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

"Oh?"

Jiang Xiaobai's eyes flickered slightly.

Did the writer from the Green Robe Society also admire Du Chong?

This... is interesting.

It should be noted that the reopening of Lanting Tower today, ostensibly a literary gathering, has actually been turned into a grand spectacle.

And he himself is the most conspicuous target in this play.

Now, Du Chong from the Imperial Examination Hall has also arrived.

Ironically, he still received the seal of office, and ironically, he was appreciated by the person who wrote the document.

Jiang Xiaobai really didn't believe it was just a coincidence.

As he was thinking this, the thinner scholar spoke again: "There are quite a few people who got top marks in this test."

"So, while this assessment is ostensibly aimed at Jiang Xiaobai, it's not necessarily just about him!"

"Oh?"

Jiang Xiaobai looked at the thinner scholar and said with a smile, "What do you mean by that?"

"Think about it, brother."

The thinner scholar became interested and lowered his voice: "If Jiang Xiaobai is trampled down, and the others who got the top spot rise to the top, hehe..."

"Then...wouldn't that be even more interesting?"

"That's right!"

The chubby-faced scholar nodded and snorted coldly, "Now everyone outside is saying how amazing Jiang Xiaobai is."

"He not only became the top scholar in the imperial examination, but he was also appreciated by His Majesty, and even... it's rumored that those two astonishing essays were written by him!"

As he spoke, a disdainful look appeared on the fat-faced scholar's face: "But in my opinion, this man doesn't have much substance. This top scholar title... is most likely bought!"

"I see!"

Jiang Xiaobai nodded, his expression unchanged.

Tang Ningshuang sat beside her, but her expression became somewhat strange.

Yes, these two people told Jiang Xiaobai in front of him that he had nothing in his stomach.

And yet, he spoke with such conviction.

This scene left many speechless.

"As for why His Majesty appreciates you..."

The chubby-faced scholar continued, "Hehe, it's probably because Jiang Xiaobai moved from the Marquis's mansion to the Prime Minister's mansion as a son-in-law."

"His Majesty granted me the title of Imperial Inspector, merely as a gesture of consolation!"

"That's right!"

The thinner scholar nodded in agreement: "Those two articles must not have been written by him."

"I think he'll threaten the real authors and pin the articles on them."

"But many people can't see through it and actually think that Jiang Xiaobai has something special about it!"

"that is!"

As the chubby-faced scholar spoke, he suddenly remembered something and looked at Jiang Xiaobai, saying, "By the way, this brother must be a local from the capital, right?"

"Have you heard anything more about Jiang Xiaobai?"

The words fell.

Tang Ningshuang held the sword, her expression becoming even more peculiar.

Jiang Xiaobai's expression didn't change. He shook his head and said, "No, I don't go out much."

"So we don't know much about what's being said outside."

"I see."

The two nodded simultaneously, and the chubby-faced scholar sighed, "That's a pity."

"I was thinking that if you knew anything about the inside story, you could tell us about it."

"yes."

The thinner scholar chimed in, "There's too much nonsense going around. Some say Jiang Xiaobai has been hiding his talents for years, while others say he's just a fraud."

"But the latter is more like it."

"Um."

Jiang Xiaobai nodded in agreement: "It does sound quite similar."

Tang Ningshuang glanced at Jiang Xiaobai.

This person really wasn't angry at all.

They even nodded in agreement.

If you didn't know better, you'd really think they were talking about someone else.

The two scholars, oblivious to anything amiss, continued their conversation.

The main focus remains on the Orchid Pavilion.

Who took the seal?

And which other famous scholars from the capital will be invited to the banquet?

As they talked, the topic naturally turned to Li Zhiwei.

"Why."

The thin scholar suddenly sighed: "Speaking of which, there are rumors circulating outside that Li Zhiwei has taken a liking to Jiang Xiaobai."

"I don't know if it's true or not."

"Is that even a question?"

The chubby-faced scholar said with certainty, "It's probably fake. Li Zhiwei is the most talented woman in the capital."

"Talented and handsome, born into a high-ranking family—how could someone like that possibly be interested in Jiang Xiaobai?"

That makes sense.

The thin scholar sighed, "This Miss Li might be a pawn sacrificed between powerful families."

"After all, the two are worlds apart..."

At this point, the thinner scholar didn't continue, but his meaning was already quite clear.

Tang Ningshuang listened, a strange look flashing across her face.

Actually, that was what she thought before.

When she first heard that Li Zhiwei and Jiang Xiaobai were engaged, she also thought it was absurd.

How could a woman like Li Zhiwei possibly be interested in Jiang Xiaobai?

But what happened next?

She saw firsthand Li Zhiwei's attitude towards Jiang Xiaobai.

We also saw that Li Zhiwei showed no disgust when facing the drunk Jiang Xiaobai.

She even stayed up all night. If Li Zhiwei didn't have any affection for Jiang Xiaobai, she wouldn't have gone to such lengths.

Thinking of this, Tang Ningshuang glanced at Jiang Xiaobai.

But they found that Jiang Xiaobai was still smiling at the two of them.

He seemed to be listening with great interest.

There was still no anger, and still no explanation.

It's as if the Jiang Xiaobai they're talking about has absolutely nothing to do with him.

"Aren't you angry?"

Tang Ningshuang's voice was very soft.

"Um?"

Jiang Xiaobai turned his head, glanced at Tang Ningshuang, and chuckled softly, "Why are you angry? They don't even know it's me!!"

Tang Ningshuang was taken aback.

That's a very...

However, seeing Jiang Xiaobai's appearance, Tang Ningshuang didn't say anything more.

This guy is truly extraordinary. If others were discussed like this to their faces, they would probably be furious and embarrassed.

But Jiang Xiaobai seemed like an outsider, listening to a story from the sidelines.

This kind of mentality is not something ordinary people possess.

"Your Highness, we've arrived!"

Just then, Zhang Xinnian's voice rang out from outside: "We'll probably have to go through that area; there are too many people!"

As Zhang Xinnian finished speaking, Jiang Xiaobai lifted the curtain and glanced outside.

indeed.

The area around Lanting Tower was completely blocked by crowds.

The students gathered, and at a glance, there were probably over a hundred people.

With the addition of small vendors and onlookers, the road was difficult to traverse.

If the carriage insists on moving forward, it probably won't go more than a few steps.

"Then let's go over there."

As Jiang Xiaobai spoke, he bent down and got off the carriage first.

Tang Ningshuang followed suit.

Seeing this, the two scholars also quickly crawled out.

After the two steadied themselves, they immediately bowed to Jiang Xiaobai.

"Thank you very much, brother. If it weren't for your help today, we would have been really delayed."

"It's alright."

Jiang Xiaobai smiled.

At this moment, the thinner scholar seemed to remember something, looked at Jiang Xiaobai, and asked curiously, "By the way, may I ask your name, brother?"

The chubby-faced scholar also looked over.

Yes.

They chatted all the way, and they still didn't know the name of this kind young man.

Jiang Xiaobai looked at the two of them, his smile undiminished.

"Oh, Jiang Xiaobai."