Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Qin Ji slightly raised his hand.

As Shang Jingming finished his punishment, Bian Yushu also took a break, allowing the person who was trembling with pain to catch their breath.

Shang Jingming rolled off the ground and knelt down respectfully to express his gratitude. "Jingming thanks you for your kind guidance, Elder. I should not have used my martial arts skills for such despicable things as fighting. I will definitely turn over a new leaf and live up to your kindness in giving me this chance today."

Offending and insulting the Emperor is a capital offense, yet it was simply dropped and treated as a brawl. This was an opportunity given by His Majesty, and Shang Jingming knew it perfectly well. Although he couldn't say it outright, he had to express it in his words so that His Majesty would know that he, Shang Jingming, felt His Majesty's kindness and was a grateful person.

A person who is grateful and intelligent can be trusted to work with.

He has practiced martial arts since childhood and has considerable skill in it.

Shang Jingming's gaze could only follow the crouching figure to an inch, but his ambitions quietly grew in the face of this rare opportunity to meet the emperor.

His stepmother's years of excessive pampering left him unable to find a way out amidst the discord between father and son.

If his family doesn't offer him a future, he can find a way to earn it himself.

To Shang Jingming's disappointment, His Majesty did not seem interested in getting to know him better.

Qin Ji tapped the armrest of his chair lightly with his fingers and said calmly, "I have apologized for my mistake. Please see Young Master Shang out."

Shang Jingming was too impatient.

Whatever you get too easily, you won't know how to cherish it.

Qin Ji will give him opportunities to demonstrate his abilities, but Shang Jingming needs to seize them himself.

Moreover, sparing him once won't make him completely devoted; the time to subdue Shang Jingming hasn't come yet.

His Majesty's intention to see the guest out was clear. Since things were beyond his control, Shang Jingming dared not insist. After kowtowing, he stood up and left, supporting his back. At first, he was a little lame, but he gradually regained his balance.

Compared to Shang Jingming's relaxed demeanor, Bian Yushu, who was lying on the bench secretly wiping away tears, seemed particularly useless.

Qin Ji picked up his teacup, opened the lid, took a small sip, and said, "Continue."

A short rest did not help Bian Yushu recover; instead, it aggravated the pain.

The dull thud of the board striking his body through his clothes pounded against Bian Yushu's heart, causing him both pain and fear.

Bian Yushu's face was as white as snow, her eyes were as red as a rabbit's, and her back was soaked with cold sweat. She began to sob softly again, unable to hold back her tears.

He didn't want to cry either, and he wanted to accept the punishment silently like Shang Jingming, afraid that His Majesty would think that he was neither good at literature nor martial arts, not smart, and spoiled.

It hurts so much; it's really hard to control the physiological reaction.

Fortunately, His Majesty did not punish him for his intermittent crying.

Her lips were bitten until they turned white, and her hands twisted her sleeves into a mess.

The servant withdrew his grip, and the punishment finally came to an end.

Bian Yushu finally made it through.

Wiping away her tears with her sleeve, Bian Yushu slid off the bench and, supported by her servants, staggered forward. With a pale face, she knelt down respectfully to express her gratitude, "Yushu thanks... Young Master for your punishment."

With Shang Jingming absent, he simply didn't have the guts or the face to call His Majesty "teacher."

With a single glance from Fu Lu, the servants quickly retreated from the main room, moving to positions where they couldn't hear the conversation inside.

Qin Ji leaned forward slightly, shifting his weight from the back of his chair, and with the air of a superior showing closeness and trust, tapped Bian Yushu's shoulder with his finger. "Shang Jingming started the trouble. Do you know why you were punished more severely?"

With red eyes, Bian Yushu honestly said, "Shang Jingming may not be guilty of ignorance, but I knew perfectly well that you were fighting in the street while in the carriage, which was inappropriate."

"You are my study companion, while Shang Jingming is merely a commoner. Even if I weren't in the carriage, would you expect him to yield the way by abusing his power? Would you expect him to use his influence to bully others? Would you need to fight him hand-to-hand?"

Qin Ji teased, "Can't you even handle a little provocation? How old are you this year, Young Master Bian?"

Bian Yushu blushed with embarrassment after Qin Ji's few words. His behavior of fighting in the street seemed incredibly childish after the Emperor's remark, and he wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"Impulsive, naive, and brainless." Qin Ji uttered a series of judgments from his thin lips, finally settling on two words: "Deserves a beating."

With a single glance, Fu Lu understood immediately. He picked up the bamboo clapper, stood behind Bian Yushu, and raised his hand.

Bian Yushu cried out in pain, tears streaming down her face, and stumbled forward, but Qin Ji caught her. "Do you know you're no match for Shang Jingming?"

Supported by His Majesty's arm, Bian Yushu endured the pain and nodded with tears in his eyes. He had indeed lost more fights than he had won against Shang Jingming.

"To attack the enemy's strengths with one's own weaknesses is a crime deserving of a beating."

Fu Lu raised his hand again.

Bian Yushu whimpered, opened his mouth, and gripped Qin Ji's hand tightly as he held him, gasping for breath.

"Did you know that Shang Jingming was always going easy on you when they were fighting?"

Bian Yushu's eyes widened, her voice a little hoarse, "This is impossible!"

He and Shang Jingming have been at odds for so many years, fighting since they were children. He still has a cut on his lip. How could Shang Jingming have any good intentions?

"Hyacinth bean".

A figure flashed out from the beam.

"Tell him how skilled Shang Jingming is."

"Young Master Shang's every move shows that he has a solid foundation in martial arts from a young age. He must have practiced diligently year after year. I have not seen him spar with any masters, so it is difficult to judge the level of his martial arts. But he should be able to take on a hundred opponents without any problem." After answering his question, Bian Dou scurried back up the beam.

Qin Ji said calmly, "With your skinny arms and legs, do you remember what your win rate was when you fought Shang Jingming?"

Bian Yushu's voice was barely audible, "Four, three-tenths complete."

"One against a hundred, does Young Master Bian consider himself one of those hundred?"

Bian Yushu was so embarrassed by the Emperor's ridicule that he wanted to disappear.

He and Shang Jingming had been at odds for so many years, but in the end, only he took it seriously; the other party seemed to be just playing with him.

There's a kind of resentment and dejection in him, where a spoiled brat like himself, who spends his days fooling around, secretly cultivates and transforms into a peerless master, while he himself is the only true waste.

Seeing his expression, Qin Ji sneered, "You dare to make a move without even figuring out the opponent's strength?"

"He deserves to be hit."

Fu Lu obeyed the order and continued to raise his hand.

Bian Yushu could barely kneel, leaning almost entirely on Qin Ji for support. With red eyes, she said, "Your Majesty, it is Yushu who is utterly useless."

Currently, he is indeed useless, a good-for-nothing, and unsuitable for officialdom, except for his sincere sincerity, which is rare and precious.

In accordance with Qin Ji's usual style, saying a few polite words to win his loyalty and making him a pawn that can be sacrificed at any time is enough; there is no need to put in any more effort to cultivate him.

Looking at Bian Yushu, who was trembling but still trying to kneel upright, Qin Ji spoke words completely contrary to his usual style: "Are you questioning my ability to judge people?"

Qin Ji's voice was slightly cold, "He underestimates himself and deserves a severe beating."

Bian Yushu's eyes were red, but he did not dodge. The punishments came one after another, and he was in so much pain that he bent over, his forehead almost touching Qin Ji's knee.

After a long pause, he finally raised his head, his eyes filled with clear seriousness. "Your Majesty has placed high hopes on me. I should not have underestimated myself. I know I was wrong."

Qin Ji stared at him silently for a moment, his words sharp as knives, "I went on an incognito tour, and you, as my companion, acted recklessly and impulsively, causing chaos. If there were any opportunists taking advantage of the situation to assassinate me, how do you intend to handle the aftermath?"

The color drained from Bian Yushu's face, and his lips trembled violently. "Your subject deserves to die a thousand deaths."

Qin Ji stood up, took the bamboo stick from Fu Lu's hand, and Fu Lu bowed and stepped aside.

"You shouldn't have died, you deserved to be beaten."

Bian Yushu cried out in pain, unable to control her forward momentum, and fell onto the chair where Qin Ji had just been sitting. The misty steam once again blurred Bian Yushu's vision.

Did His Majesty punish him personally?

Qin Ji tossed what he was holding aside. "Do you resent my punishment?"

Bian Yushu shook her head, her eyes like pools of clear water. "Your Majesty does not mind my dullness and has spent time and energy teaching me. I am only grateful."

"I know in my heart who is good to me."

He was born with his mother's blessing, and his father, brothers, and grandmother doted on him, hoping that he would live a healthy and happy life, which was for his own good.

He is utterly useless and has no value whatsoever, yet His Majesty is willing to expend energy teaching and nurturing him, which is also for his own good.

He knew that His Majesty should simply show favor to his father and promote his brothers, so why bother to work on him, this piece of rotten wood?

"Does it hurt?" Qin Ji stood by the chair, looking down at him.

Bian Yushu's tears flowed even more profusely, and she let out a soft "hmm" through her throat.

Qin Ji personally helped him up. "If it hurts, remember the lesson. I don't have that much patience. I'll only teach you once if you don't understand. If you do it a second time, I won't show any mercy. Do you understand?"

Bian Yushu stood up shakily, sweating profusely from the pain, but still nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, "I understand."

Seeing his pitiful state, Qin Ji scoffed and ruffled his hair. "In what capacity am I speaking to you now?"

Bian Yushu finally showed some intelligence, saying, "You are His Majesty, and also my teacher."

Qin Ji found it quite novel to hear him call him teacher, but ultimately did not correct him.

"Then why should I punish you more severely?"

Bian Yushu raised her arm and wiped the tears from her face. "My teacher is disappointed in me. His Majesty has different expectations for me."

The confusing titles, however, aptly illustrate the complex relationship between the two, which is currently one of both ruler and subject, and teacher and student.

Qin Ji couldn't help but sigh, he was so young, only a year older than Bian Yushu, yet he was being addressed as someone from a higher generation.

That kid Bian Yushu got off easy.

He pushed the boy whose dough had blossomed towards Fu Lu, saying, "Take him downstairs to apply the medicine."

Fu Lu carefully helped Bian Yushu, "Young Master, this way please."

Watching Bian Yushu limping along, almost being supported by Fu Lu, Qin Ji couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "I am so good at fighting, worthy of being called me."

Wait, something's not right...

Why did I get so excited about it?

I'm such a good fighter, it's really a blessing for that brat Bian Yushu!