Shen Yibai stared at the table full of pork dishes, drooling as he picked up his chopsticks: "Ah... so delicious... truly worthy of the little wild boar I hunted myself! The meat is tender and flavorful, absolutely unforgettable!"
Zong Wenxiu raised an eyebrow, sensing something amiss. He remembered wild boar meat being tough and not particularly tasty—so why was Shen Yibai enjoying it so much?
He took a bite to try.
Hmm... seemed no different from regular pork to him.
The little troublemaker, Zong Jincheng, piled a large pork knuckle onto Shen Yibai’s plate and deadpanned, "Eat up, brother. Finish this, and you’ll grow taller than Wei Xinglu in no time. This is a wild boar from the royal hunting grounds, after all."
Little brother, you’re fooling Shen Yibai again.
Shunzi kept his eyes down, pretending not to know the truth.
Earlier, the manor physician had fussed for a long time before finally confirming—with the chef’s help—that the little wild boar had ingested some kind of sedative, which slowed its movements. Other prey from the hunt had traces of the same substance, clearly tampered with by someone.
Young Master Cheng, concerned that consuming such medicated game might be harmful, had all the wild boar meat secretly replaced with regular domestic pork without telling anyone.
As for Young Master Shen’s claim that it tasted better than usual... well, that was probably just the placebo effect. After all, the pork was the same as always.
Shen Yibai gnawed on the pork knuckle excitedly and cheered, "Tomorrow, I want stir-fried wild boar!"
Zong Jincheng gave him a look that screamed "you fool" but nodded indulgently. "—Consider it done."
"Yes," the servants replied in unison.
Shunzi covered his face, torn between secondhand embarrassment and stifled laughter.
After dinner, Zong Jincheng went to chat with Xu Wan. Not seeing Zong Zhao at home, he asked in surprise, "Mother, Father still isn’t back?"
Xu Wan replied, "No, he was called away by the Dali Temple officials at the hunting grounds this morning and hasn’t returned yet. There must be new developments in the case. Why? Do you need him for something?"
Zong Jincheng quickly shook his head. "Oh no, I was just asking."
After a pause, he added hopefully, "Since Father’s never home anyway, does that mean I can keep coming to eat with you?"
Xu Wan laughed. "Of course, come whenever you like."
The little troublemaker brightened at once and recounted the dinner table antics, making Xu Wan burst into laughter. "You’re terrible! At least have the kitchen prepare real wild boar next time, or Shen Yibai will forever think wild and domestic pork taste the same."
Zong Jincheng chuckled. "Nah, that guy thinks everything tastes amazing—he wouldn’t know the difference anyway."
Xu Wan smiled and asked, "So you still think it was Luo Jingfeng’s doing?"
Zong Jincheng rocked back and forth on his chair, swinging his legs. "Who else would pull such a stunt? And he still won’t admit it—what a coward."
Xu Wan teased, "Maybe he’s afraid of sinking even lower in your esteem."
Zong Jincheng scoffed. "He has zero favor with me to begin with."
"But at least you don’t despise him yet, right?" Xu Wan prodded.
Zong Jincheng looked up, puzzled. "Mother, what are you getting at?"
Xu Wan mused, "I’m just wondering... why does he dote on you more than his own child?"
Back when Zong Zhao had said Luo Jingfeng would cherish Zong Jincheng deeply, she hadn’t fully grasped it. But now, seeing it firsthand, she understood—even someone like Luo Jingfeng could show such tangible affection.
Setting aside the unfairness of rigging the hunt, his actions resembled those of doting grandparents, spoiling a child rotten just to see them happy.
Zong Jincheng thought of Luo Ji and grumbled, "He’s never pampered his own son . Look at Luo Ji—top hunter, martial prodigy. Thank goodness I’m not his kid, or he’d have turned me into a useless cheat."
Xu Wan patted his head fondly. "Exactly. Thank heavens you’re sensible enough not to be swayed by such indulgence. Stay sharp, my dear. We’re raising a future official who’ll serve the people and the nation."
"Don’t worry, Mother! I’ll never forget my principles!"
The next day, Luo Jingfeng sent another gift.
Though the Yangyuan Marquis Manor was wealthy beyond measure, some rarities—like the tribute items Luo Jingfeng collected—simply couldn’t be bought at any price.
Unfortunately, the little troublemaker remained unmoved. Without even unwrapping the package, he ordered the servants to return it. By now, he’d perfected his routine: the moment Luo family servants arrived, his own staff would block the gate, ensuring no one left without his permission.
And his permission always came with one condition: take your gifts back where they came from.
The Luo servants made the trip day after day, leaving empty-handed every time.
Eventually, even Luo Jingfeng seemed to give up, realizing he couldn’t out-stubborn the little mule. The gifts stopped coming.
Early June, the boys went to Qingbo Academy to check the exam rankings.
With the autumn imperial exams drawing near, their scores kept improving, making each ranking announcement a joyous occasion.
Of course, their joy meant someone else’s despair.
"AAAAAH! I’m losing it! This is the civil service exam ranking, not the child prodigy list! How are the top spots all taken by kids?! Am I hallucinating?!"
"Brother Cheng, calm down. Those ‘kids’ are Childhood Scholars—exceptional talents. They’re not your average children."
"AAAAAH... I still want to scream! Six kids above me?! As the seventh-ranked, I might as well dig a hole and disappear!"
"And what about me at eighteenth?"
"Should I even bother with the autumn exams at fiftieth? With only 300 spots in the capital, our academy’s no match for Hanlin North Academy anyway."
"...Stay calm. These are just academy rankings. The real exam’s different—what if they test everything I know and nothing I don’t?"
Zong Jincheng hadn’t even seen the rankings yet but was already teasing, "I bet Shen Yibai’s still the bottom of the advanced class."
Wei Xinglu hopped off the carriage and agreed, "That’s a given."
He Zheng concluded, "My man Shen Yibai—steady as a mountain!"
Shen Yibai leaped out of the carriage and launched a counterattack: "Says you guys! He Zheng, forever trailing Brother Wenxiu; Wei Xinglu, all talk no skill; Zong Jincheng, Qin Ye’s eternal loser!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" The three boys, each hit where it hurt, rolled up their sleeves in unison and charged.
Shen Yibai ducked behind Zong Wenxiu, sticking out his tongue. "Nyah nyah!"
Zong Wenxiu: "..." New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on N0veI.Fiɾe.net
Buddy, if you’re gonna act this smug, even I might have to hit you.