The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

The sudden change in address came with such sincerity and hesitation that Luo Jingfeng felt as though his heart had been struck, leaving him unable to calm down for a long while.

"You… what did you just call me?" Though he had always joked that his nephew would eventually change how he addressed him, Luo Jingfeng knew deep down that this stubborn little mule would never budge unless he wanted to.

His affection for Jin Cheng had never depended on whether the boy called him "uncle." But now that the moment had finally arrived, Luo Jingfeng realized just how much he wanted it—he longed for a harmonious, intimate bond between uncle and nephew, to become the most important and irreplaceable family in Jin Cheng’s heart.

After all, they were blood relatives.

"Uncle, I’m calling you uncle," Zong Jincheng declared with a bright smile, radiating sincerity. "Let’s be uncle and nephew from now on. Whatever you give me, I’ll accept it—food, clothes, anything. I won’t refuse you anymore. And if you want to see me, you can come to my home anytime, or I’ll visit you often too."

Luo Jingfeng was deeply moved.

The temptation of familial affection swayed him. Wasn’t this what people spent their lives pursuing—the love of family? Just like how he had once clawed his way to the top, all to give his Third Sister a better life in the palace.

Now, Jin Cheng was all he had left. Yet the boy had misunderstood him time and again, rejecting his goodwill. If he simply agreed now, he could have everything he desired. But Jin Cheng would surely regret it when he grew older.

The boy had been raised well by the Zong family, but his kindness bordered on naivety. Once his true origins came to light, every enemy of the Crown Prince would turn against him—even the Crown Prince himself might not spare him.

Luo Jingfeng’s gaze darkened as he took a step back. "The most I can promise is that I won’t advocate for the Crown Prince’s removal. But if others do, that’s not my fault."

Zong Jincheng’s face lit up briefly before he reined in his excitement and added, "Fine, but you also have to make sure your subordinates don’t advocate for it either."

Otherwise, Luo Jingfeng could easily play both sides—wasn’t that just tricking him?

"Fine, I promise," Luo Jingfeng agreed.

Zong Jincheng pressed further, "And you have to put it in writing, with your seal!"

Luo Jingfeng: "…"

His temper flared instantly. "I’ve already agreed to so much, and now you want a written pledge? With my seal? Are you interrogating a criminal? Who taught you this?!"

Zong Jincheng lied without hesitation, "I read it in a book. Now hurry up and write."

As long as Luo Jingfeng stopped advocating for the Crown Prince’s removal, his father could handle the rest. The Crown Prince’s position would be secure.

"Tch." Luo Jingfeng strode to his desk to fetch paper and ink, grumbling stubbornly, "Come grind the ink for your uncle. Do you even know how?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Right away!" Though Zong Jincheng usually relied on Shunzi or his study attendant to grind ink, such a simple task was easy to pick up. He eagerly extended his hands to help.

Luo Jingfeng’s brush was a rare purple-haired one, crafted from the fur of wild hares—a luxury item. Yet his desk held an entire row of them. Zong Jincheng couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: So many treasures.

His own family only had three such brushes, bestowed by the emperor after the Dancing Pavilion case. His elder brother treasured them too much to use them; He Zheng, however, wore his out within a year. As for his own brush, the bristles had split, teetering on the edge of replacement.

"Fancy these brushes?" Luo Jingfeng chuckled. "Take them all if you want."

"Huh? All of them? But they’re so valuable."

Luo Jingfeng smiled warmly. "To your uncle, the most precious thing in this world is you. All other treasures are mere trifles. Whatever you desire, I’ll bring it to you, ready for your choosing."

Zong Jincheng’s expression turned complicated. He couldn’t fathom this kind of devotion—how could someone pour their heart out for a person they’d only recently met, just because of blood ties? It was baffling.

"Never mind," Luo Jingfeng amended. "These are old anyway. I’ll take you to the storeroom later to pick out new ones."

Zong Jincheng: "…" So extravagant.

Once the ink was ready, Luo Jingfeng wrote down his two promises on paper, then signed his name at the bottom. Zong Jincheng eagerly held out the ink pad for him to stamp his seal.

Luo Jingfeng’s temper flared again.

But with the little rascal grinning at him so brightly, he could only suppress his irritation and grudgingly pressed his thumb onto the paper. "Happy now, you stubborn mule?"

The little devil scrutinized every word for loopholes, every stroke for errors, then held the paper up to the light to examine the bright red thumbprint. Satisfied, he beamed.

"All good! Thank you, Uncle!"

Hearing the title again, Luo Jingfeng finally felt at ease. The lingering frustration and anger from earlier melted away entirely.

He reached out, ruffling the boy’s thick hair with affection. "Come, your uncle will take you to the storeroom to pick out brushes."

"Mm!" ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‍Zong Jincheng nodded eagerly and followed him out.

The storeroom doors swung open, revealing a dazzling array of gold, silver, jewels, and rare curios. Luo Jingfeng hid nothing, urging him to take whatever he liked.

Zong Jincheng had seen the Hou family’s storeroom before—plenty of wealth, but nowhere near as many treasures as the Luo household. Unable to resist, he blurted, "Did you embezzle all this?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the guards at the door snapped their heads toward him, eyes wide with shock, as if ready to drag him out at any second.

Luo Jingfeng’s temple throbbed violently. His already short temper flared again. Through gritted teeth, he growled, "I’ve earned countless military merits—so many that the emperor had nothing left to reward me with except gold and treasures. What else was he supposed to do?"

Zong Jincheng shrank back slightly under the scolding. "But some of these things… even the emperor might not have them."

Luo Jingfeng snorted. "Those were sent by your eldest uncle, the Prince of Southern Pacification. The south is wealthy—rare treasures are plentiful there."

Zong Jincheng pressed, "Then why didn’t the Prince of Southern Pacification offer them as tribute to the emperor?"

Luo Jingfeng scoffed. "Is he worthy?"

Zong Jincheng: "…"

He had to admit defeat. His two uncles were truly the most arrogant men in the world.