Ning Que shouldn't feel cold, because the scholar in the cotton robe didn't show any hostility or dangerous aura from head to toe. On the contrary, he was as clean as a lotus and trustworthy as a family member.
But he still felt cold, because the scholar could see at a glance that he was carrying an umbrella. The umbrella was big and black, and it was the most important thing to him and Sangsang, and he wanted to exchange it.
The morning sun couldn't shine directly into the alley, so it was a bit cold. Was that why he felt cold? Or could it be that the scholar caused him to trust him for no reason, causing him to feel fear?
Ning Que stood in the alley like an ice sculpture for a long time before he came to his senses. He looked back in confusion but did not see anything. Then he lowered his head and thought about it. He couldn't figure out what had happened, so he decided not to think about it anymore. He shook his head and walked toward the noisy crowd.
He didn't know that the legendary Headmaster of Academy had already left in a carriage. He didn't know that he had missed a historical moment. He didn't know how he had missed the exchange with the scholar. He didn't know that it was the real first lesson. But even if he knew, he wouldn't exchange what he had for what he didn't have. It was not something he would do.
…
…
The first lesson in the Academy was a big one. The students gathered on the cool stone ground and listened to the lecture of a professor in the Academy with longing. They imagined their lives in the next two or three years.
Like the Academy entrance exam, the curriculum of the Academy was also divided into six subjects. Two hundred students were divided into six study rooms. The class time was from morning to noon. It didn't seem long, but there were no breaks in between.
The seven lucky students who entered the course of magic skills had to receive relevant lessons from the Academy every afternoon. The rest of the ordinary students were free in the afternoon. They could choose to stay in the Academy to study or go back to Chang 'an to indulge in debauchery. The chief professor gently and sincerely suggested that they stay in the Academy and study in the old library.
The discipline of the Academy was very loose. The bell in the depths was the signal: the first bell was an alarm, the second bell was to enter, the third bell was to leave, and the fourth bell was to leave. The time between entering and leaving was the time for the students to study in the study room. The Academy required the students to pay attention during this time. They could ask questions but were forbidden to make noise. As for things like cleaning, the students didn't need to worry about it at all. The imperial court spent a lot of money on the Academy every year to hire countless housekeepers and housekeepers.
The next step was to divide the classes. The Academy adopted the simplest and fairest method of drawing lots, which did not care about the examinees' family background or the results of the Academy Entrance Test. That childe Xie Chengyun and Zhong Dajun were assigned to Classroom A, Classroom D, and Ning Que to Classroom C.
Ning Que went to the teaching room at the side of the field to retrieve his books and Classics. He followed the crowd and stared at the wooden sign on the Yanyu Corridor. He found Classroom Three's room and looked at the picturesque windows and white walls. He thought about how he would be spending the next few years in this place and how he had finally stepped onto the Qingyun Path of the Tang Empire. He felt a little lost. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and stepped over the high threshold.
"Ning Que! Sit here! "
Two surprised voices sounded in the study room at the same time.
Ning Que looked up in astonishment and saw Chu Youxian waving to him excitedly in the spacious back row of the study room. His face looked a little pale, while Situ Yilan was looking at him excitedly in the front row. Today, the girl wore a blue tight suit under the student's robe with several plum blossoms embroidered on the slanted lapel. Her fair neck was exposed under the slightly open collar.
It was like a dream, as if it had been a lifetime. It was indeed a lifetime. This was the most familiar and unforgettable scene for he seemed to see it every year, and more people would ask him to sit there.
Ning Que stood silently in the doorsill of the study room and forcefully closed his eyes to expel those false and disturbing memories from his mind. He smiled apologetically at Situ Yilan, who had an expectant look on her face, and walked to the back row.
He did not know that Miss Situ was the daughter of General Yunhui, but he knew that she must be from a noble family in Chang 'an. Although all students in the Academy were equal, and he heard that His Majesty came to the school in plain clothes and sat side by side with ordinary poor students, he did not know what kind of trouble it would cause if he had too much contact with such a noble lady.
Putting down the heavy books and classics, he looked at Chu Youxian's pale and thin cheeks and stared at his slightly blue lips. He frowned and asked, "Did you go to the House of Red Sleeves again yesterday?"
"I stayed there for a whole night." Chu Youxian sighed and did not hide anything. He said miserably, "Ning Que, there is something wrong with this world. I can't figure it out, so I went crazy in the House of Red Sleeves for a whole night."
Ning Que thought of the scholar he met before, and his body was slightly stiff. He asked, "What's wrong?"
"I actually got into the Academy. That's the biggest problem in this world."
Looking at him, Chu Youxian was extremely distressed and said, "You know, my old man spent two thousand taels of silver to buy me the qualification for the Academy entrance examination. I just came here to get a wife. Yesterday, I just answered the six subjects blindly. When the results were released, I didn't even look at my name. But … I actually got B + in four subjects!"
Ning Que was shocked and speechless. After a long while, he sincerely praised, "You really don't show your true colors."
"Not revealing my face, my ass."
Chu Youxian looked as if his old man had died. He said distractedly, "I answered that the Headmaster of the Academy was drunk and chewed half a mountain of peach blossoms. But I still got B + … It only means that the instructors of the Academy are all crazy."
Ning Que thought for a while and guessed, "Could it be that your family spent money?"
Chu Youxian said angrily, "Who has ever heard that people can study in the Academy with money? And that old man only paid two thousand taels of silver! Two thousand taels of silver is only enough for me to stay in the House of Red Sleeves for four months! It's not enough for me to do anything! "
…
…
In the faraway Chang 'an City, in the depths of a silver shop in the Eastern City, a very fat old man was painfully looking at his family's account book. With tears in his eyes, he sighed and said, "Two hundred thousand taels of silver … My dear son, I've sold most of my family's property, hoping that you'll make a name for yourself. You can't let me down. Who the hell said that the Academy doesn't accept money? Those bastards … just don't accept small money!"
…
…
Chu Youxian didn't know that his old man had made a great gamble in order to let him enter the Academy. He was still indignant and felt that the instructors of the Academy were all crazy.
"I've never liked poetry, reading, riding or shooting since I was a child. So I can't play with those young masters and noble ladies in Chang 'an City. Fortunately, you were also assigned to Classroom Three. Otherwise, I really don't know how to spend the next few years. "
Chu Youxian said sadly. Ning Que noticed that when he said that he didn't like poetry, reading, riding or shooting, he didn't feel ashamed at all. Instead, he seemed to take it for granted and even felt a little proud.
He smiled and comforted the only acquaintance in Chang 'an City, saying, "Since you're already here, just take things as they come. Don't think too much."
"You're right." Chu Youxian looked around at his classmates in the spacious study room. His eyes swept over those slim girls and gradually became happy. "I should get closer to my classmates, so that I can get married in the future."
Ning Que was speechless and too ashamed to answer.
Chu Youxian was a typical open-minded Tang person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have invited Ning Que to drink and play with girls when he first met him in the brothel. After adjusting his mood, he immediately returned to normal. He picked up the jade pendant with two fingers and pointed at the girls in front of him, saying in a low voice, "That gentle girl is called Jin Wucai, the youngest daughter of the Libationer of Tang. She's docile but not easy to deal with, because the Libationer is very serious or grumpy. Don't mess with that tall girl, because her surname is Gao, and she has an uncle who works in the palace …"
"That greasy-haired boy is called Chen Zixian. His family runs a bookstore in the West City. He's quite rich. If you and I want to drink and don't have enough money, we can ask him to go with us. As for the short guy beside him, don't bother with him. I heard that he's a student from Chen State. Except for eating and sleeping, he's reading and shooting arrows. He's so boring."
Ning Que was greatly impressed. He thought that a person who was unwilling to enter the Academy only took less than half a day to figure out the backgrounds and temperaments of all the thirty or forty people in the study room. What a spirit he must have! He must be determined to carry on his career of eating, drinking, and playing to the end, and to seek friends and companions in the Academy.
"Ah, you probably know who the lady in the dress is. Yes, she's Miss Situ Yilan, the daughter of the famous Yunhui General!"
Chu Youxian patted the desk and said quickly like a storyteller, "Brother Ning, I'm very grateful that you left her and came to me. But I have to remind you that you've probably offended this famous noble lady in Chang 'an. Don't say that I didn't remind you. Miss Situ Yilan has been riding a horse on the Vermilion Bird Avenue since she was eight years old. She and a group of girls of the same age called the Female Army. Over the years, they've shocked many pancake stalls and braised barbecue shops, scared many lecherous men, and kicked many heartless men away. If you offend her, you'll have a hard time in Chang 'an. It's just like entering a pancake shop, where there's no delicious fruit! "
Ning Que was shocked by the spittle in front of him, and it took him a while to come to himself. He thought that he was not afraid of the female army, and Situ Yilan was just a harmless little girl in his eyes, so he did not care about it. Instead, he admired Chu Youxian's ability and said, "Next time when we go to the House of Red Sleeves, I don't think we should force Chen Zixian to come with us. You can go there and say a few sentences to earn him back."
He thought that his words were very appropriate, but Chu Youxian squinted at him and said with a faint sneer, "In that kind of brothel, you can earn money by saying a few sentences. Who else in the world can do that except you?"
Ning Que's expression froze. He wanted to beat this person to vent his anger, but he managed to suppress it. At this time, the teacher in charge of etiquette had walked in with a serious face.
The study room suddenly became very quiet, and the young crows and sparrows flew away.
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