The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

Xu Wan couldn't help but follow his train of thought, imagining the scene.

Girls lining up to marry him, matchmakers competing to come to his door, the iron threshold polished shiny from the traffic...

One man, a hundred women pursuing him?

"Pfft...hahaha...you're so vain...you're probably the most self-praising person in the world." Xu Wan couldn't help but laugh out loud, tears almost coming to her eyes.

Little Demon King: "..." This wasn't the reaction he had expected at all!

"Hmph!" Zong Jincheng glared at her, cheeks puffed out in anger.

Bad woman, looking down on him.

Sooner or later, he'll make her realize how popular he is!

As they laughed and chatted, the hostess arrived.

"Madam Zong, I've long admired your name." It was Madam Shen from the Ministry of Rites, a close friend of the Crown Princess.

The Ministry of Rites oversees the imperial examinations, and Xu Wan had once lamented not having connections there while selecting private tutors. Now, it seemed the Crown Princess had provided her with those very connections.

Xu Wan quickly stood to respond, "Madam Shen, you flatter me. I'm just an ordinary woman, nothing special."

The other noblewomen and officials' wives glanced over, but Madam Shen didn't shy away. Instead, she pulled Xu Wan's hand and sat her down for a quiet chat, "The Crown Princess told me that she was able to conceive thanks to your guidance. I've grown up with the Crown Princess, so you are not only her benefactor but also mine."

Xu Wan was flattered and replied with a smile, "The Crown Princess was simply too anxious before. A relaxed and joyful mood is what helps conceive."

Madam Shen was curious, "You haven't had any children yourself, so where did you gain this experience?"

"From books, from books," Xu Wan laughed it off.

Madam Shen glanced at Jincheng and said, "I hear Jincheng has been doing better and better in his studies, and even joined the Child Prodigy Class, preparing to take the child prodigy exam next spring. This is all thanks to you."

Xu Wan continued to be modest, "It's the good teaching of the family's tutor, and Jincheng is willing to study."

"Haha, you're too modest. Jincheng wouldn't study anything. Earlier this year, he was still playing polo with my rascal son, even setting off firecrackers in the polo field, spooking the horses." Madam Shen didn't hold back in revealing the truth.

Xu Wan's eyes immediately turned to the Little Demon King.

So, little master, you used to be the one running around setting off firecrackers everywhere?

Zong Jincheng swallowed hard, trying to explain, "I...that was before. I don't set off firecrackers anymore. Shen Yibai went out to cause trouble afterward, but it has nothing to do with me. He started doing it on his own. Why are you looking at me? I study at home every day, don't you know that?"

As he spoke, the Little Demon King grew more and more confident, leaving Xu Wan at a loss for how to respond.

You rascal, can't your emotional intelligence grow along with you? In front of someone's mother, you just shift all the blame onto someone else. Can't you be a bit more tactful?

Xu Wan chuckled dryly. Luckily, Madam Shen wasn't petty and didn't scold the child. Instead, she agreed, "Yes, Yibai later went to look for Jincheng, but Jincheng didn't go out. Though he wasn't idle; he just went to cause trouble with others instead."

The Little Demon King shrugged at her.

See? It's not my fault.

Xu Wan subtly kicked him under the table, signaling him to behave, but the Little Demon King not only didn't get it but also glared back at her.

Madam Shen patted Xu Wan's hand, "I just came to get to know you. Don't be nervous. We might have frequent interactions in the future."

Xu Wan nodded in agreement.

Before leaving, Madam Shen whispered in her ear, "The Crown Princess said she knows your social connections in the capital are scarce. Now that she's pregnant, it's inconvenient for her to introduce you to the circle. In the future, you can follow me."

Xu Wan was a bit confused.

Madam Shen had already stood up by then, saying, "Let's go, we'll go enjoy the flowers."

Although Madam Shen spoke softly, her actions were quite sociable. Most of the officials' wives in the capital had good relationships with her. Xu Wan was pulled by her to introduce to various people as her close friend.

Xu Wan: "??"

Confused, in a daze.

The Little Demon King followed beside her, watching as people kept coming up to talk to Xu Wan, meeting one acquaintance after another. The lively scene seemed like Xu Wan was the one holding the flower-viewing party.

Xu Wan's grandmother had almost no friends in the capital, but Xu Wan suddenly made a large circle of acquaintances, so much so that she didn't have time to pay attention to him.

"Meanie," the Little Demon King muttered.

She even said to let him call her "mother" for a day, but half a day had passed, and she hadn't mentioned it at all.

Why didn't she speak up?

If she had asked him to call her mother, though he would have been very unwilling, for the sake of their recent truce, he might have reluctantly called her a couple of times.

Annoying, not keeping her promises, just teasing people.

The Little Demon King got angry, his face drooping as he sat in his seat, savagely eating pomegranates.

He bit down hard with each one, as if he wasn't biting a pomegranate but Xu Wan.

"Ah..." He suddenly cried out in pain.

The ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‍Little Demon King had bitten his tongue with too much force.

The child's wail finally caught Xu Wan's attention. She came back and asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

The Little Demon King covered his mouth, glaring at her resentfully, "I don't need you to care."

His tongue hurt, and his speech was a bit slurred, which Xu Wan immediately picked up on, "Did you bite your tongue while eating pomegranates?"

The Little Demon King grew angrier at the thought of this embarrassing incident, and he certainly wasn't going to admit it.

Xu Wan asked Cui Zhi to get some ice, then handed it to the Little Demon King, "Here, hold this in your mouth for a while, and it'll be fine."

The Little Demon King continued glaring at her, still angry, unwilling to accept.

With his young master temper flaring, even three bulls couldn't drag him back.

Xu Wan sighed, pinching his cheeks to make him open his mouth. Indeed, she saw his slightly red tongue, though thankfully, it wasn't bleeding. She fished out a small ice cube with her other hand and directly popped it into his mouth.

"Hold it in your mouth. If you feel cold, put on your clothes," the domineering Madam Zong commanded.@@novelbin@@

The Little Demon King shrank his neck, pouting.

Fine, I'll hold it in my mouth. Why are you so fierce?

Hmph!

Xu Wan took away all the pomegranates in front of him, then had Cui Zhi fetch his coat, and even the miscellaneous snacks on the table were cleared away.

He couldn't eat these, and she wouldn't either.

It felt especially good being cared for so attentively, and the Little Demon King's lips slowly lifted, though he tried his best to push them down so she wouldn't notice.

For the rest of the banquet, Xu Wan stayed by his side, only talking to people who came to speak with her, never seeking out others.

By the end of the flower-viewing party, the Little Demon King had already calmed down, but Xu Wen's explanation of the trial by fire and water failed to convince him completely.