The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 362

Initially, the draft that popped into Zong Zhao’s mind was the classic life-or-death vow: "If I break this oath, may heaven strike me dead." But he hesitated for a moment and left it out—it felt too much like pressuring her with his life, and she’d feel guilty. Zong Zhao didn’t want to force her like that. He wanted their beginning to be good.

By the time he finished thinking it over, he settled on the current version. Wealth and riches were what everyone pursued, and for him or her, they were of utmost importance. Using them as the stakes made the vow more tangible.

Yet even after toning it down this much, Xu Wan was still utterly shocked, her eyes wide as saucers.

"...Have you lost your mind?" she blurted out in disbelief.

The Yangyuan Marquis Manor was as wealthy as a nation, and most of its assets had originally been under the Dowager’s name. But ever since Zong Zhao returned to the capital, his mother had transferred a massive portion of the estate to him. So the weight of this document—was beyond heavy.

Xu Wan had been working… no, serving as the lady of the manor for over two years now, and she’d already saved up several thousand taels—enough to live comfortably for the rest of her life. But if all the wealth listed on this paper were given to her, she’d be no different from the heir of the richest family in the land.

She had guessed he might write a pledge, but never something this insane. That was a fortune rivaling nations! Did he really have that much confidence in himself? What if he lost? There wouldn’t even be money left for his sons or grandsons to marry…

Xu Wan couldn’t comprehend it. She was certain she’d never do anything so reckless in her entire life.

"I’m not crazy," Zong Zhao said seriously. "I just want you to believe that the things you’re worried about won’t happen. And if they do, I’ll face the consequences—and you’ll get the divorce papers."

Xu Wan swallowed hard. "N-no, this is too much. If that day ever comes, just give me the divorce papers. That’s enough for both of us to save face. I’m not greedy."

Zong Zhao muttered under his breath without thinking, "Won’t give them."

Xu Wan caught it. Her brows shot up. "Won’t? So you just don’t want a divorce, is that it?"

Zong Zhao wanted to nod, but seeing her stern expression, he explained instead, "Vows are meant to be kept, not broken. If you can uphold them, no matter how grand the oath, it’ll never come to pass. Right?"

The person he had silently loved for so long, the one he’d finally managed to bring home—how could he ever mistreat her like that?

Xu Wan was left speechless.

Still, vows were a bit… mystical. Countless people swore oaths every day, yet no one actually got struck by lightning.

But Zong Zhao was different. He had put his vow in writing—black ink on white paper—and it was the kind that could actually be enforced, just like a modern prenuptial agreement.

Then she remembered his muttered "won’t give them" and narrowed her eyes skeptically. "Is this paper even valid? You pressed your seal on it, sure, but you’re the Grand General, a man of immense power. The officials would never side with me."

"I’ll have the authorities stamp it." Zong Zhao took the paper from her and strode out.

"Wha—? Huh?" Xu Wan was dumbfounded. It took her a few seconds to process what was happening before she hurried after him, calling out, "Why are you even more impulsive than me? Hey—Zong Zhao—at least rewrite it first! Delete those lines in the middle, don’t let people laugh at us… Hey! HEY!"

She lifted her skirts and broke into a run, but there was no catching up to him.

Cui Zhi, seeing the commotion, rushed over. "My lady, what’s wrong? Did you quarrel with the Grand General?"

Xu Wan shook her head, bewildered. "I don’t even know… He just—just left!"

"Left?" Cui Zhi was lost. "Where to?"

"The authorities." Xu Wan wore an expression that screamed, "The world’s gone mad." She couldn’t believe Zong Zhao’s sheer decisiveness—as if he was afraid the office would close if he delayed even a moment.

Cui Zhi suggested, "Should I call a carriage, my lady? You seem in a hurry. Did something not get settled with the Grand General?"

Xu Wan had intended to follow, but given the speed at which things were moving, even if she caught up, she wasn’t sure she could argue him out of it.

And if the officials saw the contents of that document… Xu Wan felt her face burn. To outsiders, it would look like she’d forced Zong Zhao to get it stamped—making her the epitome of a shrew, a domineering, jealous wife.

Her entire face was already flushed—three parts panic, three parts shock, and four parts sheer embarrassment.

"Zong ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍Zhao… you…" She struggled for words but couldn’t find the right one.

He wasn’t a scoundrel, but when he set his mind to something, she was left scrambling. Even a little devil’s antics were easier to predict than this.

---

The Bureau of Clan Affairs.

This was the Great Chu institution responsible for overseeing the marital affairs of officials and noble families. Divorces and repudiations required its official seal and records.

Zong Zhao’s arrival sent the bureau’s head, Cai Youdao, scurrying over in alarm. Bowing deeply, he asked, "G-Grand General, what brings you here? Is there something this humble official can assist with? Truly, you need only send word—I’d have come to the Grand General’s residence myself. There was no need for you to make the trip."

Zong Zhao scanned the room, frowning. "The Bureau of Clan Affairs makes house calls?"

Cai Youdao fawned, "For ordinary nobles, certainly not! But you’re different, Grand General. You’ve brought glory to our nation, secured Great Chu’s victories, conquered three cities of You Country, shattered their—"

Zong Zhao cut off the flattery. "If my wife came here alone with a divorce paper bearing my seal, would the bureau stamp it?"

Cai Youdao’s mind instantly spun a dramatic tale: Everyone knew that during Zong Zhao’s disappearance, his family had married him off to a woman he’d never met. And since his return, he’d shown little warmth toward her or her family—clearly, he was dissatisfied.

He straightened, adopting a righteous tone. "Grand General, our bureau’s procedures require mutual consent. Even if you’ve pressed your seal, private agreements hold no weight here. As long as you deny voluntary consent when the time comes, we would never stamp it."

Then, leaning in with a sly whisper, he added, "Rest assured, Grand General. The bureau’s seal is the only one that matters. There’s… flexibility in how we handle things. We’ll ensure your satisfaction."

Since ancient times, noble divorces had always shamed both parties. But if it was a repudiation, all blame could be shifted to the wife. The husband would walk away spotless, free to remarry without a hitch.

The longer Zong Zhao listened, the darker his expression grew.

So even a divorce paper with his seal could be manipulated to prevent an actual separation. No wonder she had asked that question.

Her father might be a minister, but their family had no real influence. And since Minister Xu had never protected her, if conflict arose with her husband’s family, she’d be discarded without hesitation.

The more Zong Zhao thought about it, the angrier he became. He pulled out the agreement and slapped it against Cai Youdao’s chest.

"Stamp it."