Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhou Wenqing first raised his hand and gently patted the top of Azhu's head, who was so anxious that he was stamping his feet and spinning around in circles, his face flushed, signaling him to calm down. He said in a gentle voice, "Don't be impatient."

Then, he turned his gaze to the two little babies staring at him expectantly and shook his head slightly.

"I only told you that you made a mistake, that you need to apologize to me, and that you will be at my mercy if you do anything wrong in the future, and that you will listen to my teachings. I did not agree to take you as a disciple."

"What's the difference! Besides, didn't you just say you were going to discipline me?"

Hu Hai immediately objected, his brows furrowing and his nose wrinkling. His words, however, were surprisingly logical: "You're not my father, and you're not my teacher, so what right do you have to tell me what to do?!"

"Oh? So you know that a teacher can discipline a disciple, and a disciple must obey the teacher."

Zhou Wenqing was almost amused by his childish yet arrogant logic.

Instead of scolding him, he stood up straight with composure and looked down at Hu Hai.

"Such a young age, yet such a temper and such high aspirations... but... aren't you overestimating yourself?"

He paused briefly, his tone slightly teasing: "Why don't you ask your father how many people in this world are eager to teach you, how much effort it would take for your father to find you a teacher?"

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng turned his head to the side quite naturally, his gaze drifting towards the branches of the tree in the corner of the courtyard, as if he had suddenly become very interested in the veins of the withered leaves.

It's alright, it's alright. It was difficult to find a doctor before, but now someone has taken over.

He didn't care about titles or anything like that. Since Minister Zhou had already agreed to discipline him, the rest... could be dealt with slowly.

However… Ying Zheng’s lips twitched. It seemed that Zhou Aiqing did not seem to like his youngest son.

Wang Jian glanced at Zhou Wenqing, then at his king, and finally crossed his arms with great interest.

Hu Hai opened his mouth, but he wasn't completely clueless. He vaguely sensed his reputation as a little devil in the Xianyang Palace. He was speechless for a moment, his face turning a little red. He looked away unconvinced, his toes unconsciously grinding the pebbles on the ground.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiao Yinman quietly moved back several steps, grabbed her father's leg, and hid half of her face behind Ying Zheng's robe, only revealing her bright eyes, casting a sympathetic yet relieved glance at Huhai.

How pitiful! I didn't expect this man to be so sharp-tongued. Luckily, I wasn't the one being scolded!

"Sigh," Zhou Wenqing sighed softly, seemingly helpless, "It's only because I have a relatively easygoing nature and have been friends with your father that I'm willing to discipline you as an elder. What's wrong with an elder disciplining their nephew on behalf of a friend?"

He changed the subject again, looked Hu Hai up and down, shook his head, and spoke with undisguised criticism.

"As for taking you as a disciple... tsk tsk!" He clicked his tongue. "With your current temperament and aptitude, you're far from qualified. You're not good enough."

Having said that, he ignored Hu Hai's eyes, which widened instantly and were almost spitting fire, and also disregarded Yin Man's slightly open mouth in surprise at this blunt evaluation. He turned around and looked towards the corridor not far away.

There, Fusu stood quietly. Ever since his younger siblings started making a ruckus, he had maintained a proper silence. However, his slightly lowered eyebrows and somewhat tense posture revealed a hint of loneliness and suppressed disappointment at being ignored.

Zhou Wenqing smiled warmly and waved to him.

Fusu's eyes suddenly lit up, and the slight grievance and disappointment he felt just moments before were instantly replaced by joy.

He almost immediately strode forward, stopped in front of Zhou Wenqing, tried to calm his slightly rapid breathing from jogging, and respectfully cupped his hands in greeting, his voice clear and respectful: "Sir."

"Um."

Zhou Wenqing smiled and agreed, extending his hand to place one hand firmly on Fusu's shoulder, while taking Azhu's small hand, which was slightly clenched due to nervousness, in his other hand.

"If you want to become my disciple, you need to state your conditions." His gaze was calm, and a unique air of authority and expectation from a master suddenly rose from his body. "I naturally have my own rules for accepting disciples."

He looked again at the defiant and sullen-faced young Hu Hai.

Zhou Wenqing exerted a little force, gently leading Fusu and Azhu forward half a step, as if displaying two carefully cultivated seedlings that had already begun to show their potential.

"Only those who are upright in character, diligent in their studies, and respectful of their teachers are qualified to enter my school and become my disciples."

"You are not worthy."

Having been repeatedly provoked, Hu Hai was now absolutely furious and shouted:

"You...you, you, you! You're so annoying! Who wants to be your disciple!"

However, Zhou Wenqing did not react at all, but just looked at him calmly, which made Hu Hai so angry that he jumped up and down and raised his voice.

"Don't be so smug! If you can't do what you said you'd do in ten days, and make sure I can't ride my horse, then you'll be ashamed of yourself!"

Zhou Wenqing looked at the furious, flailing little boy in front of him, raised an eyebrow slightly, and said in a calm tone that was even more cutting: "Whether I lose face or not, it doesn't matter if you're not qualified to be my disciple."

"Ahhhhh!"

Hu Hai was utterly enraged by this unyielding attitude, and knowing he couldn't win the argument, he stamped his foot, turned around, and charged towards his father like a cannonball, burying his face in Ying Zheng's legs and refusing to let go, crying out...

"Father! Father, please teach him a lesson! He bullied me! I'm so angry!"

Help you, you brat, teach Zhou Aiqing, whom I went through so much trouble to persuade, a lesson? How could that be possible!

Ying Zheng didn't even lift an eyelid. He reached out and precisely grabbed Hu Hai by the back of his collar. With a slight pull, he lifted the little pendant up. His face was stern and his expression solemn.

"I think Brother Zicheng's words are all reasonable. Look at yourself now, shouting and yelling, showing no manners whatsoever. You should be disciplined!"

"Be quiet, or you'll get your butt dirty!"

Hu Hai was lifted into the air, his short legs wobbling. He looked up in disbelief, his hand instinctively covering his aching bottom, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Father!"

"What are you shouting for?" Ying Zheng remained unmoved. "Stay put and reflect on your actions."

He intended to hand this little troublemaker to Zhao Gao, who was standing to the side, but he suddenly stopped halfway through the action, and with a flick of his wrist, he actually put the person back into Li Yi's arms.

Zhao Gao felt a chill in his heart, filled with fear and panic. He couldn't help but let a hint of resentment flash in his eyes as he looked at Zhou Wenjing, which was caught by Ying Zheng, who was secretly observing him.

Ying Zheng's eyes darkened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and said with a smile, "Brother Zicheng, don't bother with this brat."

He turned to Zhou Wenqing, his tone rather ruthless, "Be beaten if you need to be, punish if you need to be punished. This kid is very resilient; he won't know how to behave if he doesn't get a beating in a day."

"Brother Shengzhi is joking. How can we shout for a fight every day?" Zhou Wenqing shook his head with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the little face in Li Yi's arms, which was still puffed up with anger. However, his tone subtly changed.

"However, young children are still developing and their minds are not yet settled. If they are indulged and misbehaved, they are likely to become arrogant and go astray. It is necessary to strictly discipline them in a timely manner and help them distinguish right from wrong."

"Brother Zicheng, what you say is very good!" Ying Zheng's eyes lit up and he immediately seized the opportunity.

He stretched out his arm and pulled Jiang Lu and Gao Ye, who were standing quietly to the side, closer to him. He placed his warm hands on the two children's shoulders and said earnestly, "That boy is a bit naughty, but look at these two, they are calm and have a sincere desire to learn. Brother Zicheng, why not let them be together..."

Zhou Wenqing knew exactly what he was planning. Before he could finish speaking, she calmly bent down, looked at the two well-behaved but somewhat excited children beside her, and interrupted him in a low voice.

"Qiaosong, Azhu, do you still have any questions about what I just said?"

With an encouraging look, he patted the two men on the shoulders and said, "If you have any questions, take this opportunity to explain them to you in detail."

After speaking, he straightened up, met Ying Zheng's gaze, and smiled earnestly, his reasoning sounding quite natural.

"Brother Shengzhi, the children must be exhausted from their long journey. It's a pity that my humble abode is too small to accommodate so many people. Why don't we let them go back and rest properly first, and discuss the rest another day?"

Are you kidding me? You think you're treating this place like a daycare center, cramming all your children here? Absolutely not!

Seeing his clear attitude, Ying Zheng knew that he would not get his wish today. He could only sigh inwardly. Fortunately, the master-disciple relationship between his eldest son Fusu was settled, so the trip was not in vain.

"Very well." He composed himself, turned to Meng Wu and Zhao Gao who were standing to the side, and instructed, "Guard Meng, escort the children back and make proper arrangements for them."

He paused briefly, then turned his gaze to Li Si, who was trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible: "And Brother Gu'an, the children are young and need more care on the road. I'll trouble you to help look after them as well. Brother Zicheng and I still have some things to discuss. With the King... guards here with us, we can rest assured."

He almost blurted out "General Wang," but quickly corrected himself. He secretly felt a bit troubled, wondering when he would be able to lure Zhou Aiqing back to Xianyang.

His gaze briefly met Wang Jian's, who stood silently guarding the door like a pine tree, and he nodded slightly.

Li Si: "!!!"

They really kicked me out?!

"Brother Shengzhi," he couldn't help but take half a step forward, trying to make a final struggle, "Actually, I..."

"With Brother Gu'an by my side to look after me, I am naturally at ease." Ying Zheng interrupted him without allowing any further explanation, "Brother Gu'an, just go ahead."

While the others were just excuses, it's true that Minister Zhou's courtyard is a bit small.

No rush... cough! Please send one out. He still wants to spend the night with Minister Zhou... no, then let's talk during the day, which will be a good opportunity to strengthen the bond between ruler and subject.

Of all the people in the courtyard, only Li Si is the most suitable.

We haven't had dinner yet, we can't just kick the cook out, can we?!