This is impossible!

Pfft...

Li Bingzhang had just lifted his teacup and was about to take a sip.

But the instant he heard those words, he felt as though lightning had struck him.

He sprayed out a mouthful of tea on the spot.

"Cough! Cough, cough..."

Li Bingzhang coughed violently, his entire face flushing red.

The servants attending him in the hall turned pale with fright and hurried forward.

"Master, are you all right?"

"Quick, bring a handkerchief!"

For a moment, the entire hall descended into confusion.

Meanwhile, Li Bingzhang coughed as he abruptly rose from his chair.

His eyes, normally so composed and inscrutable, widened to an unusual degree, his face filled with disbelief.

"You... what did you say?"

"I..."

Li Zhiwei stood where she was without flinching, her clear eyes still resting calmly on her father.

Then she repeated, word by word, with utter seriousness, "I want to form a marriage alliance with Heir Jiang!"

"A marriage alliance?"

Li Bingzhang stood there, staring at Li Zhiwei with such disbelief that he might have heard the most absurd joke imaginable.

He even wondered whether choking on his tea had muddled his head and made him mishear her.

Jiang Xiaobai?

That Profligate Heir everyone in the capital knew was good for nothing but eating, drinking, and making merry?

And the matter of his buying an official post had yet to come to light. Once word spread, the consequences were easy to imagine!

Now his own daughter actually wanted a marriage alliance with that boy?

If this wasn't jumping into a pit of fire, what was?

Yet just as Li Bingzhang was about to erupt, his brows drew tightly together.

No, something was wrong!

As her father, he knew Li Zhiwei's temperament better than anyone.

She had been educated and courteous since childhood, her nature steady and composed. Without good reason, his daughter would never be so rash, much less say something like this out of nowhere.

At that thought, Li Bingzhang swallowed the rebuke already on his tongue. Staring at Li Zhiwei, he asked gravely, "Why?"

"Did that boy threaten you?"

"No."

Li Zhiwei shook her head gently, then looked at the maid waiting nearby. "Bring it here."

"Yes, miss."

The maid answered and hastily presented the sheet of paper she had prepared, holding it out with both hands.

Li Zhiwei took it without further explanation, then handed it to Li Bingzhang. "Father, please read this first."

Frowning, Li Bingzhang accepted the paper.

At first, he remained somewhat dismissive, assuming it was merely another trick Jiang Xiaobai had devised.

But his expression shifted slightly at the very first glance.

As he read further, his eyes, which had still held traces of anger, gradually began to shine.

After finishing the first poem, he paused instinctively, then immediately continued reading.

By the time he finished them all, the anger on his face had long since vanished, replaced by undisguised admiration and excitement.

"Excellent poetry!"

"Truly excellent poetry!"

Li Bingzhang blurted out his praise, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the paper.

He had read countless poems and essays in his life, but very few could make him lose his composure like this.

Yet these four had done precisely that!

Especially since all four had been composed in succession on the theme of "unyielding character."

Every poem contained exquisite lines.

Every poem broke free of convention.

Most importantly, the grandeur and breadth of spirit shining between the lines were not things an ordinary talented scholar could cobble together by flaunting ornate language.

Still full of admiration, Li Bingzhang looked up again, his gaze settling on Li Zhiwei with an involuntary hint of delighted surprise.

"These four... did you write them all?"

"No."

Li Zhiwei shook her head. "At tonight's Poetry Gathering, I set unyielding character as the theme, and this person composed all four on the spot."

"Father, what would you say about the learning and character of someone capable of writing these four poems?"

"Well..."

At her words, Li Bingzhang's expression gradually grew serious as he held the paper.

After considering for a moment, he finally said slowly, "Judging solely by these poems, this person... is far beyond an ordinary scholar."

"The first writes of backbone. From its opening strokes, it has a lofty, rugged spirit, neither courting influence nor clinging to power."

"The second writes of ambition. Its edge is restrained, but that is no weakness. Rather, it is as though all its sharpness has been hidden in its sinews and bones, awaiting the moment to strike."

"The third writes of the person. Standing firm amid the wind, refusing to flatter the vulgar currents of the world, possessing both exceptional talent and pride."

"As for the fourth..."

At this point, a keen light flashed in Li Bingzhang's eyes, and he showed a rare measure of appreciation. "The fourth is the most remarkable."

"It writes not merely of unyielding character, but of the hills and valleys within the heart."

"To weave ambition, moral influence, proud bones, and worldly affairs into a single whole without disorder, making them flow in one unbroken breath-such command of the brush is beyond an ordinary talent."

"If I had to judge him, I would say: great talent, a sheathed edge, and... an extraordinary bearing!"

Having finished, Li Bingzhang could not help nodding gently, clearly delighted with the four poems. "Who exactly wrote them?"

"Could it have been that boy from the Zeng family?"

No sooner had he spoken than Li Bingzhang shook his own head. "No, Zeng Qingchi is certainly capable, and his poetic talent is first-rate. But composing four in succession, each with such grandeur, is still beyond him."

"Could it have been that boy from the Zhou family?"

Li Bingzhang frowned and rejected that possibility too. "No, that isn't right either. His writing is decent, and he has a quick mind, but he places too much weight on ornate language. He lacks this strength of bone."

"My dear daughter, who was it?"

As he spoke, Li Bingzhang looked at Li Zhiwei with a certain urgency.

"It was Heir Jiang," Li Zhiwei said softly.

Hmm?

Li Bingzhang froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Ha ha, that's impossible!"

"Others may not know what sort of fellow Jiang Jingcheng's son is, but would I not know? An ignorant, uneducated Profligate Heir-what ability could he possibly have to write poetry like this?"

"Absurd! Utterly absurd!"

As though he had found the most reasonable explanation, Li Bingzhang immediately added, "Did that boy copy them from somewhere?"

But the words had barely left his mouth before he stopped.

The smile on his face slowly faded as well, because even he felt that explanation could not stand.

Themes at a Poetry Gathering were chosen on the spot. There was no way to predict one so precisely beforehand.

Not to mention that this was not one poem, but four composed in succession!

Most importantly, whether in meter, imagery, or grandeur, all four were outstanding. They were not something anyone could plagiarize by stitching together scraps.

At that thought, Li Bingzhang fell silent.

Then his brows slowly knitted into a deep frown.

If Jiang Xiaobai truly wrote these poems... then matters were entirely different from what he had imagined.

The hall fell quiet.

Li Bingzhang looked down at the paper in his hand, his expression shifting uncertainly. Only after a long while did he raise his head again to look at Li Zhiwei.

"Even... even if that boy from the Jiang Family really wrote these poems, surely that alone wouldn't make you consider a marriage alliance?"

"Is there something else behind this?"

He still knew his daughter's temperament. She would never lightly stake her lifelong happiness on a few poems.

Sure enough, just as he had suspected, Li Zhiwei nodded.

Before Li Bingzhang could ask further, Li Zhiwei recounted everything Jiang Xiaobai had said to her in the study, from beginning to end.

She covered the Jiang Family's current predicament, and precisely what it would mean if the Li Family formed a marriage alliance with the Jiang Family at this moment.

She spoke slowly and clearly.

Li Bingzhang sat listening without a word.

At first, Li Bingzhang remained fairly calm. In his view, it was merely a young man saying whatever he could to preserve himself and survive.

Gradually, however, his expression grew serious.

For he discovered that what Jiang Xiaobai had said was by no means nonsense.

Indeed, many of his points reached beyond what an ordinary scion of an aristocratic family could conceive.

What they touched upon was not merely the Jiang Family's survival, but the balance of power at court and the choices within people's hearts.

Even the safety of their own chancellor's household!

Because of this, Li Bingzhang's expression became utterly solemn, and the entire hall grew so quiet that a falling pin could have been heard.

Li Bingzhang sat there without speaking for a long time.

After a good while, he finally raised his head slowly and looked at Li Zhiwei. "He... is he truly willing to marry into our chancellor's household?"

"Yes."

Li Zhiwei said, "And I believe Heir Jiang's words make sense."

At this point, she paused briefly, then looked at Li Bingzhang and asked softly, "Father... what do you think?"