The sage was determined to die.

Scorching sun.

The scorching sun made their mouths and throats parched, and as Ji Bai and the others walked along the official road leading to the palace, sweat was already clinging to their clothes.

The Book Mountain competition will officially begin in three days. The list of participants was officially announced yesterday. Apart from Ji Bai, all the selected participants are from prominent families, with a few from humble backgrounds mixed in. This is not surprising at all.

After walking for more than half an hour, the group of scholars, who were all too weak to lift heavy objects, were exhausted and dizzy. The leading scholar could not help but ask the eunuch who was leading the way.

"Your Excellency, in previous years when the Book Mountain opened, didn't His Majesty always see us off at the Manjushri Terrace?"

The other successful candidates nodded silently.

The point isn't where to see them off, but rather that Wenshu Terrace is located in Yanjiao, where they could comfortably travel by their own carriage instead of walking to the palace now.

After all, they had not yet attained literary talent in the mountains of books, and were not even half-literati, so naturally they could not enjoy the right to ride in a sedan chair in the palace.

The old eunuch walked with an air of calm and composure, showing no sign of fatigue. His face hardened, wrinkles forming a deep V-shape, and he solemnly declared, "My fellow scholars, you may not know this, but when the last 'Book Mountain' competition began, His Majesty personally went to the Manjushri Terrace to pray for and send off the previous generation of scholars. Who would have thought that on their return journey—"

Everyone was completely bewildered, and a thought suddenly struck them.

Could it be that His Majesty encountered an ambush from another country on his way back?

"His Majesty suffered from heatstroke on his way back."

The old eunuch wiped the sweat from his brow and said with heartache, "His Majesty is currently unwell and naturally cannot go to Wenshu Terrace in person. All the scholars should be understanding of His Majesty's situation."

Everyone: "..."

No wonder he's the emperor; he can get heatstroke for three years straight.

.

Another half hour passed, and just as everyone was about to collapse from exhaustion, they finally saw the gate of the Hall of Diligent Governance.

When His Majesty ascended the throne, he swept away the diligence of his predecessor and, with a wave of his hand, renovated the palace, especially the Hall of Diligent Governance and the Imperial Bedchamber, as he visited them most often.

Despite the scorching sun, the Hall of Diligent Governance was remarkably cool. This was due to the power of the scholars' words. The spacious hall was already filled with banquets, and the current emperor, sitting on the dragon throne, had a kind face and was exceptionally robust. He was holding a slice of watermelon that had already been bitten twice.

Just as everyone was about to bow, His Majesty waved his hand and said cheerfully, "All of you scholars are talented men of Qi. In three days, you will go to the Mountain of Books to win literary honors for Qi. There is no need for formalities. Please take your seats."

The scholars took their seats. Some were already parched and picked up watermelons to eat, but suddenly paused and looked cautiously at His Majesty.

But His Majesty finished the melon in just a few bites, muttering to himself, "I'm suffering from heatstroke because my spleen and stomach are weak."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Ji Bai was placed in the front row. Before transmigrating, he often participated in marathons, and after transmigrating, he also underwent two days of training in prison. At this moment, he was not very tired, but his face was a little red from the sun.

He lifted his eyelids, preparing to look up at the King of Qi, but unexpectedly the other party was looking at him, his expression resembling that of a smiling old fox.

"The computer science student is truly outstanding, living up to the rumors."

His Majesty tilted his head back and drank a cup of wine, saying, "My two good-for-nothing sons must have caused you a lot of trouble too."

Ji Bai drank a cup of wine, but in his heart he thought that the emperor did not look like either Ji Ying or Ji Tianyuan.

"Your Majesty is too kind."

Ji Bai recalled Ji Tianyuan's birth order. Although the other party was nominally a deposed prince, he still said, "I share the same interests as the Fifth Prince, and the Second Prince even lent me his compass. I am very lucky."

His Majesty raised an eyebrow and said, "We don't need to worry about the little fat boy, but that compass of the second son..."

"I will return it to the Second Prince before the Book Mountain opens," Ji Bai said.

At this moment, Ji Bai was unaware that while the two of them were exchanging words, others would not pay any attention and would not be able to hear what they were saying.

This is Wenxin demonstrating her abilities.

Many people in Qi overlooked one thing: they overlooked the fact that the current emperor was also a great scholar, and that he had already acquired his literary talent many years ago. The ability of this literary talent was to overlook.

Silently ignoring everything you want others to ignore is like water dissolving in water.

"What if I don't want you to return the compass to the Second Prince?"

His Majesty's tone was unusually calm.

"Even if I don't ask, I'm sure that little fatso has already told you about some things."

His Majesty seemed somewhat melancholy, recalling, "The second son is good in every way, except that he is too sharp-minded. From childhood to adulthood, he has never listened to my advice on anything."

"Back then, when the young master of Baiyujing personally went on a diplomatic mission to the State of Qi, the second prince disobeyed my orders and insisted on staying to entertain the young master. Unexpectedly, he almost caused a great disaster by taking the initiative to injure someone, and ultimately suffered the consequences of his own actions."

"That kid is a stubborn mule. Relying on his quota from the Kui Xing Pavilion, he has already gone to the Book Mountain three times, hoping to find the legendary Wen Xin that can heal wounds. But each time he returned empty-handed, not only wasting his quota, but also causing a lot of resentment among the court officials."

His Majesty peeled a lychee for himself, put the white flesh into his mouth, and as an emperor, he could be described as having no airs whatsoever.

Ji Bai was silent for a moment, then said, "Is Your Majesty worried that if the Second Prince cannot find that literary talent, he might put himself in danger amidst the mountains of books?"

His Majesty shook his head.

He sighed, "My children all look so much like me, especially my second son, who is practically a carbon copy of me when I was young."

"I am not worried that he will not be able to find that literary heart; on the contrary, I am confident that he will find it this time."

"Therefore, I do not intend to let him go this time."

The emperor was stuffing lychees into his mouth one by one. He ate very quickly, and the rough lychee shells piled up like small mountains on the table in front of him. The eunuchs and maids around him seemed not to see them, and none of them came to clean them up.

Ji Bai shook his head and said, "Although I have only met the Second Prince once, he does not seem like someone who is easily subdued."

"After all, I am his father."

His Majesty sighed and said, "The pain that the Second Prince suffers is the same pain that I have felt all these years. If he truly finds that Wenxin, Baiyujing will surely send someone over. And when that time comes..."

"I'm afraid he won't even be spared his life."

Father, son, brothers.

Ji Bai took a bite of watermelon; the sweet juice was very refreshing, but he couldn't help but think of the masked face of the Second Prince, Ji Ying.

The agony of having one's heart burned by flames day and night, yet never being able to die.

He went to the mountain of books three times in a row, and when he couldn't get the literary inspiration he wanted, he destroyed it in a frenzy.

Would someone like that really be afraid of death?