“Yes, sir.”
After receiving the order, the guard inquired again, “General Pang, what should we do with the midwives?”
The midwife, shivering in fear, cried out, “Please spare my life, General Pang! Please spare my life! I’ve confessed everything, I’ve confessed everything...”
General Pang spoke coldly, “Arrest them and keep them alive. Wait for the Great General’s return to handle the matter.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Send a ssage to inform the Great General of our progress,” General Pang smiled, “Upon hearing this good news, the Great General should be able to win the battle swiftly and return.”
They needed to find this child as quickly as possible.
---
At the Marquis Manor Elite Class.
Baili Xi was passionately lecturing on the Battle of Red Cliffs, recounting the famous victory from Huang Gai’s ruse of self-inflicted wounds to the strategy of borrowing arrows with straw boats, and finally to the burning of the enemy fleet. He ticulously covered one of the most renowned battles in history.
The three young students were utterly captivated.
The mischievous little boy, in particular, was entranced. He promptly led the applause, exclaiming, “How amazing! They were all so brilliant!”
“Understanding human nature, wisdom, and even the celestial phenona is crucial for winning battles,” Baili Xi concluded his brief yet impactful lesson and left, leaving the majority of the teaching to the three private tutors.
As soon as class ended, the mischievous boy ran straight to Xu Wan’s courtyard.
He had been spending his lunch breaks with her lately, either boasting about his progress in his exams or how his calligraphy had earned more red circles from Pan Hongzhi. His tone was always bragging—he was the smartest, the most talented, and he was improving at an astonishing rate every day.
Xu Wan listened to his boasting while serving him dishes, encouraging him, “Not bad. At this rate, you’ll be a top scholar in no ti.”
Eating happily from her dish, the boy kicked his legs under the table and proudly declared, “What’s a top scholar to ? He only set the goal for those two. I’m aiming to be the champion of the civil exams!”
Xu Wan chuckled, “So, you’re saying they have to beat Qin Ye too?”
“Of course!” the boy replied naturally, “Qingbo Academy doesn’t hold a candle to our Elite Class.”
Although the class was started by Xu Wan, since they were now in a temporary truce, praising her wasn’t out of the question.
Xu Wan smiled, thinking how optimistic the boy was.
However, she didn’t want to dampen his spirits, so she continued serving him food, murmuring, “Let’s discuss sothing, shall we?”
“What?” The boy paused mid-bite, his eyes widening as he warned her with a gaze not to bring up anything he disliked.
Xu Wan laughed, “It’s a discussion, why are you acting like this? As if I’m going to set a trap for you.”
“You’ve set enough traps already,” the boy complained bitterly.
“That’s because we weren’t on truce before. Now that we’re not fighting, I have no reason to trick you,” she replied.
The boy instinctively retorted, “But you will if sothing happens?”
Xu Wan: “...”
That was hard to say. It depended on the situation.
But seeing the boy about to pout in anger, she quickly added, “If you keep arguing, I won’t bring it up.”
“I’m not arguing! You’re the one leaving loopholes in what you say!” the boy protested, growing anxious, “I’ve been obedient and practiced my writing because you asked to, can’t you be nicer to ?”
“Fine, fine. My fault. I won’t trick you even if sothing happens, okay?” Xu Wan surrendered, raising both hands.
“That’s more like it...” The boy happily resud eating, his little feet kicking beneath the table again.
Xu Wan couldn’t take it anymore, “Sit properly, the draft from your kicking is bothering .”
The boy shot back quickly, “Then don’t sit across from , sit beside .”
“...”
Xu Wan pondered for a mont and actually moved to sit beside him. This action startled the boy, causing him to scoot away, but he quickly moved back.
The little fellow mumbled, “That’s more like it...”
“What did you say?” Xu Wan didn’t catch it.
The boy, his face red, said, “Nothing. You were saying we needed to discuss sothing?”
Xu Wan quickly replied, “Oh, right. There’s a flower viewing banquet in a few days, and many people will be attending. Can you stay by my side then, and don’t call ‘hey’ or ‘oi.’”
“What should I call you?” The boy asked seriously.
Xu Wan took a deep breath and patiently explained, “You’re my legitimate son, and I’m your legitimate mother. You should call ‘mother.’ Don’t you rember?”
You rascal, you’ve got a photographic mory, so stop pretending you don’t know.
The boy was already over the moon every ti she referred to him as her son and herself as his mother.
However, the proud little fellow wouldn’t admit it outright. With a cheeky grin hidden, he looked up and said earnestly, “What will you call ? I want a fair title.”
“What’s fair about that?” Xu Wan frowned, “Do I call you ‘son?’”
The boy tilted his head, thinking. Mother and son sounded a bit odd, but just calling him Zong Jincheng was just like addressing anyone else.
Chéng’ér?
Little Chéng?
The boy found both options unacceptable and pouted, “Forget it, I’ll think of sothing suitable later.”
“So, you agree?” Xu Wan’s eyes shone with hope.
“Just for one day,” the boy muttered, his voice barely audible as he resud eating.
Xu Wan finally relaxed, “One day is enough.”
After a while, the boy suddenly realized, “Why did you suddenly ask to follow you to the banquet and call you ‘mother?’ Are you being bullied?”
So, she wanted him to protect her?
The boy was delighted by the possibility, but his brows furrowed in concern.
Xu Wan had stood up for him many tis, earning herself nurous enemies. Those people wouldn’t dare touch him, a child, but they definitely would target Xu Wan.
The boy stood up and exclaid, “I’ll go get Grandmother to co too! She can back you up.”
“No, no, no, don’t bother,” Xu Wan pulled him back, “Don’t bother your grandmother. She’s busy traveling with your grandfather right now.”
The boy pouted, “Traveling isn’t important. Grandmother cares about you, she wouldn’t want you to be bullied.”
Xu Wan denied, “I’m not being bullied, what are you imagining?”
The truth was that her younger sister, Xu Lian’er, and her husband Chen Yunyu were also attending the banquet. She had heard that things had been tumultuous at Duke Jin’s Manor over the past few months. Xu Lian’er and one of Chen Yunyu’s mistresses had each lost a child, and the Duchess of Jin, for the sake of appearances, had forced Chen Yunyu to break off his relationship with the mistress.
However, Xu Lian’er’s troubles didn’t end there. A second mistress appeared, this ti with Chen Yunyu’s first son. The family was now discussing whether to bring the mistress and the child into the manor, completely disregarding the matter of handing over the managent keys to Xu Lian’er. This had left her in a state of illness for several days.
Xu Wan had been deliberately avoiding contact with them, fearing Xu Lian’er would vent her frustrations on her. But this banquet was hosted by the Crown Princess’s close friend, and the Crown Princess had specifically requested her attendance, making it impossible to decline.
Xu Wan was used to interacting with children and didn’t want to get involved in the ssy affairs of Duke Jin’s Manor. She planned to have Zong Jincheng stay by her side, making it harder for Xu Lian’er to approach her and engage in unnecessary banter.
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