The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

On this particular day, Zong Jincheng still hadn't gotten the chance to call Xu Wan "Mother," and he felt too embarrassed to bring it up. The matter of changing his address had thus been put on hold, yet it remained a constant thought in his mind.

Whenever he had some free time during his studies, he would start thinking about how to address Xu Wan as "Mother," but the ideas he came up with were quickly dismissed as being too artificial, which would affect his image of being tall, mighty, and awe-inspiring. He didn't want Xu Wan to think that he was the one who wanted to change the way he addressed her first.

The ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‍days dragged on...

During this time, Madam Shen once brought Shen Yibai to visit. The rascal took one look at the crammed books in the intensive class and fled without a second thought, leaving Madam Shen no chance to chat with Xu Wan before she had to chase after him.@@novelbin@@

Xu Wan shook her head, torn between laughter and tears.

In the intensive class, daily routines continued as usual, except for the end of each month when a bigwig would bring the little devil to the second floor to chat, everything else remained unchanged.

Soon, it was December, and He Zheng's critical day had arrived.

In these five months, Minister He hadn't intervened in He Zheng's studies, but that didn't mean he had forgotten their agreement. Xu Wan heard that he had already sent someone to Qingbo Academy a few days before the tests in the preparatory class.

Xu Wan truthfully informed He Zheng: "Your father knows we have a good relationship with the academy. He has already made arrangements beforehand, not allowing any of the teachers to show favoritism in any way. This exam will depend entirely on your own abilities."

He Zheng nodded firmly: "I understand, Aunt Xu Wan. I know. Regardless of whether my father intervenes or not, I will prove that I can stay with my strength, fairly and squarely!"

Xu Wan gently patted his head: "Good, go take the exam."

"Let's go." Zong Jincheng led the way, and even Zong Wenxiu followed.

Today's exam was crucial for He Zheng. The children in the intensive class all accompanied him, and Cheng Zhidong was even more nervous than if he were taking the imperial examination himself. On one hand, he thought there was no problem, but on the other, he worried about what if the questions were too obscure...

In the residence of General Pang.

The subordinate who had just finished reporting was met with a flurry of child portraits thrown in his face.

General Pang roared angrily: "Three months! Three full months have passed! I ordered you to find an eight-year-old boy born on July 6th. What do you give me instead? Two thousand! Two thousand! Can your mother give birth to two thousand at once?!"

The subordinate weakly defended himself: "General, out of these two thousand portraits, we've investigated their backgrounds and narrowed it down to three hundred and eight children with suspicious backgrounds. I... I believe we can focus on these three hundred and..."

"Can your mother give birth to three hundred at once?!" General Pang thundered.

The subordinate: "......"

I'm sorry, General, my mother can't.

General Pang was nearly driven insane. The child had been missing for eight years, with no birthmarks, and no one knew anything about him. Apart from his birthday, they had no other information. It was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.

As he cursed his subordinate, he also knew how difficult the task was.

General Pang rubbed his temples and ordered: "Question the relatives of all three hundred and eight children. None shall be spared!"

"Yes."

After giving the order, General Pang wrote a letter to Luo Jingfeng, detailing their current progress in the search.

At Qingbo Academy.

As Xu Wan and the others alighted from their carriage, they saw Minister He and Madam He arriving as well, accompanied by numerous servants.

"Father, Mother," He Zheng meekly called out.

Although he was confident in his knowledge, his fear of his father remained undiminished.

Minister He said coldly: "Take young master to the exam."

"Yes." Five or six servants followed him, and the Zong brothers also went to accompany He Zheng.

Hearing that several big shots had gathered, the principal hurriedly escorted them to the preparatory section, offering tea and water non-stop during their wait.

Not long after, the little devil and his group returned. Before they even arrived, his dissatisfaction reverberated through the air: "Why didn't the servants who escorted him join us? There's a supervisor inside, and they just stand outside. Are they not confident? This is an exam within the academy, yet you treat He Zheng like a criminal. That's too much!"

"Jincheng, Jincheng, calm down. That's Minister He, you can't just shout at him like that." Zong Wenxiu, pulling him with all his might, tried to cover his mouth.

But the little devil was furious. He even jumped up, struggling to break free. He couldn't stand the way Minister He treated He Zheng.

What kind of father behaves like that?

Minister He only glanced at him disdainfully and remained silent, obviously unwilling to lower himself to the level of a child.

Madam He awkwardly explained on his behalf: "Jincheng, you've misunderstood. They're not treating him like a prisoner. These are all our own people. They won't do anything to Zheng'er."

In her heart, however, how could she feel comfortable? But in this era where the husband's word was law, what Minister He said was absolute. Moreover, compared to before, Minister He was now much more approachable. She didn't want a small matter like this to provoke him further and perhaps cause him to take it out on He Zheng.

Xu Wan understood Madam He's silent endurance and helplessness.

She beckoned to the little devil: "Jincheng, come here."

Zong Jincheng huffed and obediently returned, though his face still showed discontent.

Xu Wan explained: "The number of servants isn't excessive. Think of it like taking the imperial examination. When you enter the examination hall in the future, you'll experience the real deal, with the entire city under martial law. There will be countless soldiers watching over the examinees."

The little devil was slightly reassured by this logic, but he still felt a bit uncomfortable. Pouting, he muttered: "Bastard."

Xu Wan nearly broke out in cold sweat.

Did the little brat realize that a general's hearing is exceptionally good?

Unaware, the little devil even wanted to mutter more curses, but Xu Wan pinched his hand, warning through gritted teeth: "Stop it, little ancestor. He can hear you."

The little devil: "???"

How could that be? His voice was so low!

Zong Jincheng refused to believe it and glanced at Minister He, only to see him glaring at him with squinted eyes.

The little devil: "......"

He could really hear him.

How is that possible? Did he grow some kind of supernatural hearing?

The little devil was surprised at first but then became curious and eager. Secretly, he asked: "Does he have such good hearing? Is there a learning technique?"

Xu Wan certainly knew the reason. She must have a training method. Zong Jincheng was too curious; he wanted to learn!

Xu Wan gave a fake smile, her eyes narrowing: "Do you think I'm some kind of deity? I have such a technique? He's a general, a general, you understand? All of them are sharp-eared and clear-eyed. Even the smallest sounds can be heard more clearly than ordinary people."

The little devil was stunned: "So Wu Yan has such good hearing too?"

Xu Wan nodded.

The little devil continued: "And my grandfather?"

Xu Wan nodded again.

The little devil: "......"

He suddenly recalled a terrifying incident.

That time in the carriage, when he grumbled about Xu Wan not sitting with him, neither He Zheng nor his brother reacted, and he thought his grandfather opening his eyes to look at him was just a coincidence. Now that he thought about it...

The secret he thought only he knew had actually been discovered a long time ago. The little devil instantly turned bright red.