Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Come again?

I knew there was no such thing as a good banquet.

Qin Ji's eyes held a meaningful look.

"Jiang San???" Lu Zhongbai exclaimed in surprise.

Isn't that the veiled boy who defeated the prodigy Pei at the Mangshan Poetry Gathering, and the great scholar Jiang Jibai's disciple?

Because Pei Lian was present, he didn't say it aloud.

Could it be Mr. Gu...?

Lu Zhongbai was filled with regret, slapping his thigh in frustration at the missed opportunity.

Gu Zhenhe choked on his saliva.

No, Pei Prodigy, what are you up to?

Do you know who's standing in front of you?

Sitting so close to the front during the palace examination, why didn't you secretly look up and glance at the screen?

Do you even realize you've hit a brick wall?

Instead of thinking about your own head, why don't you think about your retired teacher, Zhao Siye?

Yan Mingli knocked over a teacup on the table with his sleeve. He hurriedly tidied it up, then stood up again, holding his breath and not daring to utter a sound.

At first, Zou Rong was a little out of the loop.

He thought to himself: What? The last person has finally arrived? Pei Shentong, have you forgotten someone...? Chen Han hasn't arrived yet.

After receiving a massive amount of information, Zou Rong was speechless.

Mr. Gu's most outstanding student is Jiang San, so isn't Mr. Gu himself...?

Zou Rong's pupils dilated in shock, while Chen Han was completely forgotten.

Fu Xingjian didn't expect that Pei Lian would reveal Jiang San's identity so soon after he said "Mr. Gu's outstanding student".

His brows were furrowed so deeply they looked like they were about to trap a fly, and he gave Pei Lian a disapproving look.

Lu Zhongbai finally recovered from the shock of missing the opportunity to hear the great scholar Jiang lecture. He stood up and bowed to Qin Ji, saying, "I never expected that you would be such a distinguished student of the great scholar Jiang. I saw your demeanor at Mangshan before, but I failed to recognize you. I was truly blind to your greatness."

Qin Ji closed his folding fan. "I was wearing a veiled hat at the time, so it's not surprising that you didn't recognize me."

Zou Rong also snapped out of her shock and quickly got up.

Their standing up made Gu Zhenhe and Yan Mingli seem less out of place.

Zou Rong: "Brother Jiang, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Qin Ji smiled faintly, appearing somewhat distant: "Nice to meet you."

These people will all enter officialdom in the future; they will be his subjects. They will still have to pick up the burdens they are supposed to carry, and the proper state system must still be maintained.

Pei Lian, impatient with their rambling pleasantries, abruptly asked, "Why didn't I see you at the palace examination? Did you not participate in this year's provincial examination?"

Given Jiang San's abilities, it's impossible that he wouldn't be on the list; the only possibility is that he didn't even participate in the provincial examination.

Since they could no longer compete in the imperial examinations and could only compete privately, the prestige of the competition had been greatly reduced, which Pei Lian found somewhat regrettable.

The reason you didn't see me during the palace examination is because you didn't look up.

Little dwarf.

Qin Ji found a seat and sat down, and a waiter from outside came in to serve him tea.

As steam rose from the tea, Qin Ji picked up his teacup, blew on it lightly, and said, "I didn't participate."

Gu Zhenhe thought to himself: Of course I didn't participate. What kind of logic is it for an examiner to take the exam? Besides, if His Majesty were to take the exam, who would dare to award the top scholar title to someone else?

Of course, he only dared to think these words in his heart.

As Qin Ji took his seat, Lu Zhongbai and Zou Rong naturally followed suit.

Gu Zhenhe followed suit.

Yan Mingli reluctantly followed the crowd, but his movements were a beat slower.

Qin Ji's expressionless gaze swept over Yan Mingli, whose legs went weak, and he quickly sat down.

Qin Ji withdrew his gaze.

Tsk, although after being reprimanded by him, they all understood his meaning and knew they couldn't reveal his identity.

However, acting skills vary in quality; superficiality leads to a loss of naturalness and excessive affectation.

Qin Ji inwardly expressed his disdain.

After he sat down, the previously warm atmosphere immediately cooled down a bit.

Those who knew his identity dared not speak carelessly, while those who did not know his identity were not particularly familiar with him.

Pei Lian, on the other hand, remained steadfast and persistent: "Are you going to compete or not?"

Gu Zhenhe was terrified.

This little prodigy Pei is used to everything going smoothly, and he speaks without any restraint.

His repeated dancing in the minefield was none of his business.

But he's still just a kid, and I couldn't bear not to stop him from getting hurt.

Moreover...

He glanced at Qin Ji out of the corner of his eye without making a sound.

If His Majesty helps this child prodigy, he might not necessarily harbor ill will towards him; in fact, he might even leave a good impression.

Gu Zhenhe stepped in to defuse the situation, smilingly changing the subject and shaking his head teasingly, "Ever since Brother Jiang stepped into this private room, Brother Pei has seen us all become mere background figures. What a waste!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhongbai recalled how Pei Lian had ignored him before, and he certainly wouldn't stoop to the level of a boy who was two years younger than his son.

But that didn't stop him from teasing back, "Brother Pei's heart and eyes are only on Brother Jiang. We are, after all, classmates from Songjian Academy. Isn't Brother Pei being too biased and hurting people's feelings?"

Pei Lian was getting a little embarrassed by their back-and-forth teasing, and was about to retort when a voice came from outside the door.

"Gentlemen, you've been chatting so enthusiastically, what's so heartbreaking?" After asking curiously, Chen Han had already reached the door. He apologized as he went inside, glancing around at the people in the private room: "I'm really sorry, I ran into some trouble when I went out and was delayed. I've kept you all waiting."

When Chen Han's gaze swept across Qin Ji's face, she tripped over the threshold.

Yan Mingli felt a deep sense of sympathy for his fellow sufferer and got up to help him up.

Qin Ji slowly took a sip of tea, thinking to himself.

There isn't a single actor who can act; they're useless!

Chen Han quickly sat down with Yan Mingli's help and straightened his clothes: "I was so busy talking with you gentlemen that I didn't watch where I was going. Where were we talking about?"

Yan Mingli interjected, "Brother Pei is very interested in challenging Brother Jiang to a duel."

Chen Han, realizing something, quickly pressed, "Brother Jiang?"

Gu Zhenhe then gave Chen Han a proper introduction of "Jiang San from the Mangshan Poetry Gathering".

Chen Han suddenly realized what was happening and quickly stood up, bowing to Qin Ji: "Brother Jiang left without a word after finishing his business last time, and I haven't had a chance to properly thank you for saving my life."

Qin Ji was secretly delighted to see the three people who knew the truth vying to put on a show.

It's a pity that no one shared it.

He remained calm and said, "It was nothing, not worth mentioning."

Zou Rongqi said, "Is that so? Tell me about it."

Seeing that they had veered off-topic, Pei Lian was displeased and stood up, saying, "Jiang San, do you dare to compete with me again?"

Unlike the three opera singers, Lu Zhongbai was quite interested: "It's just that our level is limited. Even if you competed in the last round, our comments would not be convincing. Only Brother Fu's comments would be somewhat persuasive, but you may not accept them."

"Since it's a competition between Brother Pei and Brother Jiang, why not do what we did last time and invite Director Zhao and Scholar Jiang to oversee things?" Zou Rong immediately suggested.

You're going to die!

I even took special care of you, moving you away from the stinky cell so that a few spots next to it would be empty.

Is this how you repay me?

Qin Ji put down his teacup, his heart filled with the daggers that pierced Zou Rong like a sieve.

...

Second update delivered! Goal achieved! Double update tomorrow!

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