Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 2 Fate
With a creak, the gates of the Prince's mansion opened, and a young man walked out with a worried expression, muttering to himself.

"It's true that one should strive in life, but one must also pursue efficiency and maximize effort. If a father works hard, his descendants will enjoy happiness for three generations; if a son works hard, his father will have to be a beast of burden for life. Alas, you don't even understand such a simple truth. You're truly illiterate and have limited knowledge. You deserve to be called the biggest illiterate in the court."

Wang Xi, who thought he was here to enjoy a life of leisure, suddenly found that he still had to study hard and continue taking the college entrance exam. This was hard for him to accept. He had traveled across a thousand years to the Tang Dynasty to take the college entrance exam.
This is really taking things to a whole new level!

"Sparrow!"

Suddenly, someone called out softly.

Sparrow? Oh right, wasn't my childhood name Little Sparrow?

Wang Xi turned his head and saw a fat man, about his age, with a big head and big ears, waving at him in a sneaky manner.

He paused for a moment, then immediately remembered the fat man. The fat man's name was Li Jieman. His father, Li Qiao, was the great-grandson of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, and Empress Zhangsun, and the grandson of Prince Pu, Li Tai. He was a genuine member of the Li family clan.

His mother was the younger sister of Wang Shouyi and Empress Wang, and also Wang Xi's aunt. Therefore, the two were best friends since childhood, the kind of best friends who were even virgins.

"What's wrong? Did your dad beat you up again?"

Li Jieman looked at Wang Xi's bruised and swollen face and chuckled gloatingly.

Wang Xi subconsciously touched his face, saying nonchalantly, "I bumped into it by accident."

Li Jie chuckled and suddenly pulled Wang Xi in front of him, "Brother Que, you better not anger your father lately, or you might lose your life!"

Wang Xi frowned slightly, sensing that his father was acting strangely today. It was just a matter of drinking milk in the morning; why would he have to stab him with a knife? His father had done far more outrageous things every day before, and his father had never questioned him. Seeing Li Jie's small eyes darting around, he couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Man, do you know something?"

Li Jieman said in a low voice, "Last night, I happened to overhear my father talking to that Doctor Jiang. Guess what they said?"

Wang Xi had a vague feeling that it might be related to Empress Wang, and asked, "What did she say?"

Li Jie said, "Doctor Jiang said that the Emperor recently told him that he wants to depose our aunt and replace her with Consort Wu as Empress."

This Consort Wu was the future Consort Wu Hui.

Just as expected. Wang Xi had already guessed most of it, but he hadn't expected it to be this tricky. He asked, "Why?"

Li Jieman said, "Why else could it be? It's because Consort Wu is deeply favored by the Emperor. Of course, the Emperor will definitely use the fact that our aunt didn't have any children as an excuse. But if it's based on that, then Consort Wu wouldn't be the one chosen."

At this point, he added indignantly, "Back then, Emperor Gaozong deposed the emperor and installed Wu as emperor, which led to all this trouble!"

At this point, he suddenly closed his lips tightly.

It is evident how much of a shadow Wu Zetian cast on the Li family. Even now that Wu Zetian has passed away and the Li family has returned to the center of power, few people dare to discuss her.

However, to be fair, it's actually quite difficult to distinguish between the Li family and the Wu family now, since Li Longji still has half Wu family blood in him.

Wang Xi then asked, "Do you know how they will respond?"

"Then we don't know."

Li Jie shook his head, then said with great frustration, "If something really happens to our aunt, our lives will definitely not be easy!"

Wang Xi merely frowned and said nothing.

He knew about this history, but not the specific details or the year.

To be frank, dealing with a ruthless scoundrel like Li Longji was extremely difficult. Not to mention his wife who had shared his hardships, he could even kill three of his sons in a single day.

Being in the Li family, don't talk about blood ties and kinship. It's all bullshit. No one in politics is loyal. From the time of Emperor Taizong onwards, who didn't get their position through merit? Who doesn't have the blood of their own family on their hands?

Not to mention Wang Xi, an outsider. Although the Wang family holds a prominent position now, it could be gone in the blink of an eye.

However, the current Empress Wang is deeply loved by the people, and most of the court officials and concubines in the harem support her. After all, Empress Wang and her brother were both meritorious officials who led the Tanglong Coup and the Xiantian Coup.

Moreover, people are still wary of the deposed emperor and the establishment of Wu Zetian, and no one wants to experience the era of Wu Zetian again.

This is why, even though Li Longji deposed Empress Wang, Wu Jieyu only became Consort Hui and not Empress, and her son also failed to become Crown Prince.

Seeing Wang Xi remain silent, Li Jieman asked, "Brother Que, what are you thinking about?"

Wang Xi was taken aback, then huffed angrily, "I really don't know if our Wang family owes the Wu family anything."

After saying that, he changed the subject again, "But there's nothing we can do about this. We can only rely on our fathers."

Li Jieman scratched his head and sighed, "Of course I know that. I'm telling you this to remind you that you should be more discreet lately and not provoke them."

"Know it!"

After grumbling for a moment, the two boarded a super luxurious carriage and headed towards the Imperial College.

In the car.

Wang Xi frowned as he carefully recalled this period of history.

That's what they say, but if he really does nothing and history repeats itself, the Wang family will soon face ruin and death.

According to historical records, the Doctor Jiang that Li Jie just mentioned is now Jiang Jiao, the most favored minister of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

However, it was precisely because he revealed Li Longji's thoughts to Li Qiao that he was demoted and died on the way.

This is very disadvantageous to the Wang family, after all, Jiang Jiao is an important supporter of Empress Wang.

Sigh. Even if I knew what was going to happen, I'm just a student now, what can I do to stop it?

Wang Xi became increasingly depressed as he thought about it. Suddenly, he saw Li Jieman take out a book from his cloth bag and begin to recite it earnestly.

"Wow, really?"

Wang Xi opened her eyes wide and said, "Xiaoman, when did you become so hardworking?"

Li Jie said, “You haven’t forgotten, have you? Today is the ten-day exam, which is why we didn’t have early morning study. Otherwise, we would already be late. And my father said that if I fail again this time, he will cut off my allowance and send me to live in the Imperial Academy. Then I’ll be finished.”

"Ten-day examination?"

Wang Xining thought for a moment and then remembered that the ancient examinations were no less rigorous than those of later generations. There were three exams every month, one for each of the three periods, namely, the examination of classical texts, the oral examination, and the examination of current affairs.

Wang Xi and Li Jieman have both failed their exams for two months. By the way, to study at the Imperial Academy, one must be at least fourteen years old, which means, cough cough, they have only been studying there for two months.

As he pondered, beads of sweat appeared on Wang Xi's forehead, because his memory of academic matters was completely blank.

It is clear that Wang Xi had never studied seriously before.

It is said that those who do not plan for the future will have trouble in the present.

But for Wang Xi now, both long-term and immediate worries are coming at once.

It's absolutely terrible.

"Ahem. Xiaoman, do you have any extra? Can I borrow some to take a look?"

Wang Xi extended his slightly trembling hand.

Li Jieman, being a loyal friend, took out a book and gave it to Wang Xi, saying, "I've already asked someone to annotate it; we can just memorize it."

This fat guy is slightly better than Wang Xi; he's the kind who crams at the last minute, while Wang Xi finds even last-minute preparation too tiring.

Wang Xi, who hadn't seen a textbook in years, opened it in a sweat. A quick glance at the classical Chinese text inside was enough to make him feel utterly miserable.

"Damn it, what are all these things? They're hard to even look at, let alone memorize."

After watching for a while, Wang Xi felt his consciousness gradually fading.

Upon arriving at the gate of the Imperial Academy, Wang Xi felt dizzy and nearly fell as he alighted from the carriage. Fortunately, Li Jie, who was nearby, reacted quickly and grabbed him, asking, "Brother Que, are you alright?"

"It's nothing, just overworking my brain." Wang Xi waved his hand, then turned to Li Jieman and asked, "Little Man, if... if I fail again this time, will there be a punishment?"

Li Jie asked in surprise, "What's wrong? We've been cleaning the outhouse for two months, and you're still asking me?"

"The outhouse?" Wang Xi gasped, then exclaimed excitedly, "We're relatives of the emperor!"

Li Jie looked around and thought, "Who here isn't one of them?"

Yes!

Who among us isn't?

In this feudal society, there was a strict class hierarchy, and education was crucial in ensuring that this hierarchy was strictly enforced.

Therefore, there were six schools in the Imperial Academy: the Imperial Academy, the Imperial College, the Four Gates Academy, the Calligraphy Academy, the Mathematics Academy, and the Law Academy.

Wang Xi and his classmates studied at the Imperial Academy, which can be said to be the highest institution of learning in the country. But don't misunderstand, they were both complete academic failures. The only reason they were admitted to the Imperial Academy was because their grandfather and father were both dukes.

More importantly, this was the only requirement for entering the Imperial Academy, and it had absolutely nothing to do with academic performance.

In short, the Imperial Academy only admitted the sons of high-ranking officials of the third rank or above, limited to 300 students. The Imperial College admitted the sons of mid-ranking officials of the fifth rank or above, limited to 500 students. The Four Gates Academy admitted the sons of low-ranking officials of the seventh rank or above, limited to 500 students, and also admitted outstanding young men from the common people, limited to 800 students. Local schools mainly admitted the sons of local officials and small and medium-sized landowners.

Most officials in the imperial court had parents who were also officials.

Yes, they use education to monopolize power among the ruling class.

".!"

Suddenly, someone called out in a surprised tone, "Wang Xiaoque?"

Wang Xi turned his head and saw three older, handsome scholars walking over.

Li Jie snorted, "What a small world!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xi focused his attention and searched his memory for the person's information. He quickly found the person's details.

It’s really a narrow road between enemies.

The man who called him earlier was named Wu Chongwen, and his father, Wu Xin, was the elder brother of Consort Wu.

The reason he fell and got injured last time was because he was playing polo with this guy, and he was tripped by him and fell off his horse.

Thinking of this, Wang Xi suddenly had a flash of inspiration. That's right! My age is both my disadvantage and my advantage. As the saying goes, children speak without restraint. He smiled slightly: "Since we've met on a narrow road, let the brave one win."

Li Jie asked in astonishment, "What do you mean?"

Wang Xi asked in a low voice, "Do you want to skip this exam?"

"Of course I want to," Li Jieman said excitedly.

Wang Xi said, "Watch my actions later. We're not taking this ten-day exam."

During their conversation, Wu Chongwen and two close friends arrived in front of them.

"Little Sparrow, how's your leg injury? I saw you almost fall when you got off the carriage just now," Wu Chongwen asked, feigning concern.

Wang Xi said with a forced smile, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Meng Wu. I've already fully recovered."

Wu Chongwen waved his hand and said, "It's my duty, it's my duty. Last time I was careless and used a little too much force. I really didn't expect it would cause you to fall off your horse and get injured."

After saying that, he spread his hands and said, "But you can't blame me for this. We all know that although Duke Qi is illiterate, he is one of the best in the army in terms of martial arts and archery. I really didn't expect that you, Little Sparrow, haven't even learned this much."

"Ha ha!"

His two companions couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Seeing Wang Xi being mocked, Li Jieman couldn't stand it, but as soon as he took a step forward, Wang Xi stopped him.

Wang Xi stepped forward, staring directly at Wu Chongwen, and said, "Say it again if you dare."

"Has this kid eaten the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard today?" Wu Chongwen raised the corner of his mouth, stepped forward, nodded slightly, and whispered in Wang Xi's ear, "Don't say it once, even if you say it ten thousand times, what can you do, you piece of trash?"

When Wu Chongwen approached him, a hint of joy flashed in Wang Xi's eyes. After he finished speaking, he immediately cursed, "Damn it! How dare you disrespect my aunt!"

He then threw a punch.

Wu Chongwen was, of course, prepared. He stepped back and easily dodged the attack, but a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.

aunt?

However, Wang Xi was no longer the same Wang Xi of the past. As the King of Scrolls, he had worked as a stuntman and martial arts performer in his daily life.

Swipe!

Two more punches were thrown out quickly, with extremely tricky punches. In addition, Wu Chongwen underestimated his opponent. Although he dodged the first punch, the second punch landed solidly on his handsome face.

"what!"

Wu Chongwen cried out in pain, took two steps back, and was both shocked and angry.

"You bastard! How dare you lay a hand on your senior brother!"

When Wu Chongwen's two friends saw that he was injured, they immediately rushed over.

Wang Xi roared, "You've gone too far! I'll fight you to the death!"

Once he realized what was happening, Li Jieman immediately threw the cloth bag full of textbooks at the other party without saying a word, and then rushed over to fight with the three of them.

This is the Tang Dynasty, a time of great military strength. Although the students here are all noblemen, they are not weaklings; each of them has mastered martial arts.

Although Wang Xi had the upper hand and both of them were experienced fighters, their opponents were older and it was a two-on-three fight. Soon, Wang Xi and Li Jie were hit hard several times, but Wang Xi was not intimidated at all and just kept fighting, becoming more and more frantic.

Just then, two students, one in black and one in white, walked in from the west. They were about the same age as Wang Xi.

The fair-skinned young man said, "Hmm? It looks like there's a fight going on up ahead."

"Who dares to use force in the Imperial Academy?" the dark-skinned man asked excitedly.

"Oh no. It's Little Sparrow and the others."

"It looks like Wu Chongwen and his group are on the other side."

"Damn it, they're bullying us again."

"Little Sparrow, Little Fullness, hang in there, your brother is coming."

The black-clad fellow charged forward first.

The fair-skinned young man raised his hand and shouted, "Brother Shuang, let's find the weapons first!"

Before he could finish speaking, the black-clad man had already joined the battle.

The pale-faced scholar stomped his foot angrily, looked around, and suddenly ran to the side, grabbed a handful of sand from the ground, rushed forward, and threw it at Wu Chongwen and the others, blinding them. He then took the opportunity to kick Wu Chongwen to the ground, instantly turning the situation into a four-on-three battle, and the tide of the battle turned immediately.

However, not long after these two joined the battle, several scholars of sixteen or seventeen years old came from the south.

"They've rebelled! They've rebelled! These brats dare to lay a hand on our senior brother! This is outrageous! Brothers, charge!"

Soon, the battle swelled to more than ten people.

　For the next two days, I'll be posting one update at 5 PM, but I'll soon be resuming two updates a day. The first update will be at 5 PM, and the second update will be posted at noon or early morning, depending on the time. Do you have any suggestions?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)