Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

As soon as Fusu finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.

You could hear a pin drop...

Zhou Wenqing stood behind Li Yi, his previously slightly wary expression instantly turning blank, as if he had frozen in place.

He remained frozen for several breaths before slowly turning his head to look at Fusu:

"Fusu, what... what did you just say? Say it again."

His tone was calm and unhurried, and his expression showed no change, as if he really hadn't heard clearly.

however--

Oh no, danger!

Li Yi almost instantly caught the undercurrent in his husband's tone and immediately realized that something was seriously wrong.

Almost as if by reflex, the moment the man finished speaking, he quickly lowered his body and took a step to the side, his movements so fast and smooth as if it were muscle memory.

Sure enough, the next second, before Fusu could answer, Zhou Wenqing had already turned around, a faint smile seemingly in his eyes:

"Guest Yao, you're 'not good at' discussing philosophy with others—?"

He emphasized the words "not good at" with extra force, as if they had been repeatedly ground before being squeezed out from between his teeth, the drawn-out endings carrying a chilling aura with each word.

In an instant, the candlelight in the room seemed to dim, and the temperature dropped sharply.

Yao Jia felt a blur before his eyes and was caught off guard to meet Zhou Wenqing's smiling but utterly devoid of warmth in his eyes.

Yao Jia: "!!!"

His hair stood on end, and he even stopped breathing.

Under such gazes, Yao Jia even had the illusion that if he dared to nod and admit it, he would be frozen into an ice sculpture that would never melt in the next second.

With his throat tight, Yao Jia struggled to roll his Adam's apple and swallowed hard. A clear "gulp" echoed in the deathly silent room, jarringly loud.

Zhou Wenqing raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly, but in Yao Jia's eyes, this gesture was nothing short of a "signal" that an attack was about to be launched.

His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked away, instinctively taking a half-step back to try and create a safe distance. His voice trembled slightly.

"Zicheng, you...you let me explain first..."

As he spoke, Yao Jia's restless eyes darted around, his pleading gaze sweeping across the room as he desperately searched for something to lean on, his heart filled with anguish.

Help! Where did that thick human wall that was blocking my way go?

How could they disappear without a trace in the blink of an eye!

At this moment, Li Yi was already standing silently and upright in the corner, his hands hanging down, looking straight ahead. His posture was so upright and his expression so natural, as if he was born to be there, honestly playing the role of a "wooden stake".

He felt incredibly fortunate; thank goodness he had dodged quickly and was almost caught in the crossfire.

It's best for me to stay out of this dispute between the two of them. He's just a lowly guard; it's none of his business.

Li Yi stood there nonchalantly, as if he wasn't the one who had just flashed out and instantly blocked Zhou Wenqing's path.

Alas! The master is frail and should not get angry. We must wait until he vents his anger to avoid harming his health. As for Guest Master Yao…

You'd better pray for yourself.

Clearly, everyone in the room thought the same thing. Yao Jia's gaze swept around and around, but not a single person made eye contact with him, let alone offered any help to smooth things over.

Liu Bang seemed to suddenly have a change of heart, his face full of remorse. He grabbed Lu Wan's arm and muttered something like "the injury is so bad" and "I feel so bad" as he led her into the inner room, clearly intending to hide inside and treat the bruises around Lu Wan's eyes.

Lu Wan obediently covered her eyes, grimaced, nodded repeatedly, and followed his steps.

Before crossing the threshold of the inner room, he subtly kicked Fan Kuai's shin, who was standing silently at the very edge, signaling him to follow.

Fan Kuai looked down at the mud stains on his brand-new trousers, glared at Lu Wan, glanced back at the two people inside, and then silently followed her in, carefully closing the door to the inner room behind him.

As for Fusu, ever since he had just revealed the truth, he seemed to have been completely captivated by the intricate carvings on the roof beams. He stared intently at the wooden beams above him, as if the patterns held some lost ancient murals, and he was unwilling to look away from the embarrassed and helpless Yao Jia.

Yao Jia: "..."

They are cold-blooded, heartless, and have no sense of loyalty whatsoever. They actually let someone die without helping them. It's truly despicable!

Isolated and helpless, he could only grit his teeth and turn his gaze back. When he met Zhou Wenqing's eyes, which held a faint smile but were cold and piercing, his throat tightened again, and he awkwardly rubbed his palms together.

"Zicheng, I didn't do this on purpose. It's just that... I originally thought that with your talent, your vast knowledge and wide range of interests, debating and discussing philosophy would be a piece of cake for you. I never expected that you would not often deal with those pedantic Jixia scholars..."

At this point, he recalled Fusu's words in the carriage, which he still found unbelievable, and his mind went blank for a moment.

Such a sect exists in the world!

The teacher of the eldest prince of Qin was completely ignorant of the interpretation of ancient texts! If he didn't know the eldest prince's character well, he would almost think that the other party was making fun of him.

But it's too late now...

Yao Jia straightened his expression, stood upright, and confessed with a heart full of remorse:

"In the end, I was just being too clever for my own good and didn't think things through."

"Yesterday I spent a long time sorting out the situation of all the officials in Qi Court for the eldest son, and repeatedly told him to be cautious and thorough, to understand the details of all parties and to have a thorough grasp of all information. Only in this way can we control the overall situation and not fall into the rhythm of others."

"Unexpectedly, the eldest son acted steadily and without any mistakes, while I was only focused on figuring out the other side's details and neglected the people around me. When the time came, I was at a loss and it was really ridiculous."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yao Jia raised his hand and bowed deeply, his expression solemn. He had completely abandoned the shrewdness and tact of a seasoned strategist, leaving only a solemn and introspective demeanor.

"Zicheng, as an envoy, this is a grave dereliction of duty on my part. Upon returning, I will certainly apologize to the King without hesitation. However, the Jixia Forum in three days is of paramount importance, allowing no room for willfulness or the slightest mistake!"

"If I lose this debate, I will not dwell on what will happen to me for now, but I fear the world will criticize the Qin Dynasty for being tyrannical, lacking in manners, having a declining cultural tradition, and having no scholars to debate with!"

"At that time, the Qin Dynasty will lose face and its diplomatic reputation will be severely damaged. I would rather die than bear the consequences."

He raised his head and looked directly into Zhou Wenqing's eyes.

"Zicheng, it was my negligence that caused this trouble and put you under pressure. I really shouldn't have done that. But now that things have come to this, I'm afraid my wisdom alone is not enough. I can only ask Zicheng to work with me to find a solution and come up with a plan to make amends as soon as possible."

Fusu, who had been secretly eavesdropping, stared wide-eyed, completely unprepared for this turn of events.

At the palace banquet just now, the Qin envoy was impeccably polite and composed. Yao Jia was even more intelligent and composed, managing to stabilize the situation on his own and turning the tide several times, helping him avoid several embarrassing situations.

He thought the situation was perfect and secure, but only now did he suddenly realize that this seemingly insignificant oversight actually concealed such a catastrophic hidden danger.

This……