The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

The next day, there was no major news from Duke Jin's Manor. Chen Yunyu was recuperating at home due to illness, and it was unclear whether he hadn't figured out who the hired thugs were or if he had but chose not to pursue the matter.

In ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‍any case, life at the Marquis's residence was quite enjoyable. The three people who had hired the thugs, while keeping it a secret from each other, were all very satisfied with Bu Yan's performance.

After this farce ended, the private tutors of the advanced class returned, and the children resumed their normal lessons.

Following the Childhood Scholar examination, Xu Wan began preparing for the official imperial examinations. She divided the subjects into geography, military affairs, civil administration, and management, with Baili Xi as the main lecturer. Each field was broken down and fed to the three children.

Waiting for the results of the Childhood Scholar examination was a long process.

But it also passed quickly.

In early April, the results were posted, and the crowd of students vying to see the list was overwhelming.

"Make way, make way! Ugh, I can't get through! Is this how you treat a future Childhood Scholar? I'm going to be the top scholar someday!" The little troublemaker, unable to push through, started shouting in frustration.

Someone in the crowd retorted, "Oh, please! I'm going to be the future prime minister!"

"You jerk! You don't know talent when you see it! I'm not boasting; I have real skills!"

"Everyone here took the Childhood Scholar exam. Who doesn't have skills? Move aside, stop pushing me!"

"You're the one pushing me!" The little troublemaker snapped.

Xu Wan couldn't stop laughing. She turned and asked, "Cui Liu, aren't martial artists supposed to have sharp eyes and ears? Can you see Jincheng's name on the list?"

Cui Liu glanced at the list, which seemed miles away. "..."

Madam, I'm not a clairvoyant.

Xu Wan rested her chin on her hand, thinking, "Even if Bu Yan wanted to look, he'd have to step on these people's heads to see. But that would be too rude, wouldn't it?"

Cui Liu: "..."

Not to mention, he might get beaten up by the crowd.

Xu Wan politely said, "Let's let Jincheng keep pushing. He's charging ahead the most fiercely; he should be able to see the results before He Zheng. As for Wenxiu... that child... let's call him back. He's too shy to push through and is getting pushed even further away. It's like he's not even competing."

"Yes, Madam. I'll go fetch Young Master Wenxiu right away."

Zong Jincheng gritted his teeth and pushed forward, shoving one person after another like a little bull. Soon, he reached the top of the Childhood Scholar list and excitedly looked up:

"Childhood Scholar Examination Results, First Place: Qin Ye."

"..."

The little troublemaker's smile vanished in an instant.

Although there was no school name, no class, and no age or region listed, he just knew—it was Qin Ye, that arrogant, cold-blooded, and aloof Qin Ye!

Damn it, why is he always first?

Does he own the top spot?

Zong Jincheng was furious, glaring at the name in first place as if he could carve it out with his eyes. Without a doubt, Qin Ye would become even more insufferable, and all the scholars in the capital would bow to him.

Sure enough, the praises soon began: "It's Qin Ye! Our very own Qin Ye from the capital! He defeated the talented scholars from Jiangnan and took first place in the Childhood Scholar exam!"

"He's also a student at Qingbo Academy, which is only ranked fourth in the capital. What does this tell us, brothers? It means we have a chance too! Quick, check the rest of the list!"

The crowd eagerly scanned the list, pushing Zong Jincheng further back. The little troublemaker's face darkened. "Stop pushing! I haven't even seen my rank yet!"

"Eh? Zong Jincheng?" someone recognized him. "Congratulations! You made the list too!"

The little troublemaker's eyes lit up. "Of course! It was a breeze. If Qin Ye can pass, I definitely did well too!"

The person chuckled. "Only 120 Childhood Scholars are selected nationwide each year. Making the list is impressive, but your name seems to be further down. It's not here."

The little troublemaker's smile dropped.

He thought the person was complimenting him, but it turned out to be a backhanded remark.

Enemies, all of them!

With a dark expression, he continued searching, muttering, "Not in the top 20, then maybe 30. Definitely not below 40; 50 would be too embarrassing..."

"Not in the top 60 either? What's going on? Did I miss it earlier?" Zong Jincheng, who had fought hard to get this far, was puzzled but kept looking. "80... surely I'm in the top 80... still nothing!"

The little troublemaker trudged on, his proud facade intact, but his confidence was waning. He silently pleaded, "Oh great God of Literature, please have mercy. You can't treat your successor like this. Ending up at the bottom of the list would be so embarrassing. Let's compromise—anything within the top 110, okay?"

After closing his eyes and praying, he opened them to find—

Still nothing!

"Damn it! There's no God of Literature after all. If I want to be great, I'll have to climb there myself!"

Gritting his teeth, he looked further down, and his face turned even darker.

"119th Place: Zong Wenxiu; 120th Place: Zong Jincheng."

The little troublemaker felt like fainting and wanted to tear the list apart.

But no one gave him the chance. The crowd of students eager to see their results pushed him out before he could react.

Zong Jincheng: "???"

Is this how you treat a genius Childhood Scholar?!

"Big brother! Did you see my name?" He Zheng finally managed to push through, only to see the little troublemaker being shoved out. He waved excitedly.

Zong Jincheng's mouth twitched. He thought, "I worked so hard and only got last place. There's no way you, a blockhead, made the list."

"Nope. Try again next year."

He Zheng pouted. "That's so harsh. No respect at all. I guess I was just here to fill the numbers. What about you and Wenxiu? Did you make it?"

Zong Jincheng cleared his throat. "Of course! It was easy, a piece of cake, no doubt about it!"

He Zheng's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Wow! You're amazing! So strong! I'm so jealous! Two Childhood Scholars from our advanced class! Quick, let's go tell Auntie!"

The little troublemaker glanced at Xu Wan in the distance. She was also looking their way, clearly curious about their results.

He patted He Zheng's shoulder. "Let's go. Time for a celebration feast at home."

"Yay! Let's eat and drink to your honor!" He Zheng, as always, was the perfect hype man.

The little troublemaker had initially planned to pretend he hadn't passed and then surprise Xu Wan. But he couldn't keep the smile off his face. He ran faster and faster, happier and happier, eager to share the good news with her.

"Mom, I passed the Childhood Scholar exam! My brother and I both passed! So many people try for years and fail, but we did it on our first try! Isn't that amazing?"