The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 256

Zhang Zheng steeled himself and said, "Think harder. After all, we’re officials of the court—we must still be of some use."

Li ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‍Qi: "…"

Their careers as officials had suddenly met with a formidable challenge.

And it was all because they’d been intimidated by a bunch of brats… This wouldn’t do. If word got out, they’d never hear the end of it from their superiors.

For the sake of their future promotions, the two began racking their brains, trying to figure out how to supplement the children’s summarized points.

Meanwhile, the boys were still enthusiastically adding more:

"Tenth point…"

"Eleventh point…"

Xu Wan watched as the two guest professors—once composed—now looked thoroughly flustered. She glanced at Baili Xi, who remained smiling like an aged ginseng spirit, silently urging her to keep observing.

By the end, Zong Jincheng took the twelve-point summary recorded by the page and declared with satisfaction, "Mother, we’ve finished. What do you think?"

Xu Wan accepted the document, first passing it to Baili Xi for review. Seeing no objections from him, she then handed it to the two officials to see if they had any pointers.

Li Qi cleared his throat and promptly shoved the paper toward Zhang Zheng, signaling that the Ministry of Rites should go first—this was his expertise. Then, with a professional smile, he said, "The young masters are truly impressive. We’ve learned so much today. When we report this to Master Wei, he’ll surely be delighted."

Zhang Zheng was blindsided by the betrayal. Shameless! Utterly shameless! No wonder everyone in the court had a bone to pick with the censors—they never played by the rules.

But despite his thoughts, Zhang Zheng smiled and said, "The young masters’ insights are remarkably mature and comprehensive. At their age, such understanding is rare. I wouldn’t presume to lecture, but perhaps I can offer a few additions."

The five boys immediately straightened up, eager to learn.

Zhang Zheng observed their earnestness and thought to himself, *The capital’s gossip is outrageous—how could such diligent young scholars be labeled as the “Four Little Rascals”? Absolute nonsense.*

Clearing his throat, he began, "For the second point: beyond sheer competence, the methods used in handling cases also require scrutiny. Some officials are highly capable but act purely in self-interest. While they may accomplish their tasks, their methods can sow discord within their departments. For instance, in the Ministry of Rites, one official sabotaged his peers’ assignments to secure a promotion. Though he succeeded, he disrupted several colleagues’ work and created lasting resentment. In the end, the Minister not only denied his promotion but demoted him."

"This aligns somewhat with your sixth point, but with a key difference. Such individuals may not betray their superiors, but they’ll ruthlessly exploit their equals, destabilizing internal harmony. And these types are often overlooked by higher-ups, who only see flawless results."

Xu Wan nodded in understanding.

Only those working in the trenches truly grasped such dynamics. Leaders, distanced from day-to-day operations, were easily misled.

Indeed, inviting active officials as mentors was the right call.

*Practical.*

Li Qi rubbed his nose, recognizing his role, and added, "The seventh point—training subordinates’ subordinates—is a sound idea in theory, but difficult in practice. While cascading mentorship ensures loyalty at each level, once subordinates discern your intentions, they might exploit them. For example, Master Wei once instructed a subordinate to groom new protégés. That subordinate, however, mimicked his methods to perfection in front of him—only to be accused by rival factions of promoting sycophancy. As a result, Master Wei lost the promotion to Left Vice Censor-in-Chief and remained as the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, second-in-command of the Censorate."

Wei Xinglu: "…"

He hadn’t expected to stumble upon his own father’s embarrassing mishap during a lesson.

Flushing, he stared skyward, pretending not to hear.

Zong Jincheng burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Teaching his own subordinates to flatter him! Hahaha! Wei Xinglu… your father’s a real character!"

Cornered, Wei Xinglu muttered defensively, "Slander. Pure slander. My father’s intentions were noble. No wonder he skipped meals for days after becoming Right Vice Censor-in-Chief—now I know why!"

The others couldn’t help but chuckle, dissolving into laughter.

Wei Xinglu, growing increasingly indignant, challenged Li Qi, "Sir, aren’t you worried my father will take offense at you airing his missteps in public?"

Li Qi coughed and replied smoothly, "Before coming, Master Wei expressly instructed me to teach the young lords honestly and without reservation, as this was the Crown Prince’s assignment."

Zhang Zheng nodded. "Precisely. Our Minister said the same."

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That was why he dared share internal affairs of the Ministry—ordinarily, such disclosures would be considered breaches of confidentiality.

Wei Xinglu scanned the twelve points and swiftly pinpointed the culprit. "He Zheng! This seventh point was your idea!"

He Zheng, like a startled grasshopper, leaped behind his elder brother and protested, "But everyone approved it together!"

Zong Jincheng patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don’t panic. If your thinking aligns with Master Wei’s, it just proves you’ve got the makings of a future statesman!"

He Zheng nodded fervently. "Exactly! I’m destined for greatness!"

Shen Yibai snickered. "Hahaha…"

Wei Xinglu clenched his fists.

*Oh, how he longed for some brotherly bonding—preferably with his knuckles.*

Xu Wan, sensing an impending brawl, swiftly intervened. "Enough. As the officials said, mistakes shouldn’t be buried. Without their guidance, you might’ve repeated them yourselves."

Zong Jincheng was the first to agree. "Right! We owe them our thanks."

Zong Wenxiu smiled gratefully. "Thank you, sirs. We’ve learned much."

The other three followed suit with quick bows.

The two officials returned the courtesy.

Zhang Zheng, ever the diplomat, added, "With the erudite and worldly Master Baili here, our contributions are but humble additions."

Baili Xi stroked his beard. "You flatter me, Sir Zhang. Having long left office, my knowledge of current affairs pales beside yours. We’re indebted to you both for sacrificing your day off to instruct these boys."

"Not at all. It was our pleasure."

As seasoned officials, Zhang and Li knew this private tutoring session, though unofficial, signaled their superiors’ trust. And today’s performance boded well for their careers—smooth sailing lay ahead.