[Shen Wangji transmigrated into an early-era tragic romance as the cannon-fodder wife. She died horribly and was reviled for generations.]
The System coldly presented her with two choices:
[A: Follow the original story, endure everything in silence, and support your future husband as he studies for the imperial examinations. Once he achieves fame and success, he'll grind your bones to dust. Reward: A memorial arch praising your virtue and kindness.]
[B: Turn evil, steal the heroine's story, and win over the powerful, mad Regent, becoming a caged songbird. Reward: An aura that makes you the most beloved in the harem.]
Looking at these two awful choices, Shen Wangji sneered. This System was forcing her to be either a beast of burden or a caged bird. Either way, it didn't consider her a person.
Shen Wangji: “I'll choose C.”
System: “Where did C come from?”
Shen Wangji had already drawn her blade and dealt with her scumbag husband. She changed into his clothes and took his identity, of course, to sit the imperial examinations herself!
And so she disguised herself as a man and transformed into “Young Master Shen.” On the road to the examinations, the System refused to give up and kept causing trouble, but Shen Wangji ignored it all and focused on studying the sages' classics.
Then, at the palace examination, she placed third, earning unrivaled fame. But she came face-to-face with the chief examiner, Xie Yanzhi, the Minister of Personnel, famed for his severity and cruelty and his hatred of “those who seek shortcuts.”
Xie Yanzhi's gaze was sharp as a blade, as if he could see right through this “young prodigy.” He pressed her at every turn, questioning her origins and testing her knowledge.
He suspected she had ulterior motives, but could find no fault with her. He hated her “slick cunning,” yet couldn't help admiring her genuine insights into national policy and people's livelihoods. He watched her become close with scholars from humble backgrounds and write eloquent petitions on behalf of the people, while an unconventional rebellious streak ran deep in her bones.
Even more frightening was that
Xie Yanzhi found himself looking forward to clashing with her each day, and became restless over the slightest smile from her.
After many struggles, Xie Yanzhi finally knelt on the cold bricks of the ancestral hall. His back was ramrod straight, but his voice cracked with hoarseness:
“Ancestors, hear me... I have disgraced you.”
“I... have given my heart to someone.”
“It has nothing to do with man or woman, or yin or yang.”
“It's simply ‘him.’”
He closed his eyes, his voice quiet but heavy:
“This path is fraught with hardship, and the world will not accept it. Perhaps... it defies morality and custom.”
“But I want only ‘him.’”
Those inexplicable pangs of his heart, those uncontrolled stares, the smiling face he repeatedly traced in his mind at night... They all had an explanation.
He wasn't going mad after all.
He had simply been ensnared, body and soul, by her.
*
Later, when the new emperor ascended the throne, Shen Wangji became Grand Secretary, wielding power over the court.
“My surname is Shen, my given name Wangji. I am a woman dressed as a man, and I have deceived the emperor
so what?”
“The law forbids women from taking the imperial examinations, so I'll change the law.
History doesn't want to record my name, so I'll make it impossible for history to leave me out.”
“The path I walk has never been one granted to me by anyone else.”
“I want the people of this world to remember: women can stand in the court without borrowing another's name or relying on anyone's favor.”
“I am power. I am the right path.”
#HowDidMyPromisedTwoOverTheTopChoicesTurnIntoMeBuildingMyOwnCareer?#
#Woman,YouShouldNeverHaveBeenLimitedToTwoChoices#
Theme: Break free from a predetermined fate and pursue your own worth
