Chapter 120 Playing a Bit Too Much

Half a cup of tea later, on the bank of the Yellow River.

Jiang Chen sat in a riverside pavilion, leisurely watching the passing boats, waiting for Jia Yao's arrival.

Behind him were the Imperial Guards disguised as escorts of a wealthy family.

They were scrutinizing the passersby with serious expressions and sharp eyes, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

"Your Majesty, young master, Young Master Jia is here."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen turned around and saw Jia Yao respectfully waiting outside the pavilion. He was dressed in a light blue scholar's robe, which made his skin even whiter, radiating a lustrous glow.

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

It seemed that this girl, Jia Yao, still didn't know that her disguise as a man had been exposed? Should I tease her a bit?

Thinking of Jia Yao's awkward and embarrassed expression during their previous close contact, Jiang Chen couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth.

But in the end, he dismissed the idea.

Although he wasn't some paragon of virtue, he disdained doing the base act of pretending to be ignorant and deliberately taking advantage of a girl.

It was better to come clean directly, which would probably give this bold girl a shock!

Thinking this, Jiang Chen turned around and beckoned to Jia Yao, feigning indifference.

As she approached, he said in a cold voice, "Jia Yao, do you know what the crime of deceiving the Emperor entails?"

Hearing this, Jia Yao's legs instantly went weak, and her voluptuous little face turned pale. She barely managed to stay upright, lest she collapse on the spot.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, why are you suddenly asking me this? Could it be that you know about my dressing as a man?"

"But that shouldn't be possible. I've disguised myself for so long and haven't revealed any flaws... How did he find out?!"

Comforting herself in her heart, Jia Yao forced herself to calm down. She cautiously looked up, observing Jiang Chen's expression, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, forgive my student for being ignorant. I'm not well-versed in penal law and cannot answer your question."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen smiled grimly and snorted coldly, "Is that so? Then I'll tell you what the consequences of committing the crime of deceiving the Emperor are!"

After saying that, he turned his head and said loudly, "Xu Mu, go and arrest the entire Jia clan and imprison them in the imperial jail. After the autumn harvest..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Chen's leg was tightly hugged by Jia Yao, who was wailing with tears streaming down her face, "Your Majesty, this subject knows her mistake. This subject is willing to bear all the punishment alone, only begging you to spare my family..."

She wasn't an idiot. Although the Emperor didn't explicitly say that he knew about her disguise as a man, the four words "deceiving the Emperor" were already a clear enough hint.

She understood almost instantly upon hearing it, and without any hesitation, she knelt down and pleaded guilty to the Emperor.

At this moment, she had no other extravagant hopes. She only hoped that the Emperor would consider their relationship as teacher and student and spare her family.

As for her own safety... a strong bitterness flashed in Jia Yao's eyes. She wasn't so delusional as to believe that the Emperor would ignore the serious crime of deceiving the Emperor just because of a few pleas from her.

Meeting Jia Yao's despairing beautiful eyes, Jiang Chen felt a little embarrassed.

Tsk, it seemed like he was playing a bit too much... This Jia Yao dared to deceive the Emperor, so why was her courage so small?

She was actually scared to tears by just a few words.

After clearing his throat a few times, Jiang Chen helped her up from the ground and softened his expression, "Don't cry, I was just scaring you."

"I've known for a long time that you're dressed as a man. I'm not angry, and I don't intend to hold it against you... Wipe away your tears."

Looking at Jiang Chen's gentle expression, Jia Yao couldn't believe it. She blankly said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you really not angry about my deception and don't intend to hold it against me?"

Jiang Chen flicked her forehead and said in an annoyed tone, "I am the Son of Heaven, and my words carry the weight of nine tripods. Naturally, I won't go back on my word!"

"Moreover, my magnanimity is not as small as you think, to hold such a trivial matter against a little girl like you."

Hearing that Jiang Chen was truly not minding it, Jia Yao burst into tears and smiled, letting out a long breath. "This subject, this subject thanks Your Majesty for your understanding!"

"Your great kindness and virtue, this subject will never forget, and will surely repay Your Majesty in the future..."

As she said that, Jia Yao lifted her robe and was about to kneel down again.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen hurriedly grabbed her shoulders and frowned, "Alright, the ground is cold. It's better for a girl like you to avoid contact with it."

"Also, if you want to repay me, you can do it now. I have something I want you to do!"

Although his tone was stern, Jia Yao could hear the concern in it. The fear in her heart turned into peace, and she even felt a little touched.

Immediately, with red eyes, she vowed, "Your Majesty, please give your orders. Even if it means climbing mountains of knives or plunging into seas of fire, Jia Yao will complete the task you assign."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen couldn't help but chuckle, "It's nothing dangerous, don't let your imagination run wild."

"Let's go, follow me to the cruise ship to talk. It's not easy to come out, I want to see more of the scenery in the city."

"Oh, this subject, this subject obeys!"

Knowing that she had misunderstood Jiang Chen again, Jia Yao felt a little embarrassed. With a blushing face, she followed behind him and walked towards the two-story boat outside the pavilion.

The group boarded the boat and began to tour the city.

Jiang Chen pulled Jia Yao to the bow of the boat. While admiring the prosperous scenery along the coast, he casually said, "I'm planning to build a 'Hundred Schools of Thought Forum' in the imperial capital. You know about this, right?"

Jia Yao nodded, "This subject knows. Lord Zhang mentioned it to this subject before."

"Zi Fang's efficiency is quite fast." After praising him, Jiang Chen turned his head and said, "What I want you to do is to publicly reveal your true identity and leave your name in the 'Hundred Schools of Thought Forum'. What do you think?"

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Jia Yao's eyes widened, "But, but this subject is a woman... Can women also leave their names in the 'Hundred Schools of Thought Forum'?"

Although she hesitated on the surface, a pair of watery beautiful eyes burst out with a brilliant light, full of anticipation and longing.

Jiang Chen's heart softened by this gaze. He nodded solemnly and said, "Of course. My 'Hundred Schools of Thought Forum' is prepared for talented people, regardless of identity or gender. As long as you have the ability, you can come and leave your name!"

"Moreover, when I completely clear the court and have complete control in the future, I plan to recruit women as officials."

"At that time, all the talents in the world will be in my grasp!"

Hearing this, the excitement and longing on Jia Yao's face could no longer be concealed, and she looked at Jiang Chen with admiration.

"Your Majesty, this subject, this subject believes in you. A monarch with such great talent and ambition like you will definitely achieve these things and establish unparalleled achievements!"

As she said that, she showed a hint of unease and said cautiously, "Um, can this subject still be your student now?"

Sensing Jia Yao's nervousness, Jiang Chen couldn't help but chuckle. He relaxed his expression and comforted her, "Of course. Even if you transform from a talented young man to a talented young woman, you will still be my... um, what is that?!"

"Xu Mu, go and see what that is floating over there!"

While speaking, Jiang Chen quickly covered Jia Yao's eyes, and a bad premonition rose in his heart...