Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Yao Jia's confident composure instantly froze and crumbled, shattering completely. His eyes widened, and his expression of shock and astonishment was exactly the same as Fusu's just moments before.

He was momentarily dazed and even wondered if he was hallucinating.

Who is Zhou Wenqing?

That was the eldest son's tutor, and the mentor of several princes and princesses in the palace!

Digital!

Yao Jia was unaware of Zhou Wenqing's process of accepting disciples, but in his opinion, someone who was highly valued by the King of Qin and who even went to great lengths to entrust all the royal children to his tutelage must be a learned man of impeccable character.

It's not just about being a learned scholar; it also requires someone with profound knowledge, a wide understanding of history and current affairs, exceptional talent, and the ability to speak eloquently... and so on and so forth—in short, someone far beyond the reach of ordinary scholars!

Therefore, although Yao Jia usually felt that Zhou Wenqing's behavior was a bit unconventional and casual, he had already included him in the category of "learned and virtuous scholars" in his mind. He almost without thinking directly accepted that Zhou Wenqing was the first choice to discuss the Dao at Jixia Academy and that he was sure to win.

As a result, Fusu poured cold water on Zhou Wenqing's ideas—Zhou Wenqing was not good at debating principles and morals.

How is that possible!

"Young Master..."

Yao Jia was utterly incredulous, his voice trembling slightly as he stared intently at Fusu's face, trying to find even the slightest trace of a joke in the other's eyes and brows.

"This is absolutely no laughing matter!"

Yao Jia felt he had never been so panicked in his life.

He went to great lengths to guide and facilitate this Jixia Forum, his original plan was to both protect the officials of Jimo and use Zhou Wenqing's eloquent speech to refute the rumors of a "tyrannical Qin," killing two birds with one stone.

He had even planned that when he returned to the outer residence and Zhou Wenqing came to express his gratitude, he would casually sit down with his teacup in hand and say something nonchalant:

"It's just a trivial matter, nothing to worry about."

Then, after waiting for the other party to make a joke or offer some praise, you wave your hand, turn around and leave, keeping your achievements and fame hidden.

Now look what's happened, my dream has been shattered, everything is over.

If we lose the debate, the consequences would be unimaginable!

At this moment, Yao Jia was filled with hope that Fusu was deliberately teasing him.

Unfortunately, Fusu also looked bitter and shook his head helplessly, saying:

"I didn't, Yao Keqing, everything I said is true."

"The teacher was not good at debating principles and doctrines. In his daily teaching, he mostly guided his students to practice what they preached, experience things firsthand, and calmly reflect on them. Even if I had any shortcomings, he always spoke frankly and directly to my heart. He rarely argued with people about wording or classic texts."

"this……"

Yao Jia's heart sank. His throat bobbed violently several times. In a final, desperate attempt, he tentatively asked:

"Is it possible that this is simply Zicheng's teaching style—he doesn't like empty talk, but once he takes the stage to discuss matters, he remains incredibly eloquent?"

Fusu glanced at him with a hint of pity, but still spoke up to extinguish his last glimmer of hope.

"The gentleman once mentioned to me that his school of thought was different from others. They were always unrestrained and unconventional. When interpreting ancient texts and explaining words and sentences, they often did so entirely according to their own ideas, without anyone to correct or restrain them. As a result, almost everyone in his school had their own interpretation of many literary allusions and ancient words, and these interpretations were far from the common understanding in the world."

"The gentleman said that it was only after he left his master's school and entered the world that he suddenly realized that many of the meanings of words he had long understood were far from the correct interpretations."

"In ordinary conversations and discussions, he deliberately avoids quoting classics and drawing on a wide range of sources, so as not to reveal any flaws. However, in the debates at Jixia Academy, the two sides were verbally aggressed and unwilling to give in, and the pace of the exchanges was extremely fast. In the heat of the moment, he inevitably blurted out some things."

"If he were to be put on the forum for debate, and inadvertently uttered an ancient saying with a distorted interpretation, he would not only fail to defeat his opponent, but would also embarrass himself in front of all the scholars in the world."

"Ah~"

Yao Jia was stunned. He responded as if in a daze, his lips slightly parted, as if his soul had already floated out of his body.

Could there really be such an unconventional and free-spirited sect in the world?

Who could have predicted that!

Oh, Zicheng's fellow disciples probably guessed it. Traveling the world, fortune telling, medicine, divination, military strategy, and magic—the people in this sect are all too extraordinary. But—forgive me, Yao Jia, for being just an ordinary person, I really don't have that kind of ability.

If he had known this would happen, he would never have agreed to resolve the situation by sitting on a platform and discussing Taoism. There were other ways, he could have just let Doctor Jimo stay in jail for a few more days to temper his temper. Why was he so bewitched and chose the most "glorious" path?

As a result, he stepped into the pit he had dug himself, and the more smug he was just now, the more he regretted it now.

Now things are settled. The King of Qi has kept his promise, and the platform for the Jixia Academy of Philosophy is about to be set up. The eyes of scholars from all directions will be focused on him, but his biggest trump card has been revealed!

How is he going to explain this to Zicheng?

Wait a minute, Zicheng isn't like Fusu, still happily thinking that Yao Jia's confident and all-encompassing decision to establish the Jixia Forum was because... he planned to take the stage himself and was determined to win, right?

It's over. If he gets off the carriage, he should find a stick to carry as a sign of repentance. Is it too late?

Meanwhile, in the carriage behind, Zhou Wenqing didn't have time to think about so much.

He braced one hand against the carriage floor, shrinking back repeatedly, trying to avoid Liu Bang's intense gaze that was almost touching his face.

"Spirit stones? That's nonsense! If you want them, I'll give them to you. Don't ask again!"

Zhou Wenqing's voice was already tinged with a sense of collapse: "I've already told you I don't have the ability to predict the future, I just threw it randomly! Who knew he'd be so unlucky as to step on it? It has nothing to do with me, you get away from me!"

"impossible!"

Liu Bang remained adamant, his eager gaze fixed on Zhou Wenqing's face, refusing to look away even for a moment. However, his actions were equally decisive; he quickly tucked the wolf-shaped stone into his clothes, covering it tightly, as if afraid the other party might change his mind.

"Sir, you must be an expert in divination and fortune-telling!"

He moved closer, almost cornering Zhou Wenqing in the carriage.

"I heard everything from Guest Elder Yao. Back then, you were still far away in Luoyang, thousands of miles away, yet you already determined that Chen County was harboring unrest and was very likely the source of the trouble. If you couldn't predict the future, how could you be so prescient?"

"As I've already said, it was Madam Qing who informed me of the inside story beforehand."

"You believed her just because she told you?"

Liu Bang still refused to give up and pressed on relentlessly.

"But why was it that when we first entered Chenjun city, that scoundrel Song Yun was wearing a human skin and disguised himself so perfectly that everyone else was fooled, yet you were immediately wary of him and didn't trust him at all?"

"Did Yao Jia tell you that again?"

Zhou Wenqing was helpless. Yao Jia was the first person to believe in his "part-time charlatan" status, so you can imagine how exaggerated his words were.

"It's not a matter of belief or disbelief. Do you think my secret guards are dead? Everything will be verified on its own. As for Song Yun, it's because there's something strange about Chen County. I don't trust any of the officials there. I just tested him, and he just happened to be exposed right away. That's all."

"But we're from Chen County too, how could you believe us?"

Zhou Wenqing almost blurted out, "They've even mentioned Xiao He from Pei County, how can I not believe it?"

He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and instead said, "You guys are obviously not with Song Yun."

"How did you figure that out?" Liu Bang's eyes lit up even more.

You've all been hacked to pieces by Song Yun's men, can't you tell?

Zhou Wenqing stared at him with the look one would give someone mentally challenged.

Okay, Liu Bang realized he had asked a stupid question, scratched his head awkwardly, but quickly regained his enthusiasm and continued to ask a million questions, throwing out the next one:

"And another thing! Guest Master Yao said that when you were still in Luoyang, you foresaw the possible rebellion in Chen Commandery and wrote a letter back to Xianyang, which is why Master Wei Liao was able to come to your aid in time. Isn't that a stroke of genius!"

"That's strategy! Do you even understand strategy?" Zhou Wenqing took a deep breath. "If you don't, go back and ask Xiao He. If he acts differently, he'll surely figure it out too!"

How do you know he could guess it?

"Because he is Xiao He!"

Liu Bang was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes suddenly lit up with an astonishing light.

"Oh, in just a few days, you've come to know Brother Xiao so well?"

Damn, did I let something slip?

Zhou Wenqing closed his eyes with difficulty and barely managed to find a way out:

"...We just hit it off immediately because we shared the same ideals."

"So, sir, we share the same ideals? Otherwise, why would you have readily given me the resounding name 'Liu Bang'?"

Haha, it turns out there was more than one slip-up.

Zhou Wenqing's temples throbbed with pain; he felt utterly exhausted and emotionally drained. In a desperate, dismissive tone, he casually replied:

"Couldn't it have been a slip of the tongue, calling it the wrong name?"

"The pronunciations of 'Ji' and 'Bang' are quite different. Even if it's a slip of the tongue, it's unlikely that they would pronounce it incorrectly, right?"

"And sir, you don't know, but when I hear this name, my heart skips a beat."

He raised his hand and patted the top of his head, his eyes filled with excitement.

"The feeling was like being hit on the top of the head; I can't quite describe it, it was just incredibly strange!"

I've never heard of historical inertia having such a strange effect, that people can actually develop a telepathic connection with their former names!

Was it that Emperor Gaozu of Han was born with extraordinary omens, or was Zhou Wenqing just unlucky, because the other party was particularly sensitive to the name "Liu Bang" and had changed his name, which allowed him to call out the name in advance?

Zhou Wenqing gave up thinking, his eyes vacant, and he leaned numbly against the car wall, like a salted fish stripped of its dreams.