The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

Xu Wan asked, "Are you conjoined twins? You're always sticking to your brother."

"I..." The Little Demon King instinctively wanted to retort but quickly caught onto a strange term. He asked curiously, "What are conjoined twins?"

Xu Wan explained, "It refers to twins who, during their development in the womb, grow together and share a body."

The Little Demon King: "!!"

How horrifying!!

Xu Wan continued, "I remember there's a book in the grand study that specifically talks about this. It's called *Records of Strange Tales*. Every story in it is true, bizarre, and utterly unheard of."

The Little Demon King's eyes lit up with interest.

Xu Wan pretended to have a headache and added, "I can't find it now. I should have read a few more pages so I could show off to those who haven't seen it."

The Little Demon King dashed off, shouting, "I'll find it first, and then you'll never get to see it again!"

Watching the Little Demon King's retreating figure, Xu Wan finally let out a sigh of relief.

As children grow older, they become harder to fool. You really need good acting skills.

Fortunately, the grand study had so many books that the Little Demon King would spend a long time searching, and by the time he finished reading, it would probably be dark.

Xu Wan relaxed and sat back down.

She had thought this juicy drama wouldn't involve her, and there was no one familiar around to ask. But unexpectedly, after a short while, Cui Zhi came to tell her that the Old Marchioness wanted to see her to settle a dispute.

As Xu Wan stood up and walked over, she asked, "What dispute? Did the Old Marchioness and Auntie Hong get into an argument?"

Cui Zhi replied with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "No, it's with the Old Marquis."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Xu Wan: "..."

She ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‍fell silent for a moment before remembering, "Didn't they say the Old Marquis never wins an argument?"

Cui Zhi nodded, "But there's always a process of stubborn resistance."

Xu Wan: "......"

These two are really something.

But this was also good—it was a chance to witness a juicy aristocratic drama up close!

Xu Wan quickened her pace and hurried over. Cui Zhi thought to herself that the young mistress was truly considerate, showing such concern for the Old Marchioness.

The battle inside was so intense that Xu Wan could hear the Old Marquis's roaring voice even before she entered the courtyard: "Although it's legal in our dynasty to elevate a concubine to a wife, elevating one of such low birth would be a disgrace! What respectable noble family would do such a thing?"

The Old Marchioness shouted even louder, "Is face more important than our child? If Auntie Hong isn't elevated, Wenxiu can't be recognized as a legitimate son. That's Zong Yan's child, his only child. Can you bear to let Wenxiu live his whole life as a bastard?"

Xu Wan stood at the doorway, listening intently. With just these two sentences, she roughly understood the situation. The couple wanted to register Wenxiu as a legitimate son, but the Old Marquis was concerned about propriety and was vehemently opposing the idea.

This time, however, his stance seemed unusually firm, not just a token resistance. That was why the Old Marchioness had called Xu Wan over to help settle the dispute.

Xu Wan turned her head and saw Cui Zhi frantically waving her hands and retreating, clearly not wanting to get involved in this aristocratic drama.

Xu Wan: "..."

Well, it seems juicy gossip isn't so easy to come by.

The Old Marchioness saw her and immediately said, "Wan'er, come quickly and tell us. Isn't your father-in-law being unreasonable? This is prejudice, class discrimination, and sheer stubbornness."

The Old Marquis retorted, "How am I being stubborn? If I were truly stubborn, I wouldn't have agreed to register Wenxiu under Zong Yan's name when we weren't even sure of his parentage."

"But the child was only with Auntie Hong. Without a mother, he would have died in the slums. Isn't that what you thought at the time? Did you ever imagine he could be Zong Yan's child?"

"Well, you didn't think so either. When Wenxiu was conceived, Zong Yan was only fourteen, just past his birthday. Didn't you also refuse to believe he could do something so outrageous?"

"I..." The Old Marchioness was left speechless.

Xu Wan understood now. The couple had originally intended to bring back Zong Yan's mistress, not realizing there was also a little Wenxiu. They had thought Wenxiu was Auntie Hong's child from before she met Zong Yan.

She timidly interjected, "Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, if you feel Auntie Hong's status is too low to be elevated, perhaps you could consider elevating only Wenxiu? Didn't Jin Cheng also become a legitimate son without a legal mother?"

The Old Marchioness was reminded and quickly agreed, "Yes, yes! Jin Cheng didn't have a legal mother, and he became a legitimate son. So can Wenxiu!"

The Old Marquis scowled, "No! Jin Cheng was personally brought back by Zong Zhao, who confirmed he was his biological son. I thought there was some hidden reason and that Zong Zhao would soon marry Jin Cheng's mother. But I waited eight years, and it became the laughingstock of the capital."

Xu Wan: "..."

So this was another old, messy account.

She suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the Old Marquis. Neither of his sons had been easy to handle, yet the couple had to carefully plan for the futures of these two grandsons.

"How can it not work? Do you want our precious grandson to go out into the world and be looked down upon as a bastard? That's Zong Yan's only child, the only memory he left us!" The Old Marchioness's eyes reddened as she spoke.

The Old Marquis faltered, his heart softening, and he fell silent.

Xu Wan tentatively suggested, "Then... what if we register Wenxiu under my name?"

She knew this wasn't a perfect solution, but it was the best one available at the moment. If Auntie Hong couldn't be elevated, Wenxiu would need a legal mother. Since Zong Yan was gone, the Marquis Manor couldn't possibly marry another wife just for Wenxiu—that would be an even bigger scandal.

The Old Marchioness shook her head, stubbornly insisting, "No, Wenxiu must be registered under Zong Yan's name. He is Zong Yan's child."

Xu Wan thought about it and agreed. So, they would have to continue debating the issue of elevating Auntie Hong from concubine to wife—it was the most feasible option at the moment.

The two women united and turned their gaze to the Old Marquis, who sternly declared, "No, I won't agree."

The Old Marchioness stood firm, "Whether you agree or not, I will register Wenxiu as our legitimate grandson."

The Old Marquis angrily huffed, "This family bears the Zong name. I am the head of the household, and only I can enter a child into the family registry!"

"Then go and do it."

"I won't."

"Go!"

"I won't."

"..."

The two started arguing again. Xu Wan, as a junior, listened and gradually noticed something different.

Although the couple was fiercely debating Wenxiu's status, neither resorted to harsh words. In fact, their argument revealed tolerance and affection—a hallmark of a deeply loving relationship.

Xu Wan's attention eventually shifted entirely to the couple, her eyes filled with admiration and a sense of tranquil happiness.

After a long while, she finally asked, "Mother-in-law, what exactly is Auntie Hong's background? Is she really from the slums?"

From what Xu Wan knew of Auntie Hong, the woman had raised Wenxiu to be so well-behaved and sensible, staying out of household affairs, understanding boundaries, and knowing how to navigate social situations—hardly the traits of someone raised in poverty.