Chapter 85

Standing in front of the ancient and elegant gatehouse, Xia Hongsheng couldn't help but sigh. He had been happy earlier, thinking he could finally study openly without having to go to school, and even felt a bit smug seeing Xu Qixian still getting hit by the teacher's paddle in the Hongwen Pavilion. But in the blink of an eye, he found himself in the same boat as Xu Qixian.

The teachers who could come to the Hongwen Pavilion were all renowned scholars of their generation, known for their strictness. It wasn't just the students who had been hit by their paddles; even the emperor had been hit by some of them. Several of these old men were treated with great respect by the emperor and empress, who would call them "teacher" when they met.

However, most of the students in the Hongwen Pavilion were young princes, princesses, and sons of dukes and ministers, all from noble families. If not for these old men, who could be so strict that even the emperor's face didn't always matter, others might not have been able to control them.

"Jingshi, I've finally waited for you," a young man in white came out of the gate, holding a folding fan and walking out confidently. He bowed and said, "Jingshi, Brother Xu, it's been a while, hasn't it?!"

Seeing him, Xia Hongsheng felt a surge of anger. He pointed at him and said, "You, Li Ke, you think you can fool us? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been thrown into the Hongwen Pavilion by His Majesty to suffer. I'm telling you, this isn't over!"

"Junior Brother..." Xu Qixian, mindful of Li Ke's status, pulled Xia Hongsheng aside, worried about his rudeness. He then bowed to Li Ke and said, "This is Xu Qixian, along with my sister, greeting His Highness the Prince of Han. Junior Brother Xia is straightforward and young, and his words may be offensive. Please forgive him, Your Highness."

Unexpectedly, Li Ke laughed heartily and waved his hand. "Brother Xu, don't be so formal. Now that we're in the Hongwen Pavilion, we're all classmates. I'm actually relieved to see Brother Jingshi like this. If he were as formal as you, I would feel sad, for I would lose a true friend. I'm sure you understand my actions that day now. Without a reputation, even if someone recommended you to my father, you would still be observed for a long time, and might even be forgotten. But with a reputation, it's different. Reputation is a powerful thing... At that time, you didn't know my identity, and I couldn't explain in detail. Now you understand, right?"

Hearing Li Ke's explanation, Xia Hongsheng and Xu Qixian didn't say anything more. The three of them entered the Hongwen Pavilion with Li Ke. There were already many students inside, and they greeted each other by name, regardless of their status, which Xia Hongsheng found quite nice. Xu Qixian also seemed to relax a bit.

Li Ke led Xia Hongsheng, Xu Qixian, and Xu Hui to pay respects to the scholars who taught in the Hongwen Pavilion. Some of these scholars had been teaching there for a long time, while others held official positions and only came to teach during their free time, like Li Gang and Yan Shigu.

Since they were paying respects to the teachers, there was naturally a lot of admonishment. Some younger students even gathered outside to watch. After a long time, the teacher finished his speech and kindly let Xia Hongsheng and Xu Qixian go to familiarize themselves with the surroundings. Li Ke volunteered to show them around.

The younger children were very curious about the three new students and stood around watching. Li Ke scanned the crowd and then called out, "Chang乐, come here."

A gentle and charming girl stepped out from behind a tree and approached Li Ke. She asked softly, "Third Brother, what do you need?"

"This is Brother Xu's sister. She's also a girl and will be your classmate. You can show her around the pavilion. I'm sure it will be easier for girls to get along," Li Ke said.

Xu Hui thanked Li Ke and then left with the gentle girl. Seeing her relieved expression, it was clear she felt more comfortable with the girls. The group continued on, and Xia Hongsheng looked back. Since she called Li Ke "Third Brother," she must be a princess, probably the Princess Chang乐. Historically, this princess didn't live long, dying in her twenties, which made Emperor Taizong so sad that he couldn't attend court for a month. Should he warn her? He thought about it but decided it was impossible to say something like, "I have to tell you, your sister probably won't live long, maybe only to her twenties. You should get her some good treatment and exercise to strengthen her health." Such words would likely get him killed, not just by Emperor Taizong but by Li Ke as well.

However, it was a pity that such a gentle and kind girl would die so young. He decided to help her as much as he could, but if it didn't work, it was fate.

Under Li Ke's guidance, Xia Hongsheng and Xu Qixian met their new classmates, including Fang Yiai, Du He, Li Yexu, Li Yesi, Li Jingheng, Li Jingren, and Li Jingye, all from noble families. Their fathers were at least dukes, and some were even princes, forming the strongest group of privileged young men in history!

"Great! To welcome our new classmates, Brother Fang and I will host a banquet at the Drunken Immortal Tower after school. Who wants to join us?" Fang Yiai, the legendary "Green Hat King" of the Tang Dynasty, stood before them, tall and muscular, already nearly 1.7 meters tall at his age.

Li Ke immediately smiled. "If it's to welcome Brothers Xu and Xia, how can I not join? Haha, Brother Fang is indeed generous!"

"Ah, I've been under house arrest for a few days, and my mouth is so dry. Let's take this opportunity to drink to our heart's content," another voice chimed in, with a bright look in his eyes. It was Li Yexu.

Xia Hongsheng looked at the group, who were already excited about the banquet and discussing who to invite. These guys were truly the epitome of privileged young men. Welcoming him and Xu Qixian was just an excuse; they really wanted to indulge themselves.

"By the way, the 'Full River Red' poem I showed you the other day was written by Brother Jingshi," Li Ke pointed at Xia Hongsheng and said to the group.

As soon as he finished, the group's eyes lit up, and they gathered around.

"Oh? Brother Xia's poem is truly inspiring. It made me want to charge into battle with a spear and pierce the Turks full of holes. It truly expresses my inner feelings..."

"Can you even lift a spear with that build? You can just shout a few times with your sword," another voice interrupted, pushing the first one aside. "That poem is truly exciting. I feel like my blood is boiling, and I want to smash the Turks with a mace. I regret not being in Luoyang at that time..."

Look at this young master Fang, so excited that his blood is boiling... He must have more muscle in his head than in his brain.

"Even if you were in Luoyang, what would you do? Would you kill those Turks?" Another voice interrupted before Fang Yiai could finish.

The group was noisy all day, and they didn't learn much, but they got to know each other well. Despite being from noble families, they were still young and, apart from being a bit arrogant, didn't have any major flaws. Xia Hongsheng, with his modern social skills, quickly became friends with them, and they started calling each other brothers.

In the afternoon, after the Hongwen Pavilion dismissed, the group flooded into the street and headed to the Drunken Immortal Tower. The interior was clearly expensive, and the servants welcomed them with smiles, leading them to a private room on the second floor, showing that they were regulars.

As soon as they sat down, Li Yexu slapped the table. "Bring the wine! The best Sanlejiang, one jar for each of us!"

Xia Hongsheng, who hadn't even sat down yet, almost fell over. Seeing the others' calm expressions, he couldn't help but think: These guys are truly the ultimate privileged young men. None of them are over twenty, and they've been drinking like this since they were young. It's really...

Before he could finish his thoughts, the wine arrived. Li Ke opened a jar and poured a cup, starting to toast. "Today, we meet Brothers Xia and Xu. It's my first time drinking with them. Let's all raise a cup!"

He then drank the Sanlejiang in one go. Despite being a group of privileged young men, they naturally gave the main seat to Li Ke, and the others sat随意ly.

Xia Hongsheng had a low tolerance for alcohol and would get drunk after a few cups. He hated Sanlejiang, especially the headache it caused. He thought about setting up a distillery in his future manor to try making distilled spirits, which could be a good business opportunity.

The group ate and drank, and the privileged young men took turns toasting Xia Hongsheng and Xu Qixian. Xu Qixian accepted every toast, drinking straight down his throat, which earned him cheers from the group. After a few rounds, Xia Hongsheng knew he was drunk but didn't want to show weakness. He drank as much as Xu Qixian, feeling dizzy and confused. He joined in the singing, and then everything went black.