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

Inside the Lanting Tower, the number of people continues to increase.

The first to third floors were almost completely full of people.

At this moment, all thirteen people in Zone A have arrived.

A slight smile appeared on Jiang Xiaobai's face at this moment.

He recognized two familiar faces: Guo Zhan and Zhong Yu.

He had seen these two men, one a second-place scholar and the other a third-place scholar, in the imperial court.

He was surprised by their appearance, yet felt it was also quite reasonable.

Since the two of them were able to rank in the top three in the imperial examination, their abilities were beyond question. However, he did not expect that these two would also get involved.

Is the plan to completely suppress him in front of everyone?

Thinking of this, Jiang Xiaobai glanced at the two of them again.

As you can see, the two of them would glance at him from time to time, and their expressions were not very pleasant.

Jiang Xiaobai remained indifferent to this, since there were plenty of people who disliked him today anyway.

These two more won't make a difference, and these two fewer won't make a difference either.

"Your Highness, do you know those two people?"

Standing behind Jiang Xiaobai, Zhang Xinnian also noticed the unfriendly expressions on Guo Zhan and Zhong Yu's faces.

But he didn't remember any conflict between the prince and these two men.

"Yes, they're the second and third place winners!"

Jiang Xiaobai responded.

"Oh, no wonder they weren't looking at you very kindly."

Zhang Xinnian suddenly realized.

"normal."

Jiang Xiaobai smiled and said, "If I were them, I wouldn't be happy with myself either."

Ultimately, his title of top scholar was bought.

What's most infuriating is that the top scholar, who was bought into the system, was eventually appointed by the Emperor to investigate the examination scandal.

Anyone would feel uneasy in this situation.

"Then you might really need to be careful today!"

Tang Ningshuang, standing on the other side, also spoke up.

Although she didn't understand the examinations for these scholars, she could tell that the people sitting here today were no ordinary individuals.

"It's not that I need to be careful, it's that...they need to be careful!"

As he spoke, Jiang Xiaobai looked up at the building again.

After noticing something, Jiang Xiaobai suddenly waved and greeted them.

Of course, he wasn't looking in Li Bingzhang's direction, but rather at another table on the fourth floor.

And sitting at that table was Chen Zhanqiu.

"That kid!"

When Chen Zhanqiu saw Jiang Xiaobai greeting him, he was not happy at all; instead, his face was gloomy.

Something's not right with this Jiang Xiaobai!

Not only was he composed, but he even sat in Section A?

At that moment, Chen Zhanqiu looked at the other person at the table: "Young Master Zhao, why is he sitting in Section A?"

That's right, he naturally knew what the "A" zone represented.

To enter the Lanting Tower, only those who answer all three questions correctly are qualified to sit in a seat.

But Jiang Xiaobai... was sitting among them too!

"That's really surprising."

As Zhao Sheng spoke, he paused slightly: "However, who knows if he obtained that 'first-class' title through connections?"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhanqiu's brows relaxed somewhat: "That's true."

That's right, Jiang Xiaobai is backed by the Zhenbei Marquis's Mansion, and now he is also deeply involved with the Prime Minister's Mansion.

If one really wanted to create a character with the radical "甲", it wouldn't be entirely impossible.

At this moment, Zhao Sheng's voice rang out again, a slight smile appearing on his face: "Moreover, if this 'first-class' title is also obtained through connections, wouldn't today be even more interesting?"

"That makes sense!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhanqiu gave a cold laugh.

On the other side, there was another table on the fourth floor.

Xiao Qingxiu sat at the table, his gaze equally displeased as he looked down: "This Jiang Xiaobai, he really dares to come!"

He suffered a setback at Jiang Xiaobai's hands during the last house-clearing incident.

Therefore, he came here today only to see how Jiang Xiaobai would be humiliated.

Sitting next to Xiao Qingxiu were Crown Prince Xiao Qingheng and Xiao Zijin.

Xiao Qingheng held a teacup in his hand, his expression calm. After hearing Xiao Qingxiu's words, he merely glanced down and did not speak.

But Xiao Zijing retorted, "Hmph, this isn't your home. You can't just come and go as you please!"

"The princess is right!"

Although Xiao Qingxiu was displeased, Xiao Zijing was, after all, a princess of the current dynasty, so he naturally remained polite in his speech.

Xiao Zijing gave a soft snort, propped her face up with one hand, and looked down.

Those big eyes fell back on Jiang Xiaobai.

This person is interesting, very interesting.

Jiang Xiaobai left a deep impression on her last time in Qinglou.

Despite being surrounded by so many people, he managed to effortlessly turn the tables and suppress everyone else.

Today, the Lanting Tower is larger and more crowded than the Qing Tower.

Many scholars, intellectuals, and even members of the royal family came here.

I wonder if Jiang Xiaobai can surprise us again this time?

Thinking of this, Xiao Zijing's eyes curved into a smile again.

"The Green Robe Society, the writer has arrived!"

Just then, a shout rang out from the direction of the building entrance.

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Lanting Tower fell silent.

At the same time, all eyes turned towards the gate.

Jiang Xiaobai raised an eyebrow and looked over curiously as well.

A middle-aged man slowly walked in from outside the main gate of Lanting Tower.

The man was dressed in a clean blue robe with few decorations, but he wore a jade pendant at his waist.

The jade pendant was clearly carved with a jade pen.

As the man entered, he looked around and then walked step by step up to the central platform.

After the man stood still, he did nothing but look around and cup his hands in greeting.

Yes, every time the Orchid Pavilion reopens, many important figures come here, especially his former mentor, Fan Xinghe.

Therefore, his manners naturally had to be impeccable!

After bowing, the man's gaze swept over the first-floor A section again before his voice rang out steadily.

"Speaking of which, the Orchid Pavilion in the capital has not been open for a long time, and it is reopening today because of the publication of two essays, 'On Teachers' and 'On Horses'!"

"These two articles have now spread far and wide among the students of Shilin University, and I believe that everyone... is familiar with them!"

"This time, I have come to the capital to conduct an assessment on the orders of the Qingshan Society's Grand Secretary. The assessment will be both of the essays and of the person."

At this point, the man paused slightly, then asked with curiosity, "So, I wonder if the authors of these two articles are present?"

"Could you... perhaps show yourself?"

As soon as he finished speaking, many eyes in the Lanting Tower turned to the Jia section and landed on Jiang Xiaobai.

Gudong!

Even though Zhang Xinnian was standing at the back, he couldn't help but swallow hard under the gaze of so many people.

Tang Ningshuang held her sword, her expression slightly reserved.

Jiang Xiaobai, on the other hand, sat there and first took a sip of tea.

Then, she slowly put down her teacup, raised her hand, and waved it towards the middle-aged man.

"Here, here..."