Chapter 42

She had a premonition that if Zong Wenxiu and Zong Jincheng took the same exam, they would both perform well, but the one Zong Wenxiu took was more difficult. Having only studied for half a year, he was competing against others who had been studying for years. Losing was only natural.

But Wenxiu was different. Introverted and meticulous, he was prone to getting stuck in his own high standards, trapped in a mental breakdown.

Zong Wenxiu was indeed very nervous. He wanted to see his results but was afraid of performing poorly. Hearing Xu Wan's words, he felt warmth in his heart. Sometimes, from Madam Xu, he could see the shadow of his mother.

Madam Xu treated him exceptionally well.

Zong Wenxiu gratefully said, "Thank you, Madam. I will take your words to heart."

Xu Wan smiled at him.

The little troublemaker, on the other hand, grew increasingly annoyed listening to them. He glared at the two who seemed to ignore him and dryly mocked Xu Wan, "So you can say nice things after all!"

"It's just that you never get them!"

Xu Wan lazily replied, "Nice words are meant for the right people. Some are inspired and work harder after hearing them, while others become overconfident and complacent. Isn't that right, Young Master Jincheng?"

Zong Jincheng felt the burn again. His lips pouted higher than a teapot. Finally, unable to bear the humiliation, he shouted out the window, "Stop the carriage! I'm getting off! Who wants to sit with her anyway?"

The coachman stopped the carriage, and Zong Jincheng jumped off.

Zong Wenxiu wanted to stop him but couldn't. He looked at Xu Wan, who wasn't in a hurry. She said, "We're almost at the academy. Let him walk."

"This kid isn't stupid. He knows it's just a short distance, so he dares to throw a tantrum. He's got the makings of a good official."

"Huh?" Zong Wenxiu was puzzled. Where did that come from?

Xu Wan explained, "He knows how to adapt. Being an official requires tact."

Zong Wenxiu: "..."

Couldn't understand, but felt deeply impressed.

Every month after the Qingbo Academy exams, they would mimic the imperial examinations by posting the students' rankings, only up to the top 120.

So, after the academy exams, students would greet each other with, "Did you make the list?"

The rankings were from left to right, with the left being the top and the right the bottom.

Zong Jincheng, having listened to Xu Wan's lecture in the carriage, curiously pulled Zong Wenxiu to find his ranking. Zong Wenxiu wasn't confident and started from the bottom.

Not long after, he found his name.

Grade B, 106th place.

The exam results were divided into four grades: A, B, C, and D, with each grade further ranked by accuracy. Students in the top 120 were at least Grade B.

Seeing this result, Zong Wenxiu wasn't sure if he should feel happy or not, but he smiled at his brother as usual, "I made the list. That's good enough."

Zong Jincheng, however, was far from satisfied. He questioned, "How could it be only 106th place?"

This ranking meant that among the same grade at Qingbo Academy, there were 105 students better than Zong Wenxiu?

That's way too many!

In Zong Jincheng's eyes, Zong Wenxiu might not be as smart, cute, or good at memorizing as himself, but at least he worked hard. Every day, he woke up before dawn to study and stayed up late reading. How could someone like that only score so low?

Zong Wenxiu smiled, "It's normal. After all, I'm two years older than you, and there's still so much more to learn. Let's go find your result. You must have done better than me."

Speaking of Zong Jincheng's results, the little troublemaker was extremely confident. Without needing Zong Wenxiu to lead the way, Zong Jincheng proudly walked toward the top.

He, Zong Xiaogongzi, would surely be the top of the academy!

"First place, Grade A, Qin Ye."

"It's him again! This guy has been unbeatable since he enrolled, never dropping below second place."

Before Zong Jincheng even reached the top, he heard this and his face immediately changed: "The first place isn't me??"

Zong Wenxiu: "..."

Such confidence is something I'll never have.

Zong Jincheng stood on tiptoe to look inside, only to find that not only was the first place not him, but the second place was also someone named Zhang Zhi.

"How could it be him??" Zong Jincheng was bewildered.

Zong Wenxiu was also confused: "Madam Xu said that Zhang Zhi always scored Grade B. How did he suddenly jump to Grade A and rank second?"

This was so strange that even Zong Wenxiu felt something was off.

Zong Wenxiu quickly scanned down the list and found two names at the bottom:

119th place, Grade B, Zong Jincheng.

120th place, Grade B, Wu Shusen.

"How could this be..." Zong Wenxiu couldn't believe his eyes.

Although his brother memorized texts by rote and didn't understand the true meaning or thoughts behind them, he had memorized the translations. At this age, the exams didn't go that deep. His brother should have been unstoppable.

How could he only score Grade B?

And that Zhang Zhi, wasn't he at the same level as Wu Shusen?

How did he suddenly jump to second place?

Zong Jincheng, seeing him go to the bottom, angrily shouted, "Why are you looking for me there? How could I be at the bottom?!"

He ran over, but before he could even focus on the list, Zong Wenxiu grabbed his sleeve and firmly said, "This list must be fake."

Zong Jincheng was stunned, thinking he was upset about his own result. He immediately agreed, "I think so too. How could you only score Grade B!"

Zong Wenxiu shook his head, denying, "No, scoring Grade B might be normal for me, but for you, it's definitely not normal!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Zong Jincheng's eyes widened, and his head instantly turned to the list. He saw his name right next to Wu Shusen, at the very bottom.

Zong Jincheng: "!!!"

How could he only score Grade B!

Absolutely impossible!!!

Zong ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‍Wenxiu pulled him away, "Let's go find Madam Xu and ask her to help investigate. Something must be wrong!"

Zong Jincheng, initially stunned, snapped out of it and violently shook off his hand, jumping in anger, "What's the point of looking into it? There's definitely a problem! This lousy academy dared to rank me at the bottom? That's an insult!"

"Damn it! They even posted it for everyone to see. Double insult! I'll smash them!"

With that, the little troublemaker turned back, forcefully pushing through the crowd, kicking over a nearby desk, and tearing down the red list!

The long red paper was quickly shredded, shocking everyone. Zong Jincheng threw the scraps everywhere and, still not satisfied, stomped on them several times!

The students watching the rankings had never seen such a scene. What kind of arrogant behavior was this?!

When they finally reacted, they shouted, "Who are you? Why did you tear down the list!"

"Exactly! Who is this brat? Qingbo Academy is no place for you to cause trouble!"