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

As they scrutinized each other, the seated officials also secretly observed the two, speculating about the young woman's connection to the Prince of Dingbei. After all, while the two weren't exactly identical, they shared a striking resemblance...

Seeing Lin Shu so disrespectful to the Prince of Dingbei, I couldn't help but silently mourn for her for a few seconds. When I saw the Prince of Dingbei not angry but laughing, I felt as if I had encountered a ghost.

Even Empress Xiao and Consort Xu, who were standing beside the Empress, were extremely surprised.

Feng Yu, standing beside Empress Xiao, stared wide-eyed at Ling Huanan and then at Lin Shu, her heart brimming with unspoken words, only to be silenced by a piece of pastry from Empress Xiao…

……

Lin Yue's group of girlfriends, following everyone's gaze, saw Lin Shu and all asked in confusion:

"Miss Ling, do you think the person opposite the Prince of Dingbei is Lin Shu from earlier?"

"Why is she sitting there? Wasn't Lin Shu supposed to be a scoundrel?"

"Yes! But she really does look like the Prince of Dingbei!"

"..."

Lin Yue was completely oblivious to what the others were saying. She was staring at Lin Shu and Ling Huanan with her mouth wide open, as if she had discovered an incredible secret.

No wonder she felt a sense of déjà vu when she first met Ling Huanan a few days ago. Could this Lin Shu be Ling Huanan's illegitimate daughter?

Before she could think further, the voice of the Imperial Aunt came again from above:

"The delegation from the Northern Wilderness has come to pay their respects."

As soon as he finished speaking, four muscular women wearing wool coats walked in.

The woman at the head of the group had thick eyebrows and large eyes, with her hair loose except for a small braid on her right side. A moon totem was imprinted on her forehead, which was the symbol of the Northern Wilderness royal family.

Of the three women following behind her, one stood out. She was tall and muscular, and as she walked, her enormous flesh seemed about to tear her clothes apart. Those nearby could faintly feel the ground tremble slightly...

This man is the number one warrior of the Northern Wilderness...

Upon approaching, the leading totem woman clenched her right fist, placed it on her left chest, bowed slightly, and said in a deep voice:

"Princess Naoribu of the Northern Wilderness, leading her envoys, pays homage to Her Majesty the Empress of the Phoenix Cry Kingdom!"

His attitude was hardly respectful, and before Feng Han could speak, he straightened up on his own, glanced at Lin Shu and the other two with disdain in his eyes, and uttered arrogant words:

"These must be the three contestants of this competition! They're not even as strong as the men of our Northern Wilderness. They probably can't even defeat one of the strongest warriors of our Northern Wilderness. Is Her Majesty going to concede again at this year's Grand Court Assembly? Hahaha..."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

After Nauribu finished speaking, the envoys behind her burst into laughter.

Lin Shu and Xu Jingyun remained calm and composed, as if they hadn't heard anything. Feng Zhao was displeased and frowned as she looked up at the Empress.

Feng Han's face was gloomy, and she gripped the armrests of her chair tightly. However, as the host and the person in a superior position, she could not reprimand him in court.

Just then, a faint voice drifted from not far away:

"Hmph! What's so great about them? They're just a few fat guys. Lin Shu wouldn't even consider them a threat..."

Although the sound was soft, the hall was completely silent at the moment, so the sound reached everyone's ears.

Naoribu almost instantly looked toward the source of the voice, his gaze sharp as a blade, fierce as a jackal on a snowy plain. Startled, Feng Yu quickly dropped the pastries in her hand and hurriedly buried her head in Xiao Junhou's arms…

"How dare a lowly man interrupt a woman? Is this the etiquette of your Fengming Kingdom?"

Naoribu's arrogant questioning stemmed from the fact that in their northern wilderness, men were merely appendages of women, commodities, their status equivalent to that of high-class livestock.

Seeing that the other party was relentlessly pestering her youngest son, Feng Han felt a surge of anger. She slammed her hand heavily on the table in front of her, about to speak, when a series of crisp claps came from her lower left:

"Clap clap clap..."

"The envoy from the Northern Wilderness is truly courteous! Throughout history, it has always been common for guests to follow the host's lead, but today is the first time I've seen such a hostile and domineering attitude, even questioning the host in court. Truly—such excellent manners!!"

Lin Shu's words seemed to be praise, but they were actually full of sarcasm, and she did not tone down her voice at all.

Not only could the envoys from the other two countries waiting outside the palace hear it faintly, but the envoy from the Northern Wilderness heard it clearly as well. However, this was only the beginning...

Lin Shu rose, bowed respectfully to the Empress at the head of the table, and said in a respectful voice:

"Your Majesty, I was momentarily agitated when the envoy mentioned 'etiquette,' and my words were inappropriate. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

"It doesn't matter! The people of Fengming are open-minded, why would they care about such things!" Feng Han felt a sense of satisfaction when she saw Naoribu's gloomy face, and her words were a sarcastic jab at the rigidity and inflexibility of the Northern Wilderness.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. May I say a few more words?" Lin Shu spoke again.

Feng Han raised an eyebrow slightly: "Approved!"

Lin Shu then turned around and faced Naoribu and the other men with fierce faces, and said in a deep voice, "I wonder if the envoy is aware that today is a grand court assembly?"

Naoribu looked at him with an expression that said, "Do you really need me to tell you?" Lin Shu continued:

"It seems they are aware of this. As the Chaohe Kingdom participating in the Grand Court Assembly, shouldn't the Northern Wilderness kneel before Her Majesty the Empress of our Dynasty? I suppose the meaning of Chaohe Kingdom is self-evident!"

Upon hearing this, Ling Huanan's gaze once again fell upon Lin Shu, his expression unchanged, but now with a hint of appreciation in his eyes!

The people of Fengming Kingdom also seemed to awaken from a dream, remembering that the other three kingdoms were all defeated generals of Fengming decades ago, and had voluntarily come to pay homage.

However, in recent years, the Northern Wilderness has become increasingly powerful and has repeatedly won first place in the Grand Court Assembly, which has made it more and more arrogant...

Thinking of this, they all looked at Naoribu and the others with condemnation, and Feng Han also looked at them with a seemingly displeased expression.

Nauribu stared at Lin Shu's beautiful face, about to erupt in anger, when he was stopped by a voice from the other side, accompanied by a chilling aura. Moreover, this person actually addressed him by his name:

"Nauribu! Don't waste time, there are other envoys from other countries coming up."

Looking back, she saw that the speaker was Ling Huanan. Naoribu's anger was instantly suppressed. This killing god had never returned in previous years, and she hadn't noticed him in a moment of carelessness...

Finally, with no other choice, Nauribu bit his lip, clenched his right fist in front of his chest, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice:

"Princess Naoribu of the Northern Wilderness, leading her envoys, pays homage to Her Majesty the Empress of Fengming Kingdom! Long live the Empress! Long live the Empress! Long live the Empress!"

The next few words were spoken with such clenched teeth.

Feng Han's eyes were full of smiles, but she said calmly, "Envoy from the Northern Wilderness, there's no need for such formalities! Please rise."

Nauribu stood up, his face grim, and said to Lin Shu, "This princess will remember you!"

Lin Shu showed no fear, and instead generously introduced herself:

"My name is Lin Shu."

After speaking, she looked up and glanced upwards. She had somehow emerged from Xiao Junhou's embrace and was now clutching her clothes, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her chubby little boy. Her red lips parted and she uttered a sentence:

"He wasn't wrong just now. I really didn't take that fat woman seriously, because she was simply too weak to be hit."

-