Farming, Taking the Imperial Exams, and Marrying a Husband in a Matriarchal World

Su Yunqing was the daughter of a disgraced official. Her mother died of illness on the way to take up her father's post in exile. Their relatives and friends in the capital feared getting into trouble and cut ties with the father and daughter, so her father had no choice but to settle with her in Hanshui Village.

She arrived in Hanshui Village at nine years old, falling from a young lady of a distinguished family to an impoverished outsider. Her father raised her with great difficulty. To repay his kindness, she never stopped farming or studying, all so she could pass the imperial examinations and restore the family's standing.

At eighteen, she took a liking to Han Ping, a young man from the village, and spent all her savings to marry him.

The villagers all said, "She's an outsider who can't lift a hand or carry a load. She's more like a man than any man. Han Ping will have a hard life after marrying her."

"I hear Sister Su is going to take the imperial exams. If she passes, Han Ping will become an official's husband."

"Dream on. This is a poor, remote village. Not a single licentiate has come from here in hundreds of years. If a farm girl who's never even attended school could pass, the ancestors' graves would have to be on fire."

Han Ping married Su Yunqing not for the betrothal gifts she offered, nor because he thought she could pass the exams and become an official. He liked her gentle, refined nature, so different from every other woman in the village. He willingly took on all the physical labor inside and outside the home so his frail wife could focus on her studies.

Later, Su Yunqing passed the imperial examinations and placed third. She returned home in glory, bringing a phoenix crown and rosy bridal robes, along with a grand wedding procession stretching ten li, to personally welcome home her devoted husband.

Gentle and refined female lead x hardworking and capable male lead

Purpose: May life flourish and one's career thrive.