Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

As Fusu had hoped, his father did not abandon him in the end!

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Ying Zheng walked to his side and placed his hand firmly on his shoulder. Although he did not look down at him, Fusu was already very satisfied that he did not have to face such a difficult problem!

Ying Zheng looked up at Zhou Wenqing, his voice tinged with concern: "It seems Brother Zicheng has encountered a little trouble?"

Zhou Wenqing gave a wry smile, cupped his hands and said, "It was indeed Wenqing's oversight, but fortunately this child helped, and everything is fine now. I haven't thanked him yet."

"Hahahaha, it's nothing, no need to thank me!" Ying Zheng laughed heartily, patting Fusu's shoulder quite forcefully as he laughed.

Fusu's face flushed red as he tensed himself: chest out, stomach in, steady his stance! His father patted him, he absolutely couldn't shake it!

"This...this is no small matter!" The old man beside him was extremely anxious. Seeing the intimate behavior between Ying Zheng and the child, he dared not act rashly. He could only suppress his anxiety and forcefully maintain his politeness, asking, "Forgive my poor eyesight, but I do not know who you are...?"

Could it really be Li Keqing? But his clothes... sigh, I hope so, otherwise so many children in the village will be involved...

Zhou Wenqing's gaze swept between Fusu and Ying Zheng's faces, and seeing the subtle resemblance between their brows, he understood most of the situation.

"Oh, old man, don't be in such a hurry," Ying Zheng said calmly, as if he were remarking on the pleasant weather.

"I am but a merchant, relying on the meager wealth accumulated by my ancestors to make a living. This child is indeed my son. As for that jade pendant, it was truly made by Li Keqing. I once did him a favor. If he knows about today's events, he will handle them properly. He will not pawn it and will never disturb Brother Zicheng's teaching again. You can rest assured."

Zhou Wenqing listened from the side and sighed inwardly: This lie, apart from the first sentence, is not a single word is false. As expected of Zu Long, his level of language art is really high!

"W-what?!"

After hearing this, the old man was not relieved at all. Instead, he felt a rush of heat to his head, saw stars before his eyes, and his heart was pounding wildly. Before he could catch his breath, he swayed.

"Hey, hey, hey! Old man! Be careful!" Zhou Wenqing reacted quickly and stepped forward to support his swaying body, gently patting his back to help him catch his breath.

"Don't rush, don't rush, inhale... Yes, exhale... Slowly, inhale again..."

The three elders, supported by him, took several breaths to catch their breath before pointing shakily at Ying Zheng, their fingers trembling.

"You, you scoundrel! Putting aside whether what you say is true or false, do you know how serious a crime it is to establish a private school? Not to mention Minister Li, how could any important official in the court dare to deceive the emperor and cover up such a disaster! Who do you take the current king for? He is such a wise and mighty monarch, how could he tolerate such a speck of sand in his eyes!"

Before he finished speaking, the courtyard became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was stunned!

Pointing his finger at the King of Qin and calling him a "scoundrel," his reason for doing so was his firm belief in the King of Qin's wisdom, martial prowess, and strict adherence to the law... This scene is truly one of a kind in history!

Zhou Wenqing's lips twitched, and he quickly glanced at Ying Zheng. He saw that the King of Qin, who had been called a "brat," not only showed no anger, but also raised his eyebrows slightly.

Li Si's gaze was quite complex as he stared at the three elders... their heads full of white hair.

He knew the king well and knew that although his words seemed offensive, they were in fact loyal to the king's affairs, and the king would not blame him.

This old man, no wonder he lives so long!

As for Li Yi, he reacted very quickly. He had quietly disappeared the moment the king entered the courtyard and was now hiding among the tree branches. He was so startled that he almost stumbled and fell.

Fusu stared wide-eyed at the old man, whose beard trembled with anger yet whose every word defended his father's authority. He then glanced furtively at his father's expression, his little head filled with profound confusion and a strange...awe?

Fusu quickly shook his head, trying to shake off these chaotic thoughts.

Ying Zheng remained silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled softly. The chuckle was not loud, but it broke the tense atmosphere in the courtyard.

"Please don't worry, sir," he said calmly and patiently. "Think about it, this child is my own flesh and blood. If I were to lie, wouldn't I be dragging him into danger as well? A merchant like myself would never do something so unprofitable."

That makes some sense. This child is clearly well-raised and might even be the eldest son, so he would definitely be valued and would never be easily abandoned.

The old man's expression softened slightly, and he believed much more.

But his brows remained furrowed as he looked Ying Zheng up and down. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly asked another question.

"Since you have such confidence in your jade pendant, why didn't you step forward and explain yourself? Instead, you had your young son deal with it. If you had personally presented the jade pendant and explained, wouldn't this have saved you all this trouble, and you wouldn't have needed to... make up so many stories?"

Ying Zheng's expression stiffened almost imperceptibly. He raised his hand to cover his lips and coughed lightly twice.

Why else? Naturally, it's to make Fusu perform well in front of his future husband, so that he won't be outshone by others.

This opportunity was truly coincidental, it came at just the right time, and fortunately my son lived up to expectations, handling it quite brilliantly.

But... why is this old man's question so tricky, always hitting the nail on the head? How could he possibly say such things out loud?

"Well," Ying Zheng said calmly, "I saw him from afar, but I was held up by some trivial matters, so I let my son go ahead."

The three elders stared at him suspiciously, clearly not entirely convinced. Their lips moved as if they wanted to ask more questions.

Seeing this, Ying Zheng knew he couldn't let this meticulous old man continue questioning him, otherwise things would only get worse.

He glanced quickly at Li Si, giving him a subtle yet clear look.

Quickly find a way to get this old man out of here!

Li Si immediately understood, a warm smile spreading across his face. He stepped forward and subtly positioned himself between the three elders and Ying Zheng.

"Oh, old man!" Li Si said gently, "Your concern for your hometown is truly admirable. Fortunately, today's matter has been resolved satisfactorily. You see, the sun is rising and the wind is blowing hard in the courtyard. You've been standing for so long, your legs must be tired. Why don't I take you back to rest?"

As he spoke, he casually reached out and gently supported the three elders' arms, using a subtle force that showed both respect and a way to guide them away without leaving a trace.

Distracted by his question and noticing the varied expressions on the faces of the people in the courtyard, the three elders knew that further questioning would likely yield no results. They could only sigh heavily, shake their heads, and, supported by Li Si, turn and walk towards the courtyard gate, muttering to themselves:

"You young people... you act rashly and without thinking things through. I hope you don't really cause trouble and implicate the village..."

Li Si repeatedly replied, "Don't worry, sir," and "Absolutely not," half-persuading and half-seeing off the old man as he led him out of the courtyard. Only after the old man's nagging voices faded into the distance did he turn back and quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

Ying Zheng's tense shoulders relaxed, and he gave Li Si an approving look.

Li Si's anxiety finally subsided; it seemed the king still trusted him.

There was no need to worry too much. Ying Zheng did indeed think that Li Si handled things properly and was quite to his liking. This approving glance was also intentional.

They understood each other to some extent, and Ying Zheng had long anticipated that Li Si would be anxious and have wild thoughts because of that jade pendant.

However, I changed my residence yesterday, moving to a place near the fields so that I could easily inspect the two new agricultural implements when they are tested.

All personal belongings had to be moved along with the trip, including those left behind by Li Si during his brief stay.

The jade pendant was of decent quality. He saw it, played with it for a while, then casually put it in the carriage and forgot about it. That was all.

As for worrying that Li Si might have some ulterior motives.

The King of Qin said: "Let alone one Li Si, even if ten or eight of them were gathered together, I could still control them."

Now that the uninvited guests have left, and the children have been led away by Li Yi, the courtyard has finally returned to its former tranquility.

Ying Zheng turned around, his gaze falling on Fusu beside him. He cleared his throat, preparing to formally introduce his son to Zhou Wenqing.

"Brother Zicheng, this is my son..."

He had just begun to speak when he suddenly stopped.

What name did Fusu give himself again?

Just now, Ying Zheng's attention was entirely focused on observing the child's demeanor and quick wit in dealing with Li Dian, seeing how he responded to the questions and how he kept the situation under control... As for the name he casually mentioned, it became the least important detail and he didn't bother to remember it.

Ying Zheng remained calm and composed on the surface, but a faint sense of embarrassment swept through his heart—for him, this was indeed a rare oversight.

Fortunately, Fusu reacted quickly. Seeing his father pause slightly, he immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed respectfully to Zhou Wenqing, his voice clear and articulate:

"This humble one, Zhao Qiaosong, greets Mr. Zhou."