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

Chapter 196 Xu Jingyun: Marriage is Absolutely Impossible

Ji Wan was somewhat incredulous upon hearing this, so she turned to look at A Zhu. She saw A Zhu looking at Lin Shu with burning eyes and full of admiration, and couldn't help but curse inwardly: This idiot really means that.

Azhu noticed Ji Wan's gaze, glared at her, and then ignored her.

Ji Wan was even more indignant: Could this little fool have taken a liking to Lin Shu? He even knows to treat her differently, but why didn't he fancy me? He has no taste at all!

Lin Shu shook her head helplessly at the subtle exchange between the two, pretending not to notice.

At this moment, she was thinking of her husband at home, her thoughts drifting far away. She had been away for many days, and she wondered if he was well! And… Xu Jingyun! She wondered if there was any news of Ziyi!

Azhu seemed to notice Lin Shu's unusual mood, so she quietly moved closer, leaned on the table, tilted her head to look up at her, and murmured to herself, "Sister..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu lowered her head and met his bewildered eyes. She was momentarily stunned, but quickly composed herself, expressionlessly withdrawing her gaze. She stood up and went upstairs without looking back.

"Get some rest, we still have a long journey ahead tomorrow."

A-Zhu lowered his head in grievance, sensing that Lin Shu seemed unwilling to see him...

The next day.

Considering that A-Zhu was with them, Lin Shu had rented a carriage and a driver well in advance, and the three of them headed south away from the capital...

……

Meanwhile, in the Southern Imperial City, at the Regent's Palace...

A magnificent courtyard, where every flower, plant, and tree is worth a fortune, not to mention how luxurious the interior must be!

A man wearing a pear blossom iron mask and a dark red brocade robe with a cross-over front, revealing most of his fair chest, slowly stepped into the courtyard.

Suddenly, he paused, glancing at the two cleaning servants in the corner who were hanging their heads and deliberately trying to keep a low profile, before heading straight for the main house.

The two people in that corner were Feng Xin and Aru, who had followed Xu Jingyun into the Regent Prince's Mansion of Nanli a month ago.

When they first arrived at the residence, they were astonished by Xu Jingyun's identity as the Prince Regent's son, and they were already calculating in their hearts that if they could win his favor, it would definitely become a great help to them.

However, Feng Xin has always been cautious and prudent, and she does not dare to easily reveal herself until she is absolutely certain of her abilities.

Moreover, Regent Nangong Jin had met her, the eldest princess of the Phoenix Cry Clan, before, so she always tried her best to minimize her presence whenever she saw Nangong Jin.

Fortunately, Nangong Jin didn't care about such a lowly 'servant' at all...

But because of this, Feng Xin, who wanted to seduce Xu Jingyun, could only secretly exude her 'charm', wearing white every day to create different chance encounters, and sometimes even picking flowers and reciting poems like she was sick...

Little did she know, Xu Jingyun was fully aware of her background and temperament, and felt both contempt and disgust as she watched her act so pretentious every day.

Finally, after Feng Xin plucked another of his precious flowers, Xu Jingyun could no longer bear it and made her work as a cleaning servant in the courtyard.

Feng Xin felt humiliated and naturally refused, but since she was now living under someone else's roof and still liked to put on airs, she had no choice but to agree to the task. Aru, of course, had to follow behind her...

Therefore, Nangong Jin saw the two of them as soon as he entered the courtyard.

Main house.

After entering the room, Nangong Jin stopped the servants from bowing and waved his hand, saying, "You may all leave."

"Yes." The servants inside the room curtsied and responded in unison, then filed out and gently closed the door from the outside.

Nangong Jin lifted the beaded curtain and entered the inner room.

"Father!" Xu Jingyun rose from the couch and bowed languidly to Nangong Jin.

“Hmm, Jing’er, no need for formalities, please sit.” Nangong Jin responded, took a step, and casually sat down on the carved wooden chair opposite the soft couch.

Xu Jingyun didn't act coy and slowly sat down on the soft couch, her movements exactly like her father's.

Nangong Jin glanced around at the magnificent furnishings in the room, then looked at her son in front of her, who was wearing a gold fox mask and a gold brocade robe. She couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle.

My son has loved shiny things since he was little, and the yard has changed dramatically since he arrived!

Thinking it over, Nangong Jin slowly raised his jade finger and took off the mask from his face, revealing a clear and handsome face with flaws.

Xu Jingyun also removed her mask, revealing a striking resemblance to Nangong Jin. However, Nangong Jin possessed a more authoritative and ruthless air about him, while Xu Jingyun's face was filled with sorrow...

The two men stared at each other, neither speaking first.

Xu Jingyun had no intention of speaking, for he knew his father's visit was solely for—that matter! Thinking of this, a shadow crossed Xu Jingyun's brow…

Finally, Nangong Jin sighed softly and broke the silence first:

"On my way here, I saw Feng Xin sweeping and cleaning. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Nangong Jin had known Feng Xin's identity for a long time. With his son returning home with two strangers behind him, how could Nangong Jin, who had been immersed in officialdom for many years, not investigate?

Upon hearing this, Xu Jingyun's eyes flashed with disgust. She then frowned and looked at Nangong Jin, saying, "Tsk! What could possibly happen? It was all her own choice. What does it have to do with me?"

At this point, Xu Jingyun suddenly stared intently into Nangong Jin's eyes, raised an eyebrow, and curled the corner of her lips into a smile:

"Why is Father so concerned about her? Does he perhaps have something on his mind?"

Nangong Jin did not deny this. He did want to see if Feng Xin still had value in Empress Fengming's heart. If she did, he would definitely not let this opportunity pass.

Therefore, I don't want to offend anyone too much right now!

Xu Jingyun could tell what Nangong Jin was thinking just by looking at his expression, so she chuckled and said, "It seems so! But Father, you'd better not bet on the wrong horse, or you'll end up being used!"

Hearing the somewhat sarcastic tone in his son's voice, Nangong Jin sighed softly before revealing the real reason for his visit:

"Enough, let's get down to business! Jing'er, you should know why your father has come today!"

"There's no need to discuss this further. You asked me to come back, and I'm here now! There's absolutely no possibility of me getting married!" Upon hearing this, Xu Jingyun frowned, pursed her lips, and turned her face away, looking extremely stubborn.

Nangong Jin felt somewhat helpless:

"Alas! Jing'er, Cui Haitang is someone I've watched grow up. He's a phoenix among men, and at such a young age, he became the Imperial Tutor (the current teacher of the young emperor)."

His mother, Grand Tutor Cui, commands an army of 100,000. If we can gain her assistance, we will have even more leverage... and you will be able to ascend to that position in the future..."

Before Nangong Jin could finish speaking, Xu Jingyun interrupted him with a resolute voice:

"Father! You don't need to say anything more. Everything else is fine, but the marriage is absolutely out of the question!"

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