"Ha ha!"
At Zhao Sheng's words, Chen Zhanqiu burst into hearty laughter again.
Yes, he could almost see what would become of Jiang Xiaobai once his reputation was utterly ruined.
Buying office, plagiarizing writing, deceiving the world and stealing fame.
If all these charges fell on Jiang Xiaobai, His Majesty might refrain from taking immediate action out of consideration for the Northern Guardian Marquis's Estate.
But disgust would surely take root in his heart.
What was more... this affair would also implicate the Chancellor's Residence.
And the harder Li Bingzhang tried to protect him, the less likely he was to succeed. He might even... leave the Chancellor's Residence reeking of scandal.
When that happened... heh heh!
The more Chen Zhanqiu thought about it, the heartier his laughter became.
Just then, however, a servant hurried over.
"My lord."
The servant stopped outside the pavilion, visibly nervous. "My lord, Heir Jiang is here!"
Hmm?
Chen Zhanqiu's laughter stopped at once, and his brows knitted.
Jiang Xiaobai?
Why had that fellow come?
And... why at such a convenient moment?
Rather than speaking immediately, Chen Zhanqiu looked at Zhao Sheng.
"Oh, there's no need to concern yourself, Lord Chen."
Zhao Sheng remained composed. He raised his teacup and smiled faintly. "As it happens, he has now become Teacher's disciple as well, which makes him my junior fellow disciple."
"Since he's here, there's no harm in seeing him."
"Very well!"
Only then did Chen Zhanqiu's expression ease somewhat, and he waved a hand.
The servant hurried away at his instruction.
Before long, Jiang Xiaobai approached along the lakeside corridor with Zhang Xinnian and Tang Ningshuang.
Upon reaching the pavilion, Jiang Xiaobai first glanced around.
His brows lifted slightly when he spotted Zhou Chaomian. Then his gaze settled on Zhao Sheng.
This man was unfamiliar.
Only