Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

The study door closed in front of him. Qin Ji originally wanted to lean against the door to listen to the corner of the wall, but Shen Jiangliu was very oblivious and insisted on grabbing his wrist and leading him away until they entered the opposite room before letting go.

Now you can't hear a sound at all.

Qin Ji rubbed his wrist, then sat down on the stool by the table, looking at him with displeasure.

Shen Jiangliu was about to bow when Qin Ji spoke calmly, "You've dragged me all the way here, and now you remember the etiquette between ruler and subject?"

He waved his hand: "No need."

You are not happy to be treated with the respect due to a subject in front of your teacher.

Shen Jiangliu didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to pour tea for Qin Ji. "When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer. In the heat of the moment, I offended you. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Qin Ji readily accepted the tea offered by his senior brother, took the teacup, gently blew on it, and said, "Sit."

Shen Jiangliu lifted his robe and was about to sit down when the young man beside him suddenly raised his eyes, leisurely raising an eyebrow. "Wasn't Senior Brother going to lecture me on the principles of brotherhood?"

A hint of mockery flashed in the young man's eyes as he lightly tapped the rim of his cup with his fingers: "What advice do you have? I'm all ears."

Qin Ji's words were originally meant to tease him.

Unexpectedly, Shen Jiang had an expression that seemed to say, "I was just about to doze off when someone offered me a pillow," and he calmly sat down opposite Qin Ji: "Since Your Majesty has given the order, then this humble subject will dare to ask a few questions."

Qin Ji: "?"

Is that correct?

Shouldn't you say, with trepidation, that it was just an excuse in front of the teacher?

Well, Shen Jiangliu, you're really putting on airs as the senior brother, trying to reason with me?

I'd like to see what kind of ivory you can spew from your dog's mouth.

"Did His Majesty frighten Yanqing during today's palace examination?"

Thinking of the money-begging gesture he had made to Fang Yanqing, Qin Ji's eyes flickered slightly. Without even glancing at Shen Jiangliu, he took a sip of tea and said, "He didn't know my identity before, so it's understandable that he was a bit startled when he suddenly saw me during the palace examination."

Fang Yanqing has an exceptionally thick skin. Even if he discovered that his junior brother was the current emperor, he shouldn't be so frightened that he would lose his composure and abandon his usual cautious and tactful style to write such a radical and bold article.

"Is that all?" Shen Jiangliu asked instinctively.

Qin Ji put down his teacup, slammed his hand on the table, and stared sharply at Shen Jiangliu: "Minister Shen, you have overstepped your bounds. Are you interrogating me?"

Shen Jiangliu calmly rose and knelt, his back straight as a pine tree, and clasped his hands in front of him as a gesture of respect: "Your Majesty, I have offended you with my words. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

Shen Jiangliu acted like a cheap senior brother, which displeased Qin Ji. He knelt down and begged for forgiveness in a formal manner, which also displeased Qin Ji.

I can't quite put my finger on why, but I just can't stand the way they look at me.

He barely suppressed his irritation. "Why don't you go ask Fang Yanqing what good things he's done? A guilty conscience needs no scare."

Shen Jiangliu: "..." I can totally imagine what kind of good thing this miser is up to.

Do not live by committing sins.

"Yanqing lost his parents at a young age and lived a difficult life. It is truly remarkable that he has come this far. If he has offended anyone, I apologize to Your Majesty on his behalf." Shen Jiangliu kowtowed: "I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

So it turns out they came here to speak well of Fang Yanqing.

Their deep brotherhood made him appear as an unreasonable and wicked person.

Qin Ji's expression darkened slightly. "Does Minister Shen think that my heart cannot tolerate someone like Fang Yanqing, and that I would stoop to his level?"

Based on Shen Jiangliu's current understanding of this person.

They won't punish them.

Whether she's keeping a mental notebook... is hard to say.

Shen Jiangliu said slowly, "Yanqing has always been cautious, but his writing style changed drastically in the palace examination, with a hint of 'what's the use of trying.' I'm afraid he has already given up on his future and doesn't care about his final ranking in the imperial examination."

Shen Jiangliu paused slightly, then said meaningfully, "He's a very opinionated person, and it's not easy to persuade him with just a few words..."

Qin Ji's fingers paused, and he narrowed his eyes slightly: "Are you implying that he's only outwardly obedient but inwardly resentful, and is even plotting to run away with his teacher?"

Shen Jiangliu kept his eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought. "Your Majesty is wise and insightful. Even if I don't mention it, I'm sure his little tricks won't escape your notice."

It's rare for the cheap senior brother to say something nice; he's clearly using a strategic retreat as a pretext, and what follows is the real key point.

Qin Ji tapped the wooden table lightly with his fingers, probably already guessing what Shen Jiangliu was going to say.

As he expected, Shen Jiangliu began to give him a heads-up.

"If Yanqing fails to conceal your identity from your teacher, or if he tries to help your teacher escape, I beg Your Majesty to consider that he has devoted ten years to studying and sacrificed everything for his filial piety, and not hold it against him."

Qin Ji sneered, "Impossible."

"If I grant your request, wouldn't that be tantamount to telling you that it's okay to reveal my identity to the teacher, and it's okay to run away with the teacher? Once this door is opened, how can I ever have a peaceful day?"

"You two are brothers, and you want to plead for him?"

"Can."

Qin Ji clapped his hands and said, "You exposed my secrets, so I killed him. He exposed my secrets, so I killed you."

Shen Jiangliu: "..."

You've figured out how to control each other, you tyrant!

The insulting words rolled around in my mouth several times, but I couldn't quite get them out.

The boy sitting at the table, however, wore an expression as if he had just noticed him kneeling, and reached out to help him up, saying, "Senior Brother, why are you kneeling? Get up, get up. Don't just kneel there all the time. What will it look like if the teacher sees you like that?"

If it weren't for the ties of their nine clans, Shen Jiangliu would have really wanted to throw his shoe in his face.

He obediently got up and stood to one side with his hands at his sides.

Qin Ji glanced at him sideways: "Sit down."

Shen Jiangliu maintained a respectful posture, his expression unchanged: "There is a distinction between ruler and subject; I dare not."

Shen Jiangliu was clearly doing it on purpose, and Qin Ji's dislike for him resurfaced.

"You sat down so readily when I asked you to, but now you're putting on an act?"

Shen Jiangliu remained cautious and did not look directly at the emperor's face. "I was momentarily carried away and lost my sense of propriety as a subject. Your Majesty's reprimand is justified. I have overstepped my bounds and hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Seeing his unyielding attitude, Qin Ji chuckled slightly: "Is this the principle of brotherhood you're trying to preach?"

Shen Jiangliu calmly raised his eyes, looking directly at the young man in front of him without fear: "One moment you call me Senior Brother, the next you call me Minister Shen. One moment you talk about brotherhood, the next you want to chop off my head."

"Such fickle behavior is beyond my ability to discern; I can only treat it with the courtesy due to a subject."

"I do not consider myself qualified to discuss with you the principles of brotherhood and friendship, but I dare to speak to you about the unpredictability of a ruler's heart and the danger of serving a ruler."