Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Wei Liao was focused on traveling when suddenly a group of people appeared at the fork in the road ahead. The leader had a booming voice that startled his horse, causing it to rear up with a "whoosh".

He pulled hard on the reins to steady himself, looked up, and his expression changed drastically when he saw who it was.

Wang Jian! How could he be in this direction?!

Looking behind him again, Wei Liao's heart sank even further.

The man dressed in ordinary clothes, yet exuding an air of dignified composure, calmly gazing at him—who else could it be but King Ying Zheng of Qin?!

The King of Qin actually came after us in person?!

"Mr. Wei Liao, have you taken a stroll and gotten lost? Xianyang Palace isn't in this direction. Come, come, let this old man guide you!"

As General Wang Jian spoke, he spurred his horse forward slowly, seemingly casually, but in fact, precisely blocking the path in front of him.

The surrounding guards also silently deployed, forming a loose but not disorganized encirclement, far away and out of their sight, neither too aggressive nor allowing him any possibility of forcibly breaking through.

Who could get lost and wander this far?

Wei Liao frowned, knowing that this escape was a long-term plan and could not be explained away by getting lost. Moreover, he was determined to leave and did not intend to back down easily.

"Your Majesty, I, Liao, acknowledge my limited knowledge and abilities, and fear I am unable to..."

"Hey hey hey hey—! Get out of the way!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a sharp exclamation.

Suddenly, a figure darted out from beside the King of Qin.

Zhou Wenqing's face was pale, his hands gripped the reins tightly, the veins on the back of his hands bulged, and his knuckles turned white from excessive force.

The long, full-speed gallop had already exhausted his strength. He hadn't shown it while riding, but his whole body was already stiff. At this moment, he couldn't even complete a simple action like lifting the reins and stopping his mount. He was about to stagger and rush towards Wei Liao.

Who is this?!

Wei Liao was greatly alarmed. He no longer cared about his words and instinctively yanked the reins, swerving his horse several steps to the side of the road to narrowly avoid the danger.

He looked up in shock and saw the man swaying on the horse, clearly unable to control himself, his body about to fall!

"Mr. Zhou!"

General Wang exclaimed in surprise, and without bothering to stop Wei Liao, he spurred his horse forward and, with a swift and precise strike, seized the reins of Zhou Wenqing's black horse.

The horse reared up in pain, but he managed to stop it in place with the force of his single arm!

"Mr. Zhou, can you still hold on?!" He caught Zhou Wenqing just in time.

It doesn't look good.

After finding Wei Liao, Zhou Wenqing breathed a sigh of relief, and the strength he had been holding on for suddenly dissipated. His face turned deathly pale, and fine beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. If Wang Jian hadn't reached out and half-lifted him to steady him, he would have almost collapsed and slid off his horse.

"Minister Zhou!"

Ying Zheng shouted urgently, dismounted, and rushed forward in three steps.

"General Wang, let go quickly. Don't pull so hard. Let your beloved minister get down slowly. I'll stand here and protect you. Nothing will happen."

Wang Jian quickly exclaimed "Hey!" and released his force. Zhou Wenqing lost his support and slid down, but was caught steadily by Ying Zheng.

"Don't rush, take a breath first. Is your chest hurting?"

Ying Zheng glanced at Zhou Wenqing's pale face, his brows furrowing. The words he wanted to say turned into a helpless yet fearful sigh: "I told you not to be reckless... but you wouldn't listen!"

Along the way, he had tried to persuade Zhou Wenqing to stop and rest, or to switch to a carriage, but the man not only refused outright, but also urged his horse to overtake him, showing no sign of listening to any advice.

Zhou Wenqing closed his eyes, enduring the overwhelming aches and dizziness. His eyelashes trembled, and he struggled to open them a crack. His voice was low and hoarse, filled with weakness and exhaustion, "I have caused Your Majesty worry... It is Wenqing's fault."

He took a breath and continued with difficulty, "It's nothing serious, I just rode the horse for a long time and my body can't take it anymore. I'll be fine after a rest."

He looked up at Wei Liao, who was staring at him with suspicion and uncertainty not far away. He tried to force a reassuring smile, but only managed to twitch his pale lips.

"I apologize for disturbing Mr. Wei Liao... I apologize for my rudeness."

"I am unharmed." Wei Liao's gaze swept over Zhou Wenqing's face, making no attempt to hide the scrutiny and doubt in his eyes. "But... who exactly are you? I have never seen you in Xianyang?"

Zhou Wenqing leaned on Ying Zheng's arm for support, catching his breath. Hearing this, he gently shook his head: "It's perfectly normal that Mr. Wei Liao doesn't recognize me, but I do recognize you."

He paused, met Wei Liao's increasingly sharp gaze, and slowly said, "As for who I am... perhaps that's not important right now. What's important is that Wenqing believes that you and I are perhaps the same kind of people."

"Oh?" Wei Liao's eyebrows twitched slightly, his doubts deepening, yet also revealing a growing interest in probing. "What...do you mean?"

Just as Zhou Wenqing was about to speak, he suddenly swayed. He had used up all the strength he had gathered in the question and answer, and his body trembled slightly uncontrollably.

Ying Zheng's gaze never left Zhou Wenqing's side. Seeing this, he no longer hesitated, turned his head and nodded slightly to the guards waiting not far away.

The two guards understood and nimbly found a relatively flat large rock by the roadside, then quickly took off their own thick fur coats and spread them on the rock.

"Brother Zicheng." Ying Zheng then turned to Zhou Wenqing, reached out to help him to the makeshift seating area, and glanced at Zhou Wenqing's bloodless face.

"You look more than just tired right now. Sit down."

He paused, then sighed almost helplessly, "Even in this state, you're still being stubborn. Didn't you just earnestly instruct me to treat scholars with respect? If that's the case, then leave it to me for now."

When Zhou Wenqing met Ying Zheng's deep eyes, which held a clear disapproval, he knew that Ying Zheng had made up his mind. Feeling waves of soreness all over his body, he stopped insisting.

Well, he was indeed exhausted at the moment, and his thoughts were somewhat sluggish due to fatigue.

It would be better to follow Your Majesty's advice, sit for a while, and recover your strength. While Your Majesty deals with Wei Liao, he can take this opportunity to adjust his breathing and recover. We can then see how things go later. In any case, we can't let this great talent, who is already right in front of us, slip away.

He slowly sat down on the stone covered with his fur coat, lowered his eyes, and took a few deep breaths while adjusting his clothes, trying to suppress the waves of dizziness.

Once he was seated and his breathing had calmed down, Ying Zheng withdrew his hand, stood with his hands behind his back, and stood tall and straight like a pine tree.

His gaze returned to Wei Liao, calm yet carrying a penetrating power.

"Since Mr. Wei Liao entered Xianyang, I have done my utmost to treat him with courtesy and to invite him with sincerity," Ying Zheng said, his voice not loud, but every word clear. "However, Mr. Wei Liao has repeatedly expressed his intention to leave. I did not understand this before, but now... I understand it more or less."

His gaze was intense as he looked directly at the subtle ripples in Wei Liao's eyes. He did not mention Zhou Wenqing's insight that "Wei Liao is suspicious," but instead attributed this insight to himself.

This was both to maintain the monarch's prestige of understanding people's hearts and to avoid any subtle misunderstandings that might arise between the two in the future because of these words.

"Does the gentleman have any doubts?" Ying Zheng took a small half-step forward, his tone suddenly becoming sharp and direct.

"Does my current courteous treatment of scholars merely serve as a temporary expedient, and do I fear that one day, when I have no more capable advisors, I will turn on them and kill them, or when the enemy is destroyed, my strategists will perish, and I will turn against my guest advisors like you?"

He paused briefly, giving Wei Liao little time to think, then his voice suddenly rose, a tone of calm arrogance and grandeur:

"If that is indeed the case, then sir, you are far too underestimating my ambitions!"

"Today, the six states east of the mountains all denounce Qin as a tiger and wolf, saying that I have launched this war without cause, intending to seize my territory. This is my own selfish desire! However—everyone in the world knows that even if I were not here today, as long as the seven states stand side by side, the wars and annexations will never end!"

"The world has suffered from war for too long. Since the decline of the Zhou Dynasty, the feudal lords have been fighting each other for more than five hundred years. During this time, people have been displaced, fields have been abandoned, bones have been exposed in the wilderness, and for thousands of miles there has not been a rooster's crow. I have seen such a scene, I have experienced it firsthand, and I am deeply saddened. You, sir, who have traveled far and wide, must have witnessed even more of this heartbreaking sight!"

"My late father, since the time of Duke Mu, pacified the chaos in Jin in the east and dominated the Rong and Di tribes in the west. Now I will continue his achievements, unify the world, bring peace to the land, and bestow great benevolence upon the people. Why should I not do it?"

"Who dares to accuse me of having selfish motives?"

"My ambition is far more than merely to conquer the six kingdoms and establish a dynasty of hegemony," Ying Zheng's voice softened.

"What I desire is to end this war that has dragged on for over five hundred years, to shatter these high walls of division and fragmentation, to unify the world in terms of cart axles, writing, and conduct, and to establish an unprecedented, truly unified empire! So that future generations will no longer suffer the pain of war and displacement, so that all under heaven is the king's land, and all within the borders are the king's subjects, all abiding by Qin law and sharing in peace!"

"To achieve this unparalleled feat, I need the talent of Shang Yang in establishing laws and regulations, the generalship of Lord Wu'an in expanding territory, and even more so, the strategic talent of someone like you, sir... who can see the big picture and grasp the overall situation!"

Ying Zheng looked at Wei Liao again: "My ambition lies in the world, in all generations. Since I can tolerate all people, how could I not tolerate a single talented person? Since my ambition is for all generations, how could I do something so short-sighted?"

"Your talent is not only harmless to me, but also an indispensable aid in achieving great things. I crave it more than I can bear, so how could I have any doubts or fears? How could I worry about any backlash?"