, which was none other than Zhou Wenqing himself.

Uncle Zhou is such a good person, giving them so many valuable gifts as a token of our meeting, how could he possibly lie to them?

It must be a typo, or they misunderstood.

Mr. Wei Liao was clearly warning them to be careful of petty scoundrels who would cheat and swindle them!

As a result, the gazes of Zhang Han, Wang Ben, and Meng Yi toward Liu Bang gradually changed from disdain to scrutiny, and then from scrutiny to vigilance.

Liu Bang felt a chill run down his spine from their stares. He swallowed hard, crossed his arms, and took a half-step back.

"Three, three young generals?"

His voice was somewhat unsteady, and the smile on his face was stiff, like a crumpled piece of toilet paper.

"you……"

Meng Yi raised an eyebrow and sneered, Wang Ben cracked his knuckles, and Zhang Han reached for his waist—

"You scoundrels, prepare to die—!"

"What? No, it's really a misunderstanding, help me!!!"

------

"so?"

Zhou Wenqing sighed, looking at the three young men with a wry smile.

"You just brought him back like that?"

Zhang Han nodded awkwardly, his ears burning red, his voice barely audible, "Who knew he really was Uncle Zhou's entourage... He doesn't look like him at all."

Meng Yi's gaze darted around, his eyes shifting left and right, but he dared not look in Liu Bang's direction. He stammered as he explained, "Originally... we wanted to bring him back for proper interrogation, but who knew... this... has caused a misunderstanding."

"Yes, yes, yes." Wang Ben nodded repeatedly, chuckling in agreement, his smile carrying a hint of ingratiation: "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."

Liu Bang huddled in a corner, looking dejected. His face was bruised and swollen, his eyes were dark and swollen, and there was a small cut on the corner of his mouth.

"Now you know it was a misunderstanding? Didn't I just say... Ouch—! Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch! Lu Wan, be gentle! Are you trying to get revenge on me?"