Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

This is certainly no challenge for Longnao.

Qin Ji gripped the edge of the bench with both hands, looked down at the cold-glowing floor tiles, and said, half-jokingly, "These days, His Majesty has been undecided about how to deal with the children of Prince Rui'an. I have been serving by his side, and I can't help but wonder how I should answer if His Majesty asks me about it."

"I analyzed the pros and cons, the current situation of the Great Yin Dynasty, His Majesty's predicament, and the gains and losses of offering advice to myself. In the end, I found that my compassion for the two young children was the least worth mentioning."

"I know it is foolish to advise Your Majesty to kill members of the imperial clan. If Your Majesty asks, it is best to remain silent."

Qin Ji spoke calmly, but where no one could see, an unfathomable glint shimmered in his eyes—the almost instinctive urge of an emperor to exterminate the families of traitors. "But I must admit, I agree with Your Majesty's decision to eliminate them completely."

Qin Ji closed his eyes, suppressing his murderous intent. "Just as you said, I have only been His Majesty's companion for a few days, yet I thought I had gained His Majesty's favor and that I was close to power, regarding the lives of young children as nothing more than ants and weeds."

"If I were to enter officialdom and truly gain power, would I become unrecognizable over time?"

"Today, I approve of Your Majesty's disregard for human ethics in killing innocent children, and you can justify it by saying it's for Your Majesty and for the stability of the Great Yin Dynasty. In the future, will I be able to sacrifice innocent people for my own selfish desires without any guilt?"

"Will those words spoken for the sake of the people become nothing more than empty, laughable rhetoric?"

"By then, will you be able to accept such a disciple? Will you part ways with me? So I..."

Jiang Jibai sighed, "So you just told me you advised His Majesty to eliminate the threat completely, using me to reprimand yourself and test my attitude towards what you did?"

Qin Ji remained silent.

Jiang Jibai raised his bamboo whip and struck again.

Qin Ji let out a sob, and two streams of hot tears flowed down his cheeks.

"Does it hurt?" Jiang Jibai asked.

Qin Ji nodded with tears in his eyes.

Don't you know how much it hurts? Poison Master!

"Feibai, what do you think you're doing right now? What did what you just said mean?"

Asking for boundless blessings means that dragon brain will come to the rescue!

"Being reprimanded by you means that I am not a virtuous gentleman."

"wrong."

Jiang Jibai squatted down and reached out to stroke Qin Ji's wet hair. "You clearly can't stand the pain, yet you still come here asking for a beating. The words you say seem to be explaining your motives to me, but not a single word of them is an excuse for yourself."

Jiang Jibai concluded definitively: "You were analyzing yourself and reflecting on yourself."

Qin Ji was taken aback upon hearing this.

Jiang Jibai put the bamboo whip aside, walked to the antique shelf by the wall, picked through the vases, and pulled out a feather duster. "No one is perfect. It's not terrible for a person to have dark and negative thoughts. What's terrible is not knowing how to reflect on oneself and not being willing to think twice before acting."

"You are a smart person, but smart people are often arrogant, stubborn, and misled by their own cleverness."

"I was worried that you were born into a wealthy family, had a smooth life from childhood, and had the merit of saving the emperor. You were proud at a young age and were praised by those around you. It was easy for you to go astray if you didn't take the time."

"Now it seems that you are more mature than I thought, and you are also very good at self-reflection."

Qin Ji hadn't expected such affirmation. His voice was low and hoarse as he asked, "Don't you think I'm cold-blooded and utterly heartless?"

Did you offer any advice?

Qin Ji remained silent.

A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions.

Qin Ji asked meaningfully, "But what if you're caught in a dilemma, forced to give up something for something more important?"

"Then ask your own heart."

"Are you really in a dilemma?"

"Is this a choice that absolutely has to be made?"

"Is it genuine selflessness, or just a grand facade used to cover up one's own selfish desires?"

"If you have a clear conscience, then think clearly about where your bottom line is, and whether what you have gained is worth sacrificing something else as a price."

"Like this time, if you actually push His Majesty to kill a child, are the risks of sleepless nights due to pangs of conscience, the retribution he faces, and the stigma of speaking out against the killing of a child acceptable to you?"

Qin Ji lowered his gaze, seemingly lost in thought.

The feather duster tapped Qin Ji as a reminder, "I know about the assassination attempt at Yushan. You risked your life to save the emperor, which was extremely dangerous. The death of Prince Rui'an is not a pity. Both His Majesty and you have reason not to want to let his child go."

"But ask yourself honestly, Your Majesty possesses the qualities of a great ruler. This time, you have decisively eradicated the remnants of Wang Jing's faction and the power of Prince Rui'an. Can these two sons of traitors, who have lost their support and are hated by everyone, shake Your Majesty's impregnable empire?"

"Do they really have to die?"

"Is there no other approach that can be followed throughout history?"

"Is it worth paying such a high price?"

Qin Ji's pupils contracted slightly. His domineering killing intent, hidden beneath all his pretexts, was exposed, and for a moment, his face showed a disheveled expression, revealing his utter lack of concealment.

He almost wiped out the remnants of Wang Jing's faction and the forces of Prince Rui'an who participated in the assassination plot. The claim that "Prince Rui'an's son contacted his old subordinates" was just a pretext for his ruthless extermination.

He is now a powerful emperor who can turn the tide of history, not the puppet emperor who couldn't even command from the palace.

Two young children, thrown into the imperial mausoleum, confined for life, and forbidden from contact with the outside world—what trouble could they possibly cause?

Why add a name to yourself for the cruelty of killing "children"?

The initial embarrassment at Qin Ji's apparent murderous intent eventually turned into composure.

"Teacher, if I were to go astray in a moment of weakness, would you expel me from your school?"

Jiang Jibai gripped the feather duster in his hand. "Having accepted Bian Feibai's apprenticeship gift, it's not right to give up halfway."

"But if you repeatedly fail to correct your ways, deviate from your original intentions, and harm the people, I will have no choice but to cleanse your sect and punish you according to the law."

Qin Ji curled his lip, "In the future, I will at least be a high-ranking official favored by the emperor, while you, a commoner..."

Jiang Jibai responded to this arrogant statement—that someone who hadn't even touched a drop of alcohol could be so out of control—with a cold laugh. "Thirty strokes. You asked for this beating yourself. Take it."

The knocks were delivered immediately without hesitation.

Qin Ji's tears, which had just dried, flowed like a river.

Jiang Jibai, you're so petty!

You must face the difference in status between me and you!

Don't deceive yourself!

The cries ripped the roof off and shook the heavens.

The shock caused Shen Jiangliu, who was following Uncle Li into the Jiang residence, to pause in his steps.

The teacher is in a bad mood today, so why don't we have him come another day?