Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Now that things had come to this, Shen Jiangliu knew everything he should and shouldn't know. Qin Ji, too lazy to bother himself, lay there motionless, but didn't wake him either. He asked indifferently, "Where are Lin Sui's men?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Jiangliu almost instantly realized the reason why His Majesty had arranged for Lin Suizhi to show him around today.

Most likely, they wanted to get rid of him to avoid running into him in the house, but things didn't go as planned, and things backfired.

If he didn't explain it clearly, Guard Lin would be in big trouble, so Shen Jiangliu carefully explained the whole story.

"Lord Lin took me to the market to buy some things, but I accidentally got into an argument with someone, which caused some trouble, and I was almost beaten up. Lord Lin got separated from me while protecting me."

Shen Jiangliu, a good-for-nothing who can't control his mouth.

Lin Suizhi, a good-for-nothing who can't keep an eye on people.

Shang Jingming, the security in the market is so bad that a brawl can break out even under the emperor's nose. How could the commander of the Five Cities Garrison be a good-for-nothing!

After mentally cursing him, Qin Ji snorted coldly, "An accident?"

He was just stating the truth; those unscrupulous merchants were full of sore spots and couldn't take a jab.

Of course, His Majesty's words should not be accepted; doing so would surely bring trouble upon oneself.

Shen Jiangliu bowed again to express his gratitude, saying, "Your Majesty not only spared my life but also sent Lord Lin to guide me to familiarize myself with the capital region. You have also taken care of me in many small matters. I could never repay your kindness, even if I were to die."

Seeing that his senior brother knew what was good for him, Qin Ji's slightly oppressive gaze fell on Shen Jiangliu's face. After a long while, until cold sweat beaded on Shen Jiangliu's forehead, he chuckled, "I don't need you to be shattered to pieces, but..."

"Senior Brother should know what to say and what not to say in front of the teacher."

The inherent dignity of a monarch cannot be diminished by traveling incognito or by adopting a less-than-dignified posture.

Staring into those magnificent and profound eyes, Shen Jiangliu felt as if he had returned to the Qianzheng Hall, kneeling before the emperor. The pressure increased, and he kowtowed again.

Just when Qin Ji thought Shen Jiangliu would submit, Shen Jiangliu raised his head, disregarding the transgression, and looked firmly into the eyes of the king.

"I am willing to die, but I beg Your Majesty to consider my teacher's sincere love for his student and sever our teacher-student relationship, and spare my teacher's life."

Shen Jiangliu, I think you want to die!

As soon as he spoke, Shen Jiangliu felt His Majesty's gaze turn sharp as a knife, but he met it firmly, disregarding life and death.

Shen Jiangliu was not unafraid of death.

The emperor's power is supreme; the rise and fall of a family can be decided with a single word. So much so that even he, who has always dared to say anything, has to keep his mouth shut in front of the emperor.

But Jiang Jibai's situation is already very dangerous.

It's like being suspended on the edge of a cliff by a rope. As long as His Majesty loses interest in this master-disciple game, he can easily let go and shatter Jiang Jibai into pieces.

Now that Shen Jiangliu knows about this, he can't just stand by and watch.

Even at the risk of angering His Majesty, he wanted to try to persuade His Majesty to give up this master-disciple relationship and that it would be best for them to go their separate ways and live peacefully from now on.

Seeing the disregard for life and death in Shen Jiangliu's eyes, and knowing that he did this for Jiang Jibai, Qin Ji suppressed his anger and said in an extremely cold voice, "I will pretend you never said that. Minister Shen, go back to your bed."

Shen Jiangliu's knees were firmly planted, and he remained motionless.

His advice was already quite tactful; he had even harsher words to say.

If His Majesty hadn't deceived his teacher by using Bian Yushu's identity, how could his teacher have ended up in this predicament, leading his entire family on a tightrope?

Shen Jiangliu was full of treasonous words, but unfortunately he couldn't vent them properly.

"Although the teacher is open-minded, he is very strict when it comes to the disciples."

"You are the most honored person in the world. Today, the bond between teacher and student is so strong that no one notices anything amiss. If this matter were to be revealed in the future, I wonder how many people would use it to criticize the teacher for being disrespectful."

"Public opinion is a fearsome thing. Please, considering that the teacher has done a good job, spare the teacher's life."

A subtle undercurrent surged in Qin Ji's eyes.

This is a man who dares to openly mock Wang Jing at a banquet, unafraid of being attacked by Ning An with knives and axes.

Shen Jiangliu was willing to risk his life for Jiang Jibai.

He sneered, "Shen Jiangliu, are you afraid of what people say?"

Shen Jiangliu remained silent; what he feared was something both the emperor and his subject knew perfectly well.

It was less about fearing that Jiang Jibai would be attacked, and more about fearing the fickleness of the ruler.

Throughout history, there have been countless examples of people who love someone so much they wish for their life, and hate someone so much they wish for their death.

When the relationship between master and disciple is good, His Majesty can be said to be willing, and ignorance is no excuse. But once a rift develops between them in the future, this will be considered an act of treason and overstepping his bounds, a crime punishable by death.

It wasn't that he was worrying unnecessarily.

Perhaps His Majesty's initial decision to become a disciple of the teacher was accidental, but if His Majesty truly cared about the teacher, he could have revealed his identity when the teacher first picked up the teaching materials, or even simply walked away if he felt offended.

His Majesty tacitly allowed all of this to happen, pushing the teacher to the brink of extermination of his entire family without his knowledge.

Has Your Majesty ever shown even the slightest consideration for your teacher?

Shen Jiangliu couldn't believe that His Majesty, whose mind was as cunning as a honeycomb briquette, wouldn't have thought of these things.

People who are used to being high and mighty don't care about these "trivial matters".

Even if His Majesty truly feels some teacher-student affection for his teacher today, what about in the future?

Who can guarantee that?

Now that His Majesty has brought this matter to the forefront, Shen Jiangliu, who has always been a stubborn man, saw no need to hide anything. He spoke frankly, saying, "I do not wish to deceive you; what I fear is that you will turn against me in the future."

fart!

Am I that kind of person?

Qin Ji's eyes flashed with a cold light, and his tone was chilling, "Shen Jiangliu, you really dare to say anything."

Shen Jiangliu remained unfazed and upright in his kneeling posture, his body as straight as a pine tree. "Your Majesty is a wise and enlightened emperor. He will not punish me for a few words of frankness."

Don't think I don't know you're flattering me!

Although it's a fair statement...

Qin Ji was a bit sour.

This cheap senior brother and the poison master have a pretty good relationship.

It makes him seem like a villain...

Qin Ji retorted, "If this gets out, will I look good?"

"Besides, things have come to this point. Even if I sever ties with Jiang Jibai, if I truly wish to punish him for treason and overstep my bounds, do you think he can escape death?"

"What good will it do to say all this now?"

Shen Jiangliu really wanted to pick up the dragon boots by the bed and throw them in his face.

He could tell from those few simple words that His Majesty was in high spirits and could not be persuaded in a few words. Just as he was about to speak, he heard an unexpected explanation from the emperor, who was high above him.

"Why don't you think about it? If you hadn't sincerely become his disciple, how could I have tolerated his repeated overstepping of authority?"

"Whether you believe it or not, and whatever the future holds, I will never use this matter to punish him."

A ruler's word is his bond.

Although the real reason for "tolerating his repeated transgressions" differs slightly, the statement is basically true in its entirety, and Qin Ji believes that he has shown enough sincerity to his senior brother.

Words are no proof; let's write an imperial edict.

The words swirled in his mind, but Shen Jiangliu hesitated and changed his words, saying, "Since His Majesty has decreed that I keep this a secret, I will obey. However, you have repeatedly deceived your teacher. If the truth comes out, what will become of you in the future?"

"Shen Jiangliu!" Qin Ji was furious when his sore spot was hit. He was about to utter the word "insolence" when a pebble fell from the roof and landed squarely on the edge of the bed between the two of them before bouncing to the ground.

Qin Ji's heart skipped a beat, realizing it was Bian Dou's reminder. He pricked up his ears and heard footsteps almost reaching the door.

Upon closer inspection, Shen Jiangliu was kneeling upright.

It was clearly too late to rush back.

...

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