The little devil, having received the Crown Prince's approval, imdiately bead with joy, his eyes narrowing into slits. He nodded emphatically and said, "Then I'll think more about how to improve it!"
Hehehe, His Highness praised again.
I truly am the future's most outstanding second-rank official, the Crown Prince's best student, and the finest seedling in the imperial court!
At Yangyuan Marquis Manor, Xu Wan was at ho, drafting study plans for the children when she heard the excited footsteps of her little one rushing back. She raised her head slightly, her brush pausing mid-air.
"Mom, Mom, I've accomplished sothing great! I helped His Highness!" Zong Jincheng dashed in, drenched in sweat but wearing an ecstatic grin.
Xu Wan raised an eyebrow with a smile and asked warmly, "What great accomplishnt? Co, tell about it."
The little devil recounted his discovery that Madam Wang might not have been pregnant, followed by his assistance in solving the case with the Ministry of Justice. His storytelling was vivid and dramatic, as if he had lived through it all.
Xu Wan couldn't help but remark, "Your storytelling skills are even better than a professional storyteller's."
Zong Jincheng chuckled, "I've listened to quite a few in the past."
Xu Wan: "..."
Indeed, talent never cos out of nowhere.
"So, how will they be sentenced?" Xu Wan asked curiously.
Zong Jincheng thought for a mont and replied, "Although Liu's Mother was deceived by Madam Wang and is pitiable, Liu Wu was indeed killed by her. As for Madam Wang, while she didn't directly cause Liu Wu's death, she was an accomplice and instigator, so both will face punishnt."
"Both of them are being punished? What about the five-year-old child in their household?" Xu Wan suddenly rembered.
Zong Jincheng quickly replied, "Liu's Mother entrusted the child to Zhao Kun, and he agreed to take care of him."
The little one was afraid that if he spoke too slowly, another person might be added to the advanced class. Strangers were out of the question—he wasn't familiar with them anyway.
Xu Wan nodded, "That's appropriate. Zhao Kun was willing to take the bla for Liu's Mother, so entrusting the child to him is fitting."
Seeing that his mother didn't suggest bringing the child into their ho, Zong Jincheng imdiately regained his cheerful deanor and pestered her, "Mom, what are you doing? Is there sothing fun?"
Seeing the little one peeking over, Xu Wan held up the paper on the table and said, "This is a set of questions His Highness sent over a few days ago, suggesting that you all figure this out. After thinking about it for a few days, I decided to skip the debate and turn it into a discussion instead, letting everyone take a neutral stance and discuss it."
"His Highness sent it? What's the topic?"
Zong Jincheng leaned in to look and saw the bold heading:
"In officialdom, should one appoint one's own faction?"
"Faction?" Zong Jincheng pondered, "Does that an relatives? Like close family?"
Xu Wan burst out laughing, "Not so literally. 'Faction' refers to a group of people closely aligned with you. They might be capable or not, but they are the ones you trust the most."
Zong Jincheng said seriously, "Then the only phrase that cos to my mind is... 'forming cliques for personal gain.'"
Xu Wan smiled without comnt and tapped the paper on his chest, "Take this to the class. We'll start the discussion first thing tomorrow."
The little devil muttered, "What's there to discuss? Of course not. The capable should take the position. Why would relationships matter?"
Xu Wan lightly flicked his forehead, "Silly, nothing is absolute. Rember how you debated about corrupt officials before?"
Back when she was climbing the corporate ladder, she had encountered situations where factional ties blocked her promotion. She had felt resentful at the ti, but when her performance far surpassed others and her colleagues acknowledged her abilities, her superiors abandoned their factional preferences and promoted her.
Later, her superior even discussed this with her, admitting that they had once promoted soone with slightly better performance over a factional candidate, only for that person to leave after padding their resu. anwhile, the factional mbers beca disgruntled and stopped performing well. In the end, neither side benefited.
So, whether it's factional or non-factional, it's not as simple as a single statent.
"But didn't you say this topic is just for discussion?" the little one asked, confused.
Xu Wan smiled, "Even discussions need to be thorough. You can't just say a couple of sentences and call it a day. Go on, this task is yours. Make sure the others prepare well too."
Hearing the word "supervise," Zong Jincheng imdiately perked up, "Alright, alright, I'll definitely whip them into shape and make them think hard!"
Back in the advanced class, as Zong Jincheng returned, the others who were studying looked up.
Shen Yibai was the first to tease, "Jincheng, with all your running around, you're like the hare in the tortoise and the hare race. I bet you'll end up beneath , my defeated rival."
Zong Jincheng stuck out his tongue, "Keep dreaming. Even if I gave you a year, you'd never catch up."
"Tch, so full of yourself," Shen Yibai rolled his eyes.
Wei Xinglu craned his neck and asked, "Jincheng, what's that in your hand?"
"This? It's the topic for tomorrow's discussion," the little devil waved the paper.
"Oh?" Everyone's curiosity was piqued.
Zong Jincheng repeated Xu Wan's explanation, and the reactions of the young boys were almost identical to his—they all thought one shouldn't favor personal connections.
Only He Zheng timidly raised his hand, "I understand what Auntie ans."
"What?" The others were puzzled.
He Zheng said softly, "Big brother, I'm your faction. If in the future, I and soone else have similar abilities, but only one person is needed to handle sothing for you, you'd definitely choose , right?"
Zong Jincheng imdiately replied, "Of course! If the abilities are similar, why wouldn't I pick soone I know well? Who knows if the other person can get the job done... right?"
The little devil suddenly had an epiphany.
Trust is an incredibly important factor.
"But... that's not what the sage books teach us," Wei Xinglu scratched his head, starting to wonder if the problem lay with the books or if they had been led astray by He Zheng and Zong Jincheng again.
Zong Wenxiu, looking at his sage book, murmured, "The sage books don't talk about pig farming either."
This statent left everyone speechless.
Zong Jincheng's earlier discourse on corrupt officials was like a lingering shadow—terrifying yet undeniably plausible and reasonable.
The little devil pondered, "So we need to set aside the sage books, imrse ourselves in real life, and then connect it to practical situations to discuss: Should we appoint our own faction or not?"
The five boys looked at each other, their eyes gradually lighting up.
morizing sage books day in and day out was dull and tedious. But discussing such topics? Now that was sothing to stay awake for.
He Zheng suggested, "Big brother, I think we should gather so historical materials to analyze. Factions have existed since ancient tis, so we need to figure out why they ca about in the first place."
This was the experience he had gained from several debates—always consult the books first, so you can present facts and argunts with solid evidence.
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