The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 188

The children ran around playing, and Wei Xinglu followed behind with envy, shouting, "Wait for me, let me join in! Spread some of that luminous pearl powder on me too!"

"Haha, then run faster, I have the most on me..."

"Zong Jincheng, wait for me."

The children went on to create more chaos, while Xu Wan looked at her little finger and turned to the Old Marchioness, saying, "This time, I think I've finally been taken off the grudge list."

The Old Marchioness laughed heartily at her remark, feeling several years younger all of a sudden. "Let’s go, let's go see the lanterns. In my opinion, the lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival are the most beautiful, all of them red."

Xu Wan raised an eyebrow and said, "That's because you like red. The lanterns during the Lantern Festival come in all colors, a real 'hundred flowers in bloom.'"

"Red is the most beautiful, nothing can compare," the Old Marchioness argued.

"As your daughter-in-law, I think purple is nice, blue is also good, and yellow is so bright and lively..."

Elsewhere at the palace banquet.

Pang Jing was dragged away, feeling wronged to the point of tears: "Why are you pulling me away? I want that piece of clothing, why didn't you help me get it back!"

"Wah wah wah..." Pang Jing continued crying.

General Pang approached and asked, "What's going on? Why is Jing crying?"

Madam Pang recounted the situation to him, and General Pang's face turned cold: "Ever since the Grand General left, they’ve been acting so arrogantly, not giving us any face. They must be licking the boots of the Crown Prince."

Before leaving for the frontier, Luo Jingfeng had instructed him to keep an eye on the Crown Prince's every move. Then he noticed that the Crown Prince had visited Marquis Manor three times in the past month, indicating a close relationship.

"General, the Grand General has sent a message back to the capital," a guard ran in from outside, handing General Pang a note.

To avoid disturbing General Pang, Madam Pang took Pang Jing to another part of the palace.

General Pang opened the note, his eyes widening in shock as he read it. He turned to the guard and said, "The Grand General has received a tip that the Third Young Lady might have had a child before her death!"

The guard was equally shocked: "That's impossible! No one ever heard of the Third Young Lady being pregnant. She was bedridden for the last half year before her death. How could she have had a child? Half a year... half a year... half a year!"

General Pang was both shocked and delighted. "She must have been pretending to be sick. She likely secretly conceived and gave birth."

"That's fantastic. If the Third Young Lady had a child, then the whole world could be ours," the guard exclaimed with delight.

"Excellent, this news from the Grand General is just in time!" General Pang was overjoyed, his excitement making it hard to catch his breath. He paced back and forth, then murmured, "Third Young Lady, you better pull through. This child must be a boy."

When that time comes...

The emperor, the Crown Prince, the Zong family—all these people they resent—will all be dead.

General Pang squeezed the note tightly, his face showing a look of determination as he looked up.

After the palace banquet ended, people began to leave in droves.

Behind Xu Wan, the usual three troublemakers trailed after her, making her the center of attention and the target of everyone’s eyes and teasing. She now fully understood the feeling of utter embarrassment, just like what Zong Wenxiu must endure every time.

"This is so embarrassing...!" she thought.

But the little devil, Zong Jincheng, who had just made up with her, stuck to her like glue, and the others also surrounded her, making Xu Wan want to start a fight with him all over again.

Just when she was about to lose her patience, the little devil suddenly took a small step forward and grabbed her sleeve.

Xu Wan paused and looked sideways at him, asking, "Why are you grabbing my sleeve?"

Zong Jincheng's head swiveled awkwardly as he mumbled, "Oh, I'm afraid you'll get lost."

Xu Wan's face was a mixture of shock and disbelief. "Are you joking? Do you think I don't know the way?"

"Well, you never know. The palace is quite big, and the paths are complicated. My grandmother once got lost in there." Zong Jincheng said, trying to justify his actions.

The Old Marquis, whose ears were sharp as ever, couldn’t help but want to turn around and expose the boy’s ridiculous story, but the Old Marchioness held him back. The Old Marquis then quietly told her what was happening behind them, and she listened with wide, amused eyes, enjoying the drama.

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Behind them, Xu Wan continued to patiently explain, "My sense of direction is excellent; I won’t get lost. Thank you for your concern."

Being followed by a glowing, attention-grabbing troublemaker really made it hard for her to stay calm.

Still, Zong Jincheng clung to her sleeve and continued with his weak excuse, "It's dark, and there are no lanterns on the sides. You might need me to light the way."

"Oh, no need. I can see by the moonlight," Xu Wan replied, still refusing.

Zong Jincheng finally got annoyed. "Are you trying to pick a fight again?"

Xu Wan: "...Yes, you caught me."

However, the wise stepmother decided to change the subject. "Don’t hold onto me so tightly. You’re making it hard for me to walk."

"I’m not holding on tightly! I’m just holding your sleeve. Why are you being so dramatic?"

"Am I being dramatic? Look at what you're doing!" Xu Wan was deeply impressed by his ability to turn the tables.

"Hmph, meanie." Zong Jincheng accused her, though his grip on her sleeve remained firm as he pulled her along.

When ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‍they finally got into the horse carriage, and there were no more curious onlookers, Xu Wan’s racing, embarrassed heartbeat finally began to return to normal.

"Wan, you take the same carriage as them. Your father and I have some things to discuss," the Old Marchioness kindly gave Zong Jincheng an excuse to stay close to Xu Wan.

The Old Marchioness and the Old Marquis, taking this chance to leave the young couple alone, got into their own carriage and started exchanging gossip about their son and daughter-in-law, feeling increasingly excited about the prospect of seeing them as a loving family.

Xu Wan was then escorted back to Zong Jincheng's carriage.

This made Zong Jincheng secretly overjoyed.

He climbed into the carriage and sat close to Xu Wan, trying to act casual about it.

Xu Wan’s lips curled into a smile as she thought to herself, "Little idiot, so naive."

He Zheng and Zong Wenxiu were sitting across from them, both a bit tired from playing all evening, dozing off in the carriage.

During that moment, He Zheng opened his eyes just in time to see Zong Jincheng scoot a bit closer to Xu Wan on the right. Xu Wan was leaning against the carriage window, eyes closed, completely oblivious.

He Zheng's eyes widened in realization. So it was true, just as Wei Xinglu had whispered to him earlier, Jincheng was definitely getting closer to his stepmother lately, and He Zheng had just caught him in the act.

When Zong Jincheng noticed his brother's shocked gaze, he suddenly felt his neck heat up, as if blushing. He glared at He Zheng, who quickly shut his eyes tightly, pretending he hadn't seen anything.