The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

After returning to the Marquis Manor, Zong Wenxiu seemed preoccupied with worry. Xu Wan patted his shoulder and said, "Don’t worry, Zhao Yin has already prepared a crash course for your upcoming exam."

"Ah?" Zong Wenxiu suddenly looked up and saw Zhao Yin waving at him by the entrance of the advanced class, holding several test papers in his hand.

Overwhelmed with surprise and joy, he asked, "Aunt Xu, did Zhao Yin prepare this especially for me?"

Xu Wan smiled and gently ruffled his hair. "Of course. Hurry inside, Zhao Yin is getting impatient."

"Alright, thank you, Aunt Xu. I’ll go right away." With that, Zong Wenxiu ran off and entered the study with Zhao Yin.

Zong Jincheng, watching Xu Wan ruffle his brother’s hair, pouted with dissatisfaction. "Why do you always mess with my brother’s hair? Don’t you know it could stunt his growth?"

Xu Wan glanced at the little troublemaker’s height and replied, "Well, he seems to be growing faster than you, doesn’t he?"

Zong Jincheng, feeling the sting of her words, exclaimed, "!!!"

From today on, he vowed to eat more and grow taller quickly, so that Xu Wan would have to look up at him someday!

Once ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‍inside the study, Zong Jincheng heard Zhao Yin speaking: "These test papers are based on the key points from the past year’s Child Prodigy Class exams at Qingbo Academy. If you master these, passing the exam shouldn’t be a problem."

Zhao Yin spoke as if the exam were as simple as eating a meal, but Zong Wenxiu still felt uneasy. "Is this really enough?"

His performance in the twelve-year-old exam hadn’t been particularly outstanding.

Zhao Yin, who had already passed the imperial examination, found the Child Prodigy Class tests extremely easy. Could it be that he was overestimating Zong Wenxiu’s abilities?

Zhao Yin confidently replied, "Of course, this is enough. Focus on the key points, and the exam will be much easier. I’ve gone over these papers with Cheng Zhidong, and Pan Hongzhi said the difficulty level isn’t much higher than that of Hanlin North Academy. Trust us, you’ll be ready to pass the Child Prodigy Class exam in seven days."

Zong Wenxiu nodded firmly. "Thank you, teachers, for your hard work."

Zhao Yin smiled and said, "Light the incense, and let’s begin."

"Alright." Zong Wenxiu sat down and started answering the questions.

The speed at which he got into the zone left even Zong Jincheng in awe. Every time he took an exam, Zong Jincheng would fidget and look around before slowly starting.

However, since the advanced class always timed their exams with a large incense stick, Zong Jincheng had gradually improved his speed. What would take an ordinary person two hours to complete, he could finish in one, though his handwriting had become increasingly messy.

Zong Wenxiu, who was usually very focused in his studies, had been even more intense these past few days, reciting his books even while eating and walking, as if possessed by the spirit of a Hanlin North Academy scholar.

Seeing this, Zong Jincheng wanted to snap him out of it, but Pan Hongzhi stopped him, gently advising, "Jincheng, Wenxiu is doing this for you. Let’s give him these seven days to focus."

Zong Jincheng’s heart softened instantly.

For me…

My brother is fighting for me.

He’s working even harder than usual!

The thought filled Zong Jincheng with pride, and he became even more motivated in his studies. He even asked Pan Hongzhi when he could take the Child Prodigy Class exam. Pan Hongzhi told him that with his current progress, he could take it next month.

Zong Jincheng was thrilled. "Then I’ll work hard to catch up and join my brother in the Child Prodigy Class next month!"

Pan Hongzhi nodded with satisfaction. "Good, I’ll help you too."

That night, Zong Jincheng lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He turned to Pan Hongzhi, who was pretending to be asleep, and asked, "Is my brother still awake? He’s been staying up until midnight lately. Won’t that affect his growth?"

Pan Hongzhi, half-asleep, mumbled, "It’s just seven days. He can make up for it later."

Zong Jincheng continued to argue, "Can he really make it up? After the exam, we’ll still have to study. There won’t be time."

"Yes…" Pan Hongzhi’s voice was barely audible. "Madam said that once the old marquis and marchioness return, they’ll give you and Wenxiu three days off."

"What? My grandparents are coming back?!" Zong Jincheng exclaimed, jumping out of bed in shock.

The sudden outburst jolted Pan Hongzhi awake, and he immediately regretted his slip of the tongue. He wished he could turn back time and silence himself.

Zong Jincheng, now fully awake, rushed to Pan Hongzhi’s bedside and shook him excitedly. "How do you know my grandparents are coming back? Is it true? Why hasn’t anyone told me? They’ve finally remembered their eldest grandson! It’s been almost half a year since I last saw them!"

Pan Hongzhi, his head spinning from being shaken, grabbed Zong Jincheng’s hands and said seriously, "I was just talking in my sleep. Don’t take it seriously. It’s not true."

"Not… true?"

In the dark room, the moonlight streaming through the window illuminated Zong Jincheng’s face, which went from extreme excitement to utter disappointment in a matter of seconds. The rapid change in his expression was both astonishing and heartbreaking.

Pan Hongzhi opened his mouth, almost ready to explain, but then he remembered Xu Wan’s warning: this child was clever and knew how to play the innocent card to get his way. He must not fall for it.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Taking a deep breath, Pan Hongzhi closed his eyes and said, "Yes, it’s not true. Go back to sleep."

Zong Jincheng pouted, feeling unconvinced. He slowly walked back to his bed, barefoot, muttering to himself, "How could it not be true? It’s been almost half a year. Do my grandparents really not miss me at all…"

He began to wonder if he had done something wrong to make them ignore him. They had always doted on him before. Last year, on his birthday, his grandmother had even gifted him a jade pendant worth thousands of taels, which had made Zhai Yaowei and the others envious for days.

But the pendant… where was it now?

As he climbed back into bed, Zong Jincheng scratched his head, trying to remember. Finally, it dawned on him: when Xu Wan had first married into the family, she had Steward Liu cut off his allowance. In desperation, he had used the pendant to pay for a meal.

A jade pendant worth thousands of taels, and he had traded it for a single meal?!

The realization hit him like a thunderbolt.

Back then, he hadn’t understood the value of money or how much thousands of taels were worth. He had given away his grandmother’s birthday gift without a second thought. If she found out, she would be heartbroken.

Yes, that must be why she was upset and didn’t want to come back to see him.

Panicking, Zong Jincheng jumped out of bed again and shouted, "Shunzi! Shunzi! Shunzi, come here quickly!!"

Pan Hongzhi, who had no hope of getting any sleep, groaned inwardly: "You little rascal, you’re going to be the death of me!"