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

Chen Jin wandered through the alley, finally emerging and arriving at a magnificent mansion. He glanced at the two large characters above his head, took a few more steps, and entered through a side door.

The gatekeeper glanced at her but ignored her completely.

Chen Jin seemed used to it, and went straight to a side room. A cute little boy of five or six years old heard the voice, came out to greet her, and happily threw himself into her arms: "Sister, you're finally back!"

Chen Jin picked him up and said gently, "Was Xiaomi a good boy today?"

Xiaomi hugged her neck and nuzzled her affectionately, saying, "My dear, the aunts and uncles in the manor are so good to me. I eat my fill every day. It's just that I haven't seen my sister all day! I miss her so much!"

Chen Jin smiled and ruffled the boy's hair, but before she could say anything more, she was interrupted by someone outside: "Miss Chen, the master requests your presence!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jin's smile faltered. She gently pinched Xiao Mi's cheek and said, "Sister is going out for a bit. Xiao Mi, can you play by yourself for a while?"

Xiaomi nodded.

……

A moment later, Chen Jin nervously stepped into the room he had visited countless times. The room was extremely luxurious. A man in his twenties lay reclining on a soft couch. Because of the beaded curtain, his expression was obscured; all that could be seen was that he had one hand resting on his temple, and one leg bent…

"Chen Jin greets Young Master." Chen Jin knelt down and bowed.

After receiving no response for a long time, just as she was wondering if the person on the bed was asleep, she finally heard him part his thin lips and say, "Ah Jin, what are you doing?"

Then, the beaded curtain was lifted by a slender hand, and a tall man with an ordinary appearance but an extraordinary temperament walked out.

The man walked barefoot up to Chen Jin, lifted her chin, and said gently, "How did things go with telling A Jin what happened?"

Chen Jin seemed to have thought of something, his eyes flickering: "Young Master, I... I think Lin Shu is just a student, she shouldn't pose any threat to us..."

Suddenly, Chen Jin noticed a slight change in the man's expression and quickly said, "I'm trying to gain her trust..."

The man narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, then his tone became even gentler:

"Oh? It seems Ah Jin has softened her heart! Well then, given our years of friendship, it's not good to make things difficult for Ah Jin..." She paused, then turned and sat back on the soft couch.

Before Chen Jin could even feel happy, he heard the other person's cold voice again:

"It's just a pity about Xiaomi, such a lovely child! I heard that my good-for-nothing older sister has been running to your yard every day these past few days. I've stopped her many times out of consideration for our past relationship, but I'm afraid that in the future..."

Before the words were even finished, Chen Jin looked up in panic, scrambling to the man's feet and pleading, "Young master, please don't hurt Xiao Mi, I'll do it, please, young master..."

The man touched Chen Jin's face with satisfaction and said:

"What are you saying, Ah Jin? It's Qiu Shu who wants to harm him. But don't worry, I've watched Xiaomi grow up, and I definitely won't let anyone hurt him."

"Thank you, young master." Chen Jin looked terrified.

The man then lay back on the couch, thinking of the new letter from the capital, and closed his eyes, saying, "I'll give you six months. If you fail to win them over, you should know the consequences! Get out of here!"

Although Chen Jin was puzzled as to why this person had changed his mind, he dared not linger any longer...

Back in his room, seeing Xiao Mi sprawled out on the bed, Chen Jin felt a moment of peace, and his thoughts drifted back to four years ago:

At that time, Chen Jin was merely a companion to Wu Ming, the daughter of the magistrate of Qinghe County, which was under the jurisdiction of Mengzhou Prefecture.

He was Wu Ming's husband. At that time, he was very talented and eloquent, but he was often full of worries, always frowning and rarely smiling.

An unexpected turn of events led Chen Jin to discover that Wu Ming, who appeared glamorous on the outside, actually had a penchant for beating men!

She wanted to help, but she was of little influence and feared she might not be able to protect herself, especially since she had a two-year-old younger brother.

Until he handed a letter to Chen Jin, asking her to place it in Wu Ming's study. At that time, she was young and impetuous and did not think twice before doing so.

Not long after, Magistrate Wu and his entire family were executed, their three clans wiped out, because letters between him and the Kingdom of Nanli were found in his female study...

However, because he was credited with reporting the crime, he escaped punishment.

A year later, Chen Jin was just a scholar, living in poverty. The two met in the prefectural city, and he took her back to his residence, where he had her secretly do many things for him. It was then that Chen Jin learned that the magistrate of Qinghe County's cousin was a powerful vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and because he had failed to win her over, she had been framed...

She also had a guess about the person behind him; he was probably a princess...

After thinking it over, Chen Jin shook her head. No matter what, she had to protect Xiaomi.

……

Lin Shu was unaware of all this; she and Su Mu had just had a deep conversation. Su Mu was now three months pregnant, and the pregnancy was stable.

"Tomorrow is a day off, I'll take you home." Lin Shu hugged Su Mu in her arms.

"Hmm!" Su Mu was taken aback at first, then realized that the "home" she was referring to was the Su family. He felt a warmth in his heart, not expecting his wife to still remember.

A good night's sleep.

The next day.

Lin Shu took Su Mu to the Treasure Pavilion to pick out many things for Su Mu's father. They also bought gifts according to the custom of returning to the bride's parents' home. Then they took a carriage to the east of the city.

The eastern part of the city is mostly inhabited by scholarly families, so it is relatively quiet. The Su family's house was easy to find, and the carriage clattered toward the address that had been inquired about a few days ago.

The female guard at the gate saw the carriage stop in front of her house and went forward to inquire. The curtain was lifted and a woman with an elegant demeanor stepped down from the carriage. Before they could speak, the woman turned around and helped a handsome young man with a slightly protruding belly down from the carriage.

"What is this about you two?" the guard finally had a chance to ask.

"I am Su Mu, the eldest son of the family. Today, my wife and I are returning to our parents' home for a visit. Please inform us of our arrival." Su Mu had never seen this guard before he was married, so he explained.

The guard didn't make things difficult and went inside to report.

However, no one came out after a long time. Seeing that the sun was getting more and more scorching, Lin Shu frowned slightly. Just as she was about to tell Su Mu to go back to the carriage to rest for a while, a gentle voice suddenly called out from behind: "Mu'er!"

Gu Qingyuan saw the two standing at the door of his mother-in-law's house. One of the figures looked familiar. As he got closer, he confirmed that it was indeed Su Mu. He couldn't help but call out softly and quickened his pace to approach.

Forgotten behind her, Su Jing gritted his teeth, inwardly cursing, and rushed forward, forcing a smile as he called out, "Brother, sister-in-law."

Then, seeing the group of people rushing over behind Su Mu, his smile seemed even more genuine:

"Oh! My brother is pregnant? Then what brings you and your sister-in-law here...? Are you perhaps struggling financially? I suppose you've come from the Su family..."

Before he could finish speaking, an angry voice came from the Su residence behind Su Mu:

"Bullshit!"

-

I'll tell Chen Jin's past in detail in the epilogue~ so it won't take up space in the main text~