Upon hearing these slanderous words, Young Marquis Su roared and lunged out like a tiger cub. He held his wooden sword horizontally, blocking his sister steadily. The red tassels on the scabbard, as if sensing its owner's anger, stood upright like burning flames. "Wang Erlang! You're courting death! If you dare to speak nonsense again, I'll chop you down!" Young Marquis Su's eyes widened in anger, his grip on the wooden sword tight, as if he would charge at Wang Erlang and fight him to the death in an instant.

Wang Erlang dismounted and stumbled toward Su Jinli. The embroidered gold-plated python pattern on his brocade robe was now distorted, making him look utterly disheveled. "Get out of here, little brat! Su Jinli, as long as you come back to the palace with me, I'll forgive you for what happened before!" He reached out, trying to grab Su Jinli, his greasy fingers glinting in the sunlight with a disgusting gleam.

Su Jinli, her expression calm, took a step forward, the hem of her pink skirt gently brushing the mud-spattered soles of Wang Erlang's boots. Her eyes were icy cold as she looked directly into Wang Erlang's eyes. "Young Master Wang, should you settle the debt owed to Jufulou first? How many sugar paintings can you buy with three thousand taels of silver?" Her voice was crisp and firm, resonating like a bell in everyone's ears.

"You..." Wang Erlang was sore, and he was furious. The fat on his face kept shaking with anger. He no longer cared about his manners and reached out to grab Su Jinli's wrist, saying viciously: "If you don't accept my toast, you will be punished!"

At this critical moment, a moon-white figure flashed across like lightning, firmly blocking Su Jinli's way. In his hand, he held a candy painting, which shimmered with colorful light in the sunlight. "Sir," the man said in a clear and pleasant voice, like a spring flowing through the mountains. He gently shook the candy painting in his hand, "Isn't it proper to forcibly seize a woman in broad daylight?"

Su Jinli tilted her head slightly and saw a handsome young man standing before her. He wore a moon-white scholar's robe, a pale white from washing, but perfectly starched and ironed, exuding a unique sense of neatness and competence. The sugar sculpture in his hand was a distorted dragon, the sugar threads dripping slowly, as if the dragon were bleeding golden blood.

Wang Erlang was so upset by this sudden incident, and when he saw the visitor was plainly dressed and not a prominent official, he became even more furious, like a powder keg that had been lit. "Who are you? Mind your own business!" he shouted, his eyes full of murderous intent.

"My name is Jiang Yan." The young man smiled at Wang Erlang and waved the sugar dragon in his hand again. His smile was as warm as the spring sun, but with a hint of cunning. "Your brow is dark and your eyes are dark. I'm afraid you stayed up all night in the gambling house again last night. Why don't you come with me to Jufulou to calculate how much money you still owe?" His words seemed casual, but they were like sharp arrows that shot straight at Wang Erlang's vitals.

"You..." Wang Erlang felt as if he had been cast under a spell when he heard the words "Jufulou." His drunkenness instantly sobered up. His mind flashed back to his mountain of unpaid gambling debts, and his arrogance immediately waned. He glared fiercely at Jiang Yan, then looked around, feeling completely humiliated by the contemptuous gazes of those around him. Helplessly, he could only mount his horse, cursing, "Su Jinli, just wait for me!" With that, he rode away with his slave in a cloud of dust, the dust rising as if to cover his disgraceful departure.

Su Jinli looked at Jiang Yan, her eyes full of curiosity: "How did Mr. Jiang know that he owed gambling debts?"

Jiang Yan smiled as he handed her the sugar dragon. The shredded sugar shimmered in the sunlight, giving off a captivating amber hue. "I guessed it," he said, gently pointing in the direction Wang Erlang had gone. "Look at how crooked the jade belt is around his waist. He must have lost all his money last night and snatched it from the housekeeper this morning." His eyes were intelligent and perceptive, as if he could see through everything.

Su Jinli took the sugar painting and looked at the dragon that looked like an earthworm. She couldn't help but burst out laughing. The laughter was as clear and pleasant as a silver bell: "Mr. Jiang's sugar painting is comparable to Mr. Wang's calligraphy." Her smile was as bright and charming as a flower blooming in spring.

Jiang Yan watched her smile, her eyebrows curved, two shallow dimples appearing on her cheeks, as if hiding endless sweetness. He smiled too, revealing a small, pointed canine tooth, looking particularly playful and adorable. "Same here. Miss Su's doggerel is as unique as this sugar painting." His words were a hint of teasing, but also full of admiration for Su Jinli.

At this moment, Young Marquis Su came over, his wooden sword scratching a shallow mark on the ground with a sizzling sound. "Hey, who are you? Why are you helping my sister?" He tilted his head and looked at Jiang Yan with curiosity, his eyes revealing both innocence and vigilance.

Seeing this, Jiang Yan smiled, squatted down, and gently patted Young Marquis Su on the head, his action as kind as that of a brother: "Because your sister's poetry is more powerful than your wooden sword." His voice was gentle and kind, blowing through Young Marquis Su's heart like a spring breeze.

Su Qingyao then slowly approached, sizing Jiang Yan up and down, her eyes filled with scrutiny and curiosity. Suddenly, she raised her eyebrows slightly, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. "Are you the new top scholar, Jiang Yan?" Her voice tinged with disbelief.

Jiang Yan stood up, smiled, and bowed: "It's me." His manners were elegant, showing the style of a scholar.

Su Jinli then remembered that she had heard this name in a past life. According to the legend, he came from a humble family, but through his talent and hard work, he became the top scorer in the imperial examination. He was upright and honest, and he was not afraid of power. She looked at the crooked sugar dragon in Jiang Yan's hand, then at the gentle smile on his face. Suddenly, she felt that the man before her was not as serious and rigid as the rumors said, but rather a bit more friendly and interesting.

"Why is Mr. Jiang in Qujiang Pond?" Li Xiuyuan also came over, his eyes full of curiosity.

Jiang Yan shook the candy stick in his hand, still smiling: "I passed by and saw that it was lively here, so I bought a candy stick to join in the fun." He turned to look at Su Jinli with a smile in his eyes, "But Miss Su, can you still write a doggerel?"

Su Jinli looked at the sugar dragon in her hand, then at the expectant smile in Jiang Yan's eyes. Suddenly, she felt that this once somewhat dull poetry club had become more interesting with Jiang Yan's presence. "As long as Mr. Jiang has all the sugar paintings and doggerel he can get me," she said with a playful wink, her smile as bright as the brightest spring sunshine.

Jiang Yan couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing this. The sunlight fell on his moon-white clothes, as if splashing a soft moonlight, adding a touch of otherworldly aura to him. "It's a deal." His voice was firm and powerful, as if he was promising a beautiful agreement.

The water birds of Qujiang Pond were startled by the sudden laughter and flew past the willow branches with a flutter. Their figures appeared particularly free and cheerful against the backdrop of the blue sky and white clouds. Su Jinli looked at the sugar painting dangling in Jiang Yan's hands, and then glanced around at the people who were looking at her with either surprise or curiosity. A strange feeling welled up in her heart. She suddenly felt that this life's poetry club might really be able to fulfill her wish, to write a different spring, to depict a different picture of life. And the top scholar squatting on the street to grab the sugar painting was not as simple as he seemed. His appearance might bring unexpected changes and surprises to her life.