The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

Perhaps he had mistakenly taken the exam for eleven-year-olds, which would make sense. For him, it would naturally be challenging.

The sound of the little devil slamming the table was so loud that it startled Zong Wenxiu, who was silently writing beside him. He cast a puzzled glance in his direction.

To be safe, Zhao Yin came over to check the exam paper before replying, "No, this is the right one. Young Master Wenxiu just took this exam two days ago and achieved first place in the academy and nineteenth in the joint examination."

After saying this, he handed the exam paper to Zong Wenxiu, who confirmed it was indeed the same one.

Just as Zong Wenxiu was about to agree, he saw his brother’s angry face, looking hurt and sad, as if he had been deceived.

"Brother, is this true?"

Zong Wenxiu’s throat seemed to be blocked by something, making it hard for him to speak the truth.

He paused and advised, "Jincheng, don’t be too hasty. You just haven’t learned this yet—it doesn’t mean you can’t. There’s a big difference between the two."

"What difference? I still can’t do it," the little devil mumbled, his lips pouting like a teapot.

Zong Wenxiu chuckled patiently and said, "Think about your progress over the past few months. You’ve been learning so fast. With your talent, I’m sure you’ll be able to solve this paper in a month."

"Really?"

"Really, I’m not lying," Zong Wenxiu said with a smile. "Just do me a favor and give me a month’s head start, so I won’t fall too far behind you in the future, okay?"

Zong Jincheng thought about how good his brother had always been to him. If the competition was with Zong Wenxiu, he could afford to give him some leeway.

So he nodded and soon replied with a sweet smile, "Okay."

There was probably no one else in the world who could calm the little devil down so quickly.

Zhao Yin couldn’t help but admire how skilled Zong Wenxiu was at persuasion. Instead of directly answering the question, he found another angle to praise Zong Jincheng, diverting his attention, and then used their sibling bond to smooth things over.

Hmm, not bad. Something to learn from.

Xu Wan had already anticipated that the little devil wouldn’t do well on this exam. Even though she had given him a heads-up, it didn’t help. This kid needed to face a few setbacks to understand the gap between himself and others.

As for the little troublemaker who had given up on the exam, she didn’t mock or provoke him as usual. Instead, after Zong Wenxiu had calmed him down, she maintained an indifferent attitude to avoid ruffling his feathers and disrupting the teaching progress.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Inside the room, the private tutors quickly graded the exams, and the two kids also entered a state of silent writing.

By evening, the test results were out.

In front of Xu Wan and the two kids, Zhao Yin announced the results: "Young Master Jincheng and Young Master Wenxiu both received an 'A' grade."

Both kids were thrilled. After all, this was the first time they had taken an exam meant for students a year older than them. Getting an 'A' proved they had the ability to move up a class.

Zong Jincheng was the first to excitedly ask, "So what’s my ranking? Can I be first in the academy? Where would I place in the joint exam with Hanlin North Academy?"

Zong Wenxiu also asked, "What about me? What kind of ranking can I expect?"

Zhao Yin exchanged a glance with Pan Hongzhi, who shook his head slightly, before replying, "Young Masters, I’m sorry, but we can’t estimate your rankings. First, we don’t know how the other students performed, and second, the exam grading only has four levels: A, B, C, and D. To determine specific rankings within each level, we’d need the results of the other students."

"Ah… I thought we could figure out the exact ranking," Zong Jincheng said, pouting in disappointment. "So how do I know how well I did? Just based on an 'A'?"

Zhao Yin smiled and said, "At Qingbo Academy, even some 'B' grades make the rankings, so an 'A' definitely will."

"What about Hanlin North Academy? Do I have to wait until the joint exam in the second half of the year to find out how many geniuses I’ve crushed?" Zong Jincheng asked, tilting his head.

When former Hanlin teacher Pan Hongzhi heard this, a vein on his forehead twitched. How could this kid sound so serious yet so infuriating?

At this point, Xu Wan spoke up, "Teacher Pan, could we further subdivide the 'A' grade so they can compare themselves to themselves?"

In modern times, exam scores would be clear at a glance, unlike the vague A, B, C, and D grades. This would make it easier for students to see the difference between themselves and others and adjust their efforts accordingly.

Pan Hongzhi’s mind worked quickly, and he replied, "Then let’s divide the 'A' grade into four sub-levels: A of A, A of B, and so on?"

Xu Wan said, "Four sub-levels are still too few. Let’s use the ten Heavenly Stems. For example, A of Geng would mean seventh place within the 'A' grade."

After a quick discussion among the private tutors, they agreed, "Madam, we can now give the young masters more specific grades."

Zong Jincheng and Zong Wenxiu’s eyes lit up, and they eagerly rubbed their hands in anticipation.

Soon, Pan Hongzhi announced, "Young Master Wenxiu: A of Ding, fourth place. Among the eleven-year-olds at Qingbo Academy, there are about a hundred 'A' grades. This result places you around fortieth."

Zong Wenxiu’s anxious heart finally relaxed. Not bad, not as bad as he had feared.

Zong Jincheng, on the other hand, was even more excited and asked, "What about me? Did I do better? Am I still firmly in first place in the academy?"

Pan Hongzhi’s mouth twitched as he replied, "Young Master Jincheng: A of Bing, around thirtieth place."

This infuriating kid always managed to be so smug, yet he consistently performed well. Heaven truly favored him too much.

Zong Jincheng: "..."

I’m done. What a lousy score!

The little devil immediately withdrew his smile, plopped back into his seat, and his entire face screamed: I hate the entire world.

Xu Wan glanced at him and then said to the note-taking attendant beside her, "Record their exam results each time so we can compare them later."

"Yes, Madam."

Xu Wan then said, "It’s getting late. Everyone, go have dinner first, and we’ll reconvene later. I have some matters to arrange."

The teachers, who lived and ate in the residence, obeyed Xu Wan, their benefactor, without question. After acknowledging her, they left one by one.

The little devil was still sulking, refusing to move no matter how much Zong Wenxiu tried to persuade him. He didn’t even want to eat dinner now.

Xu Wan said, "Stop trying, Wenxiu. If he doesn’t want to eat, let him go hungry. There are consequences for throwing tantrums."

Hearing this, Zong Jincheng became even more annoyed. He turned his round head toward her and shouted, "Can’t you say something nice for once?"

"No," Xu Wan replied coldly.

Zong Jincheng snorted heavily and muttered, "So biased. You only say nice things to my brother. With me, it’s all sarcasm and no comfort. I’m still a kid, okay? I’m even younger! You don’t know how to take care of me at all!"

Xu Wan: "..."

What is this little rascal muttering about?

Is he… trying to act spoiled with her?