Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Fang Yanqing vehemently denied it, saying, "Absolutely not!"

Qin Ji snorted coldly, looked up at him, and asked, "What is Second Senior Brother going to do with so much dry food?"

Fang Yanqing bowed slightly, her words flowing like a river: "Since I came to the capital to take the imperial examination, I have been taken in by my teacher and senior brother. I have been eating and sleeping at their place every day. How could I possibly accept that?"

"Therefore, the students bought some grain to give as a way of repaying their kindness."

These words sounded grand and sincere, and would have been more believable if they had come from anyone else, but they came from Fang Yanqing, this stingy miser.

What about fooling the ghost?

Qin Ji twirled the folding fan in his hand, looked down at him, and continued to press him in a light tone: "What about the new saddle and horseshoes? Is that also to repay the teacher's kindness?"

Without hesitation, Fang Yanqing spoke fluently: "My ability to enter the palace examination today is entirely due to your meticulous guidance, teacher. Your kindness to me is like giving me a second life, and I have no way to repay you. So I thought of how you travel around all year round, relying entirely on the speed of carriages and horses."

"A craftsman must first sharpen his tools if he wants to do his work well. The student saw that the saddle was old and the horseshoes were worn and deformed. He wanted to repay the teacher, but he had nothing of value and could not afford an expensive gift. So he thought of starting with the details and doing something small for the teacher that he could do."

The spinning folding fan fell into his palm, and Qin Ji casually leaned against the carriage wall: "What about the medicinal herbs?"

This is even more absurd.

Fang Yanqing immediately replied, "These are all commonly used medicinal herbs. Sending some to our teacher and senior brother's residence is just in case."

Qin Ji uttered three words with a flick of his lips: "Generous indeed."

These words were clearly sarcastic. Fang Yanqing wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, smiled, and took out an exquisite fan pendant from his sleeve. He bowed his head and presented it with both hands: "I have come to the capital for the imperial examination and have not yet presented Your Majesty with a suitable gift. I did not know what Your Majesty liked before and racked my brains without any ideas. Today, seeing the fan in Your Majesty's hand, I finally chose the most suitable one."

"The folding fan in Your Majesty's hand was painted by my teacher. Every stroke reflects my teacher's respect and affection for you. It would be a real pity if such an exquisite folding fan were not matched with a fan pendant."

"This fan pendant was carefully selected by the student, symbolizing the unity between teacher and student. It is presented to Your Majesty as an added touch of elegance, and we hope Your Majesty will accept it with pleasure."

Fang Yanqing kept his body low to the ground. He could feel the Emperor's gaze lingering on his back. He did not look up, but held the fan pendant respectfully, waiting for His Majesty's decision.

After a long while, the fan pendant in my hand was picked up by a slightly cold hand.

Fang Yanqing lowered his brows and looked down, not daring to look directly at the emperor's face.

Qin Ji twirled the fan pendant between his fingers. "You keep calling me 'student,' what kind of relationship do I have with your teacher?"

He was in the mood to joke around, which meant he had passed the test of buying things at the market. Fang Yanqing breathed a slight sigh of relief.

This year's palace examination was personally presided over by His Majesty, and in principle, all the candidates who participated in the palace examination were considered to be the emperor's disciples.

However, since His Majesty has become a disciple of a teacher, the relationship is truly a complete mess.

Fang Yanqing continued, choosing more palatable words: "His Majesty is the ruler and father of all people, and also their teacher. One thing at a time."

Qin Ji listened to these words but said nothing more. "Get up and sit down."

Fang Yanqing did not refuse, and quickly got up, sitting obediently on a stool to the side.

This cheap second senior brother is cunning and shrewd in dealing with people, outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, and decisive in his actions. He is even more difficult to deal with than Shen Jiangliu.

He said a lot of nice things to my face, but as soon as he leaves, he might just betray me without even looking back.

Even worse, they might run away with Jiang Jibai overnight, so we have to be careful.

"Flat beans," Qin Ji said calmly.

A figure leaped onto the carriage and knelt before Qin Ji: "Your Majesty."

Fang Yanqing kept his eyes down, pretending not to see the young man who had just helped him move his things, his gaze fixed on the tips of his shoes, not daring to look around.

In front of Fang Yanqing, Qin Ji gave an order to Bian Dou, "Fang Huiyuan is the teacher's top student and a pillar of the country, but he is also a weak scholar. You pick a few people to protect him secretly and do not let anything happen to him."

"Yes," Lentil replied respectfully.

Fang Yanqing's heart skipped a beat.

It was called protection, but it was actually surveillance.

Under the watchful eyes of these people, it would be virtually impossible for him to escape with his teacher and senior classmates.

His Majesty's issuance of this order in front of him was a warning to him, a warning that his every move was under His Majesty's control and that he should not act rashly.

Seeing Fang Yanqing's slightly solemn expression, Qin Ji hung the fan pendant at the bottom of the folding fan and said slowly, "You must be aware of the existence of these secret guards, so I won't hide it from you."

Fang Yanqing's heart skipped a beat, and he looked up with feigned surprise: "I only saw him help me move things earlier and thought he looked familiar. I really didn't know his identity. Why does Your Majesty say this?"

Qin Ji had long anticipated that he wouldn't admit it so easily and would instead play the fool in front of him.

Qin Ji tapped his folding fan lightly in his palm, scoffed, and instead of answering, asked, "You could have packed your valuables discreetly and taken Jiang Jibai and Shen Jiang away from the capital overnight, replenishing supplies along the way. Why bother with such a grand shopping spree at the market?"

Fang Yanqing felt as if her heart was being gripped by a large hand, suddenly constricting, and her breathing became labored.

Undeterred, he tried to continue feigning ignorance: "Leaving the capital? The student is merely buying some things as a token of gratitude..."

He stretched out his folding fan and touched Fang Yanqing's lips, successfully silencing him.

Qin Ji closed his folding fan, gently fiddling with the tassel on the fan pendant. His insightful gaze pierced directly into Fang Yanqing's eyes, and a smile that didn't reach his heart appeared on his lips. "Afraid of acting rashly and angering me, which could lead to things getting out of control, you went straight to the market. This was partly to test whether I had someone secretly following you, and partly to prepare a backup plan to avoid my wrath..."

"Now that I've figured out what you want, and know I'm truly worried about you, I've sent people to secretly follow you, and now I've even laid 'protection' right in front of you." Qin Ji paused slightly, his gaze deep, and waved the fan pendant in front of Fang Yanqing before slowly asking, "Fang Yanqing, how do you plan to feign compliance with me and run away with your teacher?"