The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

Zong Jincheng's eyes instantly lit up, and he excitedly agreed, "Great minds think alike!"

Pan Hongzhi: "..."

Who’s thinking alike with you, you cocky little brat...

But as a highly paid private tutor, the professional Pan Hongzhi put on a masterful performance and said, "When I first entered Hanlin North Academy, I was so annoyed by their constant studying that I ended up plugging my ears and focusing on my own reading. That’s how I climbed from the bottom to the top ranks."

"So, did you just cram like them to get to the top?" The little devil unknowingly started chatting with him, following him toward the dining hall.

Zong Wenxiu and Zhao Yin exchanged glances, surprised by Pan Hongzhi’s backstory. Zhao Yin smiled and nodded, seeing through it but choosing not to comment.

Meanwhile, up ahead, Pan Hongzhi was still engrossed in conversation with the little devil, his enthusiasm perfectly feigned: "Of course not. Didn’t I just tell you? I hate rote learning, so I came up with all sorts of shortcuts to overtake everyone else. It only took me two years to surpass so many people."

The little devil exclaimed in awe, "That’s amazing! Are your methods better than what we’re learning now? Can you teach me? With my smarts, I’m sure I could crush them all in a year!"

Pan Hongzhi was internally banging his head against a wall at this over-the-top confidence, but he kept a passionate smile on his face and replied, "Of course..."

In the small dining room, the food was already served.

The little devil was still chatting animatedly with Pan Hongzhi, moving from Confucius’s method of questioning and learning to Xunzi’s approach of leveraging external resources.

Zong Jincheng said, "I’ve memorized Xunzi’s 'Encouraging Learning,' but I don’t know how to apply it. Is there a specific explanation?"

Pan Hongzhi replied, "You mentioned earlier that Wenxiu was silently reciting at night. That counts. Using fragmented time to silently recite helps you remember better."

The little devil said seriously, "But I have a photographic memory. I already remember everything perfectly."

Pan Hongzhi: "..."

Talking to the little devil felt like a test of patience every few sentences.

Zhao Yin, sitting nearby, was stifling his laughter until he felt a kick under the table. He quickly jumped in to save the situation: "Then you can try silent contemplation."

"Silent contemplation?" The little devil was even more puzzled. "Contemplate what?"

Pan Hongzhi, feeling rescued, regained his composure.

He continued, "Contemplate how to integrate and categorize what you’ve learned. For example, we just discussed the Analects and 'Encouraging Learning,' which contain two different methods of studying. What about other books? You’ve memorized hundreds of books—have you ever thought about extracting their core study methods?"

"Huh?" The little devil’s mind was suddenly opened.

He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Isn’t there also 'Biography of Master Five Willows'? Tao Yuanming said, 'Do not seek to understand everything.' It means you shouldn’t skim through books, shouldn’t half-understand them, and shouldn’t just grasp the general idea."

Pan Hongzhi gave him a thumbs-up, genuinely impressed. "Jincheng, you’re truly the smartest. You grasp things instantly. That’s exactly the idea. You can think about whether there are other methods in your free time."

"Got it!" The little devil’s ego was visibly inflated.

He swayed on his chair, almost ready to break into a dance, until Zong Wenxiu reminded him, "Alright, Jincheng, let’s eat."

"Mm!" Zong Jincheng felt a surge of motivation.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

By evening, the single bed was already set up.

Zong Jincheng thought he might struggle to adjust to the small bed, but it wasn’t so bad. The bed wasn’t as tiny as he’d imagined, and he wouldn’t fall off if he rolled over.

Most importantly, he now had an ally who shared his experiences and goals.

In just half a day, Pan Hongzhi had gradually convinced himself with his own acting, moving from superficial agreement to genuinely joining Zong Jincheng in criticizing Hanlin North Academy.

Is the meaning of life just about rote learning?

But late at night, when the chatterbox of a little devil kept him awake to the point of burying his head under the blanket...

He suddenly realized: Yes, it’s absolutely necessary. Without rote learning, how could one make big money? And with big money, who would have to put up with this little tyrant?

The little tyrant could even chat with a dog when bored, driving Pan Hongzhi to the brink of wanting to gag him.

Only after the little devil called out "Are you asleep?" a dozen times without getting a response did he finally roll over and reluctantly drift off to sleep.

On the other hand, Zong Wenxiu was much more polite. Aside from asking Zhao Yin the occasional question, he was well-behaved, going to bed on time and causing no trouble at all.

Zhao Yin fell asleep with a smile on his face. Teaching such a well-mannered child for a sky-high fee felt like money falling from the sky...

In the large study, the candlelight flickered.

Xu Wan was still listening to Cheng Zhidong analyze the two children’s academic progress. Looking at the spread-out test papers on the table, she set two goals for him:

"In one month, at Qingbo Academy’s monthly exam, Jincheng must rank in the top 50 among ten-year-olds, and Wenxiu must rank in the top 100 among twelve-year-olds. Within three months, I want both of them to enter the Child Prodigy Class."

Cheng Zhidong: "??"

Is this karma? I thought I’d be the most relaxed private tutor because of my seniority, but now all the pressure is on me!

"Madam, isn’t this a bit too rushed... Jincheng can’t even handle the ten-year-old exam yet, and Wenxiu hasn’t taken the twelve-year-old one. This progress is too fast..."

He wanted to say it was a bit like forcing a plant to grow, but what child could learn so much in such a short time?

Xu Wan smiled. "There’s still a month left. This isn’t forcing growth—it’s because they’re already strong."

She tapped the table with the children’s previous test papers and said, "Mr. Cheng, don’t treat them like ordinary children. Ordinary kids wouldn’t have caught up with their peers in just a few months."

Cheng Zhidong was struck by this reminder. He remembered that the little devil, despite being constantly criticized by Madam, was still the top student in his age group at Qingbo Academy. Even compared to Hanlin North Academy, he had only lost to eight students.

Cheng Zhidong quickly replied, "Madam, rest assured. I’ll immediately draft a study plan for the two young masters."

"Good." Xu Wan was about to leave but added one last thing, "Oh, and don’t tell the children about these goals."

"Huh?" Cheng Zhidong was confused. Shouldn’t they have a target to motivate them further?

Xu Wan explained with a smile, "After all, Jincheng still thinks he’s a loser in my eyes. Don’t ruin my act."