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

"Mother, Father. My brother and I are back!" Before seeing them, their voices were heard. Li's mother had just looked up and finished speaking to Li's father when she heard the voices from outside. Her face showed excitement, but she quickly composed herself and sat upright at the head of the table.

Li's father, disregarding his pride, rushed out and, upon seeing his beloved daughter and son, his eyes reddened. The other servants, seeing this, also went out to greet them; after all, they couldn't have children of their own, and Li Yun'er would be their future support.

“Yun’er, Huanzhi, you’re back! Quickly show your father how thin you’ve become! You’ve both lost weight! Waaah… How could your mother be so cruel? Yun’er and Huanzhi have suffered so much to lose weight.”

Hearing her usually dignified husband lose his composure, Li's mother, who was inside the house, disregarded her own dignity and came out to see that he had indeed lost weight.

Li Yun'er has been engrossed in her studies for the past two months and has lost a lot of weight. Li Huanzhi was already thin to begin with, and now that the weather is warming up, he is not wearing as many clothes as when he left, so he looks noticeably thinner.

Li's mother looked at her children with heartache, patted Li Yun'er's head, and kept saying, "You've lost weight..."

"Mom, Dad, have you really lost weight? I thought it was just my imagination," Li Yun'er said with a giggle.

"My lady, please let Yun'er and Huanzhi come inside for dinner. They must be starving," one of the servants said at the opportune moment.

"Ah! Right, right! Come in and eat."

After meal.

Li's mother took Li Yun'er to the study, while Li Huanzhi followed Li's father back to their room for a private conversation.

study.

Li's mother asked Li Yun'er about what had happened since she left home, and Li Yun'er told her everything in detail.

"Yun'er, are you saying that Lin Shu will definitely pass the imperial examination this time?" Mother Li noticed this after hearing her mention Lin Shu several times and that the other party had given her exam questions.

“Yes, Mother, you don’t know, Lin Shu is so beautiful, even more beautiful than my brother! And she’s the last disciple of the Dean of Qingfeng Academy…” Li Yun’er became interested when she heard about Lin Shu. “Moreover, my brother also speaks highly of her.”

"Really? Is Lin Shu suitable for marriage?" Li's mother's eyes lit up.

"Oh dear, Mother, you forgot? I was just saying that when my brother is bored, he goes to visit his husband." Li Yun'er rolled her eyes and pouted.

"What a pity!" Li's mother didn't take her little action to heart for the moment.

"What's a pity?" Li Yun'er asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing." What Li's mother didn't say was that Li Huanzhi was raised to be dignified and gentle from a young age, but in fact he had very high standards. The person who could make him treat her differently was probably someone he had already fallen for, but who already had a husband.

Li Huanzhi was also telling his father about what he had seen and heard over the past few months. The two of them would whisper a few words and chuckle from time to time, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

"My son, do you think so highly of Lin Shu? If she fails the exam this time, wouldn't that be..." Looking at his son's attitude, Li's father understood everything and deliberately teased him.

"No, she's exceptional, she'll definitely... she'll definitely pass the imperial examination." Li Huanzhi interrupted his father, his voice growing softer with excitement.

"Hahaha, it seems my son has taken a fancy to Lin Shu." Father Li was overjoyed.

Li Huanzhi then realized that his father was teasing him, so he turned away and ignored his father.

Seeing this, Li's father also stopped smiling and asked hesitantly, "What are Huanzhi's plans regarding Liu Qiqi?"

Li Huanzhi also regained his gentle and refined demeanor, and replied with a firm gaze, "Father, I... I want to annul the engagement."

"But what if Lin Shu and you are not destined to be together..."

Before Li's father could finish speaking, Li Huanzhi knew what he meant: "Father, Huanzhi has made this decision after careful consideration. Regardless of whether Huanzhi and Miss Lin can... in the future, we must break off the engagement."

"Alright, I'll find a chance to talk to your mother about this. If you have nothing else to do, go and have a heart-to-heart talk with those two men from the Lin family. You can also invite them into the mansion for a chat." Looking at his son's determined expression, Li's father felt a pang of heartache. However, his considerations differed from Li's mother's. He wanted to see his son happy, no matter what the means.

……

The following day, the county examination was held.

The morning light was lovely, and the weather clearly indicated it was going to be a bright and sunny day. Although it was still cold, there were signs of it warming up a bit.

Early in the morning, before dawn, Su Mu and the other two got up to cook breakfast. Lin Shu ate a hot breakfast, checked her exam basket and book bag to make sure she had everything, and then politely declined the three men's offer to see her off before leaving. There were many people around today; what if she got pushed or bumped? Should she save them or continue with the scientific expedition?

When I went out, the sky was already glowing with the light of dawn, and with the lanterns still lit along the roadside, everything was hazy.

At the gate of the county government office.

Looking around, the area in front of the gate was bustling with activity. From three-year-old toddlers to elderly people, everyone's face was filled with hope. Some were hoping to pass the exam themselves, while others were there to see their loved ones off, hoping that their family members would also pass. At a glance, it was a sea of ​​people.

According to the rules, one must pass both the county examination and the prefectural examination to be considered a student of the lowest rank. If one passes the county examination but fails the prefectural examination, one can take the examination again the following year, but only the prefectural examination is required the following year.

"All irrelevant persons, please step aside. Students, please line up quickly, lest you be late." Seeing that the time was almost up, a female constable came out to announce this.

Everyone followed the instructions and lined up one by one. Female yamen runners were specifically responsible for searching people in front of the yamen to check for any smuggled items. Lin Shu glanced around and saw that there were at least several hundred students.

Lin Shu was placed slightly towards the back of the queue, and it took her about half an hour to get her turn. The female constable checked the stove, cakes, tinder, and charcoal in her examination basket, and then felt her chest, buttocks, and sleeves. Finding nothing there, she let her pass.

I didn't see Li Yun'er along the way, and I don't know if she went inside.

After entering, I was separated from the people around me and followed the female constable to a cell. Luckily, I wasn't assigned to the cell next to the latrine. The space was cramped and the stench was unbearable. I probably wouldn't be able to eat there.

Then female yamen runners came down to distribute the exam papers and walked around to prevent anyone from cheating.

Lin Shu opened the exam paper and glanced at the questions; they weren't difficult. She then took out her inkstone and inkstone and began grinding the ink.

The first question is on historical theory.

Pei Du suggested that the prime minister should recruit talented people from all over the country to advise him and requested to meet with guests at his private residence to discuss the matter.

It is said that Fei Du submitted a memorial requesting to recruit talents from all directions to discuss matters at his home. This was clearly an act of forming cliques and engaging in self-serving activities. However, Fei Du did a good job and did not form cliques or engage in self-serving activities. Instead, he recommended many talented people to the court.

This question is intended as a strategy for recruiting talent; if answered poorly, it could create a bad impression from the very first question.

After careful consideration and consulting historical records, Lin Shu finally began to write...

The last question was relatively simple, requiring the writing of a five-character, six-line poem for the examination.

The examination poem consists of five characters per line, called "five-character poem". Two lines make up a couplet, and each couplet ends with a rhyme. Two rhymes (two couplets, four lines in total) make up a row.

After a moment's thought, Lin Shu picked up her pen and wrote:

Taking the Exam

Ten years of hard study have finally paid off; today, I'll test my mettle.

My heart dances with my thoughts, and my pen flows with fragrance.

Talented individuals gathered, and their exquisite words composed magnificent chapters.

On the day of passing the imperial examination, I returned home with high spirits.

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