Adult Tang Dynasty: I, the Scoundrel, Fully Support the Empress

Chapter 24: Drunk and Disorderly in the Academy—This Is Outrageous!

On the east side of the Palace, inside the Imperial Academy, the exam was in full swing. The questions were particularly challenging this time, and aside from Prince Li Tai, who had already finished, the rest of the students were still racking their brains, struggling to come up with at least a halfway decent response.

Yet, one person stood out—Su Yang. Unlike the others, he wasn’t sweating over the test. In fact, he didn’t even seem remotely concerned. He simply leaned back, closed his eyes, and looked as if he was about to take a nap.

This didn’t go unnoticed. Many of the scholars observing the exam scoffed at his attitude, clearly unimpressed. But after a moment, they dismissed it—after all, Su Yang was a commoner. He barely had any formal education and likely didn’t even have the literacy skills to write a coherent sentence. Expecting him to complete the test was just wishful thinking.

Even in the distant Hall of Supreme Harmony, where the Emperor and his ministers were following the exam, everyone assumed Su Yang had simply given up. It made sense. Rather than embarrassing himself with nonsensical scribbles, leaving the page blank was probably the smarter move.

“This guy’s not as dumb as I thought.”

“At least he knows when to quit.”

“Not that it matters—he’s doomed either way.”

“Not even the Empress can protect him this time, right?”

The room buzzed with quiet discussions. Even though the exam wasn’t over yet, most of the officials had already decided Su Yang’s fate. The only question now was how he should be punished.

Some of the more extreme ministers thought he should be executed immediately—after all, the moment he had the audacity to beat up Zhangsun Chong, his fate had been sealed. He was the only son of the Minister of Personnel, a high-ranking official. If anything happened to him, Su Yang wouldn’t be able to pay for it even if he died a hundred times over.

But on the other hand, Su Yang was also the Empress’s sworn brother. Killing him outright would be a messy political problem. The more reasonable solution? Strip him of that title, exile him to the borderlands, and leave his fate to the gods.

Just as everyone was debating his punishment, a sudden commotion broke out.

A eunuch from the academy rushed in, out of breath.

“Your Majesty, Su Yang has finally stopped napping!”

The officials immediately perked up.

“He’s started writing?” someone asked.

The eunuch hesitated. “Uh… no.”

“Then what’s he doing?”

“He… he asked the chief examiner to bring him wine.”

Only silence filled the room.

Then, a collective uproar shook the court. Even Li Er himself was left speechless.

What kind of nonsense was this? The exam was nearly over, and instead of picking up his brush, Su Yang was asking for a drink.

…

At the Imperial Academy

If the royal court was stunned, the reaction inside the academy was even worse. The chief examiners were furious. This was the most prestigious academy in the kingdom—a place of learning and discipline. And here was Su Yang, treating it like some tavern?

If it weren’t for his connection to the Empress, they would’ve thrown him out on the spot.

“What are you waiting for?” Su Yang finally spoke, his voice laced with impatience. “Didn’t you hear me? I want a drink.”

The examiners stared at him, dumbfounded.

Then, he added, “I’m about to go head-to-head with Prince Li Tai in a battle of wits. If you waste my time, you’ll have to answer for it.”

The examiners exchanged looks. As much as they wanted to strangle him, they couldn’t afford to take that risk. With clenched jaws, they sent someone to fetch a jar of fine wine and tossed it to him with barely concealed irritation.

“Fine,” they thought. “Let’s see what kind of ridiculous poetry you can come up with.”

But before they could process what was happening, Su Yang made another outrageous demand.

“You might want to get some brushes and paper ready,” he said lazily. “You’re going to need them.”

The examiners nearly exploded.

“What?” One of them stepped forward, seething. “You expect us to transcribe your work for you?”

They were among the most respected scholars in the kingdom, and he was treating them like lowly scribes. If he had the literary talent of one of the legendary poets, maybe they could tolerate it. But not this spoiled brat.

However, Su Yang couldn’t have cared less. He casually tore the seal off the wine jar, tilted his head back, and took a long, satisfying drink.

“Back in the day, the great poet Cao Zi once composed a masterpiece in the time it took to take seven steps,” he mused, his voice loud and confident. “Now, I’m feeling inspired.”

Then he grinned.

“Guess I’ll have to do the same.”

Laughter erupted around him.

No one was laughing harder than Prince Li Tai, who sneered openly.

“This is hilarious. Does any random nobody off the street think they can compare themselves to Cao Zhi now? What a joke.”

He shook his head, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Let’s see if this idiot can even come up with a single decent line before he passes out from the alcohol.”