The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 437

He took a deep breath to compose himself, forcing a strained smile as he said, "My wise son-in-law understands me best, anticipating what I was about to say. Madam Liu has failed in her maternal dignity. Merely kneeling in the ancestral hall is too lenient. Only by copying the Admonitions for Women a hundred times while kneeling can she truly reflect on her actions."

Xu Wan silently calculated in her mind: Admonitions for Women was 1,500 characters long. A hundred copies would mean 150,000 characters. Assuming Madam Liu could write 5,000 characters a day after eating and sleeping, it would take her a month to finish.

"Complete it within half a month," Zong Zhao's voice cut in again.

Xu Wan: "!!"

Minister Xu: "!!!"

Xu Wan swallowed hard, thinking: Brother, you might be a little too ruthless.

Minister Xu's mind worked quickly. He was already devising a countermeasure—copying a hundred times was fine; they could always find someone to mimic Madam Liu's handwriting and help her. Otherwise, they risked offending this powerful son-in-law.

Unexpectedly, Zong Zhao added thoughtfully, "Cui Zhi will stay behind with two others to grind ink for Madam Liu."

Xu Wan covered her face with her hand, afraid she might burst out laughing and anger Minister Xu further.

Good heavens, three people staying to grind ink for Madam Liu?

Was it really just ink they were grinding?

No—this was round-the-clock supervision!

With Cui Zhi, the head maid of the General's Manor, overseeing things, who in the Xu household would dare disobey? Unless Minister Xu wanted to openly defy them.

It had to be said—Zong Zhao's planning was thorough. He had blocked every possible shortcut Madam Liu might have taken to cheat.

Minister Xu cared deeply about face. Even if he was seething inside, he forced himself to endure. Gritting his teeth, he thought: Half a month—just half a month of suffering for Madam Liu, and I’ll gain a high-ranking, influential son-in-law. It’s not a bad deal!

With a forced smile, he said, "My son-in-law is truly considerate. Then I must trouble the three maids from the General’s Manor."

Zong Zhao nodded. "No need for thanks."

Minister Xu: "!"

Was this son-in-law here just to infuriate him?!

Meanwhile, Cui Zhi had already delivered countless slaps, stopping only when some were nearly bleeding. She returned and reported, "General, the lesson has been sufficiently delivered. Since it’s the New Year, it’s inauspicious to shed blood. These servants have attended Madam since childhood—after this punishment, they should know their place. Shall we take them back to the manor?"

The implied meaning was clear: take them back first, deal with them properly after the New Year, and spare Minister Xu another visit.

Zong Zhao turned to Minister Xu politely. "What do you think?"

Minister Xu’s lips twitched. You’ve already beaten them, punished my wife, and now you’re asking for my opinion on taking a few maids?

With a stiff smile, he said, "Since they’ve served Xu Wan since childhood, they must be the most familiar. Let Xu Wan take them."

Zong Zhao hummed in agreement. "Then let them stay and copy alongside Madam Liu first. They can return to the manor after finishing."

"Yes," Cui Zhi acknowledged.

Minister Xu’s smile shattered.

What did he just say?

These lowly maids were going to kneel in his ancestral hall and copy Admonitions for Women too? With his own wife kneeling at the front, copying under the watchful eyes of the General’s Manor’s maids…

The image flashed in his mind, and he felt as if the sky had collapsed.

What kind of absurdity is this?!

Wouldn’t his ancestors rise from their graves to tear him apart?

"You… I…" Minister Xu was speechless, forced to choke out flattery. "My son-in-law… is indeed thoughtful. Xu Wan is blessed."

Xu Wan stayed silent the entire time.

Zong Zhao was indeed very considerate—he never asked for her opinion, always deferring to Minister Xu instead. That way, the blame for every harsh decision fell on her father, leaving her untouched.

The meal left Minister Xu stewing in frustration.

But what could he do? He was the one who had begged repeatedly for this "great Buddha" to visit. That Zong Zhao had even come was already a miracle—how could he expect the General to call him "father-in-law"?

Xu Wan, however, was in high spirits. She and Zong Zhao chatted casually about the dishes, ignoring Minister Xu entirely. Zong Zhao occasionally reached out to serve her food from farther away, which only deepened Minister Xu’s bitterness.

Good news: His son-in-law doted on his daughter.

Bad news: His daughter despised him.

After the meal, the couple left without a second thought, showing no interest in reminiscing with Minister Xu. All that remained were three smiling maids from the General’s Manor, cheerfully heading to the ancestral hall to "grind ink" for his wife.

Minister Xu nearly burst into tears on the spot.

---

In the carriage on the way back, Xu Wan collapsed against Zong Zhao, laughing. "You’re too cruel! Making them copy 150,000 characters in half a month—my stepmother probably hasn’t written a word in years. Her fingers might snap from all that writing!"

Zong Zhao replied indifferently, "If they snap, we’ll call a physician to treat her."

Xu Wan gave him a thumbs-up. "Brilliant. So thorough. Why didn’t you say that earlier? I think my father was just one step away from breaking down."

Zong Zhao said coldly, "I didn’t want to see a grown man cry. Too unsightly."

Xu Wan giggled uncontrollably, lifting her head to kiss his chin. "Now I remember—last night, you were fishing for information, weren’t you? Just so you could avenge me today?"

"Mn," Zong Zhao acknowledged.

Xu Wan gazed at him with sparkling eyes, amused. "Why are you so good to me? I don’t even hold grudges that seriously."

Zong Zhao cupped her face, his expression solemn. "I hate everyone who has treated you poorly."

Xu Wan paused, then smiled faintly. "In this life, who hasn’t been disliked by someone? If we spent all our time keeping score, wouldn’t that be exhausting?"

Zong ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‍Zhao stubbornly insisted, "I don’t care. I hate them."

"Pfft—" Xu Wan was defeated by his obstinacy. She asked, "What about those maids? Are you really planning to bring them back after they finish copying? I don’t want them causing trouble in our home."

"No," Zong Zhao said. "Once we have their contracts, Cui Zhi will sell them off—as far away as possible."

"Oh… that’s more like it." Xu Wan sat back, imagining the scene in the Xu family’s ancestral hall. The more she thought about it, the funnier it became. "Hahaha… You have no idea—my father must be fuming. After he rose in rank, he copied the capital’s customs and made ancestral tablets for every name in the family records. Our branch is small, so he even included distant relatives beyond five degrees of kinship, just to make the ancestral hall look impressive. And now? Every Xu ancestor, close or distant, will be watching a room full of people kneeling and copying Admonitions for Women!"

Her description was vivid.

Even Zong Zhao couldn’t help but chuckle.

But human emotions were never aligned—while the Xu household wailed in despair, the Zong household was filled with joy.

---

That night.

With Cui Zhi still playing overseer at the Xu residence, Cui Liu—now earning triple wages—returned to duty, bustling about to prepare hot water and attend to her masters.

Xu Wan bathed first. The room was filled with fragrant petals prepared by Cui Liu, leaving her skin delicately scented and refreshed.

When Zong Zhao entered, the warmth and aroma still lingered. Instead of heading straight to wash, he pulled a booklet from beneath the cabinet, flipping to a previously marked page with great focus.

The two small quilts on the bed had already been removed.

"Knock, knock—"

Cui Liu pushed the door open and entered, carrying a large quilt in her arms.

Xu Wan caught sight of that vibrantly red double-layered quilt again—the last time she had seen it was when Zong Zhao had just returned to the estate. Back then, his sudden arrival had left her unprepared, and the overwhelming sight of red in the room had filled her with nothing but anxiety and bewilderment.

But now, as she gazed at the crimson quilt, she felt only curiosity, accompanied by an indescribable, peculiar sensation in her heart. She even sat down and reached out to trace the embroidered mandarin ducks with her fingers, murmuring with a soft laugh, "The needlework is truly exquisite."

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