Time Travel: The Survival of Li Zhi

Chapter 551 Beating

In the imperial study deep in the palace, sandalwood curled up from the gilded incense burner, interweaving with the sunlight slanting in from the window to form a hazy beam of light.

Li Zhi knelt on the cold golden brick floor, his forehead pressed tightly against the ground, and even breathed lightly, for fear of disturbing the figure on the throne reviewing memorials.

Behind the desk, Emperor Yongguo Zhao Qi held a red brush, the tip of the pen moving across the memorial. His bright yellow dragon robe made his face look even more majestic.

The imperial study was so quiet that one could hear the soft sound of dripping water from a copper clock. Li Zhi had been kneeling for an hour. The numbness in his knees spread along his meridians to his waist and back, but he did not dare to move even a little.

After a long time, the eunuch chief, Wang Ling, came forward quietly with ginseng tea.

He bent down and placed the teacup next to Emperor Zhao Qi, and reminded him in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Your Majesty, Lord Li has been kneeling for an hour."

Only then did Zhao Qi put down his red brush, picked up the teacup slowly, and his eyes finally fell on Li Zhi.

His eyes were calm, yet they carried the pressure of someone who had long held a high position, as if they could see through people's hearts. "Li Zhi! You are truly capable."

Li Zhi's back stiffened as he sensed the chill in the voice.

"Out of a group of over a hundred envoys, you're the only one who made it back alive..."

Zhao Qi took a sip of ginseng tea and his voice suddenly turned harsh, "What a skill!"

Although Zhao Qi was not a cultivator, with the emperor's majesty and the blessing of the country's destiny, just one sentence brought invisible pressure to Li Zhi like a mountain pressing down on his head.

Li Zhi felt his bones creaking. The cold sweat on his forehead dripped onto the gold brick, leaving small wet marks. "I have failed to perform my duties properly, causing the martyrdom of my colleagues. Your Majesty, please punish me!"

"Punishment?"

Zhao Qi slammed the teacup down on the table, the clinking sound of celadon echoing through the study. He shouted sternly, "Of course there must be punishment! Otherwise, how can we comfort the spirits of the deceased? How can we silence the gossips of the court and the people?"

Li Zhi's heart sank.

Situ Han clearly said that the Grand Secretary had reported the details to the emperor, so why was the emperor still so angry?

Li Zhi clenched his fists, digging his nails deep into his palms - it was indeed true that serving the king is like serving a tiger.

Li Zhi couldn't guess what the emperor was thinking. He didn't say anything and waited quietly for the emperor to punish him.

"You don't have to go back to Leizhou."

Zhao Qi's voice suddenly sounded, without any joy or anger.

Li Zhi's face changed slightly. He didn't know what the emperor meant by this. Before he could think about it, he heard the emperor continue: "Stay in the palace for the time being and go to the library to take charge."

" Forehead?"

Li Zhi was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously raised his head, just in time to meet Zhao Qi's smiling eyes.

The emperor put down the memorial and tapped his fingers on the table. "Do you know how many people are watching you right now? The families and friends of those who died are all waiting to cause trouble for you. You should go to the library to avoid the limelight for the time being. When this storm is over, I will let you go back."

This sudden turn of events made Li Zhi's tense nerves relax suddenly, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

Only then did he realize that the emperor had been deliberately scolding him. He quickly bowed his head and kowtowed, his voice trembling with the pain of having survived a disaster: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace!"

Zhao Qi looked at Li Zhi's sweat-soaked clothes on his back, and a smile appeared on his lips. He said, "I know all about your mission to the Wei Kingdom to promote the prestige of the Yong Kingdom."

He changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious: "Although the destruction of the envoys was due to your negligence, your faults do not outweigh your merits. I remember all your achievements in the Wei Dynasty."

Wang Ling smiled at the side and said, "Your Majesty has often said these days that Lord Li has such courage and insight at such a young age. He will definitely be a pillar of society in the future."

Li Zhi kowtowed quickly and shouted, "I dare not take any credit for this. It is all thanks to Your Majesty's divine power and the cultivation of the Grand Secretary."

At the same time, he also knew clearly in his heart that he was able to turn danger into safety this time because of his achievements in the Wei Dynasty.

The emperor in front of him values ​​ability.

As long as Li Zhi can demonstrate his ability and value, he won't have to worry about being pushed out to appease public anger.

Zhao Qi waved his hand and said, "Get up. The library is quiet, but it has all kinds of books. You are on duty there, so you can calm down and read more books..."

"I humble my duty and obey my decree!"

 …

The sandalwood scent from the library mixed with the ink smell of old books drifted slowly in the breeze.

Li Zhi originally thought that guarding the library was as leisurely as the emperor said, but he didn't expect that he had just walked around the library when he ran into Mr. Qiu and the prince who happened to be there to read books.

When Mr. Qiu first saw Li Zhi here, he was a little confused. But when he heard that Li Zhi was on duty at the library, he raised his eyebrows and a look of joy appeared on his face.

Then, he suddenly clutched his waist and cried out "Ouch!", deliberately hitting his lower back a few times in front of Li Zhi: "This old man's old back pain happened to flare up today, Your Highness, I'll trouble you to take care of him for half a day."

Li Zhi was suddenly overwhelmed. Just as he was about to refuse, he saw Mr. Qiu winking at him, turning around, finding a cushioned armchair, and lying down in the sun by the window. Soon he began to snore evenly, without giving Li Zhi any chance to refuse.

Li Zhi looked at the old man who was sleeping soundly and sighed helplessly.

But Elder Qiu had once been kind enough to give him some advice, and Li Zhi had always remembered that favor. He couldn't harden his heart and refuse. He could only smile bitterly, then squat down and look at the upturned prince in front of him. "What book would you like to read, Your Highness?"

The prince blinked his dark eyes, grabbed his sleeve and shook it: "Can you tell a story?"

Unexpectedly, Li Zhi's promise became the norm for the next half month.

Whenever Mr. Qiu was on duty to teach the prince, the library became a regular "storytelling" venue.

Mr. Qiu could always find a new excuse - his knees were sore today, his eyes were blurry tomorrow. Every time, he would push the prince in front of Li Zhi and find a comfortable place to bask in the sun and take a nap, so that he could have complete free time.

Li Zhi secretly rejoiced that the emperor had another intention in letting Old Qiu teach the prince - he was just using Old Qiu's prestige in the Night Tour Division to pave the way for the young prince.

Therefore, what Mr. Qiu taught on weekdays was never classics, history, or collections of literature, but mostly some interesting stories about the world and mountains and rivers, which made Li Zhi not worry about misleading his students.

But the prince is still young, and it is difficult for him to sit and read.

Li Zhi thought about it and decided to use his advantage as a time traveler to give those familiar stories a new look.

Thus, Li Zhi's exclusive version of the Yongguo fairy tale, The Thousand and One Nights of Wei, was born. Once these bizarre stories appeared, they instantly captured the heart of the prince.

Of course, Li Zhi knew that the prince must have the emperor's eyes and ears around him, so he deliberately interspersed the stories with the principles of "loyalty to the emperor and patriotism" and "distinguishing right from wrong."

In this way, you can please the child without giving anyone any evidence.