Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Li Si was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter: "Brother Zicheng, you truly have a keen eye! Even I didn't know I possessed such a thing. Now that you've spotted it, you must keep it safe for me and don't forget to return it tomorrow!"

"You don't need to return it today."

He calmly took his seat, appearing completely relaxed as if he were watching the play.

His ability to "take things in stride" leaves one unsure whether to praise him or sigh at him.

Zhou Wenqing shook his head helplessly, speechless for a moment. He just muttered under his breath, "Isn't he afraid of corrupting the child?" and let him be.

He knew he couldn't outwit a scholar of Li Si's caliber in a verbal contest, but...

Brother Gu'an, you've delivered yourself to my door, so don't blame me. It's perfect, it saves me the trouble of trying to get you out.

Speaking of which, shouldn't that person be arriving soon?

In the blink of an eye, he was already settled in the rocking chair. His gaze swept over the two "prospective disciples" sitting properly opposite him, slowly circling them twice. After a moment of silence, his fingertips rubbed the handle of the rocking chair.

Where should we begin this "casual chat"?

When Zhou Wenqing remained silent, both children tensed up, especially Azhu, whose nervousness was practically written all over his face. He wasn't sitting very steadily, his body leaning slightly forward, his little hands tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, his eyes fixed on Zhou Wenqing, afraid of missing a single word.

Fusu was also nervous, but the more nervous he was, the more serious he looked. Although he was not used to sitting on the low stool, he still straightened his back even more, placed his hands properly on his knees, and pursed his lips into a tight line.

Zhou Wenqing snapped out of her daze, taking in their expressions, and couldn't help but smile, softening her tone: "Don't panic, we're just chatting casually. Say whatever comes to mind, just tell the truth."

One was six years old, and the other was nine. They were not far apart in age, but there were obvious differences in their backgrounds, knowledge, appearances, and physiques. Zhou Wenqing found it amusing that these two children regarded each other as rivals.

Upon hearing this, Ah Zhu nodded vigorously, his little tuft of hair swaying adorably. Fu Su, on the other hand, nodded slightly, his demeanor dignified and refined, displaying the gentle and elegant demeanor of a true gentleman.

Zhou Wenqing suddenly felt that if he had a folding fan in his hand at this moment, and gently waved it, the charm of the teacher asking the child would be even stronger.

What was that called again? Two children arguing about the sun! Let him pretend to be Confucius for once.

Tsk! It's such a pity. Once he masters papermaking, he must make a paper folding fan!

He composed himself, his face remaining impassive, and first looked at Ah Zhu, speaking in a casual tone as if chatting about everyday matters: "Ah Zhu, did you go to the fields with your father the other day?"

"Yes, sir," Ah-Zhu nodded. Although he didn't know why the sir was asking this, his expression relaxed considerably because of this ordinary question.

It was just casual conversation!

"Good boy," Zhou Wenqing praised first, then gently changed the subject, "Let me ask you this: if one day you and your father are busy harvesting grain, and suddenly someone jumps out, grabs a sack of grain, and runs away, what do you think you should do?"

"What?! Isn't that theft?!" Upon hearing this, Ah Zhu was furious. Someone actually dared to steal grain! He immediately became agitated, his face turning bright red, and blurted out the answer without thinking.

"We have to hurry and chase after them to get it back! One bag of grain is enough to feed our family for many days!"

Zhou Wenqing nodded and followed up with, "What if we can't get it back?"

"How can we not catch him!" Ah Zhu was even more anxious, almost standing up. "There are so many people in the fields. If I chase after him and shout, everyone will help to surround him. If I still can't catch him, I'll memorize his face and then report to the authorities, asking the village magistrate to take charge!"

(Note: The official was referred to as "告" at this time. The word "告" is written as "告" and does not sound right when written as a single character.)

Food is the bottom line that every farm child must uphold. How could Ah Zhu not be worried that his family would go hungry!

Li Si listened from the side and nodded to himself. Although A Zhu's answer was naive and childish, it was still quite organized and methodical.

Zhou Wenqing remained noncommittal, then turned to Fusu: "Qiaosong, as far as you know, if this were reported to the authorities, how would such theft be punished according to the law?"

Fusu immediately replied, "The punishment should be determined according to the value of the stolen grain and the law of theft."

After speaking, he paused, his face slightly embarrassed and somewhat annoyed, but he still answered truthfully: "It is just that my knowledge is still shallow and I do not know what specific punishment should be imposed. Please enlighten me, sir."

It's already quite good that he can judge according to the law. Zhou Wenqing felt very gratified. It seems that the Confucian scholars who enlightened Fusu have not dared to completely abandon the Qin law and blindly instill Confucian classics.

Heaven knows how panicked he was these past two days, lying in bed and constantly hearing Fusu reciting Confucian classics.

My dear seedlings, don't let them get too big to bend!

He nodded and comforted her gently, "That's enough. As long as you know to check the 'Theft Law,' you won't make a mistake."

"However..." He raised an eyebrow at Li Si, "Right now I have no legal texts on hand, so how about I ask Brother Gu'an to fill in?"

Brother Zicheng is becoming more and more unscrupulous. Li Si's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously glanced at the courtyard gate before letting out a sigh of relief.

However, since things had already come to this, he had no objection and simply said, "According to the law, anyone who steals more than a hundred coins' worth of grain will be branded and sentenced to hard labor on the city walls; if the amount is less than a hundred coins' worth, he should still be made a servant."

In other words, if the stolen grain was worth more than one hundred coins, one would have one's face tattooed and be sent to build city walls or do hard labor until death. If the stolen grain was worth less than one hundred coins, one would have to shave one's sideburns and beard and become a slave of the government, doing the dirtiest and most tiring work for the rest of one's life.

Upon hearing this, both children gasped in shock.

Although they had a vague understanding of the severity of Qin law, the clear articulation of such specific and brutal punishments still shocked them.

Zhou Wenqing observed their expressions and waited until they had processed the shock before slowly speaking again, presenting a more complex situation.

"Let's think about this more deeply. What if this person who stole the grain wasn't a habitual thief, but rather someone whose parents were seriously ill and on the verge of starvation, leaving them with no other choice but to resort to this desperate measure... Qiaosong, Azhu, what do you think we should do then?"

"Ah!" Ah Zhu exclaimed in surprise, lowered his head, frowned, and fell into deep thought.

This problem is more difficult than the one before.

Fusu was visibly taken aback, his delicate brows furrowing slightly. After a moment of serious contemplation, he said, "I believe... since the law is established, theft has indeed violated the law and should be punished regardless, but..."

His small hands, resting on his lap, unconsciously clenched lightly, and his voice betrayed his inner turmoil.

"His theft for his parents is an act of filial piety. Perhaps after verifying the facts, he could be given a lighter sentence? If the student were a neighborhood clerk, perhaps... perhaps he could be given a bag of millet to fulfill his filial duty."

These words subtly hinted at a combination of Confucianism and Legalism, which secretly pleased Zhou Wenqing—it seemed that Fusu at this time was not as stubborn as later generations had described.

"But buying a bag of grain costs a lot of money!" Ah Zhu couldn't help but interject. "Where will this money come from? The village head can only buy it once, can he buy it every time? If he doesn't buy it, then the grain still has to be returned to my family!"

He sounded increasingly aggrieved as he spoke, his little face scrunched up, and he was on the verge of tears. "My family lost our food supply, we're so pitiful!"

A bag of grain weighs as much as a bushel. If it is lost, how will they pay their taxes and eat?

He doesn't want to go hungry!

"Yes, yes, of course we have to return it!" Zhou Wenqing was amused by Azhu's strong sense of empathy and quickly reassured him, "Of course we have to return the grain to your family, it's only right and proper."

Just then, Li Si, who was listening in, suddenly coughed lightly.

Oh, here you are.

Zhou Wenqing glanced at it out of the corner of his eye.

I knew that Li Si couldn't resist mentioning the law, so much so that he even named himself after it. He truly loves the law deeply.

You've fallen for my trap. Did you really think I set up this whole setup just to test the two kids?

and also……

He looked up at the treetops—there had been a few sparrows chirping just moments before, but now none were to be seen.

It came later than I expected.

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Hey everyone, the book's rating is out! It's a bit low, and to be honest, it's a bit discouraging. Could you please raise your lucky hands and give it a five-star review? Thank you so much!