[X] Gan Guangli, your ally and fellow retainer, you could talk him up a bit, and spin your looking away from Xiao Fen as having no doubts a Bai will pass the preliminary.
I would prefer to see both of them fight and I think GG, as a commander, is going to be more interesting during the prelims rather than in solitary combat.
We might even manage to have a tactics conversation with Lao Keung.