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

Su Erfulang, his hair disheveled, looked at the few noble young men who had just ignored him but were now full of excitement. They stood up and warmly greeted Lin Shu, leaving Su Erfulang speechless for a moment.

Prefect Du, originally an official from the capital, was transferred here. He still maintained some connections in the news channels and knew quite a bit about the various things happening in the capital.

She knew in her heart that the woman the Seventh Prince had married was the top scholar in the imperial examination two years ago. This top scholar's wife was now not only a high-ranking official of the third rank, but was also said to be the daughter of the Prince of Dingbei.

Thinking of this, Prefect Du dared not slack off in the slightest, and hurriedly greeted him with a big smile.

After Lin Shu carefully confirmed that all her husbands were safe and sound, she seized the opportunity and spoke respectfully and warmly:

"Lord Lin is here to visit. I am deeply sorry for not greeting you properly. Please come in quickly!"

Lin Shu remained calm as she led her husbands steadily into the hall.

She had heard such polite words many times in official circles and was no longer surprised. She simply replied politely, "Lord Du, you are too kind."

"You're that scoundrel Lin Shu?" Su Er's husband stared wide-eyed in disbelief, his eyes wide. He glanced at Lin Shu and then noticed the respectful manner that Prefect Du was showing her, which only fueled his shock.

But how could that be? If she had truly achieved great success, how could Mu Xuan have kept quiet about it? And how could he have allowed himself to be humiliated like this by the Su family?

Little did they know that behind this was Su's father's painstaking efforts. He was afraid that the Su family would use Su Mu's name to cling to Lin Shu, who was already in a high position, and he was even more afraid that Lin Shu would despise Su Mu because of this.

"Shut up!"

Upon hearing Su Erfulang's impolite words, Prefect Du's eyebrows shot up, and she rebuked him sharply, her eyes piercing like knives as she looked at Su Erfulang. Then, her face broke into a smile, and her tone became full of respect:

"Lord Lin is a high-ranking official of the third rank in the imperial court, bearing heavy responsibilities for the country. How dare you criticize him so casually!"

“Third...third rank!” Upon hearing this, Su’s mother’s eyes lit up. Her gaze towards Lin Shu changed from indifference to satisfaction and flattery. She hadn’t expected that her least favored daughter-in-law would be more promising than that girl Gu Qing.

"Of course, not only that, but Lady Lin is also the daughter of the only non-royal prince in Fengming—the Prince of Dingbei." Prefect Du said this on purpose. She could tell that Lin Shu had a connection with the Su family. If she could win her over, it wouldn't be impossible for her to climb up the social ladder through marriage with the Su family.

"...!!!" Upon hearing this, Su's mother was so shocked that she couldn't utter a word.

But his mind started racing with calculations. Yi'er had only managed to climb to the position of prefect of a prefecture with the help of Gu Qing, a seventh-rank county magistrate. If she could rely on Lin Shu, wouldn't it be easy for her to climb to the position of a powerful and influential family in the capital?

In this way, it won't be long before the Su family rises to prominence and becomes a distinguished family. That's a sure thing!

Thinking of this, she turned her head and looked at Lin Shu with a look of satisfaction, as if Lin Shu were her most beloved junior:

"My dear daughter-in-law, I knew you were no ordinary person. I was right about you!" That affected manner made anyone uncomfortable.

Su Mu's father, who was being supported by Su Mu, couldn't stand it any longer. He sneered coldly with a face full of disgust. Although his voice was weak, it was full of contempt: "Pretentious!"

Only then did Su's mother look at Su's father and Su Mu properly, her eyes filled with panic and evasion. She felt sorry for Su's father, but it was all for Yi'er and for the entire Su family.

That's why it was crucial to keep her calm at this moment. So she bypassed the hostile Su Nu father and son, looked at the chubby baby in Lin Shu's arms, and smiled—three parts genuine, seven parts fake:

"This must be my little granddaughter. Come and see her, Grandma."

As she spoke, she eagerly reached out her hand, wanting to hug the child.

To everyone's surprise, the chubby little child, with a stern face, pulled one hand out from his pocket and slapped the outstretched hand with a 'smack'. He frowned, pursed his lips, and said in a crisp voice, "Bad person."

"Ha!" Father Su sneered. Even a toddler who was almost two years old could see through the other man's fake smile. He just couldn't understand how his once honest and gentle bedmate had turned into such a mercenary person!

Hearing Su's father's mocking sneer, Su's mother's face turned pale and then red, feeling both embarrassed and uncomfortable, and also somewhat annoyed.

Ever since Su Er's husband married into the Su family, Su's father has often made sarcastic remarks like this. The affection between husband and wife over the years has long been worn away.

Still kneeling on the spot, Su Erfulang was filled with jealousy and resentment. He couldn't accept that Su's father's son had married better than his own son. He was like a lost soul, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.

He only snapped out of his daze and hurriedly got up when Su Yi's pitiful screams outside grew weaker and weaker.

Su Erfulang glanced at Su Mu and his son with jealousy, straightened his back, and said to Lin Shu with a righteous air:

"...Lin Shu, Yi'er is dying! You have to save her! She's your sister-in-law, you can't just stand by and watch her die!"

"Yes! Your sister is frail to begin with, how can she withstand fifty strokes of the cane? You should quickly talk to the prince beside you and ask him to spare Yi'er!"

Su's mother echoed her sentiments, nodding repeatedly. She thought to herself, "Su Mu is still here. For Su Mu's sake, Lin Shu should at least give them some face."

Unexpectedly, Lin Shu showed no mercy to anyone and bluntly stated:

"I'm sorry, I can't do anything about it. The one who was harassing my husband is not my sister-in-law. Even if she were my own sister, he should decide how to punish her."

Furthermore, if I may be frank, Ah Yu is kind-hearted, and this punishment is already lenient.

After saying that, she turned her head and saw Feng Yu looking at her with bright eyes.

Feng Yu had been thinking that since the girl with the gap-toothed tooth was her elder brother's sister, she would withdraw the punishment. However, she was worried that if Lin Shu asked him to release the girl for her elder brother's sake, she would feel bad, since she was the one who had been teased.

Lin Shu freed one hand and touched the top of Feng Yu's head.

Su Erfulang's sharp voice suddenly rang out, but it was directed at Su Mu, who had remained expressionless and detached:

"Are you just going to stand by and watch? Yi'er is your only sister, the only heir of the Su family!"

Su Mu was bullied by Su Jing and Su Yi, his siblings, since childhood, which led to his aloof personality. In addition, he had just learned that the Su family had almost killed his father, and he was now completely disappointed in the Su family: "I only have a father, not a sister."

Upon hearing this, Su's mother realized that Su Mu's words meant he wanted to sever ties with the Su family. This was unacceptable; otherwise, how could Yi'er use Lin Shu's influence to make the Su family a prominent and prestigious family in the future?

So, she put on the airs of a strict mother and said in a serious tone, with a hint of threat:

“Mu’er! This is unfilial! You have never been as likable as Jing’er since childhood. If you are now also branded as unfilial, then…”

Before Su's mother could finish speaking, she looked at Lin Shu, attempting to use her to threaten Su Mu.

Su Mu remained indifferent, having grown up this way since childhood, but he still couldn't help feeling a little sad.

Seeing this, Lin Shu first gently pulled his hand to comfort him, then frowned deeply, glanced at Su's mother with sharp eyes, and turned to look at Su's father.

Mr. Su nodded slightly, indicating that she could do it without worry.

Lin Shu then turned to look at Prefect Du and said calmly, "Lord Du, Lin Shu has come today to discuss a case."

"Please speak, Lord Lin." Prefect Du, who was still watching the play and thinking about severing ties with the Su family after today, heard Lin Shu's words and hurriedly responded.

Lin Shu pointed to Su's father beside her, her voice calm:

"This is Lin Shu's mother-in-law, Madam Mu. He wants to sue his ex-wife and her family for divorcing him without cause in order to seize his dowry. They also accused them of deliberately suppressing him behind his back, which indirectly caused him to almost lose his life!"

Prefect Du thought to himself, "Is this all such a trivial matter?"

Although the law clearly stipulates that a wife cannot be divorced without cause, over the years, the government has mostly handled such cases hastily.

However, the fact that this incident indirectly led to his near death is something worth exploring.

Unsure of Lin Shu's intentions, she looked up cautiously at Lin Shu, only to find Lin Shu's eyes dark and deep. She seemed to discern the words "severe punishment" within them, and tentatively asked:

"Rest assured, Lord Lin, if the investigation confirms the truth, I will handle this matter impartially, strip him of his official rank, banish him from holding office forever, and exile him five hundred li away..."

"Yes. Then I'll trouble you, Lord Du." Lin Shu nodded in satisfaction.

Knowing he had guessed correctly, Prefect Du quickly flattered him, saying, "No trouble at all."

The matter was then handed over to Prefect Du for handling. Lin Shu and her husbands left amidst the resentful gazes and angry curses of Su's mother and second husband.

As for Prefect Du's daughter, Du Juan, although she was a spoiled brat with a sharp tongue and liked to tease young men, she hadn't done anything truly heinous, so fifty strokes of the cane were a fair punishment.

Although Su's father's health had improved a lot, he was too old to travel far, so Lin Shu took her husband back to Dongshan Town to visit her mentor, Han Shuang.

-