Chapter 35: The busier you are, the more trouble will come knocking at your door.

Qinhuai High School is located in the bustling Qinhuai District, so it attracts the most students from humble backgrounds.

Every year, the prominent families also pay attention to the graduates, hoping to find some talented individuals from humble origins who can strengthen their family lineage and contribute to their family's legacy.

However, this time, the young elites from various prestigious families gathered here at the invitation of the Wang siblings, so they took the time to attend.

As a result, they overheard some commoner students mocking the Hongnong Yang family.

Although Yang Siping felt annoyed, he refrained from reacting outwardly, merely smiling and showing his magnanimity, indicating that he wouldn't stoop to their level.

After all, in the circles of the prominent families, reputation and connections are highly valued.

Acting rashly and earning the label of "seeking empty fame" would make it very difficult to clear one's name later on.

For example, when "Hundred Flowers: A Collection of Beauties" was circulated, it bestowed the title of "the most beautiful maiden" to Wang Wanruo, the youngest daughter of the current Prince Tai Fu, Wang Maohong, with the comment "a maiden as delicate as a timely flower, charming and lovely."

Immediately, Wang Wanruo went to her father and expressed her concerns, stating that "Hundred Flowers: A Collection of Beauties" only focused on physical appearance without considering virtue, which was harmful and pointless.

Although she had been ranked first, she refused to accept it, fearing it would mislead others. She requested her father to change her name to avoid misleading people.

Impressed by her wisdom, Wang Maohong greatly appreciated her stance and, consulting the "Guangya" dictionary, changed her last character from "Ruo" (weak) to "Rou" (gentle).

However, when this incident occurred, the public praised her not only for being "gentle," but clearly for being "gentle yet internally strong"!

On the contrary, the "Hundred Flowers Spectrum," which was initially praised for its diversity, quickly received a derogatory label of "superficial and lacking substance," collectively shunned and denounced by the aristocratic families, to the point where the author reportedly felt "extremely ashamed" and "reclusive."

In reality, the "Hundred Flowers Spectrum" does not solely judge based on appearance; for example, Xing Yuanzhi was praised for her "noble temperament" and "clear voice."

However, the act of changing names by Wang Wanrou immediately led to a disastrous outcome, showing the importance of public opinion in the flow of time.

On one side, Yang Siping smiled and waved it off, pretending not to mind, but secretly noted the appearance of the few male students who were making the most noise below, planning to settle the score later.

On the other side, Wang Xinzhi also smiled and waved his hand, saying, "My younger sister is a sophomore at the Qinhuai High School. I heard that there are also several students from humble backgrounds in this year's senior class who have connections to the Wang family in Taiyuan... If they can prove their lineage here and return to the family, it would be a good thing."

"That's right, that's right," echoed the other aristocratic children.

For a humble background to return to an aristocratic family, they need to meet much higher standards of lineage than the average aristocratic child.

Therefore, every humble background that returns to the family will almost certainly have the strength of a sixth-grade practitioner at their peak, making them an important resource for optimizing the strength of the aristocratic families.

However, on the other hand, after returning to the aristocratic family for a period of time, they found themselves lacking both connections and resources, so they needed to align themselves with a faction in order to establish themselves.

The people from aristocratic families present here can act as "guides," bringing qualified students from humble backgrounds into the family, thereby winning rewards for the family and gaining followers from humble origins, achieving a win-win situation.

However, genuinely talented individuals from humble backgrounds are rare, so nobody here is expecting to find any hidden gems this time; the main purpose is to show respect to the Wang siblings.

As several students consecutively entered the device and yielded single-digit results, the aristocratic students above naturally shifted their attention away, chatting and laughing:

"By the way, you're aware of the disappearance of Princess Nankang from the laboratory, aren't you?"

"Of course, who in Jiankang City doesn't know about it? The Imperial Guards are on the brink of chaos."

"That pack of hounds. They've sealed off the Xing family's residence but dare not touch the Cheng family, which is right under their noses."

"Why's that? In the former capital, Luoyang, there were numerous aristocratic families, yet it's only the Cheng family that dares to claim 'Cheng family of Shendu(Divine Cheng family of the capital)' as their ancestral home, isn't it because of..."

"Jiang Wenqi! Watch your words!" Suddenly, someone in the room stood up angrily.

It was Cheng Yizhou, a young member of the Cheng family, glaring furiously at the person who had spoken earlier.

Jiang Wenqi felt ashamed and embarrassed. He spoke too hastily without realizing there were descendants of the Cheng family present, essentially speaking ill of them behind their backs.

Caught red-handed, he could only stand up, bow deeply, and remain silent to express his apology.

Wang Wanrou noticed Cheng Yizhou's displeasure and subtly exchanged a glance with her elder brother at the head of the table.

Thus, Wang Xinzhi stood up and declared, "Gentlemen, the actions of the Jinyiwei reveal the intentions of two parties. If the Cheng family or the Xing family take offense, it could lead to discord between the once allied families, even a complete rift."

Cheng Yizhou's expression softened, while Jiang Wenqi felt ashamed.

"At such turbulent times, it is imperative for noble families to avoid internal strife," Wang Xinzhi looked around and continued, "This is the intention of the Taiyuan Wang family and the Five Great Families."

"My status alone is insufficient to represent my family," Cheng Yizhou spoke earnestly, "But our clan leader once said, the Cheng family of Shendu is ultimately a member of the noble families. On matters of great significance, we will undoubtedly stand with all the aristocratic clans."

"Excellent," Wang Xinzhi nodded with a smile, "The Cheng family of Shendu has spoken, and the Cui and Lu families have vouched for them. This matter shall not be discussed again. Should there be any deliberate provocation to sow discord among the noble families, the people here will unite to condemn it!"

"We will unite to condemn it!" The descendants of the noble families solemnly stood up, expressing their agreement.

Among these aristocratic youths, whether it was due to Wang Xinzhi's demeanor and tolerance, or the awe he inspired among the young aristocrats, eventually everyone stood up and expressed their support, inadvertently solidifying Wang Xinzhi's leadership position.

As everyone sat down again, the atmosphere became much lighter, with laughter implying that they regarded the Jinyiwei (The Embroidered Uniform Guards) as insignificant individuals who could be easily bought and sold.

Suddenly, Wang Wanrou exclaimed with a smile, "Brother, isn't that sister Yuanzhi's fiancé?"

Her voice was not loud, but everyone present could hear it clearly, causing Wang Xinzhi to furrow his brows slightly, feeling displeased.

"Xing family's Xing Yuanzhi's fiancé?" a curious aristocratic youth asked, "Is he one of the young and handsome men from the Cheng family, or a hero from the Xing family?"

Everyone straightened up and looked down below. Curious, Cheng Yizhou also followed their gaze.

However, when his eyes fell on Cheng Jinyang's face, his mind suddenly shook violently, and he exclaimed, "Jinu?!"

The aristocratic youths around looked over, and only heard Wang Xinzhi ask in confusion, "Yizhou, what does 'Jinu' mean?"

"Jinu," meaning a fostered servant, is not a refined term in this era (equivalent to insulting someone as an orphan without anyone). Furthermore, Cheng Yizhou's abrupt reaction clearly showed a serious bias against those from humble backgrounds, which only aroused more curiosity among the crowd.

However, Cheng Yizhou quickly realized his indiscretion and laughed, saying, "Sorry, everyone. I have some family matters to attend to."

He hastily left the seat and went downstairs, undoubtedly implying to everyone present that "the person has significant ties to the Cheng family."

Nonetheless, having already misspoken, further attempts at concealment were futile, so Cheng Yizhou left decisively.

Wang Xinzhi smiled and deflected the situation, urging everyone not to get too involved in other people's family matters.

Wang Wanrou sat calmly beside him, picked up the teacup filled with fragrant tea from the side, took a sip, and remained indifferent.