The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 277

Zong Jincheng’s self-encouragement grew louder and louder—any more, and the neighboring courtyards might hear him.

Buyan stood outside the door, listening. It reminded him of the days when someone would pick a fight with him as a child—that same mix of fear and bravado, shouting "I’ll take you on!" to psyche himself up.

Young Master… look at you now.

Buyan’s brows twitched as he suppressed a laugh.

On the morning of the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the day of the competition arrived.

Xu Wan came to have breakfast with the little troublemaker, expecting to witness the usual spectacle of "Miracle Chengcheng" fussing over his appearance. To her surprise, he wasn’t preoccupied with looking dashing this time. Instead, he sat obediently at his desk, reviewing his debate notes and organizing his thoughts.

Huh?

Wasn’t this kid supposed to have a photographic memory? Now he’s even jotting things down?

"Chengcheng," she called.

"Mother?" Zong Jincheng looked up, his eyes bright.

Because of today’s debate with Qin Ye, he had woken up early. Worried his mind might still be foggy, he hurried to review his notes and clarify his arguments.

Xu Wan instinctively reached to glance at his notes, but the little one threw himself over the paper, blocking her view. "It’s a secret. Even you can’t see. I want to win fair and square."

Xu Wan burst out laughing and took a step back. "Fine, I won’t look. Come eat—we’ll leave right after."

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

"Mm!" The little rascal flipped the paper face-down, weighed it with an inkstone, then took his mother’s hand.

During the meal, Xu Wan said, "The dean has prepared a room for you two. I’ll take Wenxiu and the others to observe, but Teacher Pan and the rest won’t be coming. We’ll fill them in later."

Zong ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‍Jincheng nodded.

Xu Wan raised a brow and continued, "The dean mentioned that the students at Qingbo Academy have all heard about Qin Ye challenging you. They want to watch. I haven’t agreed yet—what do you think?"

Zong Jincheng paused, his spoon hovering over his porridge, and frowned.

In the past, he would’ve eagerly invited everyone to witness him crushing Qin Ye, reducing him to tears and forcing him to flee in defeat.

But now, aware of the gap in their abilities, even after thorough preparation, he wasn’t entirely confident of victory.

After a moment of serious thought, the little troublemaker shook his head. "No, I don’t want a crowd. Just Xinglu and the others."

Xu Wan nodded. "Alright."

Qingbo Academy was buzzing from dawn.

"The results of the Four-Academy Joint Exam are out! The top scorer in the imperial examination category is Qin Ye—our Qin Ye!"

"Holy cow! Is Qin Ye unstoppable? That’s the imperial exam category, filled with scholars and Childhood Scholars preparing for the autumn exams, and he still took first place!"

"Hahaha, Qin Ye again! Hanlin North Academy must be traumatized by that name by now. They just keep losing to him!"

"It’s settled—this year’s top scorer in the imperial examination has to be Qin Ye. That kid’s a natural-born exam prodigy! A true genius!"

"Breaking news! Qin Ye has challenged Zong Jincheng! Two Childhood Scholars are going head-to-head—this is the ultimate showdown, hurry and watch!"

"What? Are you serious? Qin Ye issued the challenge? He’s our academy’s unbeatable exam god, the one who keeps crushing Hanlin North Academy. Why would he challenge someone?"

"Zong Jincheng didn’t even rank in the Four-Academy Joint Exam. The gap between him and Qin Ye is huge. Do you think he offended Qin Ye and is being singled out for punishment?"

"No idea, but let’s go watch! Rumor has it it’s happening in the east garden."

"Let’s move!"

A flood of students rushed to witness the spectacle, pulling in even those who had no idea what was happening. The excitement was contagious, and soon, a massive crowd had gathered.

But...

The dean stood guard at the garden’s entrance, directing teachers to block the eager spectators. He even shooed away students trying to peek over the walls.

"Dean, this is too much! Let us in—there’s plenty of space!"

"Yeah, let us watch! Why keep such an exciting event behind closed doors?"

"I want to see how Qin Ye competes! Are they matching couplets or composing poetry?"

"No clue, but I really want to see!" The students craned their necks, straining for a glimpse.

The dean chuckled helplessly. "What’s there to see? Even I’m not allowed in. Give them time to compete in peace. Once there’s a result, you’ll all know."

The crowd instantly felt better.

After all, happiness comes from comparison—if even the dean couldn’t get in, they might as well give up.

But they weren’t ready to disperse. Someone shouted, "Place your bets! Small stakes for fun—one coin each! Who’ll win, Qin Ye or Zong Jincheng?"

"Is that even a question? Qin Ye, of course!"

"Qin Ye! Qin Ye! The unbeatable exam god—do you think that’s just hype?"

"Qin Ye, Qin Ye! Even one coin on Qin Ye. That Zong Jincheng kid doesn’t stand a chance."

"Not necessarily. Zong Jincheng is a Childhood Scholar too—he’s no slouch."

"True, Zong Jincheng is talented, even exceptional. But his opponent is Qin Ye. Do you understand? Qin Ye—the name that strikes fear into Hanlin North Academy. That name doesn’t lose."

"..."

The dean listened to their fervor, a proud smile playing on his lips. Qin Ye and Zong Jincheng—both were the brightest students he’d ever seen. Regardless of today’s outcome, they would both rise to greatness. He looked forward to seeing them dominate the imperial exams together in the coming years.

Outside the garden, the noise was deafening.

Inside the room, silence reigned—so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Zong Jincheng had brought his four friends, while Qin Shi stood beside Zong Wenxiu, waiting to observe the duel.

Xu Wan served as both moderator and judge.

The room was an ordinary classroom, cleared out by the dean in advance. Only two desks remained, placed facing each other in the center.

He Zheng nervously clutched Wei Xinglu’s sleeve. The boys, usually rowdy, were uncharacteristically hushed, anticipation thick in the air.

Qin Ye, despite his youth, exuded calm. His cold gaze betrayed no emotion, as if this were just another effortless victory waiting to happen.

Perhaps Qin Ye’s composure was contagious—Zong Jincheng’s racing heartbeat gradually steadied. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, then reopened them, his expression now sharp with focus.

Qin Ye’s brows lifted slightly, as if surprised.

A year ago, this boy would’ve been easily provoked into a tantrum. Now, he’d transformed completely, like a phoenix reborn.

Very well. Let’s see what treasures you’ve been hiding.