Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

As the question faded into silence, the vast Qianzheng Hall fell into complete stillness.

The palace servants had already been dismissed. Fu Lu, who was standing by his side, held his breath, while Bian Dou, who was in the shadows, concealed his presence and acted as if he were a piece of wood or a dead person.

Qin Ji sat high on his throne, neither refuting nor rising.

His gaze was as deep as a well, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Shen Jiangliu simply stood there with his hands folded and his back straight, bowing respectfully, neither humble nor arrogant, displaying unyielding integrity.

"You really dare to say that," Qin Ji sighed.

"Your Majesty personally promoted me to the position of Imperial Censor, and I dare not fail Your Majesty's trust. Your Majesty summoned me here to speak frankly, presumably to hear the truth, rather than flattery to deceive Your Majesty."

Qin Ji remained silent, which was tantamount to acquiescing.

A moment later, Qin Ji rose from his throne, walked to Shen Jiangliu, and said calmly, "Minister Shen is right. In this matter, I trampled on the law and acted out of personal bias. I am greatly mistaken."

Shen Jiangliu observed His Majesty's expression and saw that although His Majesty looked ashamed, his eyes were clear. He knew that His Majesty was not just being perfunctory, but had already reflected on his actions and thought things through very carefully. He bowed and said, "It is a blessing for the Great Yin Dynasty that Your Majesty can be so self-aware. My words just now were all offensive, but Your Majesty's forgiveness is already a great favor."

Qin Ji casually offered a helping hand, indicating that there was no need for such formality: "Is there anything else you want to say to me?"

Although those words were not very pleasant to hear, they were clearly the advice of the Censor-in-Chief to the Emperor.

Now that His Majesty has addressed himself as "I" again, it seems that as the junior brother, he wants to hear the opinion of his senior brother.

Shen Jiangliu wanted to say "absurd," but when he looked up, he saw a faint bluish shadow in His Majesty's eyes.

Others might not know why His Majesty went to such lengths just to reconcile Zhao Siye and Xie Wumian, such a ridiculous reason. But as Jiang Jibai's eldest disciple and His Majesty's senior brother—someone who knew the whole story from beginning to end—how could Shen Jiangliu not know why?

At his promotion banquet, His Majesty spoke up for Xie Wumian, putting Zhao Siye in a difficult position and forcing Zhao Siye to reluctantly acknowledge Xie Wumian again, which angered his teacher.

Afterwards, the emperor's health deteriorated further.

Unexpectedly, this time His Majesty went even further, abusing his power for personal gain and committing such an absurd act.

It's clear that the teacher's words came out of His Majesty's right ear.

However, if one were to delve deeper into the reasons behind His Majesty's absurd actions, Shen Jiangliu would find it difficult to say anything more harsh to a young man who was merely projecting his own plight onto others in an attempt to cling to a sliver of hope.

No matter how shrewd or decisive an emperor may be, he is still a living, breathing human being, not a clay statue or a heartless and desireless political machine.

He was just a teenager who had just turned eighteen, and all he wanted to do was prove that this pure teacher-student relationship could have a happy ending.

As the ruler of a country, the young man before him is already outstanding enough.

He has already offered enough scathing advice.

Shen Jiangliu pondered for a moment, then asked, "Junior Brother, you didn't sleep a wink last night, did you?"

Qin Ji was taken aback, then nodded subconsciously.

"Although you are young and healthy, you have been working hard day and night, which has taken a toll on your health. You should rest well and take care of your body."

Qin Ji's expression was complex.

He originally thought that Shen Jiangliu would stand on the side of the senior brother again, like last time, and argue with him again, troubling him to listen to a few inappropriate words. Unexpectedly, he received a word of concern instead.

He said with a strange expression, "I can't sleep."

Shen Jiangliu had no idea what had happened between his teacher and His Majesty the night before, and he couldn't help but speculate in his mind about the reason why His Majesty couldn't sleep.

It is known that the teacher disguised himself as a cook and visited Zhao Siye in the prison of the Five Cities Military Command last night.

It is known that His Majesty witnessed the teacher's undignified behavior last night.

It is known that Zhao Siye was arrested several days ago, but His Majesty only summoned him today and told him everything without any concealment.

It is clear that the teacher and His Majesty met in prison last night, and something must have happened afterward that made His Majesty so restless that he summoned him to the Qianzheng Hall today.

What kind of help do I need from him?

Or perhaps you've encountered a difficult decision related to your teacher and are looking for his opinion?

Shen Jiangliu resisted the urge to look down and asked, "Was Teacher's family able to sleep well last night?"

Qin Ji: "...Insolence!"

Shen Jiangliu wisely kept quiet.

Qin Ji hesitated, then stopped, then seemed about to speak again, but seeing Shen Jiangliu's indifferent expression only fueled his anger.

But this question does indeed relate to what he wanted to ask later.

After his face turned pale and then flushed, Qin Ji forced a smile and said, "What's keeping you up at night? My teacher refused to hand over his entire family for me to execute last night!"

Shen Jiangliu: "..."

The message has been delivered, but listen to it yourself, doesn't it sound terrifying?

What kind of good person would hand over their entire family to be slaughtered?

It's strange, really. With your terrifying insight, Teacher, you must have been suspicious when you saw His Majesty in prison last night. His Majesty would not have told you everything in front of you, but he would have revealed something when explaining Zhao Siye's matter. How could you not have used your virtue to influence His Majesty about such an absurd thing?

He asked, "When did the teacher become so agreeable?"

This question left Qin Ji silent for a long time.

He said, "I could sense the teacher's helplessness when facing me. He... was probably somewhat disappointed in me."

...

Second update delivered! Goal achieved! Double update tomorrow!