The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

"I know, I know! During last year's Mid-Autumn palace banquet, Pang Jing tried to strip someone's clothes off, and now he's back at it again this year. He's so awful—we can't give it to him!"

"Right, we can't give it to him!"

"Even if it were me, I wouldn't give it to him!"

"Give it to me, give it to me..."

The Crown Princess listened to their back-and-forth, shifting from honest accusations to clamoring for the same glowing attire, and couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated.

Softly, she said, "I’ve noted your requests. Once this matter is settled, I’ll inquire where such garments can be purchased. How does that sound?"

"Amazing!!!"

"Long live Her Highness the Crown Princess!"

"Thank you!"

"Hahaha, we’ll get to glow too..."

The children were so caught up in their excitement that they completely forgot their mothers' warnings about taking sides.

What ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‍sides? Who cared about sides? They didn’t even know Pang Jing, and he couldn’t even glow—why would they help him?

With the children’s testimony, the Crown Princess turned to Madam Pang and asked if she had any further explanations. Madam Pang frantically insisted, "Your Highness, it was my son who was bullied first! They weren’t hurt at all. Look, just look at the injuries on my son!"

She tugged at Pang Jing’s clothes, trying to show the Crown Princess, but after much fussing, not a single mark—not even a red scratch—could be found.

The four mischievous boys burst into exaggerated laughter. While they had been busy trying to strip Pang Jing’s clothes off, none of them had actually laid a finger on him.

After a long pause, the Crown Princess remarked, "I truly don’t see any injuries, Madam Pang. Perhaps you should check again in private?"

Low chuckles rippled through the crowd.

Humiliated and furious, Madam Pang smacked her son on the head and snapped, "Useless brat! Not even a single scratch to show for it!"

Pang Jing pouted and whined, "Mother, what are you talking about? Why would I want to be hurt? I just want that glowing outfit!"

Madam Pang gritted her teeth in frustration before finally conceding, "Your Highness, this is the imperial palace. Isn’t it improper for them to run around in such flashy attire?"

The Crown Princess smiled faintly. "You worry too much, Madam Pang. Earlier, His Majesty and the others saw them from a distance and said they looked quite charming."

Madam Pang gasped. "His Majesty?!"

The others were equally stunned. The Emperor had been watching them brawl nearby?

They glanced around nervously, suddenly terrified. The Emperor—the Emperor himself—had witnessed their scuffle.

Now, even Madam Pang lost her nerve, and even Shen Yibai shrank back, muttering, "Do you think we’ll end up on His Majesty’s blacklist?"

He Zheng fretted, "The palace exams in two years are doomed."

Wei Xinglu twitched his lips. "You’re thinking way too far ahead. That’s a problem for provincial graduates—we’re not even qualified for the exams yet."

Zong Jincheng rolled his eyes. "What nonsense are you spouting? Didn’t Her Highness say ‘His Majesty thought it was fine’? Stop scaring yourselves. We’re in the right."

"Good point." The four quickly united.

Cowed, Madam Pang meekly said, "Your Highness, I have matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave with my son now."

The Crown Princess smiled as she watched them depart.

Only then did Xu Wan and the others approach, curtsying. "Thank you, Your Highness, for mediating."

The Crown Princess chuckled. "Whose idea was the glowing outfit? When I asked the children to testify, they all wanted one."

Xu Wan laughed. "It was Jincheng’s idea—just some flashy child’s play."

The Crown Princess grinned knowingly. "No wonder. That boy’s head is full of clever tricks."

She beckoned to Zong Jincheng. "Jincheng, come here. What do you suggest I tell them about today’s incident?"

The little troublemaker glanced at the children behind the Crown Princess, then at her smiling eyes, and replied obediently, "I don’t know how the clothes were made, but when I get home, I can have more made and sell them at our family’s tailor shop. They can buy them if they want."

He had considered giving them away, but seeing how many kids there were—and given his current financial state—he couldn’t afford it.

Then he added, "But if Pang Jing comes to buy one, I won’t sell it to him."

Let him try to take it by force—he wouldn’t get it.

The Crown Princess burst out laughing. "Very well, we’ll do as you say. Such a good boy." She reached out and ruffled his hair affectionately.

Though she didn’t understand why the Crown Prince favored this child so much, love extended to all he cherished—and she found Zong Jincheng utterly endearing.

The little rascal, sensitive to her kindness, beamed back at her.

The other children erupted in excitement. "Yes! We can buy those clothes too! Next palace banquet, I’ll be the one glowing!"

"Me too! I’ll buy two—one to wear and one to drape over my head!"

"...Will you even see where you’re going?"

"I don’t care! I’ll be the brightest one there!"

"..."

After the banquet concluded, ministers, their wives, and children filed out of the palace. Xu Wan, now accustomed to the embarrassment of Zong Jincheng clinging to her arm, still managed to chat with Madam Shen, exchanging parenting tips.

Madam Pang, dragging her son along, grumbled under her breath. When she spotted Xu Wan and Zong Jincheng leaving, she nudged General Pang and pointed. The general took one look at the blindingly flashy outfit and declared, "What kind of clothes are those? Hideous."

Pang Jing, torn between defiance and misery, insisted, "They’re beautiful, Father! All the kids love them!"

"Love my foot," General Pang scoffed. "You’re eleven, trained in martial arts since childhood, yet you got beaten by a bunch of scholars’ brats. Don’t go around calling yourself my son—you’re an embarrassment."

Forced into a moment of clarity, Pang Jing clenched his fists. "Father, I’ll train harder! I’ll beat every last one of them!"

General Pang ignored him, lost in thought. Should he investigate the other thousand-odd candidates in the portraits? Maybe the least likely ones were the most promising after all.

The more he pondered, the more convinced he became. Smacking his fist into his palm, he declared smugly, "Damn, I’m brilliant!"

...

By the eleventh month, Zong Jincheng and the others went to check the exam results again. After his last leap ahead of Qin Ye, curiosity about their rankings had grown, and they were among the first to crowd around the imperial examination list.

"Zong Wenxiu, eighty-sixth place—up sixteen spots," Wei Xinglu recited as he scanned the list. "Jincheng, seventy-eighth, up seventeen. About the same progress Qin Ye used to make."

"Hey, Jincheng, did you slack off? Why didn’t you improve as fast this time?" Shen Yibai tilted his head in question.