Tang Dynasty: Starting at Xuanwu Gate, this prince is better off not being one.

"Greetings, Your Highness, Prince of Songshan!"

Just as Li Yu saw off the servant who had come to announce his arrival, an old man came out to greet him, trembling.

With just one glance, Li Yu was certain that the old man was indeed Elder Lu himself, simply because the old man in front of him was the oldest person he had ever seen since he transmigrated—his beard was white and messy, his sparse hair was half-wrapped in a coarse cloth headscarf, and as for the many wrinkles on his face, Li Yu thought they could trap a fly.

The old man was very polite and immediately came up to pay his respects, which startled Li Yu, who quickly helped him up.

"Sir, you are a man of high moral character and great prestige. How could a mere junior like myself dare to accept your greeting?"

Just as Li Yu's hand touched Lu Deming's sleeve, the old man suddenly waved his hand and flung him away.

"I am not acquainted with you, and you are an official, so it is only right that I offer this greeting." The old man straightened his back and changed the subject, saying, "However, after this greeting, I am just Lu Deming, and you are just a disciple of my friend. There will be no need for any extra formalities when I see you again."

"Of course, of course, it is only right that I, as a junior, should pay my respects to you," Li Yu quickly echoed Lu Deming.

The old man was an oddball, unlike any other old fellow he'd met here. So, if Li Er found out about what he'd done, who knew what kind of trouble he'd face?

"Boy, what brings you to this old man?" Sure enough, just as he had said, even the old man's tone had changed.

"Sir, this is a letter from my master. Please take a look!"

After receiving the letter, the old man refused Li Yu and Li Chengqian's help and walked into the main hall alone.

Li Yu and Li Chengqian, who were left behind, exchanged a glance, and then followed them inside...

"Oh my! It is truly an honor for this humble official to meet the two young princes at Elder Lu's residence!"

Inside the main hall, Li Yu's eyes were wide open, because he couldn't understand why Xu Jingzong would be here.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has the intention of compiling the History of the Sui Dynasty, so I have come here to consult Elder Lu..." Seeing Li Yu's curious expression, Xu Jingzong explained.

Before he could finish explaining, Lu Deming ruthlessly interrupted him: "Go away! Kid, put your things down and leave quickly. I have important matters to attend to, so I won't see you off."

Despite being driven away by the old man, Xu Jingzong showed no anger whatsoever. He simply apologized and hurriedly left.

After watching Xu Jingzong leave, Li Yu turned his gaze to Lu Deming.

The old man opened the letter in his hand and read it carefully, his expression focused, without saying a word.

This made Li Yu a little nervous.

In his eyes, these learned scholars were all very ambitious and had an extremely critical attitude towards academic pursuits.

They don't care about material possessions, and therefore they don't care about your status. Even if the emperor makes a mistake, he will be criticized mercilessly.

The worst outcome was that they would die by crashing into the main hall, which actually fulfilled their wishes, since for scholars, the ultimate goal is always to leave a mark on history.

Li Yu was only there to ask for advice to fulfill his duty, which made him very worried that the old man would kick him out.

"Kid, can you read music?" Lu Deming's reaction surprised Li Yu.

"This humble boy is dull-witted and knows absolutely nothing about music..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Deming nodded. "Tomorrow you will attend the lectures with Chengqian. After the lectures end at Chenshi (7-9 AM), I will teach you to read music."

"You've agreed so easily?" Li Yu was quite surprised by the old man's attitude, so he tentatively asked, "Aren't you angry that I'm just doing this to get by?"

Lu Deming seemed quite pleased with Li Yu's straightforwardness, so he said bluntly, "What do I care about why you study? I'm just a lousy schoolteacher."

"Xunzi said that a teacher is only there to impart knowledge, teach skills, and resolve doubts. I ask you, does this text say that those who seek knowledge simply to fulfill a duty cannot be taught?"

The old man's words were incredibly domineering, and Li Yu nodded repeatedly in agreement.

These are true scholars, insightful and unconventional, unlike those rigid scholars in Chang'an who would even obstruct someone from selling tea...

Seeing that Li Yu's thoughts had drifted away, Lu Deming reminded him, "Boy, you'd better prepare your own pipa. I don't have any extra pipas for you to use."

"That's natural!"

With the old man's words in mind, Li Yu relaxed completely and ordered his men to bring in the gifts.

"This was prepared for you by your junior, but you didn't give me a chance to take it out from the moment I walked in..."

"It's become my fault, old man!"

Seeing Li Yu's feigned grievance, Lu Deming laughed so hard he almost fell over. It took him a long time to calm down, but the smile still lingered on his face. "Trying to bribe me? Kid, you know I come from the Lu family of Wu County. I have no interest in gold, silver, or jade."

Upon hearing this, Li Yu joked, "I have a great fondness for gold, silver, and jade, and I was afraid I wouldn't be willing to give them to you, so I brought you some tea that I brewed myself."

As he spoke, he picked out a wooden box from the pile of gifts, opened it, and presented it to the old man.

"Is this what's all the rage in Chang'an lately?" Lu Deming didn't take the box, but just brought it close to his nose to smell it, and then said to Li Yu, "This tea is quite fresh. How did you make it? Go get some for this old man to try."

.........

After taking the first sip, the old man completely fell in love with the roasted tea.

For the next two hours, the members of the Lu family could see their ancestor and two boys drinking tea and chatting happily in their main hall.

"You have no idea, but I almost got a thorough dressing-down from the scholars of Chang'an because of this tea!"

Li Yu, his face full of grievance, complained, "If it weren't for the timely reminders from Mr. Kong and Mr. Yan, I'd be in big trouble..."

"hehe!"

Lu Deming chuckled and said, "Different kinds of rice feed different kinds of people. Everyone has their own ideas, so how can you control others?"

As he spoke, the old man's smile gradually disappeared, replaced by a hint of sadness: "Not to mention that, my clan is also a mixed bag, and I've heard that there are even those who bully and monopolize the market. Unfortunately, we are thousands of miles apart, and I can't reach them."

"In the end, when it comes to managing a household, I am still far inferior to that old fellow Yan Zhitui..."

"Are you referring to a junior member of your clan, sir?" Li Yu's eyes lit up.

"How do you know that?" Lu Deming asked, somewhat surprised. "Could it be that my family's scandals have already reached Chang'an?"

"hey-hey!"

Li Yu chuckled and said, "That junior from your clan just happened to bully me."

"This is indeed an opportunity." The old man pondered for a moment, then looked at Li Yu: "In that case, I will avenge you."

.........