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

Li Huanzhi hurriedly boarded the carriage, the words "no" from Lin Shuzhi echoing in his ears. He felt cold all over, his heart pounding like a drum, and when he looked up again, his face was covered in tears.

He and Li Yun'er came over that evening, but since he was a man, it was inconvenient for him to enter a woman's boudoir. So he waited in Su Mu's room. Now that it was getting late, he planned to call Li Yun'er home. But as soon as he raised his hand, he heard Lin Shu's words, "No," which deeply pierced his heart.

The two people in the room, Li Yun'er and Li Huanzhi, were unaware of Li Huanzhi's situation.

Hearing Lin Shu's answer, Li Yun'er was a little puzzled. In her opinion, Lin Shu should have feelings for her brother, since even she felt that Lin Shu treated her brother differently.

Lin Shu could tell what she was thinking from her expression. She took another sip of tea and explained, "I am interested in him, but not desperately so."

As she spoke, she gave Li Yun'er a look, and Li Yun'er actually saw disgust in that look! Was it disgust at her for not knowing how to choose words? She had just not thought of anything for a moment...

"Haha! I knew it! So, sister, when are you going to come to my house to propose marriage?" Li Yun'er looked overjoyed.

Lin Shu pondered for a moment before speaking, "This matter still needs to be discussed with my two husbands."

“That’s true, but my brother is getting old, so I’m afraid we can’t delay.” Li Yun’er nodded.

"I know. After the prefectural examination, if your brother is interested, I will come to propose marriage." Lin Shu made the final decision.

Afterwards, the two chatted about various things before Li Yun'er took her leave. Of course, Li Yun'er did most of the talking, with Lin Shu occasionally offering a response.

After everyone left, Lin Shu knocked on Su Mu's door. Su Mu asked in surprise, "My wife? Who is this?"

Lin Shu entered the room and sat directly on the edge of the bed: "Come and see Amu."

Seeing her actions, Su Mu hesitated for a moment and said, "My lady, we are in an inn."

"What are you thinking, Amu?" Lin Shu asked teasingly, a smirk playing on her lips.

Seeing that the man was genuinely embarrassed, she decided not to tease him anymore and directly stated her purpose: "What does Amu think of Young Master Li?"

Su Mu was taken aback at first, then thought of the expressions Li Huanzhi gave his wife every time he looked at her. It was as clear as day that he had such an intention. He thought that given his wife's personality, it would probably take her a long time to realize it!

“Of course it would be excellent. If I could have a brother like this to serve my wife, I think that would be great.” A gentle smile appeared on Su Mu’s usually cold face.

Lin Shu was surprised that Su Mu knew what she was thinking at a glance. She reached out and pulled him close, whispering, "When did you find out, Mu?"

"Anyway, it's earlier than the wife."

Lin Shu rarely saw Su Mu being so playful. With a single movement, the two of them were on the bed. Su Mu exclaimed, "Ah! My wife!!"

Lin Shu covered his mouth, pulled the blanket over him, and hugged him tightly, saying, "Go to sleep! We're traveling tomorrow. I won't touch you."

Upon hearing this, Su Mu nestled comfortably in Lin Shu's arms and soon drifted off to sleep.

Lin Shu lowered her head, kissed the top of the man's head, and closed her eyes.

A dreamless night.

……

The next day at chen time.

Lin Shu and her family had been waiting at the entrance of the Li residence for a long time. The Li family members finally came out of the residence, and Lin Shu got out of the car to greet them.

"Sisters, why are you here so early!" Li Yun'er waved to Lin Shu as she stepped out of the mansion gate.

Lin Shu glanced at the six carriages belonging to the Li family and said, "There's not much stuff."

"Hey! It's okay, just tell me if you need anything!" Li Yun'er patted her chest, thinking that Lin Shu had seen what she had brought and regretted not bringing enough.

Lin Shu was speechless: "No need."

Li Yun'er wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by her mother: "Niece Lin Shu, once we arrive in the prefectural city, I'll have to trouble you to take good care of my son and the others."

"Mm." Lin Shu nodded in agreement, her gaze shifting to Li Huanzhi, who was standing beside Li's father.

"Then your son will be leaving now." Li Huanzhi was also saying goodbye to his father, but he kept an eye on Lin Shu out of the corner of his eye.

When their eyes met, Lin Shu noticed that Li Huanzhi's eyes were red and swollen, his lower eyelids were bluish, and his complexion was not good. He looked like he hadn't slept well. So she frowned.

Li Huanzhi was already feeling down, and seeing Lin Shu frown upon seeing him only intensified his resentment. He didn't know why he had even gone to the prefectural city. He had decided to feign illness last night and not go, but upon hearing that Lin Shu and the others had arrived this morning, he couldn't resist getting up and washing, just to see her…

"Yuanbao, help me into the car." Thinking of this, he glanced at Lin Shu resentfully, called Yuanbao to get into the car, and glared at her before getting in.

Lin Shu, who was about to go up and say hello: ...? ? ?

Lin's father was also a little embarrassed, and said to Lin Shu with a forced smile, "Haha, Huanzhi is a grumpy child when he wakes up, Shu'er, please don't mind him, haha, don't mind him!"

"No." Lin Shu looked at the man getting into the car with a puzzled expression.

Finally, under the watchful eyes of Li's parents, the eight carriages slowly drove away.

The Lin family had two carriages, one for each of the men, and one for Lin Shu and Song Ling. The Li family's situation was much more extravagant, with six carriages. Li Yun'er and Li Huanzhi each had one, and the remaining four were filled with gold, silver, and valuables. Li Yun'er even joked that she had almost emptied her house.

It takes about five days to travel from Yun County to Mengzhou Prefecture. Now that they have finally left Yun County, everyone is traveling slowly, enjoying the scenery along the way, but they are also quite content.

Two days passed before Lin Shu realized that Li Huanzhi was avoiding her. Although she didn't know why, she couldn't bear to see his chin become so thin in just two days.

"Bang bang~"

A knock was made on the carriage window, and Li Yun'er's voice followed: "Sister, the scenery here is nice, let's rest here for lunch today."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu alighted from the carriage and took a look. It was indeed quite nice. Looking around, there was a flat expanse, where vegetation was growing lush and green. There was also a river not far away. Lin Shu saw Li Huanzhi standing by the river. After thinking for a moment, she also walked over.

Li Huanzhi dismissed Yuanbao and was taking a walk by the river when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around warily and saw Lin Shu. His expression was filled with a myriad of emotions, and he wanted to escape from the place.

Unexpectedly, as the two passed each other, Lin Shu grabbed his sleeve.

Li Huanzhi wanted to let go, but he was also captivated by the scent on this person. Seeing the other person staring at him, he stood there with his head down and remained silent.

"Why are you angry?" Lin Shu asked directly.

When Li Huanzhi heard the woman ask this question, he was overcome with grief, and tears welled up in his eyes. He kept his head down, not daring to look at her for fear of being discovered and losing face. He whispered, "It's nothing."

Lin Shu sensed something was wrong with the man's voice and, disregarding any potential offense, reached out her right hand and lifted his chin. Sure enough, the man was crying. But why was he crying?

Lin Shu looked puzzled, took out a blue handkerchief from her bosom, wiped his eyes, and said, "Don't cry."

Upon hearing this, Li Huanzhi could no longer hold back his grievances and wanted to vent them all. Tears streamed down his face as he said, "Miss Lin, Huanzhi loves you. Although I know Miss Lin doesn't like me, I just... I just... hiccup..."

Li Huanzhi remained silent for a moment, and whether it was because he was too heartbroken or for some other reason, he began to hiccup, which he could not stop for a long time. This made him feel extremely ashamed and angry, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Lin Shu sighed helplessly, soaked the handkerchief in the river, wrung it out, and handed it to him. While gently patting his back to help him catch his breath, she calmly asked:

How do you know I don't like you?

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