Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Yao Jia was truly taken aback.

Although the prevailing social norms have not yet embraced the outdated and distorted notion that "a woman's lack of talent is a virtue," women already face numerous constraints and difficulties in establishing themselves in the world.

Ba Qing's ability to break through constraints and establish himself in the business world is rare and truly remarkable.

But in the eyes of the world, that is ultimately a "low-class skill," something "running for profit," and not worthy of being considered refined.

Those who consider themselves superior can still smile contemptuously, attributing it to luck, and scoff at it, before continuing to shake their heads and talk big, as if only they are worthy of standing on high and looking down on all living beings.

Although Yao Jia did not have such shallow prejudices, she was well aware of her limitations and never expected that she could break out of the merchant's mindset.

But today, after hearing her remarks, I found them to be insightful and to the point, far surpassing many of the court officials who have been discussing politics for years, and they almost coincided with my own.

Isn't this the kind of thinking behind my open and aboveboard approach to this topic?

Now, through the words of Lady Qing, these profound insights, transcending social status and worldly conventions, naturally shocked and surprised Yao Jia.

Ba Qing smiled and shook his head.

"You flatter me, Mr. Yao. I am but a merchant woman. How could I possibly have any insights? I have simply traveled to many places and seen many things, and have had some occasional thoughts. It is nothing special."

She leaned forward slightly, turned her head slightly, and glanced at the crowd in front of her. Her tone was tinged with self-deprecating humor: "I've been showing off in front of you gentlemen. I hope you won't laugh at me."

Yao Jia did not respond to her words, but shook his head, his gaze becoming more serious than before: "Madam Qing is too modest. There are many merchants in the world, but few have such a broad vision and extensive knowledge as you. In my opinion, if you were to take the stage to discuss philosophy in the future, you would not be inferior to others."

He paused, then sighed, "It's a pity—the Jixia Academy follows ancient rules and strictly adheres to etiquette, with no precedent for women entering. It's truly a shame."

They were clearly lamenting for Ba Qing, but Ba Qing remained unmoved and seemed indifferent. However, A'Ruo, who was beside her, had a fleeting look in her eyes before quickly regaining her composure. But since everyone's attention was on Ba Qing, no one noticed.

Sensing the slightly awkward atmosphere, Zhou Wenqing spoke up at the opportune moment, jokingly saying, "What's there to regret? The Jixia Academy's adherence to old customs and its failure to recognize talent is their loss, while it benefits our Great Qin Academy!"

As he spoke, he stood up, patted his robes, turned slightly to the side, deliberately adopting an exaggerated "inviting the enemy into a trap" posture, and warmly invited:

"Our Great Qin Academy has no such rules. We welcome Madam Qing to come and teach at any time. All the students of the academy will welcome her and listen attentively."

Then, he changed the subject and joked:

"I only hope that Madam Qing won't find the conditions of the newly established academy a bit simple, and that the students are still quite inexperienced!"

"Hahahaha, that's right."

Yao Jia was delighted, his melancholy vanished, and with a touch of pride in his voice, he loudly echoed:

"It was Jia who misspoke. Lady Qing is a virtuous and talented woman of our Great Qin. Why would she want to go to the Jixia Academy?"

He was full of enthusiasm and solemnly invited, "If Madam Qing has any free time in the future, please come to my Great Qin Academy. I, Jia, will personally sweep the lecture hall and arrange your seat!"

Ba Qing smiled slightly and agreed, his tone light and teasing: "In that case, I will respectfully comply and await your arrangements, Guest Elder Yao."

"Good, good, good! Hahahaha!" Yao Jia clapped his hands and laughed.

A burst of hearty laughter immediately filled the room, instantly dispelling the slightly tense atmosphere.

Sunlight streamed through the carved windows, scattering like scattered gold across the desk and making the stacked books glow with a warm, bright light. A gentle breeze wafted through the gaps in the room, dispelling some of the stuffiness.

The laughter was fleeting, and everyone knew that the three-day debate was imminent and there was no time for joking. Zhou Wenqing suppressed his smile and reached out to take the file on the left side of the box that listed the people who could be used.

Just as his fingertips touched the rolled edge, Ba Qing suddenly raised his hand in a gesture of blocking: "Mr. Zhou, please wait."

Her expression returned to calm, her gaze clear and focused, and her reasoning was clear: "This volume lists a diverse number of famous scholars, each with their own strengths. However, to resolve the current predicament, we still need to quickly select someone skilled in philosophical discourse."

As she spoke, she gently moved the scroll to her side with her fingertips, her tone calm yet firm, "Rong Qing will rearrange it and sort it out. It won't take more than an hour before she hands it over to you for careful reading. Why don't you look at the other scroll first?"

Zhou Wenqing thought for a moment and said, "Very well, then I'll have to trouble you, Madam Qing."

Ba Qing nodded slightly, lowered her head and looked down, her fingertips lightly turning the pages as she focused intently on sorting through the list.

On the other side, Zhou Wenqing, Yao Jia, and Fusu bent down and unfolded the dossier on the right. After scanning it at a glance, they truly realized that what Ba Qing said was true.

Not only is what they said true, it's even more so!

Ba Qing's record was far more detailed than they had expected. It meticulously recorded the origins, teachers, styles of discourse, preferences, and even past debating records of dozens or nearly a hundred scholars from various schools of thought and the Jixia Academy, listing them word by word.

Even though Madam Qing tried her best to simplify and summarize when writing, the ink was still densely packed, and at a glance, it seemed as if the entire wealth of the Jixia Academy had been secretly moved over.

The three exchanged a glance, all seeing the same shock in each other's eyes:

This workload seems a bit much!

As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." If you are unsure who will be chosen by the Chief Minister Meng, it is essential to thoroughly understand each person's background and methods in order to be prepared for any eventuality.

How easy is it to read and understand the things that Madam Keqing spent more than three months compiling in three days?

Zhou Wenqing put down the file, his gaze sweeping between Yao Jia and Fusu, his mind racing as he quickly calculated something on the abacus.

Perhaps it's time to resort to a human wave tactic.

He looked up at Fusu:

"Fusu, where are Wang Ben and the others? Why didn't they come with you?"

Fusu was engrossed in memorizing when the teacher called on him. He looked up, as if he hadn't completely pulled himself out of the dense writing: "They..."

He snapped out of his reverie, thought for a moment, and said uncertainly, "Perhaps he's wandering around the market outside."

Zhou Wenqing was immediately filled with questions upon hearing this.

Although Wang Ben and his two companions were young, they were not the kind of people who would be so playful as to not come back to properly watch over the guards, but instead went to stroll through the market.

Fusu noticed his confusion, pursed his lips, and said shyly, "Yes... I sent them."

"For some reason, after the three young generals brought Madam Qing here, they asked me with angry faces where Liu Tingzhang was. I don't know what conflict they had, and I was afraid of delaying your business, so I sent them away."

Zhou Wenqing was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized.

—I almost forgot, Liu Bang still has that black pot on his head!