Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Who's being good? Who's being good?

How can a ruler of a country be described as obedient?

This is utterly disgraceful to my reputation!

Qin Ji chirped in his mind as he returned to the palace with light steps.

The palace servants, led by Fu Lu, who served His Majesty, were all shrewd and capable. Seeing that His Majesty had a smile on his face all night, they knew that their master was in a good mood, and the atmosphere in the Qianzheng Hall became much more relaxed.

After reviewing the commemorative documents for a short while, Qin Ji returned to his bedchamber with Fu Lu's assistance.

Lying in bed, after the curtains were drawn, Qin Ji recalled for a moment the indulgent and doting look on Jiang Jibai's face when he said that Jiang was "too obedient." He then expressionlessly pulled the quilt up to cover his face.

After rolling around under the covers for a while, his thoughts wandered. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he laughed so hard that his eyes disappeared. As he laughed, he felt a bit suffocated under the covers, so he quickly flipped the covers off his face and sat up straight.

This poison master is afraid of snakes; he's found his weakness, hasn't he?

Qin Ji grinned, showing off his white teeth, and pounded the bed.

The eunuch on night duty outside heard the commotion and asked softly, "Your Majesty?"

Qin Ji instantly composed himself, lay down straight with an air of authority, and sparingly replied, "It's nothing."

...

Three days later was the day of the grand court session. After the court session ended, the Minister of Works and the Vice Minister of Water Resources were summoned to the Qianzheng Hall to report on the irrigation situation for spring plowing and the flood situation this spring. Shen Jiangliu, as the Assistant Minister of Water Resources, also accompanied them.

After discussing government affairs, the group took their leave. Shen Jiangliu left the Qianzheng Hall, and after parting ways with his two superiors, he bowed to the eunuch outside the hall and requested another audience.

Sure enough, he was soon summoned by His Majesty and Shen Jiangliu stepped back into the Qianzheng Hall.

Qin Ji didn't even look up, his head buried in the memorials submitted by the Ministry of Works. "What is it?"

Shen Jiangliu's request for an audience was not actually related to official business, and it was inappropriate to disturb His Majesty in the palace with such a matter, but it was related to his "junior brother," so he could not act on his own initiative.

"Pei Lian sent me an invitation yesterday, saying he would like to invite 'Jiang San' to a small gathering at Pingxin Yashe on April 20th."

Pingxin Yashe is a well-known teahouse in Beijing. Its tranquil environment makes it a popular spot for scholars, poets, and students preparing for exams to enjoy tea and discuss philosophy.

Qin Ji never expected that he would be invited, and that the invitation would even be sent to Shen Jiangliu.

During the palace examination, although he did not keep a close eye on Pei Lian, he had instructed his secret guards in advance to designate several individuals who needed to be "focused on".

The short man neither dropped his pen nor looked up; he was completely absorbed in the exam questions and probably didn't know who he was.

Qin Ji put down his pen with great interest and gestured for Shen Jiangliu to bring the invitation. "Since it's for me, why did it end up being sent to you?"

Shen Jiangliu was prepared. He took out the invitation from his pocket and keenly noticed the "I" in His Majesty's self-reference. He smiled and handed it over, saying, "It must be because the great scholar Jiang is living in seclusion in the city and his whereabouts are unknown. There is no news about 'Jiang San' at all. Only I, who have been a disciple of the master for a long time, am openly serving as an official in the court. It is easy to find out where I live with a little inquiry."

That's true.

Qin Ji opened the visiting card and glanced at it briefly.

The invitation didn't go into details, only vaguely stating that it was a small gathering for exchanging knowledge, chatting, and enjoying tea.

"When he sent the invitations, did he mention who else he invited?" Qin Ji asked casually.

Shen Jiangliu naturally wouldn't take the invitation sent to His Majesty lightly. After inquiring about the details, he replied, "It's said to be a small gathering, only inviting those who passed the imperial examination at Songjian Academy."

The palace examination has ended. Although the rankings are not yet determined, according to past practice, they will not be dismissed. Whether Pei Lian and the other candidates are sent to local areas or stay in the court, they will all serve the court in the future.

These people took the imperial examination together and were considered to be of the same year, so they would naturally be closer. Not to mention that Pei Lian invited students from Songjian Academy. Being of the same year and classmates would naturally make them even closer, and they would have fewer reservations about each other, making it easier for them to speak freely, become friends, and build connections in the future.

That short, arrogant boy clearly hadn't experienced the harsh realities of life; he was still quite naive and probably wouldn't have taken the initiative to arrange something like this. It was just unknown whether the person giving him advice was his teacher—the former Director of the Imperial Academy, Zhao Guangqi—or his unfortunate senior brother, Xie Wumian, who had finally managed to rejoin the academy but was still treated as nothing by Director Zhao.

However, with the help of a benefactor, his unlucky senior brother is about to have a change of fortune.

Then another question arises: Jiang San wasn't on the list, so why did Pei Lian invite him to do anything?

Recalling the question Pei Lian had asked him back then, Qin Ji wondered to himself: Could it be that he was unwilling to lose to him, and having regained his confidence by ranking in the top ten of this imperial examination, he wanted to take him along as well and get back at him?

Qin Ji already had enough holes on his vest and didn't want to add any more, so he was about to refuse.

But then he thought again that there were seven successful candidates from Songjian Academy this time. Even if he didn't know his identity now, he would definitely see his true face at the ceremony of announcing the results of the palace examination. It was just a matter of a few days earlier or later.

Qin Ji knew so much about the fact that seven people from Songjian Academy made the list because Jiang Jibai had taught the Sidingzhai Academy for a period of time before the imperial examination.

He just wanted to see how many of Jiang Jibai's students had passed the exam, and what percentage of them were from Songjian Academy.

So-so, maybe more than half.

The Emperor is so concerned because he fears that if a dignified imperial tutor doesn't even have the ability to cultivate talent, it would be a disgrace to him.

It's not about feeling proud or showing off!

Qin Ji suppressed a smile and continued to ponder.

Of these seven people, Gu Zhenhe and Yan Mingli already knew his identity.

He could use this incident as a rehearsal to see how well the two actors performed and whether they took his warning to heart.

If their acting skills are not up to par, they won't be able to hide their identities from Pei Lian and Fu Xingjian, let alone run into Jiang Jibai in the future... In that case, it would be best to send them to a remote area and kick them out of the capital as soon as possible.

Qin Ji casually tossed the invitation onto the table. "Tell Pei Lian I've accepted his invitation."

He wanted to see if Pei Lian, that little dwarf, had set a trap for him.