I am a woman, I am a man, I want to marry a wife so that I can farm

The woman turned around, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. She saw that the man was wearing a sky-blue robe and his hair was tied up with a square scarf. He was a gentlemanly scholar. In the sunlight, his figure seemed to be coated with a layer of golden light.

When she saw him, the woman's words to chase him away were stuck in her throat. "Who are you?"

"My name is Shen Wenren, and I'm the tenant here. May I know who you are, young lady?" Shen Wenren bowed and replied in a voice as soft as stringed instruments, less cold and aloof than before towards Zhao Tao.

The woman had fair and tender skin, big clear and bright eyes, and the goose yellow dress made her look shy and cute. Although she could not compare with his Li'er, in Shen Wenren's eyes, she was also a beauty.

Therefore, when he replied, he tried his best to appear gentle and polite, and his every move was gentle and graceful.

The woman heard the housekeeper mention them yesterday, saying that Mr. Shen had passed the imperial examination at such a young age and must have a bright future. Now she sees that he is indeed an extraordinary person.

"It doesn't matter who I am," the woman looked Shen Wenren up and down, then turned her head and raised her chin, glancing at Zhao Tao and asked, "Who is she to you?"

Zhao Tao lowered her head and twisted the corners of her clothes with both hands. She could only pray to God silently in her heart: Don't let her say it, don't let her say it, if she says it, I will be finished...

Shen Wenren: “…”

He really didn't want to admit that she was his wife. The two of them were completely different in this regard. After taking a look at Zhao Tao, Shen Wenren's face darkened. "She is my wife, but has she offended the girl?"

"Oh~ So she is your wife." The woman stretched out her voice and smiled meaningfully. I won’t expose your affairs today. We have a long way to go!

"I will not disturb Mr. Shen from studying any more. Goodbye!" The woman smiled brightly, bowed like Shen Wenren had just done, and turned away gracefully.

Shen Wenren looked at her walking away with big strides, and a gentle smile appeared on the corner of his lips unconsciously. This woman is really, adorable!

The woman did not expose Zhao Tao, which finally made Zhao Tao feel relieved. When she walked up to Shen Wenren, she realized that something was wrong with him. "Wenren? Wenren!"

"Ah?" Shen Wenren came back to his senses. Seeing Zhao Tao's annoying face, Shen Wenren returned to his usual rigid demeanor. "Go back first. I still have to review my lessons."

How could Zhao Tao not guess what he was thinking? She glanced in the direction the woman left, gritted her teeth and followed.

The woman's name was Wen Wan. Her family ran a small business. Later, the business grew bigger and bigger, and the family moved to the wealthy area in the east of the city. The house here was idle anyway, so Mr. Wen asked the housekeeper to rent it out. This way, there would be someone to help look after the old house and they could collect rent, killing two birds with one stone.

Wen Wan sneaked out today, leaving behind a group of maids and old women. She happened to run into Zhao Tao's incident in the market, so she followed her all the way. Unexpectedly, she would meet Mr. Shen, who was praised highly by the housekeeper, and she even caught his wife's handle. It was worth the trip!

After returning to the room, Shen Wenren went straight into the house to review his lessons. After Zhao Tao calmed down, she remembered the wooden comb she bought. However, after searching all over her body, she couldn't find the comb she bought.

She really lost more than she gained. She was so unlucky today! Zhao Tao was so angry, but she couldn't vent her anger. She had to accept her fate and do the housework that she hadn't finished in the morning!

Woohoo, she is so pitiful...

On the second day, Shen Wenren was invited by Butler Wen to the Wen residence in the east of the city as a guest, and became a guest of honor of the Wen family.

Let’s not talk about what happened with Zhao Tao for now. Ye Ze and Zhao Li had seen enough of the excitement and came out of the teahouse. Lin Tieshan and his group finally came over. Both of them lost interest in continuing shopping, so they went back to the palace with the guards.

On March 15th, the imperial examination officially began.

The candidates arrived early and lined up outside the Imperial Examination Hall. This exam was directly related to their official career and destiny. The candidates' faces showed either nervousness or anticipation. After lining up and passing the inspection, they officially entered the examination room.

Imperial Palace, Fengyi Hall

Zhao Li was holding a white chess piece in his hand, frowning in thought. Opposite him, Ye Ze was sipping tea leisurely. When Zhao Li finally placed a piece, Ye Ze followed suit. Only half of the chessboard was occupied. There were more black pieces than white pieces, so Zhao Li had to be cautious with every move, which made Jin Xin, who was serving on the side, anxious.

"Then...how about I play here?" Zhao Li pointed the chess piece at one place, testing the waters.

Ye Ze looked at her with a smile: "My lady, once you have made your decision, you can make your move."

"No, no," Zhao Li retracted her hand and observed it carefully again, then placed the chess piece in another place and said, "I'll put it here, is it okay?"

Ye Ze took a sip of tea and nodded, "My lady, please do as you please."

Zhao Li bit her lower lip lightly, and looked at it a few more times. When she felt that there was no problem, she let go and put the white piece down, "I'll put it here!"

Seeing Zhao Li's move, Ye Ze followed suit and placed a black piece. Speaking of playing Go, Ye Ze himself was actually a novice, but compared to Zhao Li, who had never touched Go, Ye Ze was much better.

Zhao Li frowned again and thought hard. Jin Xin couldn't help but remind her, "Your Majesty, have we fallen into a trap again? If the Emperor makes a move here..."

Jin Xin has served in the palace for many years. Her previous master loved playing chess, so she knows a little about it.

Zhao Li heard this and looked at the layout on the chessboard again. Then, she took back the white piece she had just put down without any chess manners and said awkwardly, "Husband, I didn't think it through just now and made a wrong move. It doesn't count."

Ye Ze: “…” What else can he say?

When it comes to playing chess, the worse you are at it, the more addictive it becomes. This is already the third game the two of them have played. Zhao Li was defeated miserably in the first two games, and this time he has even learned to go back on his word?

"Just put it here. There should be no problem this time, right?" Zhao Li asked, looking up.

Of course, this question was not addressed to Ye Ze, so Jin Xin quickly praised: "Your Majesty is amazing!"

Zhao Li straightened herself up and said, "Husband, it's your turn."

Ye Ze took a look at the chessboard and then made his move. After Zhao Li kept regretting his moves and Ye Ze intentionally gave in, Zhao Li finally won the game. Zhao Li was in such a good mood that he even drank an extra bowl of soup for lunch!

The court meeting ended early today, so Ye Ze had time to play chess with Zhao Li to relieve his boredom. In the afternoon, Ye Ze went to the side hall to review memorials.

Zhao Li had nothing to do, so she simply asked Jin Xin to teach her how to play chess. Next time when she played chess with Ye Ze, she would make sure to surprise him!

......

The imperial examination is divided into three sessions, each lasting three days, with a two-day break in between to allow the candidates to rest and adjust their state. The examiners will also take advantage of these two days to intensify the marking of the papers.

Half a month later, all the test papers were reviewed and Liu Jin presented the test papers of the successful candidates to the emperor for review.

Facing a pile of test papers, Ye Ze was in a mess! Then he waved his hand, "Trust the people you employ, and don't employ the people you doubt. I believe in your ability to handle affairs, Liu Aiqing. Just announce the results. Order everyone to take the palace test in ten days. At that time, I will personally give each of them a question to answer on the spot."

"I obey your command." Liu Jin bowed and walked out.

The emperor's move seems to show that he trusts them, but in fact he has a trick up his sleeve. If there really is a Jinshi who was bought by bribery, he will definitely fail the palace examination, and then the examiners will be in trouble. The reason why the palace examination is held ten days later is to give them time to make changes. The emperor's method of controlling people's hearts is really clever!

Fortunately, they didn't dare to do that... When Liu Jin came out of the imperial study, he broke out in a cold sweat.

According to normal procedures, the results of the imperial examination should be announced in mid-April. However, there are exceptions to everything. Aren’t the so-called rules set by the emperor?

......