My family has been wielding knives for generations, but now it's my turn to wield a pen!

"Old Fan!"

Seeing Fan Xinghe's reaction, Li Bingzhang naturally sensed that something was wrong.

Logically speaking, although Fan Xinghe is straightforward, he shouldn't have acted like this.

Moreover, Jiang Xiaobai is now the imperial investigator personally appointed by His Majesty for the imperial examination case, and also Li Bingzhang's future son-in-law.

Even if Fan Xinghe didn't like it, he shouldn't have shown it so obviously.

Thinking of this, Li Bingzhang quickly stepped forward and grabbed Fan Xinghe: "Hehe, since Elder Fan is here, it's best to explain what's going on."

As he spoke, Li Bingzhang glanced at Jiang Xiaobai, then looked back at Fan Xinghe: "Do you... have some misunderstanding about Xiaobai?"

It's always better to ask questions and clarify some things.

Otherwise, this ambiguous situation will only make things awkward for both parties.

As Li Bingzhang finished speaking, Fan Xinghe stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and glanced at Jiang Xiaobai indifferently.

There was a clear hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes.

Jiang Xiaobai stood there, looking somewhat innocent.

No.

He didn't seem to have said anything, did he?

Why does this old man Fan suddenly dislike him?

"Misunderstand?"

At this moment, Fan Xinghe snorted coldly: "Hmph, although I rarely go out, I've heard the name Jiang Xiaobai more than once or twice!"

"First of all, I acknowledge the reputation of the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion; the entire family is loyal and valiant, each member a fine soldier serving the country!"

"The two young masters of the Jiang family were both exceptionally talented, but unfortunately, they didn't survive the battlefield!"

At this point, a hint of regret crept into Fan Xinghe's expression. He then looked at Jiang Xiaobai, his voice turning somber: "But what about you?"

"As a member of the Marquis of Zhenbei's household, even if you're not comparable to your two elder brothers, you shouldn't be too far behind, right?"

"And what did you do? You frequented brothels, engaged in cockfighting and bird-watching, spending your days doing nothing but idleness and incompetence!"

"Not long ago, didn't you buy a top scorer's ticket?"

"this……"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaobai's face showed embarrassment: "That's true."

"Hmph, you admit it so readily!"

Fan Xinghe snorted again and continued, "Also, I heard that you hung four couplets in the Qinglou?"

"That pair is quite novel, but... it probably wasn't made by you, was it?"

"this……"

Jiang Xiaobai raised an eyebrow slightly, just about to speak.

"Alright, you don't need to explain anymore. With your level of skill, even a four-part series is beyond your capabilities!"

Fan Xinghe frowned, turned to look at Li Bingzhang, and said with a hint of reproach in his voice, "Prime Minister Li, I wasn't talking about you!"

"As the current prime minister, you have always been upright and prudent."

"But the son-in-law you've chosen has truly surprised this old man!"

"this……"

Li Bingzhang was a little embarrassed for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "Old Fan, Xiaobai isn't a bad kid."

"Besides, my daughter Wei'er likes it, so... I won't object to them."

"like?"

Fan Xinghe's face darkened: "You've ruined your daughter, you... well, that's all I have to say!"

"I don't think there's much more to talk about. I have things to do, so I'll head back now!"

After saying that, Fan Xinghe prepared to leave.

"Old Fan!"

Seeing this, Li Bingzhang pulled Fan Xinghe back again: "Give me some face, how about we go to the inner hall to talk?"

Li Bingzhang also realized that there must be something else going on here.

Otherwise, given Fan Xinghe's status, he wouldn't have acted this way in person, leaving Jiang Xiaobai no room for maneuver.

Fan Xinghe frowned, then finally said, "Fine, since you want to talk, let's talk!"

At this point, Fan Xinghe glanced at Jiang Xiaobai and said, "But I don't want to talk to him!"

"Okay, okay, I won't tell!"

Li Bingzhang breathed a sigh of relief: "Please, Elder Fan!"

After saying that, Li Bingzhang led the way into the mansion.

Jiang Xiaobai glanced at Fan Xinghe, and although he was full of questions, he still followed.

Zhang Xinnian and Tang Ningshuang exchanged a glance and followed suit.

Soon, the group arrived at the inner hall.

The servants quickly served tea, and after everyone left, only Jiang Xiaobai and a few others remained in the inner hall.

"Old Fan."

After sitting down, Li Bingzhang glanced at Jiang Xiaobai before turning to Fan Xinghe: "Regarding Xiaobai, I think there might be some misunderstanding!"

"There's no misunderstanding!"

Fan Xinghe coldly said, "Furthermore... Prime Minister Li, I suggest you cancel the engagement as soon as possible."

"So as not to tarnish my reputation because of him!"

"This...it can't be that exaggerated, can it?"

Li Bingzhang was immediately embarrassed.

Jiang Xiaobai sat next to him, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

This Mr. Fan really looks down on him.

At that moment, he spoke, and Li Bingzhang was persuaded to cancel the engagement.

If it were anyone else, Jiang Xiaobai would have given them a good talking-to.

But the man before him was, after all, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy and a senior figure in the literary world, and Li Bingzhang clearly held him in high esteem.

So, Jiang Xiaobai's lips moved, but he ultimately didn't speak.

"snort."

Fan Xinghe coldly replied, "Believe it or not, your daughter is renowned for her talent and has a good character. Why would she marry someone like this?"

"If word gets out, what will people outside think of the Prime Minister's residence? And what will they think of your daughter?"

Li Bingzhang rubbed his temples, his bitter smile deepening.

Clearly, Fan Xinghe has a deep misunderstanding of Jiang Xiaobai.

This is not something that can be solved simply by wanting to.

"Alright, Prime Minister Li, I know you must have something to say about inviting me here."

Fan Xinghe began, "So, let's talk about your matter."

"Alright then."

Seeing that Fan Xinghe was unwilling to continue talking about Jiang Xiaobai, Li Bingzhang could only sigh softly, then his expression became serious: "Old Fan."

"From what I understand, the author uses each meeting at Lantinglou as a performance evaluation!"

"And the person who wrote this is once again your disciple. I wonder... do you know who is being tested this time?"

After he finished speaking, the inner hall became quieter.

Jiang Xiaobai raised an eyebrow.

He seemed to know why Li Bingzhang had invited Fan Xinghe over.

Indeed, the reopening of Lanting this time is rather strange.

The eldest princess, in particular, invited both Li Bingzhang and Li Zhiwei, and even specifically requested that he go.

The intricacies of this are difficult to discern.

If the author is a disciple of Fan Xinghe, then it is indeed possible to learn about it in advance from Fan Xinghe.

"hehe……"

Upon hearing Li Bingzhang's question, Fan Xinghe suddenly sneered, "Who are we assessing? What, does Prime Minister Li genuinely not know, or is he pretending not to know?"

"I really don't know!"

Li Bingzhang shook his head.

Upon hearing this, Fan Xinghe's face revealed a hint of mockery: "Fine, then I'll tell you!"

"Isn't this assessment just an assessment of you... as a good son-in-law?!"

After saying that, Fan Xinghe didn't forget to glare fiercely at Jiang Xiaobai...