Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Everyone in the secret guards knew that since Biandou left the palace to serve His Majesty, his salary had been increasing again and again.

Ginger, Job's tears, and red beans fought tooth and nail over who should leave the palace to deliver a memorial to His Majesty.

Finally, to be fair, the three unanimously recommended Fu Lu to deliver the gifts, since seeing their colleagues promoted and made money was more painful than having their own salaries deducted.

Therefore, Fu Lu, familiar with the route, rode in his carriage to His Majesty's villa.

...

When Qin Ji heard that someone was requesting an audience, his eyes flashed and a bad feeling rose in his heart.

Aside from Bian Yushu, Shang Jingming, and the few people who served him, only Jiang Jibai and Shen Jiangliu knew about this residence.

Apart from that, very few people come.

Although it's rare... there is still some.

Qin Ji comforted himself: Maybe it was those people from the ditch gang, or maybe it was the runners from the Jingzhao Prefecture who returned?

The more he tried to find a way to calm himself down, the more panicked he became. After all, lately, everything he feared had come true; he was incredibly unlucky.

His disguise was exposed from all sides, but fortunately he was brilliant and resourceful, and managed to barely maintain his role as a study companion.

Thinking about how he couldn't return to the palace to participate in the political discussion that afternoon, Qin Ji's bad premonition grew stronger.

Silently pray to your ancestors: Please, please, don't come here to deliver folded paper money. Please, please, don't come here to deliver folded paper money.

Seeing that the young master remained silent for a long time, the servant assumed he hadn't heard him and repeated, "Young master, someone is outside the door requesting an audience with several large boxes."

He was also carrying several large boxes... Qin Ji, hanging in the air, suddenly died with a "thud".

Wait, it seems there's still a chance to salvage this.

Requesting an audience outside the door?

Having caught the key words, Qin Ji's delirious mind finally cleared up a bit, and he immediately sat up straight.

This house was purchased by Fu Lu, and the servants were also arranged by Fu Lu in private. Although the servants did not know Fu Lu's true identity, they all knew him and would follow his instructions. Why would they need to ask to see him outside the door?

Could it be that the person who came was not Fu Lu?

He had a fever in the morning and was unable to return to the palace to discuss state affairs in the afternoon. If Bian Dou wasn't just a useless person, he should have sent word back to the palace about why he was absent after so long.

Could it be ginger or Job's tears?

Knowing that Jiang Jibai was there, why did he still openly request an audience? What was he really up to?

Qin Ji's gaze deepened slightly, and he coughed lightly. "Who requests an audience?"

The servant was prepared; it was all scripted, devoid of emotion. "He's a complete stranger, I've never seen him before. He's being all mysterious, refusing to introduce himself, only saying he's here to deliver something to you. Would you like me to send him away for you, sir?"

Bian Yushu craned her neck to look out the window with curiosity.

Jiang Jibai calmly picked up the now-cold hand warmer, got up, and added a few pieces of incense charcoal inside.

Qin Ji frowned slightly upon hearing this. "Please invite him in to see me."

The servant bowed and replied "Yes," and soon led the person to the door.

The visitor lifted the thick curtain and stepped in with a smile.

Qin Ji's pupils contracted, knowing he had to react immediately, and he stood up abruptly.

Bian Yushu widened his eyes, glanced at His Majesty, then secretly looked at his grandmaster, before burying his head in the pillow like an ostrich.

I am Bian Xiaozao. I don't know this person. I don't know him. I don't know him.

Jiang Jibai, carrying a hand warmer with freshly added charcoal, walked unhurriedly to the bedside, placed the hand warmer into Qin Ji's arms, and then turned to the newcomer.

Qin Ji spoke first, looking at the person who entered, and said in a "neither humble nor arrogant" manner, "Eunuch Fu, what brings you here?"

On the Mid-Autumn Festival night, in the Qianzheng Hall, when Jiang Jibai was disguised as Bian Yushu, who was impersonating His Majesty, he had met Fu Lu.

Fu Lu's true identity could not be concealed at all.

When Fu Lu was looked at like that by His Majesty, his legs went weak. He sighed, took a deep breath, squeezed his face into a chrysanthemum shape, and forced himself to continue singing, "Young Master Bian, His Majesty heard that you are ill and ordered this servant to send you some precious medicinal herbs. He hopes that you can take care of your health and recover soon."

The official companion, but in reality the head of the secret guards, has fallen ill. It is only natural for His Majesty to show his favor.

His already precarious identity was given another major patch.

As long as Jiang Jibai doesn't associate him with the emperor who lives deep within the palace, this patch is practically equivalent to welding Bian Yushu's identity firmly onto him.

After all, the chief eunuch, the emperor's mouthpiece, would not cooperate with just anyone to stage such a charade of falsely conveying imperial will.

This could cost you your head.

Even if Jiang Jibai doubted his own identity, could he have imagined that the emperor, who was high above him, would bend down, lower his head, and even kneel on the ground to listen to his teachings and accept his punishment with heartfelt sincerity?

Let alone Jiang Jibai, even Qin Ji himself in the past would find it hard to imagine.

Qin Ji, clutching the hand warmer, wore a perfectly measured expression of "overwhelmed with gratitude." He grasped Fu Lu's hand with "tears of gratitude" and said, "Your Majesty's kindness is beyond my ability; I am unworthy of such praise."

Bian Yushu lay stiffly on the couch, her eyes wide with shock, buried in the pillow, her heart pounding, even more nervous than the two people acting out the scene.

Isn't that one of his lines?

His Majesty is giving himself medicine?

The game that Eunuch Fu and His Majesty played was too exciting!

Well, Mr. Jiang was really badly scammed, Your Majesty... will feel guilty, right?

Others may not know, but Bian Yushu does: His Majesty copied every single one of Mr. Jiang's annotations very carefully and meticulously, and then gave them to him, instructing him not to let his master's hard work go to waste.

His Majesty also told him personally that Mr. Jiang is a good teacher.

Although he was not clever enough and did not know how to read the emperor's mind, and even made mistakes from time to time that angered the emperor, he could feel the emperor's affection for Mr. Jiang as a teacher and student.

Like karst hidden beneath an undercurrent, it is both restrained and fiery.

Although the forms of expression are different, his heart for His Majesty is the same.

Bian Yushu's excitement gradually cooled, and he suddenly felt down, feeling sorry for His Majesty.

His Majesty gripped his hand tightly, and Fu Lu's palms were almost sweating. He realized that he had gone too far and overstepped his bounds. He forced a smile and said, "Young Master Bian, you flatter me. This is all His Majesty's way of appreciating talent. I hope you can recover quickly and serve His Majesty as soon as possible."

If there is something good on the top, it will be great on the bottom.

As the chief eunuch, Fulu was trying to figure out his thoughts, and the root of the problem lay with him.

Qin Ji wasn't sure if he really wanted to weld the vest so tightly. He felt conflicted. He released Fu Lu's hand and said, "Please convey my gratitude to His Majesty. I will certainly not fail His Majesty's great favor."

The dragon's fart landed on the dragon's leg, and Fu Lu felt a bitter taste in his mouth. "This servant will certainly convey Young Master Bian's sentiments, and will not disturb Young Master's rest any longer."

After saying this, he looked at the scholar Jiang beside His Majesty, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Mr. Jiang, I apologize for disturbing you."

Jiang Jibai returned the bow, showing no disdain for the eunuch, "My apprentice is unruly, and I hope that you will look after him in front of His Majesty."