Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

General Wang was immediately embarrassed. He glared at her and retorted, "That's because I thought she was just a little girl and I was too embarrassed to make a move. If it were someone like you—"

He glared at Li Si with his fierce eyes, then made a kicking motion, saying, "I could kick his head three miles away with one kick!"

"cough!"

Li Si paused, subtly taking half a step back to Zhou Wenqing's side, and smoothed his sleeves.

"Then forget it. Although I am not very talented, I still need to keep my head to share the King's burdens. I won't let the old general use it as a football."

"And you, Zhou boy!"

General Wang Jian frowned, his gaze following Li Si's movements to Zhou Wenqing.

"What's going on with this house of yours? You didn't even tell me about this secret passage beforehand. That little brat... could she be one of your maids, sent out specifically to play tricks on this old mansion? Otherwise, how could she know the layout of your new residence so well?"

"Yes." Zhou Wenqing sighed softly, his gaze falling on the entrance to the secret passage. "I've only been living in this house for a day, and even I didn't know there was such a hidden world beneath this artificial hill..."

He looked up, smiling at General Wang, "So... how did this child find out?"

"You didn't know?"

"oh--"

Wang Jian suddenly slapped his thigh, realizing what was going on. Without saying a word, he shoved the precious jar of wine he was carrying into Zhang Han's arms.

"I understand! You all wait here!" The old general rolled up his sleeves, turned around, and strode out, shouting with murderous intent.

"I'll go and bring her back right away! This little brat is so reckless, dismantling chairs, crawling through holes in the ground, and even causing me... cough cough, she's so lawless! I won't let her family elders off lightly!"

"Hey! General, wait! Don't act rashly!"

Seeing his imposing manner, Zhou Wenqing realized he was about to storm the gates and demand an explanation. Startled, he quickly stepped forward to stop him, while simultaneously gesturing to Zhang Han.

"Ah Han, quick, stop your master! Brother Gu'an, look what trouble you've caused me!"

"I was just... making a joke."

Li Si touched his nose, somewhat amused and exasperated, and quickly followed, calling out:

"General, please wait! Didn't we agree to celebrate with drinks? We've already brought the wine; if you leave, how will we drink?"

"What kind of wine do you want to drink?" A steady yet authoritative voice came from outside the moon gate. Before the person was seen, the voice was heard first. "Minister Zhou, it's best for you to avoid wine given your health."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ying Zheng slowly walked into the courtyard. His gaze swept over the slightly messy scene—scattered rocking chair parts, people with varying expressions—and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly: "What happened?"

He glanced around, his gaze lingering on General Wang Jian, who still held a menacing stance, and Wei Liao, the only one in the courtyard clearly capable of fighting. His eyebrows lifted slightly, a hint of realization in his eyes:

"General Wang, could it be that during your sparring session with Mr. Wei Liao, you accidentally knocked over my beloved rocking chair?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the pile of wooden debris on the ground, a hint of mockery in his voice:

"You two are truly outrageous! Do you know that these items were carefully transported from the countryside in perfect condition on my orders? And now they've come to this... Tell me, what punishment do you deserve?"

"Ah...this...this has nothing to do with me, Your Majesty!" General Wang Jian quickly stopped his attack, cupped his hands, and cried out his innocence.

Wei Liao, an innocent bystander, waved his hands repeatedly and bowed, saying, "No, no! Your Majesty, please understand! I'm just here to catch up with old friends. This matter has absolutely nothing to do with me! I... I'm innocent!"

Upon seeing this, Li Si immediately dropped his joking expression, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your subject Li Si greets Your Majesty."

Ying Zheng waved his hand casually, his gaze sweeping over the crowd and landing directly on Zhou Wenqing, his eyes filled with inquiry and a hint of concern.

Zhou Wenqing met the king's gaze, a helpless, bitter smile appearing on his face. He raised his hand and rubbed his temples.

"Your Majesty, you have also arrived... My humble courtyard is truly filled with distinguished guests and is exceptionally lively today."

He sighed, turned to look at Li Yi, who stood silently to the side, and his tone returned to its usual gentle and methodical: "Yi, don't just stand there, quickly help me get some people to tidy up this... messy place. It's not good to let all these distinguished guests just stand there talking."

After speaking, he turned to Ying Zheng, cupped his hands in a bow, and said with a hint of apology, "Your Majesty, there are many people here today, and it may be difficult to move around in the hall. I will have to trouble Your Majesty to sit and talk in the courtyard for a while."

"What's the harm?" Ying Zheng casually lifted his robe and sat down in the chair that Li Yi had quickly arranged for him, his posture relaxed.

"When I chat with you, my dear minister, we never hesitate to meet anywhere. A cup of tea and a gentle breeze in the courtyard—isn't that a more natural and pleasant experience?"

Li Yi had already efficiently led the servants to tidy up the scattered items. In no time, the courtyard had returned to its neat and spacious state, as if the chaotic scene had never happened.

The group sat around the central stone table, where the water in the earthenware pot on the stove was making a soft, hissing sound, and steam was rising from the pot.

The tea was clear and steaming. Zhou Wenqing pushed the plain white teacups to everyone before speaking slowly and gently: "Your Majesty did not bring Prince Fusu with you today."

Ying Zheng picked up the teacup, smelled the delicate aroma of the tea, and replied casually in a calm tone, "I am having someone pack his belongings. I will inevitably be staying at your residence often in the future, so let him see which of his usual items he should bring with him, so that he can bring them with him next time."

"..."

Zhou Wenqing paused for a moment while holding the teapot, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

He originally thought that Ying Zheng was being considerate of the child and letting Fusu catch up on his sleep... but it turns out that he was going back to pack his bags and was preparing to "exile" his son to live with him for an extended period.

"Your Majesty," Zhou Wenqing began cautiously, "the eldest son is of noble status and resides outside the palace for extended periods. His safety and well-being are a concern..."

"Minister Zhou, you are overthinking it." Ying Zheng glanced at him calmly. "Not to mention that I will send people to follow him, Fusu is getting older and knows when to return to the palace and when to stay. Moreover, your residence is well-guarded inside and out and is so close by. I think it is very safe. You don't need to worry too much."

"Not necessarily." Wei Liao, who had been quietly drinking tea, suddenly muttered in a low voice.

"Hmm?" Ying Zheng's gaze shifted slightly, looking at him with a hint of inquiry. "What makes you say that, Mr. Wei Liao?"

"Your Majesty is unaware of the truth!" Before Wei Liao could answer, General Wang Jian had already downed his teacup in one gulp. As he refilled his cup from the earthenware pot, he continued, his words carrying a hint of accusation:

"Just now, a little girl darted into Zhou's house! Not only did she dismantle the rocking chair, but she also slipped away through a secret passage in this house! Judging from how familiar that girl is with this place, she's most likely the youngest daughter or granddaughter of the Chen family, who oversaw the construction of this house. I was just planning to finish this cup of tea and then go settle accounts with that old man!"

The position of Shaofu (Minister of the Imperial Household) was in charge of the royal family's private property, taxes from mountains, seas, ponds, and lakes, as well as the palace's handicrafts. It involved a large amount of resources and the emperor's private use, and only the emperor's absolute confidants could hold this position.

Zhou Wenqing, Li Si, and others subconsciously assumed that since the King of Qin valued "Minister Zhou" so highly, the person in charge of supervising the construction of his residence must undoubtedly be the trusted Prefect Chen.

however--

"Snapped!"

A crisp clinking sound interrupted Wang Jian's words.

Ying Zheng's face suddenly darkened, and he slammed the plain white teacup in his hand onto the stone table. The bottom of the cup struck the stone surface, and a few drops of tea splashed out, leaving small wet marks on the dark stone.

"It has nothing to do with Chen Shaofu. That child could not possibly be from his family." Ying Zheng's eyes sharpened. "Because this house... I did not entrust its construction to Shaofu."

"What?!"

These words shocked everyone present.

The people present were all quick-witted, and they almost instantly realized the location of the pass—

It was a tacitly accepted practice among the upper echelons to secretly set up one or two secret passages in the residences of important officials and nobles in Xianyang, in case of unforeseen circumstances. This was also a security measure tacitly approved by the emperor.

The key is that the scope of knowledge of this "secret" is strictly controlled within a very small, absolutely trustworthy circle, and it is very likely that only the monarch and the master himself know about it.

It's even possible that they secretly dug tunnels, without the king's knowledge.

But right now, this secret passage, which even Zhou Wenqing, the owner of the mansion, was completely unaware of, is being used with ease by a strange girl of unknown origin.

If this woman were a relative of Chen Shaofu, whom he trusted and should be responsible for this matter, it would be somewhat justifiable to hold her accountable as well. However, the King himself denied it!

What does this mean?!

This means that the most secret structural details of this mansion, which was personally bestowed by the King of Qin and should have been absolutely safe, may be in the hands of an outsider of unknown identity and with unpredictable intentions!

Today she might have just been playfully dismantling a chair, but what about tomorrow? What if this secret passage were used to pass messages, spy on privacy, or even... plot something sinister?!

"oops!"

General Wang Jian slammed his hand on the stone table and stood up abruptly. "I told you we should chase them, but you all stopped me. Now look what's happened! Where are we going to catch them now?!"

He paced anxiously, turning in circles like a trapped tiger. "No, it's not too late yet! I'll go after them right now!"

"Master, wait! The passage is narrow and it's inconvenient for you to go down. Let me go!" Zhang Han, who was standing against the wall, reacted very quickly. Before he finished speaking, he had already shot towards the artificial hill like an arrow.

Wei Liao also stood up with a solemn expression and cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty, I will go with you."

The courtyard was suddenly filled with a tense atmosphere.

"My lords, please calm down."

Ying Zheng raised his hand in a gesture of pressing down, his voice calm, instantly silencing the commotion in the courtyard.

"Although it was not Prefect Chen who supervised the construction, I have already chosen someone else to handle it, so I am confident that he is in Xianyang and cannot escape."

After speaking, he didn't even turn his head or raise his eyes. He simply bent his index finger and tapped it very lightly but very clearly on the stone table in front of him.

"despair."

From the shadows, several figures seemed to emerge from thin air and quickly appeared before the people, standing silently with their hands at their sides.

"Go," Ying Zheng said softly, his eyes lowered and his gaze fixed on the texture of the stone table. "Bring the person here."

"promise!"