Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Although I really wanted to demote Shen Jiangliu to the lowest level, he was indeed the best candidate to manage the floods.

Firstly, the imperial court was short of talent in water management. Shen Jiangliu was the son of the River Conservancy Governor of Lantai Province, and his family had a long history of learning. He was also known for his expertise in water management. The Hanlin Academy, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Works all recognized his abilities. He should not be just a theorist with empty talk, but should be able to put his skills to use.

Secondly, Shen Jiangliu had offended Wang Jing and was clearly not part of Wang Jing's faction. He would certainly not collude with the officials of Ning'an Province. Moreover, he was shrewd and outspoken, and dared to speak and act. He was indeed very suitable to be Qin Ji's knife to cut out the cancer in Ning'an.

Thirdly, Shen Jiangliu is a disciple of the great Confucian scholar Jiang Jibai. With the Jiang family as his background and Jiang Jibai's reputation among scholars as his support, no matter how dangerous the officialdom in Ning'an is, people will think twice before making a move against him openly.

What I fear most is that someone, cornered and desperate, might disregard the rules and attempt assassination.

Qin Ji finalized the selection of the person in charge of flood control and ordered someone to draft an imperial edict: "Shen Jiangliu, the magistrate of Yangping County, is hereby appointed as an imperial commissioner to supervise the river affairs of Ning'an Province and manage the flood situation in Fuguang, Yangping, and Yituo counties. I hereby grant him the authority to execute first and report later. Anyone who dares to obstruct the flood control efforts will be killed without mercy."

After the water management was finalized, the Minister of Personnel reported another matter.

"The great Confucian scholar Jiang Jibai has declined the imperial court's offer to serve as Grand Tutor. Should we continue to reason with him and appeal to his emotions, or should we find someone else to replace him?"

Qin Ji wasn't particularly lacking in either "capable fighters" or "teachable instructors" lately, so he wasn't that enthusiastic about the Grand Tutor candidate. When he heard that Jiang Jibai had refused to serve, he cursed inwardly, "He's unlucky and missed the opportunity to serve a wise ruler."

"Take the sincerity of the court's eagerness to seek out talent and its willingness to treat him well before inviting him again. If he is truly unwilling, there is no need to force him. If I cannot attract talented people to serve me, it is a sign of my lack of wisdom and a loss to the court. If the country is peaceful and prosperous, there will naturally be a constant flow of talented people who are devoted to serving the country. To create such a golden age, the only way is for the ruler and his ministers to be of one mind and one heart. I can only rely on you, my beloved ministers, and I encourage you all to strive together."

These words drew shouts from the courtiers: "Your Majesty is wise! We will certainly live up to Your Majesty's favor!"

Qin Ji withdrew his gaze with satisfaction, but then suddenly remembered that Jiang Jibai was the teacher of the newly appointed imperial envoy in charge of flood control. He pointed to the Ministry of Rites and said, "Although Jiang Jibai is just a commoner, he is the teacher of Shen Jiangliu. I want to use Shen Jiangliu to control the floods. Since he is far away in Yangping and cannot enter the palace, I will extend this favor to his teacher. Please invite him to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet as well."

The Minister of Rites quickly agreed, secretly thinking to himself, "Brilliant!" Jiang Jibai was a great Confucian scholar. Although he had declined the court's offer of appointment, the court's attitude and demeanor had to be shown so that scholars across the land could see the court's eagerness to recruit talent. Using Shen Jiangliu as a pretext to host a banquet during the Mid-Autumn Festival was just right, as it would not appear too humble and would not cause the court to lose face.

The next court assembly consisted of the Ministry of Revenue reporting on the collection of autumn taxes, and the Ministry of Justice reporting on the list of those to be executed in the autumn.

After the court session ended, Qin Ji rubbed his temples, leaned back on the dragon throne, and waved his hand, signaling the eunuchs to lead the court officials out. He himself, however, propped his head up on the dragon throne, closed his eyes to rest, and did not get up.

Damn, this is real torture! It hurts so much, I can't get up, sob sob.

The ministers assumed that His Majesty was tired due to lack of sleep from arranging disaster relief overnight, so they wisely kept quiet and left in an orderly manner, exchanging glances with each other.

[Your Majesty is truly diligent in your duties!]

This is a blessing for the nation and its people.

In the end, it was Fulu who "thoughtfully" massaged Qin Ji's legs and helped him down from the dragon throne.

Fu Lu thought to himself, "Is His Majesty's leg going numb again? It seems I need to find someone else to properly learn the technique of massaging legs."

……

After the court session ended, Qin Ji had breakfast, reviewed the memorials, and listened to the Hanlin Academy scholars lecture on the classics for a while.

At the end, Qin Ji remembered the assignment Gu Huaijin had given him.

Looking at Bian Yushu, who was even more listless than before his break, Qin Ji knew he couldn't count on him.

Gu Huaijin has real talent and ability, and it would be a waste for him to be just a "henchman". Qin Ji had already made up his mind.

Although he didn't hand in the assignment to Bian Yushu, Qin Ji still beckoned her closer. "What about the essay I asked you to write yesterday?"

Bian Yushu was shocked. "Didn't His Majesty say he would ask the question tomorrow?"

Qin Ji looked at him and said only three words, "Didn't you write it well?"

Qin Ji had received an extra amount of "blessings" because of Bian Yushu's articles, so when he saw Bian Yushu, he couldn't help but want to share the extra "blessings" with him, which is why he brought up the articles earlier than expected.

Hearing the dangerous tone, Bian Yushu's legs went weak, her face turned pale, and she walked unsteadily to Qin Ji, trembling as she took out a stack of papers and handed them to him.

He did write, and he tried his best, but his skill level was just that. Even he himself found what he wrote painful to look at. He was thinking of asking Shen Hanlin for advice again today to see if he could revise it. Who would have thought that His Majesty would check his studies ahead of schedule.

Qin Ji spread the article written by Bian Yu on the desk, and only glanced at it briefly to avoid hurting his eyes.

An article isn't something that can be written overnight; it's still a mess... but this time there are no typos.

Qin Ji couldn't help but think for a second about Gu Huaijin. Which was worse, having a disciple who concealed his talent and wrote such a poorly written article, or having a disciple whose articles were originally written poorly?

Although the "ghostwriter" is no longer needed, the reading companion has already been chosen and cannot be returned.

Qin Ji thought that with some polishing, it might be usable, and just as he was hesitating whether to put more "pressure" on Bian Yushu.

Bian Yushu, probably finding his expression too unpleasant, knelt down with a thud. Perhaps due to the hasty movement, he let out a long breath, clutching his legs, his face pale. "Your Majesty, please forgive me, this humble subject..."

Qin Ji then noticed Bian Yushu's unnatural demeanor, which left marks everywhere. "What's wrong? Are you injured?"

Bian Yushu dared not conceal the truth, "Yesterday I reread the article I submitted to Your Majesty last time. Although the level is so good, those 17 errors were indeed due to insufficient effort. Your Majesty has high hopes for me, but I have disappointed Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty is merciful, only punishing me with twenty strokes of the cane as a minor punishment. I am truly ashamed and dare not let this go. So I went back to my residence to receive the family punishment myself."

Qin Ji twitched his ears. Why did those words sound so familiar?

A familiar scene flashed by, and Qin Ji's face darkened.

You, Bian Yushu! You think you can fool me like this?