Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

But these three on the side...

Yao Jia's eyes darted around again, landing on the three young generals who seemed indifferent to the matter, and he clicked his tongue almost imperceptibly.

These three were as steady as Mount Tai, each with an air of "what does it have to do with me?" Their eyes, apart from admiration, at most held a hint of anger—"Is this guy showing off that he has an older sister?"—without the slightest awareness of self-improvement.

Tsk tsk tsk! No wonder it's always you guys who get scolded.

However, with Ba Qing's strong endorsement, Jiang An's genuine talent and ability, and Jiang Ning as a figure to rely on, Yao Jia's concerns had largely dissipated.

So—Zicheng, what are you really thinking? Is Jiang An any good or not? You should at least give us your opinion. Why haven't you made a move all this time?

Yao Jia held a teacup in one hand, pretending to be skimming the tea foam, but actually glancing at Zhou Wenqing out of the corner of his eye, waiting for him to speak.

Zhou Wenqing, however, was engrossed in his own terrifying imagination, his eyes half-lowered, seemingly listening but not really, remaining completely still, making Yao Jia wonder if the steam rising from the teacup had blocked his ears.

Ba Qing's discerning eyes were incredibly sharp; his gaze swept over everyone present, and he had already seen that their hearts were already wavering.

A glint of light flashed in her eyes, and she had already made up her mind. She gritted her teeth and seized the opportunity to speak:

"Everyone can rest assured. In my opinion, the outcome of Jiang An's appearance on the platform is the least of our concerns. Therefore, the special thing about Jiang An that I mentioned earlier is not this, but rather... Jiang An's identity."

"Or rather—it lies with Jiang Ning."

She paused, her gaze fixed on Zhou Wenqing, and said, word by word:

"If I may be so bold as to ask Mr. Zhou, if Jiang Ning's reputation is completely ruined, would you still dare to employ Jiang An?"

Um? ! !

Upon hearing this, a sudden surge of emotion welled up in Zhou Wenqing's eyes, his thoughts abruptly pulled back to reality, and he shuddered.

What happened? He just thought about it and didn't do anything yet, so how did his reputation get ruined?

Fantasy has become reality?!

Oops, no, what are you thinking!

Zhou Wenqing quickly shook off that jumble of thoughts, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Ba Qing's face, his tone carrying a hint of urgency he hadn't had time to control:

"What happened?"

Ba Qing did not answer immediately; she turned her head and looked at Jiang An beside her.

Jiang An had already stood up, his back still taut and his chin slightly clenched, as if he had anticipated this scene. He did not flinch, but met Ba Qing's gaze with composure and nodded very slightly.

Ba Qing withdrew his gaze, took a slow, deep breath, and then spoke in a low voice:

"Jiang Ning once abandoned his hairpin and donned coarse clothes, disguised himself as a man, and mingled with the Jixia Academy for several years, where he ascended the platform to discuss learning. Later, when his identity was exposed, he was expelled from the academy."

"hiss--!"

Zhou Wenqing gasped, his face filled with shock, and blurted out:

"She actually did it?!"

Ba Qing was waiting for everyone present to digest this shocking secret when he suddenly heard this. He was slightly taken aback, turned his head to look at him, and a hint of surprise and doubt appeared in his eyes. He tentatively asked:

"Mr. Zhou... why did you use the word 'truth'? Could it be that you had heard some rumors beforehand?"

Zhou Wenqing paused for a moment after being asked the question, then realized that his words had been somewhat inappropriate, and quickly waved his hand:

"Cough! No, it's nothing, it's just... I just didn't expect that a woman would dare to do such a shocking thing, so I lost my composure for a moment."

As he said this, his gaze involuntarily fell on Jiang An, and the deep meaning in his eyes could not be hidden.

No wonder.

No wonder he sifted through his memories of famous figures and stories in the literati community, searching high and low, but could not find even a trace of "Jiang An".

It turned out to be the case.

The confusion that had been swirling in his mind for most of the day seemed to be gently brushed aside by a hand.

It seems that when Jiang Ning's incident occurred, not only was her own reputation completely destroyed, but it also implicated her and her brother, forcing them to hide in the city, conceal all their talents, and never easily show themselves in public.

It is precisely for this reason that the name Jiang An is completely unknown among scholars, unable to appear legitimately in the files compiled by Madam Qing, and has no chance to rise to prominence—naturally, he has no way to leave his name in history.

Yet this very same unknown man, who had recently stood in the hall with a straight back and clear eyes, had single-handedly silenced Fusu, Wang Ben, Meng Yi, and Zhang Han with his words, leaving them speechless and defeated.

Just because of one woman, their so-called academic hall, which is open to the world and embraces all opinions, has been "tainted"...

Zhou Wenqing suddenly felt that it was somewhat absurd.

He gently curled his fingertips on the edge of the table, and his gaze toward Jiang An unconsciously gained a layer of indescribable complexity.

Perhaps misunderstanding the strange look in Zhou Wenqing's eyes, Jiang An's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly took half a step forward.

His movements were hurried, as if afraid that others would misunderstand his sister even slightly. He gripped his sleeves tightly with both hands, and his voice unconsciously rose a few decibels, carrying a stubborn refusal to yield:

"My sister is innocent, sir. Please believe me, my sister is innocent; they are the ones who are wrong!"

"They're just jealous of my older sister!"

Jiang An's chest heaved violently, a fire that had been suppressed for too long burning in his eyes, and his voice rose a few decibels:

"My elder sister's talent is second to none. Isn't the Jixia Academy using the guise of recruiting talented people to promote its own incorruptibility and engage in gossip? My elder sister also climbed up the ranks step by step through her own talent and learning. What does it have to do with anything else?"

His throat bobbed violently, as if he were trying to suppress the surging emotions within him, but he couldn't. His eyes reddened slightly, and his voice sounded a little hoarse.

"My elder sister, in just five short years, went from an unknown student to a lecturer. Her policy essays were praised by even the chief scholar. Her analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the current situation was secretly copied by envoys from various countries. In the academy, many poor students were able to stand out because of her guidance."

"What right do those good-for-nothing maggots have to criticize my sister!"

He shouted out this last sentence with almost all his might. His fingers, which were gripping his sleeves, had turned white, and his voice finally broke down. The last syllable carried a sense of exhaustion after exerting too much force. He stood there trembling slightly, his eyes filled with grief, indignation, and resentment.

Those words seemed to have been bottled up inside him for too long, supporting him for so long, that when he finally let them out, it was as if something had been pulled away from him. He swayed, leaned against the table, and slowly bent over, his voice low, hoarse, and trembling, as if squeezing them out little by little from the depths of his throat:

"Why... my older sister is so good, she has helped so many people, why...?"