After hearing her gossip, all the civil and military officials went crazy.

Chapter 116 Broken Her
The system announced, "[Xia Mingjie's daughter, Xia Ruirui.]"

Fang Lingchu was incredibly surprised. She resisted looking at her again and asked, "[Is she that brainless, love-struck, cannon fodder female supporting character who caused her father to lose the city gates? How did she end up so miserable?]"

Xia Ruirui was somewhat surprised when Fang Lingchu mentioned her name. The princess actually knew her?
What do you mean by "love-struck"? Why would she let her father lose the city gates?

How could that be? She could speak eloquently at the age of seven, how could she do such a thing?

Fang Lingchu didn't know what Xia Ruirui was thinking, otherwise she would definitely have said: Don't underestimate the direction of the plot.

The system stated: "Because her grandmother wouldn't let her go out, she and her younger brother crawled out through a dog hole."

Fang Lingchu was surprised to find that Old Madam Xia was still alive. Didn't she hear last time that General Xia had sent his mother back to her hometown?

[Didn't I hear that General Xia sent his mother back to her hometown? Why is she back?]

The system replied helplessly, "General Xia went to the border a month ago, leaving only Xia Ruirui's weak and incompetent mother at home. Xia Mingjie was afraid that someone would bully their mother while he was away, so he had no choice but to invite her back."

Fang Lingchu: That's a bit hard to judge!

Why doesn't Xia Ruirui try to get her mother to behave? If this continues, I feel like her father will have to find her a new mother.

The system nodded in approval and said: "Xia Ruirui's current situation is that her mother is weak and incompetent, unable to care for her father, her domineering, unreasonable, and foolish grandmother, and her broken self."

Regardless of whether she passes the exam or not, her grandmother will find a family that can help her son to marry her off.

Upon hearing this, Xia Ruirui nearly ruined her paper with the ink in her hand. She quickly put down her pen and paper, unsure of what to do.

Fang Lingchu asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why? Isn't it good that my granddaughter passed the imperial examination with flying colors? It means another capable person in her family, and she can be on the same side as my son. What's wrong with that?"

The system clicked its tongue and said, "[Host, you don't know this, do you? This is a patriarchal society. Women generally prioritize their sons' and husbands' rights. Even if Xia Ruirui becomes an official, she still has to get married. Once she gets married, she won't be on the same page as her family. But it's different if her grandson becomes an official.]"

Fang Lingchu was incredibly surprised. She swallowed hard and asked, "That old lady isn't trying to switch Xia Ruirui's brother's academic achievements, is she? Is she trying to get Xia Ruirui's brother to take her place?"

The system nodded and said, "[That's right, that was the original plan, but Xia Ruirui disagreed with taking the exam disguised as a man, which is why she was imprisoned. It's just that she didn't expect her family to have such a sensible younger brother, which gave her the opportunity to take the exam.]"

Fang Lingchu frowned and asked, "Are most of the women inside like this?"

Because from what we can see, most of them don't look very well, but their eyes don't lie.

The system nodded and said, "Of course! After all, who would want someone to take away their power? Although no one objects to your suggestion, most people don't really want their daughters to come. But there are some who don't really want it, otherwise, with so many noble ladies in the capital, how could there be so few today?"

Looking around, there were very few girls in each examination room, less than 30 in total, and a small portion of them were from Fang Lingchu's own territory.

Fang Lingchu gritted her teeth in anger and said, "I will definitely let them freely choose their own way of life. Those who come to take the exam, as long as they pass and are capable, will definitely shut those people up."

Hearing Fang Lingchu's words, the other girls secretly vowed to themselves that they must strive to do better, for their own sake and for the millions of others who needed to take the exam but were suppressed by their fathers, brothers, and other relatives.

They can't rely solely on Master Fang; they must also strive to save themselves from this predicament. Hearing Fang Lingchu's later words, Xia Ruirui felt less sad. At least she was already here, which was much better than many other girls.

Seeing Fang Lingchu's angry expression, the system thought for a moment and decided to give her a different kind of gossip.

[Host, don't be angry anymore. I'll tell you something funny.]

Fang Lingchu said weakly, "[Go ahead and tell me! I'm listening.]"

Fang Lingchu was actually somewhat helpless. She had already given them a chance, but the initiative was still in the hands of those men.

If they don't let their daughter take the exam, then everything will be in vain.

It seems I'll have to roll it up, but...

The system said to itself: "[Do you see that chubby, pink-cheeked girl over there?]"

Upon hearing the system's words, Fang Lingchu looked up.

The girl on the outermost edge is chubby and looks like she'd be easy to masturbate.

She had two little pigtails in her hair, wore a pink dress, and had rosy cheeks; she looked very pretty.

The moment Fang Lingchu saw the girl, she couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder the Tang Dynasty considered plumpness beautiful! This little girl is so cute! I really want to pinch her cheeks; her rosy face looks so lovely, I just want to take a bite!"

Fang Lingchu instantly transformed into a strange older sister, looking at the girl with eyes like a hungry wolf, and her tone was even more...

The system happily reported: "That young lady is Zhu Nini, the daughter of the Imperial Chef. She perfectly inherited her father's genes; her favorite thing is cooking, and her culinary skills and expertise surpass even her father's."

After listening to the system's words, Fang Lingchu nodded and said, "[She looks like a pampered young lady, and her parents must spoil her a lot. Otherwise, according to the current aesthetic standards, how could they let her grow to this weight?]"

The system agreed, saying, "Of course! Zhu Nini's mother is an incredibly shrewd businesswoman who owns many restaurants in the capital. She's also a very talented cook, but unfortunately, being a woman, she faces many limitations."

Zhu Nini's parents were betrothed as children. They had never met before their marriage. It was just a verbal agreement between the two elders that brought two complete strangers together.

However, both of them are good people. Zhu Nini's father only likes to cook and has no other ulterior motives. Zhu Nini's mother is a career-oriented person who manages the Zhu family very well, and the family is harmonious.

Although they only had one child, Zhu Nini, they never argued about it. Zhu Nini's father didn't even take a concubine, and the family of three lived happily together.

Later, upon hearing that women could become officials, Zhu Nini's mother urged her daughter to work hard, but unfortunately, she was working in the wrong direction. Her daughter was better suited to inherit her father's career.

Fang Lingchu looked at Zhu Nini's face and said, "I also think it's suitable. If Zhu Nini can't participate in the imperial chef selection, I'll ask her to cooperate in opening an academy. Hehehehe."

(End of this chapter)