Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 84: Can't even cheat properly?
This pinyin is certainly not for those spoiled brats; Wang Xi isn't that idle. This is all prepared for Old Wang.

Wang Xi didn't expect his father to be able to compose eloquent poems in the future, or to be as talented as Li Bai, but he absolutely had to be literate.

In the imperial court, if an official is illiterate, it's like a woman today who doesn't have children.

Empress Aunt was infertile, and Wang Xi was helpless. He couldn't blame Li Longji, because it had been proven that Li Longji's reproductive ability was extraordinary. This kind of problem was difficult to completely solve even in later generations, let alone now. He could only take the blame himself and try to save the family indirectly. But he felt that there was still a chance to save Old Wang.

We can't let him shoulder all the burden alone.

However, there is a problem with Pinyin, which is pronunciation. Although Chinese culture is of the same origin, the pronunciation is still quite different. Wang Xi only knows the Pinyin of Mandarin. To change it to the modern tone, a professional is needed.

He doesn't have that talent.

Hongxiu was undoubtedly the best choice. She was not only exceptionally talented, but also had an exceptionally high talent in music. Moreover, this was just an improvement; the twenty-six letters already contained a complete system, rather than asking her to create pronunciations.

After talking with Hongxiu, Wang Xi rushed to Tao Mo's place to assign new lessons to the old Tao. After all, this was something he had only thought of yesterday, but he hadn't told Tao Mo yet. He had to go and explain it to him to avoid being exposed, and also to let Tao Mo learn from it.

It can only be said that Wang Xi was extremely worried about his father's studies, but fortunately, all the hardships were borne by Lao Tao alone.

In short, every time he has an extra idea, Lao Tao gets an extra assignment.

However, Wang Xi himself was not idle either. Now that he had received the gifts, he had to make some preparations. It wouldn't be good to be too perfunctory. He had to put on an exam, at least.

After a selection process, Wuming Academy officially issued a notice asking the freshmen who had given generous gifts to come to the academy the next day.

You should know that these spoiled brats didn't enroll in the Nameless Academy because their parents forced them; they strongly requested it themselves. They had dreamed of coming here, so they were incredibly excited when they received the notice.

It's no exaggeration to say that even those who achieved the top score in the exam probably weren't this happy.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the young dandies of Chang'an arrived at the Nameless Academy in their carriages. There were only a few servants cleaning the academy, and no one paid them any attention. After all, the fourth senior brother was exceptionally lazy.

However, they didn't care. They stood in the front yard, excitedly chatting about the bright future. Some even started drinking, addressing each other as senior and junior brothers.

Drinking and chatting, having a great time.

Although they only came twice, they acted as if they were at home, completely at ease.

And nobody really cares about them.

When it was fully light, the four senior disciples, Wang Xi, Li Jieman, Wang Shuang, and Huangfu Sengnian, finally arrived late, followed by Cui Gu'er, Xue Jun, and others, each carrying a stack of scrolls.

"Little Sparrow, it's Xiaoman!"

These spoiled brats immediately swarmed forward.

"Was this exam about cheating?"

The thief Li Tong exclaimed excitedly, "Cheating is something we're experts at!"

The rumors about cheating at the Nameless Academy have been circulating for a long time, and they are really looking forward to it, since that's their specialty!

Having failed here last time, Yang Hun made a bold statement: "Last time I was harmed by villains and failed to show my true skills. This time I will definitely not make the same mistake. When it comes to cheating on exams, I, Yang Hun, have never been convinced by anyone."

Everyone chattered around Wang Xi and the others, never having seen them so excited about an exam before.

Like Wang Xi, I used to tremble when I saw the textbook before exams.

"Let's stop for a moment, let's stop for a moment."

Wang Xi suddenly raised his hands and shouted, "Brothers, could you please let me say something first?"

Although the four of them are senior students, they are actually not that old.

Upon hearing this, the crowd gradually quieted down and all looked at Wang Xi.

Wang Xi sighed: "Sometimes, I really don't know what to say about you. With your qualifications, you are still far from meeting the requirements of our academy."

Especially Yang Laosan and the others, you failed last time, and instead of reflecting on your mistakes, you made the same error again. Luckily the teacher wasn't here; if he were, hmph, he'd probably kick you out again.”

"No!"

Yang Hun cried out in fright, completely at a loss, "What...what mistake have I made this time?"

The others were also completely bewildered, but none of them dared to speak up, as it seemed that the more they said, the more wrong they would get.

Wang Xi said speechlessly, "You actually have the nerve to ask? You can't even cheat properly, how did you get to study at our academy!"

Yang Hun said excitedly, "Last time I was really harmed by a villain, my cousin. I have now broken off all ties with him. This time I will definitely not make the same mistake."

“But you’ve already made a mistake,” Wang Xi said angrily.

"You've already... you've already made a mistake?"

Yang Hun was so frightened that he trembled. If he didn't comply this time, he thought he would really be so angry that he would jump into the river and commit suicide. He said weakly, "What mistake have I made? I hope Brother Que can tell me?"

Wang Xi rolled her eyes: "You've already cheated, but you don't even realize it. Your level of mischief is just too mediocre."

"When did I cheat?" Yang Hun asked in surprise.

"Those are the gifts!"

Wang Xi said, "Although there is such a thing as a gift of tuition, who would accept so much in a gift of tuition? Besides, our academy hasn't even been decided yet, and you've already sent such a large gift. Isn't this an attempt to bribe us so that you can get admitted? Isn't this cheating?"

"Since we accepted your gifts, we should let you enroll, but you still want to cheat again... I really don't know what to say."

"Ouch!"

Yang Hun slapped his forehead in frustration, "Master is truly a master! This student is completely defenseless against him!"

Li Tong and the others suddenly realized what was happening, and a chill ran down their spines. They were thankful their teacher wasn't there; if he were, he would have been utterly disappointed in them. Li Jieman and Wang Shuang simultaneously revealed their two front teeth, biting their lips tightly. Huangfu Sengnian, trying to maintain his composure, didn't show his teeth, but his shoulders were trembling slightly.

But then again, there are some rules to accepting gifts. What they look for in this recruitment is the father's father, not the student's ability. The bigger the gift, the more powerful the father is.

Many people signed up, but in the end, only about fifty people were notified to come, all of whom were those who had given generous gifts.

What nonsense about "a small gift conveying deep feelings"? If a small gift conveys deep feelings, why don't you make it even more substantial? Wouldn't a heavier gift convey even deeper feelings?

Therefore, those who offered meager gifts were ignored; they had no power, so why bother with them?

Then Guo Erge mustered up his courage and asked, "So, that means we've already enrolled?"

Wang Xi nodded. "Is that even a question?"

Li Tong asked curiously, "What are those orphans holding?"

Wang Xi glanced back and said, "Oh, those are your subject-specific exam papers."

"Division?"

"Yup!"

Wang Xi nodded. "The teacher emphasizes teaching according to aptitude. After this exam, you will be assigned to different subjects based on your scores, such as music, acting, behind-the-scenes, screenwriting, and so on. However, according to the teacher's arrangement, this is only temporary. After some time, the teacher will formally assign you to subjects again based on everyone's performance."

Li Tong's eyes darted around twice, and he asked in a low voice, "Brother Que, I heard that many junior sisters will be coming to our academy?"

Wang Xi nodded and said, "We are still carefully selecting them. By the time you finish your exams, they should have already arrived at our academy."

Wow, they even carefully selected it.

A chubby-faced guy asked again, "What subject allows you to be with those junior girls?"

Dozens of ears immediately pressed against the wall, as if afraid they wouldn't hear it clearly.

The noisy front yard instantly fell silent.

"Music and performance."

"I want to study music and acting."

"We need to learn music and performance."

The crowd spoke in almost unison.

Wang Xi said, "That depends on your performance."

"Brother Que, hmm!"

"Xiaoman, mmm!"

These spoiled brats started trying to get close to them again, desperately trying to get on their good side.

"Stop pushing."

Wang Xi broke free. "If I could help you, I definitely would. But there's really no way. You know, those junior sisters were all sent by the Ministry of Rites. They're here to learn, and acting is all about the interaction between the two people. If you can't even memorize your lines, the Ministry of Rites will blame you. If you want to get into these two departments, you have to study hard."

Emphasis on interaction?

I like!
"It's just memorizing, what's so difficult about that?"

A spoiled brat rushed up and said, "Give it to me, I'll go back and memorize it right now."

"I also want."

"Hey Hey hey."

Seeing them rush towards him, Wang Xi quickly said, "Hey! What's the rush?"

Yang Hun said excitedly, "The sooner we get it, the sooner we can carry it."

Is it really that urgent? Wang Xi was speechless for a moment.

In an instant, the exam papers were all taken up by them.

At the intersection not far away, two figures stood, namely Tao Mo and Hong Xiu.

"Sir's talent is truly rare throughout history, and Hongxiu admires him greatly."

Hongxiu spoke from the bottom of her heart.

"I have neither the ability nor the courage." Tao Mo shook his head and laughed, "To outsiders, my actions are purely unorthodox and extremely rare."

Hongxiu quickly said, "Sir, you misunderstand. I had no such intention. Winning first with the unexpected and then with the conventional is not heretical; it's just that others don't know it."

Those involved are often blinded, while bystanders see things clearly. She saw it very clearly. If it were before, she probably would have scoffed at this trick. It was obviously using women to seduce these playboys.

However, after spending these days with Cui Gu'er and the others, she discovered that they were all like that at first, but gradually they became diligent and eager to learn. Not only did they not bully Qin'er, but they also truly protected Qin'er as a junior sister.

Born in Pingkangfang, she had seen all sorts of ugly faces and was by no means a pedantic person. She didn't think there was anything wrong with using some extreme methods to discipline these纨绔 (sons of spoiled brats).

Tao Mo simply stroked his beard and smiled, "Miss Hong is too kind."

But in my heart I was thinking, what does it mean to win with the unorthodox and to engage with the orthodox? It seems I can't talk about it too much.

(End of this chapter)