Bei Hong was the final person to visit King Zishan's palace, along with his son Bei Qing, as Lu Yin had summoned them together. 

“Subject Bei Hong greets my lord.”

“Bei Qing greets my lord.”

Lu Yin raised a hand. “There’s no need for that. Please, sit.”

Bei Hong bowed once again before sitting down nearby. Bei Qing stood behind his father, and he occasionally glanced at Lu Yin, as he had heard that they had met before.

Zhao Ran brewed another pot of tea, and she eyed Bei Hong curiously. There had been many visitors today, and fortunately, she had prepared enough teawater. She even had enough for a few more pots of tea. 

“How long has Lord Bei known the Reverent King for?” Lu Yin casually asked.

Bei Hong replied in a respectful tone, “This subject came to know of the Reverent King at a young age, and we even participated in the court examination at the same time.”

Lu Yin was astonished. “The Reverent King also took the court examination?”

Bei Hong smiled. “Yes, the Reverent King’s literary skills are brilliant and worthy of respect, though he did not pass the exam.” 

“It looks like Lord Bei has quite a close relationship with the Reverent King,” Lu Yin commented.

Bei Hong adjusted his expression. “The Reverent King has bided his time for many years, and so has this subject. No matter if it was openly or secretly, this subject did not have any interactions with the Reverent King, and I have also never said anything good about...