The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 336

Xu Wan stepped down from the carriage and smiled at them, saying, "Children, hurry and go check the results."

The little troublemaker quickly went over to help her down. "Mother, let them go see. I’ll accompany you to find the headmaster."

Zong Jincheng had already climbed to second place in the academy rankings. He used to dream of surpassing Qin Ye someday, but after waiting endlessly, he shrugged it off without a second thought: "It must be because my poetry isn’t strong enough. The autumn exams will be my time to shine."

Xu Wan chuckled. "Alright, let’s go. I’ll also ask the headmaster to estimate how you all might rank in Hanlin North Academy."

"Ah? That can be estimated?" Zong Jincheng blinked in surprise.

"Probably?" Xu Wan replied uncertainly. "That’s why I’m going to ask."

"Great, I’ll come with you!"

The other four boys went to check the rankings, while Zong Jincheng followed Xu Wan to the headmaster’s courtyard. Before they even entered, they heard the headmaster’s booming laughter.

"This year’s autumn exams will be Qingbo Academy’s time to shine! We’ll show Hanlin North Academy—no, the entire capital—what we’re made of! Ohohohohoho!!!"

Xu Wan scratched her head awkwardly, feeling a sense of déjà vu. She hesitated at the threshold, almost pulling her foot back.

Zong Jincheng burst out laughing. "Mother, listen! The headmaster must be this happy because of our excellent results. Haha, this is the strength of our elite class! We’re the best Childhood Scholars, and we’ll dominate the autumn exams!"

Xu Wan sighed helplessly but smiled as she stepped inside. "Well, it seems the headmaster can indeed estimate the rankings—he’s already celebrating in advance."

"Headmaster! Headmaster! We’re here!" Zong Jincheng called out the moment they entered the courtyard. Though there were only a few people around, his voice made it seem bustling. novelbuddy.cσ๓

The ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‍headmaster hurried out upon hearing them. "Madam Zong, Jincheng, here to check the results? Please, come in!"

The headmaster eagerly poured them tea. Xu Wan nodded in thanks, and Zong Jincheng followed suit, his manners noticeably improved from before.

The headmaster said, "Jincheng, your progress is astonishing. Once you overcome the weakness in poetry, your rankings will soar even higher."

Zong Jincheng grinned. "Headmaster, isn’t it impressive? Did we all do really well?"

"Absolutely!" The headmaster couldn’t stop smiling. "All five of you have broken into the top six. The speed of your improvement is remarkable. Though there won’t be another joint exam before the autumn tests, our grading instructors believe your skills are now on par with Hanlin North Academy’s students."

In the past, their academy’s joint exam results were dominated by Qin Ye’s overwhelming first place, while others barely made the list. But now, these boys had risen spectacularly—especially in policy essays, where their logical reasoning and clarity put even seasoned scholars to shame.

Zong Jincheng exchanged a glance with Xu Wan. Neither had expected the headmaster to actually estimate their standings, and both were visibly more excited now.

Xu Wan asked, "Is there a chance for them to take the top spot in the autumn exams?"

The headmaster beamed. "Unlike the Childhood Scholar exams, where candidates come from across the nation, the autumn exams are held independently in each region, including the capital. So, if you can match Hanlin North Academy’s usual standards, there’s a strong chance of ranking well."

Xu Wan turned to Zong Jincheng with a smile. "Hear that? There’s hope for a good ranking, but the exact position depends on your efforts in the next two months."

The little troublemaker puffed his chest confidently. "This time, we’ll all be at the top. Whoever wants last place can have it!"

"Hahahaha…"

Laughter filled the courtyard.

Outside, He Zheng’s cheerful voice rang out. "Big brother, come quick! Bai-ge is as steady as a mountain!"

Shen Yibai groaned. "He Zheng, you didn’t surpass Wenxiu-ge either!"

Wei Xinglu drawled lazily, "Relax, why aim so high? Second-to-last is pretty fun too!"

Zong Wenxiu hurried to mediate. "No fighting, everyone’s doing great—"

Thud!

Shen Yibai nearly tripped. He turned around, scowling. "Hey, who’s this guy crouching in the corner without a word?"

A young man in his twenties stood up, his face streaked with tears and snot. "I’m Ge Hong, the one you’ve been pushing down one rank every month!"

Wei Xinglu blinked. "Eighth place? Wasn’t seventh place below us?"

The four boys gathered around, and Zong Wenxiu kindly offered a handkerchief.

Ge Hong slapped his hand away, crying, "Who needs your fake kindness? A bunch of privileged brats, stealing what belongs to others!"

"Wenxiu-ge! Are you okay?" The three boys rushed forward, seeing the red mark on Zong Wenxiu’s hand.

Shen Yibai’s temper flared instantly. "Got no manners, huh? Wenxiu-ge offers you a handkerchief, and you hit him? Let me teach you a lesson—the Four Little Talents used to be the Four Little Rascals!"

Wei Xinglu cracked his knuckles, ready to join in, but He Zheng held them back. "Brothers, save the fists for later. Let’s hear him out first. Ge Hong, what do you mean we ‘stole’ your rank? We earned our places fair and square."

Ge Hong’s eyes were red. "I was consistently in the top three until you five noble kids started climbing one rank every month. How is that possible without connections? Money and power sure are great, huh? Just snatch others’ hard-earned ranks like it’s nothing?"

Zong Jincheng and Xu Wan emerged from the courtyard just in time to hear this. Seeing his brothers fuming, Zong Jincheng was about to step in when Xu Wan tugged his sleeve. "Give them a chance to handle it themselves."

Though he was their leader, the boys needed to learn to resolve conflicts on their own. Always relying on their big brother would stunt their growth.

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Understanding his mother’s point, Zong Jincheng stayed put and watched quietly.

Shen Yibai was livid. "You’re being ridiculous! Are we wrong for improving? So what if we overtake you every month? If there were more rankings, we’d be surpassing countless Hanlin North Academy students too!"

Wei Xinglu nodded. "Exactly. We keep advancing, so naturally, you fall behind. Learning is like rowing upstream—if you don’t move forward, you’ll drift back. Do we really need to explain that to you?"