Chapter 14: The Sacred Grand Examination, Extorting the Beautiful Wife

At this, it was Mu Hongyu’s turn for her face to dramatically change color.

The eldest sister-in-law, Nangong Rou, also seemed to grow tense as a whole, sensing the uneasy atmosphere in the room. The second sister-in-law, Mi Yuyi, on the other hand, had bright, beautiful eyes, looking somewhat excited as if anticipating a good show.

Mu Hongyu said, “Wives of the eldest and second son, you may return to your courtyards first.”

“Yes,” Nangong Rou saluted, her voluptuous and enchanting figure utterly captivating.

The stunningly beautiful second sister-in-law, Mi Yuyi, was a bit displeased, slightly furrowing her brows, but she left nonetheless.

In the hall, only Shen Gong’ao and his wife, Wuque, and Zhi Fan remained.

“Wife of the third son, what did you say?” Mu Hongyu said coldly.

Zhi Fan said word by word, “I am unwilling, I refuse!”

Mu Hongyu’s gaze turned cold, and she was about to slap the table. Then she turned to Wuque and said, “Third son, this is your wife. What do you have to say?”

Wuque stood up and saluted, saying, “Eldest Mother, last night, Father came to the inn looking for me and asked me to return home. I refused.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Shen Gong’ao glared at him, signaling him not to continue and to shut his mouth immediately.

Wuque said, “Because he refused my request. I want to compete for the Heir Apparent Position. I want to inherit the family’s legacy.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Hongyu was stunned, and even Zhi Fan was stunned.

Both looked at Wuque in disbelief. Had he lost his mind?

What foundations did he have? What achievements? What prestige?

He wasn’t even half as good as his eldest and second brothers, was he?

What did he rely on to contend for the Heir Apparent Position?

What Martial Arts did he possess? What literary talent?

Did he understand military strategy? Did he understand internal governance?

“Eldest Mother, I want to ask…” Wuque stared at Mu Hongyu and said word by word.

“Wuque, you shut your mouth,” Shen Gong’ao said sternly.

Because both Shen Wuzhuo and Shen Wuyu were Mu Hongyu’s sons.

Wuque ignored him and continued to stare at Mu Hongyu, asking, “Eldest Mother, am I Father’s son? If so, do my eldest and second brothers have the qualification to compete for the Heir Apparent Position? Why do I not have the qualification?”

Mu Hongyu was almost completely taken aback.

In her heart, she certainly wished for her own biological sons to inherit the Marquis position, whether out of public duty or personal desire.

As for this Wuque before her, although his medical skills seemed quite good.

But to inherit the family legacy, what use were literary governance and Martial Arts? What use was good medical skill?

But she could not say this out loud, otherwise, it would be the legitimate mother suppressing the illegitimate son.

Mu Hongyu could not say it, but Shen Gong’ao could, because he was the biological father.

He stood up abruptly and said sternly, “I will tell you why you are not qualified. Where is your literary talent? Where are your Martial Arts? Where is your knowledge of military strategy?”

“According to the Imperial Law, any son of a nobleman who wishes to inherit the title must first pass the Academy Grand Examination of the Scholarium. That is the most basic threshold.”

The so-called Academy Grand Examination was this world’s imperial examination, even more sacred.

“Back at Tianshui Academy, your grades, do you not have any idea yourself? Without the strength to truss a chicken, last in Martial Arts, last in military strategy, last in Policy Essay, last in magic arts, last in Mathematics, last in classics!”

“You were indeed excellent in astronomy and geography, but the Academy Grand Examination does not test those.”

“Wuque, I want to ask you, how is your Martial Arts now?” Shen Gong’ao asked word by word.

Wuque said, “Still without the strength to truss a chicken.”

Shen Gong’ao said, “Do you know how your eldest and second brothers performed in the Academy Grand Examination back then?”

Wuque said, “Very well.”

Shen Gong’ao roared, “Both were first place! And you, in every exam at both Zhenhai Academy and Tianshui Academy, were last place, and you set the historically lowest score, becoming a shame of our Shen Gong Clan! And that was merely the academy’s year-end exams; the difficulty is not even comparable to the Academy Grand Examination.”

“Every day, infatuated with that woman Fu Caiwei to the point of being neither human nor ghost. Every day, studying useless knowledge. Every day, making a fool of yourself outside.”

“Enough, enough!” Mu Hongyu suddenly shouted angrily, “Shen Gong’ao, you shut your mouth too! Is it interesting to humiliate your own son? Is it?”

Shen Gong’ao closed his eyes, trying hard to calm himself down.

Opening his eyes again, Shen Gong’ao said gently, “Wuque, having ambition is a good thing. But… don’t waste your own time and energy. Spare yourself, and spare your parents. Stop making trouble, okay?”

Wuque said lightly, “According to the Imperial Law, any son of a nobleman who passes the Academy Grand Examination and becomes a provincial graduate is qualified to contend for the Heir Apparent Position, correct?”

“Yes,” Shen Gong’ao said. “Don’t tell me you want to give it a try?”

Wuque nodded and said, “Right, I want to give it a try.”

Shen Gong’ao, instead of getting angry, laughed, “Have you lost your mind living outside? The Academy Grand Examination is about to take place. Having wandered outside all these years, have you reviewed any of the subjects tested in the imperial examination? Do you have any Martial Arts? Do you know what Martial Arts tests?”

Wuque said, “I have not reviewed them. I don’t really know what the civil exams test or what the Martial Arts exams test either.”

Shen Gong’ao said, “In other words, you have not improved but regressed in these subjects, and don’t even know what will be tested. You were last place back then. What place do you want to achieve this time? What place do you think you can achieve?”

Wuque said, “I want to give it a try.”

Shen Gong’ao said angrily, “You were last place in the academy exams back then. Wasn’t that shameful enough? Do you want to be last place again? Do you want to achieve a stunningly shameful result? Make our Shen Gong family a laughingstock among the nobility once more?”

The imperial examination in this world was not organized by individual countries but uniformly by the Sky Scholar City.

The Academy Grand Examination was participated in by candidates from dozens or even hundreds of academies, truly selecting talent for the state. Its authority even surpassed that of the ancient imperial examinations in China, a true leap of the carp over the dragon gate, a truly sacred grand competition.

In terms of difficulty, the Academy Grand Examination probably also surpassed the ancient imperial examinations of China, more like a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge.

Almost all officials in various countries were selected through the Academy Grand Examination.

“Let him go, let him go…” Mu Hongyu suddenly slapped the table and said decisively, “Shen Gong’ao, let him go.”

Wuque said lightly, “Father, Eldest Mother, as long as I pass the Academy Grand Examination, I am qualified to compete with my eldest and second brothers for the Heir Apparent Position, correct?”

Mu Hongyu said, “According to the Imperial Law, that is the case!”

Wuque said, “Thank you.”

Then, he saluted meticulously and was about to turn and leave.

Mu Hongyu suddenly said, “Wuque, our Shen Gong Clan are assimilated foreigners; we have thick skin and are not afraid of losing face. But you are already someone widely criticized. Losing face once more would truly make you unable to hold your head up. Even in front of your wife, you would never be able to hold your head up again. You didn’t understand a few years ago, but you are twenty-six now. The decisions you make, you must bear all the consequences yourself.”

Wuque bowed again and said, “Thank you, Eldest Mother!”

Then, he left on his own.

Zhi Fan also stood up, saluted, and left gracefully. After Wuque’s intervention, the matter of her offering the family assets was left unsettled.

He walked out the door and found Wuque actually waiting for her there. Under the moonlight, Wuque’s tall and slender figure stood proudly alone, his white clothes whiter than snow, an absolutely peerless handsome man among ten thousand.

“What is it?” Zhi Fan asked.

Wuque’s handsome face was cold, arrogant, and aloof. He looked up at the moon and said slowly, “After eight years apart, Zhenhai City has become even more prosperous, brightly lit, like a dream, it really makes one feel somewhat at a loss.”

Zhi Fan sneered inwardly. Is this your way of starting a conversation? How clumsy. Seeing me like this now, you want to curry favor and reconcile, mend the broken mirror?

“So what?” Zhi Fan’s voice was even colder.

Wuque sighed and said, “Zhenhai City, it’s not easy to live in a big city!”

Then, he stretched out his hand and said, “Give me five hundred taels of silver. I have no money to extend my stay at the inn.”

Huh?!

Zhi Fan was shocked. Did you say all that messy nonsense just to ask for money?

Wuque said, “You don’t want to give it? Don’t forget, your properties are marital assets. Half of it belongs to me!”

Zhi Fan’s exquisitely beautiful face turned pale. She had never seen such a shameless person. She trembled with anger, her mountains and rivers seeming about to split.

Then she directly took out a stack of Silver Notes and flung them in Wuque’s face.

“After eight years apart, you make me despise you even more,” Zhi Fan said coldly.

Wuque meticulously counted the Silver Notes. In total, there were one thousand two hundred taels. He carefully tucked them into his chest.

This woman was really generous. It seemed he could extort her a few more times in the future. After all, the bigger the behind, the greater the responsibility.

Early the next morning, while Wuque was still in sleep, there came urgent knocking sounds from outside, along with a woman’s voice.

“You, get up quickly, come with me to a place!”

…