The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class
Chapter 444

The words were indeed spoken by Qin Ye.

His explanation was just a broad direction and didn’t delve into specifics, nor did he mind if others overheard. But he never expected Zong Jincheng to not only repeat his words but also use his name to stir trouble.

In all his years, Qin Ye had never met someone so audacious.

The thought of others possibly turning their attention to him, or even engaging in arguments, darkened his expression. He disliked being disturbed.

Zong Zhao could understand Qin Ye’s frustration and turned to Xu Wan, asking, "Should I stop Jincheng?"

Jincheng and Qin Ye weren’t close enough for such jokes, and Qin Ye was clearly displeased. If this continued, it might escalate into a conflict.

Zong Zhao didn’t want Qin Ye and Jincheng to fall out.

However, Xu Wan knew the little troublemaker better. She whispered, "Don’t rush. Let’s observe for now. I think Jincheng isn’t as reckless as before—he knows his limits."

"Alright."

The hall was filled with over a hundred scholars, seated at various tables. Among them were students from the capital, all of whom knew the name of the capital’s top scholar: Qin Ye of Qingbo Academy, rumored to be a young prodigy in his teens.

Hearing Zong Jincheng’s shout, they craned their necks and called out, "Qin Ye? Qin Ye is here? Which one is he?"

"I’ve never seen the capital’s top scholar before. They say he’s a young boy who passed the exams. Is he here to challenge the top scholar from the south?"

"Kid, which one is Qin Ye?"

The little troublemaker let out an "Oh" and pointed behind him.

Qin Ye didn’t even lift his head, so furious he was about to stand and confront the situation—until he heard his brother’s voice ring out in surprise: "Huh? Me?"

Qin Ye: "?"

The other young scholars: "??"

The entire room turned to Qin Shi, their gazes burning with scrutiny: "So that’s Qin Ye! His age matches!"

Qin Shi: "..."

No, it doesn’t. I’m two years older than my brother…

Am I really that short?

Qin Shi began to question himself.

With the "real" Qin Ye identified, the scholars returned to the main topic, asking Zong Jincheng, "Earlier, Qin Ye said Wei Shaoling is a fraud with ulterior motives. What did he mean?"

Instead of repeating Qin Ye’s argument, Zong Jincheng tilted his head and exposed Wei Shaoling’s deceit: "He’s just a fraud. If writing about virtue alone could pass the exams, why would the Ministry of Rites test policy essays? They might as well just test the Four Books and Five Classics!"

The scholars immediately grasped his point: "He’s right! Talking about governance, loyalty to the court—those are just empty words. If we focus only on that, how is it any different from reciting the classics?"

"Such a simple analogy, and it all makes sense now. I almost fell for Wei Shaoling’s trap!"

Wei Shaoling’s face fell. He retorted, "Nonsense! Officials must understand governance and serve the court. If you don’t grasp these basics, how can you even write policy essays?"

Zong Jincheng countered, "Understanding these is just the foundation. Everyone here passed the provincial exams—no one lacks that knowledge. What we need is guidance on the policy essays for the metropolitan exams. But what did you do? Spout basic points everyone already knows, leading them to write essays that’ll never stand out!"

"Exactly! This young master speaks the truth. I took the metropolitan exams once and wrote a long essay following Wei Shaoling’s approach—ended up failing miserably."

"He’s right. So Wei Shaoling was just feeding us useless advice?"

"Not useless—if we all wrote like that, those who could’ve passed would fail, and those who could’ve ranked high would end up at the bottom. Meanwhile, this ‘great talent’ would secure a top spot!"

"What? Such a sinister scheme!"

"No wonder a top scholar like Qin Ye stepped forward to debate. He was warning us about this trap. How vile! Even without fixed quotas, we still have to guard against such people. The world is truly treacherous!"

The scholars, once admirers of Wei Shaoling, now turned against him in unison.

Furious, Wei Shaoling snapped at Zong Jincheng, "You insolent brat, you don’t know the first thing about the exams! You’ve been fooled by that Qin Ye. What does a child like him understand about the imperial examinations?"

Before Zong Jincheng could retort, others shoved forward indignantly: "How dare you say Qin Ye is a fraud? Do you even know how brilliant he is? He’s the top prodigy from Qingbo Academy, ranked fourth in the capital—the one who crushed Hanlin North Academy, the cradle of top scholars!"

Zong Jincheng tried to squeeze back in, only to be pushed aside again: "You think you’re so great as the southern top scholar? Let me tell you, in this vast capital, Qin Ye is our god of exams!"

"That’s right! We believe in Qin Ye!"

"You’re wrong—Qin Ye is right!"

"Fraud! Scoundrel! You’re not fit to even carry Qin Ye’s shoes!"

Zong Jincheng: "???"

What is this??

Weren’t we debating whether Wei Shaoling was a fraud?

Since when did Qin Ye get a fan club?

Has the entire capital become his followers?

The metropolitan exams haven’t even started yet!

The little troublemaker’s temper flared.

He was about to flip a table.

Qin Shi chuckled and said to his brother, "I didn’t expect so many people in the capital to know you, Xiao Ye. You’re amazing."

Qin Ye replied flatly, "These are all examinees. They keep tabs on their peers. Even if the capital’s top scholar were someone else, they’d remember just as well."

He didn’t think himself special.

But Qin Shi admired his composure. "Yet they know you’re from Qingbo Academy, that you’re a child prodigy…"

Qin Ye cut him off: "If you shouted Zong Jincheng’s name, they’d know him too."

Qin Shi: "? No way…"

Not just Qin Shi, even the other boys at the table doubted it—especially Shen Yibai, who constantly vowed to defeat Qin Ye for Jincheng’s sake.

Wei Xinglu nudged Shen Yibai and whispered, "Why don’t you shout Jincheng’s name and test it?"

He Zheng immediately protested, "No! Then our cover as child scholars will be blown!"

They’d agreed to maintain their disguises.

Shen Yibai grinned and murmured, "Let’s just follow Jincheng’s lead."

"Eh? Follow what?" He Zheng was confused.

But Shen Yibai was already darting into the crowd.

Wei Xinglu called after him, loud enough for all to hear: "Zong Jincheng, they’re talking about Qin Ye! What are you running over for?"

He Zheng: "!"

So they’re copying the big brother’s trick of impersonation.

But won’t that expose their identities?

However, He Zheng was overthinking it. The students acted as if they hadn’t heard a thing—the name Zong Jincheng drew no reaction from them at all.

Qin Shi silently turned to his younger brother and remarked, "Xiao Ye, even you can miscalculate sometimes."

Qin Ye: "…"

What were they playing at?

Zong Jincheng was, after all, one of the top ten scholars in the provincial exams.

Why were these people singling him out like this?