Xu Wan smiled and said, "It's a ssage from Lord Qin, thanking you two for speaking up on behalf of Qin Shi and Qin Ye. He has already arranged for a guard to be by Qin Ye's side to keep an eye on Luo Chen. And Qin Ye also said thank you."
The little devil tilted his head, looking as if he had seen a ghost. "Are you sure Qin Ye said thank you?"
Xu Wan replied, "Of course. The letter thanked you twice—once from Lord Qin and finally from Qin Ye."
The little devil smirked, still unconvinced. "Nonsense. It must have been the ever-diplomatic Lord Qin who added that line. I don't believe Qin Ye said it."
Xu Wan rarely agreed with him, but this ti she nodded. "That's possible. Lord Qin is indeed very tactful. I heard he was recently promoted to the fifth rank. Three promotions in six years—that's quite fast. No wonder he was the top scholar in his year."
Hearing this, the little devil instantly lost interest. It was probably not Qin Ye who said it. He pulled out his books and began preparing for class, while Xu Wan left the study with her attendants.
Over the next few days, the little devil focused on preparing for the Child Prodigy Class test. Ever since his brother and Luo Chen's competition coincided with the results announcent, the academy dean had changed the rules for the Child Prodigy Class test. Now, everyone would take the exam in the morning and receive their results in the afternoon.
This eliminated the anxiety of waiting an entire day, allowing students to see their results quickly and prepare for the next round of studies.
On the day of the exam, Xu Wan had planned to accompany the two boys to Qingbo Academy. However, early in the morning, she received a ssage from Madam He of the Minister of War's Mansion, saying that He Zheng was in trouble and urgently requested her assistance.
In Xu Wan's mory, He Zheng was a stubborn boy who often climbed walls and broke his arm. If it were just another broken arm, Madam He, though worried, would probably be used to it by now and wouldn't call for help so urgently.
Xu Wan felt that sothing serious might have happened this ti.
She thought that since the boy was a friend of Jin Cheng and loved studying, she had always liked such hardworking children. So, she agreed to go.
However, she didn't tell the little devil about this, fearing it would distract him. She only instructed Buyan privately, "I'm going to Minister He's Mansion. Keep an eye on the two of them. If anyone causes trouble or if they provoke anyone, make sure to protect them from harm. We can deal with right and wrong later when I return."
"Yes, Madam," Buyan replied.
As Xu Wan got into another carriage, the little devil called out, "Aren't you coming with us?"
Xu Wan waved at him and said, "I have so matters to attend to, so I won't be crowding into the carriage with you this ti. I'll be waiting for your good news."
"Oh," the little devil pouted, visibly displeased.
Zong Wenxiu politely bid her farewell, "Auntie, take care on your way. I'll look after my brother."
"Alright," Xu Wan smiled and waved at them before getting into the carriage.
The little devil sat in the carriage, grumbling, "She doesn't care about us anymore. She must think I'm a sure bet for the Child Prodigy Class, so she doesn't need to watch over personally."
Zong Wenxiu raised an eyebrow, amused. "Didn't you want to ride in a separate carriage from Auntie before? Isn't this what you wished for?"
"That... that doesn't an she should just not co at all!" The little devil crossed his arms, fuming. "She must have found another kid outside to care for."
Zong Wenxiu's eyes widened, and he quickly covered his brother's mouth, scolding, "Jin Cheng, don't talk nonsense. Such words could ruin Auntie's reputation."
The little devil blinked, finally realizing that his careless remark could be misinterpreted.
After Zong Wenxiu let go, he hurriedly explained, "No, Brother, that's not what I ant. I ant to say, maybe she wants to teach soone else's child..."
Zong Wenxiu glanced at him and admonished, "Don't say things like that again. It's fortunate that only we are in the carriage. If outsiders heard, they would gossip about Auntie. Uncle isn't ho right now, and you don't know how people are already talking about her."
The little devil frowned. "Is it really that serious?"
"Yes!" Zong Wenxiu said firmly.
"Fine, then next ti I hear soone talking about her, I'll scold them back," the little devil declared.
Zong Wenxiu: "..."
Scolding back might not be necessary. It wasn't like a street brawl, and most people only gossiped behind closed doors.
However, he noticed that his brother's attitude toward Auntie seed different these past few days.
Zong Wenxiu tentatively asked, "Jin Cheng, how did you co up with the idea that Auntie might be teaching another child?"
"She took in to groom for the top ranks. But now, she doesn't even have ti for anymore. She must have found another child she likes," the little devil asserted confidently. "It must be He Zheng."
"?" Zong Wenxiu was stunned. "How did you even guess a specific na?"
The little devil, with his all-knowing eyes, said disdainfully, "If it weren't for our bad relationship with Qin Ye, I bet she'd want to teach him too."
Zong Wenxiu: "!"
How did his brother co up with these wild guesses? They were completely baseless!
Soon, his confusion was cleared up.
Zong Jincheng said with a resentful tone, "She likes kids who study hard. Don't I know her? Hmph, biased. She likes you more than ."
Zong Wenxiu was even more baffled. "When has Auntie ever liked more than you? She's spent more energy on you. Rember, I was brought in to accompany you in your studies."
The little devil pouted and complained, "But she only pats your head, ruffles your hair, and always talks to you gently and kindly."
Zong Wenxiu: "???"
"Didn't you say you hated it when people touched your head?" Zong Wenxiu vividly rembered his brother dodging Chen Yunyu's attempts, clearly annoyed.
The little devil said aggrievedly, "But when you pat my head, I don't mind."
Zong Wenxiu: "..." That was true.
But...
"Do you want Auntie to pat your head too?" his brother asked thoughtfully.
The little devil was silent for a mont before stubbornly saying, "No, patting heads stunts growth. Who wants her to pat my head? She can go be nice to whoever she wants. Hmph, I don't care. Once I make it to the top ranks, I'll never talk to her again."
Zong Wenxiu scratched his head.
He instinctively felt that this was just empty talk and unlikely to happen.
"Well..." Zong Wenxiu wanted to suggest that they should call a truce.
But after thinking about it, he realized that Auntie and his brother didn't seem to be at war. In fact, they often seed quite harmonious, but their constant bickering gave off a strong sense of conflict.
In the end, Zong Wenxiu couldn't find the right words. The carriage continued toward the academy, while the little devil sat with his arms crossed, his feet propped up on the empty seat opposite, sprawled against the carriage window, pretending to nap.
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