The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 407

The servant replied, "Master, once we pass the Censorate, we’ll reach the Court of Judicial Review."

"The Censorate?" Zong Qiyun recalled that it was the institution overseeing officials—and one that could also oversee Zong Zhao. He immediately exclaimed, "The Censorate will do! Let’s go there instead. It’s closer, much closer!"

"As you wish." No sooner had the servant acknowledged the order than an arrow whizzed past his cheek and embedded itself deep into the carriage.

"Thud—" The sound of an arrow piercing flesh followed.

The servant pulled back the carriage curtain to find his master pinned to the wall by an arrow through the throat.

Dead on the spot.

"Ah—someone’s been killed!!"

...

Xu Wan had been waiting in her room for half an hour when Zong Zhao returned, looking as pristine as ever. There was no trace of blood on him, nor the scent of violence. He was as calm as if he had merely taken a stroll outside.

"Finished your business?" Xu Wan stood up to ask him.

Zong Zhao replied, "It’s done." freёwebnoѵel.com

Xu Wan let out a relieved sigh. "Good. Zong Yan’s vengeance is finally settled. When the time is right, we can—"

"I don’t plan to make it public," Zong Zhao interjected.

Xu Wan paused. "Are you worried your father won’t be able to bear the truth?"

Zong Zhao said calmly, "The vengeance is complete. Zong Yan’s name is cleared. Whether we announce it or not makes no difference. Let Father believe the official version."

The truth was too painful. He intended to keep it from his parents for the rest of their lives.

Xu Wan considered this and nodded. "But another death occurred last night. What if your parents grow suspicious?"

Zong Zhao replied, "I won’t admit to it."

Xu Wan: "..."

That made sense. Even if the Old Marquis had doubts, he wouldn’t seriously suspect Zong Zhao—why would he accuse his own son?

Besides, given how much the old couple trusted Zong Zhao, they would unquestioningly believe whatever explanation he gave.

The next morning.

The Old Marquis and Old Marchioness had just risen when a servant hurried in to report, "Master, another of your old friends has passed away."

Old Marquis: "???"

The Old Marchioness was equally bewildered. "Since when did you have so many old friends? And why are they all dying one after another these days? We’ve barely finished mourning one before another departs."

The Old Marquis suddenly grew uneasy. "Could it be… our time is coming?"

The Old Marchioness glared and smacked his arm. "Nonsense! Don’t speak such ill omens. Spit it out, spit it out!"

The Old Marquis obediently complied. "Pah, pah, pah..."

The servants: "..."

They really don’t treat us as outsiders.

The Old Marquis asked again, "Which old friend was it?"

The servant answered, "A distant relative of the Zong family—Zong Qiyun."

"Thud—"

The Old Marchioness’s grip loosened, and her belt fell heavily to the floor.

The Old Marquis stiffened. "Who?"

The servant repeated, "Zong Qiyun."

The Old Marquis turned to his wife. "Wasn’t he just at our residence last night? He looked perfectly fine then!"

The Old Marchioness frowned. "Though he did seem a bit pale when he left."

The Old Marquis’s expression darkened. "How did he die?"

The servant replied, "They say he passed in the night. The Court of Judicial Review was summoned to investigate, and they ruled it a natural death from illness."

"Illness?!" The Old Marquis was even more confused. "What illness could kill a healthy man in mere moments?"

The Old Marchioness quickly sensed something amiss. "If it was an illness, why involve the Court of Judicial Review?"

The servant shook his head. "This servant doesn’t know."

"Let’s go see for ourselves." The Old Marquis didn’t even wait for breakfast, taking the Old Marchioness with him at once.

In stark contrast, the young couple enjoyed a peaceful morning meal.

Xu Wan asked Zong Zhao, "Do you have anything pressing to do now?"

Zong Zhao placed a dish in her bowl before replying, "A few minor matters, but nothing urgent. Why?"

Xu Wan said, "The tutors are preparing for the examinations. I initially wanted Master Baili to help draft the questions, but he was originally hired to teach Jin Cheng. Even after taking on four more students, he never complained. But now, adding more to his workload feels unfair."

Zong Zhao nodded. "Do you want me to speak with Master Baili about this, or something else?"

Xu Wan set down her chopsticks and smiled at him. "I was hoping you could draft the questions instead. What do you say, top scholar?"

Her playful tone and expressive eyes drew his gaze to her lips. His throat tightened, and his heartbeat quickened slightly.

He asked, "Any rewards?"

"Rewards?" Xu Wan tilted her head, realizing she hadn’t considered that. Every time she asked Zong Zhao for help, he always agreed without conditions—this was the first time he’d asked for compensation.

Unsure what to offer, she asked, "What would you like?"

Zong Zhao paused. "Anything I want?"

Xu Wan thought for a moment before nodding. "If it’s within my power, I’ll do my best to grant it. Fair?"

Zong Zhao agreed. "Fair."

He lowered his head to continue eating, though the faint curve of his lips betrayed his satisfaction.

Xu Wan was curious. "What are you smiling about? Have you already decided what you want?"

The hint of amusement lingered as he replied, "I have. I’ll tell you after the task is done."

"Deal."

After breakfast, the two went to the main study. The tutors were studying on the first floor, so they took past imperial and metropolitan examination papers upstairs.

Xu ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‍Wan instructed, "Use the imperial exams only as reference. Focus on the metropolitan ones—similar but distinct enough to assess whether they’re still fit to teach the children."

Zong Zhao nodded. "Then the imperial exam questions might actually be more suitable."

Xu Wan chuckled. "Too difficult. Let’s save those for a few months later, or we might demoralize the tutors. They’re only provincial graduates for now."

"Understood. I’ll review these." Zong Zhao began carefully examining the metropolitan exam papers.

Since the metropolitan exam lasted only three days with a single question, past examinees could recall them more easily. Xu Wan had gathered decades’ worth of questions, making this collection far more extensive than the provincial exams.

The incense burner on the second floor emitted a wisp of fragrant smoke.

Seated by the window, the couple worked diligently—sometimes discussing question designs before returning to their review.

Near noon, Cui Zhi came upstairs to report, "General, Madam, the Old Marquis and Old Marchioness have returned and are asking to see the General."

Xu Wan’s hand stilled on the papers as she looked at Zong Zhao.

His parents had noticed. They were coming to interrogate him.

Without a flicker of emotion, Zong Zhao neatly stacked the papers and stood. "It’s almost lunchtime. You should go eat. I’ll handle this."

Xu Wan grabbed his arm, rising swiftly to meet his gaze with determination. "We’ll go together."

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