The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

The private tutors of the advanced class often had the students practice with mock exams, which mostly consisted of past exam questions. These included memorization and comprehension of texts like the Nine Classics, the Classic of Filial Piety, and the Analects. Occasionally, there were questions that went beyond the syllabus, but these were unpredictable and hard to prepare for.

So, while preparing for the exams, the students focused on mastering the required content to ensure they could answer those questions correctly. This way, even if they encountered out-of-syllabus questions, they wouldn’t be too far off. However, Zong Jincheng never expected that the out-of-syllabus question would be the very names Qin Ye had mentioned to them at the entrance earlier.

“How annoying,” the little troublemaker muttered, feeling the urge to drag Qin Ye over and give him a beating.

This was a question he shouldn’t have known the answer to, and he would’ve left it blank. But because Qin Ye had mentioned it before the exam, he now knew the answer.

If he wrote it down, it would mean admitting that Qin Ye was better than him, making his earlier outburst at Qin Ye seem ridiculous. Clenching his fists, Zong Jincheng felt his head spin with frustration.

“Forget it, I’ll focus on the other questions first.”

He bent his head and began answering the questions seriously.

Outside the examination hall, the parents who had come to drop off their children gradually left. Xu Wan, having heard the full account of the earlier exchange between the kids and Qin Ye from Cui Liu, couldn’t help but laugh. “This Qin Ye is quite a character. His way of showing goodwill is much more natural than Jincheng’s. No wonder Jincheng didn’t notice.”

Baili Weihong smiled and said, “Jincheng is stubborn, but his stubbornness is endearing and easy to notice. Qin Ye, on the other hand, is reserved and doesn’t like to explain himself. His words are often misunderstood.”

Xu Wan nodded. “He’s too straightforward. He’s bound to face difficulties in the future because of it.”

Baili Weihong got into the carriage with her and sighed. “I’ve always heard Wenxiu and the others talk about Qin Ye, and my impression of him was quite good. But after meeting him today… I don’t know why, he reminds me of my father.”

“Chancellor Yan?” Xu Wan raised an eyebrow.

Baili Weihong nodded with a bitter smile. “My father was the same kind of person—focused solely on his work, indifferent to others’ opinions, and unafraid of offending people. But in the end…”

She shook her head and didn’t continue.

Xu Wan felt a pang of sympathy. She understood.

Some officials, like obsessive mathematicians, were poor at navigating social intricacies and solely focused on their tasks. Yet, the world wasn’t particularly kind to such people.

She gently suggested, “The children are still young. Perhaps we can help him.”

Baili Weihong looked at her curiously.

Xu Wan smiled. “Wenxiu, our little Wenxiu, is the most understanding. If he can understand what kind of person Qin Ye is, he’ll be the key to resolving the tension between Qin Ye and Jincheng.”

Baili ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍Weihong nodded with a smile. “That’s a good idea. I’ll find an opportunity to talk to Wenxiu about it.”

The two mothers continued discussing their children’s education as the carriage slowly made its way back to Yangyuan Marquis Manor.

Five days and four nights of exams later, the students emerged from the examination hall, disheveled and drained of energy.

Parents waiting to pick up their children crowded around the entrance, and many voices could be heard.

“My dear son, why are you so dirty? How did your clothes get torn? Were there bugs in the examination hall?”

“Mother, there were rats! The rats bit me!”

“Rats? Oh heavens, what kind of place is this…”

The three boys weren’t in much better shape. After five days in the dim examination cells, they trudged out with their bags, only perking up when they saw their mothers.

“Mother!” He Zheng was the first to rush over.

“Mother, I’m done with the exams,” Zong Wenxiu followed, running back as well.

The little troublemaker, seeing Xu Wan standing there with his favorite pastries in hand, immediately beamed and ran over, shouting, “Mother, I did really well!”

Xu Wan took his bag and handed it to a servant, then pinched his chubby cheek. “That’s great. As long as you finished smoothly, that’s all that matters. Come on, let’s get on the carriage and clean up. Look at how dirty you are.”

The little troublemaker clung to her arm, bragging nonstop. “The Childhood Scholar exam wasn’t that hard after all. I thought it would be more challenging, but I knew all the answers. I wrote with such confidence—just wait and see, I’m definitely going to pass!”

Xu Wan smiled and led him into the carriage, handing him a freshly made pastry that was still warm. “Here, have something to eat. It’ll be a while before we get back to the manor.”

She then took out a pre-prepared damp towel and gently cleaned his hands before wiping his dusty little face. After a few wipes, his fair, chubby cheeks reappeared.

The little troublemaker closed his eyes, enjoying the attention, as his small, chubby hands stuffed the pastry into his mouth. His dark, shiny eyes stayed fixed on Xu Wan as she combed his messy hair.

“Your clothes are filthy too. Do you want to change? I brought a fresh set for you,” she asked.

The little troublemaker quickly shook his head. “No, I’ll take a bath when we get home. Changing just the outer layer won’t make much of a difference.”

Xu Wan chuckled. “Fair enough. So, were you exhausted after five days of exams?”

The little troublemaker nibbled on his pastry and replied airily, “Not at all. What’s a little hardship? I can handle anything!”

He had originally planned to complain to his mother about the ordeal, but after hearing all the other students whining, he decided to brag instead, hoping she’d praise him.

Xu Wan ruffled his hair. “Such a good boy. Did you see any rats?”

The Yangyuan Marquis Manor was kept spotlessly clean, and the boy had probably never encountered such creatures before. She wondered if he’d been scared.

The little troublemaker hesitated for a moment before answering, “I did. They were so annoying, running around my feet.”

On the first day, he had nearly been scared to death when a rat suddenly appeared. Fortunately, he had mentally prepared himself and quickly took out all the sachets from his bag, hanging them on his body. The rats didn’t dare come near him after that, but he still slept uneasily, afraid he might sleep through the entire exam in the dimly lit hall.

Xu Wan asked with amusement, “What did you do? Did you step on them?”

“No,” the little troublemaker shook his head. “I didn’t want to waste time, so I ignored them and wrote with my legs lifted off the ground.”

He added, “I remembered the story you told me about the scholar who got scammed by a dishonest innkeeper for 90 coins. You said not to let anger distract you from what’s important.”

Xu Wan was taken aback.

She hadn’t expected him to remember that so clearly.

The little troublemaker kicked his legs and said, “Too bad the rats all ran away by the time I finished the exam. Hmph, if I ever get a position in the Ministry of Rites overseeing the exams, the first thing I’ll do is exterminate all the rats in the examination hall!”

Xu Wan: “……”

Well, she could certainly feel the depth of the young master’s resentment toward the rats in the examination hall.