Chapter 527 The Heartless Top Scholar 1

This is a matriarchal world.

The original owner was a peasant girl, a literate peasant girl. Her mother died early, and her father supported her studies by embroidery. After passing the imperial examination and becoming a scholar, her father's eyesight deteriorated, and he could no longer work to earn money. He was also too old to do farm work. Just then, the Yuan family, a merchant family in the county, intended to marry their eldest son to them, and they hinted that they could support the original owner's studies.

The original owner was in love. Who would want to suffer if they could live a better life? Although Yuan Xihua did not meet her aesthetic standards, it was not like she couldn't marry him in the future.

Women in this world can have three husbands and four wives.

These three husbands are all legitimate husbands, and their relationship is equal. However, the service of the emperor can still be bought and sold. It's just that if you sell one, you've already used up your quota of four servicemen. Once you've fulfilled your quota of three husbands and four servicemen, you can no longer marry or take any more servicemen; otherwise, it's against the law.

He will be sentenced to three years in exile.

You can take concubines as you please, but if it is discovered that you have taken too many, whether they are husbands or concubines, you will be sentenced to three years of hard labor in remote areas.

This can be considered a different form of protection for men.

Of course, only those with good conditions would marry multiple husbands and have multiple wives, while wealthy families or officials would not be foolish enough to serve three years of forced labor for a man.

Therefore, even if the original owner of this body holds a high official position in the future, Yuan Xihua, as the original owner's first husband, should still be safe.

Alas, the original owner was not human.

With the support of the Yuan family, she won the top scholar title in one fell swoop. In the main hall, after the emperor asked her some tricky questions and received satisfactory answers, he had the idea of ​​bestowing a marriage upon her, and the other party was her most beloved third prince.

This girl was overjoyed to hear that she could marry the Third Prince. However, during her time preparing for the exams in the capital, she had heard many stories about the royal family. The First Prince married a woman from the Duke's family. She only married the First Prince and had no other husbands or servants. The Second Prince married a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He also had only one wife and one husband and no servants.

Fearing the marriage would fall through, she told the emperor that she was not yet married when he asked. The emperor then immediately arranged a marriage between the third prince and the original owner of the body.

The original owner was overjoyed, but his head started to ache after he left the palace with the imperial edict in his hand.

What should Yuan Xihua do?

After thinking about it all night, she finally made the stupidest decision in a moment of impulsiveness. The Yuan family had given her a lot of silver when she went to the capital. Before she had spent it all, she used the silver to hire an assassin to go back to her hometown and kill her to cover her tracks.

She not only killed Zhengfu, but also the entire Yuan family.

Yuan Xihua's elder sister narrowly escaped death. After investigating for five years and learning the truth, she went directly to the capital to appeal to the emperor.

At that time, the Second Princess had already successfully rebelled, the Crown Princess was imprisoned, and the Third Prince, the late Emperor's favorite son, was already having a hard time. The Second Princess was just thinking of ways to deal with him, and took advantage of this incident to pin the blame on the Third Prince, sentencing both of them to immediate execution.

After Ning Yan received the original owner's memories, she couldn't wait to drag the original owner out and kill her again!

What grudge do we hold against each other?

Even if you say that a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness, just for the fact that he supported your studies and made you the top scholar, you shouldn't do something like wiping out your entire family, right?

"Scholar Ning is exceptionally talented and speaks eloquently. I admire him greatly. I wonder if he is currently married?"

Asking this question implies an offer of marriage, and to a prince no less. Honestly, very few people could refuse such an opportunity.

Ning Yan quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I was married three years ago. I was able to participate in the imperial examinations thanks to my husband's dowry. Otherwise, I would not be where I am today."

Today, the top three have been directly granted official positions by the Emperor, and she is now a sixth-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy.

Therefore, one can refer to oneself as "your humble servant" or "your student," or "the emperor's disciple."

A hint of regret appeared in the Emperor's eyes. He had originally intended to give such a fine young lady to his son, but it was a pity.

After returning home from court, Ning Yan immediately wrote to her family back home, urging them to move to the capital and live with her.

When they first came to the capital, Yuan Xihua had planned to come along to take care of her. However, his father suddenly fell ill, so he had to stay home to care for him. Later, when his father recovered, he didn't dare to travel alone, so he simply stayed at home, hoping to wait for good news before moving the whole family to the capital, which would be safer that way.

In matriarchal societies, men learn needlework, embroidery, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, leaving them with virtually no means of self-defense. If they were to lose their innocence, they would truly be unable to survive.

After sending the letter, Ning Yan used the remaining silver in her hand to buy a nice house in the capital.

Previously, the original owner was focused on studying and was somewhat ignorant of worldly affairs. After arriving in the capital, he never thought about buying a house and lived in an inn.

The two maids beside her did offer some advice, but the original owner was unmoved by their words, and the two maids, fearing that it would delay their mistress's examination, did not dare to offer any further advice.

Ning Yan can't do that. She should repay kindness tenfold for any wrong done to her. Before, they raised her and supported her education; now it's her turn to repay the Yuan family.

The Yuan family were merchants. Although they were wealthy, they had a low social status. They also wanted to participate in the imperial examinations, but their family's genes were not good enough. That's why they took a liking to the original owner's intelligence and ability to study, hoping that the two of them would have a smart child, and one of the children would take the surname Yuan.

Unfortunately, Yuan Xihua was unable to conceive for three years after their marriage. However, with Ning Yan taking over, this wish could be fulfilled very quickly.

She happily bought and furnished the house, and hired servants.

The Third Prince over there objected.

Did they think the Emperor would suddenly ask about the original owner's marriage?

It was only after the Third Prince mentioned it to the Emperor that the Emperor noticed the original owner of the body.

Because the Third Prince was obsessed with good looks, he accidentally met the original owner of this body once and learned that she was a candidate who came to the capital to take the imperial examination this year. He kept an eye on her and knew that she only had two maids with her, so he developed a little interest in her.

I never expected her to be so talented, she actually became the top scholar in the imperial examination, and I started to think that I had to marry no one but her.

He never expected that the person he had his eye on was already married.

How could he, a prince, be content with not being able to have a woman he desired?

So, when Ning Yan was on duty that day, she was stopped.

"Lord Ning, my master invites you to the carriage for a chat."

Ning Yan glanced at the carriage behind the attendant. The carriage was extremely luxurious, with the shafts made of sandalwood. The attendant in front of her was dressed in fine cloth, so his master must be very noble.

"May I ask who your esteemed master is?"

Attendant: "Third Prince."

Ning Yan considered for a moment and then said, "Men and women should be treated differently. If it is convenient for you, Third Prince, there is a teahouse just ahead. Why don't you go there for a cup of tea?"

If the two of them were seen in the same carriage, it would damage the Third Prince's reputation.

Teahouses are different, because there are storytellers in teahouses, and even in private rooms, one side is open.

They can speak freely without being overheard, and without being accused of having a secret affair.

The third prince in the carriage smiled. As expected of the person he had chosen, she was thoughtful in every way.

Soon, the Third Prince got off the carriage.