Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

The moment Qin Ji knelt down, Bian Dou was so frightened that he ran away from the rooftop. The entire study and rooftop were now empty except for the two of them.

Jiang Jibai glanced at Qin Ji kneeling by the door, but did not tell him to get up immediately. He simply said, "Reflect on your actions."

After giving his instructions, he picked up a book from the table and started flipping through it casually.

Apart from the breathing of the master and apprentice, the only other sound in the study was the rustling of pages turning.

Qin Ji had never experienced being left out like this since he ascended the throne, let alone being left kneeling while others sat.

He cursed inwardly a few times for being insolent, but his knees did not leave the ground. Instead, his ears turned slightly red, and his eyes were fixed on the two floor tiles in front of him.

Isn't it beneath your dignity to receive someone under the guise of Bian Yushu?

All he did was act impulsively and sneak out of the palace on Mid-Autumn Festival, leaving Fu Lu with a difficult problem.

What's there to reflect on for something so trivial? Hmph, if you're going to be punished by kneeling, then kneel.

In the past few years, Qin Ji has never knelt except when worshipping gods and ancestors. After only a short while, his knees could not take it anymore. He could only shift his weight by alternating between his left and right knees, making a rustling sound.

Damn, my knees hurt so much. How much longer do I have to kneel?

Jiang Jibai acted as if he hadn't noticed Qin Ji's little actions, and continued to flip through the book, neither scolding him nor telling him to get up, just letting him stay kneeling.

After about half an hour, Qin Ji finally couldn't bear the needle-like pain in his knees, which were bearing the weight of his body, and even shifting his legs left and right couldn't relieve it. His face was pale as he spoke, "Teacher, I know I was wrong."

Although the mistakes had already been explained clearly, Jiang Jibai still made Qin Ji repeat them one by one.

"Impersonating His Majesty, disregarding the proper relationship between ruler and subject, is a grave mistake that turns the world upside down."

Replacing Bian Yushu, disregarding the proper relationship between ruler and subject, is a mistake that befits one's status.

"It is wrong to treat state affairs as a game when you receive His Majesty on his behalf."

It was wrong of me to impersonate you and deceive you.

"It is wrong to flatter and fawn upon the king and dare not offer him advice."

Acting willfully and recklessly, leaving the palace on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, is a mistake to prioritize personal matters over public duty.

It's not difficult to repeat the fabricated charges; what's difficult is for a dignified monarch to meticulously analyze himself point by point, and then mentally list them out one by one to admit his mistakes to his teacher.

Qin Ji was already blushing after repeating the three charges. For him, it was a novel experience.

Since he ascended the throne at the age of six, he has been extremely noble. Even though the Empress Dowager ruled from behind the curtain and Wang Jing usurped power, at least on the surface he was still the emperor. As long as they did not make up their minds to depose him, they had to put on a show of respecting and worshipping him.

When have we ever made him kneel down to reflect on his mistakes and bow his head to admit them?

Seeing Qin Ji hanging his head, Jiang Jibai assumed he was ashamed, put down his book, stood up, and said, "Go lie down on the bench."

Finally, his knees were spared, and Qin Ji felt as if he were listening to heavenly music. Most importantly, he was lying on a bench for the first time!

Qin Ji stood up, leaning against the door. Only after the sharp pain in his knee subsided did he limp to the bench. The bench wasn't long, and Qin Ji could just barely stick his head out when he lay down, his legs bent on the ground.

Perhaps because he had just acknowledged Jiang Jibai as his teacher and had also mentally admitted his mistake, Qin Ji had a feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on.

The subtle excitement disappeared after he actually lay down on the bench, replaced by a subtle tension and a slight swelling in his chest.

Jiang Jibai took a piece of wood from somewhere, and it looked rather frightening.

Qin Ji swallowed hard, his heart pounding slightly. Although he didn't have much experience, he could sense that his situation was precarious.

He had anticipated that Jiang Jibai would punish him severely before he came, and had made some arrangements in advance, but a country cannot be without a ruler for a day!

Jiang Jibai's gaze swept over him, and Qin Ji's skin tightened. He thought to himself, being punished is being punished. Unlike before when he was looking for fun, this time he would endure the pain no matter how much it hurt and would definitely not cry.

Looking at the boy who was gripping the edge of the bench tightly with both hands, his whole body filled with tension, Jiang Jibai said slowly, "Punishing you is to teach you a lesson, to warn you what is right and wrong, so that you know what you can do and what you can't do, so that you have a clear understanding, rather than to torture you and make you feel relaxed."

Qin Ji cursed inwardly while letting out a long sigh of relief, trying to relax.

It's easy for you to say, but that's such a big board, and you have such a strong hand.

Jiang Jibai raised his hand halfway through his breath.

I am the Son of Heaven, and a ruler's word is law. If I say I won't cry, I absolutely won't cry!

The last bit of air left in his chest, carrying a stubborn "don't cry" sound, burst through the roof, startling the stray cat on the toilet roof into a tree.

Waaah, my dragon buttocks, and you still say it's not torture?

Jiang Jibai, you've deceived the emperor again!

Qin Ji's cries of "Don't cry" did not elicit any pity from Jiang Jibai, and the second and third claps followed immediately.

Qin Ji then realized, amidst the excruciating pain, that his old injury had not fully healed.

Physician He, you're a quack!

Jiang Jibai, the Poison Master!