The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

Chapter 61

Cui Zhi covered her face, almost too afraid to open her eyes.

Young Master Cheng had gone too far this time—not only did he try to harm Madam with spoiled lychees, but he also had Young Master Xiu deliver them.

This was clearly a recipe for disaster.

Zong Wenxiu, unaware of the situation, stood up to defend his younger brother: "Madam, my brother knows he was wrong and holds no grudge against you. He even asked me to deliver the mistakenly picked lychees to you."

Zong Jincheng was so nervous he kept fidgeting with his hands.

But his hands were still as pale as white radishes, and every pinch hurt like hell.

He hissed in pain and instinctively stood up from the table, eyeing her warily.

Xu Wan looked at the lychees and smiled. "This year's lychees are quite good. I see there’s a particularly large one here. Let’s pick it out for Jincheng to try."

Zong Jincheng’s face turned green.

Who would want to eat that spoiled lychee, especially the biggest one!

Zong Wenxiu responded, "Alright, I’ll pick it out and peel it for my brother to eat later."

Xu Wan smiled sweetly. "Why wait? Peel it now. I’ll watch him eat it."

Zong Jincheng: "!"

This woman… did she know?

The air grew tense, and the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Zong Jincheng watched helplessly as his brother peeled the spoiled, largest lychee and brought it to his lips.

The little devil refused to open his mouth.

Xu Wan asked with a smile, "Why aren’t you eating? Do you dislike Wenxiu feeding you? Should I do it instead?"

Zong Jincheng glanced sideways and swatted the spoiled lychee away with his arm, angrily retorting, "I don’t want to eat that lychee! I don’t like big ones, is that a crime?"

"Of course not. Wenxiu, peel a smaller one for him," Xu Wan instructed, adding, "Oh, and make sure it’s from the plate meant for me."

At this point, not only did the little devil understand, but even Zong Wenxiu sensed something was off.

He looked at his brother and Madam in confusion. "What’s wrong with this plate of lychees?"

To him, the two plates looked identical, with no noticeable difference or strange smell.

Xu Wan smiled and said, "Ask your dear brother who served them to you."

Seeing that his scheme had been exposed, Zong Jincheng didn’t want Zong Wenxiu to take the blame for him. He admitted fiercely but honestly, "Yes, this plate is the spoiled lychees I prepared for you. You can’t eat them!"

Zong Wenxiu looked at him in shock. "Spoiled lychees… You wanted to make Madam sick?"

Xu Wan snorted. "If you’re upset with me, fine, but why involve Wenxiu? Do you know what his life in this household is like? If something had happened to me, do you realize the gossip and rumors he would face?"

Zong Jincheng snapped, "Stop yelling! I’m the one who did it. I knew you wouldn’t eat the lychees if I sent them, so I tricked him into delivering them. I’ll take full responsibility. Punish me however you want, but leave him out of it!"

"You tricked me?" Zong Wenxiu looked at him.

Though the ten-year-old boy was slightly taller, his clear eyes now held a hint of hurt. He couldn’t accept being used by his younger brother.

Zong Wenxiu lowered his head, his eyes red as he apologized to Xu Wan. "I’m sorry, Madam. I almost harmed you… Punish me however you see fit. Whether it’s spanking my hands or my back, I’ll accept it without complaint."

Xu Wan patted his shoulder, comforting him. "You were just too honest and got tricked. It’s not your fault. Go back, and stay away from this kid so he can’t deceive you again."

"Okay," Zong Wenxiu choked back a sob, not even glancing at Zong Jincheng before turning and leaving.

"I… I didn’t mean to make you take the blame!" Zong Jincheng wanted to chase after him, but Cui Zhi stopped him.

Madam wasn’t done settling accounts with Young Master Cheng yet.

Zong Jincheng growled, "Why are you telling him to stay away from me? He’s my brother, not yours!"

Xu Wan scoffed. "Please, with the way you used him, you should be ashamed to even call him your brother. I feel embarrassed for you."

"You!"

"Zong Jincheng, I know you’re clever and full of mischief. I also know you’ve been spoiled rotten and no one’s ever taught you this, so I’ll spell it out for you today: You hurt Wenxiu."

"What did I do?" Zong Jincheng didn’t understand, his voice tinged with frustration. "I didn’t make him take the blame for me. How many times do I have to say it before you—"

"But you used him," Xu Wan interrupted. "He sees you as family, but you treated him like a tool to achieve your own ends, tricking him into doing something he would despise."

"I… I didn’t."

Xu Wan ordered the spoiled lychees to be thrown away and continued, "People are different. What you see as a harmless prank might be a serious breach of someone else’s morals. You’ve been studying the classics for months now, and it’s not just rote memorization anymore. Don’t you understand that?"

Zong Jincheng didn’t understand.

Or rather, he saw books as books and people as people. He was used to acting recklessly without considering others’ feelings. As long as he was in the mood, he would act out, never caring if others were upset. His own happiness was all that mattered.

Xu Wan’s lecture only half-registered with him. He felt both annoyed and uneasy.

The little rascal glared at her defiantly. "Are you done? If you’re going to punish me, just get on with it!"

Xu Wan smiled. "Punish you? You’re not afraid of being punished now?"

The little devil snorted. "Because I’m strong-willed and mentally tough. You can only beat my body, but you can’t break my spirit! I’ll remember every bit of this, and one day, I’ll make you pay for it all!"

Xu Wan stared at the boy’s resolute expression, unfazed. Originally, he was definitely due for a beating today, but Xu Wan decided against it.

If a child gets used to being punished, the punishment loses its impact. She couldn’t rely solely on physical discipline to teach him.

So, she smiled again, patting the little devil’s cheek like a wicked queen. "Kid, I won’t punish you today, but you’ll have to face the consequences."

The little devil brushed her hand away, rolling his eyes. "Whatever, stop pretending to be nice. You’ll never redeem yourself in my eyes!"

Xu Wan snorted. "Cui Zhi, let’s go."

"Huh? Oh… okay." Cui Zhi was baffled.

Wasn’t the plan to teach Young Master Cheng to take responsibility, even without punishment?

How was he supposed to learn?

Madam had left—who was going to teach him?

But Cui Zhi’s confusion was soon cleared up when a servant came to report: Young Master Xiu had volunteered to kneel in the ancestral hall.

Zong Jincheng was a bit dazed by Xu Wan’s sudden departure. As soon as they left, Shunzi and Buyan returned with a plate of charred scallion pancakes. "Young Master, the pancakes are ready."

Zong Jincheng glanced at the blackened mess and snapped, "Are you two trying to poison someone?"

Buyan: "…"

Shunzi said sheepishly, "Young Master, neither of us has ever been in the kitchen. At least these are cooked…"

"Enough, enough," Zong Jincheng stood up. "Zong Wenxiu is upset. I’m going to find him."

"Huh?" Shunzi looked at the table, where only one plate of lychees remained. "Did Young Master Xiu discover the plan before we could deliver them?"