Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Liu Jijiu and Yu Shanzhang exchanged a glance, both seeing a sense of awe and wonder at the will of Heaven reflected in each other's eyes.

Zhao Siye didn't care that much, and only looked at his junior disciple.

Pei Lian silently picked up his pen, waiting for the teachers to set the questions, looking quite ready.

Qin Ji hesitated to pick up his pen, then suddenly regretted it.

He genuinely wanted to win today's match fair and square for Jiang Jibai.

If it were a contest of classical texts, music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, or songs, that would be fine, since everyone relies on their own abilities.

But if we're talking about policy discussions...

The policy essays cover strategies for governing the country, including military affairs, agricultural administration, criminal law, official management, and river engineering.

As the ruler of a nation, he spends every day dealing with state affairs, from the moment he opens his eyes until the moment he closes them.

If he really wanted to win, he only needed to tone down his sharp and biting language and write in a more "exam-oriented" style; otherwise, it would be bullying a child.

If their identities are revealed in the future, what happened today will become public knowledge.

A sovereign ruler of a nation, competing with a fifteen-and-a-half-year-old boy in writing policy essays...

Even if you win, it's still embarrassing.

Oh no, it's not a loss of face, it's a loss of national dignity.

Moreover, once his policies are released, there's no guarantee that some people won't try to guess his policy preferences, pander to him, and flatter him.

When the time comes, don't let it lead future scholars of the imperial examinations astray in their writing of policy essays, turning what should have been a flourishing of diverse ideas into a situation where everyone tries their best to "get closer to His Majesty."

And then there's Pei Lian, who just suffered a setback in his zither playing. Although he's quite resilient and doesn't seem discouraged, can he really maintain his composure if he gets crushed again in the policy debate? Will he be completely demoralized from now on?

No matter what, he's a promising talent who seems like he could be useful in the future...

But Qin Ji was unwilling to give up this game just like that.

He had made it clear beforehand that as Jiang Jibai's junior disciple, how could he back down at this crucial moment and let his teacher down?

Not only did it embarrass itself, but it also made the teacher lose face.

No, absolutely not!

Or, how about we propose drawing lots again?

That won't work either.

Judging from the style of his poem just now, most people here would probably assume that he is good at policy essays. So, suggesting drawing lots at this time is just a pure insult.

That brat Pei Lian would probably be so angry that he'd rush over and fight him to the death, determined to prove himself superior.

Qin Ji hesitated to pick up his pen, his hair turning white from worry.

The previous passionate challenge was exhilarating for a moment.

I almost forgot that we've been following the "bad luck" pattern lately.

With so many things to compare, he just had to draw a strategy essay in the third round of the lottery, putting him in a difficult position now and digging a hole for himself.

Those around him, unaware of his inner thoughts, assumed that his reluctance to pick up his pen was because he was waiting patiently for the teachers to set the questions.

Jiang Jibai's gaze lingered briefly on the slightly uneasy posture of his young disciple.

After a moment, he stood up and bowed to the gentlemen: "At today's poetry gathering, Pei Lian and Jiang San have each demonstrated their strengths with their zither playing and poetry writing. If the third round were to test their strategic thinking, they could write at length..."

Firstly, it would be boring for the students to wait idly, spoiling their enjoyment; secondly, it would defeat the students' original intention of making friends through poetry and literature; and thirdly, dusk would be approaching, and by the time the essays were completed, it would be too late. If they went down the mountain in the dark, accidents might happen, which would be undesirable.

Let's stop here today; there will always be another day to compete.

...

The second update is here. I'll make up for the word count now. Everyone, go to sleep early and read it tomorrow morning. The two chapters together will have 4000 words.

Goal achieved, double update tomorrow.