Chapter 8: The Eldest Grandson Little Fox

  The Hongwen Academy is a full-day system, with lunch served in the academy at noon, and students are only allowed to leave the academy in the evening.

  Hongwen Temple is mostly inhabited by princes and princesses, thanks to their blessings.

  The dishes here are all from the imperial kitchen.

  In his past life, Du He had also tasted all the delicacies in the world, but compared to the culinary skills of this Tang Dynasty imperial kitchen, he was inferior by several levels.

  It's not just a matter of craftsmanship, but also a gap in food.

  Taking cabbage as an example, the cabbage eaten in the Tang Dynasty was so delicious that it was comparable to eating meat, with no chemical ingredients at all, and a purely natural flavor. The only pity is that there were no chili peppers and no spicy flavor.

  Du He Mei ate three big bowls before letting Fang Yi Ai take her on a tour of the Hongwen Museum to get familiar with the surroundings.

  Just before class started, the two returned to the school building.

  Princess Changle and Li Xueyan were already seated in their seats chatting in a low voice.

  When Du He arrived, Princess Changle did not show any expression.

  Li Xueyan smiled and waved her hand in greeting.

  Du He also waved his hand and said good afternoon.

  Sitting at the desk in the house, Du He's eyes glanced to a young man sitting three seats away from his right hand and asked in a low voice: "Who is he?"

  "Which one?"

  "Up above, that one wearing a blue Confucian robe, who is shaking his head and reading a book." Du He recognized who it was from his accent.

  Fang Yi Ai smiled thoughtfully: "He's called Xiao He, the eldest grandson of Song Gong Xiao Yu. In school, everyone knows that this guy has a crush on Li Xue Yan. What's wrong, is he looking for trouble with Big Brother?"

  "Not yet, but soon!" Du He smiled with a hint of implication.

  Duke Song Xiao Yu!

  Du He knew this person, as a scholar studying Sui and Tang history, he was familiar with the twenty-four meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion.

  Xiao Yu was the ninth of the 24 meritorious officials in the Lingyan Pavilion, and was the brother of Empress Xiao, wife of Emperor Yang of Sui. As a member of the imperial family by marriage, he became a high-ranking official under Emperor Yang. After surrendering to Tang Dynasty, he was highly trusted by Emperor Gaozu of Tang (Li Yuan). After Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin) took the throne, Xiao Yu briefly served as the chief minister (尚书左仆射, Shàngshū Zuǒ Pūyè), becoming the most powerful official in the imperial court.

  Li Shimin trusted only his left and right arms, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui. Xiao Yu deeply resented this and often clashed with the two, eventually offending Li Shimin and leaving the center of power.

  It is said that Xiao Yu and Changsun Wuji were very close, but in the imperial court, Changsun Wuji was at odds with the two houses of Fang and Dou. In the academy, Changsun Wuji again joined forces with Xiao He and himself to make it difficult for Fang and Dou to coexist, it seems that the conflict between them is inevitable.

  Du He's eyes narrowed and he smiled gloomily. He didn't reject this kind of you-swindle-me-I-cheat-you competition, but instead found some pleasure in it.

  Time flies, and the bell rings for class dismissal.

  "Brother Qinglian, it's been a month since we last met, and Chai has been thinking of you dearly. Since brother is itching for some action, why don't we play a couple of rounds together?" A young dandy with a creamy complexion walked over, dressed in luxurious attire, reeking of perfume, resembling a duck from a bar, his hands poised as if ready to roll the dice.

  "Where are we going? The Rich and Noble Casino or the Millionaire's Casino?"

  Dora stepped back a little, creating some distance between herself and the young man with the creamy complexion, and asked: "Who are you?!"

  "Is Brother Chai Lingwu, Brother Qinglian won't forget about Brother too, right?" The buttery young master's face fell.

  "Uh..." Du He felt somewhat embarrassed.

  Princess Pingyang was a heroic and outstanding woman, and Shi Chao was also a heroic figure. How could they have given birth to such an offspring?

  "It's actually Brother Chai!" Du He smiled and returned the courtesy, his eyes catching a glimpse of Zhang Sun rushing around, doing his own thing, feeling slightly curious, but then suddenly realizing: this kid is just like his old man, a fox who hurts people behind their backs, using others as guns, while being self-righteous and pretending to be a good person.

  "You won't come out? I'll force you out! You think you can just watch from the side? No way!"

  Du He shook his head and refused: "No! Mr. punished me to copy the school rules, I didn't move a single word. To avoid being beaten, I think it's enough for today."

  Chai Lingwu laughed and said: "What's the reason for that? Just find a poor scholar at random, give him some money, and have him write on your behalf, isn't that it?"

  Du He's eyes moved slightly, and he said with a smile: "This method is not bad! However... it won't work, I've already promised my dad to come back earlier today. Can't delay for too long, so can't play anymore, sorry."

  He pretended to be moved, with a look of regret on his face, but his eyes secretly glanced at Zhangsun.

  As expected, seeing himself being refused in every way, this young scoundrel of a great-grandson became somewhat anxious and signaled to Xiao He with his eyes.

  Xiao He swaggered over and sneered: "I think it's not that you can't play, but rather you didn't bring any tricks!"

  This degree of stimulation may have been effective for the original Duhe, but it has no effect on the current Duhe.

  However, he still pretended to be angry and shouted in a low voice: "You damn well didn't bring any seeds, can't go is just can't go, I also have no way, next time then."

  Du He packed his things and was about to leave.

  Xiao He and Chai Lingwu were anxious, but there was nothing they could do about it.

  Chang Sun-chung walked up at this moment and said in a stern tone, "Ling Wu, I saw you bring dice to the classroom today and secretly play with them during class. This is a great disrespect to our teacher. Since it's your first offense, I won't hold it against you. But if you do it again next time, don't blame me for being heartless."

  Chai Lingwu was taken aback and looked at Zhangsun Chong for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Right! I have dice, why don't we play a couple of rounds right here?"

  "Great!" Xiao He was overjoyed and gave Changsun Chong a big thumbs up in secret.

  Du He refused again with disdain: "Only a few people, it's boring, I won't come."

  Du Hehua's words revealed a meaning, it's not that they don't want to play, but rather there are fewer people playing and it's not as enjoyable.

  Xiao Hedao said: "You and I, along with Fang brother and Chai brother, make four people, which is enough."

  Chai Lingwu also loudly persuaded him.

  They have set a trap, waiting for Du He and Fang Yi'ai to fall into it. However, Du He is now cautious and won't take the bait. In order not to waste their previous efforts, they can only try to persuade him repeatedly.

  Du He saw that almost everyone in the study hall had left, leaving only the four of them plus Zhang Sun Chong and Li Xueyan, and Princess Chang Le, a total of seven people.

  Du He smiled and said: "Alright, you guys go find one more person. Once we have five people, we can play a couple of rounds."

  Chai Lingwu looked around the school and saw that there was only Zhangsun Chong, a man. He hesitated for a moment, then looked at him with inquiring eyes.

  Changsun glared at Princess Longle.

  Du He secretly smiled: It's really not easy to be a fox spirit, wanting to make things difficult for oneself while not willing to leave a bad impression on Princess Chang Le, it's truly pitiful.

  Du He didn't want to miss this opportunity to teach a lesson to this little fox, thinking of ways to drive the two women away.

  Just then, Princess Chang Le actually pulled Li Xueyan away from school.

  Chang Le Gong Zhu left, and Chang Sun Chong immediately revealed his true form, laughing: "Since you're one person short, I'm willing to sacrifice myself to accompany you. Add me in, that makes five people."

  "Good!" Du He smiled and said in a low voice: "How is the rule set?"

  Xiao He hastily called out: "Since Brother Du can't play for a few rounds, let's make it more exciting. One round to determine the winner, betting everything valuable on our bodies." His gaze fell upon the white jade pendant hanging from Du He's waist.

  Du He's face darkened with anger as he thought to himself, "So they were after this jade pendant all along!" Du He used to be a great thief, and the greatest taboo for thieves was revealing their wealth. Today, when Linglong helped him get dressed, she had tied the jade pendant around his waist.

  Du He was unwilling, but Ling Long said: "This jade pendant is a Du family heirloom that supports the orthodox and suppresses the evil. It cannot be left behind."

  This is the treasured heirloom of the Du family. If Old Man Du Ru Hui finds out that it's lost, Du He will definitely not have a good day. This Long Sun Chong is indeed sinister, seemingly like a child's prank, but everywhere he goes, he borrows a knife to kill people.

  Du He smiled and said: "In that case, let's use the jade pendants on our bodies as stakes!" The five of them were all sons of high-ranking officials, and in ancient times, jade pendants had the meaning of supporting the orthodox and suppressing the evil, and were also symbols of identity, which everyone wore.

  Chang Sun was somewhat hesitant, as the jade pendant on him was a gift from Li Shimin, which had a completely different meaning.

  Chai Lingwu gave him a reassuring look, and only then did Zhangsun Chong take out the jade pendant.

  "Who's first?" Du He shouted.

  Fang Yi Ai couldn't wait, and first took the dice from Zhai Ling Wu's hand, throwing them onto the table. The four-sided dice rolled around ceaselessly, finally coming to a stop: one, two, three, a dragon, six points!

  Fang Yi's face immediately fell.

  Xiao He then threw three 4s and scored 12 points.

  Next is Zhang Sun Chong, he was quite lucky and threw 5-5-6, a total of 16 points, which is a pretty high score.

  Du He let Chai Ling Wu come first. Chai Ling Wu waved his big hand, 66 and 5, 17 points.

  The house is left with a lingering love that has turned cold as ashes.

  Du He took the dice in his hand and sneered: The dice in his hand were lighter than ordinary dice, and they were filled with lead, no wonder Chai Lingwu and others had an easy win.

  If it were the old Du He, today would be impossible without wearing their way.

  But now Du He is no longer the original Du He, with a wave of his big hand:

  Three sixes!

  6 o'clock!

  Checkmate!

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