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

Inside the front hall of the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence.

A middle-aged man is sitting in a chair.

This man was tall and strong, with broad shoulders and a thick back. Even sitting down, he still exuded a fierce and battle-hardened aura.

This person was none other than Tang Kui, who had returned to the capital to report on his duties.

At this moment, Tang Kui's shoulders were shaking incessantly, clearly indicating that he was trying to suppress a laugh.

A young woman was sitting next to Tang Kui.

The woman was in her early twenties, dressed in a neat and tidy outfit, with a narrow sword slung across her waist.

Her black hair was tied up high with a single ribbon, with a few stray strands falling across her forehead.

Judging by her appearance alone, the woman was extremely beautiful, yet there was an indescribable air of heroism and coldness between her brows.

At first glance, it makes one hesitant to feel even the slightest bit of closeness.

The woman sat there upright, calmly observing the scene unfolding in the hall.

Upon hearing about Jiang Xiaobai buying the top scholar title, a hint of coldness and disdain flashed undisguisedly in the woman's cold eyes.

Buy the top scholar?

How stupid must someone be to do something like this?

If Jiang Xiaobai is talented, then so be it.

But she had heard about Jiang Xiaobai's reputation; wasn't this just playing with the world?

Jiang Jingcheng, sitting high above, looked at Tang Kui, who was laughing heartily, and his face clearly couldn't take it anymore.

Snapped!

The next moment, Jiang Jingcheng slammed his palm heavily on the table.

The sound was so loud that it caused a slight tremor in the hall, and the tea in the teacups on the table couldn't help but slosh around a bit.

With this slap, Tang Kui, who was still suppressing his laughter, finally raised his head. The smile on his face also subsided a bit, but the curve of his lips was still impossible to suppress.

He was still there, shaking uncontrollably.

Yes, Jiang Jingcheng is known throughout the court as a man who is extremely concerned with saving face.

Moreover, what Jiang Jingcheng disliked most in court was the indecisive and dawdling manner of the civil officials.

But his son became the top scholar in the imperial examination!

That would have been bad enough, but this top scholar... was bought!

If this gets out, all the military officers in the court will probably laugh their heads off.

Not to mention those martial arts practitioners, if they knew, they would surely treat it as a joke.

"Tang Kui!"

Seeing Tang Kui's expression, Jiang Jingcheng's anger almost reached his throat. He squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Is this something to be laughed at?"

"Not funny, not funny at all!!"

As Tang Kui spoke, he raised his hand and rubbed his face haphazardly a couple of times.

But the smile on his face couldn't be suppressed: "Brother, buying the top scholar title is no small matter. If we have to meet the emperor tomorrow, do you have a plan?"

That's right, buying the top scorer's name can be a big or small matter.

If His Majesty doesn't blame me, then everything is fine.

But if someone were to blame them, well... that would be quite a story.

However, he believed that since Jiang Jingcheng had taken the initiative to tell him about this, it meant that there must be a solution.

"Oh……"

Just as Jiang Jingcheng was about to say something, he heard footsteps coming from the lobby entrance.

The next moment, Jiang Xiaobai led Zhang Xinnian in slowly.

Upon entering, Jiang Xiaobai noticed Tang Kui, who was still trying not to laugh, and... the young woman sitting to the side with a cold gaze.

Upon seeing the woman for the first time, Jiang Xiaobai couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly.

Ok?

What a spirited and charismatic woman!

With an upright posture, distinct features, and exceptionally good looks, she is a rare sight indeed.

Jiang Xiaobai didn't look at him for long. His gaze shifted and landed on Jiang Jingcheng. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Father."

"Hmph, so you finally decided to come back!?"

Jiang Jingcheng spoke, his tone clearly showing some anger.

Upon hearing his father's tone, Jiang Xiaobai immediately understood the situation.

Yes.

It's probably still that same old story about buying the top scorer in the imperial examination.

Although his father had prepared himself mentally beforehand, it was still not a pleasant feeling to be laughed at in person.

To avoid getting into trouble, Jiang Xiaobai didn't dare say anything more and obediently walked to the side and sat down.

Seeing Jiang Xiaobai sit down, Jiang Jingcheng calmly introduced, "Xiaobai, this is General Tang."

"The Tang family and our Jiang family have always been close friends!"

"Little Bai greets Uncle Tang!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaobai quickly stood up again and respectfully cupped his hands towards Tang Kui.

Upon hearing this, Tang Kui's smile gradually faded.

His smile was directed at Jiang Jingcheng.

However, Tang Kui still had to be mindful of boundaries when dealing with younger generations.

Immediately, Tang Kui composed himself, adopted the demeanor of an elder, and nodded slightly: "Nephew, there's no need for such formalities."

After speaking, Tang Kui paused, glanced at the spirited woman beside him, and said, "By the way, this is my daughter, Tang Ningshuang, she's two years older than you."

"Oh, hello Sister Tang!"

Jiang Xiaobai then bowed slightly in the direction of the woman, his voice gentle.

However, in response to Jiang Xiaobai's greeting, Tang Ningshuang merely frowned, then turned her head slightly away, her gaze falling elsewhere.

That attitude clearly indicated that she didn't want to pay any attention to Jiang Xiaobai.

"Frostbite!"

Tang Kui frowned when he saw his daughter like this.

Seeing that Tang Ningshuang still didn't respond, Tang Kui sighed and looked at Jiang Xiaobai, saying, "Nephew, please don't be offended. That's just how this girl is!"

His daughter has practiced martial arts since childhood, and her personality is just like his—straightforward and lacking in social skills.

If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion today, this girl might have... made a few sarcastic remarks about Jiang Xiaobai because of the matter of buying the top scholar title.

"Oh, it's alright!"

Jiang Xiaobai shook his head with a smile.

He didn't really take it to heart.

Tang Kui watched from the side, shaking his head helplessly. He then turned his attention back to Jiang Xiaobai, ignoring his daughter.

This time, Tang Kui carefully examined Jiang Xiaobai for a few moments.

Previously, he had only heard Jiang Jingcheng mention this third prince.

This is the first time I've seen it with my own eyes.

After taking a closer look, Tang Kui was genuinely a little surprised.

Indeed, Jiang Xiaobai looks quite decent.

In terms of demeanor and behavior, he was even more composed than he had imagined.

By any measure, it doesn't seem as terrible as the rumors suggest.

Thinking of this, Tang Kui slowly said, "Nephew, I heard you are to have an audience with the Emperor tomorrow?"

"I wonder... how are your preparations going, my dear nephew?"

Yes, he may have laughed and joked, but he was actually quite serious about this matter.

"Don't worry, Uncle Tang, everything is ready on my end!" Jiang Xiaobai said.

Tang Kui was not surprised by these words.

After all, one could tell from Jiang Jingcheng's previous attitude.

"So what preparations did you make?" Tang Kui asked curiously.

"Well... how should I put it!"

Faced with Tang Kui's question, Jiang Xiaobai first glanced at Jiang Jingcheng, and after seeing Jiang Jingcheng nod, he said, "The first step is to arrange a marriage between me and Miss Li from the Prime Minister's residence!"