Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

How does the skull fly?

It scared them away.

Upon hearing the repeated clattering of pens, Fang Yanqing knew something was amiss. Moreover, the voice coming from the throne was far too familiar to ignore.

So, with the idea of ​​watching the fun unfold, he looked up.

Their eyes met, and they stopped breathing.

Fang Yanqing's mouth opened slightly.

One nose, two eyes, two eyebrows.

Good heavens, His Majesty is such a fat sheep...

Oh no, it seems to be his petty, scheming, and cunning junior brother.

Haha, when he gets back he'll definitely tell this shocking news to his junior brother as a joke.

Oh, right, Junior Brother is His Majesty's study companion, so he must know about this, right?

Oh dear, since becoming His Majesty's study companion, my junior brother has not only resembled His Majesty in appearance but also in voice. He must admire His Majesty so much that he's made himself look exactly like him from head to toe...

As for why the supreme ruler on the throne was staring at him, well, he was the top scholar in the imperial examination, so it's easy to understand why he was given more attention.

Fang Yanqing blinked slowly, then quickly lowered his head, pretending to be deep in thought about the exam questions.

In the split second that he looked down, Fang Yanqing noticed that His Majesty's fingers "inadvertently" twitched—it was a familiar gesture, a gesture of begging for money.

Fang Yanqing's hand trembled, her legs went weak, and she almost slid down like a noodle. She managed to steady herself by supporting herself on the table, avoiding a full prostration on the spot.

How much silver did he swindle from His Majesty?

Fang Yanqing quickly did the math in his mind and came to the conclusion of 105 taels.

Don't panic, don't panic. His Majesty is rich in the world, and he certainly won't haggle over a mere 105 taels.

Don't panic, don't panic. His Majesty is magnanimous and will certainly not hold a grudge against him for scolding him in front of everyone because of the old woman Ning'an and for asking him for a tael of silver.

Don't panic. His Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state and certainly doesn't have the time to investigate his actions of openly extorting money under the pretext of covering up for his teacher.

Don't panic, don't panic. He only plucked a little dragon hair. The teacher, however, did...

Don't panic. Compared to the crime of exterminating ten generations of one's family, his disrespect is nothing.

Don't panic... Why is his head swaying on his neck?

Fang Yanqing touched his cold neck and began to consider the possibility of running away with his teacher and senior brother overnight.

The more I thought about it, the more desperate I became.

Wait a minute, Senior Brother is an official in the court and has met His Majesty. How could he not know that Junior Brother is the current emperor?

How could he sit idly by and watch the relationship between his teacher and His Majesty develop into this predicament?

Fang Yanqing straightened up with a start.

Yes, that's why that foul mouth of the spray bottle spirit doesn't work in front of his junior brother.

Considering his senior brother's enigmatic demeanor, he had reason to suspect that His Majesty had silenced him.

Shen Jiangliu, are you confused?!

No wonder Shen Jiangliu repeatedly told him to treat his junior brother better.

So this is what makes my junior brother so extraordinary—he's the kind of extraordinary that can easily leave people "clueless," hahaha.

Isn't it just a group of disciples offering sacrifices to the heavens together?

No problem, no problem.

Fang Yanqing suddenly felt a sense of indifference towards life and death. He stared at the exam paper, and the distorted expression on his face gradually returned to calm.

He knew His Majesty was still watching him. Let him watch, at most he'd see where to cut his neck.

Fang Yanqing picked up the pen, and as if his extraordinary meridians had been opened, his thoughts flowed like a spring.

The mere palace examination—can't you just let yourself go however you want?

I used to collect those I wrote, but hey, I'm not collecting them anymore.

What used to be feared as offending the imperial court, well, not anymore.

Since things have already come to this, and I only have one life to live, why would I want to kill him twice more?

I'll write about the flaws I never dared to write about before!

This is called the final swan song, a deafening cry before the sacrifice to heaven!

His brushstrokes flowed like dragons and snakes, displaying his unrestrained creativity.

Fang Yanqing wrote faster and faster, more and more fluently. He wrote about official corruption, land annexation, the crumbling foundation of the empire, and the most rotten sores in places unseen by those in power. Every word carried the exhilarating feeling of giving up in despair.

After making a mischievous gesture to Fang Yanqing, Qin Ji, who had originally intended to amuse himself, watched his cheap second senior brother's breakdown.

He dared to fleece me; he deserves to be utterly terrified.

He also thought that if Fang Yanqing was so easily frightened and performed poorly, it meant that his mental fortitude was not good enough and he was not qualified to be the top scholar.

In the blink of an eye, Fang Yanqing suddenly calmed down again, buried his head and started writing rapidly, as if divinely inspired.

Being too far away, Qin Ji squinted but still couldn't see what Fang Yanqing had written on his exam paper.

Oh well, the exam papers will be delivered to him sooner or later anyway.

Qin Ji withdrew his gaze, scanned the Wenhe Hall once more, picked up a teacup, and blew away the foam.

The palace examination would last a full day, and Qin Ji couldn't possibly sit here all day. His presence at the beginning was enough, and afterwards, he would be supervised by two chief examiners.

Therefore, he drank tea for a while, then put down his teacup and left the Wenhe Hall.

After he left, the scholars in the Wenhe Hall visibly relaxed a little and devoted themselves to their writing.

Until a chime resounded, vibrating the eardrums, the examinees stopped writing, and the officials filed in to collect the examination papers.

The scholars rose and left the venue one after another.

Their imperial examinations had reached their end here.

Afterwards, the grand ceremony of announcing the results of the imperial examinations was held, with His Majesty personally attending and bestowing upon them the titles of Jinshi or Tongjinshi, which would mark the beginning of their official careers.

Many candidates who felt they had performed well were eager to try again, their faces beaming, wishing they could jump right in at the announcement ceremony and hear the Ministry of Rites read out the list of successful candidates.

The most worried are the candidates who ranked mediocrely and felt they hadn't performed well today. If they didn't make it into the second tier and ended up in the third tier, the difference between a Jinshi and a Tongjinshi would be like night and day in their future careers.

Once outside the palace gates, the candidates finally breathed a sigh of relief. Some boarded carriages and returned home, while others gathered in twos and threes to discuss the questions for the palace examination.

Fu Xingjian and Pei Lian got into their respective cars with relaxed expressions.

Four other people, each with unsteady steps and a sense of detachment from their bodies, were quietly intercepted by various "accidents" before stepping out of the palace gates, and brought back without anyone noticing.

...

The first update is here. The second update will be after midnight, which will be quite late. You can read it during the day tomorrow.

I can't take it anymore. I've been sleeping at 3 AM every day for the past two days. I can't keep going. I'll catch up on sleep during the day tomorrow. Everyone, get some rest.

Goal achieved! Double updates tomorrow! Love you all!