The heavy rain suddenly stopped.
Chi Zhiqingโs heartbeat seemed to stop as well.
Looking across all times and lands, anyone who found their lord had changed from Li Shimin to Liu Chan would probably react the same way.
No.
Chi Zhiqing, after all, was someone who had weathered great storms. He forced himself to calm down and asked softly, โWhy?โ
Was this a test for him?
But using the Bachelor’s Thesis as a testโit was a bit odd.
Could it be that she was just too lazy to write, didnโt want to write, or simply couldnโt write it?
Chi Zhiqing didnโt think so.
To put it bluntly, itโs not that hard to muddle through a college thesis; thereโs barely any challenge. The real difficulty comes when an Advisor wants to show off and keeps making you revise it for no reason. That kind of torment neither teaches you anything nor is a good use of time.
As long as you donโt write utter nonsense, an undergraduate thesis will almost always pass.
The most troublesome part is just lowering the similarity rate and fixing the formatting.
Song Tianyang: โUhโฆโ
Since it was their first meeting, she still wanted to keep up appearances and said, โI canโt write it, Iโve hit a bottleneck, so I wanted to ask you for some advice.โ
โI see.โ
Chi Zhiqingโs brows smoothed out, and he invited her to bring over her thesis for him to take a look.
He spoke very modestly: โIโm not in the same major as Your Majesty, so I can only offer some guidance based on my experience. Weโll have to figure out the details together.โ
The little Emperor happily trotted off to fetch her laptop. โHere.โ
Chi Zhiqing took her laptop.
The ultrabook felt like a toy in his hands. He quickly saw the text on Word.
He closed his eyes, only opening them two seconds later.
Just like those loyal ministers in history who still held hope for young rulers, instead of doubting the Emperor, he first doubted himselfโbefore transmigrating, heโd been in a car crash that exploded, his eyeballs had flown out and been crushed by fate, maybe heโd suffered some aftereffects, causing his dizziness and illusions now.
If it wasnโt an illusion, then why was there only a title on this Word document?
Where was the content?
Song Tianyang gave an awkward laugh: โMy Advisor said what I wrote before was a mess, told me to rewrite it using the original topic.โ
โHavenโt you been burning the midnight oil in the Study Room for ages? Whereโs the result? What did you accomplish?โ
Song Tianyang completely gave up:
โMy biggest achievement is that I gained two stars in King of Glory.โ
The night wind blew cold.
It made Chi Zhiqingโs heart chill as well.
He steadied himself and said, โShow me the thesis you wrote before.โ
Chi Zhiqing still held a sliver of hope.
Most likely, the Advisor had just been nitpickingโbefore facing a foolish ruler, the minister always harbors hope. Surely it was treacherous officials deceiving the throne, and the Emperor was a clear and upright sovereign!
Right in front of him, Song Tianyang dragged her old thesis out of the computerโs recycle bin.
Chi Zhiqing opened it with anticipation.
He read two pages, forced a smile, and tried to sound calm: โHaha, Your Majesty, please stop joking. Quickly find the real thesis and let me see it.โ
If this was the kind of academic trash he had to look at, his eyes might as well be used as speed bumps on the highway.
In the corridor, the two fell into a brief silence.
Song Tianyang broke the stalemate: โAre you secretly calling me an idiot in your heart?โ
โAcademic performance doesnโt define a person,โ
Chi Zhiqing shook his head, his gaze growing resolute:
โI wonโt judge Your Majesty for this. Itโs just that Your Majesty hasnโt met a good teacher yet, and thatโs exactly why Iโm here.โ
His tone was so firm that even Song Tianyang was a little moved.
Of course, if he could help her finish the thesis while he was at it, that would be even better.
Chi Zhiqing thought for a moment: โItโs inconvenient to talk in the Study Room. Your Majesty, come back to the hotel with me. You can rest when youโre tired of writing. Is that okay?โ
His skills made entering the girlsโ dorm as easy as walking through thin air.
But considering that the Emperor had female roommates, he settled for inviting her to his hotel room instead.
โAh?โ
Song Tianyang sucked in a breath.
But seeing how calm he looked, as if he were just talking about something ordinary, she forced herself to act composed and nodded. โSure.โ
The Loyal Minister System was attached to her Emperor System, putting her in an absolute position of authority. Thatโs why, even at their first meeting, she had a basic level of affection for him.
Sensing her inner doubts, the Emperor System assured her in a timely manner: ใAll officials granted by the System are absolutely loyal to Your Majesty. Their lives and deaths are at Your Majestyโs command. They will never do anything to harm you.ใ
ใBut what if he wants to sleep with me?ใ
Song Tianyang stole a glance at Chi Zhiqingโs profile.
That face had sharp, beautiful lines, with his lashes casting faint, crow-feather shadows on his pale skin.
The moment her gaze landed on Chi Zhiqingโs face, he sensed it and turned around. โYour Majesty?โ
His features were so exquisite they could almost be called beautiful, yet his aura was upright and unyielding.
The Emperor was startled by his looks.
โItโs nothing.โ
Song Tianyang withdrew her gaze: ใIf he really tries, then Iโll just have to follow Emperor Wu of Hanโs example!ใ
Her desire to learn from Liu Che peaked when they arrived at the Marriott Hotel.
โI asked the front desk to tidy up the Master Bedroom. Iโll rest in the Guest Room later,โ Chi Zhiqing said as he opened the door and introduced the suiteโs layout. โThe Master Bedroom has an En Suite Bathroom. Your Majesty can use it without worry.โ
Chi Zhiqing had considered that traces of his own life might make the Emperor uncomfortable, so heโd asked the hotel to replace the Master Bedroomโs bedding and daily necessities with brand new ones ahead of time.
After a few seconds.
Song Tianyang spoke with both relief and a hint of disappointment: โSo, there really are two roomsโฆโ
She knew it!
Her Minister wasnโt that kind of person!
โAll right, Your Majesty, come here.โ
The suite had a workspace for guests, spacious enough for two people to sit facing each other without feeling cramped.
Chi Zhiqing said kindly, โIโll guide you as you finish the thesis, Your Majesty. With someone supervising, you wonโt get distracted.โ
โโฆArenโt you going to write it for me?โ
โYour Majesty, there you go joking again. Of course I could help you finish the thesis, and with my abilities, earning another seven-figure fortune would be no problem at all. Your Majesty could just enjoy the money I make, but then youโd know nothing about running a company, couldnโt even read the accounts, and your degree would be nothing but a useless piece of paper. Is that the life Your Majesty wants?โ
Song Tianyang nodded like a pecking chick.
Chi Zhiqingโs beautiful eyes gazed at her, and after a moment, he smiled. โYour Majesty, you donโt want that.โ
โI do! Why wouldnโt I?โ
Chi Zhiqing: โYour Majesty, please donโt say things like that to test me again.โ
Song Tianyang was baffled.
When did she test him?
She didnโt!
โAll right, chat timeโs over. Letโs start writing the thesis.โ
Chi Zhiqing put on a serious face.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Song Tianyang really did have some good fortuneโthroughout her studies and part-time jobs, her roommates and teachers had all been good people. Her Advisor hadnโt made things difficult for her on purpose, and always replied quickly to her messages. When she finally handed in a thesis that looked like it was written by an intelligent being, the Advisor even sent a meme, weeping with joy.
Advisor: โThis is good. Continue from this introduction.โ
Advisor: โYouโre finally acting human.โ
Advisor: โCrying kitten.jpgโ
Half a minute later, Song Tianyang refreshed her Advisorโs new Moments post.
Advisor: Today I witnessed the birth of a sentient being.
With a loyal minister watching over her, Song Tianyangโs thesis-writing efficiency shot up, but she also felt like she didnโt want to live anymore.
She lay weakly on the sofa, barely breathing:
โNo, this isnโt rightโฆ This isnโt rightโฆโ
โWhat isnโt right?โ
Chi Zhiqing, freshly showered and fully dressed, emerged from the Guest Room and looked at her with concern.
Even though they were living in the same suite, he was a man with strong boundaries. Even after showering, with his hair only half dry, his clothes were still impeccably buttoned up to the very top, leaving only a bit of neck exposed.
She drooped like a wet puppy. โIโm the Emperor, you should listen to me.โ
โI do listen to Your Majesty.โ
โThen if you help me write the thesis, I wonโt have to work so hard.โ
To look her in the eye rather than down on her, Chi Zhiqing knelt on one knee beside the sofa.
He had no experience dealing with young girls, and saw this young Emperor more like a clueless kid who didnโt know the wealth she held in her hands. He tapped her shoulder with a pen, reminding her to sit properly on the sofa. โYour Majesty, my role is to support you. My goal is for you to one day accomplish things on your ownโthatโs something I canโt do for you, do you understand?โ
Song Tianyang did sit up straight.
But she hugged her knees and wouldnโt look at him, making one last protest.
Song Tianyang could easily take down everyone in the He Family, but when faced with someone who genuinely cared about her, she suddenly didnโt know what to do.
Kneeling on one knee before the sofa, Chi Zhiqing wasnโt feeling much better.
These past two days supervising Song Tianyangโs thesis, heโd already realizedโthe Emperor the System had bound him toโ
Didnโt seem to be the Tang Taizong of this era!
She was more and more like the last Emperor of the Han dynasty.
Chi Zhiqing was smart and used to dealing with other smart people, but Song Tianyang, who was just a bit above average, was full of holes in front of him. The thought of assisting such a ruler made him want to sigh.
Butโฆ
He understood even more that she was a kind-hearted child.
If he walked away, the System hadnโt said it would punish him, but how would she survive in the He Family?
The day she was confirmed as a blood relative of the He Family, it would be like a child walking through the market with a gold ingot in her armsโsuch wealth would attract countless jackals to set her up.
In the original novel, as shown by the Loyal Minister System, Song Tianyang died a terrible death.
Chi Zhiqing couldnโt accept that ending.
His second chance at life was because Song Tianyang had chosen himโ
Even if it wasnโt intentional, in this absurd world, he would live for her alone.
Chi Zhiqing said:
โAs long as you finish the thesis, Iโll use my skills to take the defense for you.โ
Song Tianyang looked up at him from between her knees. โDidnโt you say I have to work hard myself?โ
โAn Emperor who can finish the thesis has already worked hard enough. Since Your Majesty isnโt interested in academic research, just get the undergraduate diploma and letโs focus our efforts elsewhere. Letโs overcome the challenge in front of us first,โ
Chi Zhiqing looked up: โFor example, your brother said he wants to โteach you a lessonโ at your birthday banquet.โ