The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 173

The Old Marchioness and the Old Marquis exchanged glances, astonished beyond measure.

Was this really their grandson, the one who had always been so self-centered?

When he came across something delicious, he would instinctively share it with his older brother.

Such a scene of brotherly love and harmony, appearing in Zong Jincheng, made the Old Marchioness wonder if she was seeing things and had mixed up the two children.

The Old Marquis suppressed a chuckle and exchanged a smug look with the Old Marchioness. See? I never doubted my judgment. This is real, after all, this grandson of mine is the kind who would wash his grandfather's feet.

In this entire capital, who else could be happier than him?

Who else?!

The Old Marquis's face was filled with an expression that screamed, "Invincible, truly lonely."

After dinner, the Old Marchioness called Xu Wan over and praised her effusively once again.

Xu Wan, whose ears were almost immune to such compliments by now, still smiled politely and humbly replied, "No, no, it's nothing."

The Old Marchioness was utterly enamored, nearly blurting out an offer to increase Xu Wan's monthly allowance. Fortunately, the Old Marquis held her back before she could utter it.

The Old Marquis reasoned that their monthly allowance for Xu Wan was already quite generous. If they increased it further, she might soon accumulate a large sum of money, and what if this outstanding daughter-in-law decided to leave? They needed to play it safe and work on strengthening their bond.

The Old Marchioness found this argument convincing. She gently held Xu Wan's hand and said, "Good child, is there something you'd like to do or something you desire? Let your mother-in-law take care of it for you."

Xu Wan thought to herself, "Finally, the higher-ups are considering turning the praise into material rewards."

But from the way her mother-in-law spoke, it seemed she wasn't thinking of giving her a bonus.

After pondering, Xu Wan realized there was indeed one thing she wanted to do.

"Minister He's household..."

The Old Marchioness, after hearing the details, looked at the Old Marquis.

The Old Marquis stroked his beard and said, "We have no objections as long as you don't feel overburdened. Taking in another child wouldn't be a problem. However, I've dealt with Minister He before—he's arrogant, with an intractable temper. If he doesn't agree, it'll be difficult for He Zheng to come here to study."

Xu Wan smiled and said, "We'll do our best and leave the rest to fate. It all depends on whether he's fated to join our advanced class."

Fate, indeed, could be quite miraculous.

Just as everyone thought He Zheng was out of luck, Madam He paid a visit. She told Xu Wan that Minister He had talked at length with her brother the previous day and had finally seen some hope.

Though Minister He was a proud man, he respected his brother-in-law and understood that he was trying to intercede on He Zheng's behalf. Still, Minister He remained firm in his refusal to allow He Zheng to study.

He had said, "A stubborn son like He Zheng, if he becomes an official, will inevitably be used as a pawn and end up as the first to fall."

Although he still didn't agree, this time Madam He saw that Minister He had given a different reason, which encouraged her to rush to Xu Wan for advice.

Xu Wan was surprised, somewhat taken aback by Minister He's shift in attitude. But then again, it was understandable—no matter how much they butted heads, they were still father and son.

It wasn't yet a matter of life and death.

"Was He Zheng always so stubborn from a young age?" Xu Wan asked.

Madam He sighed, "Yes, he's just like his father. From a young age, if he set his mind on something, he would find all sorts of mischievous ways to achieve it. That's why he ended up in that... well, you know..."

Madam He had just spoken half the sentence when she suddenly stopped herself.

Oh no, she had almost forgotten that Xu Wan was the mother of the leader of the notorious Four Little Troublemakers.

"No, no, sister, that's not what I meant..." Madam He hurried to explain with a forced smile.

Xu Wan laughed it off, "It's alright, I'm used to it. And besides, I believe that while personality is innate, as long as one isn't born bad, there's always room for correction. That's the significance of education."

Madam He was so moved that her eyes filled with tears, "Yes, yes, yes! My Zheng must still have a chance, he must!"

Xu Wan comforted, "Madam He, don't worry too much. I think the key now isn't with your husband, but with He Zheng."

"Oh?"

Xu Wan explained, "Under the authority of his father, He Zheng's repeated defiance has pushed Minister He to his limits. And the son's obstinacy has led Minister He to form a deep-seated impression of him as headstrong. To change this, He Zheng needs to shift his mindset and stop opposing his father. He should approach Minister He sincerely, appeal to reason and emotion, to melt the ice between them and mend their relationship."

"Minister He does have paternal feelings for He Zheng, but He Zheng can't feel it," Xu Wan thought. Minister He, being the type who wouldn't express such feelings, certainly wouldn't say it out loud.

Madam He, caught between the two, was well aware of the accumulated resentment and the misunderstandings and anger they held for each other.

She nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, thank you so much for the advice. I'll go talk to Zheng right away. He's so passionate about studying; he'll surely listen to me."

"Alright, then I'll be waiting for your good news."

After seeing Madam He off, Little Demon King suddenly appeared out of nowhere, asking her, "Will He Zheng come to the advanced class to study?"

Xu Wan casually replied, "Who knows? It depends on fate."

The Little Demon King pouted, clearly unhappy, "You're not going to bring in a lot of kids, are you?"

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Xu Wan gave him a sidelong glance, "Am I bored out of my mind?"

The Little Demon King felt secretly delighted.

It seemed that bringing He Zheng into the class wasn't her intention at all.

But outwardly, he maintained his usual sullen expression, "It's better if you don't. Otherwise, if everyone learns the same thing, how am I supposed to surpass them? He Zheng is fine—he's my brother and really wants to study—I can agree to him joining. But..."

"You talk as if you're the one running Marquis Manor," Xu Wan shot back casually and walked away.

The Little Demon King grew anxious and chased after her, babbling, "I am part of this household, the eldest son's direct heir, and your direct son. My words should carry some weight too!"

"Oh, yes, my big direct son," Xu Wan replied half-heartedly.

The Little Demon King: "!!!"

This woman! She just knew how to make him angry!!

He continued to chase after her, making demands, "Anyway, I have one condition: Qin Ye can't come. Anyone else is fine."

"Oh, haha, you’re dreaming if you think anyone would want to come to your place," Xu Wan retorted, having never even considered Qin Ye or anyone else.

The Little Demon King grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop, "Swear it. Swear you won't let Qin Ye come."

Xu Wan turned to look at the serious little face and, instead of teasing him as she initially wanted to, asked directly, "You're scared?"

The Little Demon King turned red but pretended to be indifferent, "How could I be scared? I just don't like him and don't want to see him every day."

Xu Wan saw right through him and pulled her arm free, teaching him, "Focus on improving yourself, kid, instead of worrying about irrelevant things."

With that, she walked away, leaving the Little Demon King behind, grinding his teeth in frustration.

Damn it, Xu Wan wouldn't even swear.

Was she really considering bringing Qin Ye in?

No way, Qin Ye was his bottom line. Absolutely no one else could join the class!

Zong Jincheng clenched his fist, his eyes burning with determination. A plan had already formed in his mind.

Hmph, Qin Ye, I'll make sure you feel too embarrassed to come!

The Little Demon King dashed back to the main study room, where Zong Wenxiu was hard at work on his assignments, and the several tutors were either reading or discussing exam questions.

Zong Jincheng burst in, shouting, "Brother, tutors, studying like this is so boring! Let's do something exciting!"

The three private tutors all twitched at the corners of their mouths, instinctively sensing this kid was up to no good.

Only Zong Wenxiu showed interest, asking, "Jincheng, what are we going to do?"

The Little Demon King cleared his throat and said, "I think that since we're a powerful and motivated advanced class, we need to stay sharp, never letting drowsiness from waking early or tiredness midway through affect our motivation to learn."

It sounded like a plausible idea.

Zhao Yin thought, could this little brat actually be serious this time?

Pan Hongzhi, who knew the Little Demon King best, simply didn't buy it. If this little troublemaker could come up with something good, Pan would eat Zhao Yin's clothes, buttons and all.