The morning light was just beginning to break, and the soft sunlight, like a veil, filtered through the exquisitely carved window lattices and sprinkled on the mahogany floor of the embroidery room, outlining the patchwork of light and shadow, like a natural puzzle. However, in this quiet and beautiful atmosphere, the embroidery room was filled with a unique atmosphere.

Jiang Nianli stood in the room, her face sullen. She slammed the embroidery frame onto the table, making a dull thud. The silk thread entwined with the frame tangled around her wrist, snaking like a small, aggrieved snake. "This crappy stitching is uglier than Siyan's abacus beads!" She put her hands on her hips, the red pompom on her pigtail trembling with anger, as if speaking out for her.

At that moment, Su Jinli walked into the embroidery room with a plate of candied plums. As soon as she entered, she saw the mess of embroidery patterns scattered across the floor. She couldn't help but frown slightly, sighed softly, and asked, "Where's the Twin Lotus I taught you yesterday?"

Upon hearing this, Nian Li's brows furrowed even more. She kicked the embroidery frame at her feet and said angrily, "It's been thrown into the pond to feed the fish!" As soon as she finished speaking, her eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had come up with a novel idea. She quickly grabbed the embroidery frame on the table and swung it vigorously. The frame, carrying the silk thread, drew a beautiful arc in the air. "Look, mother, this can be used as a Frisbee!" However, the Frisbee did not fly away as she had hoped. Instead, it hit Jiang Yan's head just as he was about to enter the room.

"Hiss—" Jiang Yan couldn't help but gasp, subconsciously reaching up to support his forehead. The sudden blow caused his official hat to tilt to the side, making him look a little ridiculous. He still had a trace of the chill from the morning court, but from under his wide sleeves, as if by magic, he pulled out a piece of candy cake and said helplessly, "Nianli, are you practicing with the meteor hammer again? Your brother is in the accounting office collecting compensation for your misfortune."

Nian Li's eyes lit up, and she immediately snatched the cake and took a big bite. The sweetness of the cake spread in her mouth, and she mumbled, "I'm not going to get into trouble! I want to take the martial arts exam!"

"Puff!" Su Jinli nearly spit out the tea she had just taken. She stared at Nianli with wide eyes, surprised. Jiang Yan was so startled that he dropped his official hat. He stared wide-eyed and stammered, "Female...female martial arts candidate?" His mind flashed back to his own ten years of arduous study, enduring countless hardships to finally secure the top spot. Now, his daughter actually said she wanted to wield a sword. It was hard for him to accept.

"No?" Nian Li slammed the embroidery frame onto the table in disbelief. The slap was so strong that the ink bottle on the table shook. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her round arms, and said proudly, "My uncle said my arms are stronger than his when he was a child! Yesterday I even threw Si Yan's abacus over the wall!"

Si Yan, who was eavesdropping at the door, let out a cry and rushed in like a frightened rabbit. He was still holding the account book tightly in his arms, and the beads on the account book crackled with his movements. "Sister! That's a red sandalwood abacus! It's worth fifty taels!" He shouted with a look of heartache, then quickly opened the account book and said as he looked at it, "The registration fee for the martial arts examination is three taels, and the purchase of a bow and arrow is five taels. If you damage the target at the shooting range..."

"Stop!" Su Jinli rubbed her brow, trying to clear her head from the sudden chaos of her thoughts. However, seeing Nianli's eyes, filled with expectation and determination, she suddenly smiled, her eyes full of encouragement and support, and said, "Take the exam! My daughter wants to take the martial arts exam. Mother supports her!" Her thoughts drifted back to her past life, those days bound by various rules and etiquette, like heavy shackles, preventing her from freely pursuing her dreams. She secretly vowed to never let her daughter repeat her mistakes and to let her bravely pursue her dreams.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan collapsed in his chair, pointing at Nian Li with a trembling finger, and said helplessly, "She...she shot down a whole section of the old locust tree in the backyard with an arrow yesterday!"

"That was an accident!" Nian Li stomped her feet in anger, her face flushed red as she argued loudly, "I'll definitely hit the bull's eye next time!"

The old locust tree outside the window seemed to sense the absurdity of the discussion inside, rustling in the breeze like a soft sigh. Su Jinli looked at the glint in her daughter's eyes, a glint of longing and dedication to her dream, then glanced at her husband's expression of despair, and a strange emotion suddenly welled up in her. She thought having a daughter who wanted to take the martial arts exam was quite interesting; it might bring unexpected excitement to their lives.

Seeing her mother's support, Jiang Nianli jumped up in excitement. She circled the room several times, muttering to herself, "I knew Mom was the best! I'll definitely work hard to pass the martial arts exam!" Then, she picked up the embroidery frame that had nearly become a "flying disc weapon" and looked left and right, as if pondering how to transform it into a tool more suitable for practicing martial arts.

Jiang Yan sat in his chair, watching his daughter's excitement, a mixture of emotions welling up in his heart. He knew full well that in this era, for a woman to take the martial arts exam was an extremely rare and challenging undertaking. Not to mention the pressure of public opinion, the rigorous requirements alone were enough to discourage many men. But seeing Su Jinli's eyes, firmly supporting his daughter, he knew he could only choose to silently support her. After all, he didn't want his daughter to give up her dream because of worldly judgment.

"Since you've decided to take the martial arts exam, you must prepare well." Jiang Yan finally spoke. There was a hint of helplessness in his tone, but more of it was concern for his daughter. "Starting tomorrow, I'll hire a martial arts master to teach you martial arts."

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!