“Huh?” “Huh?”
Not only was Zong Jincheng confused, but even Zong Wenxiu looked over curiously and asked, “Qin Ye has an older brother?”
“I thought he was the only son of the Qin family,” Zong Jincheng added.
After all, the last time he and Bu Yan passed by the Qin family and peeked over the wall, they only saw Qin Ye studying alone.
Xu Wan shook her head and explained, “The Qin family has two sons. His older brother is the child you met last time at Hanlin North Academy, named Qin Shi, who is the same age as Wenxiu.”
“The person Qin Ye went to see at Hanlin North Academy last time was his brother?” Zong Wenxiu asked in surprise. “Why don’t they study at the same academy?”
Zong Jincheng’s eyes lit up, and he quickly added, “If Qin Shi studies at Hanlin North Academy, he must be even more knowledgeable than Qin Ye, right? That arrogant kid must have been overshadowed by his brother and came to Qingbo Academy to bully weaker students!”
At the end, he couldn’t help but add, “What a schemer.”
Zong Wenxiu: “…”
What kind of habit is this where his younger brother fills in the blanks with his own imagination and even adds commentary…
Xu Wan chuckled and said, “Young Master, you really have quite the imagination. Didn’t I just say that Qin Ye stayed in the same class as his peers for his brother’s sake? Otherwise, you wouldn’t even have had the chance to be on the same ranking list as him.”
“What did you say?!” The little devil was furious.
How could he possibly not have the chance to be on the same ranking list as Qin Ye?
This was even more insulting than when Qin Ye was at the top of the list and he was at the bottom!
This woman always knew how to hit his buttons.
Hmph!
Zong Wenxiu held his arm and said, “Brother, don’t get angry yet. Let’s listen to what Madam Xu has to say. I’m quite curious. Last time at Hanlin North Academy, it did seem like Qin Ye was explaining something to Qin Shi. Could it be that Qin Ye’s knowledge is even better than his brother’s?”
Zong Jincheng instinctively retorted, “How is that possible? They’re born from the same parents, and Qin Shi is two years older. How could there be such a big difference? Besides, Qin Shi is a student at Hanlin North Academy. How bad could he be?”
Although the students of Hanlin North Academy were all his defeated opponents, they were still from the top academy in the capital. They couldn’t be that bad.
Of course, the reason he insisted on this was to prove just how outstanding he was for defeating them!
The little devil was getting carried away again, crossing his arms and puffing up like a proud lord.
Xu Wan glanced at him, thinking that if he had a tail, it would definitely be wagging right now.
Under the eager gazes of the two boys, Xu Wan revealed the truth: “The Qin family has a strong scholarly tradition. Both Qin brothers started their education at the age of three and studied diligently. Qin Shi was the top among his peers, following in his father’s footsteps. He was admitted to Hanlin North Academy at the age of five and received countless praises from elders. However, his younger brother Qin Ye gradually revealed even greater talent as he grew older. He excelled in memorization and literacy, catching up to Qin Shi’s eight-year-old level by the age of six.”
“This was the turning point. From then on, Qin Shi, despite his own excellence, was overshadowed in the eyes of their father and the Qin family elders. Qin Ye, on the other hand, was seen as the future top scholar, treated like a prodigy and showered with praise. Comparisons between siblings were inevitable. As the older brother, Qin Shi began to face constant ridicule and mockery.”
Zong Jincheng was stunned and exchanged a glance with his brother, puzzled. “Why do they have to compare them? Qin Shi is also excellent; he’s not inferior to anyone else. Are these people just trying to bully him?”
Zong Wenxiu thought for a moment and said, “I can somewhat understand the psychology behind comparing the Qin brothers, but I don’t get why they would mock Qin Shi.”
“It’s envy,” Xu Wan said. “It’s human nature to resent others for being better than oneself, especially when they can’t find a reason to belittle them. Qin Ye’s talent gave them a reason to belittle Qin Shi, and after doing so, they’d say, ‘See, you’re not that great after all. You can’t even surpass your younger brother.’”
Zong Jincheng’s veins bulged in anger as he raised his arm. “My fists are itching.”
Zong Wenxiu: “…”
No need to get so personally invested.
“So what happened after that? Did Qin Ye intentionally stay in the same class as his peers to prevent his brother from being mocked?” Zong Wenxiu asked, suddenly feeling that the cold and aloof Qin Ye wasn’t so devoid of human warmth after all.
Xu Wan smiled and nodded. “Yes, after Qin Ye transferred from Hanlin North Academy to Qingbo Academy, he initially stayed in the eight-year-old class and took first place as usual. But after Qin Shi talked to him about it, Qin Ye started planning to move to the Child Prodigy Class.”
Zong Wenxiu smiled and said, “They reconciled.”
“Huh?” The little devil was slow to catch on. “Did I miss something? When did they fight?”
Zong Wenxiu chuckled. “It’s a psychological reconciliation. The brothers made peace with the outside world’s judgments. Qin Ye no longer suppressed his abilities, and Qin Shi no longer minded that his younger brother was more talented. They each studied at their own pace in their respective academies.”
The little devil: “!” Got it.
So the reason he and Qin Ye were on the same ranking list in the last two exams was all because of Qin Shi.
“Those annoying brothers!” Zong Jincheng, the toolman, grumbled in frustration.
He decided that from today on, he would have an eternal feud with both Qin brothers!
Xu Wan glanced at him.
She thought to herself that with his grudge-holding nature, he probably just added another name to his list of enemies.
Xu Wan said, “The next exam is the monthly test in a month. I’ll give you two options: the top fifty in the nine-year-old class, or not making the list in the ten-year-old class. You decide which one you want to take.”
After all, the Child Prodigy Class was out of the question; he wouldn’t even be able to fill out the exam paper.
Zong Jincheng immediately protested, “How could I possibly not make the list?! My brother is already first at Qingbo Academy. How could I be 120 places behind him?!”
Xu Wan said nonchalantly, “Then give it a try. I think you’re just overconfident and underestimating your brother. Qingbo Academy is, after all, the fourth-best academy in the capital. Don’t take the ten-year-old exam and end up so discouraged that you have to go back to the eight-year-old class.”
“Hmph, don’t underestimate me!” Zong Jincheng said, hands on his hips. “I’m going to skip two age groups, take the ten-year-old exam, and make the list just to prove you wrong!”
Xu Wan was very pleased inside but maintained her skeptical expression. “Sure, sure, go ahead. Who could possibly be as capable as you?”
Zong Jincheng: “!!!”
This woman who always looks down on him!
He would definitely make her see just how amazing he was!
“Just you wait!” the young master declared.
Xu Wan continued to brush him off. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll wait for you to come back crying after failing the exam.”
The little devil was furious. “Who’s going to cry over failing an exam?! No, who’s going to fail the exam?!”
Xu Wan: “Who knows? It definitely won’t be Wenxiu, nor Qin Shi, and certainly not Qin Ye… Ah, Qin Ye is such an amazing child. His parents must be so proud, right?”
