The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 247
Zong Wenxiu smiled and said, "It's alright, I'll just treat it as practice for writing essays. But you should remember not to act so impulsively next time."
The little troublemaker pouted and asked, "Brother, is it really that serious? Mother seemed really upset, but I don’t quite understand. Wasn’t it just a small prank? When I chased Wei Xinglu around, she didn’t seem nearly as angry at his behavior."
Hearing his name, Wei Xinglu quickly leaned over and chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, did Auntie punish us too harshly?"
Zong Wenxiu sighed and explained, "That’s because you and Wei Xinglu are good friends. Pranks between friends, even if they go a bit too far, can still be considered just that—pranks. But Qin Ye isn’t one of us. What we did could be seen as bullying, and it’s disrespectful."
"Ah… disrespectful? Is that really the case?" Zong Jincheng lowered his head, deep in thought.
Zong Wenxiu continued, "If it had been Qin Shi, it wouldn’t have been as serious. Not just because Qin Shi has a good temper, but because we’re friends. Some jokes are acceptable among friends, but with strangers, they can come across as offensive or even bullying. Even among friends, you have to consider the other person’s personality. Some people are more serious and don’t appreciate this kind of humor."
This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.
His younger brother was undoubtedly clever, but his carefree nature made it hard for him to understand the delicate emotions of more sensitive people. Zong Wenxiu had to break everything down for him.
"Oh… I see," the little troublemaker muttered, then sprawled over the small desk to start writing his apology letter.
The other kids, having overheard the conversation, began to gather their thoughts and started writing as well.
Just then, a maid entered and said, "Young Master Wenxiu, the mistress says you may leave. You don’t need to stay and be punished with the four young masters."
At this, the four boys immediately turned their gazes toward him, as if daring him to betray their little group by leaving.
Zong Wenxiu chuckled helplessly and declined, "No need. Please thank Auntie for her kindness. I was also at fault in this matter, so I should stay and be punished with my brothers."
He Zheng, looking confused, asked, "Brother Wenxiu, what did you do wrong? You didn’t climb the wall with us."
Zong Wenxiu replied, "We’re in the same class. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed; when one fails, we all fail. Even though I didn’t climb the wall, as the older brother, I failed to stop you all, and that’s my mistake."
The little troublemaker scratched his head and said, "But Brother, isn’t it normal that you couldn’t stop all four of us by yourself? By that logic, Buyan should also be writing an apology with us since he actually got physical."
Buyan: "…!"
Ancestor! I’ll call you ancestor!
Living ancestor!!
Zong Wenxiu’s lips twitched as he said, "Buyan was just following your orders. He was protecting us, so he’s not at fault." He then nodded to the maid, confirming once again that he would stay and be punished. Only then did the maid leave.
Once it was clear he wasn’t going anywhere, the five of them resumed writing their apology letters. Outside the ancestral hall, the sun scorched the earth, while inside, the only sounds were the occasional frustrated sighs of the boys struggling to figure out what to write.
That evening, at the Qin residence.
Qin Shi stared at the ten-thousand-word apology letter sent by the Zong family, feeling a bit dazed. This apology was… unique, to say the least.
And what a grand gesture it was…
Qin Ye walked over, picked up one of the letters, and skimmed through a few lines: "I have shamed the ancestors of the Zong family, I have shamed the ancestors of the Shen family, I have shamed myself for not possessing the qualities of a founding hero…"
Qin Ye: "?"
"Why not just say he’s ashamed of Pangu for creating the heavens and the earth?"
Qin Shi couldn’t help but laugh. He took the letter and saw that it was indeed written by Shen Yibai. The handwriting was a mess, the logic was all over the place, and the content was clearly cobbled together to meet the two-thousand-word requirement.
"Looks like the elders of the Zong family punished them by making each of them write a two-thousand-word apology. See, Jincheng’s letter mentions that their mother made them kneel in the ancestral hall to write it."
Qin Ye said sternly, "Good. They deserve it. If they’re not punished, they’ll never learn."
Qin Shi smiled and said, "Alright, alright, don’t be so angry. They were just…"
Qin Ye picked up Zong Wenxiu’s letter and said, "They were targeting me."
Qin Shi: "…Well, yes, it seems so."
Qin Ye snorted, "If they dare cause trouble again, I won’t be so lenient."
Qin Shi scratched his head, unsure how to respond.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zong Jincheng was summoned by the Crown Prince again.
In addition to their monthly meetings, the Crown Prince would take the little troublemaker out every ten days or so. Sometimes they’d visit the Ministry of Justice to watch trials, other times they’d go to the Ministry of Personnel to review official promotion records.
The Crown Prince made no effort to hide their outings, and over time, the officials in the capital grew accustomed to it. They tacitly assumed that the boy was the Crown Prince’s illegitimate child, and thus turned a blind eye to the special treatment he received.
The officials thought to themselves: After all, he’s just a nine-year-old boy who doesn’t understand anything. He’s probably just tagging along for the fun of it.
One day, at the Ministry of Justice.
A case of intentional filicide was being heard in the courtroom. The victim, Liu Wu, had been killed by his mother, who smashed his skull at home. The accused, Liu Wu’s mother, knelt calmly in the courtroom, her demeanor eerily composed.
The Crown Prince, dressed in plain clothes, sat to the side with the little troublemaker, quietly observing the proceedings. The case seemed straightforward at first—the killer had turned herself in, and the court only needed to follow procedure to punish her.
However, while cases of husbands, wives, or mothers being killed were not uncommon, it was rare for a mother to kill her own child. During the investigation, it was discovered that Liu Wu was a large, strong man, while his mother was petite. It seemed impossible for her to overpower him, and there were no signs that he had been drugged.
The mother explained that she had struck him while he was napping, killing him in one blow.
The Minister of Justice said, "According to Liu Wu’s wife and children, he never took naps. The coroner’s report also shows that the time of death was not during the night. How do you explain this?"
The mother sneered, "I killed him. What does it matter how? Why drag me all the way here for a ‘serious case’ trial? What’s so serious about it? Is it only acceptable for children to kill their parents, but not the other way around?"
"What did Liu Wu do to wrong you? The neighbors all say he was extremely filial."
The mother replied indifferently, "Filial or not, I hated his father, and I hate him for sharing his father’s blood. If his father hadn’t died so early, I would have sent them both to the grave."
"Outrageous! You vile woman…" The Minister of Justice was about to lose his temper but remembered that the Crown Prince was present and forced himself to calm down.
"You heartless woman! Liu Wu was filial to you for over twenty years. How could you transfer your hatred for his father onto such an innocent child?"
The mother laughed coldly, "Innocent… If he’s innocent, then he deserves to die even more."
"What do you mean by that?"
The mother fell silent, her expression one of someone who had already accepted her fate.
The Crown Prince sat quietly, a faint smile on his face. He leaned over to the little troublemaker, who was listening intently, and whispered, "Jincheng, do you notice anything unusual?"
