Chapter 75
Everyone thought that the Seventh Prince's claim that he "only knew one form of kneeling" was an excuse. However, how could they not believe that the Seventh Prince dared to say in front of the Emperor that he wanted to visit the Emperor's grave?
What if Xue Jin'an really kneels? If he dares to kneel, would the emperor dare to accept it? And would the court officials dare to let the emperor accept it?
Just as the Seventh Prince was about to perform a live grave-visiting ceremony, the old censor's hands and feet began to tremble uncontrollably, and the other court officials were also about to lose their composure, the Seventh Prince suddenly lowered his robe again, his movements graceful and natural, as if nothing had happened.
The court officials all breathed a sigh of relief, thinking: Thank goodness, the seventh prince is not so lawless after all, he can still be controlled.
A few people who thought they had seen through the Seventh Prince even had a hint of mockery on their faces, mocking the Seventh Prince for being ambitious but incompetent and unable to see his own situation. They said that he dared to play such tricks at this time, and that he had probably already angered His Majesty.
They all watched coldly, wanting to see what would become of the Seventh Prince.
Only Cui Pengfei and Cui Zui, the grandfather and grandson who had a deep understanding of the true nature of their student/master, showed a puzzled expression, feeling that the court officials had relaxed their guard too early.
As the grandfather and grandson had predicted, Xue Jin'an's sudden stop was not because he didn't want to visit the grave, but because he realized he was missing an important item for the grave visit: sacrificial offerings.
Code life is used to following steps one by one. Xue Jin'an, with the support of a human brain, is not so rigid, but given the opportunity, he will generally try his best to achieve perfection.
The New Year's banquet is a lively event, and even the candles used for lighting are festive red. Naturally, you won't find white candles or paper money, which are considered taboo and conflicting.
It doesn't matter, as long as we find a substitute. It's hard to find a substitute for white candles and paper money, but there are plenty of tree-shaped things that can replace incense sticks. As for the incense sticks not burning completely and becoming broken incense sticks... well, they're for the emperor anyway, so it doesn't matter.
Xue Jin'an glanced around and then walked up to the Second Prince.
As expected, he's here for me, the prince. Although the second prince's face showed no emotion, he was still furious inside. He naturally didn't hesitate to interpret Xue Jin'an's every move with the worst possible intentions, watching him with a leisurely expression that said, "I'll see what other tricks you have up your sleeve."
But then the "ill-intentioned" Seventh Prince reached out and picked up a pair and a half chopsticks from his table. One pair belonged to the Second Prince, and the other half was used by the eunuchs to serve the food.
From the start of the banquet, the second prince had been toasting the court officials in the hall, offering a series of toasts. He hadn't eaten a single bite of food but had already downed half his stomach of wine. After being forced to stop talking, he sat down with a belly full of resentment. Naturally, he had no appetite for anything, so the two pairs of chopsticks on his table were still clean and unused.
Xue Jin'an wasn't a germaphobe and felt it didn't matter what the emperor ate, but since it was his grave visit, he had to keep the "fragrance" in his own hands first. Given a choice, he preferred to choose something cleaner.
Xue Jin'an returned to the center of the hall, held three chopsticks upright in his hand, closed his eyes and touched them to his forehead, then lifted his robe again to face the emperor.
The Second Prince, realizing what his chopsticks had been used for, immediately couldn't sit still. He cursed inwardly, "Xue Jin'an has ruined me," and jumped to his feet, his voice filled with panic: "Seventh Brother!"
"Seventh Prince!" The courtiers' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Fortunately, at this critical moment, the emperor, who did not want to be forced to offer incense, quickly spoke up, "No need for formalities!"
Li Hechun, who had been stunned by the Seventh Prince's outrageous behavior for a while, finally came to his senses and rushed forward to grab the Seventh Prince's hand tightly. His old face was contorted with shock, and his voice trembled with urgency: "Your Highness, no, no, you mustn't!"
Xue Jin'an felt that since a substitute for incense sticks had already been found, how could they give up halfway?
“The rites must not be abandoned.” He spoke with the seriousness of an old imperial censor, and even quoted a passage from the Analects: “If a gentleman does not practice the rites for three years, the rites will surely fall into disrepair; if he does not enjoy music for three years, music will surely collapse.”
This means they absolutely have to visit His Majesty's grave. Li Hechun, on the verge of tears, gripped the Seventh Prince's hand tightly, inwardly cursing the gossipy old censor: Doesn't he know that the Seventh Prince is a stubborn killing machine that even the Imperial Guards can't stop?
Do you really think the Seventh Prince is one of those ordinary princes who care about reputation and power? Their Seventh Prince is headstrong; he has disobeyed His Majesty more than once or twice, otherwise he wouldn't have been confined to his quarters for a year! He knows nothing but spouts nonsense and provokes trouble, and now he's dragged down with him. Do you think he can handle that?
The Seventh Prince can take on ten Imperial Guards by himself, how could this old man who doesn't know any martial arts possibly withstand him! If the Seventh Prince really goes crazy, even His Majesty will get a scolding!
A thousand words in my heart finally boiled down to one sentence: Damn old censor, I'll remember you, you just wait!
At this moment, cursing the old censor in his heart was also the emperor, who was alive but about to receive offerings—or rather, fake offerings. He spoke in a kind but urgent tone, "Baoning, you will not need to bow to me from now on. This is an honor."
If the old censor knew what they were thinking, he would surely feel wronged.
Isn't it common for them, as censors, to find fault and nitpick? Which of the imperial relatives, concubines, princes, and princesses hasn't been criticized by them? Who would have thought that when the Seventh Prince was criticized, not only would they not change anything, but they would also give him a deluxe upgrade that would kill everyone!
It's clear that the Seventh Prince's methods are too unconventional!
"Alright then." The seventh prince, who was considered unconventional, let Li Hechun take the three chopsticks from his hand with considerable regret.
If he doesn't want to kowtow, then so be it. Anyway, even if he does kowtow, it won't turn the emperor into a real tomb immediately. Later, when he has learned all the etiquette, he won't have to kowtow anymore, which is fine.
Xue Jin'an weighed the pros and cons and felt it wasn't a bad deal, so he let the matter pass by easily.
However, today, someone just didn't want to have a good time. No one questioned his etiquette anymore. Li Hechun had just finished talking about what happened to the princes when someone else jumped out and accused him: "Inappropriate noise at the banquet, ruthless attacks on the younger princes without regard for brotherly affection, not a bit of princely demeanor!"
Minister of Rites Yang Congyuan was still watching the show, thinking to himself: The Seventh Prince has really offended these noble families and nobles. No matter what he says, he will always kick them while they're down.
—If you say they have any deep-seated hatred for the Seventh Prince, that's not the case. In fact, most of the noble families who want to make things difficult for the Seventh Prince don't have much of a relationship with the Chu family. The reason they are so relentless is simply to express their dissatisfaction to the Emperor and Empress Dowager by suppressing the Seventh Prince.
They fear being purged, stripped of their status, and reduced to ashes.
Yang Cong, also from a prominent family, understood the minds of people in that social class very well, and it was precisely because of this understanding that he disdained them. In his eyes, the only one who could feel "misery loves company" with Chu Wenwan's fate was another wicked Chu Wenwan.
Confucius said: "If you repay evil with kindness, what will you repay kindness with?" One should repay kindness with kindness and evil with justice. Chu Wenwan first slandered Empress Zhaoren, causing her to die of depression; the Seventh Prince then sought revenge for his mother. Even if his methods were somewhat extreme, it is understandable.
In fact, after learning the whole process of Chu Wenwan's execution from his daughter Consort Shu, Yang Cong admired the Seventh Prince's character, courage, and methods. He believed that hesitation leads to trouble, and if his daughter had such courage, his grandson would not have been tricked by Xiao Shu and suffered for the Fifth Prince, almost being injured by assassins.
He disdained these people who jumped out, partly because he admired the Seventh Prince, and partly because he felt that their methods of expressing dissatisfaction were simply underhanded.
Using a seven or eight-year-old child as a raft is truly despicable.
Old Man Yang refused to associate with these people! He thought to himself: This newcomer sounds like a young man. I wonder if he is an imperial censor from the Censorate or someone from the Hanlin Academy. He is jumping out at this time. He has either been bribed or he is trying to take a shortcut to curry favor with powerful families!
"I'd like to see which shameless person it is." Yang squinted his eyes, which were quite far-sighted, and looked over. After seeing who it was, his expression immediately turned very ugly.
"Hey, old man Yang, doesn't this look like someone from your Ministry of Rites?" The annoying voice of the Minister of War came from the side.
This is not just someone from his Ministry of Rites; you could even say he's one of his own! A sixth-rank official, not a high-ranking position, and from a humble background, but he has high hopes for him. He even plans to have him take charge of some matters on the Emperor's birthday in February next year. For this reason, he specially brought him to the palace so that he could show his face in front of the Emperor.
But he turned out to be a treacherous scoundrel! Yang Cong's expression turned cold.
The emperor's expression was also not good, but not because of this lowly official in the Ministry of Rites, but because he heard the words "the seventh prince is ruthless".
The emperor had witnessed Xue Jin'an's fighting prowess firsthand; even several imperial guards couldn't stop him. This made him instinctively assume there was bloodshed, and he immediately asked, "Is Xiao Jiu injured?"
It's said that the youngest son and eldest grandson are the lifeblood of an old man. Although the emperor now feels a bit disgusted with the Ninth Prince whenever he thinks of that vicious woman, Xiao Shu, he was still a child he had once "loved," and he was somewhat dissatisfied to hear that the Ninth Prince was injured.
Li Hechun quickly denied it, saying, "The Seventh Prince was just trying to scare the Ninth Prince."
"How old is the Ninth Prince!" The official in charge of the Ministry of Rites dismissed Li Hechun's casual remark and began to talk at length about the principles of education, deliberately quoting many classical texts. Finally, he said, "...If the Ninth Prince has any faults, he should be properly taught by a teacher, rather than resorting to violence in private to satisfy your selfish desires."
He put on a conscientious and instructive expression and said to Xue Jin'an with earnestness, "Seventh Prince, Han Feizi once said: Good medicine tastes bitter, but a wise man will persuade him to drink it, knowing that it will cure his illness; honest advice may be unpleasant to the ear, but a wise ruler will listen to it, knowing that it can bring about success."
"Your Highness, I dare to speak these heartfelt words, all for your sake. I hope Your Highness will soon perfect the demeanor and bearing of a prince, so as not to disgrace the imperial family or the illustrious reputation of our great nation of Qi!" After delivering his righteous speech, he actually knelt down upright, chin raised, and said, "Your Highness, I have overstepped my bounds and offended Your Highness the Seventh Prince. Please punish me!"
This person was clearly much more sophisticated than the previous censor. He directly used morality to blackmail Xue Jin'an, and then escalated the situation, adopting an attitude of "I am a loyal minister. I am speaking out for the sake of the Great Qi and the imperial family. If you, the Seventh Prince, do not listen to me, you are a traitor and it is wrong."
He thought his rhetoric was excellent, but little did he know that Xue Jin'an was not human and therefore not bound by human morality. Moreover, he only listened to the conclusions of speeches and never considered how many traps he had dug in the process.
What was the conclusion of this person's speech? It was that the Seventh Prince lacked the demeanor and bearing expected of a prince.
So Xue Jin'an asked, "Are you a prince?"
This seemingly random statement startled the official in charge of the Ministry of Rites: "Of course not."
Xue Jin'an continued, "Then have you received the education that a prince should receive?"
The official in charge of the Ministry of Rites quickly denied it: "Of course not!"
"Have you ever served as a study companion to a prince? Have you studied in the Imperial Study? Have you been taught by the tutors in the Imperial Study? Have you heard your study companion, the prince, or someone else talk about the prince's studies in detail?" Just in case, Xue Jin'an asked about all the possibilities, and the series of questions made the official in charge of the Ministry of Rites sweat profusely.
The courses in the Imperial Study were not made public. After all, the princes were all candidates for the emperor, and the tutors would inevitably incorporate themes of imperial strategy and the balance of power when teaching. These were not things that could be easily revealed to outsiders. Of course, the palace was a place where it was difficult to keep secrets. Those with the ability could find out the truth, but such inquiries were all done in private. Whether they knew the truth or not, they dared not admit it in front of the emperor.
The Ministry of Rites official was just a minor official with no family backing him. He genuinely knew nothing about the Imperial Study. He shook his head vigorously, fearing that he would be convicted if he was slow to act. He was afraid that if he was just spying on the inner palace, it would be fine, but he was afraid that it would be seen as disrespecting the imperial authority and attempting to do something improper.
This is truly a case of trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice instead. Not only has he failed to showcase himself, but he might also lose his official position! Indeed, even the youngest princes in the palace are not to be underestimated. The official in charge of the Ministry of Rites thought that Xue Jin'an was asking these questions to fabricate charges against him, and he was filled with regret.
In fact, Xue Jin'an only wanted to say one thing: "How can you, who are not a prince, know the demeanor of a prince?"
"Ha!" A mocking laugh came from the seat of honor. Xue Jin'an looked over and saw a middle-aged man dressed in the robes of a prince who looked somewhat plump and bloated. Prince An was sitting in the seat next to him.
There were only two princes in the current Daqi dynasty, and Xue Jin'an immediately knew that this was Prince Ping, Xue Xu, who had brought the royal family members to impeach him last time.
Since Consort Hui entered the palace, the late emperor had shown her exclusive favor, resulting in no children being born in the palace for three years. Fortunately, the late emperor had worked hard before, so that he did not have few children. This was enough to make the Empress Dowager, who was the empress dowager at the time, dissatisfied. But then the late emperor proposed to make Consort Hui empress and the child in her womb the crown prince.
Not to mention the Empress Dowager disagreed, the court officials could not possibly agree either. Not only did they disagree, but at one point, an imperial censor even submitted a memorial requesting the removal of Consort Hui, practically pointing his finger at Consort Hui and calling her a vile woman who brought disaster to the country.
The rest is history. Consort Hui's two children with her ex-husband were strangled, and she also lost the imperial heir in her womb. She fell ill and never recovered. The Empress Dowager then chose the current emperor to be the crown prince.
It was probably Consort Hui's two children with her ex-husband who set a bad precedent. The other princes thought that if those who were not related by blood dared to raise an army, why couldn't they, who were related by blood, do the same? As a result, at the beginning of the emperor's reign, the royal family members were quite noisy. Although they didn't cause any major trouble, they were still disgusting and annoying.
So the emperor also disgusted them. Apart from the eldest Prince Ping and the youngest Prince An, the other brothers were not only not princes, but only one of them even had the title of marquis. Moreover, all of them were hereditary and nominal titles that were downgraded. They not only had no fiefdoms or estates, but the titles were also basically gone after two or three generations.
This shows just how much the emperor disliked his own brothers. Even though he allowed Prince Ping and Prince An to attend court, he did not appoint them to any official positions.
Fortunately, the two were quite sensible. Prince Ping spent his days playing with cats and dogs and having a great time, while Prince An was obsessed with martial arts and longed for the life of a chivalrous knight-errant who roamed the world with a sword.
No one expected Prince Ping to step forward at this time. Although everyone knew that Prince Ping had previously criticized the Seventh Prince, they all thought that Prince Ping was just following the crowd. They never expected that he actually disliked the Seventh Prince.
For some reason, the courtiers had a strange premonition that the other party was likely to bring shame upon themselves.
Sure enough, Prince Ping sneered and said, "I was born a prince and received a proper education as a prince. Do I have the right to lecture you?"
Xue Jin'an tilted his head and replied directly, "You don't seem to be learning very well."
Prince Ping knew he was somewhat useless, but when a junior pointed it out rudely, he immediately became angry: "I am much older than you, and I am definitely better than you."
Xue Jin'an hit the nail on the head: "You are the eldest son, and you didn't become emperor. Is it because you didn't want to?"
Prince Taira: "..."
emperor:"……"
Empress Dowager: "..."
Prince An: "..."
The court officials: "..."
The sudden silence transformed into countless invisible arrows that pierced through Prince Ping's flesh and plunged deep into his heart.
As the eldest son of the late emperor, why was he denied the throne? And why would an emperor who showed no mercy to his own brothers trust him enough to bestow the title of prince upon him?
Of course it's because he's useless!
Even though he had fully realized that he was a good-for-nothing, Prince Taira still felt hurt and almost couldn't catch his breath.
Prince An nearly choked on his tea. He put down his teacup with lingering fear, coughed twice, and tried to smooth things over: "Cough cough, elder brother, if you're not feeling well, don't push yourself—help your prince down to rest."
Prince Taira, who had abruptly interrupted the conversation, clutched his chest and left the scene severely injured.
At this point, everyone had fully realized how difficult the Seventh Prince was to deal with, and at the same time, they felt a greater sense of crisis. The more unrestrained the Seventh Prince appeared, the more vigilant they became.
How can one describe their sense of crisis? Perhaps the Seventh Prince is like a raging wind blowing into the valley, while they are old trees, deeply rooted there for who knows how long, having drained the soil of its nutrients. The raging wind will relentlessly uproot all the old trees, but even those trees, rotten and hollowed out, refuse to die.
Now that the raging wind has just been born, they have already glimpsed its terrifying future. While they have the ability to keep it at bay, they will naturally do everything in their power. If they fail this time, it will be very difficult to control it in the future.
This time, it was actually the Director of Studies of the Imperial Academy who stepped forward.
The highest official position in the Imperial Academy was the Chancellor, a third-rank official, while the Vice-Chancellor was only a sixth-rank official. Their official ranks were among the lowest of the many officials attending the palace banquet.
As the highest institution of learning in the Great Qi Dynasty, the Imperial Academy, though not of high rank, was highly respected by scholars. Each imperial examination sent countless talented individuals to the court, and many officials present had children from the Imperial Academy, or even were themselves graduates. Therefore, while the official positions within the Imperial Academy were low, their social standing was not.
The current Chancellor of the Imperial Academy is a student of Master Cen. When he saw his own Vice Chancellor step forward, his expression, though not as unpleasant as Yang Cong's when he saw the Ministry of Rites official, was still quite complex.
The Director of the Imperial Academy did not target Xue Jin'an with questions about etiquette again. In fact, he could be said to be speaking up for Xue Jin'an, refuting the previous claims that he was ignorant of etiquette and lacked the demeanor of a prince. He said that the Seventh Prince's behavior was understandable, that he had never attended the Imperial Study, and that everyone knew how hard and intelligent the Seventh Prince had to work to reach such a level of self-study... and so on.
On the surface, it seems like they are speaking up for Xue Jin'an, but in reality, they are saying that Xue Jin'an is an illiterate person who has never attended school.
These remarks were truly unexpected for Xue Jin'an, leaving him momentarily stunned. It wasn't that he was surprised by the ostensible praise that was actually a criticism, but rather that he was surprised that Xue Jin'an would bring this up at this time.
To be honest, although the fact that Cui Pengfei became the Seventh Prince's teacher was not publicized, anyone who inquired about it would know, since it wasn't deliberately concealed.
It's fine to belittle the Seventh Prince in any way, but belittling his cultural level is tantamount to belittling his teacher, Cui Pengfei. Even if Cui Pengfei is not favored by Confucianism, he is a true literary master, and few can surpass him in terms of age, seniority, or achievements.
Who would be so foolish as to question Cui Pengfei's abilities? It's safe to say that Siye's move was an absolutely terrible one.
Xue Jin'an found it hard not to analyze the nature of this move, which could be threefold: First, the Siye was oblivious to what was happening outside the game and genuinely didn't know that his teacher was Cui Pengfei, a possibility of 25%; second, the Siye was so eager to undermine him that he forgot about this matter and made this move, a possibility of 17%; third, he deliberately made this move to give him the opportunity to embarrass himself and gain fame, just to... elevate him, the only legitimate prince, and disrupt the current situation.
This sense of incongruity naturally did not escape the notice of the old fox Cui Pengfei. Although he intended to keep a low profile and reduce the attention others would pay to the Seventh Prince, it did not mean that he was afraid of the Seventh Prince's flamboyance.
The Seventh Prince is exceptionally capable, resolute, decisive, and efficient... Aside from his writing being rather poor—well, utterly nonsensical—the Seventh Prince has virtually no flaws. He won't be thrown off balance by being praised too highly, nor will he become anxious and confused when targeted.
Even though Your Highness is still young, you already possess all the qualities a crown prince should have.
Since this evil wind is unavoidable, why not just ride it!
Cui Pengfei immediately smiled and took over the topic, "What the Director of Education said is right. Although I have only been teaching the Seventh Prince for a month, I am already convinced that the Seventh Prince's intelligence is rare in history. If you cannot concentrate on improving your literature, I'm afraid that in a few years, this position of Director of Education will have to be replaced."
Cui Pengfei subtly criticized the instructor, implying that he only knew how to engage in petty and despicable acts, forgetting that the instructor's duty was to educate and nurture students.
The Director of Studies' face immediately turned somewhat ugly. After all, the Imperial Academy was still an academy, and the people working there had a much stronger scholarly air than an official air. However, after being ridiculed like that, he couldn't bring himself to continue targeting Xue Jin'an, so he just pursed his lips and remained silent.
However, it didn't matter that the Director of Studies didn't speak; naturally, there were still people eager to be humiliated, "Oh? Then, may I ask what books Your Highness has read?"
"I've only read a few books and know a little bit about them." Cui Pengfei feigned modesty, but in reality, he was putting on an act. He recited some common book titles, then pretended to rack his brains but couldn't remember them, saying, "Alas, I'm getting old and can't even remember those books anymore. But Your Highness has a good memory and always remembers the books you've read clearly."
Xue Jin'an readily began reciting the book titles, but his gaze fell upon the Eldest Princess. When he considered the third possibility, he almost immediately identified the Eldest Princess as the mastermind behind it all.
The eldest princess sat at the same table with her husband and daughter. Little Tai Le was nestled in her husband's arms, munching on pastries. She was dozing off as she ate, her face covered in pastries. The husband tried to take the pastries from her hands, but with just a slight movement, Little Tai Le, who was dozing with her eyes closed, would immediately open her eyes and take a bite of the pastry to show that she was still awake and eating. Then, after only a couple of bites, her eyelids would close uncontrollably again.
The prince consort looked quite helpless as he gently wiped Xiao Taile's face with a handkerchief. The princess, resting her cheek on her hand, watched this scene with a smile, creating a very heartwarming picture.
Soon, the eldest princess noticed the gazes fixed on her. She looked up, smiled, picked up the wine cup on the table, and offered it to the eldest prince beside her.
—In fact, it wasn't just the aristocratic families and nobles who felt threatened by the existence of the Seventh Prince.
Xue Jin'an knew that from the moment he stepped into this place, the First Prince's gaze had been fixed on him.
The eldest prince wore a gentle, faint smile as he watched the tall, confident young man standing in the main hall, calmly refuting the doubts of the scholars. He gently stroked the white jade wine cup with his fingertips, his face slightly flushed from the wine, but his eyes were clear.
"He really is terrifyingly powerful." A soft female voice, tinged with the smell of alcohol, drifted into my ears.
The eldest prince paused, his smile unchanged, and returned the toast with the eldest princess, saying only, "Seventh brother is indeed very capable."
"What do you think, Second Brother?" The First Prince suddenly looked at the Second Prince, who had clearly heard their conversation but had not spoken.
"Hmm, it is quite interesting." The Second Prince raised his eyebrows and said, "But he is still too young and a bit too arrogant."
The arrogant second son accuses others of being arrogant? The eldest prince smiled enigmatically.
The eldest princess glanced at her younger brother indifferently, said nothing more, but lowered her head and poked her daughter's cheek with her finger, teasing her, "Weren't you reluctant to part with your seventh uncle before? How come you don't even glance at him now that he's here?"
"Uncle, Uncle!" Little Tai Le actually struggled to open her eyes, but she was so sleepy that her eyelids drooped back before she could even see Xue Jin'an clearly.
Xue Jin'an looked away. He had finished reciting his book list. The expressions of the people present changed from "These books sound pretty conventional" to "He's so young, yet he's read so many books" to "What kind of books are these? I've never heard of them before."
After Xue Jin'an finished announcing the book list, the entire room was filled with people who were stunned and incredulous.
"Have you finished reading all these books?" The first to ask was Grand Tutor Li. Before Xue Jin'an could answer, he recited a few lines of the original text, which Xue Jin'an answered fluently without any difficulty.
Grand Tutor Li was very pleased: "Not bad, not bad."
He was quite pleased to hear that Xue Jin'an's reading list included many history books, many of which he liked and admired. He thought that a child who liked history books couldn't be too bad. He never considered the possibility that Xue Jin'an had actually included his reading list, after all, he and Cui Pengfei, the Seventh Prince's nominal teacher, didn't get along very well.
As soon as Grand Tutor Li spoke, many people wanted to make things difficult for Xue Jin'an as well. However, things didn't go far enough. Xue Jin'an was already getting annoyed by these people, and his emotional baggage suddenly increased by hundreds of trillions.
Just as Xue Jin'an was about to clear out the entire area with a small rocket, a pop-up window appeared:
The "Smash the Pig's Head" game has been updated. Do you wish to start it?
This is a very classic little game where you place a bird on a slingshot, control the force and direction, and hit a pig's head in the distance.
As soon as Xue Jin'an entered the game, he clearly felt his mana being drained from his body. He felt the sensation of his perspective rising into the air, a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time. After getting used to it, he saw that the art style around him had changed. There were no people in sight anymore, only a dense mass of pig heads.
He had a very large slingshot beside him, and instead of fluffy little birds, there were only sentences cut out from books.
Xue Jin'an curiously picked up a sentence at random, placed it on the slingshot according to the beginner's instructions, pulled back, aimed at a pig's head, and fired.
The question hit that pig's head right on the head.
In reality, all that everyone saw was Xue Jin'an suddenly taking the initiative, uttering a sentence from the original text to one person, and then posing the crucial question: "From which book, which page, and which line does it come?"
Everyone: "..."
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