Give It a Try!

Huh?

Li Zhiwei's words plunged the entire West Wing courtyard into silence once more.

Everyone's expression turned somewhat incredulous at that moment.

Written by Jiang Xiaobai?

These four poems had actually been written by Jiang Xiaobai?

For a moment, quite a few people even wondered whether they had misheard.

After all, everyone knew what sort of reputation Jiang Xiaobai had.

The foremost wastrel in Capital City.

Eating, drinking, merrymaking, cockfighting, racing hounds, brothels, and gambling dens-he was an expert in them all.

How could a dissolute fellow like him possibly have written poems with such proud, unyielding spirit?

But the trouble was... the person saying this was no ordinary person.

It was Li Zhiwei herself!

Indeed, given Li Zhiwei's temperament, how could she possibly make light of something like this on such an occasion?

That was precisely why everyone found it all the more shocking.

Standing beside the long table, Gu Zhiyan turned his gaze back to Jiang Xiaobai.

His eyes were distinctly different from before.

Previously, he had merely thought this young man well-spoken, quick-witted, and entertaining.

Now, however, his gaze held a measure of undisguised admiration.

This lad... really was nothing like the rumors.

Could he have been hiding his abilities all along?

At that thought, the approval in Gu Zhiyan's eyes deepened further.

Yet where some marveled, others naturally found it impossible to accept.

In particular, the young scholar who had repeatedly clashed with Jiang Xiaobai earlier had gone pale, shaking his head in utter disbelief.

"Impossible... this is impossible!"

"These... these couldn't possibly have been written by him!"

The scholar stared fixedly at Jiang Xiaobai, clearly worked up to the extreme. "A wastrel! A libertine who spends his days haunting brothels and gambling dens-how could he possibly write verses like these?"

"Miss Li, could you have made a mistake? Or... or has he deceived you?"

At those words, the atmosphere in the courtyard tightened slightly again.

Jiang Xiaobai raised an eyebrow and was just about to speak when a calm voice sounded ahead of him.

"Heh, why not test him here, in front of everyone? Wouldn't that settle whether he wrote them?"

Everyone looked toward the voice. The speaker was none other than the young prince, Xiao Qingxiu, who had said little throughout.

He stood there with a composed expression and a faint smile, appearing neither overbearing nor deliberately hostile.

Instead, he seemed simply to have proposed an entirely fair solution as a matter of course.

"Since everyone has doubts, rather than argue here without evidence, we might as well test him directly."

"That way, we can avoid tarnishing Miss Li's good name, and avoid burying genuine talent as well."

Xiao Qingxiu spoke again, turning his head slightly to look at Jiang Xiaobai. His tone remained calm and gentle, even carrying a faint hint of encouragement.

"I imagine... Heir Jiang himself would be quite happy to prove his abilities, wouldn't he?"

At first hearing, there seemed to be nothing wrong with those words.

They even allowed him ample dignity.

Yet as Jiang Xiaobai listened, his heart sank a little.

Prove myself?

This young prince certainly made it sound pretty.

But how was this any kind of proof?

He simply wanted a bigger spectacle and had seized the chance to put me over the fire.

If he accepted today and wrote well, people would at most dismiss it as a lucky success.

But if he made even the slightest misstep, the prestige he had just established would collapse completely in an instant.

Even Li Zhiwei would be dragged into it and subjected to doubt.

What a venomous mind this man had!

Though the thought left Jiang Xiaobai somewhat displeased, his smile only grew broader. "I believe I understand what you mean, young prince."

"You mean anyone with a bad reputation has to prove himself, right?"

"By that logic, from now on, whenever someone in Capital City insults me, I'll have to compose a poem in the street to clear my name?"

"Heh, if that's really the case, I suppose it won't be long before I become an immortal of poetry!"

Jiang Xiaobai's words left quite a few people momentarily frozen.

Even the elders could not help stirring their brows.

Though his words were somewhat flippant, his reasoning was undeniably sound.

Li Zhiwei had witnessed the poems being written herself.

Insisting that Jiang Xiaobai write another on the spot before accepting her account really was taking things too far.

Xiao Qingxiu's smile remained unchanged, but a trace of coldness flashed deep in his eyes.

Clearly, he had not expected Jiang Xiaobai to divert the matter so effortlessly.

Before he could reply, however, Jiang Xiaobai spoke again.

"Of course, I've always been very accommodating. If it's only a matter of writing a poem, that isn't entirely out of the question."

At those words, the expressions of everyone around him shifted.

The young scholar who had looked so unconvinced earlier brightened, immediately fixing his eyes on Jiang Xiaobai as though afraid he might change his mind.

Even Xiao Qingxiu narrowed his eyes slightly.

Only Li Zhiwei felt a faint stirring in her heart when she heard those words.

Yes, she kept feeling... this fellow would never be so obliging.

Sure enough, the next moment, Jiang Xiaobai continued with a smile. "The trouble is, writing poetry requires the right time, the right place, and the right company. It also requires inspiration."

"Some people drink a cup of wine and their verses gush forth like a spring; others sit for half a day and can't squeeze out even half a word."

"If I force myself to write here, what I produce might not satisfy you."

"If it turns out well, you'll say that's only to be expected. If it turns out poorly, you'll say my reputation is undeserved."

"Tsk, whichever way you look at it, I'm getting the short end of this bargain."

At this point, Jiang Xiaobai deliberately sighed, putting on a thoroughly troubled look.

He played the shameless attitude of "I'm clearly very capable, but I simply don't want to work for free" to perfection.

And yet nobody could do much about him, because what Jiang Xiaobai said... truly was impossible to refute.

Just as his remarks had stirred the courtyard's atmosphere into something rather strange.

Jiang Xiaobai suddenly changed tack. "However..."

The instant that "however" left his lips, everyone's heart seemed to rise into their throat at once.

As though entirely unaware, Jiang Xiaobai looked toward Lin Fengshuo with smiling eyes. "If Elder Lin were to set the topic personally."

"Then I would be willing to give it a try."

At those words.

The entire gathering first fell silent.

Then even the air seemed to freeze for a brief instant.

Having Lin Fengshuo set the topic would no longer be a simple demonstration, but an examination!

According to the rules, if Lin Fengshuo was satisfied with the poem, its author would be accepted as his pupil!

But Lin Fengshuo had already closed his doors, declaring that he would no longer take new students!

If he truly set a topic, he might have to take back what he had said!

"Interesting!"

Gu Zhiyan chuckled, looking at Jiang Xiaobai with an extraordinary expression.

So this was where the lad had been lying in wait!

The composed smile on Xiao Qingxiu's face also faltered ever so slightly at that moment.

Clearly, he had never expected Jiang Xiaobai to pull a move like this!

As for Zhang Xinnian beside Jiang Xiaobai, his heart gave a jolt, and his expression grew a little uneasy.

His heir really dared to say anything!

At the seat of honor, Lin Fengshuo's previously calm expression finally showed a measure of genuine interest. "You certainly have some nerve."

"Heh, if I didn't, I wouldn't have dared to barge through the gates of the Lin Estate today."

Jiang Xiaobai answered with a smile, and at those words, even Lin Fengshuo could not help smiling.

Yet the sight of that smile made quite a few onlookers' hearts tremble slightly.

Because they could all see it.

This former Grand Tutor had genuinely begun to take an interest in Jiang Xiaobai.

Lin Fengshuo lightly tapped the long staff in his hand with his fingers, without speaking at once.

The entire West Wing courtyard fell silent again.

Everyone was waiting.

Waiting to see whether Lin Fengshuo would take up the move Jiang Xiaobai had thrown his way.

A moment later.

Lin Fengshuo finally raised his head slowly, sweeping his gaze over those present before resting it on Jiang Xiaobai once more.

With a faint smile in his aged, fathomless eyes, he looked at Jiang Xiaobai and said slowly, "You want this old man to set the topic..."

"Then don't you regret it!"