The next morning, in the open space at the center of the farm, all the officials stood in formation.
Feng Zexuan slowly walked to the front of the lineup, holding a carved wooden box.
Behind her, the massive sky screen suddenly lit up, rows of golden characters blazing brilliantly.
It was yesterday’s “Study Ranking Board.”
Cheng Ying, Chu Heng, and the other top ten officials all had slightly heavier breathing, their eyes burning with restrained excitement.
Meanwhile, those whose names were marked in glaring red at the bottom ten felt a chill crawl up their necks, a vague sense of impending doom rising in their hearts.
Feng Zexuan casually opened the wooden box with her fingertips.
Neatly arranged inside were rows of pills, each different in color, emitting a rich medicinal fragrance.
“This is the Strengthening Bone and Tendon Pill, it enhances physique and awakens strength.”
She picked up a crimson pill, her voice bright and clear.
“This is the Bright Eyes and Mind Pill, it clears the spirit and sharpens perception.”
“This is the Fat-Reducing Body-Sculpting Pill, it removes excess flesh and improves physique…”
With each introduction, waves of swallowing sounds echoed from below.
The officials ranked lower were practically green with regret at these heaven-defying effects.
“Cheng Ying, step forward to receive your reward.”
Under the envious, almost fiery gazes of the officials, Cheng Ying took the “Strengthening Bone and Tendon Pill.”
He swallowed it in one gulp.
The moment it entered his stomach, a scorching surge of energy exploded through his body, instantly washing through every meridian and limb.
He felt his entire body filled with power and instinctively grabbed a 300-jin stone lock used for training.
It was as if he were lifting a piece of tofu.
With a low shout, he raised it single-handedly above his head without changing his expression.
BOOM!
The stone lock crashed down, smashing a shallow pit into the ground.
The surrounding generals’ eyes turned blood-red with excitement, their blood boiling.
They wished they could swallow that pill themselves.
The civil officials were even more stunned, their jaws nearly dislocating.
【General Cheng’s physique after that pill is like a mecha turning into a Super Saiyan… combat power off the charts!】
Next was Emperor Xiao Juechen.
He received a bottle of jade-green “Hair Growth Serum,” his fingers trembling slightly, though he still forced himself to maintain imperial composure.
He carefully applied it across every inch of his scalp.
【Short hair really is convenient! Otherwise applying this would be such a hassle.】
【True, host. Humans might actually get addicted to cutting their hair shorter… not sure if that’s real though.】
【Definitely! There’s no shortest—only shorter!】
【Once they get used to it, who would still want long hair?】
Several officials subconsciously touched the bare napes of their necks and their neat short hair, remembering how refreshing it was to wash it with a single rinse last night.
Oddly enough, thinking about growing it long again now felt a little disappointing.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a miracle occurred.
In the Emperor’s thinning hairline, fine black stubble began to emerge—growing, thickening, and turning visibly dense and glossy.
Under the sunlight, the newly grown hair shimmered with a healthy sheen.
Lin Zhengyan pointed at the Emperor’s head, trembling with disbelief:
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty has returned to youth!”
“This is divine medicine! Truly divine medicine!”
Next was Lin Zhengyan himself. He received a “Bright Eyes and Mind Pill.”
After taking it, he cautiously removed his reading glasses. The previously blurry world instantly became crystal clear.
He could even see, a hundred paces away, a blade of grass where an ant was dragging a seed larger than itself.
“I… I never imagined I could see so clearly in my lifetime!”
Tears streamed down Lin Zhengyan’s face as he touched the clearly visible lines on his palm, sobbing uncontrollably.
The most shocking transformation came from the Minister of Rites, Lu Wenbin.
He took the Fat-Reducing Body-Sculpting Pill.
The moment it melted in his mouth, his iconic large belly visibly deflated and tightened, like a punctured balloon collapsing inward.
Within moments, he returned to the lean physique of a middle-aged man, looking a full decade younger, his oversized official robe suddenly hanging loosely.
Overjoyed, Lu Wenbin spread his arms and performed an enthusiastic chest-opening exercise, surprisingly agile.
The miraculous effects of the pills ignited the entire crowd like pouring oil onto fire.
Officials who had received nothing were red-eyed with envy.
One of them suddenly dropped to his knees and cried out:
“My Lord! I am willing to work twice as hard! I will study day and night! Please give me another chance!”
Feng Zexuan smiled faintly.
That was exactly the reaction she wanted.
After distributing the rewards, she pointed at the bottom ten rankings with a mischievous smile.
“Today, you will serve the top ten. Tea, water, laundry, back rubbing—everything.”
One Vice Minister went weak at the knees, his face pale as paper.
“Please spare us! We will work harder!”
“Oh, and one more thing.”
She pointed toward the distant latrine area.
“Thirty stalls over there. You must scrub them until they shine like mirrors before shenshi (mid-afternoon).”
The ten men looked utterly devastated, as if their world had collapsed.
Finally, Feng Zexuan’s gaze landed on the last-ranked person—Prince Xiao Mingrui—a dangerous smile curling her lips.
“Third Prince, as royalty, finishing last is an aggravated offense.”
“Today’s punishment—go help the Emperor carry manure for fertilizing.”
“What?!”
Xiao Mingrui jumped up instantly, his handsome face flushed red.
“I object!”
“Disagree?”
Feng Zexuan raised an eyebrow, her smile deepening.
“Then let everyone judge for themselves what earth-shattering knowledge you were learning all night.”
【System, play the video. Public execution, go!】
The sky screen instantly changed.
Xiao Mingrui’s learning device interface was magnified a hundredfold and projected clearly before everyone.
A folder titled “Favorites” was opened with surgical precision.
Inside were neatly categorized subfolders:
- “Top-tier Handsome Male Collection (viewed 23 times)”
- “Alluring Beauty Compilation (viewed 20 times)”
- “Methods to Deal with Yandere Types (viewed 38 times)”
- “Dominant Prince Falls for Me: Communication Mastery (NEW)”
All formal study progress bars showed a glaring “0”.
The only opened “Language” lesson stopped at a page titled:
“How to Write a Heart-Shaking, Soul-Devouring Love Letter”
Silence.
Dead silence.
Then someone couldn’t hold it in and let out a “pfft.”
That single laugh shattered the silence—and the entire place erupted.
Repressed laughter, muffled giggles, and near-internal-injury snickering exploded everywhere.
General Cheng Ying turned away sharply, his broad shoulders shaking violently as he nearly suffocated trying not to laugh.
Chu Heng covered his mouth tightly with his sleeve, his old face turning beet red.
Even the usually composed Feng Huainan turned his head away, the corners of his mouth wildly twitching upward.
Crown Prince Xiao Mingxuan laughed so hard he squatted down, clutching his stomach, completely abandoning imperial dignity.
Xiao Mingrui’s face went from red to white, then green, and finally ghostly pale.
He looked like he was about to die on the spot.
Emperor Xiao Juechen trembled with rage.
He kicked Xiao Mingrui hard in the leg.
“Rebellious son! You’ve disgraced me completely!”
【Host, the Third Prince’s hobbies… are quite research-oriented.】
【Yes, but unfortunately in the wrong field.】
【Punishment still stands. Not a single one can be spared.】
【Carrying manure is perfect for tempering character.】
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