The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 246
Xu Wan received a complaint from the Qin Mansion, and her head immediately started throbbing. She had thought that the children were gradually getting into the rhythm of learning during their debates, but as soon as the holiday came, their true colors showed.
Back then, she had thought it was fortunate that the four little troublemakers weren’t from the same family, or else their parents would have been driven mad.
But now, it turned out that she herself was the one bearing the brunt of their mischief.
“Cui Liu, block off the study tightly. Let’s see where they can run off to today,” Xu Wan said, taking deep breaths to calm herself down.
But… calm down? Who was she kidding?
She was furious.
Inside the study, the four little rascals were running in circles, bumping into each other in their haste.
Zong Wenxiu: “……”
They were just… ridiculously foolish.
Xu Wan stormed in with a dark expression and barked, “Line up properly.”
The little troublemaker, Zong Jincheng, was the first to scramble to his feet. He stood obediently and apologized, “Mother, I was wrong.”
The other three, seeing their “big brother” surrender, quickly followed suit, standing at attention and chiming in unison, “Auntie, we were wrong.”
Xu Wan: “……”
They apologized quickly enough, each one more eager to please than the last.
“What exactly were you wrong about?” she asked.
Shen Yibai was the first to raise his hand. “We were wrong for not seeing who it was before acting, which led to the mission failing. We’ll have to make another trip next time.”
Zong Wenxiu: “???”
Was that even an apology?
Wasn’t that just like punching Auntie in the face?
Zong Jincheng was also shocked. He knew Shen Yibai was the dumbest among them, but he didn’t expect him to be this clueless. He kicked Shen Yibai to signal him to shut up, muttering, “Idiot.”
Wei Xinglu quickly tried to smooth things over. “Auntie, we went to the Qin Mansion with good intentions. We just wanted to check if Qin Ye had any issues. If we could cure him, it would’ve been a great achievement.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Wei Xinglu was indeed the reliable one.
Zong Jincheng added, “Yeah, we were just looking out for Qin Ye. We were worried he might be sick.”
After three months of debate practice, the kids had mastered the art of skirting around the main issue. But in front of Xu Wan, their attempts were as clumsy as trying to show off in front of a master craftsman—utterly juvenile.
Xu Wan glared at Zong Jincheng and said, “You’re nodding so eagerly that I almost forgot how you chased Wei Xinglu around, ready to kill him, after he had a master spray you with holy water. Were you wrong about Wei Xinglu’s good intentions back then? Should you apologize to him now?”
Zong Jincheng: “……”
The boomerang had come back to hit him.
He Zheng, the most straightforward of the bunch, seeing that Xu Wan was still fuming, raised his hands and said, “Auntie, why don’t you just spank us? But could you hit our bottoms instead of our hands? We still need to write…”
Here we go again… Xu Wan’s temple throbbed, and she was truly tempted to give them a good thrashing.
But the four little troublemakers had been spanked plenty of times growing up. If spanking could teach them a lesson, she wouldn’t mind doing it. But if it didn’t work, it would just be a way for her to vent her anger, wasting an opportunity to educate them.
She looked at the children. The four troublemakers had innocent looks in their eyes, not thinking this was a big deal at all—just a prank gone wrong. The only one who seemed genuinely remorseful was Zong Wenxiu, who had been dragged into this mess.
The ones who should have felt guilty didn’t seem to understand their mistake at all.
That familiar feeling of frustration washed over her again. She took several deep breaths but still couldn’t calm down, which frightened Zong Jincheng. He quickly asked, “Mother, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?”
Xu Wan adjusted her mood and said sternly, “Each of you will write a two-thousand-word reflection and kneel in the Zong Family Ancestral Hall while writing it.”
If she couldn’t spank their bottoms or hands, then they could write.
Writing would help them practice their handwriting, their essays, and their mindset.
“Yes, yes, we’ll go right away…” The kids scrambled to leave.
Only Zong Jincheng stayed behind, worried that Xu Wan might make herself sick from anger. For the first time, he felt a little guilty, though he still thought his mother was overreacting.
But…
If kneeling in the ancestral hall would make her feel better, then so be it.
The little troublemaker left, instructing someone to call the family doctor to check on his mother.
Once all five children were gone, Xu Wan sat down and slammed the table. “These little brats… they’re going to be the death of me.”
Kids didn’t know the seriousness of their actions. Causing trouble at home was one thing, but now they were sneaking into other people’s houses? It was enough to give her a headache.
Cui Zhi stood beside her, massaging her shoulders and gently consoling her. “Madam, don’t let this ruin your health. It’s normal for children to be mischievous. The young masters are already much better behaved than before. Their mothers often praise you in the capital, saying you’re a great teacher.”
Xu Wan laughed bitterly. “Stop praising me. If I had to deal with a few more kids like this, I’d jump into the river.”
As they were talking, the family doctor came in, saying that Young Master Jincheng had sent him to check on his mother.
Xu Wan was taken aback.
This kid…
He could be infuriating one moment and incredibly thoughtful the next.
The doctor took her pulse and said she had been overwhelmed by anger. He gave her a couple of acupuncture treatments to help her calm down.
Xu Wan thought to herself: Traditional Chinese medicine is truly profound, with a long history of benefiting humanity…
Once she had calmed down, Xu Wan remembered, “Call Wenxiu back. Let the other four write their reflections.”
Visit freewёbnoνel.com for the best novel reading experience.
Cui Zhi nodded with a smile. “Yes, I’ll go and relay the order. Oh, and Madam, should we give an explanation to the Qin Mansion?”
Xu Wan nodded. “Yes. Once they’ve finished their reflections, send them to the Qin Mansion to apologize to Qin Shi.”
“Understood.”
At the Zong Family Ancestral Hall.
Over a hundred ancestors looked down as five young boys entered. Five cushions were laid out in a row, with small desks placed in front of them. Everything was prepared.
The five boys knelt obediently, their bottoms resting on their calves, scratching their heads in frustration.
“Jincheng, how do we write a reflection? What did we do wrong?” Shen Yibai was the first to ask.
Zong Jincheng rolled his eyes. “We were wrong for trespassing, for spraying Qin Ye with holy water, for accidentally hurting Qin Shi, for running away after making a mistake, for not admitting our mistakes and making excuses… And as for you, add ‘being too stupid’ to the list.”
Shen Yibai’s head nearly exploded. “Who’s stupid? Is that any way to talk to a future great scholar?”
Zong Jincheng widened his eyes. “You? The future great scholar is clearly me!”
Wei Xinglu stepped in to mediate again. “Alright, alright, stop arguing. We have two thousand words to write. It’s going to take all afternoon, and our legs will go numb. Let’s just start writing.”
The two immediately turned on him. “It’s all your fault for finding that master!”
Wei Xinglu: “???Wasn’t it Shen Yibai who came up with the idea first?”
Shen Yibai: “But Jincheng was the one who gave the final approval!”
Zong Jincheng: “He Zheng was the first one to climb over the wall!”
He Zheng: “…………”
You guys are really something.
The one who charged ahead ended up being the scapegoat.
Where is justice in this world?!
Zong Wenxiu watched helplessly, both amused and exasperated. He reminded them, “We all made mistakes. Just write about them.”
Zong Jincheng said guiltily, “I’m sorry, Brother. I dragged you into kneeling in the ancestral hall again.”
