Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhou Wenqing became more and more excited as he thought about it. One moment he thought it was feasible, the next he found it funny, and his thoughts gradually diverged to more and more outrageous places.

Whether it was the tea or his brain cells being too active, sleepiness vanished without a trace. He simply put his hands behind his back and slowly strolled around the quiet courtyard.

My thoughts drifted back to the events of the day, finally settling on that small figure quietly bowing – Prince Fusu.

"Three hundred thousand elite troops did not rebel against the court..." Zhou Wenqing muttered to himself, shaking his head, his expression a mixture of emotion and regret.

That's 300,000 elite border troops!

Little did they know that in later generations, Li Shimin changed the world with only eight hundred soldiers and single-handedly established the Xuanwu Gate succession system; Zhu Di was even more ruthless, daring to launch the Jingnan Rebellion with only eight hundred personal guards, under the pretext of "purging the emperor's inner circle," and conveniently purged the emperor!

If these two were placed in this time and place, commanding 300,000 soldiers, they would probably have already... cough!

No, no! How can you compare them like that? Prince Fusu was just a military supervisor at the time, and... oh dear, what am I thinking?!

Zhou Wenqing shook his head vigorously, trying to shake off these rebellious thoughts, but the more he tried not to think about them, the more he thought about them.

...At this time, the 300,000 border troops were probably still somewhat inferior to the elite troops of Li Shimin and Zhu Di in later generations.

Putting aside everything else, at least in terms of equipment, it's lacking.

"Speaking of which... weren't Takahashi saddles and horseshoes still around in this era?"

Once the thought popped into his head, he couldn't suppress it any longer. Zhou Wenqing turned around abruptly, no longer hesitating, and strode straight to the study. He pushed open the door, lit the grease lamp, and began to sketch.

First, the structure of the Takahashi saddle is described, with a focus on the arches of the front and rear bridges supporting the rider. Next, the shape of the horseshoes is shown, with the material and the principle of fastening noted in small print.

After finishing the last stroke, he put down his brush, picked up the silk scroll, and examined it closely under the lamp. Although it was somewhat simplified, the key points were clear and concise. The corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, forming a satisfied and slightly smug smile.

"Hmm, not bad," he muttered to himself. "This thing will be useful soon, so it's good to finish drawing it sooner."

With his worries gone, Zhou Wenqing's tense mind finally relaxed. He yawned deeply and felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him, making it hard to keep his eyes open.

He turned off the light, staggered back to his room, barely managed to take off his coat and shoes, and collapsed into bed.

……

The next morning, Zhou Wenqing felt as if all the bones in his body had been dismantled, and his head felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead. He could barely open his eyelids and could only stare blankly at the ceiling, his heart filled with resentment that had nowhere to go.

Yes, I was rambling to myself late at night, but "persona," oh "persona"! Good heavens! Do you even know what a "persona" is?!

It's fake! It's definitely fake!

That's a "veil" that you put on when you need it and take off when you don't! It's a means! It's a tool!

I didn't mean to be bedridden just because I caught a chill in the evening! What good is being sick right now, other than making me dizzy and feeling awful?!

He tried to move his fingers, but they felt weak and sore. He tried to clear his throat, but only managed a hoarse, breathy sound. The burning sensation on his forehead made it clear without hesitation that this wasn't acting; he really had a fever.

It's just...absurd.

Just as he was about to laugh at himself in exasperation, he heard light footsteps outside the door, followed by Fusu's deliberately soft childish voice: "Sir? Are you awake? It's time for breakfast."

Zhou Wenqing: "..."

In his current state, let alone maintaining the wise and detached demeanor of a teacher, he even has difficulty sitting up normally. Before he could even begin to cultivate his public image, reality has already given him a harsh lesson.

His image as a teacher has probably been shattered before it could even be established.

Zhou Wenqing was somewhat withdrawn; he valued first impressions quite a bit, after all… he cared about his image.

In the eyes of the enemy, his first impression could certainly be that of a frail, sickly man who might fall ill at any moment and die young. That was fine; it could even be considered a clever and perfect disguise. He didn't mind.

When it comes to his own people, he becomes a bit concerned about his image; his physical condition affects his reliability.

Especially in front of Fusu, the student he had gone to great lengths to bring to his side, his first impression of him should have been that he was wise, composed, trustworthy, and reliable.

Unfortunately, ideals are often grand, but reality is often harsh.

Zhou Wenqing closed his eyes, somewhat unwilling to face all of this.

He secretly gritted his teeth and vowed never to think about "persona" again. Although no one knew his plans, but... Ugh, it was so embarrassing.

Tomorrow I'll go to the system space and learn all of those Eight Pieces of Brocade and Tai Chi!

He reluctantly pulled the blanket up, burying his burning face completely under it, as if that would shield him from the knocking and hide his embarrassment.

Unexpectedly, Fusu knocked lightly on the door for a long time, but still did not hear a response from his master. After hesitating for a moment, he pressed his ear to the door and faintly heard a suppressed cough coming from under the covers. He was worried.

Li Si and Li Yi were already waiting in the front hall to eat together. Fu Su had volunteered to call Zhou Wenqing since he hadn't arrived yet, and he didn't dare to delay any longer, so he hurriedly ran back to the front hall to call for him.

The two adults knew Zhou Wenqing's constitution and were startled. They jumped up, ignoring the low stool they had knocked over, and ran towards Zhou Wenqing's room.

As Li happened to be passing by the study, he glanced at it out of the corner of his eye and subconsciously said something.

"Why is the study door open?"

"No way?" Li Si clearly remembered that he was the last to leave last night and he closed the door himself.

He subconsciously turned around and looked inside. The morning light was shining through the crack in the door, clearly illuminating the desk—the brush and ink were laid out, and the silk scroll was half-rolled up, clearly indicating that it had been used the night before.

A silk manuscript?!

"Oh dear! It seems Brother Zicheng got up in the middle of the night to study something again. He hasn't put away his pen and ink yet. It's chilly at night; he might have caught a cold."

"Guard Li, go and fetch the doctor immediately. I'll go and see Brother Zicheng first."

Upon hearing this, Li Yi snapped back to reality, responded with a "Yes," and hurriedly turned and rushed out of the courtyard.

Li Si had already strode to Zhou Wenqing's door, pushed it open, and luckily it wasn't bolted, so he went straight in.

"Brother Zicheng, how are you?" Li Si's voice preceded his arrival.

Zhou Wenqing was seen leaning against the couch, his face flushed an unnatural red, his lips dry, and a few strands of hair stuck to his forehead with cold sweat. He looked quite disheveled.

This was after he heard footsteps and managed to tidy himself up; otherwise, it would be unacceptable for others to see him curled up in the blankets like a caterpillar.

"Look at you!" Li Si strode to the bedside, reached out to test the temperature of his forehead, and found it burning hot. His brows immediately furrowed, feeling both heartache and anger.

"How late did you stay in the study again last night? Brother Zicheng! I really have to talk to you this time. What could be more important than your own health? There's plenty of time in the future, a little while won't make a difference! Health is the foundation, how can you... how can you be so careless about your health?"

This wasn't the first time he'd caught Zhou Wenqing burning the midnight oil in his study. Previously, when the village children started classes early, he'd been working on compiling a dictionary as soon as possible, just like that.

"Brother Gu'an, please stop criticizing me..." Zhou Wenqing pleaded in a hoarse voice, "Fusu is still here!"

"I've noted it all down... First, give me some saliva to moisten my throat."

"Ugh!"

Seeing Zhou Wenqing's sickly appearance, Li Si's anger deflated like a punctured balloon, leaving only deep worry.

He shook his head, turned around and poured a glass of warm water on the table, tested the temperature before handing it over.

Watching Zhou Wenqing sip water, Li Si couldn't help but mutter again, "You really need to take better care of your health. It's fine to study hard during the day, but the night wind is cool and the dew is heavy, which is very bad for your body. I know you are very talented and often have a burst of inspiration, but you still need to prioritize, right?"

He became more and more serious as he spoke: "Zhou Wenqing, you must know that you are a true pillar of society. You yourself have said this before—people are more important than objects, so you must take care of your own health first."

Fusu stood on tiptoe by the door and looked over. She saw that her husband was struggling to even lift his hand to take the cup, and his little face was almost scrunched up.

Just now, Mr. Li Keqing said "again"... Does this happen often, sir?

The gentleman doesn't seem to be in good health, but he's still working so hard.

Moreover, not only is the gentleman highly regarded by the King, but even Li Keqing speaks highly of him...

Fusu had originally become a disciple because of his father's approval, but now he felt a genuine respect for him.

He clenched his little fists secretly, determined to follow his teacher and study hard—that's right! His teacher is not in good health, so he must be diligent and not let his teacher work too hard.

Zhou Wenqing was completely unaware of all this. While listening to Li Si's nagging instructions, he was still secretly annoyed about how to salvage this "sickly" first impression. The more he thought about it, the more his head ached, and even his temples began to throb.

Just then, Li Yi arrived in a hurry, leading the old doctor, followed by Ying Zheng, who had rushed over upon hearing the news. Before they even arrived, their voices preceded them. Ying Zheng pushed open the door and asked, "How is Brother Zicheng?"

How could even a slight cold have alarmed the King of Qin! Zhou Wenqing sighed inwardly.

"Forget it, there's no hope," he thought, completely giving up and abandoning all thought. As his spirits lifted, his vision suddenly went black, and his body slumped to the side.

"Brother Zicheng!"