Chapter 47

“Is it the eight-year-old Qin Ye? I’ve also heard that he recently approached the headmaster to request a transfer to a more advanced class after this exam.”

“He’s really strong, probably aiming to take the child prodigy exam in a couple of years.”

“With him around, we’re sure to have someone make the cut this year!”

Zong Jincheng listened to them chattering away, their conversation constantly revolving around Qin Ye. In the eyes of the students at Qingbo Academy, Qin Ye was practically a savior.

This made Zong Jincheng extremely jealous.

He raised his fist and declared, “This time, I’ll show you all how I’ll beat that Qin Ye kid!”

“You?” The group looked at him, clearly skeptical.

“Never seen him.”

“Don’t know him.”

“Is he bragging?”

“First, you need to make the cut before you can even think about beating Qin Ye. Big talker, do you think you’re Qin Ye or something?”

Zong Jincheng: “!! I’m going to fight you all!!”

Zong Wenxiu was terrified, fearing his brother might get into a fight before the exam. He quickly pulled the little troublemaker aside and explained, “Don’t underestimate him. My brother is also very talented. Last month’s exam, he came in second, right after Qin Ye.”

Zong Jincheng hated being second, but mentioning this rank could prove his abilities, so he gritted his teeth and huffed in agreement.

The group was momentarily stunned, then retorted, “So what? There are thousands of students from the four academies taking this joint exam, and only 120 make the cut. In previous years, the other three academies always dominated, and Qingbo Academy never even had one on the list. Qin Ye might have a shot this year, but you? Forget it.”

Furious, Zong Jincheng shouted at Zong Wenxiu, “Don’t hold me back! Today, I’ll show them just how strong the top student of the joint exam can be!”

Zong Wenxiu: “……”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

His brother’s boasts were getting bigger and bigger.

No… his confidence was just growing stronger and stronger.

“Hmph, another crazy one.”

“Let’s go, arguing with a fool is pointless.”

Zong Jincheng yelled at their retreating backs, “Damn it, you bunch of snobs! Open your eyes wide and watch this, this year I, Zong Jincheng, will definitely claim the top spot!”

The bustling academy was too noisy for anyone to take his words seriously, though a few passersby chuckled.

Zong Jincheng: (#－.－).

Seeing his brother’s dejected expression, Zong Wenxiu couldn’t help but want to laugh, but he managed to hold it in.

He gently reassured him, “It’s okay, brother. I believe in you. This month’s exam, you’ll definitely do great!”

At the very least, it would be better than last time.

After all, Zong Jincheng had been studying with incredible vigor this month. With his intelligence, his progress had been advancing at an astonishing speed.

Zong Jincheng huffed, “Let’s go, into the exam room. I’ll show them all!”

“Yeah!”

The joint exam of the four academies mimics the timing of the child prodigy exam. The test content is less in volume than Qingbo Academy’s monthly exams but significantly more difficult, focusing not just on memorization and translation, but on comprehension and application.

It’s practically a mini imperial examination.

Fortunately, Zong Jincheng had been practicing this type of test all month, so he answered smoothly and left the exam room brimming with confidence.

The other students at the academy were a different story, emerging one by one, looking defeated.

“I’m done for. I probably won’t make the cut this year. The questions were too hard.”

“It’s unbelievable how the other three academies always perform so well.”

“If this keeps up, I don’t even dare to take the child prodigy exam. I’ll just end up crushing my self-esteem.”

“Ah, back to burning the midnight oil, I guess.”

While others were miserable, Zong Jincheng was the most confident. The feeling of being the only one who could do it was simply exhilarating, and a strong sense of accomplishment surged within him.

As for that so-called genius, Qin Ye, he could just step aside. This year, the top spot was Zong Jincheng’s!

The Marquis’s carriage was waiting outside Qingbo Academy. As the brothers Zong Jincheng and Zong Wenxiu prepared to board, Zong Wenxiu suddenly exclaimed, “My jade pendant is missing!”

“Ah? Where did you lose it?” Zong Jincheng turned to Shunzi and ordered, “Quick, take people and help him look for it.”

“Yes.” Shunzi led the servants and maids to search.

Zong Wenxiu was frantic, returning to the academy to look for it himself, scanning the ground everywhere, terrified it might have been stepped on and broken.

Zong Jincheng, who usually didn’t care much about such ornaments—after all, he had once traded a thousand-tael jade pendant for a meal—couldn’t help but join the search when he saw Zong Wenxiu so distressed.

“What kind of jade pendant is it? Is it very valuable? There were so many outsiders at the academy today, it’s probably lost for good. Just ask Xu Wan to buy you a new one when you get back.”

After all, that woman was stingy with him but generous with others, especially Zong Wenxiu.

He had seen it several times—Xu Wan often had people bring things to Zong Wenxiu’s courtyard.

Zong Wenxiu grew more and more anxious, his eyes turning red. His voice trembled as he said, “It’s the jade pendant my father gave to my mother. It was through this pendant that my grandmother discovered our existence. My mother gave it to me, and it’s my fault for not keeping it safe…”

Zong Wenxiu was filled with regret. How could he have worn such an important pendant? If he could find it, he would keep it safe and never lose it again!

But ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‍regret was useless. Finding a lost item was as difficult as reaching for the sky.

Zong Wenxiu mustered his courage and shouted loudly, “Has anyone seen my jade pendant? It’s very important to me. If someone has found it, could you please return it to me? The reward is one tael of silver.”

According to the laws of the Great Chu Dynasty, when returning a lost item, the owner must offer a reward equal to a quarter of the item’s value as a thank-you gift.

One tael of silver was a quarter of the pendant’s value.

Many people were passing through the academy, and while they were briefly tempted by the offer, a quick glance around revealed no sign of the pendant, so they gave up.

A tael of silver was a considerable sum for children of their age, but the tuition at Qingbo Academy was relatively high, and students who could afford to study there weren’t short of money. They wouldn’t care about a single tael.

No one helped Zong Wenxiu look for it.

Even as he continued to shout, no one offered to help.

Shunzi and the others were limited in their efforts, and the search would take a lot of time.

Zong Wenxiu collapsed to the ground, tears welling in his eyes.

“Mother, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault…”

Seeing him like this, Zong Jincheng felt bad too. He instructed Shunzi, “Go and announce that the reward is now five hundred taels.”

Shunzi: “!!!!!!”

“Young master, that jade pendant is only worth four taels. Are you sure you want to spend five hundred taels to help Sir Wenxiu find it??”

That's the price of a purebred Akhal-Teke horse!

Zong Jincheng snapped, “Yes! Can’t you see he’s about to cry?”

Shunzi hesitated, “But you only have fifty taels in your private funds…”

That was what he had just received this month.

Zong Jincheng was silent for a few seconds, then looked at Zong Wenxiu and said, “Charge it to him. Ask Xu Wan for the money!”

Shunzi: “…………”

Hopefully, Madam Xu will accept such a ridiculous logic.