"A real princess? What does that mean?" Pei Xuan was puzzled. "How can a princess be fake?"
"You don't know, but the eldest princess, Xiao Yulan, and the second princess, Xiao Yuxi, were both born before His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor ascended the throne. By the time His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor ascended the throne, one was eight and the other was already twelve. Therefore, they did not receive the orthodox education of princesses when they were young."
Wei Jinping patiently explained, "Only the third princess, Xiao Yuchen, was born a princess and received a proper princess education. Although she's still young, she's stunningly beautiful and her temperament is incomparably noble. The pictures in these posts can't capture even a fraction of her beauty. When you see her in person one day, you'll understand."
"Okay." Pei Xuan sighed in conviction, "I didn't expect that the most beautiful girl in the Imperial College is only eleven years old..."
As soon as these words were spoken, Wei Jinping and the other two exchanged awkward glances.
Pei Xuan was very curious: "What? Did I say something wrong?"
"Although the Third Princess is ranked first among the Twelve Golden Hairpins..." Wei Jinping said hesitantly, "but the most beautiful girl recognized in the Imperial College is someone else."
"I don't understand what you're saying." Pei Xuan spread his hands. "If the most beautiful one isn't the first of the Twelve Golden Hairpins, then what's the point of ranking the Twelve Golden Hairpins?"
"In addition to appearance, family background is also an important factor in the ranking of the Twelve Golden Hairpins," said Wei Jinping. "Besides the Twelve Golden Hairpins, there is also a Zeroth Hairpin. Although her beauty is unparalleled, she was not included in the list because of her humble family background."
Pei Xuan's curiosity was immediately piqued: "Who?"
"This No. 0 hairpin is named Xiao Lianxue. She is from the royal Xiao family, but unfortunately, she is from a side branch of a side branch. Not only is her political status low, but she also lacks money. In her third year, she was almost forced to drop out of school because she couldn't afford tuition and accommodation fees."
"Almost?" Pei Xuan understood. "I guess some young man who coveted her beauty paid for her?"
"At that time, countless people were willing to pay for her. After all, the tuition and accommodation fees for the Imperial College were just a day's pocket money for the likes of us. If I could win the favor of a beautiful woman with such a small price, why not do it?"
Wei Jinping gave a bitter laugh. "But no matter which young master offered help, Xiao Lianxue rejected it all. She's sixteen years old this year and has been in the Imperial College for six years. In these six years, countless people have coveted her, but not a single one has succeeded."
"This..." Pei Xuan didn't quite believe it. "How could it be?"
If they were the powerful girls among the Twelve Golden Hairpins, it would be fine. After all, with their family background, no one would dare to use dirty tricks.
But Xiao Lianxue was clearly a white sheep that had strayed into a pack of wolves. How was it possible that she hadn't been eaten for so long?
Wei Jinping heard Pei Xuan's subtext: "Because Xiao Lianxue has a protector, that is the Second Princess Xiao Yuxi. In the third grade, it was the Second Princess who finally stepped forward to lend a hand, and since then the two of them have become close friends."
"The Second Princess is also in the Imperial College?" Pei Xuan asked, "Then why isn't her name among the Twelve Golden Hairpins?"
"She used to be, but she graduated at the end of last year."
"Graduated?" Pei Xuan said, "Then Xiao Lianxue will be left alone, right?"
"We thought so at first," Wei Jinping said, gritting his teeth. "Who knew that the Second Princess would volunteer to be the Imperial College's chief academic officer upon graduation?"
Jijiu, the highest official of the Imperial College, commonly known as the principal.
"Becoming a chief priest right after graduation?" Pei Xuan was stunned. "Is that even possible?"
"Why not? She's a princess and can become a fourth-rank official right after graduation." Wei Jinping smiled self-deprecatingly, "Unlike the rest of us, who can only become sixth-rank officials at most after graduation." To Pei Xuan, these words sounded a bit boastful.
Not to mention that Pei Xuan was just an ordinary citizen before traveling through time and it would be impossible for him to become a sixth-rank official in his lifetime. Even now, as an illegitimate child, it would be difficult for Pei Xuan to become a sixth-rank official after graduation.
"Speaking of Xiao Lianxue, there's a secret bet among the boys in the Imperial College," Du Xicheng said to Pei Xuan, "Young Master Pei, are you interested in participating?"
Pei Xuan asked, "What bet?"
Du Xicheng replied, "Everyone who participates pools their money together, and whoever can take Xiao Lianxue's virginity will get the money. It is said that the prize pool is already over 10 million."
"Only around 10 million?" Pei Xuan shook his head. "It's boring."
Wei Jinping raised an eyebrow. "More than 10 million is indeed a small amount of money for the aristocratic family we belong to, but we are all minors and don't have much money at our disposal. More than 10 million is already a lot."
"I'm not interested in money." Pei Xuan said, "How about the four of us bet on something else?"
"What's the bet?" Pei Xuan asked with a smile, "Wei Jinshu? Du Xining? Yuchi Chi?"
Du Xicheng said in astonishment: "You want to gamble with our sisters?"
"You're overthinking it. It's just a pursuit." Pei Xuan said, "Whoever loses will help the winner pursue their sister. Isn't that too much?"
"That's not too much." Wei Jinping stared into Pei Xuan's eyes. "If I win, will you help me pursue your sister Pei Qingyu?"
"No problem." Pei Xuan agreed without hesitation.
The four of them raised their glasses to prepare for the oath, when Pei Xuan suddenly had an idea: "Wine alone isn't formal enough. How about we swear an oath of blood?"
Wei Jinping and the other two looked at each other. Although they felt that this was a bit strange, seeing that Pei Xuan seemed very serious, they agreed without saying a word.
The four of them then pricked their fingers and dripped their blood into the same wine glass.
After taking the oath, Pei Xuan picked up the blood wine cup and placed it in front of him.
"Congratulations to the host for forming a blood pact with a fourth-level cultivator and obtaining 400 points."
"Congratulations to the host for forming a blood pact with a fourth-level cultivator and obtaining 400 points."
"Congratulations to the host for forming a blood pact with a fifth-level cultivator and obtaining 500 points."
Pei Xuan was overjoyed to have obtained so many points so easily.
After a satisfying meal and a few drinks, the sun had already set. Wei Jinping suggested, "Master Pei, we're planning to go out for some entertainment tonight. Would you like to come?"
Looking at the expressions of the three people, Pei Xuan immediately understood what Wei Jinping meant by "entertainment".
Wei Jinping and his friends' "entertainment" must be of very high quality and safety. If it were Pei Xuan in his previous life, he would most likely agree to it.
Although Pei Xuan was still inexperienced, his tastes were already very picky: "Is there anyone in your entertainment program who can compare to my sister?"
"How is that possible?" Wei Jinping laughed awkwardly. "Your sister's beauty is unmatched even among the ladies of aristocratic families, let alone in a brothel."