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

"You wretch, so that's why you broke off the engagement. You found someone else to keep you company?"

Upon hearing this, Li Huanzhi's body trembled. It was her, Liu Qiqi.

Liu Qiqi never expected that her father would break off the engagement with the Li family while she was away from home; she also never expected that the Li family would dare to break off the engagement. Could it be that the Li family could have chosen someone else besides her?

Let's go back to the day Li's mother broke off the engagement.

That day, after drinking with her classmates, Liu Qiqi returned home and saw her father, Liu Shi, leisurely lying under the peach tree in the courtyard, being carefully served by one of his servants. Judging from his expression, he seemed to be in a very good mood.

Liu Qiqi asked softly, "Father seems so happy today, is there some good news?"

When Liu saw that it was her precious daughter who had returned, she quickly sat up, looked at her daughter with a big smile, and said, "Qiqi is back?"

After saying that, he kicked the servant aside and scolded in a low voice, "Hurry up and get back to your room."

"Ah!" The servant boy cried out in pain, looking at Liu Qiqi with eyes full of sorrow.

"Get out of here!" Seeing that Liu Qiqi didn't care about the servant boy, Madam Liu felt relieved and gently scolded him again.

Faced with Liu's sharp gaze, the servant boy had no choice but to retreat.

After watching his figure disappear, Madam Liu turned to Liu Qiqi and said, "Qiqi, don't blame your father for being too harsh on your servants. You must remember that in this world, only your father is the best to you. Other men are not sincere towards you..."

Liu Qiqi remained calm and said, "Father, you shall decide all matters concerning the household."

After a brief pause, she continued, "Father, what joyous occasion has befallen you today? Why don't you tell your daughter?"

Mentioning this, Madam Liu's eyes were full of smiles: "Qiqi, you don't know, the Li family actually came to break off the engagement today!"

Liu Qiqi's eyes sharpened as she stared intently at Madam Liu, asking, "Has Father agreed?"

The thought of Li Huanzhi's alluring appearance filled Liu with anger, completely oblivious to the displeasure on her daughter's face: "Of course, I told you long ago that the Li family's son is no good. You can tell at a glance that he is not a law-abiding person..."

As she looked up, she saw that her daughter's face was ashen, and only then did she belatedly realize that Liu Qiqi was angry.

"Father, do you know that our current livelihood depends entirely on the Li family?" Liu Qiqi said coldly, "If we lose the Li family, where will my money for the imperial examinations come from?"

"..." Liu was speechless when asked the question. He had indeed never considered this question before and was momentarily stunned.

Seeing her daughter's increasingly cold expression, Madam Liu's eyes reddened, and she began to sob, "But...but the Li family proposed to break off the engagement first. What can I, a mere scholar, do?"

Liu Qiqi frowned slightly. She had relied on Liu Shi since childhood and knew the suffering Liu Shi had endured for her sake. Now, she couldn't bear to see Liu Shi sad, so she softened her expression, walked to the rocking chair under the tree, and gently patted Liu Shi's shoulder to comfort her.

Seeing that her tactic had worked, a sly glint flashed in Liu's eyes. She pinched her thigh hard, and tears streamed down her face. She sat up, leaned her head against Liu Qiqi, and murmured pitifully, "Qiqi... sob sob..."

After speaking, she raised her tear-streaked face and gazed at her daughter with a sorrowful expression.

Liu Qiqi lowered her head, and when their eyes met, she felt a sudden...unease...

Although this Liu was nearing forty, she was a prominent figure in the village in her youth, known for her romantic affairs. The fact that she, a widow, could raise her child to adulthood single-handedly demonstrates her "extraordinary abilities"...

... (omitting ten thousand indescribable words)

Upon seeing this, Chunyu, the young servant outside the courtyard, tightly covered her mouth, turned around, leaned against the wall, and slowly slid down, not daring to make the slightest sound...

These two are probably trying to emulate the empress of the Blazing Fire Kingdom, whose kingdom was destroyed hundreds of years ago. It's said that her father was constantly depressed, and to cheer him up, she lit the beacon fires to amuse him, ultimately leading to the kingdom's downfall and the current four-way power struggle. (→This is just an analogy to hint at a relationship; how can Liu Qiqi be compared to that empress?)

……

Since being comforted by Madam Liu that day, Liu Qiqi has been lingering around the Li residence for several days, trying to see Madam Li, but has been turned away each time.

Seeing Li Huanzhi emerge from the mansion with a woman, his face bearing an expression she had never seen before, yet the adoration in his eyes was impossible to conceal, she was instantly enraged and lashed out, leading to the scene described at the beginning.

"Li Huanzhi, I thought you were some kind of chaste and virtuous man, that you wouldn't even let me touch you before. But now, after only a few days, you've already hooked up with someone else? Ha! You're nothing special."

Liu Qiqi looked the two of them up and down. Judging from the colors of their clothes, they were quite well matched. But then she thought that since the engagement was made, this slut hadn't let her touch him once, but now he was so attentive to others. She couldn't even compare to that pretty boy.

Li Huanzhi turned pale upon hearing Liu Qiqi's voice, fearing Lin Shu would mistakenly believe he was fickle. He glanced quickly at Lin Shu, seeing her expressionless face, and then lowered his eyes in disappointment.

Seeing Li Huanzhi's silence, Liu Qiqi assumed she had hit the nail on the head. She stepped forward smugly and said to the silent Lin Shu, "Miss, you don't know this, but the man beside you is incredibly cunning! I've been engaged to him for over five years. He used this trick to get you and then dumped me. Such a fickle man... what will become of him in the future..."

Lin Shu interrupted, "I know..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Huanzhi pursed his lips, his face turned even paler, and he swayed as if about to collapse.

Liu Qiqi was overjoyed at the sight, thinking she had successfully sown discord between the two. She wondered who this bitch would marry in the future. Thinking this, she was about to grab Li Huanzhi when a hand reached out and blocked her, instead grabbing Lin Shu's hand. Liu Qiqi looked up at the owner of the arm and asked in confusion, "Miss, what's this?"

Lin Shu's eyes were deep as she said, "I know you're not a good person." With that, she looked at the hand on her wrist, pulled and flung it, and Liu Qiqi flew out like a parabola, crashing into a pillar at the entrance of the Li residence before falling heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Ah! It hurts! Cough cough..." Liu Qiqi felt as if all the bones in her body had been shattered, and the pain was excruciating.

Li Huanzhi stared intently at the figure before him, unable to come to his senses for a long time. Finally, a smile appeared on his lips.

Lin Shu flicked off non-existent dust from the corner of her clothes, turned to Li Huanzhi, and said seriously, "Everyone has their own judgment; there's no need to care about what others say."

"Ah...you slut...I'm going to kill you two adulterers..." Liu Qiqi was furious and embarrassed when she saw that the two of them were treating her like air.

Lin Shu glared at her fiercely, which frightened her so much that she quickly shut her mouth and only dared to groan "Ouch, ouch."

Li Huanzhi quietly reached out and gently pulled up Lin Shu's wide sleeve. Seeing that Lin Shu didn't stop him, he was overjoyed. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by his mother's angry voice:

"Guards, throw him back right now!"

"Yes, master!"

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