The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 262

Shen Yibai was utterly indignant. He snorted and said, "A mere exam? Piece of cake. Just wait—we’ll crush you, Jincheng."

Zong Jincheng shot him a look of royal disdain. "Hope I won’t have to wait till my hair turns white, Shen Ziya."

Shen Yibai: "!"

Damn it. Comparing him to Jiang Ziya, who only rose to prominence at seventy?

After five months of schooling, the little rascal was no longer the illiterate he once was. Jincheng’s endless stream of insults was now instantly recognizable.

"Just wait. I won’t keep losing forever," Shen Yibai declared defiantly.

This Shen Yibai was no longer the spoiled brat he used to be.

He was destined to become a great scholar!

Zong Jincheng raised an eyebrow, suddenly recalling a phrase Qin Ye had once used. Mimicking the other’s haughty tone, he said, "You’re still far from my level."

Those simple words pierced the pride of the young troublemakers like a thousand needles.

Shen Yibai: "!!! I’ll fight you!!!"

At this point, even Wei Xinglu lost his temper. Jincheng’s words were too much—who could tolerate that? This called for a chair to the face!

"I can’t take it either! Let’s go, Yibai! Beat him up!"

As the little devil was chased around, the corners of his lips curled into a faint smile. So this was how Qin Ye had felt back then—looking down on him because his skills were rock-bottom, because his own confidence was unshakable.

So this was the feeling.

But he wouldn’t become Qin Ye. Because these were his brothers.

The little devil suddenly stopped mid-run, turning around with a grin. "Brothers, I’ll give you a chance to challenge me. Let’s settle it at the Autumn Exams."

"Autumn Exams?" Shen Yibai and Wei Xinglu exchanged glances, slowly lowering the chairs they’d been brandishing.

There were still eleven months until the Autumn Exams.

……

Since Shen Yibai and Wei Xinglu insisted on taking the ten-year-olds’ exam, Xu Wan surprisingly agreed, letting the two little rascals skip off happily to Qingbo Academy for the test.

Meanwhile, in the advanced class, Jiang Yan and Xu Jin had already obtained the eleven-year-olds’ exam papers. They planned to administer the test to the two young masters every three days at the manor, then send the completed papers to the academy’s dean for grading and ranking.

This way, they could assess the boys’ progress without dampening their enthusiasm—a perfect solution. Xu Wan’s brilliance shone once again.

On the day of the results, the five boys finally understood how chaotic crowds could be. So they postponed their visit until the afternoon, when hardly anyone was left.

"Move aside, move aside! Let me see if I got first place!" Shen Yibai rushed ahead excitedly.

Wei Xinglu scoffed. "First place is obviously mine. What are you dreaming about?"

He Zheng chuckled. "Well, I’m definitely still first."

Zong Jincheng lazily remarked, "Let’s see what kind of mess you two managed in the ten-year-olds’ exam."

Zong Wenxiu stifled a laugh and followed to check the ten-year-olds’ rankings.

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As Xu Wan entered, she spotted a familiar figure standing in front of the imperial examination results—Qin Ye. He, too, preferred coming when the crowd had thinned. But this time, he was standing near the bottom of the list. Why there? Hadn’t he long since climbed to the top?

Qin Ye’s current rank was seventeenth in the academy. Progress grew slower the higher one climbed—this time, he’d only advanced sixteen places. And this was just Qingbo Academy’s ranking. To reclaim his position as the capital’s top scholar, he’d need at least another year.

His mood was somber. His father had said his poetry was excellent, but his policy proposals were too rigid—such an approach would only create enemies in officialdom. But if the methods worked, achieving unprecedented results, why should it matter?

*If my death ensures the people’s welfare, so be it.*

His father, a former top scholar, disapproved. The academy’s grading instructors disapproved. Thus, his policy essays showed the slowest improvement.

Qin Ye felt trapped in a bottleneck, unable to find a way out. He’d been standing before the rankings for a long time when his gaze fell on the Zong brothers at the bottom.

One ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‍at 102nd place, the other at 95th.

95th place—Zong Jincheng. He’d climbed twenty-one spots.

"He’s catching up fast," Qin Ye muttered, clenching his fists. For the first time, he felt a sense of crisis. "So this is what it’s like… fearing someone might surpass you."

His elder brother had once said Zong Jincheng’s talent rivaled his own—after just a few months of study, he’d entered the Child Prodigy Class. Back then, Qin Ye hadn’t cared; the gap between them was too wide.

But now, a year later… his brother had been right.

Closing his eyes, Qin Ye forced himself to stay calm. The problem lay with him, not others. His priority should be fixing his policy essays, not worrying about being overtaken.

When he opened his eyes again, they were as cold and proud as ever.

Xu Wan stood nearby, watching Qin Ye stare at Jincheng’s results, then lapse into prolonged silence before leaving.

Smiling at the young boy’s retreating figure, she murmured, "Qin Ye, you who’ve never spared a glance for anyone… have you finally noticed Jincheng? He’ll be your greatest challenger. I hope you’re prepared."

Meanwhile, the boys’ laughter erupted nearby.

"Hahahaha! Shen Yibai, the king of bragging! Not even in the top ten! At least Xinglu made eighth!"

Shen Yibai flushed with embarrassment. "I started with worse basics! Xinglu had some schooling before this—I was starting from scratch! This is huge progress! Show some respect for the future great scholar, will you? I jumped over a hundred places! Even the teachers would suspect cheating!"

Wei Xinglu patted his shoulder mockingly. "Relax. We’re not moving up a class anyway. Next month, we’ll take first and second together, right… *Shen Second*?"

Shen Yibai’s temper flared. "Who are you calling ‘Shen Second’? If you’re already in the top ten, go take the eleven-year-olds’ exam! Stop hogging *my* first place!"

The little devil burst out laughing. "Pfft—what’s this? Can’t solve the problem, so you’re eliminating the competition? Shen the Second, is that how you plan to win? Should we all just forfeit next year’s Autumn Exams so you can claim victory?"

"Hahaha…" The boys dissolved into laughter again.

Humiliated, Shen Yibai changed targets, marching toward the imperial exam rankings. "Jincheng, since you’re so smug, let’s see how much *you* improved. Rumor has it Qin Ye used to climb nearly twenty spots at a time—no way you’re faster than him!"