Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

The dark sky was shielded by a plain oil-paper umbrella, and the torrential rain no longer lashed down relentlessly.

The person holding the umbrella for him was dressed in a black casual suit, standing casually, with an undisguised air of nobility.

Shang Jingming's unfocused pupils struggled to focus, and the moment he saw clearly, his heart suddenly stopped beating.

His Majesty……

Qin Ji's deep gaze pierced through the rain and landed on Shang Jingming, neither deliberately approachable nor condescendingly scrutinizing him.

"Instead of staying home and resting properly, you ran out into the rain and broke curfew. Haven't you been punished enough?"

The reprimanding words pierced his ears like needles, and Shang Jingming's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

As if things weren't going to go wrong, the violation of curfew ended up directly in His Majesty's hands.

His groggy mind cleared considerably in an instant, and, covered in mud and grime, he struggled to his knees. His first words were a rough, guttural sound, like the low groan of a saw cutting through wood, "I..."

He opened his mouth, unsure how to explain, and could only utter the four words, "Please forgive me," which were swallowed up by the sound of rain.

Those who violate the night curfew in the Great Yin Dynasty shall be flogged forty times.

Shang Jingming dared not take any chances and was prepared to be handed over to the night patrol soldiers, but he couldn't help feeling somewhat disheartened.

Having engaged in a brawl and violated curfew within a single day, His Majesty's impression of him is unlikely to change any further, and the way out he had been trying to find was ultimately blocked by his own hands.

It always seems to be like this: the harder he tries to grasp something, the less likely he is to keep it.

Flowers in a mirror, the moon in the water, catkins in the wind, sand on fingertips.

Thunder rumbled like drums, and torrential rain poured down, but the noisy sounds of rain and thunder seemed to have faded away from him.

A series of sharp buzzing sounds rang in Shang Jingming's ears. As he fell headfirst, a warm and strong hand steadily supported his slumping shoulder.

He struggled to lift his eyelids and vaguely saw the young emperor holding an umbrella for him and reaching out to support his shoulder.

"He has such excellent martial arts skills, yet he's ruined himself like this."

"If your health fails, how do you plan to serve me and be my trusted advisor?"

The deep voice carried an incredible power, reaching Shang Jingming's ears amidst the roaring thunder and rain.

Shang Jingming couldn't believe what he had heard. In the ashes of despair, a tiny flame, impervious to the rain, flickered to life. His heart swelled uncontrollably, and his eyes, wet with the cold rain, welled up slightly.

The surge of emotions finally exhausted his last bit of strength, and the overwhelming darkness swallowed his consciousness.

In his final moments before falling into a coma, an uncertain thought flashed through his mind: was he perhaps hallucinating from being possessed?

Qin Ji supported Shang Jingming as he fell, and looking at the bloodstains on his silk trousers stained with rain, he said to Biandou, "Send him to the carriage, turn around, and go back to the private residence."

Shang Jingming is not suitable to return to the palace with them; he needs to find a place to recuperate.

Bean lifted the person off the ground, stuffed him into the carriage, and continued to act as the coachman himself.

After Fulu helped Qin Ji onto the carriage, he did not follow, but bowed and said, "This servant will go and fetch the doctor."

It would be fine to send someone to invite him after we get back to our private residence, but Shang Jingming's face was ashen and he didn't look well. Splitting up was the fastest way. Qin Ji lowered the carriage curtain and instructed, "It's difficult to travel in the rainy night. Be careful on the slippery road."

No matter how difficult the situation, it is their duty to do their job well. Why give such warm and comforting instructions?

Fu Lu was flattered and overwhelmed. His Majesty was so busy with state affairs that he rarely cared about such a small matter. So he said with great emotion, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will definitely bring the doctor to you safely."

Qin Ji only added the instruction because he suddenly remembered Jiang Jibai's words that he did not care about his subjects. Hearing Fu Lu's reply, he didn't say anything more and waved his hand to let him do it.

The carriage turned around and returned along the same tracks it had left.

Although Bian Yushu obeyed His Majesty's order and did not get off the carriage, he still clung to the side of the carriage, craning his neck to look around.

When Bian Dou stuffed Shang Jingming into the carriage, he put aside his old grudges and stepped forward to help, dragging the man into the carriage.

Shang Jingming looked terrible. He was soaked in rain and mud, his face was ashen, his eyes were closed, his teeth were chattering, and there were large bloodstains on the hem of his clothes. He looked like a wounded, drowned dog.

After so many years of confrontation, Bian Yushu had always seen Shang Jingming looking radiant and surrounded by admirers. When had she ever seen him in such a disheveled state?

Remembering that His Majesty had always been accommodating to him, Bian Yushu felt even more conflicted. He was clearly a man of exceptional skill, so why did His Majesty provoke him and then let him have his way? And how did things end up like this?

Bian Yushu reached out and touched Shang Jingming. His hands and feet were ice-cold, but his forehead was burning hot. He was indeed feverish. "This can't go on."

If it's not dealt with quickly, even a person as strong as iron might fall ill and collapse.

Qin Ji instructed Bian Dou, "Regardless of the bumpy ride, hurry back."

Upon hearing this, Bian Dou cracked his whip, and the carriage sped off.

Shang Jingming was unconscious and unable to cooperate; his entire body felt as heavy as a stone. Bian Yushu, himself still injured, endured the pain and struggled to remove Shang Jingming's outer robe and shirt, barely managing to dry Shang Jingming's upper body with a towel. There were no facilities in the carriage, so Shang Jingming's injuries could only be treated back at the residence.

The carriage jolted, and Bian Yushu's face paled slightly, but she endured it without uttering a single complaint.

Shang Jingming was so ill that he couldn't be left with his upper body bare, lest he catch a cold. Bian Yushu was about to take off her outer garment to cover him with it.

Qin Ji, however, beat him to it.

The coat, still warm from his body, fell onto Shang Jingming. Perhaps sensing the warmth from the clothing, Shang Jingming unconsciously wrapped it tighter around himself, and his shivering subsided. Qin Ji half-squatted down and touched his forehead.

Bian Yushu straightened his knees slightly and hurriedly took off his outer robe to offer it to Your Majesty, "Your Majesty, please be careful not to catch a cold. Your health is of utmost importance."

Qin Ji looked at the two wounded men, one lightly injured and one heavily injured, picked up a towel from the ground, stretched it out the window to wet it, wrung it out, bent down and threw it on Shang Jingming's forehead, then sat back down on the stool, took the outer robe, pulled Bian Yushu forward, pressed him down on his knees, and wrapped him in the outer robe.

Bian Yushu was stunned for a moment, then realized that he was kneeling on His Majesty's lap, his face flushed red from being covered by his outer robe.

"I'm injured too, so I should calm down."

"Don't wait until one doctor isn't enough for the two of you."

Bian Yushu whispered "Your Majesty" and then fell silent completely.