The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class

Chapter 105

Little Fool: “......?”

Zong Jincheng looked at Zong Wenxiu in confusion. What was going on? His brother hadn’t secretly stayed up all night studying but had instead spent the night covering him with a blanket?

“Do I... kick off my blankets when I sleep?” The little troublemaker had no idea he had such a habit.

Shunzi nodded vigorously. Of course, not only did he kick off his blankets, but he was also the king of blanket-kicking. It’s just that Young Master Cheng usually had someone watching over him while he slept. Today, since it was Young Master Xiu’s turn, they had all been dismissed.

Zong Jincheng: “......” Suddenly, his face turned red.

So, he had misunderstood.

He abruptly stood up, then abruptly sat back down, his gaze wandering, too embarrassed to look at Zong Wenxiu, let alone Baili Xi.

Xu Wan raised an eyebrow and silently retreated outside the study.

Baili Xi smiled and said, “So that’s how it is. Wenxiu, earlier Jincheng said you had been reciting books all night, and I thought you were pushing yourself too hard. It’s good to know that wasn’t the case. Now, let’s all sit down and focus on the lesson.”

“Yes.”

Zong Wenxiu only glanced at his brother briefly before quickly getting into the groove, sitting down and listening attentively. Meanwhile, the little troublemaker squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.

After a while, he picked up his brush and started scribbling on a piece of paper. Once the ink dried, he crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it onto Zong Wenxiu’s desk.

Baili Xi: “......”

Kid, do you think I’m blind?

I’m sitting right here, and I saw everything clearly!

“Jincheng, stand up.”

The little troublemaker, who was still scratching his head waiting for his brother to read the note, was suddenly called out. He quickly stood up and asked, “What is it, sir?”

Baili Xi, fuming, said, “What is it? You’re not paying attention in class, and you’re disturbing Wenxiu’s focus. Why do you think I called you out?”

The little troublemaker was shocked: “You saw that?”

He thought he had thrown it without anyone noticing.

Baili Xi: “......” I’m really not blind.

He took a deep breath and said, “Wenxiu, stand up and read it.”

Zong Wenxiu picked up his book, ready to recite, but Baili Xi said, “Read the note Jincheng threw at you.”

Zong Wenxiu: “......”

Zong Jincheng: “!!!”

After class, Zong Jincheng and Zong Wenxiu were about to head out for lunch when they suddenly saw two dashing young men. At first glance, they almost didn’t recognize them.

“Tutor Zhao?”

“Tutor Pan?”

Pan Hongzhi and Zhao Yin, one dressed in a sky-blue robe and the other in a sapphire-blue robe, looked at least ten years younger than before. If they were walking down the street, they could easily be mistaken for scholars heading to the capital for the imperial exams.

The title “tutor” no longer seemed fitting for them.

Zong Jincheng circled around them, then turned to his brother and said, “They look familiar, like the older brothers at the academy preparing for the imperial exams.”

Zong Wenxiu chuckled and said, “Yes, but the difference is that they’ve already passed them.”

Zhao Yin smiled and said, “Jincheng, Wenxiu, Madam said that from now on, we’ll be having meals with you in the courtyard. When there are no outsiders, there’s no need to go to the main hall. Also, you don’t have to call us ‘tutor’—it’s too formal. Just use our names.”

Madam had said that changing the form of address would help reduce the sense of hierarchy, so they had also adjusted how they addressed the two young masters.

“Huh? Isn’t that a bit impolite...” Zong Wenxiu was the first to hesitate, feeling it wasn’t quite appropriate.

Zhao Yin patted his shoulder and said, “Don’t be so formal. Think of it as if we met at the academy. I studied at Qingbo Academy for a year too.”

“A year?” Zong Wenxiu was shocked. “You passed the exams after just one year?”

Zhao Yin: “Oh, no. After a year, I was recruited by the tutors at Hanlin North Academy.”

Zong Wenxiu: “......”

Qingbo Academy really couldn’t catch a break. Already struggling to compete with Hanlin North Academy, they finally nurtured a talent, only to have him poached by the rival. It must have been infuriating.

But with Zhao Yin’s explanation, Zong Wenxiu did feel a sense of familiarity. After all, they had both studied at the same academy.

However, things weren’t so simple for the little troublemaker. As he stared at Pan Hongzhi, his mind was racing with thoughts: This guy is from Hanlin North Academy—both a student and a tutor there. He’s my enemy! And now he’s going to eat and sleep with us... No, I have to find a way to keep him out.

Pan Hongzhi was utterly exasperated by the kid’s obvious hostility. He really wanted to grab him and give him a good spanking to teach him some respect for his elders.

But he couldn’t. The kid was untouchable.

Fortunately, Madam had just given him a new strategy, one that would surely work.

Pan Hongzhi cleared his throat and said, “Even though I’m from Hanlin North Academy, I’ve never liked the students there. All they do is study obsessively, with no life outside of books.”

“Oh?” Zong Jincheng was puzzled. “You don’t like them either?”

“Of course not. I can’t stand them,” Pan Hongzhi lied through his teeth, adopting a “if you can’t beat them, join them” approach to align himself with the little troublemaker.

Zong Jincheng, intrigued, asked, “If you don’t like them, why did you study there? And why did you become a tutor there?”

Pan Hongzhi replied, “I became a tutor because Hanlin North Academy pays well. As for studying there, I thought... it would be fun to take down all those geniuses one by one.”