Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Bian Yushu was surrounded in a daze, but after she finally saw the people in front of her, she was overwhelmed with joy.

It was his long-lost father and two elder brothers!

He thought he wouldn't see them on his birthday this year.

"Father, eldest brother, second brother~"

Despite their haste, they arrived too late and failed to enter the city before curfew. Bian Hongzhen and his companions then settled at the post station.

They were already annoyed that they wouldn't be able to celebrate Bian Yushu's birthday this year, but they never expected that the kid would sneak into the post station in the middle of the night.

This was completely unexpected by the group.

Bian Hongzhen pulled his son up and down and looked him over carefully, his face beaming with the joy of a long-awaited reunion. "He's a year older now, and he's grown a bit taller too."

Bian Yulou pushed Bian Hongzhen aside, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. "Am I dreaming? How did Yushu end up in the post station, dressed like this... Bian Yuheng, pinch Bian Hongzhen and see if it's real."

Before he could finish speaking, he received a solid thud on the forehead from Bian Hongzhen, making him jump in pain. "Aren't names meant to be called? Father, you're so stingy!"

Bian Hongzhen retorted without hesitation, "Aren't heads meant to be used for hitting? Same to you."

Bian Yuheng pressed down on his second brother, who was jumping up and down. "Does it hurt?"

"You try letting your dad knock you on the head!"

"Then you'll know whether it's true or false, won't you?" Bian Yuheng patted his second brother's head, drawing out the last syllable, and said slowly, "The effect is the same."

"Yushu, look at those two, they're so in cahoots." Bian Yulou clung to Bian Yushu, sobbing uncontrollably, pouring out his grievances, "You have no idea how your second brother has fared this past year, enduring their isolation and ostracism. Your second brother needs your comfort~"

Bian Yuheng tore Bian Yulou off Bian Yushu, hugged Bian Yushu, and said with a smile, "Third brother, happy birthday."

His blessing was immediately echoed by Bian Hongzhen and Bian Yulou.

Happy birthday, Yu Shu.

"Happy birthday! Would you like to see the birthday gift your second brother brought you?"

Surrounded by the blessings of her family, Bian Yushu felt a warmth spreading through her heart. She had thought that this year's birthday was destined to leave regrets, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be more perfect than ever before.

He had already received three very generous birthday gifts from His Majesty, yet His Majesty still presented him with the company of his family as a surprise.

She even went so far as to personally lead him over the city wall in the middle of the night, just so that he could catch the tail end of his birthday and reunite with his family.

This gesture moved Bian Yushu to tears, and he looked toward the door.

The Bian family members also followed Bian Yushu's gaze and looked at the man in black standing leaning against the door frame.

They saw the man in black a long time ago.

The fact that this man in black appeared alongside Bian Yushu, and that he was dressed exactly like Bian Yushu, indicated that the man in black had a very close relationship with his son.

They were certainly pleasantly surprised by Bian Yushu's arrival, but they were also quite alarmed.

Appearing at the post station in the middle of the night dressed in black, it didn't seem like they came from a legitimate source at all...

They hadn't mentioned it, waiting for Bian Yushu to introduce it to them.

Sure enough, their naive son ran to the door, pulled the man in black in, and introduced him to them with great enthusiasm, "This is my teacher."

After saying this, Bian Yushu hesitated. He wasn't sure if His Majesty intended to reveal his identity, so he changed his introduction to, "My teacher is so good to me. He specially celebrated my birthday with me and even helped me climb over the city wall to see you all!"

The Bian family: "..."

You guys actually climbed over the city wall to get out.

Is this teacher serious?

Heavens above, what if someone catches him and he's mistaken for a spy...

The Bian family members' gazes fell on the man in black who had been pulled in by Bian Yushu.

His entire body was completely covered by a night-clothes, including his head and face, with only his eyes showing.

It looks very professional.

Bao is not a decent person.

Bian Yuheng immediately went to the door, looked around to make sure no one else was alerted, and then closed the door tightly.

Bian Yulou pressed a finger to her lips, lowering her voice, "Keep your voice down, keep your voice down. What do you mean by climbing over the city wall? You clearly came out before the city gates were locked. What are you bragging about at such a young age?"

Bian Hongzhen politely invited Qin Ji to the table, and poured him a cup of tea with unwavering composure. "Your Excellency has been traveling late into the night, and Yu Shu is celebrating her birthday. I apologize for the trouble."

Although my son is not very shrewd, his intuition is always very accurate, and he can tell good from bad.

This man's origins are unknown, but in order to celebrate his son's birthday, he disregarded the city's defenses and audaciously led people to scale the city wall. He appreciated this gesture.

His style of doing things is just too "unconventional".

My son is now His Majesty's study companion, and his every move is easily watched. Having such a teacher is really a bit of a worry.

The high-ranking official personally poured tea for the man in black, yet the man in black showed no fear whatsoever.

He didn't even bother to remove his mask or offer to drink a sip; he simply dipped his left fingers in the tea and wrote a few words on the table.

—My throat is injured.

Bian Hongzhen, who had originally wanted to take the opportunity of drinking tea to observe the man's appearance, had to abandon that idea.

The other party clearly did not want to show their face, or even their voice.

Is he really that mysterious, or... is it someone he's been in contact with who doesn't want to reveal their presence?

Bian Hongzhen glanced at the words on the table without changing his expression.

It was written with my left hand, and it wasn't messy at all; the writing was quite fluent.

Is this person really left-handed?

Or... he doesn't even want to show his handwriting?

But if that's the case, why did he bother to show himself?

They left as soon as they dropped Bian Yushu off, and none of the people in the room could stop them.

After all, to be able to scale the city wall with someone who didn't know martial arts without being caught by the guards, and then quietly sneak into the post station without alerting the guards outside—such skill was clearly not that of an ordinary person.

Bian Yushu was unaware of the complexities in his father's mind, but since His Majesty's actions clearly did not intend to reveal his identity, he quickly nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, yes, Teacher's throat is injured, so it's inconvenient for him to speak."

Bian Hongzhen glanced at his son. "Can't you even have a sip of tea?"

Bian Yushu was speechless for a moment. He squeezed between his father and the emperor, separating them, and stammered, "My teacher kindly sent me here to reunite with you. It's pointless to pry and ask so many questions."

Where did that elbow go?

The brothers Bian Yuheng and Bian Yulou both looked at the man in black with curiosity for several moments.

The third brother has always been on the side of his family. Who is this man in black? How did he manage to win over this kid's heart in just one year?

Bian Yuheng pulled the small sandwich cookie away from his father and the man in black. "Do you know how dangerous it is if you get caught for what you did tonight?"

Bian Yushu had just heard the fourth man in black mutter, and he remembered it vividly: "One hundred strokes of the cane, three thousand miles of exile."

Bian Yushu secretly glanced at Qin Ji.

He's different; he was ordered to scale the city walls to reunite with his family!

Unfortunately, His Majesty has no intention of revealing his identity, so we cannot show it off.

Bian Yushu had no choice but to step between her father and the Emperor, and argued in a low voice, "Isn't it because I wasn't caught? My teacher did this to uphold human relationships. If you think I violated the laws of the Great Yin Dynasty, I... I can go to the city guards to turn myself in. Climbing over the city wall has nothing to do with my teacher."

Bian Hongzhen glanced helplessly at his youngest son.

For a moment, I didn't know whether to be surprised by my son's progress or to be concerned about his growing audacity and his blind determination to protect the men in black.

He gave Bian Yushu a light flick on the forehead, saying, "I just poured him a cup of tea."

Bian Yulou sighed, "If we wanted to hand him over, why would we close the door?"

Bian Yushu covered her forehead in embarrassment, "I'm sorry."

With a smile in his eyes, Qin Ji pulled aside the small sandwich cookie that was blocking his way and dipped it in water to write another line on the table.

...

Is this considered morning? (Well-behaved)