The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

He Zheng was so frightened that tears started rolling down his cheeks, splattering onto the floor, as he repeatedly stammered apologies.

Xu Wan, who had been trying hard to stay firm, watched him cry for a while before she finally spoke to comfort him, "Alright, stop crying. Tomorrow, go and apologize to Teacher Cheng. Think more carefully before you act in the future."

"Yes, yes, Auntie, I will listen to you," He Zheng replied, wiping his tears and hiccupping.

Xu Wan thought to herself, "What a poor dear."

But outwardly, she remained composed and stable as she said, "Go to sleep now. We will retire as well."

"Okay..."

Cui Zhi waited at the door with an outer garment in her arms. As soon as she saw Xu Wan coming out, she quickly draped it over her. "Madam, be careful not to catch a chill."

As soon as Xu Wan stepped outside, she let out a loud sneeze. The cold wind at night was quite strong. She tightened her outer garment and instructed Cui Zhi, "Have someone check if any other courtyards in the house still have lights on. If they do, they must be waiting for news about this matter. Tell them everything is fine, and they should go to sleep early."

"Yes, Madam."

"Also, arrange for someone to keep watch outside He Zheng's room tonight, in case he has any more trouble."

"Yes, ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌‍Madam."

After giving these instructions, Xu Wan was about to return to her room. She was still pondering whether to inform Madam He about this incident. She was mainly worried that the news might reach Minister He's ears, which could affect He Zheng's studies. However, since He Zheng was injured, it wouldn’t be appropriate to keep it from Madam He.

"Send a message to invite Madam He over in the morning," Xu Wan said.

"Yes, Madam."

The night passed in a chaotic rush. Xu Wan finally lay down in bed, her mind filled with the events at He Zheng's courtyard, and it took her a while to fall asleep.

At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to brighten.

Xu Wan felt her cheeks burning and her head heavy. She tried to ask if there had been another fire somewhere, but her throat was dry and hoarse, and she couldn't speak.

"Madam, you have a fever!" Cui Zhi's voice reached her.

Soon, several maids rushed in with warm water, wiping her body and placing cool cloths on her forehead to reduce the fever.

The family physician diagnosed her with a high fever.

The Old Marchioness was the first to arrive. As an elderly person, she had woken up early. Upon learning that Xu Wan had a high fever, she hurried over, only to discover what had happened the previous night.

"Wan-er, Wan-er," the Old Marchioness called out.

But Xu Wan was too deep in her fever-induced slumber to wake up, causing the Old Marchioness to hurriedly send for a royal physician from the palace. She herself sat by the bed, anxiously checking if the cloth on Xu Wan's forehead was still cool.

"Mother..." Xu Wan clutched the Old Marchioness's hand.

She was having a dream. In it, her father had cheated on her mother with a prostitute and even wanted to register the child from the adulterous affair in their family registry. In that era, divorce was as severe as death. Unable to bear the humiliation, her mother drank poison and passed away. That same year, her father contracted an STI and died. She was then sent to an orphanage.

The orphanage was filled with children without parents, many younger than her. She worked hard to study and earn money, taking care of her younger siblings out of habit, rarely thinking about her mother anymore.

But now, she seemed to feel maternal love. Was her mother taking care of her?

The Old Marchioness, upon feeling Xu Wan's grip, though she couldn't understand what was being said, empathized as a mother, sensing the deep longing.@@novelbin@@

Recalling that Xu Wan had lost her birth mother at a young age, the Old Marchioness's heart softened. She grasped Xu Wan's hand with both of hers and gently comforted her, "Don’t be afraid, Wan-er. Your mother-in-law is here. I am your mother too."

"Mother..." This time, Xu Wan's voice was clearer.

Tears rolled down the Old Marchioness's cheeks.

What a poor child. She must have been exhausted, always busy educating those mischievous boys, and then last night was disturbed by He Zheng's incident. No wonder she caught a chill and got a fever.

The Old Marchioness felt an overwhelming sense of heartache. Though she never had a daughter, she now understood what it felt like to raise one.

"Where is He Zheng? How did Wan-er punish that brat?" the Old Marchioness turned around angrily to ask.

Cui Zhi replied quietly, "He Zheng set the bed on fire while studying, accidentally. Madam Xu didn't punish him but just lectured him and told him to apologize to Teacher Cheng when he woke up."

"Just a lecture and an apology? That's it?" the Old Marchioness looked at her beloved daughter-in-law lying in bed, feeling angrier and more distressed by the moment. "That rascal! Hasn't he learned his lesson from all the beatings at Minister He's house? He nearly got himself and Teacher Cheng burned, and now he’s made Wan-er sick. Are we just going to let this slide so easily? Go tell Master Baili to give him a few hand slaps to teach him a lesson."

Cui Zhi swallowed hard and replied, "Old Marchioness, everyone knows He Zheng loves studying the most. And he has such a demanding study schedule right now. If he gets his hands slapped, it might delay his studies for a few days. Also, Madam Xu hasn't woken up yet. If you discipline He Zheng, I’m afraid she might be upset..."

The Old Marchioness and the Old Marquis had shown great respect to Xu Wan over the past half year. But now, seeing Xu Wan so ill, the Old Marchioness's authoritative demeanor as the matron of the household couldn't help but surface. She took a deep breath and changed her mind, "Fine, then make him kneel in the ancestral temple. If he wants to study, let him do it there!"

Cui Zhi: "..."

He belongs to the He Family, kneeling in our Zong Family's ancestral temple...

Reading stuffy Confucian texts to our martial ancestors...

Cui Zhi wanted to object further but was silenced by the Old Marchioness, who ordered her to carry out the task.

Cui Zhi, at a loss, could only comply.

Zong Jincheng woke up in the morning, stretched, and got out of bed to wash up. It wasn’t until he heard Shunzi recount the events of the previous night that he looked up, his face still covered in water droplets, in shock, "She got a fever?"

Shunzi: "..."

Why wouldn’t she? Is she made of bronze or iron?

"People eat grains of five cereals, so naturally, they can get sick. Madam has been tirelessly managing the household for half a year. Yesterday night, she was awakened by the commotion. It’s said that as soon as she arrived, she took off her outer garment and gave it to He Zheng. It must have been then that she caught a chill."

Zong Jincheng furrowed his brows and asked, "Is it serious?"

Shunzi nodded, "Very. The Old Marquis has already invited a royal physician, but she still hasn’t woken up."

Zong Jincheng’s brows furrowed even deeper, "Why is it so serious... When I had a fever, I was still full of energy."

Shunzi's mouth twitched, "Adults and children are different. Children can still be lively even with a high fever, but adults find it harder to handle."

"Then what should we do?" Zong Jincheng asked.

Shunzi shook his head, "There’s nothing we can do except help her recover. The Old Marchioness is already there taking care of her, and the second madam is also helping."

"Then I’ll go take a look too." Zong Jincheng hastily dried his face with a towel and dashed off.

When the little troublemaker Zong Jincheng reached Xu Wan's room, he saw that his older brother was already there, waiting outside with their grandfather.

"Grandfather, big brother," Zong Jincheng greeted.

The Old Marquis nodded in acknowledgment.

Zong Wenxiu went over to talk to him. Zong Jincheng asked, "Why isn’t He Zheng here?"

Although He Zheng was his best friend, this time, He Zheng was the one who had caused the trouble. Everyone had come, but why wasn’t he, the one who started it all, here?