Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Liu Bang felt increasingly disgusted as he thought about it. He stared intently at the clothes, feeling as if ants were crawling all over his body, and could no longer restrain himself.

He reached out and grabbed his collar, shouting in a rapid, impassioned voice, without thinking:

"Me, like him? Pshaw!"

"What lousy clothes! I'm not wearing them anymore. That wretched Zhao fellow doesn't even dare to compare himself to me! He should take a piss and look at himself in the mirror..."

He was cursing under his breath, but his fingers were already gripping the collar of his shirt. The fabric fibers were stretched so tightly that they made a soft "rip" sound, and it looked like they would break on the spot if he used any more force.

Fan Kuai's pupils contracted.

—Who does Brother Ji call himself "I" in front of?!

"Hey, Brother Ji!"

Fan Kuai was so startled that his voice suddenly soared, and the last syllable of his voice became so frantic that it took many twists and turns. He sprang up from his seat like an arrow released from a bow.

This is bad!

It seems I tried to persuade them too hard and ended up igniting their anger!

Fan Kuai was filled with regret. He should have known better than to deliberately provoke Brother Ji with that Zhao fellow.

His original intention was simply to make Liu Bang realize the truth so that he wouldn't be ridiculed later. He had already lost enough face recently, and he wasn't as magnanimous as Lu Wan. He was genuinely struggling to cope.

But—he didn't want to embarrass himself now, in front of Mr. Zhou!

In a moment of desperation, Fan Kuai moved his right hand so fast it was almost a blur, slapping it over Liu Bang's mouth and silencing the rest of his long string of "I"s. At the same time, his left hand gripped Liu Bang's neck, dragging and pulling him backward.

While hiding someone behind him, he turned around to face Zhou Wenqing, trying to force a clumsy, apologetic smile onto his face.

"Mr. Zhou, please don't be offended, Brother Ji, he, he..."

He wanted to smooth things over, but his tongue wasn't as fluent as Liu Bang's or Lu Wan's. After stammering for a while, he finally glanced at the tea on the table and, as if he had no other choice, explained:

"Brother Ji is drunk on tea!"

"Yes, he drank too much, which is why he was spouting vulgarities and talking nonsense here. But he had no intention of offending you. I apologize on behalf of Brother Ji."

After speaking, he looked at Zhou Wenqing with utmost sincerity.

Zhou Wenqing: "..."

When this honest man is pushed to the limit, he really... will say anything. For a moment, he didn't know where to begin, and after a brief silence, he finally spoke:

"Liu Ji didn't drink anything just now—no, never mind, no need to apologize, I don't care."

Zhou Wenqing paused, his gaze passing over Fan Kuai and landing on the figure still struggling behind them. He pointed and reminded him with a hint of amusement and exasperation:

"Why don't you check on your brother Ji first? He seems... to be about to pass out from being strangled by you."

Fan Kuai turned around abruptly and realized that he had been strangling Liu Bang too tightly and had covered his mouth and nose. Liu Bang's face was already red from holding his breath, his eyes were almost rolling back, and he was tearing at Fan Kuai's arm with all his might, making muffled "woo-woo" cries for help.

"Brother Ji!"

Fan Kuai panicked and subconsciously loosened his grip.

Liu Bang immediately collapsed back onto the cart floor like a puppet whose strength had been drained. He clutched his neck and coughed and gasped for a long time before he could barely recover.

He raised his head, his eyes filled with resentment as he stared intently at Fan Kuai, his voice broken and labored:

"You... Fan Kuai, I was just dressed a little sloppily, and... I really do look that much like that guy surnamed Zhao, are you really going to kill me?!"

"No, I... I didn't! I... I..."

"Alright." Seeing that Fan Kuai could barely speak coherently, Zhou Wenqing helplessly intervened, saying, "Liu Ji, get up first, or your clothes will get dirty again."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bang immediately changed his tune, looking aggrieved as he loudly accused Zhou Wenqing:

"Sir, this clothing has ruined my life, and you're still defending it?!"

Zhou Wenqing's lips twitched slightly at these words—no, he thought, probably no one in this world would speak up for a piece of clothing.

Liu Bang didn't give him a chance to explain. He sat cross-legged on the cart, feeling increasingly frustrated and unlucky, muttering complaints under his breath.

"What an incredibly unlucky day! I was used as a human shield, had a knife held to my throat, and finally got dressed up in something presentable, trying to look like a refined scholar, only to be nearly strangled by my own brother. Is this outfit just bad luck for me?"

"No, you must change now, sir. Don't you have any other spare clothes?"

There are some, but they might not fit, besides—

Zhou Wenqing listened intently as the sounds of horses' hooves gradually subsided outside, and the rumble of carriage wheels grew softer and softer, as the clamor of the accompanying procession completely subsided.

The convoy had already come to a steady stop in front of the outer gate.

There's no time left!

Zhou Wenqing glanced quickly at Liu Bang's "bear in a tight-fitting suit" appearance, forcing himself not to look away. He took a deep breath, and, forcing himself to stay focused, praised him:

"It's not that bad, actually. If you look closely, you do have a certain... unique style in this outfit. Wear it for now, and you can change when you get back."

"Really?"

Liu Bang was half-believing and half-doubting, his fingertips rubbing the belt around his waist, which was hanging precariously due to his sitting posture.

Zhou Wenqing raised his hand to cover his mouth, coughed awkwardly, and finally couldn't help feeling guilty. He avoided eye contact, his eyes darting around, and said quickly in a low voice:

"When you get off the carriage, be the first one to step out. Keep your head down and walk quickly. The people outside will focus their attention on the carriage in front first. When no one is paying attention, slip away quickly."

"I'll get through this, and when I get back I'll have someone tailor-make one, no, ten, ten new outfits for you, and I guarantee that every single one of them will be presentable and stylish, so you can wear whatever you like."

He drew the big cake without hesitation, but made no mention of the blue robe in front of him.

I knew it! The man was lying to me!

Liu Bang curled his lip, increasingly disgusted with the clothes, but he knew the importance of the matter. With the guards standing solemnly inside and outside the outer palace and spies everywhere, it was not the time to fuss over it.

He reluctantly stood up and moved towards the car door, his fingers already hooking the edge of the curtain. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he turned back and said:

"Sir, I don't need the clothes anymore; changing them won't help. Why not just change your name to Liu Bang? That way, I can change my luck and shake off today's bad fortune. What do you think?"

Seeing Liu Bang half-bent over, with most of his body already hanging out of the carriage, Zhou Wenqing breathed a sigh of relief and, almost unconsciously, said:

"Not necessarily. Maybe it's because of your name that you're having such bad luck today?"

"Um?!"

Liu Bang's eyes widened, wanting to ask more questions, but he had already left the carriage. If he lingered any longer and someone saw him, he would lose face big time.

He could only grit his teeth, bend over, lower his head, and leave quickly.

Zhou Wenqing sat in the carriage, stunned for a moment, before belatedly realizing what he had just said.

How did I end up unknowingly playing the role of a charlatan?

Perhaps subconsciously, she didn't want Liu Ji to change his name so easily, to follow fate.

He shook his head slightly, unable to fathom his own subtle thoughts.

Looking up, Liu Bang had already disappeared completely from sight in a few moments, like a big green rat scurrying away.

Moving forward, one after another, the carriage driver Fusu and Yao Jia calmly alighted from their carriages, their dignified postures and imposing manners attracting the attention of more than 90% of the people in front of the outer gate.

It seems that Liu Bang's embarrassing and absurd little episode did not attract the attention of others.

Thankfully, the Qin delegation managed to save face, and Zhou Wenqing felt relieved as he stepped down from the carriage.

However, what he didn't know was—

In a corner inside the outer gate, two people were staring intently at Liu Bang's departing figure.

------

Sorry everyone, I said I would resume updates, but I've postponed it again.

I think it's because it's Monday today, but I received a notification from a company that hadn't contacted me before and that I thought I had failed the interview. I passed the interview.

Although it has nothing to do with my major and is even sales-related, I decided to go and take a look because it's a weekend job and I've been hesitant for a long time.

There is a 7-day training period. Whether it's successful or not, we'll know in a week. So, I'll have to postpone my resumption of updates by another week. Sorry.

Also, I received a lot of encouragement and support from everyone after yesterday's explanation. Thank you!

It's true that finding a job is difficult these days, and everyone is feeling lost. But I still hope everyone will think carefully before acting and plan their future path well.

I chose this path because the atmosphere of preparing for exams is so strong in my hometown that it's almost a "profession".

Finally, I sincerely wish everyone a bright future!