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

“Yes, you can’t bully her.” Song Yun stepped forward and took her other hand.

Lin Shu's cold eyes were filled with tenderness.

Looking at the way the three of them interacted, Li Huanzhi thought of the reason why the brother and sister had run away from home, and felt a pang of sadness.

Seeing her brother's state, Li Yun'er glanced at Lin Shu and felt even more strongly that Liu Qiqi was no human being.

After Lin Dafeng left, the two husbands of the Lin family chatted with Li Huanzhi. Li Yun'er followed Lin Shu to the main hall. Along the way, Li Yun'er hesitated to speak, feeling somewhat guilty. If it weren't for her, Lin Dafeng wouldn't have come to cause trouble.

After taking her seat, Lin Shu took a sip of tea and said:

"Tell me, what's going on?"

"Lin Shu, I'm sorry, it's all because of me. I saw your mother... no, I saw that woman lying in the middle of the road, and I felt sorry for her..."

Lin Shu interrupted him before he could finish speaking:

"Hey! I was asking you."

"Ah? Oh! Me? Sigh! Never mind. Tell me and you can help me make a decision." Li Yun'er looked worried.

"It's all because of my brother's fiancée, Liu Qiqi. She already has a concubine, and just recently she gave birth to his eldest daughter." Li Yun'er said indignantly. "If my brother marries her, how can he possibly have a good life?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu also frowned, as she had a real idea about this: "Young Master Li should be the principal husband after he marries into the family, right?"

Li Yun'er understood Lin Shu's meaning: "Although he is the legal husband, Liu Qiqi's father is physically strong and mean-spirited. He is currently in charge of the Liu family. Moreover, he has always looked down on my brother's appearance, otherwise why would my brother's marriage be delayed again and again?"

“The government has regulations that if a man is over 20 and still unmarried, he will be exiled to the army. My brother is already 19 this year. If he continues to delay, it won’t just be a laughing stock.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu asked in confusion, "Then the Liu family didn't come to propose marriage?"

“Alas! My brother and I ran away from home because of this. The Liu family is too arrogant. They actually demanded that my Li family increase the dowry by 10 taels, otherwise she would marry into the family as a servant.” Li Yun’er said, clenching her fists and looking like she was gritting her teeth. “My mother actually wanted to compromise, just because Liu Qiqi is a student who has passed the provincial examination next year. If she passes the provincial examination, she will become a scholar with the title of Xiucai.”

After hearing this, Lin Shu didn't know how to comfort her friend, so she could only pat her on the shoulder.

"Haha, when is dinner? My brother and I just got back today, so we have no choice but to shamelessly beg for a meal here!" Li Yun'er said, trying to lighten the mood, not wanting the atmosphere to be so somber.

"my pleasure."

……

"Shu'er, your father has bought red paper. Go and write two couplets." Xue Wen's voice came from the kitchen.

Lin Shu agreed and went to the study. When she came out, she bumped into a few men who were holding freshly cut paper-cut window decorations.

"My lady, my lady, look! This is a little rabbit I cut out. Doesn't it look like one?" Song Yun couldn't wait to pounce on Lin Shu the moment she saw her.

Lin Shu nodded.

Seeing this, Song Yun started chattering away to herself: "And this 'wife' character was cut by my eldest brother, and this butterfly was cut by my brother Huanzhi..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu picked up the 'Q version Lin Shu' and looked at it. She then took Su Mu's hand and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work!" She then nodded to Li Huanzhi as a greeting.

"Go take a bath and change into new clothes first, then I'll set off some firecrackers for you," Lin Shu said gently to her two husbands.

Their eyes lit up instantly, and they went their separate ways.

Lin Shu then took Li Yun'er to put up couplets and hang lanterns. Li Huanzhi stood in the courtyard, watching everyone busy at work and smelling the aroma of cooking coming from the kitchen, feeling a surge of longing.

For some reason, his steps seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, and he walked towards Lin Shu involuntarily. Seeing the paper flowers about to fall, he immediately stepped forward and reached out his fair and slender hand to support them. Seeing Lin Shu looking at him, he lowered his head shyly and said softly, "Let me help you!" His voice was as clear and melodious as morning dew falling on a lotus leaf.

Lin Shu glanced at him and said noncommittally, "Hmm."

Hearing the voice so close to him, Li Huanzhi couldn't help but smile slightly from the corner of his mouth beneath his hat.

……

Inside the kitchen, Xue Wen and his servants were busy at work. Outside, Lin Shu stood with her two husbands outside the courtyard, watching Li Yun'er light firecrackers.

As the firecrackers crackled and popped, Lin Shu pressed her two husbands' heads into her arms, covering their exposed ears with both hands. Li Yun'er scatters wildly from the explosions, while Li Huanzhi stares blankly at the figures ahead.

For a moment, the scene was both sweet and lively.

"Dinner's ready!" As Xue Wen's voice fell, the last dish, sweet and sour pork ribs, was served.

Xue Wen greeted everyone with a big smile:

"Please sit down. Yun'er and Huanzhi are here today, so I made a couple more dishes. You'll have to try my cooking later."

"That's great! I've been wanting to eat your cooking for ages, Uncle, but Lin Shu never lets me come," Li Yun'er said glibly, not forgetting to complain about her.

"Don't listen to her, just come next time you want to eat..." Xue Wen said, glaring at Lin Shu.

The people around them lowered their heads to stifle their laughter.

Lin Shu: ...

Everyone took their seats. In the Lin family, there was no rule about men and women sitting at the same table, so this meal was particularly lively.

After the meal, Xue Wen gave lucky money to Lin Shu and the other younger relatives, and even Li Yun'er, Li Huanzhi, and Yuanbao beside him were not left out.

……

The county town, the Li family residence.

Unlike the cheerful atmosphere at the Lin family's house, the atmosphere at the Li family's house was much more serious and somber.

The New Year's Eve dinner was even more lavish, but only the matriarch of the Li family and her three husbands were at the table. Everyone remained silent, afraid of offending the matriarch. After the meal, everyone went back to their rooms.

The main house of the Li family.

"Mu Lang, do you think I've been too harsh on Yun Jie'er and Huan Zhi?" Mother Li asked with a serious expression to Doctor Mu, who was massaging her shoulders. Mu was the father of the Li siblings.

“Everything my wife has done is for the Li family, for their future,” Li’s father said calmly. Although there were some wrinkles on his face, which bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Li Huanzhi, he still maintained his dignity.

"However, although Liu Qiqi has become a student and is expected to pass the imperial examination in the future, she is timid and her father is too shrewish and strong-willed. He can't even control his own backyard now, so he will probably not achieve much in the future." In the end, Li's father could not bring himself to use the word "shrewish".

Upon hearing this, Li's mother wavered slightly. She said he had three husbands, but due to his health issues, he only had two children, Li Yun'er and Li Huanzhi. Therefore, he genuinely loved his two children.

“But Huanzhi is already 19. What if he can’t get married next year? The Liu family is really… sigh!” When Li’s mother thought about the age her son had been raised to adulthood, she felt a little resentful towards the Liu family.

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