Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

When Zhou Wenqing first heard Ba Qing point out the two debaters, one defensive and one offensive, praising their complementary personalities and perfect synergy in offense and defense, a faint sense of unease stirred in his heart.

When Ba Qing later specifically mentioned that scholar with ordinary talent and little reputation, yet who was particularly adept at defeating Xun Yan, the strangeness of the situation became even more pronounced.

After that, with each name Ba Qing commented on, the awkwardness in his heart grew stronger.

He understood all the reasoning, and the judgments were all reasonable. He even shared the same thought when he and Yao Jia were choosing people, but... he just couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

Zhou Wenqing felt as if a bone was stuck in his throat, yet he couldn't quite grasp the situation. He listened to Madam Ba Qing's clear and bright analysis, and watched Yao Jia nod repeatedly, but he still felt uneasy, and his brain was racing so fast it was practically steaming.

In the end, Madam Qing said that to win this game, one needed "proper arrangement of events" and "moderate rotation."

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Zhou Wenqing, and he finally managed to grasp the "little tail" of that vague, strange feeling in his heart.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, quickly reviewing Madam Qing's words, trying to suppress that fleeting flash of inspiration.

Zhou Wenqing began to unravel the threads by following the end of the thread.

Why did Madam Qing ultimately conclude that "orderly arrangement and proper rotation" were the only ways to break the deadlock?

It should be noted that he and Yao Jia spent most of the day at their desks, and the most frequent debates when screening people were not about "who should cooperate with whom," but rather "who is capable of being of great use."

After all, the two of them did not initially intend to create a team that could complement each other's strengths and weaknesses and provide a safety net.

In academic debates and theoretical clashes, teamwork is certainly essential, but what truly determines victory and dominates the field is having a top-tier expert.

Firstly, a person's academic insights and theoretical logic are most coherent and self-consistent, making it less likely for opponents to find loopholes and refute them.

Secondly, the people they selected only had three days to get to know each other. It would be quite unrealistic to expect them to cooperate so well and have such a smooth and seamless teamwork.

For this reason, he and Yao Jia went back and forth several times, each with their own biases, and after much deliberation, they were almost about to have a heated debate.

However, considering that there were many younger people around, he didn't lose face.

Of course, even so, neither of them compromised. They could only compromise by adding the two people they each had chosen to the list, and then looking for Sasuke based on them.

That's why he took this list and asked his wife if there were any capable people on it.

However, upon reflection now, it seems that Ba Qing... avoided this issue.

She spoke eloquently about the complementary offense and defense, adapting to the opponent, and rotating the lineup, analyzing the team's tactics flawlessly. However, she left completely silent on the issue that he and Yao Jia valued most and argued about the longest.

Is it because Ba Qing fears the heavy responsibility and is afraid of being implicated, so he deliberately avoids the important issues and tries to protect himself?

It's impossible!

If she were truly afraid of trouble, there would have been no need to spend an entire hour helping them reorganize the files in the first place, nor would she have stayed here for most of the day, accompanying them throughout the process and patiently answering their questions and filling in the gaps, fearing that the information was not detailed enough.

Then... what else could it be?

Zhou Wenqing slowly narrowed his eyes.

A bold guess suddenly arose in his mind.

Perhaps... the reason Ba Qing didn't mention it was because she already had a more perfect candidate to break the deadlock in her heart.

And that person, for some unknown reason, was not on the list that he and Yao Jia had painstakingly compiled, and was not even on the dossier provided by Madam Ba Qing!

Having figured all this out, he stopped tapping his fingers on the table and looked up at Ba Qing with deep eyes.

The other party was discussing the list with Yao Jia in a pleasant conversation, his eyes crinkling with smiles, showing no sign of anything unusual.

Who exactly was this person who raised Madam Qing's standards so high that none of the people they carefully selected could catch her eye, and she even chose to ignore them, while she valued this person above all else?

Furthermore, if you value this person so much, why deliberately conceal him and not even give him the opportunity to be entered into the case file?

Is there some difficulty...?

Layers of doubt lingered in Zhou Wenqing's mind, and he pondered for a moment, but still couldn't figure out the crux of the matter.

He picked up his teacup and took a sip—unable to figure it out, he simply stopped thinking about it!

Today's mental exertion is seriously excessive. If I keep thinking, it's a small matter if a bunch of brain cells die, but a big deal is if I become "extremely intelligent".

Let's just use his best approach and get straight to the point!

He placed the teacup back on the table with a very soft "tap".

"Madam Qing"

Ba Qing, look over here.

"Madam has not yet answered me whether there are any capable individuals on this list."

His gaze was fixed on Ba Qing, as if trying to see deep into her eyes:

"If not, would Madam be willing to recommend one or two individuals for Wenqing outside of the list?"

Ba Qing paused in her light tapping of the roster, a fleeting, almost imperceptible look of surprise crossing her eyes.

Before she could speak, Zhou Wenqing said confidently, "I think Madam Qing certainly has it in her heart."

As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly stood up, solemnly bowed to Ba Qing, and his posture was dignified and sincere.

"This debate at Jixia Academy is crucial to the reputation and prestige of the Great Qin Dynasty. The slightest mistake cannot be tolerated. Wenqing knows that Madam has the big picture in mind and is deeply righteous. There must be a reason why she deliberately concealed herself this time."

He raised his eyes, his gaze sincere and earnest: "No matter the reason, Wenqing really does not want to miss out on such a talented person. Please tell me, Madam, if you can help Great Qin win this battle, Wenqing will be extremely grateful."

As the bow ended, the entire hall fell silent.

Yao Jia turned his head in astonishment, while Wang Ben, Meng Yi, Zhang Han, and the others were all stunned.

What happened? The plot is jumping around too fast, don't leave us behind!

After a moment of silence, Fusu was the first to react.

He quickly stood up and stood respectfully behind, bowing respectfully to Ba Qing with his hands clasped, his eyes full of earnestness.

Yao Jia, Wang Ben, Meng Yi, and Zhang Han exchanged glances and followed suit.

"I humbly request your guidance, Madam, to help our Great Qin secure victory in this battle."

One sound followed another, clear and steady, echoing throughout the room.

Ba Qing was startled and abruptly stood up, stepping aside to avoid him. Her usually composed, elegant, and serene expression crumbled for a moment, a rare occurrence.

Such hospitality is unacceptable!

Even the girl next to her, Aruo, panicked for a moment, her heart pounding.

Although... I hope I won't face retaliation?!

In the stillness, Zhou Wenqing slowly raised his head.

He stood tall and straight, a gentle and confident smile playing on his lips, his gaze clear and open as he quietly looked at Ba Qing, neither urging nor impatient.

Their eyes met for a moment.

Ba Qing was stunned for a moment, then the astonishment in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a helpless yet relieved smile.

She slowly composed herself, regaining her footing, and let out a soft sigh.

"Mr. Zhou is indeed sharp-minded and perceptive, able to see what others cannot."

"good."

She finally stopped hiding her true abilities, nodded frankly, and formally opened up:

"In my heart, there is indeed one person who is capable of breaking the deadlock in this debate at Jixia Academy. If you are willing to use him, we will surely win this battle without any chance of failure."

She paused slightly, her eyes flickering with a hint of probing, before slowly adding:

"However, this person is somewhat unusual. I wonder, sir, would you dare to employ him?"