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

"Clearly...clearly it's me and you who have known each other since childhood, so how come Xue Wen has surpassed me as a newcomer?"

"Heh... So, I had no choice but to lure him to the place where you two fell in love and kill him! It's just a pity that the bitch was lucky and escaped twice."

After Feng Rui finished speaking hysterically, a strange smile appeared on his face, and he continued:

"However, I used your handwriting, Your Highness. That fool probably still thinks you wanted to kill him... Hahaha... Uh cough..."

"How dare you?" Before he could finish speaking, Ling Huanan grabbed his neck with a grim expression.

"Heh...heh..." Feng Rui was surrounded by a strong feeling of suffocation. He kept hitting the hand that was choking him with his own, and his face turned red and blue.

Looking into Ling Huanan's murderous eyes, he sensed that the other party truly wanted him dead. Just before death arrived, Ji Yan's voice, like heavenly music, rang out:

"Stop, stop!"

Ji Yan, looking sickly, was being helped in by Lin Dafeng. She walked in somewhat anxiously. As she got closer, she saw Xuan paper scattered all over the floor. Ling Huanan was furiously grabbing Feng Rui by the neck, while her deputy and several guards were also in the room, staring straight ahead.

Seeing that Feng Rui was barely breathing and his eyes were starting to roll back, Ji Yan quickly had Lin Dafeng help him forward. He reached out and grasped Ling Huanan's fair, cold wrist, saying worriedly:

"Nan'er, stop! What's going on? What wrong has this wicked husband done? Just deal with him according to the clan rules, don't be confused... cough cough... cough..."

Seemingly overly excited, Ji Yan suddenly started coughing incessantly.

Ling Huanan released Feng Rui's neck with disgust. Feng Rui, powerless and without the support of his wrist, collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

Ling Huanan didn't even glance at him, helped Ji Yan to a seat, and gestured for the deputy general to pour tea.

After Ji Yan drank the tea and calmed down a bit, Ling Huanan took the handkerchief from the deputy general and frowned as he wiped the fingers that had touched the other man.

"Hehehe...ha!" Feng Rui, who was on the ground, suddenly laughed softly when he saw Ling Huanan's appearance, as if he had gone mad.

Seeing his demeanor, where was even a trace of the dignity of a head of the household? Ji Yan frowned in disgust and said:

"Nan'er, what exactly happened? Why has it gotten so big? We mustn't let others laugh at us for no reason."

Ling Huanan gave a nod to the deputy general, who immediately stepped forward and recounted in detail how Feng Rui had plotted to murder Xue Wen.

Silence fell over the room. Ji Yan looked a little awkward and took a while to recover before saying, "So, that Xue family brat is still alive?"

"What?" Lin Dafeng, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when she heard Xue Wen's name. No wonder he didn't look like a refugee when he met Xue Wen, even though he was fleeing. It turned out he was being chased!

When she came to her senses, she realized that everyone in the room was looking at her.

Ji Yan turned his head with a suspicious look and asked, "Bei'er, do you know A-Wen too?"

Just as Lin Dafeng was about to reveal the whole story of how Xue Wen had previously been her husband, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, and a cold sensation shot from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

Looking up, he saw Ling Huanan squinting at him, his eyes filled with undisguised threat and murderous intent, as if he would lose his life if he dared to say another word. He then recalled what Lin Yue had told him before, that Lin Shu might be the illegitimate daughter of the Prince of Dingbei...

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but shudder. She quickly shook her head and waved her hands, saying, "I don't know him, I don't know him. How could I know him? I just didn't expect my brother-in-law to be so ruthless!"

After saying that, he gave Ling Huanan a fawning smile.

Seeing that he didn't say anything more, Ling Huanan also withdrew his eerie gaze and sat back down in the main seat.

“Nan’er, since Wen’er is alright, let’s be lenient with him! Let him go to the Huguo Temple to copy scriptures and pray for blessings…” Ji Yan spoke up, but for some reason, someone who had always disliked Feng Rui was actually speaking up for him today.

Ling Huanan remained silent, clearly disagreeing with such punishment. Before Awen, it didn't matter who was in charge of the Prince's mansion, but now... she didn't want this person to continue occupying the position of master.

However, before she could refuse, Feng Rui, as if he had given up all hope, propped himself up with one hand and sat on the ground in a frivolous manner, speaking rudely to Ji Yan:

"Huguo Temple? Old man, don't pretend to be kind! You're just afraid I'll drag you down with you, aren't you? Haha! I'll show you what's behind your gentle mask, I'll make sure Ling Huanan sees it all..."

"Shut up! Feng Rui, are you out of your mind... cough cough..." Ji Yan pointed at Feng Rui excitedly.

"Hahaha...yes...I've gone mad, I've been mad for eighteen years..." Feng Rui finished speaking maniacally, then pointed at Ji Yan, turned to look at Ling Huanan, and continued:

"Your Highness, do you really think your good father doesn't know about my killing of Xue Wen? And do you think I could have plotted against you and successfully conceived Zhen'er without his help?"

Hahaha! He's just furious. His nephew, in the prime of his life, should have been spending a night with you, but by some twist of fate, he ended up with Xue Wen, ruining his nephew and causing him to be blamed by his father's family..."

"You're talking nonsense, you're crazy! Someone! Quickly cover his mouth..." Ji Yan was panicked, and Ling Huanan's face was gloomy. He wanted to have his deputy cover Feng Rui's mouth, but he couldn't get him to do it at all.

Ling Huanan remained unmoved, coldly observing the two. However, if one could see the fist clenched tightly in her sleeve, one would know that the Prince of Dingbei was suppressing his anger.

"Hahaha..." Feng Rui seemed to find Ji Yan's flustered appearance amusing, laughing until tears streamed down his face. He then wiped away the tears with his fingers, exhaled a breath of stale air, and glanced at him sideways, saying:

"What a pity! I orchestrated your nephew's affair. Who told him to covet someone he shouldn't have? I just didn't expect Xue Wen to beat him to it... So... they all deserve to die!"

“You…you…poisonous husband…” Ji Yan seemed to have never expected the truth to be like this. His hand trembled as he pointed at Feng Rui, and his lips stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence.

"Heh... This is poisonous, but there's something even more poisonous! Father, have you felt your health has deteriorated recently?" Feng Rui looked at Ji Yan with a gloomy expression.

"It's you...it's you...cough cough..." Ji Yan couldn't believe it.

“Hahaha…haha…” Feng Rui didn’t answer, he just laughed to himself, but that was enough to explain the problem.

Overwhelmed with anger and anxiety, Ji Yan's eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

"Godfather, Godfather..." Lin Dafeng nervously supported Ji Yan.

Ling Huanan closed his eyes briefly, then his gaze turned cold as he addressed his guards, "First, send the old master back to his courtyard. Then, take my token to the palace to summon the imperial physician. We must find out if he has been poisoned."

"Yes."

After the guards left to carry out their orders, only Ling Huanan, Feng Rui, and the deputy general remained in the room.

Ling Huanan looked down at Feng Rui on the ground with a cold gaze and said icily:

"As for you..."

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