Thanks for This!

"M-marriage?!"

Li Zhiwei's face instantly flushed at his words.

For a moment, unmistakable panic flickered in her clear eyes, and she quickly glanced around.

Fortunately, no one nearby had noticed them, allowing Li Zhiwei to breathe a small sigh of relief.

Then she lowered her voice and glared at Jiang Xiaobai through gritted teeth. "Jiang Xiaobai, you... what nonsense are you talking about!"

"I'm not talking nonsense!"

Jiang Xiaobai grinned, then winked and continued, "Besides, you can't call me Jiang Xiaobai or Heir Jiang anymore. From now on... you'll probably need a different form of address!"

"Jiang Xiaobai!"

Embarrassment and irritation creased Li Zhiwei's brow. "We... we're not married yet!"

Women of Great Hua placed great importance on their reputations. Even a change in how she addressed him would have to wait until after marriage.

"Huh? I meant that I've taken a master now, too. You should call me junior disciple!"

Jiang Xiaobai looked astonished. "Does... does that have to wait until we're married, too?"

"Oh, you!"

Li Zhiwei froze, finally realizing that Jiang Xiaobai had been teasing her. She lightly stamped her foot, then simply turned away.

How had I never noticed what an annoying fellow he was before!

"Ha ha!"

Seeing Li Zhiwei's reaction, Jiang Xiaobai couldn't help laughing aloud.

So the Capital City's Greatest Talented Lady was this entertaining.

"All right, I'll stop teasing you!"

Jiang Xiaobai spoke again, his expression turning serious as he said softly, "Thanks for this!"

"Thanks?"

Li Zhiwei turned back, something stirring in her expression. "What are you thanking me for?"

"For helping me become his disciple, of course!"

A smile appeared on Jiang Xiaobai's face.

He wasn't stupid. Li Zhiwei's presence here alone told him a great deal.

Besides, although Elder Lin had outwardly made things difficult for him, he had ultimately accepted him as a disciple. Li Zhiwei must have intervened.

Otherwise, it could never have gone so smoothly.

Of course, he had plenty of other reasons to be so certain.

For instance, he and Zhang Xinnian had laughed aloud one after the other, yet... Elder Lin hadn't lost his temper on the spot.

That alone showed that Elder Lin knew those four poems had come from his hand.

Then there was the fact that Elder Lin had actually agreed when Jiang Xiaobai asked him to set a challenge. That revealed a thing or two as well.

"I..."

A trace of awkwardness crossed Li Zhiwei's face. "I didn't help you!"

"All right, all right, you didn't!"

Jiang Xiaobai smiled. "Then, senior disciple, please tell me about the rules. I'm listening."

Li Zhiwei's expression grew serious. Assuming something of a senior disciple's air, she said, "Listen carefully. There are actually only three rules under Teacher."

"First, after joining, you must submit an essay every month for Teacher to review. The subject is unrestricted, but you must not merely go through the motions."

"Second, if Teacher summons you, you must not refuse, whatever the matter."

"Third..."

Li Zhiwei paused and looked at Jiang Xiaobai, her expression growing a little more earnest.

"Teacher never considers family background when accepting disciples. But there is one thing: if a disciple later strays down the wrong path and does something that tarnishes his good name, Teacher will personally visit his home and expel him."

"Just those three?"

Jiang Xiaobai was briefly taken aback, then nodded. "Easy."

"Easy?"

Seeing how lightly Jiang Xiaobai took it, Li Zhiwei couldn't help frowning. "Do you know that what Teacher calls tarnishing one's good name means more than ordinary flaws in character?"

As she spoke, Li Zhiwei softened her voice, but her tone remained exceptionally serious. "The results will be posted in two days. If you don't handle your situation properly then, I'm afraid Teacher..."

"I know."

Jiang Xiaobai answered with a serious expression. "So I'll handle it properly and do my best not to let your kindness go to waste, senior disciple!"

Li Zhiwei stared for a moment.

Jiang Xiaobai was usually all grins and jokes, yet now he possessed an unusual steadiness.

"Then... what exactly are you planning to do?"

Li Zhiwei found herself asking before she knew it. Then she paused and added, "Your gift for poetry alone won't quite be enough!"

Indeed, although she had recognized that Jiang Xiaobai was extraordinary, living up to the title of Top Graduate would not be so easy.

Any weakness would give those with ulterior motives an opening.

"Well... just rest assured, senior disciple!"

Jiang Xiaobai smiled. "Rather than talk about that, why don't we discuss when my Father-in-Law will come calling? That way, I can prepare early, can't I?"

"Jiang Xiaobai, you... you!"

Li Zhiwei grew angry again, but Jiang Xiaobai had already jumped away, laughing.

Li Zhiwei pressed her red lips together, her face beneath the veil already scarlet.

Before they knew it, noon had arrived.

Outside the gates of the Lin Estate, Elder Gu and the others departed one after another, leaving only Jiang Xiaobai and Li Zhiwei with Lin Fengshuo.

"Xiaobai!"

Lin Fengshuo looked at Jiang Xiaobai. "Wei'er should have told you my rules by now!"

"You know what you need to do. Also... I'll give you half a month to send me your first essay!"

"I won't need half a month!"

Jiang Xiaobai answered with a smile. "I'll have someone deliver it to you tomorrow!"

"Oh? All the better!"

Elder Lin looked surprised at first, then nodded slightly.

"Then... your student will take his leave!" Jiang Xiaobai said.

"Mm, go on!"

After Lin Fengshuo nodded, Jiang Xiaobai cupped his hands once more, then left with Zhang Xinnian beside him.

As he left, though, Jiang Xiaobai didn't forget to wink at Li Zhiwei.

Li Zhiwei noticed, her gaze visibly evasive. Then she looked at Lin Fengshuo. "Teacher, what do you think of him?"

"The boy is remarkably clever. He really is quite different from the rumors!"

Watching Jiang Xiaobai's retreating figure, Lin Fengshuo said, "Although he bought his title of Top Graduate, he is worthy of it!"

As he spoke, Lin Fengshuo's gaze grew profound. "So, if he wishes to borrow my name, let him!"

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Li Zhiwei smiled and dipped into a gentle bow.

Lin Fengshuo shook his head, then continued with a smile, "You two seem rather in tune with one another. Last night, you sent someone with his poems, and today, you came here to ask for the use of my name!"

"And this lad happened to come today as well. If I didn't know your character, I might truly have thought you'd planned it together!"

"Not at all. It really was just a coincidence!"

Although Li Zhiwei said this, a distinct glimmer flashed in her eyes.

Indeed, even she had been somewhat surprised to see Jiang Xiaobai here today.

Moreover, Jiang Xiaobai's purpose had coincided with hers without either of them discussing it!

That alone showed how meticulous Jiang Xiaobai's thinking was!

Besides, she believed that even without her secret assistance, Jiang Xiaobai might still have managed to become Elder Lin's disciple!

"Ha ha!"

Lin Fengshuo laughed heartily. "That's why I'm rather looking forward to seeing what he'll give me in his first essay!"

A faint ripple passed through Li Zhiwei's eyes as she listened.

Jiang Xiaobai's thoughts were difficult to fathom, while an essay could reveal his true ability.

So it wasn't just Lin Fengshuo. She was curious, too!

"Teacher, I'll take my leave as well!" Li Zhiwei said.

"Go on!"

Lin Fengshuo nodded slightly, but then something occurred to him, and he added, "Oh, when you have time, go to the Imperial College and try to talk some sense into that girl Qin'er!"

"No matter how angry she is with me, she can't simply refuse to come home!"

"Yes, Teacher!"

Li Zhiwei nodded with a smile, then turned and left.

As the evening lanterns began to glow, people thronged the long street. Vendors' cries mingled with the strains of strings and flutes drifting from a distant restaurant, filling the Capital City's night with bustling clamor.

Jiang Xiaobai walked ahead, with Zhang Xinnian following behind, his steps considerably lighter than on their way there.

"Heir Jiang, we have a carriage. Why insist on walking back?"

Zhang Xinnian couldn't help asking.

As a warrior, he was used to this, but he worried that Jiang Xiaobai wouldn't be able to endure such a long walk.

Hearing Zhang Xinnian's question, Jiang Xiaobai smiled. "Only by walking around can I find out whether this mortal world was worth coming to."

"So far, it looks pretty good. Ha ha!"

Huh?

Zhang Xinnian was taken aback by Jiang Xiaobai's remark, unable to understand what he meant.

But soon, something occurred to Zhang Xinnian, and he couldn't help saying, "Still, speaking of that, Heir Jiang, what you accomplished today... I truly never expected it!"

"Who is Elder Lin? A former Grand Tutor, the Literary Master of the Court! How many years has it been since he last accepted a student? And you just... just got yourself accepted!"

"Heh, actually, even if I hadn't shown off today, I could still have gotten in!"

Jiang Xiaobai paused, then continued, "Showing off a little simply made it easier to silence all those wagging tongues!"

Huh?

Zhang Xinnian was utterly puzzled, but he didn't dwell on it and continued, "Heh, I wonder how the Marquis will react when he hears..."

At Zhang Xinnian's mention of his father, the corner of Jiang Xiaobai's mouth twitched.

Actually, he could more or less guess how Jiang Jingcheng would react.

Although his father had said at the time that he wasn't angry, now that Jiang Xiaobai had truly become a disciple, there was no turning back.

So if Jiang Jingcheng really found out, he would probably want to kick him to death...