The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 210

“Check the candles again, make sure none of them have empty wicks. Look at the bottom too,” Xu Wan was still instructing. “And don’t forget the sachets to repel mice. Make sure none are missing.”

The little troublemaker, Zong Jincheng, was sprawled on the table, shifting his position every now and then—tilting his head to the left, then to the right, occasionally lifting his head to glance around before flopping back down.

Outside, the soft hum of night insects filled the air, while inside, his mother was busy packing his belongings.

Tomorrow, he would enter the examination hall.

But a part of him wished time would stand still, or at least stretch a little longer. This moment felt so comforting.

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After Xu Wan and her helpers had double-checked everything and confirmed nothing was missing, she finally walked over to him and asked, “Do you remember where everything is placed?”

Zong Jincheng nodded. “I remember.”

He remembered it all clearly because his mother had prepared each item for him, one by one.

Xu Wan raised an eyebrow. “You’re being so quiet today, not saying a word. This isn’t like you. Are you nervous?”

Zong Jincheng hesitated for a moment before quickly replying, “No, I’m not nervous. If anyone should be nervous, it’s Qin Ye. Just watch how I’ll knock him off his first-place pedestal!”

Xu Wan couldn’t help but laugh, ruffling his hair. “Just do your best. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

Zong Jincheng’s eyes sparkled, his heart bursting with joy.

“Do your best.” She had said it to him.

This was the first time she had ever said those words to him. Before, she had always used them to comfort his older brother or He Zheng. But now, she had said it to him too. Did that mean she was starting to worry about him overthinking things?

Zong Jincheng grinned confidently. “I’ll bring back a great result and make you proud!”

Xu Wan smiled. “Alright, I’ll be waiting.”

That night, the children went to bed early.

Xu Wan, however, tossed and turned, unable to sleep. It wasn’t that she was worried about their performance in the exams, but rather that she was concerned about them staying in the examination hall for four nights. They were still young, and this was their first time being away from home. She wondered if they would adjust well.

Finally, in the middle of the night, Xu Wan couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, “This child-level exam is ridiculous. Why can’t they let the kids come home every day? Just spread the exams out over five days without giving out all the papers at once. How hard is that?”

“Outdated and inconsiderate,” she grumbled, pulling the blanket over her head and falling asleep with a lingering sense of frustration.

The next morning, the grand procession from the Marquis’s household escorted the three children to the gates of the examination hall. The hall was located in a remote area, and as soon as they stepped out of the carriage, they felt a chill in the air. Fortunately, Xu Wan had made sure they were bundled up, so they didn’t feel too uncomfortable.

The three children, carrying their bags, waved goodbye and turned to enter the examination hall.

On the way, Zong Wenxiu was still cramming, muttering to himself about the “Nine Classics of Governing the State”: “To govern a nation, there are nine principles: self-cultivation, honoring the virtuous, cherishing one’s family, respecting high officials, empathizing with subordinates, caring for the common people, attracting skilled artisans, being gentle with distant peoples, and winning over the feudal lords.”

Suddenly, Zong Jincheng interrupted, “The last part talks about using a gentle approach to attract talent and strengthen the nation. But during the rise of the Qin dynasty, did they really rely on such a policy to attract foreign talent?”

He Zheng looked baffled. “I haven’t studied that yet…”

Zong Wenxiu was also stumped. Right before the exam, not only had his last-minute cramming failed, but he also realized how far behind he was.

He tried to steady himself and comfort his younger brothers. “Don’t worry, it might not even be on the exam.”

“Oh…” Zong Jincheng nodded, still puzzled.

Just then, a cold voice came from behind, calmly listing a few names: “Shang Yang, Zhang Yi, Fan Ju, Li Si.”

The three of them quickly turned around and met a pair of icy eyes.

It was Qin Ye.

His arrival caused a stir at the entrance of the examination hall:

“It’s ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍Qin Ye, the famous prodigy from Qingbo Academy. He’s really here for this year’s child-level exam.”

“It’s over. Even Hanlin North Academy, the top academy in the capital, has lost to him repeatedly. Qin Ye is definitely going to take first place this time.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic. The child-level exam is nationwide. Maybe there’s a genius from another region who can outshine him.”

“Nonsense. How many geniuses do you think there are? Did you hear the names he just mentioned? That’s knowledge beyond even what’s in *The Doctrine of the Mean*. Qin Ye’s abilities are far beyond the scope of this exam.”

“……”

While the other candidates continued to chatter, He Zheng stared at Qin Ye and whispered, “Jincheng, is this the Qin Ye we’ve been talking about defeating? He doesn’t look ugly or menacing at all… And he just gave us the answer before the exam.”

Zong Jincheng was also confused. Why would Qin Ye, their rival, help them? Wasn’t that just making the exam harder for himself?

Zong Wenxiu quietly reminded him, “Qin Ye probably did it for his brother, Qin Shi, as a way of repaying a favor.”

So he was thanking them on behalf of his brother.

Zong Jincheng snorted and asked Qin Ye, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll do better than you if you give me the answer before the exam?”

Qin Ye’s cold gaze met his as he replied indifferently, “First, your brother is right. It might not even be on the exam.”

“And second?” Zong Jincheng narrowed his eyes, waiting to hear what else he had to say.

“Second, I’ve already told you. First place is mine. If you want to surpass me…” Qin Ye walked up the steps, glancing back over his shoulder, “you’re still far from it.”

“Still far from it… Still far from it…”

Those words echoed in Zong Jincheng’s mind, infuriating him to the point where he wanted to jump up and start a fight. “Qin Ye! You arrogant jerk, who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty? You’re just showing off, aren’t you? Damn it, I’ll crush you, flatten you, and then crush you again!”

Qin Ye ignored him and walked into the examination hall.

Meanwhile, Zong Jincheng, now fuming, was pulled back by Zong Wenxiu and He Zheng. His older brother’s timely reminder calmed him down: “Auntie is still watching you.”

Zong Jincheng turned and saw Xu Wan in the crowd. She didn’t know what had happened, but her furrowed brow showed she was worried about him.

Knowing the importance of today’s exam, Zong Jincheng took a deep breath and composed himself, stepping into the examination hall with a cold expression.

“You just wait, Qin Ye! I’ll show you who’s boss!”

The child-level exam began.

As soon as the exam papers were handed out, Zong Jincheng followed the proper procedure, first checking for any printing errors before skimming through the questions.

There were many questions, enough to make his hand ache just thinking about it. Fortunately, most of them were familiar, and he felt confident. But then he turned to the last page…

And saw the very question they had said might not even be on the exam.

Zong Jincheng: “……”

Damn it!!

Qin Ye is absolutely inhuman!!