Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Amidst the subtle envious glances of their peers, the three, guided by an eunuch, left the Ministry of Rites' main hall and headed towards the Qianzheng Hall.

Fu Xingjian kept his eyes straight ahead and strictly adhered to the rules.

Fang Yanqing was very familiar with the place and readily accepted good advice.

Pei Lian lagged behind, his hands and feet moving in unison, looking as if he were about to be beheaded, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

The East Warm Pavilion of Qianzheng Hall is not large, and you can smell the elegant fragrance as soon as you enter.

A few newly blooming pomegranate flowers were placed in a celadon vase under the window, bringing a touch of brightness to the somewhat dull East Warm Pavilion.

The small tables for the banquet were placed near the window. Perhaps considering that they had already eaten, there wasn't much food on them, just a few exquisite pastries, some sliced ​​fruit, and a bowl of hangover soup.

The soup on one of the small tables was different from the other two hangover remedies; it was a rich, white soup with a milky yellow sheen, looking like cow's milk.

Pei Lian watched as the eunuch led Fang and Fu to the two small tables with hangover soup on them, then came over with a smile and invited him, "Scholar Pei, this way please."

Unsurprisingly, he was to be invited to the small table where the milk was placed.

Recalling how "Jiang San" had repeatedly mocked him for being short, the boy's still-childish face immediately flushed red, whether from anger or frustration, it was hard to tell.

He had no other choice but to silently follow the eunuch to the small table and sit down.

The eunuch said in a friendly tone, "You three may drink the hangover soup first; His Majesty will arrive shortly."

The three men bowed to the east to express their gratitude to Heaven.

They had indeed drunk quite a bit before, and Fang Yanqing and Fu Xingjian followed the eunuch's advice and took out the hangover soup.

Although Fang Yanqing had also offended His Majesty severely, he was confident that His Majesty would not poison him, so he drank it without any guilt.

I almost threw up after taking one bite.

Ugh, ugh, ugh, why does it taste so awful?

He glanced at Fu Xingjian and saw that there was no change in his expression. He already knew what was going on.

He drank it without changing his expression, thinking to himself as he drank: It must be hard for the imperial chefs in the palace to make such a terrible hangover soup. It's almost as bad as what my teacher makes.

Pei Lian didn't touch the bowl of milk on his table.

About half a cup of tea's time later, a commotion arose outside.

The Emperor has arrived here.

Pei Lian and the other two quickly stood up.

As soon as a pair of boots with subtle gold thread patterns came into view, before they could even see who it was, the three of them kowtowed in unison, saying, "Your Majesty, we thank you for your great kindness."

Qin Ji dismissed his attendants, leaving only Fu Lu. Compared to his imposing demeanor at the previous announcement ceremony, he appeared quite approachable, a smile playing on his lips: "Get up and sit down, have something to eat. We're all familiar faces."

The word "acquaintance" made all three of them feel a little uneasy, and Pei Lian's heart skipped a beat.

The three men rose respectfully and sat down in front of the wooden table.

Fu Xingjian stood up straight, his manners impeccable, but he had been the same before, so there was no noticeable difference in his attitude before and after.

Fang Yanqing had too many debts to bear, and he didn't care that he had a hundred heads to behead anyway. His Majesty still had the "evidence" he had written, so he seemed particularly at ease and began to enjoy the snacks on the table.

Only Pei Lian seemed to radiate "restraint" from head to toe, as if he had thorns growing on his buttocks, making him restless and unable to sit still.

Qin Ji gracefully sat down before the imperial desk. "You are all exceptional talents, the backbone of our Great Yin Dynasty in the future. You should work diligently and not waste your learning."

The three thanked him again.

After offering a few words of encouragement, Qin Ji looked at Pei Lian with a leisurely air: "My esteemed scholar, is the hangover soup here not to your liking?"

Pei Lian's already flushed face turned a deep liver color.

If it were before, he would have already rushed over and bared his teeth.

But he already knew that "Jiang San" was the emperor, so how could he dare to be so presumptuous?

He took a deep breath, picked up the milk cup, and drank it all in one gulp, his voice tinged with humiliation: "Thank you for the drink, Your Majesty."

This little brat is at the age where he's growing, making him drink milk is like torture.

That's a bit too much of a concern for self-esteem.

Qin Ji, seemingly oblivious to Pei Lian's aggrieved expression, sipped his tea with a half-smile: "Scholar, didn't you previously say I looked down on you, that you wanted to compete with me, and even stood on the tea table to let me see your nostrils, asking me if they were round or not?"

He put down his teacup and looked Pei Lian up and down with interest: "As for height... the third-ranked scholar is still young, it would be bullying to compare, I think it's unnecessary."

"As for your nostrils," Qin Ji paused slightly, a mocking smile playing on his lips, "I've assessed them; they're quite round."

Fu Xingjian: ...

Fu Xingjian's usually stern face revealed a rare expression of utter misery.

Fang Yanqing was shocked: Compared to him exploiting His Majesty... there were actually experts?

Fang Yanqing clenched his fist in frustration.

He wasn't a student at Songjian Academy and didn't attend the tea party.

I had no idea I had missed so much.

Pei Lian: ...

Pei Lian no longer cared about his pride; he was about to faint.

After Chen Han took him back from Pingxin Yashe that day, he vomited so badly that he couldn't remember anything after that.

When he woke up the next day, his teacher scolded him with a dark face and ordered him not to drink alcohol on non-essential occasions until he came of age.

Later, his senior told him that he first dragged the teacher to the courtyard and recited poems to the moon for most of the night, and then forcibly dragged the teacher to his senior's room, grabbed their hands, and insisted that they make up.

The teacher, being quite old, was naturally no match for the young man's strength. He was forcibly pulled and forced to shake hands and make peace, which made him so angry that his beard was almost blown off.

Unable to reason with a drunkard, the teacher simply took his anger out on his senior, rolling his eyes at him so hard they seemed to reach the sky.

When my senior brother spoke this passage, his eyes gleamed with an unusual light, and his expression was brighter than it had been since he returned to the sect.

The senior student said that he would rather his teacher lose his temper with him like this than be treated as an outsider with a distant and polite attitude.

Unfortunately, even his anger was fleeting. After Pei Lian sobered up, his senior brother tried several times to take a step closer to their teacher, but was always met with resistance. The teacher remained as polite as ever.

Pei Lian had no recollection of what his senior had said, and even if he had, he felt he had done a great job.

That's fine.

But he still vividly remembers what happened at Pingxin Yashe.

Those embarrassing actions he made when he was drunk are etched into his mind as clearly as if they were engraved there; every single scene is vividly etched in his memory.

This includes questioning whether "Jiang San" looks down on him.

This includes his desire to compete with "Jiang San".

This includes him standing on the tea table and asking "Jiang San" if his nostrils are round.

If it weren't for his ongoing competition with "Jiang San," he would never want to see Jiang San again in his life, and he was conflicted about it.

Unexpectedly, there was no longer any conflict. He had no choice but to meet with him, since "Jiang San" was the emperor, his future superior.

It's the kind of situation where you can't change it unless you rebel.

Pei Lian wanted to die.

...

Second update delivered, the event continues!