Female Supremacy and Rise to Power: Lin Shu's Imperial Examination Adventures

Ten days later.

The morning dew was still wet, the sun was just rising, and there was a slight chill in the morning breeze.

After having breakfast, Lin Shu refused the company of the three men and headed towards Qingfeng Academy.

Qingfeng Academy is located behind the government office, and it's just across an alley from Lin Shu's house; it's about a ten-minute walk away. It was founded by Han Shuang and three scholars.

Qingfeng Academy.

Standing at the door, Lin Shu noticed that most of the girls there were around fifteen or sixteen years old. Lin Shu stood out from the crowd, with her red lips and white teeth, and her peach blossom eyes that gleamed with a coldness. She was exceptionally beautiful and had the air of a pure and bright moon.

"Who is this? We don't think we have such a pretty young lady in our academy."

"Yeah, if this were a man, the doorstep would be worn down by all the people walking around it."

"Tch, what a show-off, he's obviously incompetent."

"..."

The surrounding students were all talking at once, creating a chaotic scene, and the female guard at the gate had to come out to maintain order.

"Silence! No noise allowed at the entrance of the academy!"

After she finished speaking, the students scattered. She looked at Lin Shu, the culprit who had caused all this, and said:

"This young lady doesn't seem to be from the academy. Is there something you need?"

"Please inform the dean that the students need to take the college's entrance exam."

As soon as Lin Shu finished speaking, a collective gasp arose from the surroundings. It should be noted that since the establishment of Qingfeng Academy, only two students had ever taken the entrance exam for the academy, but none of them had ever passed.

So everyone obediently waits until September each year, pays their tuition, and takes a unified test to be assigned to classes and enroll.

The female guard was also startled, but she sent another guard to fetch the dean.

Han Shuang and Zhao Lin, one of the teachers from the academy, came out and immediately spotted Lin Shu, drawn by her truly unique demeanor. However, they still asked as usual:

"Which student wants to 'take the exam' for the college?"

Lin Shu stepped forward, clasped her hands in a gesture of respect, bowed to the dean and the teacher, and said:

"Student Lin Shu greets the two teachers."

Zhao Lin and Dean Han Shuang exchanged a glance, nodded in satisfaction, and said:

"Then let's begin the teaching test, Dean?" Zhao Lin said, then looked at Han Shuang, who nodded. "Student Lin, take a look at the questions on this wall at the entrance of the academy. If you can solve three of them, you can enroll immediately. Are you ready?"

Although the questions on the wall are not age-old problems, solving all three is no easy task.

"The students are ready." Lin Shu's voice was flat.

"Alright, then I will give you the questions. If you can't answer them, you will pass. If you answer three questions correctly in total, you will pass." Zhao Lin smiled slightly.

“Students understand!”

"The first question is a couplet. The first line reads: Two trees make a forest, three trees make a thicket; the forest is lush with trees, and the lush trees transform into a thicket."

The scene was silent. This couplet had been there for so many years, and apart from the dean's response of "One person is great, two people are heaven; heaven is great, human feelings are greater than heaven" back then, no one had ever come up with a matching line. It was no exaggeration to say that it was an absolute masterpiece for all time. Just when everyone thought that Lin Shu would not be able to answer it.

"The upper hook is for the old, the lower hook is for the test; the old test the young, the young test the old."

"Great! That's brilliant!" Zhao Lin exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands.

Lin Shu thought to herself: This couplet is indeed difficult for the ancients, with its tonal patterns and parallelism, and the need to transform words, but what can I do when I come from the later era?

"The second question is also a couplet. The first line is: 'The sound of wind, the sound of rain, the sound of reading—all sounds enter the ear.' Lin, please proceed."

Student: "Hiss~ Another perfect couplet for all time. No one has been able to match it yet."

Student: "Yes, even the dean feels bad. I'm afraid Lin Shu won't be able to do it either."

"..."

The surrounding students sighed, feeling that Lin Shu must have done something wrong.

"I care about everything, from family affairs to national affairs to world affairs."

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Zhao Lin exclaimed excitedly, her face flushed. This student was sure to achieve great things in the future.

"I'll set the last question," Han Shuang interrupted Zhao Lin, who was about to set the question, and looked at Lin Shu.

"Please, Dean." Lin Shu said indifferently.

"I recently came across an arithmetic problem that I haven't been able to solve yet. If any of the students here can solve it, they will all be admitted to the top class," Han Shuang promised the students present. Then she posed the problem: "There are pheasants and rabbits in the same cage. There are 35 heads and 94 feet. How many pheasants and rabbits are there?"

Student: "Oh, how many are there?"

Student: "How do I calculate this?"

Student: "Could it be that there's no answer, and the dean is deliberately making things difficult for him?"

"..."

Listening to the surrounding students' comments, Han Shuang realized he might have been too difficult. Even he struggled with such a question; how could he expect an uneducated student to answer it? He sighed.

"Alas! Never mind, it's just that this old woman is in a difficult position..."

"23 chickens and 12 rabbits." Lin Shu gave the answer before she could finish speaking.

As soon as he finished speaking, the scene erupted in chaos once again.

"No way, that fast? Who are you kidding?"

"Exactly, even the dean couldn't figure it out. She was so quick; she must have just guessed."

"..."

Han Shuang substituted the answer and calculated that it was indeed true, so she interrupted.

"The answer is correct, but could you please tell me how you calculated it?"

Lin Shu cupped her hands and said, “Indeed. Let’s assume that all thirty-five of them are rabbits, then there should be one hundred and forty legs, but in reality there are forty-six fewer. If we replace one rabbit with a chicken, we will lose two legs, so we need to replace twenty-three rabbits with twenty-three chickens. That is to say, there are twenty-three chickens and twelve rabbits. Of course, if we assume that all thirty-five of them are chickens, the result is the same.”

"Hahaha, that's wonderful!" Han Shuang laughed heartily.

"So, does that mean the student has passed?" Lin Shu asked.

"Of course." Han Shuang nodded with a smile, turned around and said something to Zhao Lin beside her before entering the academy.

"Student Lin, please follow this old woman." Zhao Lin turned around and smiled at Lin Shu.

The surrounding students were filled with envy; being summoned by Han Shuang for a private audience was something many people would beg for.

Ling Shuang Residence.

"Not bad. With your talent, if you study diligently for a year next year, you will definitely be among the top in the children's examination the year after." Actually, what Ling Shuang wanted to say was that she would definitely win the championship, but after thinking about it, she decided to be more cautious.

"Thank you, Dean. Actually, I wish to participate in the preliminary examination next February." Lin Shu bowed.

Han Shuang and Zhao Lin were slightly taken aback upon hearing this; Lin Shu looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old.

Seeing their confusion, Lin Shu explained, "The student was unwell before and only attended school for a few years." Indeed, the original owner had attended school in the neighboring village five years ago, but dropped out after her temperament changed five years ago.

Han Shuang thought that this was also a pitiful person, so she said gently, "Alas! Since that's the case, then this old woman will test your knowledge again. If you pass, this old woman will personally guide you from now on, how about it?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu remained calm and said, "Please give me the question, Dean."

Han Shuang was satisfied and didn't finish testing Lin Shu until 1:15 noon. She hadn't expected Lin Shu to be so fluent in the eight-legged essay, the Four Books and Five Classics, and even to have unique insights into policy essays...

So, he said to Lin Shuxi, who cherishes talent:

“Excellent, excellent. Lin Shu, would you be willing to become my disciple? I will personally guide you from now on.”

"Students meet their teachers!"

"Okay. Hahaha." Han Shuang laughed heartily.

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