The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

Qingbo Academy had slightly lower admission standards compared to Hanlin North Academy, and the level of students in its Child Prodigy Class was also somewhat inferior. Although Luo Chen was only the top student in the ten-year-old class at Hanlin North Academy, there was no doubt he would easily secure a spot in Qingbo Academy's Child Prodigy Class.

On the other hand, Zong Wenxiu, who had only been studying for a year, had jumped straight to the twelve-year-old class to take the exam. Despite his frequent grade-skipping, his ranking wasn’t particularly impressive.

Given such a stark contrast in their achievements, everyone unanimously believed that Luo Chen would be the one to get in.

“It’s over. Zong Wenxiu is definitely going to lose.”

“Exactly. If both of them could get in, there’d still be a competition, but with only one spot, it’s practically a death sentence.”

“This is bad. Our academy probably won’t get any new dormitories built after this.”

“My heart goes out to the dean for a moment…”

Luo Chen smugly waved the written agreement in his hand at the Zong brothers, boasting, “Remember, a bet is a bet. Accept your loss gracefully.”

Zong Wenxiu clenched his fingers, forcing himself to remain calm as he replied, “The results aren’t out yet. It’s too early to say who’s won or lost.”

“Hmph, you won’t admit defeat until you see the coffin.”

In contrast to everyone else’s tension, the little troublemaker lounged lazily on a stone bench, seemingly certain that his brother would win. He casually brushed off the crumbs from the pastry he had just finished eating, ready to jump up and congratulate his brother at any moment.

The little rascal’s attire stood out even more in the academy. Those who knew his temperament feared he might throw a tantrum if he lost, but surprisingly, he was unusually calm at this moment, which was quite rare.

The grading teacher cleared his throat and announced loudly, “The student who has passed is Zong Wenxiu from the twelve-year-old class of Qingbo Academy. Please report to the Child Prodigy Class three days from now.”

This announcement caused an uproar among the onlooking students, who erupted into chaos:

“Heavens, am I hearing this right? Zong Wenxiu actually won! Even Luo Chen from Hanlin North Academy didn’t make it into the Child Prodigy Class. Is our Child Prodigy Class really that strong? Does that mean I have no hope in this lifetime?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Luo Chen is indeed strong, but he’s still two grades behind. There must be a lot he hasn’t learned yet, which is fatal for the Child Prodigy Class exam. I think it’s normal that he didn’t get in.”

“True, Zong Wenxiu is ranked fifty-third among the twelve-year-olds… But how does fifty-third place get into the Child Prodigy Class? I’m ranked thirty-eighth, why didn’t I get in?!”

“That just means he’s made insane progress in the past ten days…”

“Ten days? This guy is absolutely ruthless, leaving no room for the rest of us!”

By the end of their discussion, the students were all lamenting how Zong Wenxiu had left them far behind, cursing themselves for not being born into a wealthy family.

But then they glanced at Luo Chen and thought: Forget it, even this wealthy kid didn’t get in. It must not be about money.

With a reasonable comparison, their minds quickly settled.

Hearing the announcement, Zong Wenxiu finally relaxed. He let out a long breath and replied loudly to the teachers, “Yes, I will definitely report on time in three days!”

He had made it. He had gotten into the Child Prodigy Class.

He ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‍was going to study the same things as Qin Ye in the Child Prodigy Class.

He had even beaten Luo Chen. He had won!

Zong Wenxiu had probably never done anything this momentous in his life, so after instinctively responding to the teacher, his mind was still in a whirl.

Zong Jincheng immediately jumped up and cheered, “Brother! You won! I knew it would be you! So-called prodigies, top students from Hanlin North Academy—they’re all no match for my brother!”

The little troublemaker was overjoyed, but Xu Wan pulled him aside and reminded him, “You’re already stirring up trouble yourself, and now you’re dragging Wenxiu into it. What a wicked heart you have.”

The little rascal snorted, “I’m just telling the truth. My brother is the best!”

Xu Wan: “…”

Of course, the truth always offends people.

Zong Wenxiu was too happy to pay attention to her at the moment. He just pulled the little troublemaker back, signaling him to lower his voice.

But the commotion around them was already deafening, so the little troublemaker’s voice wasn’t particularly noticeable. Few people paid attention to what was being said here.

Meanwhile, Luo Chen’s side was eerily silent. His face darkened as he clenched his fists, and he finally couldn’t hold back anymore, shouting, “This is impossible! The grading teachers must be biased, trying to curry favor with Yangyuan Marquis Manor by making me a stepping stone for Zong Wenxiu!”

This shocking accusation stunned all the students.

Luo Chen was really bold. They had all thought the same thing, but for the sake of the new dormitories, they had kept their mouths shut.

The teachers turned to the dean and said, “Dean, we graded the papers anonymously. We had no idea whose papers they were. There was no unfairness involved.”

Luo Chen scowled, “You say there was no unfairness, but how do we know you didn’t secretly take bribes? It’s not like Qingbo Academy hasn’t had such scandals before!”

The dean’s expression immediately turned grim.

When Zong Jincheng first took the exam at Qingbo Academy, his paper had been swapped because a teacher had accepted a bribe of two taels of silver. This incident was a disgrace to Qingbo Academy, and no one dared to bring it up. Now, Luo Chen had mentioned it right in front of the dean, showing no respect whatsoever.

The dean said coldly, “Fine. Since you don’t trust our teachers, we’ll post both of your exam papers for everyone to see whether there was any favoritism in the grading.”

Luo Chen sneered, “Go ahead, post them. Let’s see if you dare!”

The dean was well-prepared for this. He ordered the teachers to retrieve the two exam papers and post them on the wall outside the courtyard for the students to examine.

At that moment, Xu Wan leaned in and whispered something into the little troublemaker’s ear. Her sudden closeness startled Zong Jincheng, but since it concerned his brother, he didn’t have time to argue with her.

Xu Wan quietly gave him a couple of instructions, and the little troublemaker’s eyes lit up. He quickly ran over to the dean and said, “Dean, let them leave their handwriting samples first, just in case someone accuses the academy of swapping the papers later.”

The dean had initially planned to wait until after the results were reviewed to compare the handwriting, but after glancing at Xu Wan behind the little troublemaker, he agreed.

He had someone bring over ink, brushes, and paper, and said, “Both of you, leave a sample of your handwriting here so we can verify that the exam papers were indeed written by you.”

Luo Chen didn’t suspect anything. He was extremely confident and firmly believed that Zong Wenxiu had cheated, so he welcomed this suggestion.

The two of them each wrote a seven-character quatrain from the exam paper on the stone table, signed their names, and left the papers there.

Meanwhile, the students had already crowded outside the courtyard to look at the two exam papers. Students’ exam papers were usually not made public, so this was a rare opportunity, and they were all clamoring to get a closer look.

At the stone table, Luo Chen glanced at the characters Zong Wenxiu had just written and sneered, “A poor imitation.”