Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

The clamor, pushing, and shouts that had been rising and falling in the hall finally ceased, leaving only a mournful groan floating forlornly in the air.

It was the latter that won.

His fall was quite solid; he clutched his lower back with one hand and frantically fiddled with his crooked and slipped hair ornament with the other, his hairpins and tassels disheveled and askew, looking utterly disheveled.

Several eunuchs rushed over, supporting his back, pulling his arms, and helping his shoulders. After a lot of effort, they finally managed to half-carry and half-drag the stunned Prime Minister Qi to his feet.

Hou Sheng's brows furrowed deeply, and he gasped intermittently, groaning softly, "Ouch... ouch..."

Zhou Wenqing glanced at him, then at the Jimo doctor who had been successfully subdued, and his lips twitched violently twice.

Okay... alright then.

Although the process was completely different from what he had expected, at least the person was saved.

It was a lucky accident.

After a long while, another voice joined in, coming from under the imperial desk.

Accompanied by the soft rustling of fabric and the clumsy sounds of moving, Qi Wang Jian, who had been hiding under the table and pretending to be dead the whole time, finally dared to peek out.

He first quickly scanned the area to make sure that Doctor Jimo was firmly pinned down and had no chance to struggle, then he let out a long breath and slowly crawled out, supporting himself on the table leg.

The young eunuch quickly stepped forward to help the frightened king straighten his disheveled robes and assist him as he sat back on his throne.

His disheveled and embarrassed appearance had been witnessed by all the court officials and envoys from various countries. He felt that all the dignity he had ever possessed had been lost in this place. A huge sense of shame surged into a raging fire, making his chest feel heavy and his face turn ashen.

Enraged, King Qi Jian slammed his hand on the imperial desk, then pointed at the person pinned down below the steps. His neck veins bulged, and he roared furiously, his voice high-pitched and shrill:

"This...this madman, how dare he defy his superiors in court! He's completely insane!"

"Guards! Throw him into the death row! Tomorrow—no, today! Execute him immediately! I want to skin him alive, tear him apart, and dismember him!"

He shouted those last few words with extra force, his face contorted in a grimace, as if he wanted to regain the face he had just lost.

The doctor from Jimo was pinned to the ground, his mouth gagged, unable to speak, but his eyes were like two quenched knives, piercing straight at the person at the head of the table.

King Jian of Qi felt a sudden, inexplicable fear as he was stabbed. His furious aura dissipated almost instantly, and he instinctively turned his head away, avoiding eye contact.

But he quickly realized that he, a dignified monarch, could not be intimidated by a mere subject. Shame and anger erupted within him, and King Qi Jian became even more enraged, his face turning purplish-red as he slammed his hand on the armrest of his throne and roared angrily:

"Are you all deaf? What are you waiting for? Get to work!"

"promise!"

Several guards then exerted all their strength, clumsily supporting the doctor from Jimo and trying to drag the struggling man out of the hall.

Zhou Wenqing immediately realized this wouldn't do!

He had finally met a local official who was a rare find, and he had only just glanced at him when he realized he was about to lose him.

Although it is very difficult to abduct or subdue someone, well... anything is possible, so we have to let him give it a try, right?

What if... this doctor from Jimo loves his people more than this absurd royal court?

It's not impossible... right?

So, while the physician of Jimo was struggling, King Qi Jian was shouting angrily, and everyone in the hall was focused on the center of the hall, Zhou Wenqing took half a step forward without making a sound, nudged Yao Jia in the back, and whispered a few words to him.

Yao Jia understood, glanced at the physician of Jimo, nodded slightly, stood up, straightened his robes, and said loudly:

"King Qi, please wait."

All the officials in the hall turned their gazes to Yao Jia, who had stepped forward with his hands behind his back, and their hearts skipped a beat.

Oh no! Today was supposed to be a grand welcoming banquet for the Qin envoy, a time when etiquette and music should have been in place and guests and hosts should have been in harmony. Instead, a minister has caused a huge disturbance by rebelling against his superior in court.

The Qin envoy is about to cause trouble; he's likely to be interrogated!

Some people were already sweating profusely, and Hou Sheng's face was pale and ashen. His injured back was still hurting so badly that he couldn't stand up. He could only quickly give a look to the experienced ministers behind him, desperately trying to find someone to step in and smooth things over.

The senior officials felt their scalps tingle under his gaze. Watching Yao Jia calmly walk towards the center of the hall, they were extremely flustered. They quickly exchanged glances, their brows furrowing in a tense standoff: You go? I won't go! You go!

The entire hall was filled with anxiety and unease, everyone felt like they were sitting on pins and needles, except for one person whose thoughts had completely gone astray, who failed to grasp the oppressive atmosphere of impending storm in the hall.

Taking advantage of the moment when everyone's attention was fixed on Yao Jia and no one was paying attention to him, Liu Bang crouched down and quietly sidled up to Zhou Wenqing. His eyes shone with an astonishing light, filled with excitement, and he asked in a low, slightly excited voice:

"Sir, I am utterly convinced! Previously, Mr. Yao Jia said you were a master strategist with unparalleled wisdom, and I thought he was just praising you and exaggerating. But after meeting you today, I realize you're not just a master, you're a god descended to earth!"

"That fat, cough! Prime Minister was running away in such a panic, yet you were able to predict his movements so accurately, without the slightest error. It's amazing! Could you teach me?"

He secretly smugly calculated: if he could learn even a fraction of this extraordinary skill, not only would he gain immense prestige when he returned home to drink and boast with his brothers, but more importantly—

It will surely leave Brother Xiao, that overly composed and taciturn guy, completely astonished and make him look at me with new respect!

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He couldn't help but move forward another half inch, his face filled with eager desire as he stared longingly at Zhou Wenqing.

What are you talking about?

Zhou Wenqing was speechless, feeling both amused and exasperated.

Helplessly, he raised his hand and gently pushed Liu Bang's head away a little, who was leaning too close. He was about to tell him to behave himself and leave.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bang's gaze drifted and landed directly on the wolf-leg stone lying quietly on the floor tiles in the center of the hall—at this moment, Yao Jia was approaching step by step, and was already very close to that stone.

Liu Bang immediately understood.

"Sir, I understand... Could that round object be a rare spirit stone?"

Zhou Wenqing: "..."

He remained silent for a moment, but Liu Bang took it as tacit agreement. He quickly glanced up at Zhou Wenqing's expression, then looked down at the stone, looking annoyed.

"Oh dear! Sir, how could it be convenient for Yao Keqing to do this in front of everyone?"

"You should have told me earlier. I know this stuff well. I could have easily smuggled it back for you without any effort."

What is all this about?

Zhou Wenqing was speechless.

Sometimes he really wanted to crack open the head of this famous ancestor and see what was inside.

How can your thinking be so unique?

That makes sense, after all, when most people see the First Emperor's carriage, their first reaction should be one of awe, not "I want one too!"

Helpless, he had no time to explain and simply muttered, "Don't talk nonsense, it's not true, go back."

"Oh." Liu Bang retreated dejectedly, his eyes still fixed on the amulet.