The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

Chapter 146

The little troublemaker thought that his second aunt, being his brother's mother, was kind-hearted and would surely side with him.

But as the etiquette lesson went on, he found it increasingly unsettling.

"...You must never address elders by their names directly, as it may be seen as disrespectful."

"...You must never play rough with elders or act disobedient and unfilial. You must never..."

Every time Baili Weihong taught a new etiquette rule, she would follow it with a "you must never," and coincidentally, these were all things the little troublemaker did every day.

The little rascal's face grew darker and darker.

His clapping hands slowed to a stop, and his round little face nearly stretched into a long, sulky one.

Xu Wan, standing outside the window, turned away, afraid she might burst out laughing and provoke the little devil into a tantrum.

Seeing the little troublemaker's face darken further, Baili Weihong quickly deployed her trump card: "Children who are polite and well-mannered are liked, but many adults are already accustomed to such children and don’t praise them often. On the other hand, those who were once unruly, once they change, will astonish their elders and receive endless praise, gaining far more attention than usual."

The deflated little troublemaker suddenly perked up.

It was like a blade of grass that had been scorched by the sun all day, finally greeted by the coolest midnight, drenched in fresh dew, washing away all its previous discomfort.

He tentatively asked, "Do elders really like such children the most?"

Baili Weihong nodded. "Of course. Think about it—hasn’t your grandmother been praising you more than Zong Wenxiu since she returned?"

The little troublemaker thought carefully, and it was true!

Although his brother was much better behaved, and his grandmother now treated them equally, he still received the most praise!

It was all because of his dramatic change—elders loved children who showed such transformation!

The ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????little troublemaker immediately broke into a wide grin and started clapping enthusiastically again. "Second Aunt, you teach so well!"

Zong Wenxiu scratched his head, shaking it with a mix of helplessness and amusement.

His little brother was just too easy to please.

Outside the window, Xu Wan also left with relief. It seemed Baili Weihong had found the key to teaching the little troublemaker, and now she didn’t have to worry.

Baili Weihong's etiquette lessons lasted only half an hour each day, but thanks to the children's good memory, they quickly grasped the lessons.

When Xu Wan next saw the two children, she noticed they both bowed to her properly. Although one of them was reluctant, his movements were at least correct.

"Not bad, Jincheng. You’ve made great progress," Xu Wan said, following Baili Weihong's teaching strategy by praising only the little troublemaker.

Zong Jincheng's eyes lit up. Xu Wan had actually praised him?

Second Aunt was right—elders really loved well-behaved children like this. Now that he was learning etiquette, he even had an advantage over his brother. He had to keep it up!

Though he was ecstatic inside, the little troublemaker tried hard to suppress his grin and said proudly, "Of course! I learn everything quickly!"

Although Second Aunt had also said it wasn’t good for him to keep calling his stepmother by her full name, he felt too awkward to change. Calling her "Mother" felt strange, and it felt like admitting defeat to Xu Wan.

So he stubbornly refused to change how he addressed her. At most, he stopped calling her by her full name directly, opting to just say "Hey" when he needed something and otherwise avoiding addressing her at all.

Xu Wan didn’t mind what he called her, as long as he didn’t constantly rattle her nerves with his antics.

The next month was dedicated to Zong Jincheng's preparation for the children's imperial examination. The tutors, having already trained Zong Wenxiu, had accumulated more experience and were even more adept at teaching the little troublemaker.

Another month passed in the blink of an eye.

Pan Hongzhi placed a new exam paper on Zong Jincheng's desk and instructed, "Jincheng, this is the exam paper Wenxiu took when he was twelve. Today’s test will be this one. Let’s see how well you’ve progressed."

The little troublemaker rolled up his sleeves and said, "Too easy. You should have given me the exam paper for the children’s imperial examination class that my brother took."

Pan Hongzhi's mouth twitched. He thought to himself, don’t get too cocky, and don’t underestimate your brother.

In the first six months after returning to the manor, Zong Wenxiu had mostly studied on his own, reading a wide range of books without a structured approach, which gave the impression that he was only slightly better than an average student.

But once he entered the advanced class and began a proper curriculum, Zong Wenxiu started to shine. His talent and effort weren’t far behind his brother’s, especially in terms of diligence—something the little troublemaker always lacked.

So even after half a year of studying, Zong Jincheng was still trailing behind his brother, never quite surpassing him.

"Let’s see how you do on this exam first," Pan Hongzhi said, lighting a large incense stick to mark the time.

He also reminded him, "Jincheng, don’t write too fast. Read the questions carefully, and make sure your handwriting is neat. You’re always rushing for time, but the exam duration is more than enough."

The little troublemaker waved his hand dismissively. "Got it, got it. I’m starting now. We’ll talk in half an hour."

Pan Hongzhi: "..."

The exam was supposed to last two hours, but this brat was planning to finish in half that time again!

Every time Pan Hongzhi saw his handwriting, he felt like his heart was being squeezed.

Yet Xu Wan, who micromanaged everything else, never bothered to correct Zong Jincheng’s handwriting, leaving Pan Hongzhi to suffer through grading his papers, forcing himself not to give the brat a low score.

In less than half an hour, the little troublemaker handed in his exam paper.

Pan Hongzhi took the paper and felt like he wanted to drop dead on the spot.

"Jincheng, your handwriting is unacceptable..." Pan Hongzhi’s frown could have crushed ten mosquitoes.

"What’s wrong with it?" Zong Jincheng urged. "Hurry up, bring me the exam paper for the children’s imperial examination class that my brother took. I’ll do another one while you grade this."

Pan Hongzhi couldn’t hold back anymore. "Jincheng, listen to me. Your handwriting is getting worse and worse. Before, you could scribble, and we, being familiar with you, could decipher it. Even at Qingbo Academy, thanks to the headmaster, the teachers were willing to spend extra time grading your papers. But for the children’s imperial examination, the graders are from the Ministry of Rites. We have no connections there, and even if we did, we couldn’t cheat for you. You..."

The little troublemaker replied matter-of-factly, "But that’s next spring, right? There’s still half a year left. No rush, no rush. I’ll practice then. You’re overthinking it."

"I..." Pan Hongzhi was left speechless, staring at the horrendously written exam paper. He really wanted to give it a failing grade.

But then he remembered who he was dealing with.

He held it in.

He managed to hold it in for less than a breath before wanting to explode, but Zhao Yin, standing beside him, pulled him back and shook his head.

Then, in a voice only the two of them could hear, Zhao Yin reminded him, "This monthly exam is a joint test between Hanlin North Academy, Suibei Academy, and Qingbo Academy. Not only are the students mixed and sent to different academies to take the exam, but the teachers are also mixed for grading. Young Master Jincheng might not be as lucky as before to have Qingbo Academy’s teachers protecting him."