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

Lin Shu's carriage.

“My lady, I’m afraid Miss Xu won’t let this go! Besides, I think… I think she treats you like her own possession…” Su Mu didn’t finish her sentence, as the man looked at her as if she were his own property.

"It's alright." Lin Shu pursed her lips and patted his hand.

Xue Wen also brought up the matter of their marriage proposal at the right time: "I have already set a date with the Li family head, which is August 26th. Shu'er will have just finished the provincial examination at that time, so the timing is just right."

"Mm." Lin Shu nodded.

……

It's already mid-May, and today is the day the results of the provincial examinations are released.

Lin Shu and Li Yun'er entered Shangyang Academy the day after the academy examination. They had just finished their last mathematics class and were about to have lunch in the cafeteria. With the teacher gone, the whole school was noisy and bustling.

Lin Shu and Li Yun'er ordered a few dishes at the cafeteria and were eating when they heard a commotion.

Several students were glaring at the woman sitting opposite them, their mouths full of sarcasm:

"Hey! Isn't this our Scholar Chen? Haha, is this all you're eating? Looks like they don't treat you very well!"

"Sister He, why are you still calling him Scholar Chen?"

"Isn't this someone's private property? Ugh, what a disgrace to us scholars."

"..."

Lin Shu and her companion followed the gaze of the group and saw that the person being mocked was wearing a gray robe, with patches peeking out from the seams. Her face was pale, and her figure thin; without careful observation, she was practically invisible. She was currently looking down, obscuring her face, and eating her steamed bun. Only her taut, white fingers revealed that she wasn't truly as indifferent as she appeared…

After a long while, perhaps realizing everyone was staring at him, he awkwardly raised his head. He had striking features, thin lips slightly pursed, and a pair of phoenix eyes with upturned corners, deep and unfathomable...

The students were annoyed by her attitude. Did she think they were invisible?

Seeing that the group was about to provoke them again, Li Yun'er felt a pang of pity and was about to step in to stop them. Lin Shu, who didn't want to get involved, had no choice but to whisper a few words in Li Yun'er's ear...

"The Master is here..." someone shouted from the crowd. The students who had been causing trouble were afraid of getting into trouble, so they could only threaten the person a few times and then leave the cafeteria.

"Thank you both." Lin Shu and her companion sat down to continue their meal after the matter was resolved. Just then, a hoarse female voice gently entered their ears.

Seeing Lin Shu and the other woman looking over, the man continued, "I am Chen Jin, a student of the Heavenly Class. I will never forget what happened today." The others hadn't noticed, but she had excellent observation skills and naturally knew that they had helped her.

Li Yun'er waved her hand and said, "Oh! Don't mention it! It was nothing. My name is Li Yun'er."

Chen Jin nodded, then looked at the other person.

"Lin Shu".

"I've long admired your name," Chen Jin said, bowing respectfully.

Lin Shu nodded slightly to him as a greeting.

Chen Jin lowered her head slightly, but couldn't help looking at Lin Shu. Was this the person that the other person had asked her to get in touch with?

Lin Shu noticed her scrutiny, looked up, and met her gaze directly, but quickly turned her head away. As she moved, Lin Shu inadvertently noticed the marks on the other woman's collarbone, which seemed to be whip marks...?

Chen Jin seemed to sense Lin Shu's gaze and panicked for a moment, quickly taking her leave. Watching her slightly flustered retreating figure, Lin Shu raised an eyebrow. She gave off a contradictory feeling, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it…

Li Yun'er stood to the side with a worried look on her face: "I wonder what the results are like today? The academy doesn't even have a holiday, so there's nothing to see."

Seeing her expression, Lin Shu said helplessly, "Since the results are being released, someone should copy the list and send it to the academy later. We'll know then."

Li Yun'er nodded dejectedly; in reality, she just wanted to join in the fun.

Sure enough, the teacher who came to teach the policy essay class in the afternoon, namely Du Ziqi, was in a very good mood. He posted the copied list and, seeing that no one was interested in studying, he didn't force them: "This old woman sees that you bunch of rascals have no interest in listening to the lesson, so let's call it a day..."

Before she could finish speaking, she heard excited shouts from the students present. She raised her hand and made a downward gesture, and continued, "Tonight's Ink Fragrance Poetry Gathering is no small matter. All the students of the Heavenly Class will participate with me..." The Heavenly Class is a group of the top students of Shangyang Academy.

After saying a few more words, he left.

Immediately, students flocked to the list:

"Don't push! I haven't seen it yet!"

"What are you looking at? You didn't even take the test."

"Stop arguing, quickly check who's at the top of the list..."

"Lin Shu".

As soon as she finished speaking, the surroundings suddenly fell silent. Then everyone turned to look at Lin Shu, and then at the list. Was this person the top scorer?

"Sister! You're amazing! You got a triple crown! Ah~~ Bring me some of your luck." Li Yun'er's eyes lit up, and she wished she could rush up and hug her.

"Congratulations," Chen Jin said in a low voice.

Lin Shu remained expressionless and said softly, "Thank you."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding students quickly surrounded Lin Shu, bombarding her with questions about her study methods. Good heavens! Only by achieving the top score in three examinations could one be considered a "Minor Triple Crown" scholar. If she continued to perform as expected, who knows, she might become the first person in the entire Phoenix Cry Kingdom to achieve the "Six Crowns"...

……

Tianxianglou, Moxiang Book Club.

Although it was already dusk, vehicles continued to pass by the entrance.

As Lin Shu and her group followed Du Ziqi into Tianxiang Tower, someone behind them spoke:

"Master Du, how have you been?"

Upon hearing the voice, Du Ziqi's expression changed slightly, but he turned around and smiled kindly: "Oh? It's Master Zhou from Nachuan Academy. You seem to have gained some weight recently. Please forgive me for not recognizing you at first!"

"You! Fine, considering your impending defeat, this old woman will let it go. By the way, Qiao Mu, why didn't you greet your teacher when you saw him?" Master Zhou was somewhat annoyed and spoke rather rudely.

The woman named Qiao Mu first addressed Master Du Ziqi, then lowered her head and said to Master Zhou, "Teacher, please stop teasing me."

Seeing Du Ziqi's less-than-pleasant expression, Master Zhou laughed heartily a few times before saying insincerely, "Haha! I must thank Master Du for teaching my student so well; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get her third place in the top ranking!"

Du Ziqi was furious. Qiao Mu was her student, but he had suddenly dropped out a few months ago. At the time, she thought it was because of his family's poverty and intended to help him. Who knew that he would transfer to their arch-rival, Nachuan Academy... But she was no pushover either:

"Haha! Master Zhou, you're too kind. After all, our Shangyang Academy has a profound heritage. Why not let a 'good student' like Qiao Mu be yours? This year's top scorer is still from our Shangyang Academy..."

Master Zhou was somewhat stunned to find that Shangyang was still at the top of the list. He was so embarrassed and annoyed that he turned away and said as he passed by, "Don't be too smug. Today is a poetry gathering, not an imperial examination. We'll see."

"Hmph!" Du Ziqi snorted coldly and led Lin Shu and the others inside.

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