Chapter 4 What men can use, I can't use

Lu Jinlan had always thought that the world's examination of the eight-legged essay was simply taking a sentence from a book and having the examinee write an essay according to a strict eight-legged essay format.

She was quick-witted and easygoing, and hated all rules and regulations. Of all literary styles, Lu Jinlan disliked the rigid, formulaic style of writing the most.

But in order to prepare for this exam, she racked her brains for the past two days, even dreaming about studying how to write the eight-legged essay.

When they opened the exam paper, they found that it tested policy questions and poetry.

A subtle feeling welled up in Lu Jinlan's heart. Although the previous preparations were useless, there was also a sense of exhilaration that she could finally unleash her full potential.

The policy questions were very practical. One question asked how to prevent official corruption, and another asked how to manage the frequent conflicts between Huaguo and its neighboring countries.

Lu Jinlan took one look and realized that these questions were exactly the same as the essay questions in the national civil service exam. As someone who was obsessed with taking civil service exams, these two questions really struck a chord with her.

The advantage of modern scholars lies in their broad knowledge of history and current affairs. These two questions are timeless, with different solutions offered throughout history, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. She can simply choose the best solution, organize the words and phrases, and translate it into classical Chinese.

Lu Jinlan pondered for a moment, then picked up his pen to reply.

The exam papers were filled with discussions about dedicated funds, high salaries to prevent corruption, and monitoring officials' assets.

A moment later, he suddenly put down his pen, his brow furrowed slightly, and pondered to himself: How should the phrase "put power in the cage of the system" be written again?

She paused slightly, then calmly wrote: "Use regulations as a cage to imprison power within."

After discussing the matter of "power being confined by the cage of laws," he spent a long time writing about border defense strategies.

Lu Jinlan works in the grassroots of civil affairs in modern times. How could she know anything about border governance? She relied entirely on her literary knowledge and historical experience, believing that a single punch could prevent a hundred punches. In her answer, she strongly advocated for war.

My wrist ached from writing so many questions after completing the two policy questions.

A gong sounded outside, and the invigilator reminded the candidates, "There is still a quarter of an hour left."

Fifteen minutes? I haven't even looked at the poem/prose question yet!

Lu Jinlan thought to herself that this was bad, and hurriedly flipped to the third page. Faced with the requirement of "no restrictions on topic or rhyme", she began to rack her brains.

Normal people don't study poetry, but those majoring in Chinese language and literature are a bit abnormal, so they dabble in it a little.

It's not that she's completely incapable of doing something, but time is too tight, and she doesn't know what level her classmates are at, so she feels it's better not to act rashly.

To achieve a good ranking, it's safest to just pick a timeless masterpiece from your mind.

But the problem is... is it not a good idea to use someone else's?

As soon as this thought arises, extinguish it immediately.

Bah! Men can use it, but I can't? Excuse me, esteemed ancients, but I need to borrow one of these passages to tide me over.

After a brief internal struggle, Lu Jinlan immediately picked up his pen and wrote: "Spring River Flower Moon Night" - A poem composed on a whim during a dream meeting with Zhang Ruoxu.

The spring river tide rises level with the sea, and the bright moon rises with the tide...

This poem is considered a masterpiece that surpasses all other poems of the Tang Dynasty in modern times. She refused to believe that her classmates, all of whom were poets of exceptional talent and ability, could outshine her.

Lu Jinlan wrote furiously, finishing the last word before the exam ended, and successfully submitted his paper.

Regardless of the consequences, now that the exams were over, Lu Jinlan felt completely relieved.

Back at the Lu family home, she began to experience the carefree life of the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family.

With a mother who is the richest man in the city, the Lu family has more money than they can spend. The Lu family's food, clothing, and daily necessities are all top-notch in Xizhou City.

She had nearly a hundred servants in her household, all of whom were obedient and subservient to her every command. They served her everything she needed, and it took her, a modern person, several days to get used to it.

However, she hasn't been idle since finishing her exams; she spends her free time earning life points. She's also been scrutinizing all the men in her household and going out to the streets every day to observe them.

The market in Xizhou City was teeming with people, and the system was flooding in with money; in no time, two hundred health points were in hand.

Lu Jinlan had plenty of money, so he casually exchanged for a few basic martial arts manuals in the store.

She had thought that practicing martial arts would be very difficult, but she didn't expect that the broken system's cheat code was quite powerful. Practicing martial arts was effortless. She would select a book to study before going to bed, and her martial arts value would increase in her dreams.

Every day when Lu Jinlan woke up, she felt refreshed and her body was becoming lighter and stronger.

So, she spent her days eating, drinking, playing, and teasing cats and dogs, and her nights practicing martial arts.

Lu Jinzhao and Madam Yan both felt that she had worked too hard for the exams and kept telling her to rest and relax. Besides her parents, she was the eldest child in the family. She had money in her hands and could have whatever she wanted. Her life was so good that she was practically floating on air.

Lu Jinlan occasionally sighed to herself, wondering what kind of life she had lived before.

When she was a child, she was a left-behind child in a mountain village, and eating meat was like celebrating the New Year. Later, her parents broke up and remarried, and she no longer had to stay behind as a left-behind child; no one came back to her at all.

If she hadn't been academically outstanding, she might have spent her entire life in that village halfway up the mountain, living a miserable and miserable existence.

Of course, leaving the village doesn't guarantee a meteoric rise to success. A small-town exam-taker with no one to support them, even if they enter the system, remains a beast of burden. They do the most arduous grassroots work, earn the meager salaries, and live in rented rooms.

Living the same life day after day, I gradually came to understand that many things are predetermined at birth.

But now things are different; one moment I've traveled through time, and my life has been rewritten.

She was young, had money, and was born into an era where women held power; everything in the house belonged to her.

Lu Jinlan coldly observed this gender-swapped male-oriented world, learning that the officials, generals, and emperors here were all women. She felt that she had a chance to pass the imperial examinations and become a general or official in the future. This was truly a vast world with great potential.

Lu Jinlan was eager to try, thinking she would discuss it with Lu Jinzhao later, asking him not to rush into handing over the family business to her, as she wanted to explore other aspirations. Moreover, she still had doubts about her origins; whether she was Lu Jinzhao's biological daughter remained to be verified. Perhaps, that note held some truth about her background.

Lu Jinzhao was going out of town, and she planned to wait until he wasn't home before looking for the note in her mother's study. She also wanted to subtly inquire about Yan Shi's background so she could find out about her origins as soon as possible and feel at ease being the young master of the Lu family.

Two days after the exams, Yan's two sons, Lu Xian and Lu Hui, returned from the boys' school and, like Lu Jinlan, began their summer break.

Lu Xian was twelve years old, and Lu Hui was ten. Lu Jinlan was very pleased to see that her two younger brothers were handsome and well-mannered, and that they were very respectful to her.

Madam Yan was quite strict with her two sons' education. She would often keep them in their rooms to embroider, make clothes, and shoes, saying that she was afraid they would be unable to do anything after they married into the family and would be laughed at by their wives' families.

However, Lu Jinqi, the daughter of Lu Jinzhao's concubine Song, is just three years old this year. She loves to be naughty and mischievous, and Song doesn't care about her.

Lu Jinlan had nothing to do, and seeing her two younger brothers looking at her longingly every day as she went outside, she felt sorry for them, so she often took them with her when she went out. She also asked Qing'er to go to Song's courtyard and bring Lu Jinqi over so they could go out and play together.

Within a few days, the three little ones became Lu Jinlan's loyal servants, following their elder sister's every command and doing everything around her.

That morning, Lu Jinlan was holding Lu Jinqi while queuing to buy fried cakes when Lu Xian and Lu Hui bought a set of wooden dolls and excitedly ran over to show them to her. Suddenly, Lu Jinlan heard several shouts behind her: "Young Master Lu! Young Master Lu!"

As Lu Jinlan turned around, a figure rushed over and grabbed her sleeve. "Young Madam Lu, I've been looking for you everywhere."

Lu Jinlan recognized the man; he looked familiar. Suddenly, she realized that he was Wu Siqun, the girl she had bet with at the academy gate that day. After seven or eight days apart, she almost didn't recognize him.

She couldn't help but laugh and said, "Oh, Miss Wu, you're out shopping too? What do you want with me?"

Wu Siqun clicked his tongue. "Stop pretending to be confused. The academy released its results today, and we even made a bet. Come on, let's go see the scores!"

Wu Siqun held her tightly, as if afraid she would run away.

Upon hearing the announcement of the results, Lu Jinlan could no longer sit still. She immediately handed her three children over to the servants who were with her, instructed Qing'er to take them back to the mansion, and then boarded Wu Siqun's carriage to head to the academy.

Except for Lu Jinlan, everyone knew that the results would be released today, and the other students had arrived long ago.

Wu Siqun took a detour to the Lu residence to find Lu Jinlan, and then followed the directions of the Lu family to find the market.

The two arrived late, and as soon as they got off the carriage, they saw about two hundred students crowded at the entrance of the academy, a dense, overwhelming crowd.

No one knew what had happened, but about two hundred people were talking excitedly and incoherently. It was impossible to hear what they were saying, but the buzzing sound was like that of wasps, and it gave one a headache even before they got close.

Lu Jinlan stood at the front of the car, hesitating whether to push forward, when Yin Shao Niang and Sun Shao Niang rushed out from the crowd, stumbling and scrambling towards her.

Seeing their happy faces, Lu Jinlan quickly asked, "How did it go? How did you two rank?"

Yin Shao Niang laughed and said, "I'm last, and she's second to last."

"Ah..." Lu Jinlan looked embarrassed, thinking to herself: Is it really necessary to be this happy about this result?

That's what she was thinking, but Wu Siqun said it out loud, saying sarcastically, "I really envy your optimism; you can be so happy even if you're at the bottom of the class."

"Tch!" Young Madam Sun glanced at her disdainfully. "We're happy, because someone's going to stand at the academy gate and admit they're as stupid as a pig. That person isn't either of us, nor is it Young Master Lu. Who do you think it could be?"

Wu Siqun frowned and immediately rushed into the crowd.

Lu Jinlan hurriedly asked, "What was my ranking?"

Yin Shao Niang chuckled and nudged her shoulder, saying mysteriously, "Go see for yourself, I'll clear the way for you!"

As she spoke, she shouted to the crowd, "Students, make way! Lu Jinlan is here!"

Everyone turned around in unison, casting scrutinizing, appraising, and astonished glances. The noisy crowd fell silent instantly, and everyone tacitly made way for the notice board.

Lu Jinlan had no idea what was going on, but since things had come to this, she could only hurry inside. She rushed to the front of the list and glanced at the bottom, but her name wasn't there. With her heart pounding, she started searching from the middle section, starting around the 150s and 160s, but still nothing.

Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat. She gritted her teeth, suddenly looked up, and gazed at the highest point.

A note from the author:

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If a male plagiarist can exist, then a female plagiarist can exist as well.