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

A few days later.

Royal study room.

Empress Feng Han, dressed in a black robe with golden phoenix and black bird motifs, sat upright on a jade phoenix chair, holding a memorial in her hand. There seemed to be a hidden worry between her brows, yet she exuded an innate royal majesty that commanded respect.

Turning her head again, she saw a moderately sized desk beside her.

A chubby little dumpling wearing a golden crown, its bottom barely touching the seat, was frowning and pouting as it lay on the desk, scribbling randomly with a calligraphy brush in its hand...

Indeed, this person is none other than the Seventh Prince, Feng Yu. As expected, the Grand Tutor complained to the Empress.

Sure enough, he was punished again by copying books, and this time it was under the personal supervision of the Empress Mother, so he had no chance to let the servants around him do it for him.

"Your Majesty, Master Wen and Master Jiang from the Imperial Academy are requesting an audience outside the palace." The head maidservant beside Feng Han whispered in her ear.

"Please let them in." Feng Han looked up and rubbed her temples, then noticed a chubby boy sitting there with poor posture, as if there were nails under his seat, and occasionally biting his pen...

Looking at his handwriting again, let alone the strokes, the words on the paper were all blurred because he had been hunched over the table and dawdling. One of his cheeks was covered in ink.

At first glance, it looks exactly like a little tabby cat.

Thinking of this child, Feng Han shook her head helplessly, her worries easing slightly.

However, the thought of the upcoming grand assembly of the four kingdoms...

This grand court assembly of the four kingdoms was established decades ago during the reign of the late emperor, when the mother of the Prince of Dingbei, Ling Huanan, the Marquis of Dingbei, defeated the three kingdoms of Beihuang, Nanli, and Ximen, and those three kingdoms sent envoys to Fengming Kingdom to negotiate peace.

Its original intention was to allow the people to recuperate and rebuild, and also to avoid widespread suffering. The late emperor then granted its request.

Since then, every year-end, the other three kingdoms would send envoys with their own young talents under the age of twenty-five to pay homage to Fengming Kingdom, intending to learn and exchange ideas, but in reality, they were secretly competing with each other.

However, as time went by, this pilgrimage gradually evolved into a contest between the younger generation of the four countries, and also served as a way to probe the strength of each country from the side.

Even worse, ever since Ling Huanan, the Prince of Dingbei, passed the age limit for the competition, Fengming Kingdom's ranking has plummeted. In recent years, it has been at the bottom year after year.

Each competition involved three people from each country, with two countries forming a pair to compete in the Six Arts: rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics.

Each team is paired off, with the loser replacing the next member, until all three members of the team have been defeated... This determines two winning nations and two losing nations, and the final rankings are determined accordingly...

Every year, Fengming Kingdom loses in both archery and horsemanship. However, during the decades of peace, the people of Fengming Kingdom have valued literature over martial arts. By the time they realize this, it is too late...

The scholars are not skilled in martial arts, and those skilled in martial arts lack literary talent... I originally intended to select a few from the academy, but after so much training, these scholars...

Now, with the addition of Prime Minister Xu's niece and the Crown Princess, we've finally made up a total of two people. Sigh!

When Lord Wen and Jiang Hui entered, they saw Feng Han frowning and deep in thought, seemingly troubled.

The two were stunned for a moment before speaking in unison:

"See Your Majesty!"

"See Your Majesty!"

"No need for formalities! What brings you and Master Jiang to the palace, Senior Sister?" Feng Han snapped out of her reverie, waved her hand, and gestured for the two to rise. Then she instructed the head maid, "Serve tea."

Seeing that Feng Han looked tired, Lord Wen said with concern:

"Is Your Majesty troubled by the grand court assembly of the four kingdoms at the end of the year? In any case, I hope Your Majesty will take care of your health!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Han's brows furrowed even deeper, and he said in a deep voice:

"As the year draws to a close, it's that time of year again when the four kingdoms secretly vie for supremacy. My Fengming has been ranked last for several years in a row. Losing a few treasures is a small matter, but if this continues, I can't guarantee that the other three kingdoms won't launch a joint attack..."

"And my Fengming Kingdom, as the host, is now facing an upcoming court assembly, yet we cannot even muster three people. I am deeply worried!"

Upon hearing this, Lord Wen exchanged a glance with Jiang Hui, and then said respectfully, "We have come here precisely for this matter!"

"Oh? Senior Sister, do you already have this third candidate? Is it from the Academy?" Feng Han was so excited that she completely forgot the difference between ruler and subject, and immediately stood up, looking at Lord Wen with eager eyes.

Lord Wen nodded and said, "His Majesty is also aware of this person!"

"Who?" Feng Han already had a guess in her mind.

"It is Lin Shu, whom you personally selected to enter the Imperial Academy some time ago." Lord Wen didn't keep him in suspense, and after a moment's thought, continued:

"After several lectures, all the masters praised him highly, and he will surely be able to surpass all others in the field of literature."

“Excellent! But there’s also archery on horseback… this…” Feng Han felt a little more at ease.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Feng Yu, who had been sullen since the beginning of copying the book, perked up immediately upon hearing Lin Shu's name. He sat up straight, turned to the side, and pricked up his ears to eavesdrop on what the others were saying.

At this moment, Jiang Hui, who had been silent all along, stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute like an ordinary military general, and then took out the arrows he was carrying, saying, "Your Majesty, please take a look."

"What is this?" Feng Han asked, puzzled.

"This is the arrow Lin Shu shot during the archery lesson a few days ago," Jiang Hui explained, seeing that Feng Han still looked puzzled.

"This man's arrow not only pierced the bullseye at a hundred meters away, but also went straight through the tree trunk fifty meters away from the bullseye, truly 'penetrating three-tenths of an inch into the wood,' leaving only the fletching the size of a finger protruding..."

After saying this, disregarding Feng Han's shock, he continued, "I believe that Lin Shu is skilled in martial arts, and her martial arts skills are quite high."

"Snapped."

Upon hearing this, Feng Han slapped the table with delight, startling Feng Yu.

Feng Han exclaimed excitedly, "Great! That's wonderful! If that's really the case, then our Fengming Kingdom won't have to be at the bottom of the rankings at this court assembly anymore..."

In recent years, the Northern Wilderness has been arrogant and domineering, repeatedly harming our nation's talents under the guise of "Paying Homage to the Nation." We only hope that this time the outcome will be different.

Lord Wen/Jiang Hui: ...Your Majesty only hopes not to be ranked last?

Unbeknownst to the two, Feng Han's concerns extended far beyond the nation's reputation.

Fengming Kingdom is located in the east of the continent, with a vast territory. It is neither as cold as Beihuang Kingdom, nor as hot and humid as Nanli Kingdom, nor as arid as Ximen Kingdom. Presumably, the other three kingdoms have long coveted this fertile land of Fengming.

This year, Fengming Kingdom has just experienced natural disasters in the north and south. The people are only now recovering and it is difficult for them to endure war again.

After his initial joy, Feng Han reverted to his usual composed and serious imperial demeanor, saying, "If this court assembly is successful, both of you will be meritorious officials of my Fengming, and I will reward you accordingly!"

"It is my honor to serve Your Majesty..."

Before the two could finish speaking, Fengming interrupted, "Alright, alright, stop beating around the bush and go down!"

"..."

After the two left, Feng Han turned around and met her youngest son's round, bright cat eyes. She was momentarily stunned, as he had just been listless.

However, Feng Han pretended not to see it, sat down again, and picked up the memorial to review.

She also picked up the teacup beside her, took a sip, and frowned slightly because the tea seemed to have cooled down and tasted a bit bitter. She then put it aside and didn't move it.

A moment later, a paw covered in ink, carrying a cup of hot tea, tremblingly handed it over.

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