Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Even more deadly, Gu Zhenhe could feel the gaze from the throne fixed on the top of his head.

He dared not bend over or move around, and a tingling sensation ran down his head.

Gu Zhenhe knew he had to say something.

He lowered his gaze, forcing himself to remain calm, and stiffly said, "This student made a mistake; please replace the pen."

To prevent cheating, if a pen was dropped during the palace examination, one could not bend down to pick it up oneself; one had to make a request, and an official in charge would do it for one of the candidates.

Qin Ji made a mental note in his little notebook.

Gu Zhenhe was the first to spy on the Emperor's face and show unusual behavior. He repeatedly tried to become my junior brother and even tried to undermine me in front of the Poison Master. He deserves to be executed with reprieve!

Qin Ji smiled wryly and slightly raised his hand. "Granted."

Upon receiving the imperial order, the official stepped forward, picked up the fallen pen, replaced it with a new one, and placed it expressionlessly on Gu Zhenhe's desk, without exchanging even a glance with the scholar.

Gu Zhenhe picked up the new pen with stiff fingers.

"Clatter".

The crisp sound of a pen falling echoed from not far behind, making Gu Zhenhe's heart skip a beat, and he almost dropped the new pen in his hand.

The deacon hadn't even taken two steps when he was stopped in his tracks by another sound of a pen falling.

The palace examination had just begun when pen-dropping incidents occurred one after another. What's wrong with this year's candidates?

Why are you so careless?

Two students who ranked highly dropped their pens. Those who were initially unaffected couldn't help but look up and silently grip their pens tightly, afraid of repeating the same mistake.

This time, it was Chen Han's turn to be under the public eye.

He pursed his lips tightly, supported himself on the ground with his left hand, and placed his right fist on his knee, his fingers trembling slightly.

He couldn't tell whether His Majesty was the one who saved his life at Mangshan, but he knew that His Majesty had gone up the mountain with Gu Zhenhe.

He wasn't sure at first.

But he clearly saw Gu Zhenhe drop his pen. Gu Zhenhe had obviously glanced at Tianyan while flipping through the exam paper, and then trembled as if he had been hit hard. Immediately afterward, the pen in his hand lost its support and fell straight to the ground.

Gu Zhenhe seemed to be burned by the truth he had just witnessed, and immediately lowered his head.

This reaction clearly confirmed his earlier guess.

So the savior he had been searching for all this time was actually His Majesty?

The image of His Majesty descending like a god, his robes fluttering, and his elegant departure without leaving a trace, played out in my mind again and again.

Chen Han's pupils trembled slightly, and a surge of excitement and eagerness rose in his heart. After a long while, he seemed to wake from a dream and found his slightly trembling voice: "This student made a mistake, please replace the pen."

Qin Ji turned his gaze to the second person who was behaving strangely. Although the person looked somewhat familiar, he couldn't remember who it was even after thinking for a long time.

After looking him up and down for a long time, thanks to his powerful memory, he finally found the person from the nook and cranny.

I saved his life at Mangshan.

I was wearing a bamboo hat at the time, how did this person recognize me?

By sound?

Forget it, he's just a random passerby, not important, I can't write him down.

Qin Ji, in a moment of great mercy, let him go: "Granted."

The deacon performed the action of picking up the pen and replacing it with a new one once again.

"Clatter." This time, the sound came from behind the Wenhe Hall.

Deacon: "..." No? Is dropping a pen contagious?

Qin Ji squinted and looked over, meeting a deathly pale face.

Yan Mingli's lips trembled violently, and his face turned from deathly pale to ashen when His Majesty looked over. His body was as straight as a bowstring, and even from a distance, one could see that he was trembling from excessive exertion.

He never imagined that a moment of curiosity would lead him to witness such a terrifying truth, one that would shatter his spirit.

Unlike others, he truly stood on the opposite side of His Majesty.

Ever since he attended Mr. Gu's lectures, he had known that Mr. Gu was extraordinary, but he never expected that he was so extraordinary that even His Majesty would go to the Sidingzhai Academy to listen to his lectures, and even protect him in such a way.

Yan Mingli was filled with remorse, and a bitter taste rose in his mouth.

After ten years of hard study, he finally passed the imperial examination with flying colors, but unexpectedly, due to a moment of infatuation, he planted a seed that almost ruined his future.

The pen that pierced his hair was thrown out by His Majesty himself.

—Disrespectful to teachers and elders, ignorant of reason, with such a character, do you live up to the expectations of the elders who gave you this name?

—I think you might as well not take the imperial examination. You lack the knowledge and the character, so you won't pass.

If he hadn't given away any evidence, that would have been fine, but he also lost his composure and became the third candidate to drop his pen.

He had struggled for so many years, fighting for his life and his luck, seizing every opportunity to climb up the social ladder, but he never expected... that it would all be a pipe dream in the end. He had already been sentenced to death by His Majesty.

Yan Mingli did not rush to pick up the brush that had fallen to the ground.

He can be dismissed, he can be permanently banned.

Even though he was somewhat disheartened, his years of scheming still wouldn't allow him to squander his last chance.

He composed himself, suppressed his chaotic thoughts, prepared himself for being kicked out, and calmly spoke according to the rules of the palace examination: "This student made a mistake and begs for a replacement pen."

Qin Ji was extremely displeased upon hearing this man's plea.

This person not only insulted Jiang Jibai in order to leave Sidingzhai, but what's most hateful is that he also became the fuse that caused the ruler to fall on Jiang Jibai.

After listening to Jiang Jibai's lectures, he shamelessly started asking Jiang Jibai for knowledge every day, and even gave him writing materials!

I have reason to suspect that he, like Gu Zhenhe, wants to steal someone else's partner!

Qin Ji made a second note in his notebook.

Yan Mingli, execute him immediately! Execute him immediately!

Three incidents of dropping the pen occurred in a row.

Those scholars in the Wenhe Hall who were unaware of the situation all sensed the tense atmosphere to varying degrees, and each of them held their breath and concentrated.

Some people are already silently praying for the candidates who dropped their pens, especially the third one, who might be eliminated altogether...

Even if those two weren't dismissed, they probably left His Majesty with the impression of being reckless, careless, and disrespectful in front of the emperor.

Just when everyone thought Yan Mingli would be kicked out.

"allow."

Qin Ji uttered a single word expressionlessly and looked away.

With His Majesty's order, the steward complied and replaced Yan Mingli's pen.

Yan Mingli looked on in disbelief, only to see the supreme ruler on the throne with a cold expression, his pupils as black as ink, unfathomable. Such was the nature of the imperial family, so profound and imposing.

An idea suddenly came to mind.

His Majesty spared him, as if he were an ant.

One unexpected event after another occurred before his eyes. Fu Xingjian realized that something must have happened, but he was always an upright and prudent person. He never raised his eyes to look directly at the emperor's face, and only focused on doing his own thing.

Pei Lian was completely absorbed in the exam paper, oblivious to what was happening around him, his pen moving swiftly and powerfully.

Fang Yanqing wasn't so lucky.

He was so amused he felt like his head was about to explode.

...

The second update is here! Remember to check out GG and support tomorrow's double update!