Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

"Rise, and offer me a seat." A short, youthful voice came through the screen.

Jiang Jibai thanked the emperor with neither arrogance nor servility, rose and sat down in a carved rosewood armchair.

The two sat facing each other across a screen. Jiang Jibai remained calm and composed, his gaze slightly lowered. Even with the screen separating them, he did not attempt to look directly at the emperor's face.

On the contrary, the person on the other side of the screen sat very awkwardly, as if there were thorns on the throne, making him move around constantly. As a result, the shadow cast on the screen swayed left and right in the candlelight, which dazzled Jiang Jibai's eyes.

To put it bluntly, he doesn't seem to have the slightest bit of the composure of a ruler.

Jiang Jibai remained calm and silent, waiting for the imperial decree to be issued.

"It is said that Mr. Jiang is famous throughout the world, with a wealth of knowledge and an extraordinary appearance. Meeting him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved."

There was only a blurry shadow behind the screen. It was unclear how he could tell all this. It was just some perfunctory, empty talk. The only thing that struck Jiang Jibai as strangely familiar was the voice.

"It is a loss for the court, and also... a loss for me, that Mr. Jiang refuses to serve as Grand Tutor."

The young monarch spoke slowly and unnaturally, revealing a hint of unease and nervousness. Coupled with his fidgety posture, he seemed to be sitting on his throne without the air of an emperor.

Jiang Jibai originally thought that His Majesty dismissed everyone to reprimand him privately for catching him mingling with a man, but unexpectedly, His Majesty only said some unrelated polite words, as if nothing had happened before.

A cloud of doubt rose in his mind, but Jiang Jibai did not show it on his face. "I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's high regard. However, it may be more useful to you to teach and train more people who can serve Your Majesty than to serve as Grand Tutor by Your Majesty's side."

His words were so well-spoken that no one could find fault with them.

Upon hearing his voice, the young king behind the screen seemed to be provoked by something, and suddenly stood up from his throne. He appeared to want to come out from behind the screen, but then hesitated and retreated to stand beside the throne.

"Mr. Jiang has been cultivating talent for the court. Your disciple, Shen Jiangliu... I value him highly. With him as the imperial envoy to oversee the Ning'an waterway, I am very reassured and believe he will deliver a satisfactory result."

Who can trust you?

The person behind the screen seemed quite uncomfortable with the self-reference of "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I, the Emperor"), either pausing or omitting it, but their tone of voice became even more respectful, which made Jiang Jibai's heart skip a beat.

He raised his eyes and subtly observed the shadow standing beside the throne. The young king's posture seemed much more relaxed than before, as if that was the right place for him.

A bizarre idea popped into Jiang Jibai's mind, so he stood up, bowed, and said, "Shen Jiangliu will be deeply grateful to Your Majesty for your trust and will do his utmost to serve you. However, I have another request, which I hope Your Majesty will grant."

The figure behind the screen immediately took two steps forward, offering a slight touch across the screen. The voice, which sounded remarkably familiar, suddenly deepened, as if speaking in a hushed tone, "Please speak, sir."

Jiang Jibai looked at the figure behind the screen and slowly said, "My humble disciple, Bian Feibai, serves as Your Majesty's study companion in the palace. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, a day for family reunion. Would Your Majesty be so kind as to summon him to join me?"

As soon as Jiang Jibai finished speaking, he saw the figure behind the screen freeze. After a long while, the figure stammered, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. He misses his grandmother, so I... I have sent him back to his residence to reunite with his family. I have other matters to attend to. The rewards will be delivered to his residence. I will not keep you any longer, Mr. Jiang. You may leave."

Jiang Jibai was told to step back, but the person behind the screen retreated even faster than him. He turned to walk into the inner room, but because he was in a hurry, he stepped on the hem of his clothes and stumbled forward a few steps. His body leaned forward, and his hands instinctively braced themselves on the ground, but a strong hand held his arm.

Jiang Jibai supported Qin Ji, who was dressed in ordinary clothes and had a badge indicating his status as a student companion at his waist. He was deeply overwhelmed by a huge sense of absurdity and worry about the country.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, the ministers indulged in frivolous revelry with men, while the emperor allowed his attendants to impersonate him and receive a renowned scholar of great influence among the literati. Such childishness and absurdity are hardly the behavior of a wise ruler.

Has the current emperor already begun indulging in pleasure after only one year of assuming personal rule?

Qin Ji looked up in feigned panic, his face showing fear and bravado at being exposed. "T-Teacher, you're actually Jiang Jibai! Why...why did you lie to me?"

Qin Ji ultimately did not ruthlessly abandon this "teacher-student" relationship.

He went to great lengths to find such a "capable fighter," and if they were to break up like this, Jiang Jibai would be neither useful to the court nor to him. No matter how he looked at it, it would be a huge loss.

From the moment he discovered Jiang Jibai's identity until his return to the Qianzheng Palace, Qin Ji's mind was filled with images of Jiang Jibai lecturing to farmers, teaching him to risk his life for the people, and the figure of him shielding him from the collapsing grape trellis.

He eventually changed into his everyday clothes, put on Bian Yushu's identity token, had a screen set up, dismissed everyone, and disguised himself as Bian Yushu, who was playing the emperor, deciding to give each other a chance.

In Qin Ji's eyes, which were filled with "fear and unease," a silent undercurrent of probing and suspicion was surging.

Teacher, when you discover that your students are flattering and fawning, helping His Majesty cover up his immoral behavior, and treating the important matter of summoning renowned scholars as a joke.

What would you do?

Qin Ji snapped out of his suspicions and looked up at the river, which was covered in white frost.

The voice, chillingly cold, cut like a blade into Qin Ji's ears: "Is this how you serve His Majesty as a study companion?"