The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class
Chapter 450

As soon as the little devil uttered these words, the three adults finally took the matter seriously.

Though Zong Jincheng had always grumbled about his dissatisfaction with Qin Ye, whenever exam results came out, he would just howl in envy a few times—never with any real defiance.

But this time was different.

The sudden appearance of Tao Jingyu made him deeply uneasy.

Zong Zhao lightly tapped the name and mused, "Tao Jingyu, the surname Tao… could he be the Young Duke of the Duke of England’s household?"

At these words, everyone turned to look at him.

Luo Jingfeng’s eyes widened, his expression turning fierce. "What do you mean? That old fool from the Duke of England’s household dares to push his son to first place, above my Jincheng?"

Zong Jincheng felt his entire worldview being reshaped.

His voice trembled as he asked, "How could there be corruption in something as important as the imperial exams? Aren’t there measures like name concealment and transcription?"

After Zong Zhao confirmed that it was indeed the Young Duke of the Duke of England’s household, Luo Jingfeng was the first to slam the table and rise. "Those bastards! I never interfered with the Ministry of Rites when they finalized the rankings, and now they have the audacity to push some nobody to first place as if the Ministry were their own backyard? I’ll make them change it—the title of top scholar belongs to Jincheng! What right does Tao Jingyu have?"

"Your Grace, please calm down," Xu Wan interjected. "We don’t yet know if Jincheng truly deserves first place. If you force them to alter the rankings now, it’ll only look like Jincheng cheated."

Luo Jingfeng was furious. He turned to his nephew and asked, "Well then, Jincheng, tell me—do you want to be the top scholar?"

If the boy said yes, even if it meant crossing mountains of blades and seas of fire, he would storm the Ministry of Rites and make them rewrite the list.

Zong Jincheng was jolted by the intensity of the question. Still dazed, he murmured, "I do want to be the top scholar…"

"Good! If you want it, then I’ll—"

Luo Jingfeng was cut off as Zong Jincheng grabbed his arm and said firmly, "But I want to earn it with my own abilities. I accept losing to Qin Ye—but not to this person. I don’t believe he’s better than Qin Ye or me."

The young boy’s words were resolute, carrying undeniable conviction.

Luo Jingfeng’s eyes gleamed with approval. "Jincheng, now I truly believe you have what it takes to rank among the top three. Come, I’ll take you to the Ministry of Rites to see the exam papers. Let’s see what masterpiece this Tao Jingyu has written!"

Zong Jincheng hesitated but finally nodded. "Alright. Let’s go."

Zong Zhao intervened. "Keep a low profile. Don’t stir trouble at this critical moment."

Luo Jingfeng brushed him off. "Stay out of it. The Ministry won’t dare breathe a word of protest. The fewer people who go, the better—we don’t want to draw attention."

Zong Zhao relented but, distrusting Luo Jingfeng, turned to his son. "No matter what you find, don’t cause a scene at the Ministry." His glance at Luo Jingfeng made it clear whose impulsiveness he truly worried about.

Zong Jincheng understood. "Don’t worry, Father. I’ll keep an eye on Uncle."

"Good."

Luo Jingfeng scoffed at Zong Zhao’s warning. As if he were the reckless one here.

At the Ministry of Rites, Luo Jingfeng returned with a boy barely in his teens.

Grand Scholar Han and Vice Minister Shao bowed and inquired about the child’s identity, only to be met with Luo Jingfeng’s sharp retort: "Don’t ask questions you don’t need answers to."

The two examiners promptly fell silent.

"Bring me the papers of the top four candidates," Luo Jingfeng ordered.

Grand Scholar Han’s heart sank.

Among those four were Qin Ye, who had been pushed down the rankings, and Tao Jingyu, who had inexplicably risen from the teens to first place.

Nervously, he asked, "Does Your Grace wish to see Zong Jincheng’s results? I’ve heard you are close with General Zong and even took his son as your godson."

His eyes flickered to the boy beside Luo Jingfeng, assessing the likelihood that this was Zong Jincheng.

Luo Jingfeng’s gaze turned dangerous. "Grand Scholar Han, have you grown tired of living?"

The threat sent Vice Minister Shao to his knees, head bowed like a frightened quail, not daring to make a sound.

If even the mighty and influential Duke Protector Luo had spoken, and Grand Scholar Han still dared to evade the issue—wasn’t that just asking for death?

This was Luo Jingfeng they were dealing with—the Luo Jingfeng!

Grand Scholar Han, too, felt the weight of the threat. Without another word about protocol, he retrieved the four exam papers.

Because Luo Jingfeng meant what he said. He truly would kill him right there, and not even the Emperor could stop him.

Luo Jingfeng first examined Tao Jingyu’s paper. Zong Jincheng leaned in to read as well.

Tao Jingyu’s answers were competent, his policy discussion logical and well-reasoned—but overall, they were conventional, lacking any striking brilliance.

Zong Jincheng shook his head. He didn’t believe Tao Jingyu had outperformed him.

Luo Jingfeng remained silent, then picked up Qin Ye’s paper.

This was the first time Zong Jincheng had seen Qin Ye’s policy discussion.

The handwriting was immaculate, as if printed—a hallmark of the Hanlin North Academy’s style. Qin Ye had meticulously dissected the question, offering not only his insights but also four or five actionable proposals. More impressively, he had anticipated potential obstacles for each and devised countermeasures.

His writing was concise, his reasoning sharp, his understanding of governance and human nature profound.

Qin Ye was simply too formidable.

Zong Jincheng’s first thought after reading it was: Did Qin Ye ever really lose to me? Did he hold back before?

His second thought: How could such an outstanding paper be ranked fourth, while that mediocre Tao Jingyu took first? Are the Ministry officials blind?

Luo Jingfeng, having read both, immediately saw the discrepancy. He slammed the papers onto the table and demanded coldly, "Which of these two is ranked first, and which is fourth?"

The two officials froze.

Vice Minister Shao was both terrified and exhilarated.

Terrified ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‍because Grand Scholar Han’s favoritism had been exposed—and his own complicity by silence.

But exhilarated because Qin Ye’s injustice had been seen. Perhaps the exams could still be fair.

He stole a glance at the boy beside Luo Jingfeng and pieced it together: This must be Qin Ye!

The prodigy Qin Ye—the one who should have been named top scholar!

Perfect. Earlier, Grand Scholar Han had dismissed Qin Ye for lacking powerful backing, assuming that a minor official like Qin’s father couldn’t protect such a talented son.

But look at Qin Ye’s backing now.

With Luo Jingfeng standing behind him, no one would dare falsify the results again.

Grand Scholar Han immediately backtracked. "A mistake! A mistake! Qin Ye is first, Tao Jingyu is fourth. I’ll correct it at once!"