Forced to marry, I picked up a young powerful official

Seeing him like this, Shen Nankui was a little surprised, "Is it really not fishy?"

Why did she still feel uncomfortable after smelling the fish cakes?

Hu Wenyan ate happily and pushed the plate of fish cakes towards her. "You will know if you try it yourself."

Shen Nankui waved her hands and said, "Mr. Hu, if you think it's delicious, just eat it. It would be awkward to pay for it."

Hu Wenyan ate half a plate of fish cakes, took the silver back with a smile, and exclaimed: "Master Shen, who made these fish cakes? They are so delicious?"

"I did it." Hehua replied.

Hu Wenyan casually threw the silver in his hand to her and said, "This is a reward from me. Tell me, what are these fish cakes made of?"

He Hua said: "Nothing special, just river fish, wild vegetables, eggs and flour."

Hu Wenyan nodded, "So it's a wild vegetable, no wonder it tastes so unique and delicious."

He asked Hehua for some tips on how to make fish cakes, and then he said, "Thank you, young lady. My grandfather likes to eat fish, but we have never seen this way of eating fish. When I go back, I will ask the cook to make a fish cake for my grandfather to try!"

He Hua politely responded, "Mr. Hu is young, but he is very filial."

Hu Wenyan waved his hand and then looked at Shen Nankui.

"Master Shen, have I passed the test?"

"That's right." Shen Nankui nodded.

Hu Wenyan's eyes were filled with joy. "So, I can be a teacher at Lai'an Academy?"

Shen Nankui glanced at him and said, "It stands to reason that he can."

Hearing this, Hu Wenyan was immediately unhappy and raised his eyebrows and asked, "What do you mean by this?"

Shen Nankui looked at the sunset in the distance and sighed softly, "I'm afraid Mr. Hu's family will object."

"I can make my own decisions about my own affairs!"

"Really? Then why did you come here in disguise?"

Hu Wenyan's eyes widened. "What, what do you mean by disguise? What nonsense are you talking about?"

Shen Nankui looked towards the door. "Just now, there was a maid who poked her head in the door three times. If I'm not mistaken, she is waiting for Master Hu, right?"

Hu Wenyan turned his head to look over, but saw no one. He snorted coldly and said, "So what if they are waiting for me?"

"Mr. Hu is a scholar. When he goes out, he should bring a male servant with him. But you brought a maid with you. Isn't that strange?"

"What's wrong with that? When I was studying, I liked having maids around me, and I was willing to go out with them. What's wrong with that?"

Shen Nankui asked: "If that's the case, why didn't you let the maid in and leave her alone to spy on it?"

"This……"

Hu Wenyan was questioned repeatedly by her, and couldn't help but feel a little angry and embarrassed, "Master Shen said that I passed the test, but now he is repeatedly making things difficult for me. What on earth does this mean!"

Shen Nankui looked at him, shook his head and said, "Miss Hu did all this to conceal her identity. I have to wonder, could it be that you came here secretly without telling your family? If that's the case, how can I dare to employ you?"

Hu Wenyan was stunned for a long while before asking, "...How did you figure that out?"

Shen Nankui smiled but said nothing.

He Hua continued, "Miss Hu is not very old, but she dares to pretend to be a man in his twenties. Do you think this is realistic?"

Hu Wenyan was a little unconvinced, "But I asked people on the street and no one recognized me!"

Shen Nankui smiled and said, "I guess this is not the first time Miss Hu has dressed up as a man. She was so careful that she even wore a chest binder. Apart from her petite figure, there is nothing wrong with her at first glance."

Hu Wenyan looked a little proud, "That's right! So, how did you see through me?"

Shen Nankui smiled and said, "Which man would have his ears pierced?"

Hu Wenyan suddenly realized what was going on and touched his ear in annoyance, "So there's something wrong here!"

Shen Nankui added: "Also, if I'm not mistaken, Miss Hu is from the Hu family in Cang County, right? I wonder who is Mr. Hu to you?"

"It's my grandfather!"

Hu Wenyan raised his chin proudly, then looked at Shen Nankui in surprise, "How do you know everything?"

Shen Nankui smiled, "Miss Hu, as a woman, is so well-versed in knowledge, which is rare in itself. In addition, your surname is Hu, so it is hard not to associate you with the Hu family. However, what finally confirmed your identity to me was this wild vegetable fish cake. Miss Hu, since you know me, you should also know that my husband is a student of old scholar Hu and often visits the Hu family. How could he not know what old scholar Hu likes?"

Mr. Hu did not like gold and silver objects, so when Shen Nankui prepared gifts for him, he not only looked for some cultural relics, calligraphy and paintings, but also put a lot of effort into the food.

"I see. Well, since you've figured it out, I won't pretend anymore."

Hu Wenyan removed the pride on her face and said seriously: "Master Shen, I have heard a lot about your deeds in the county and I admire you very much. I think that although women like me cannot pass the imperial examinations, in addition to getting married, I also want to make achievements in this world. My grandfather is a first-class Confucian scholar in the Tiansheng Dynasty, and he taught me hand in hand. Wenyan believes that my knowledge is not much worse than that of my brothers, but I just have nowhere to display it. Now that I have Master Shen as a role model, I also want to be like you, on the one hand, to impart knowledge and teach academic studies, and on the other hand, to establish a career for women all over the world. If there are more people like Master Shen who set an example and let them look at us, they will also be brave enough to break through prejudice and do what they want to do. At that time, the world may be more tolerant of us women."

After she finished speaking, Shen Nankui was also deeply moved. He stood up and bowed to her solemnly.

"Miss Hu's words really speak my mind."

All along, there were many people who supported what she did, such as Gu Yichuang and the first wife.

But no matter how much Gu Yichuan understood her, he was not a woman after all, and could never empathize with her.

The same is true for Gu Qingrong.

As for Liang, although she also felt that Shen Nankui was right, she had not thought deeply about the future.

Only now, after listening to Hu Wenyan's words, Shen Nankui finally felt that what he did was meaningful.

Hu Wenyan also hurriedly returned the greeting, "Master Shen, I was dressed as a man before, so I hope you can forgive me for being disrespectful."

The two sat down again, and Shen Nankui smiled knowingly, "I know, Miss Hu wants to test me to see if I am who you think I am."

"Sister is really smart." Hu Wenyan smiled happily.

Shen Nankui looked at her sincerely and said, "To be honest, Miss Hu, before you said this, I didn't want to keep you as a teacher in Lai'an Academy."

Hu Wenyan showed a look of understanding, "Could it be because of my grandfather?"