Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

The day after the grand ceremony of announcing the results of the imperial examinations.

Jiang Jibai had his eldest disciple deliver a message to his youngest disciple, who was serving as a "study companion" in the palace.

They said they wanted to pick a time to hold a celebration banquet for Fang Yanqing, and asked their junior disciple which day was free.

So, despite his busy schedule, His Majesty the Emperor took some time that afternoon to gracefully visit Jiang Jibai's door, carrying a bag full of books.

Upon meeting, he waved the item in front of Jiang Jibai.

Jiang Jibai watched as he took off his bundle and swung it around in front of him, making him dizzy. He reached out and pressed down on his little disciple's restless hands, glanced at the bundle in his hand, and asked curiously, "What good stuff is this?"

The young disciple comes from a privileged background, and ordinary things don't catch his eye. What he's showing off in front of him like a treasure must be something extraordinary.

Qin Ji glanced at him sideways, then condescended to personally lift the bundle, revealing a stack of books inside.

Jiang Jibai looked at the bundle with amusement, paused when he saw the title on the cover, took it out carefully, placed it on the desk and laid it out in a row, then turned the pages gently, skimming through them. The smile on his face disappeared.

Jiang Jibai walked straight toward the antique shelf and took out a feather duster from a vase.

Qin Ji stared at him in disbelief, feeling as if his sincere efforts had been wasted on feeding a dog.

He slipped away, running wildly around the room, yelling, "What are you doing?! Bad guy!!!"

Jiang Jibai's veins throbbed as he chased after the man around the room: "A rare book from hundreds of years ago—if it hadn't been carefully collected, preserved, and meticulously protected generation after generation, would we still be able to see it today?"

"Is this how you ruin things?"

Qin Ji twisted his body to dodge the feather duster, felt a moment of guilt, and then retorted righteously, "A rare book that's hundreds of years old. I kindly begged His Majesty for permission to borrow it from the Imperial Academy for you, and this is how you thank me?"

Jiang Jibai was almost amused by his little disciple's antics, but upon reflection, he realized there was some truth to it. He smiled broadly and said, "Come here, your master will thank you properly."

I don't believe you for a second!

Take your hands off the feather duster first!

Qin Ji was three zhang away from him.

Jiang Jibai just stared at him.

Qin Ji approached, cursing, "My good intentions have been wasted."

Jiang Jibai raised his hand.

Qin Ji was about to start howling.

Jiang Jibai gave him a light tap on the head, then rubbed his little disciple's head with a helpless expression: "I know you're thinking of your master. When I mentioned it last time, you immediately borrowed it for me."

"The preservation and transmission of ancient and unique books rely on the reverence passed down from generation to generation and the tacit understanding of their proper safekeeping."

Handle with care; do not fold corners; do not allow to get damp; do not use ink to make annotations.

"Only in this way can the torch be passed down from generation to generation, so that future generations can also read it."

Qin Ji was born into the imperial family, and ancient books and rare copies were like ordinary books to him, which he could use at will without anyone criticizing him.

His vision encompassed the vast land and its people, and he never paid attention to these "minor details".

Now, hearing Jiang Jibai say this, I can finally understand why I used to ignore him.

However, he did not accept Jiang Jibai's reasoning entirely.

He thought for a moment and said, "Ancient books and rare copies are valuable, but what is valuable is the content they contain, not a few thin pages."

"If we make many copies and distribute them to various places so that everyone in the world can read them, would we still fear the original being lost?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jibai glanced at his young disciple, his expression a mixture of admiration and regret.

"you're right."

"But firstly, ancient books are important not only for the text itself, but also for the paper, binding, and even the ink color and scent. Secondly, errors and omissions are inevitable during the copying process, and after passing through several hands, the errors and omissions vary. Without the original to verify them, the authenticity cannot be distinguished, and the book gradually loses its true meaning. Moreover..."

Jiang Jibai didn't finish his sentence. He simply sat down at the desk and looked at the books on it.

Moreover, those who possess "knowledge" often hope that "knowledge" is in the hands of a minority.

There are many people in this world who would rather keep their books on a high shelf, adding embellishment to their "precious" library to show off their status or wealth, or who simply cherish their possessions.

Few are willing to share their precious, unique copies with the world without reservation.

Qin Ji was a man of great talent and understanding of human nature. When he asked this question, a thousand thoughts had already crossed his mind.

Seeing that Jiang Jibai's words were not yet finished, he almost instantly grasped the meaning behind them.

The palace houses countless rare and ancient books, often preferring to let them gather dust in the library rather than allowing them to be copied or circulated to the public, with only one person allowed to view them.

Throughout history, in every dynasty, which palace has not been destroyed by fire several times?

Countless rare and ancient books were destroyed in the fire.

Many of the painstaking works of our predecessors have been lost to the dust of history, never to be seen by future generations.

A few vague thoughts suddenly formed in Qin Ji's mind.

If he were to have the Ministry of Personnel invite a teacher to take charge and allow him to copy the ancient books from the palace throughout the land, so that all the common people would have the opportunity to read them and be educated, he could achieve great things.

Given the teacher's character, he should agree, right...?

Jiang Jibai, a free spirit, traveled extensively, and probably because he had only recently taken him under his wing, he stayed in the capital for more than half a year.

But what about the future?

What happened after they learned his identity?

Even if they could reconcile, would Jiang Jibai stay in the capital for him?

Using power to intimidate people will only push them further away.

To retain Jiang Jibai, we must understand his thoughts and align his ambitions with Qin Ji's path.

Since we share the same goal, why not join hands and ride on his carriage?

This is not a conspiracy, but a perfectly legitimate and aboveboard strategy!

The idea, once it surfaced, took root in Qin Ji's heart like a weed, making him restless.

However, the national treasury is currently empty, and the imperial court has neither the resources nor the time to do this.

Moreover, Jiang Jibai told him one minute, and he immediately followed up with this plan. What difference is there between that and revealing his own identity?

We need to take a longer-term view.

With a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind, Qin Ji inexplicably changed the subject, leaning close to Jiang Jibai and whispering in his ear, "Second Senior Brother, you must have had quite a haul riding through the streets yesterday! I heard he was showered with fruit and his pockets were overflowing with goodies, accepting every single one. It's truly enviable!"

Jiang Jibai: "..."

...

While Qin Ji was trying to sow discord among his cheap second senior brother, Zhao Siye's residence was in chaos.

...

Second update delivered, goal achieved!

Double updates tomorrow!