Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

"Teacher, this way please."

As Qin Ji's voice echoed in the courtyard of Yunqi Courtyard, a series of clattering sounds came from the bedroom, startling sparrows that fluttered across the eaves and landed on the bare branches in the winter.

Qin Ji listened to the commotion inside the house, his footsteps paused almost imperceptibly, and his heart pounded with anxiety.

No matter how apprehensive I am, I'm at the door, ready to go, whether I want to or not.

The servant, seemingly oblivious to the situation, pushed open the door, revealing the mess inside.

The wooden stool tipped over and left a white mark on the floor tiles, showing signs of being knocked over in a panic.

Shang Jingming, however, remained lying obediently on the bed. Hearing the noise, he looked up at the three people who had entered.

There was no one at Bian Yushu's side, only a brocade quilt was messily thrown open on the bed.

The large box next to it, however, had a sleeve tucked outside, and was slowly being pulled back in, bit by bit. The box made a suspicious creaking sound as the person inside moved, which sounded particularly jarring in the silent room.

Qin Ji's unease had reached its peak.

He trusted Bian Dou's competence, he was also confident in Shang Jingming's resourcefulness, and he knew a lot about Bian Yushu...

Liao!

This kid knows a lot, but he's not very bright.

Bian Xiaozao, you've ruined my plans, so you're just waiting to get a good spanking!

No amount of persuasion or coaxing works!

Jiang Jibai couldn't hear the roar in his little apprentice's heart. He bent down to pick up the tangerines that had rolled to his feet, walked to the box, and wanted to open it.

Open it a little, close it a little.

Open it a little, close it a little.

The two seemed to be engaged in some kind of tug-of-war, which almost made Qin Ji laugh.

This stalemate isn't going to work.

Jiang Jibai didn't say anything. Qin Ji walked to the box, knocked on it in a desperate manner, and said, "Let go."

Jiang Jibai glanced at Qin Ji.

The phrase "let go" was clearly not directed at him.

Jiang Jibai clearly felt that as soon as his junior disciple uttered those words, the force that had been pulling him away disappeared.

Upon opening the box, a small boy crouching inside with his paws raised appeared before them. The boy raised a panicked face, his hair ornament askew, looking just like a pathetic kitten caught by the scruff of its neck.

While Jiang Jibai was sizing up Bian Yushu, Bian Yushu was also sizing him up.

The young man who opened the box was wearing a fox fur cloak, and beneath the cloak, a plain-colored robe without any embellishments was vaguely visible. It was clearly winter attire, yet he wore it with a sense of serene elegance.

So this is His Majesty's teacher, his grandmaster, the renowned Confucian scholar Jiang Jibai.

Bian Yushu only sighed for a moment before his entire gaze was drawn to the Emperor's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot. His heart, liver, spleen, and lungs trembled, and his lips also quivered.

He really didn't mean it; he came and went in a hurry, dropping a bomb and disappearing without a trace.

He hurriedly put aside his old grudges and went to consult his mortal enemy, but before he could even ask two questions, he heard His Majesty's voice ringing out in the courtyard. Terrified, he scrambled into the box without thinking.

What to do, what to do?

Bian Yushu felt as if his heart was pounding in his chest, making his brain buzz.

Jiang Jibai wasn't bothered by the boy's rudeness and embarrassment. He chuckled lightly, his breath gentle as a spring breeze, "You're Fei Bai's cousin. What's your name? Why were you hiding in the box?"

Qin Ji's eyes flickered slightly; he had clearly already given Jiang Jibai a name.

The fact that the teacher included this question shows that the continuous chaos of war had aroused his suspicion.

If Bian Yushu cannot dispel his doubts, even if Jiang Jibai cannot figure out Qin Ji's true identity, he probably will not let him off easily.

If he continues to speak first and rashly reminds Jiang Jibai, it will not only fail to dispel Jiang Jibai's doubts, but will also make him seem even more suspicious.

As for Bian Yushu... it's expected that this naive and innocent boy wouldn't do something like this, so Qin Ji can hardly have any unrealistic hopes for him.

Qin Ji's hand, hanging down from his sleeve, was half-clenched into a fist, then slowly relaxed.

The truth will eventually come out. He should have known that his lies would eventually be exposed.

He didn't think the time was right to reveal his identity to Jiang Jibai, but if the time came, he wouldn't let go.

Even if this mentor-disciple relationship, built on a castle in the air, collapses into ruins, he will pick it up brick by brick and piece it back together...

"Small jujubes on the edge."

Bian Yushu reached out in a panic and grabbed Jiang Jibai's clothes to cover himself. He shrank into the box, looking somewhat afraid of Qin Ji.

Jiang Jibai glanced at Qin Ji, then half-squatted down and raised his hand to straighten the boy's crooked hair ornament.

Bian Yushu shed tears, wiping them away as she stammered to Jiang Jibai, "I know I was wrong. Could you please plead for me and my brother? I've been punished for three days straight, and I really can't take it anymore."

He really does look like someone who's hiding in fear of punishment.

Jiang Jibai looked at Qin Ji with a leisurely air, seemingly surprised that his young disciple was so well-behaved at home.

Qin Ji: "..."

Bian Xiaozao, I really underestimated you.

Qin Ji's lips curled up almost imperceptibly, and he said indifferently, "So you've learned to tattle."

Bian Yushu shivered involuntarily upon hearing His Majesty's tone, pursed her lips, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Bian Yushu's gaze had been fixed on His Majesty's face, and he naturally did not miss that fleeting look of desolation, which felt like a sharp stab to his heart.

His Majesty spoke of his grandmaster to him, saying that his grandmaster was a good teacher.

The annotations that were given to him were copied by His Majesty himself, so clean and tidy that there wasn't a single stain, and every stroke was so neat and meticulous that it was almost devout.

Jiang Daru is Your Majesty's teacher and is very important to Your Majesty, just as Your Majesty is his teacher and is very important to him.

His Majesty is so good to him, and he's going to mess things up.

In that instant, my desire to help His Majesty reached its peak, and a lie to extricate me from the predicament slipped out of my mouth.

He didn't need to act out the tears; he was already so heartbroken for His Majesty that he didn't know what to do.

Bian Yushu unleashed tremendous potential; his words and actions were all perfectly natural.

Those doe eyes, simple and pure, are like the clear sky after the rain, or like sparkling amber in the sunlight.

When Jiang Jibai reached out to help him up, Bian Yushu politely thanked him in a low voice.

Jiang Jibai helped the limping boy back to bed, and once again received a soft and gentle "thank you".

Before he knew it, Bian Xiaozao had taken the orange from his hand, peeled it, and placed it in his palm as a silent thank you.

What a good boy!

Jiang Jibai looked at the oranges in his hand, then at his troublesome eldest disciple—it was already a miracle he wasn't angry with me.

Jiang Jibai looked at the orange in his hand, then at his troublesome little disciple—it was good enough that he didn't make me peel oranges for him.

Jiang Jibai then thought of his second disciple, who was about to go to the capital...

Jiang Jibai suffered a heart attack.

His expression relaxed slightly as he looked at Bian Yushu. "Would you be willing to become my apprentice?"

Qin Ji: "..."

When my disguise is revealed, you'd better be able to be bribed by me with an orange.

Cheap Poison Master!