The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class

Chapter 155

It must be said that although the small boat costing two hundred and fifty taels wasn’t particularly large, it was adorned with beautiful tassels all around, making it flashy and eye-catching. Amidst the dimly lit shore, the river filled with small boats and lanterns, it still looked as stunning as a bride on her wedding day.

Xu Wan invited Baili Weihong to sit down, while Cui Zhi and Cui Liu arranged snacks and tea for them. The two sisters-in-law harmoniously watched the lanterns and chatted, occasionally glancing at the two little rascals on the shore.

Rows of beautiful lanterns lined the shore for people to admire and purchase. Zong Wenxiu immediately took a liking to a small lion cub lantern. The adorable cub attached to the lantern was incredibly cute, resembling his younger brother when he acted spoiled.

“Jincheng, look! This lantern is so cute, it looks just like you!”

Zong Jincheng glanced at it and refused, “No, no, no! It doesn’t look like me at all. I want a big lion, one that’s majestic and powerful!”

“Haha, this one is really cute too. Come on, let’s solve the riddle on this lantern. If we guess it right, we can take it home.”

The little troublemaker reluctantly let himself be dragged over, his round face clearly expressing: I’m not going to be as childish as this little lion cub.

Zong Wenxiu looked up with a smile and asked, “Shopkeeper, what’s the riddle on this lantern?”

The shopkeeper glanced at the two of them, looked behind them, and seeing no one else, said, “The riddle is on the back, but this one is the hardest. Many people can’t solve it. You should call your parents over.”

The little troublemaker, who wasn’t initially interested, suddenly perked up at these words. “Brother, I want this one.”

Zong Wenxiu chuckled, “Alright, then I’ll give it my best shot.”

As he flipped the lantern to check the riddle, he saw the following: “Frankincense (guess a line of poetry).”

Zong Jincheng also leaned over to take a look and was immediately baffled. “Isn’t this supposed to be a word riddle? Why is it a poetry riddle? How are we supposed to guess this? I might as well write a poem for him.”

The shopkeeper looked at his stature and twitched his lips, “Kid, don’t get too cocky. A poem you write yourself doesn’t count. It has to be a famous poem, one that’s widely known.”

The little troublemaker snorted at him, “You’ll regret missing out on the masterpiece I’m about to write!”

The shopkeeper thought to himself: Who do you think you are, Luo Binwang?

“Hurry up and guess. There are people waiting behind you. If you can’t solve it, call your parents over,” the shopkeeper urged.

Zong Wenxiu modestly smiled and said it was just luck, then took out some silver to buy the lantern.

The little troublemaker proudly boasted on his brother’s behalf, “My brother is a prodigy in the Child Prodigy Class! He’s taking the Child Scholar Exam next year!”

The shopkeeper finally understood, “Ah, so you’re a little prodigy from the Child Prodigy Class. I underestimated you.”

After taking the silver, the shopkeeper cheerfully handed over the little lion lantern, his attitude now much more respectful.

Luo Chen watched as the two brothers basked in the praise, his jealousy growing stronger. Meanwhile, Zong Jincheng was still proudly showing off the lantern to him, “See? My brother won it for me. You can go pick another lantern!”

With that, the two prepared to leave.

But Luo Chen suddenly grabbed Zong Jincheng’s arm and whispered in his ear, “Zong Jincheng, you hate Qin Ye too, don’t you?”

Zong Jincheng turned to him, “So what if I do? What’s it to you?”

Luo Chen suggested, “We could work together to make sure Qin Ye can’t take the Child Scholar Exam. That way, we’d have one less strong competitor.”

Zong Wenxiu, who was standing nearby, heard Luo Chen trying to manipulate his brother and quickly intervened, “Jincheng, don’t listen to his nonsense. If we want to compete, it should be fair.”

Luo Chen clicked his tongue, “Zong Wenxiu, you’re too naive. You didn’t even make it onto the rankings this time. Your grades are probably at the bottom of the Child Prodigy Class. With so many people above you, wouldn’t it be easier for everyone if we got rid of Qin Ye, the biggest threat? It’s a win-win... no, a win-win-win situation.”

Zong Wenxiu scolded him, “Stop spreading your poisonous ideas here. If we can’t outperform others, we should work harder ourselves, not scheme to bring them down. We’ll never stoop to your level. Jincheng, let’s go.”

But the little troublemaker didn’t budge, his gaze fixed on Luo Chen.

Luo Chen smirked triumphantly, “See, Zong Wenxiu? Your brother is more tempted than you are. Qin Ye is so arrogant and cocky. He deserves to be taught a lesson, don’t you think, Zong Jincheng?”

The little troublemaker also smiled brightly and asked, “Qin Ye is just minding his own business in the Child Prodigy Class. How can we make sure he doesn’t take the exam?”

“Jincheng, what are you saying?” Zong Wenxiu cried out in alarm.

But the next second, he felt a pinch on his palm.

It was his brother’s way of signaling to him...