Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

That night, Qin Ji lay on the dragon bed, looking at his hand, which had been slapped and had a red mark on it, from left to right.

He poked the red mark with his other hand and mentally assessed it: It's slightly raised and a little warmer than the surrounding skin. It doesn't hurt much anymore if you don't poke it hard.

Why did you only take one puff? It wasn't enough. I've had my fill of it and I'm still craving more.

If it weren't for that blow, it would have been fine. But after taking it, I felt like I was being scratched by a cat.

Qin Ji recalled the scene of the branch being lashed out over and over in his mind. He was caught off guard and didn't see Gu Huaijin's actions clearly, but he clearly remembered Gu Huaijin's expression when he grabbed the carriage shaft. It was a mixture of helplessness and indulgence, and a hint of annoyance at the unruly junior.

This balance of leniency and strictness perfectly aligned with Qin Ji's secret desire for the discipline of an elder, hitting the bullseye and exciting him so much that he "made pancakes" on his dragon bed.

The unusual commotion caused by the emperor naturally alerted Fu Lu, the head eunuch who was adept at discerning the emperor's intentions. "Your Majesty, should we light some calming incense and then summon the imperial physician to take a look?"

Can the imperial physician even fight? What's the use of summoning him? Get out!

Qin Ji pulled the blanket over his head and said coldly, "No need, step back."

Fu Lu could only obey the order and leave, strictly instructing the palace servants and guards on duty to walk quietly so as not to disturb His Majesty's peaceful sleep.

Qin Ji's attraction to pain wasn't simply a matter of physical suffering. The calluses that formed on his inner thighs from repeated chafing while learning to ride a horse, and the blisters that bled from his fingers while practicing archery—none of these experiences brought him any hidden feelings. What he longed for was the kind of discipline that came from an elder, one imbued with love and expectation.

Before he was six years old, he lived in the cold palace. His mother, a concubine, could not endure the desolation of the cold palace and died young. His adoptive father, the emperor, never visited him. He survived only by occasionally receiving rice porridge from kind palace maids and eunuchs.

After he turned six, he ascended the throne, becoming the most revered mascot in the land. His tutor kowtowed to him before class, and if his martial arts instructor accidentally hurt him while practicing, his first reaction was to kneel and beg for forgiveness. His mother, busy consolidating power, had little time to cultivate a mother-son bond with him. Powerful ministers, with their honeyed words and treacherous hearts, were plotting how to spoil him into a useless puppet who only knew how to play.

After he assumed power, his authority grew daily. As the supreme ruler, all the officials in the court trembled before him, living as if they were walking on thin ice. Who dared to step forward and say they would discipline him? They weren't some old man who had hanged himself because he wanted to die.

Thus, the regret of not having the care and guidance of elders took root in his heart, eventually twisting into a secret hobby.

That night, Qin Ji's secret desires seemed to find a small outlet, causing him to toss and turn on the bed all night. For the next few days, he went to court with dark circles under his eyes.

……

Jiang Jibai spent the next few days lecturing in the suburbs of Beijing, and also took the opportunity to learn about the autumn harvest and the progress of autumn taxes from the farmers.

After understanding the situation, a farmer asked, "Master, why haven't your students come these past few days?"

"student?"

"Is that the young master who lectured here last time? He's quite handsome. Didn't he help you test our math skills before? My wife is always thinking about marrying our daughter to him. Oh, how naive of her. That young master is clearly not someone like us who can aspire to be his equal."

Jiang Jibai had thought he would run into Qin Ji in the suburbs of the capital in the next few days, and thought that if Qin Ji continued to cause trouble, it wouldn't be impossible to reluctantly take him in as his third disciple. Unexpectedly, he did not see him for several days, so he assumed that the other party had given up and that the two were not destined to be master and disciple.

"He's not my student." Jiang Jibai packed his things. "This is my last lecture. You've all learned enough about numbers. You don't need to wait for me under the elm tree anymore. I won't be coming back."

The farmers called out "Master! Master!" with reluctance, knowing in their hearts who had been good to them.

Jiang Jibai didn't charge a penny. He taught these illiterate peasants to count. Even when they tried to take advantage of him by sending their wives and children over, he would spend an extra fifteen minutes each day teaching them some simple Chinese characters to help the children with their early education.

Although they were ignorant, they knew that sending children to school to learn to read required tuition fees, which were not cheap, and few farming families like theirs could afford them.

While he wasn't looking, someone stuffed a few eggs into Jiang Jibai's carriage, and others followed suit, stuffing cabbages and radishes into the carriage.

Jiang Jibai had anticipated this scene, and before he was surrounded, he drove his carriage away in a flash.

Once inside the city, he returned the rented carriage to the carriage shop and, carrying the eggs and cabbages that had been forced upon him, wandered through a narrow alleyway in the city.

As I was about to push open the door to my residence, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of my eye.

The young man who had tried to extort money from him a few days ago was now carrying his portrait, knocking on doors from house to house, saying, "Have you seen this person? Anyone who provides a clue will be rewarded with five taels of silver, no cheating, young or old."

Jiang Jibai had already noticed several neighbors glancing at his house with strange looks in their eyes.

Neighbor A: This family hasn't been here long, and they're always acting mysteriously. Someone even offered a reward for their capture. Could they be some kind of wanted criminal?

Neighbor B: Should we report this to the authorities?

Jiang Jibai strode forward, grabbed Qin Ji by the back of his collar, and dragged him into his own house.

Qin Ji was dragged along and stumbled slightly, barely managing to suppress the urge to smirk, and feigning surprise.

Qin Ji: Plan in order √