Zong Jincheng looked at Zong Wenxiu in confusion. What was going on? His brother hadn’t secretly stayed up all night studying but had instead spent the night covering him with a blanket?
“Do I… kick off my blankets when I sleep?” The little troublemaker had no idea he had such a habit.
Shunzi nodded vigorously. Of course, not only did he kick off his blankets, but he was also the king of blanket-kicking. It’s just that Young Master Cheng usually had someone watching over him while he slept. Today, since it was Young Master Xiu’s turn, they had all been dismissed.
Zong Jincheng: “……” Suddenly, his face turned red.
So, he had misunderstood.
He abruptly stood up, then abruptly sat back down, his gaze wandering, too embarrassed to look at Zong Wenxiu, let alone Baili Xi.
Xu Wan raised an eyebrow and silently retreated outside the study.
Baili Xi smiled and said, “So that’s how it is. Wenxiu, earlier Jincheng said you had been reciting books all night, and I thought you were pushing yourself too hard. It’s good to know that wasn’t the case. Now, let’s all sit down and focus on the lesson.”
Zong Wenxiu only glanced at his brother briefly before quickly getting into the groove, sitting down and listening attentively. Meanwhile, the little troublemaker squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.
After a while, he picked up his brush and started scribbling on a piece of paper. Once the ink dried, he crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it onto Zong Wenxiu’s desk.
Kid, do you think I’m blind?
I’m sitting right here, and I saw everything clearly!
“Jincheng, stand up.” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovєlFіre.net
The little troublemaker, who was still scratching his head waiting for his brother to read the note, was suddenly called out. He quickly stood up and asked, “What is it, sir?”
Baili Xi, fuming, said, “What is it? You’re not paying attention in class, and you’re disturbing Wenxiu’s focus. Why do you think I called you out?”
The little troublemaker was shocked: “You saw that?”
He thought he had thrown it without anyone noticing.
Baili Xi: “……” I’m really not blind.
He took a deep breath and said, “Wenxiu, stand up and read it.”
Zong Wenxiu picked up his book, ready to recite, but Baili Xi said, “Read the note Jincheng threw at you.”
Zong Wenxiu looked at his brother, then at Baili Xi, and with a complicated expression, he unfolded the crumpled paper.
The little troublemaker covered his face with one hand, wishing he could just disappear. He nervously shouted, “Sir! Maybe you should just hit my palm instead!”
He extended one hand, ready for the punishment.
Baili Xi remained unmoved: “Read it.”
Zong Wenxiu obeyed. When he saw the words on the note, he paused for a moment, then smiled and read aloud, “Brother, I’m sorry. Thank you.”
His brother had apologized and thanked him.
Zong Wenxiu was quite pleased. He felt that his brother had truly grown a lot.
But the little troublemaker, who had just been publicly humiliated, was so red in the face that it looked like he might explode. He glared at Baili Xi, clearly on the verge of rebelling again.
How was I supposed to know you two were passing notes about this kind of thing…
Baili Xi coughed awkwardly and said, “Sit down, both of you. From now on, save your apologies and thanks for after class. During lessons, no distractions. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.” Zong Wenxiu sat down obediently.
Zong Jincheng also sat down, burying his face in his arms on the desk and covering the back of his head with his book.
From outside the window, Xu Wan could see that the little troublemaker’s ears were bright red.
Prideful people really care about their dignity.
Xu Wan shook her head helplessly and, no longer concerned with what was happening inside, led the private tutors elsewhere.
A line of maids approached, each carrying a tray, dazzling the three private tutors.
“Madam, what is this?”
“It looks like some clothes.”
“The colors are quite vibrant too.”
The three private tutors lived in the manor, with their meals and lodging fully provided. They hadn’t expected clothing and daily necessities to be included as well, but from Xu Wan’s tone, it seemed she intended to cover those too.
Xu Wan explained, “These are clothes I had Steward Liu pick out for the three of you. Young people should dress more brightly.”
Zhao Yin was twenty-one, Pan Hongzhi was nineteen, and Cheng Zhidong was twenty-seven. All three were in the prime of their youth, yet they dressed as drably as Baili Xi, which was entirely unnecessary.
The three were completely obedient to Xu Wan. Whatever the mistress said, they would do. The fabric of the clothes on the trays felt incredibly soft and looked expensive. Each of them happily went to try them on.
After class, Zong Jincheng and Zong Wenxiu were about to head out for lunch when they suddenly saw two dashing young men. At first glance, they almost didn’t recognize them.
Pan Hongzhi and Zhao Yin, one dressed in a sky-blue robe and the other in a sapphire-blue robe, looked at least ten years younger than before. If they were walking down the street, they could easily be mistaken for scholars heading to the capital for the imperial exams.
The title “tutor” no longer seemed fitting for them.
Zong Jincheng circled around them, then turned to his brother and said, “They look familiar, like the older brothers at the academy preparing for the imperial exams.”
Zong Wenxiu chuckled and said, “Yes, but the difference is that they’ve already passed them.”
Zhao Yin smiled and said, “Jincheng, Wenxiu, Madam said that from now on, we’ll be having meals with you in the courtyard. When there are no outsiders, there’s no need to go to the main hall. Also, you don’t have to call us ‘tutor’—it’s too formal. Just use our names.”
Madam had said that changing the form of address would help reduce the sense of hierarchy, so they had also adjusted how they addressed the two young masters.
“Huh? Isn’t that a bit impolite…” Zong Wenxiu was the first to hesitate, feeling it wasn’t quite appropriate.
Zhao Yin patted his shoulder and said, “Don’t be so formal. Think of it as if we met at the academy. I studied at Qingbo Academy for a year too.”
“A year?” Zong Wenxiu was shocked. “You passed the exams after just one year?”
Zhao Yin: “Oh, no. After a year, I was recruited by the tutors at Hanlin North Academy.”
Qingbo Academy really couldn’t catch a break. Already struggling to compete with Hanlin North Academy, they finally nurtured a talent, only to have him poached by the rival. It must have been infuriating.
But with Zhao Yin’s explanation, Zong Wenxiu did feel a sense of familiarity. After all, they had both studied at the same academy.
However, things weren’t so simple for the little troublemaker. As he stared at Pan Hongzhi, his mind was racing with thoughts: This guy is from Hanlin North Academy—both a student and a tutor there. He’s my enemy! And now he’s going to eat and sleep with us… No, I have to find a way to keep him out.
Pan Hongzhi was utterly exasperated by the kid’s obvious hostility. He really wanted to grab him and give him a good spanking to teach him some respect for his elders.
But he couldn’t. The kid was untouchable.
Fortunately, Madam had just given him a new strategy, one that would surely work.
Pan Hongzhi cleared his throat and said, “Even though I’m from Hanlin North Academy, I’ve never liked the students there. All they do is study obsessively, with no life outside of books.”
“Oh?” Zong Jincheng was puzzled. “You don’t like them either?”
“Of course not. I can’t stand them,” Pan Hongzhi lied through his teeth, adopting a “if you can’t beat them, join them” approach to align himself with the little troublemaker.
Zong Jincheng, intrigued, asked, “If you don’t like them, why did you study there? And why did you become a tutor there?”
Pan Hongzhi replied, “I became a tutor because Hanlin North Academy pays well. As for studying there, I thought… it would be fun to take down all those geniuses one by one.”