Failing the Imperial Board, Renowned Throughout the World

Sister Zi had actually gone back on her word…

This was something Lin Lan had never anticipated. Lately, Zi Qingyan had been avoiding him entirely, constantly employing all manners of excuses to refuse him an audience. Whenever Lin Lan sought her out to demand she fulfill her promise, he was invariably driven away by that fierce young maid who constantly trailed behind her, Bailu.

Fortunately, today he had finally managed to corner his target.

Having placed the food container outside the entrance of the courtyard, Zi Qingyan was just about to make her departure. Yet, her curiosity ultimately got the better of her, prompting her to steal a lingering glance inside the courtyard. Hmm? No one is there.

“Sister Zi, I have finally caught you.”

A slightly aggrieved voice suddenly echoed from right behind her. Startled, Zi Qingyan spun around, only to find that Lin Lan had somehow blocked her path of retreat.

“To go back on one’s word and fail to honor a promise is beneath the conduct of a proper gentleman,” Lin Lan stated rather indignantly.

Zi Qingyan rubbed her nose awkwardly. It was true that she was the one who had broken faith first.

“It is… inappropriate…” Zi Qingyan’s mind raced as she desperately scrambled to construct an excuse or two. However, because she didn’t read many scholarly texts in her daily life, her mind remained an absolute blank, unable to yield a single justification.

“I understand…” Lin Lan said suddenly.

Zi Qingyan froze. Witnessing the profound desolation washing over Lin Lan’s features, she felt a sudden, powerful urge to march over, grab him by the collar, and demand to know what on earth he thought he understood.

“Sister Zi believes that I am simply not qualified, does she not?” Before she could even utter a word, Lin Lan had already seamlessly fabricated the rationale on her behalf. “It makes sense. I am merely a low-ranking scholar.”

Observing the self-deprecating expression on Lin Lan’s face, Zi Qingyan opened her mouth to offer a few words of comfort. But on second thought, she realized this might actually be a blessing in disguise—a perfect opportunity to extinguish his infatuation once and for all so she could rest easy.

Suddenly, Lin Lan snapped his head up. “Sister Zi!”

“Hmm??”

Lin Lan gritted his teeth, his expression twisting into a fiercely determined, almost ferocious scowl. “Just wait until I claim the title of Grand Champion! When that day comes, will you marry me?!”

“Uh… huh?!”

From that day forward, Zi Qingyan understood a fundamental truth: even without ever beholding a face, the affection that was meant to bloom would inevitably arrive. Furthermore, it would strike with absolute, bewildering suddenness.

By the time Zi Qingyan returned to the Zui Xiang Brothel, her footsteps were slightly unsteady. Everything that had unfolded today felt entirely like a dream—bizarre and nonsensical, yet incomparably real.

“Sister, what happened to you?” Spotting her sister’s peculiar state, the fierce maid Bailu immediately rushed forward to greet her.

“I am fine,” Zi Qingyan gently pushed her away. “Bailu, from now on, if Little Lin comes looking for me again, just throw him straight out.” Arriving at her chamber door, she paused and turned back with a faint smile. “Remember to throw him quite far away.”

Bailu’s eyes widened with pure delight. So Sister Zi has finally seen through the hollow illusions of mortal romance! This is exactly how it should be! Stripped of these worldly attachments, wouldn’t ascending to immortality and pursuing the Dao become as easy as turning over a palm?

Yet, for some reason, she couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling that something was incredibly amiss.

Mortal matters drift away like shadows, and in the blink of an eye, another three years passed. This marked the sixth year since Lin Lan had departed from his ancestral home. He had established a new home for himself here, even if the lady of the house steadfastly refused to acknowledge him as her husband.

During the autumn examinations of that year, Lin Lan successfully claimed the title of Jieyuan—securing the absolute first rank across the entire province. He was now a man of genuine official standing and renown.

Consequently, popular romance novellas chronicling the tale of the talented scholar Lin Lan and the peerless beauty Zi Qingyan began to circulate through every street and alleyway. The general plot was remarkably similar to the clichéd stories of the past: a destitute scholar squandering his coin on wine to drown his sorrows, only to catch the eye of a legendary courtesan, culminating in a passionate and blissful love affair.

This development threw the fierce maid Bailu into an absolute rage. Clutching a blade, she was fully prepared to hunt Lin Lan down and slaughter him on the spot. It was incredibly fortunate that Zi Qingyan managed to hold her back, otherwise Lin Lan’s life would have been in grave peril.

Zi Qingyan remained silent for a long moment before quietly instructing her subordinates to purchase a couple of copies for her to read. To be fair, she was primarily driven by curiosity. As for the fact that she was the female protagonist… tsking, it wasn’t entirely unacceptable.

At the exact same time, Lin Lan held an identical booklet in his hands. After skimming through its pages, he delivered a thoroughly objective critique: “The author of this text has clearly never experienced intimacy between a man and a woman. The entire plot relies purely on imagination, and the depicted actions are far too exaggerated.”

With that, Lin Lan dipped his brush into fresh ink. When all was said and done, if one wanted a romance novella to be truly captivating, it was always best to write it oneself.

Yet another year rolled by.

The news of Lin Lan securing the prestigious rank of Jieyuan inevitably reached the ears of the Lin family. The elderly Master Lin found himself simultaneously elated and deeply vexed by the intelligence. He was elated that a descendant of his lineage had actually brought such immense honor to the family name; yet he was vexed because this third son had harbored a rift with him since childhood.

In truth, he had been entirely aware of how the boy’s biological mother had succumbed to illness and how his stepmother had neglected and mistreated him, yet he had chosen to turn a blind eye, maintaining a stance of tacit approval. Reaching this point, he felt a sudden pang of profound shame.

However, after weighing his options, he ultimately decided to cast aside his pride and make the journey to the provincial capital. Getting Lin Lan’s personal forgiveness was a minor issue; getting him to formally acknowledge his ancestry and return to the family clan was a matter of paramount importance. It was no easy feat for their household to finally produce such a brilliant scholar.

Yet, upon Master Lin’s arrival in the city, he discovered that the entire capital was saturated with scandalous tales concerning Lin Lan and Zi Qingyan. A recent publication, in particular, had exploded in popularity across the entire region.

Master Lin’s beard practically twisted with sheer rage. No matter what kind of person Zi Qingyan truly was, her profession was an undeniable reality! As the current patriarch of the Lin family, he would absolutely never permit the sole successful descendant of his lineage to engage in such a disgraceful affair.

At midday, Lin Lan was enjoying a peaceful nap to ward off his exhaustion when a loud, aggressive pounding resonated from his courtyard door. Although he thoroughly despised being roused from his slumber, he nevertheless went to answer it. The moment the door swung open, he froze in utter astonishment.

“Father?!”

“Shut your mouth! Return home with me this instant!” Master Lin barked furiously.

Coincidentally, Zi Qingyan chose this exact moment to arrive with Lin Lan’s lunch, with Bailu tagging along to fulfill her self-appointed role as their supervisor.

“And who might this be?” Zi Qingyan inquired, looking at Master Lin with confusion. Before Lin Lan could even offer an introduction, Master Lin spoke up first.

“You tell me, what is her status?!” Master Lin demanded. Though Zi Qingyan did not recognize him, Master Lin recognized her instantly from the descriptions. He pointed a trembling finger directly at her face, unleashing a booming interrogation upon Lin Lan. “To think you actually desire to wed a woman of the brothels as your formal wife!”

Lin Lan immediately grasped the situation. Just as he opened his mouth to intervene, the fierce maid Bailu beside them instantly bristled like an enraged cat.

“A woman of the brothels?! What is wrong with a woman of the brothels?! Are you implying my Sister Zi is somehow unworthy of Little Lin?!” Bailu bared her small fangs, glaring at Master Lin with pure fury. “Let me tell you something, if it weren’t for my Sister Zi, Little Lin wouldn’t even be standing here today! If they are to be wed, it will be Little Lin marrying into our household as a matrilocal husband!!”

Master Lin’s vision went dark with rage. Realizing the futility of arguing with a fierce young maid, he bypassed her entirely, reaching out to violently seize Lin Lan’s robes to drag him away.

However, Lin Lan deftly sidestepped his father’s lunging hand, stepping firmly to Zi Qingyan’s side. Under the shell-shocked gazes of all three individuals present, he reached out and boldly grasped Zi Qingyan’s delicate hand.

“I, Lin Lan, swear upon this life that I desire to marry no one else but my Sister Zi, Zi Qingyan. I shall take her as my solitary wife, and I shall never wed another!”

Zi Qingyan froze in shock, before instinctively lowering her head as a deep crimson blush flooded her cheeks. Goodness… how could he possibly proclaim such things in a setting like this? If he wants to say such words, he should at least find a secluded place with no one else around!

Meanwhile, Bailu stood there with an expression that looked exactly as though she had been forced to swallow filth.

Lin Lan let out a bright, cheerful chuckle. “Marrying into your household is absolutely no problem at all.”

In that singular moment, Bailu finally experienced the profound agony of lifting a heavy stone only to drop it squarely onto her own foot.