After Passing the Imperial Exam, I Was Betrothed to a Good-for-Nothing Prince

At fourteen, Xu Hui takes the civil service examination for boys and ranks first, shocking the imperial court and the whole country.

In the face of doubt, Xu Hui uses the words of the sages as an unbreakable shield.

Since no decree explicitly bars women from taking the civil service exams, then her passing is legal, and she should be granted an official post according to the law.

Chancellor Wang advises the ruler to reward Xu Hui with the title of prince consort, so she can serve her husband and raise children.

Emperor Xining has three sons. The crown prince is still mourning his wife, and Prince Jin is already married, so the unfortunate Prince Qi is left with this marriage.

Prince Qi is indignant and refuses to be made the fall guy, rejecting Xu Hui, this hot potato.

As it happens, Xu Hui doesn’t want it either. She took the civil service exam, not part in a selection for a royal spouse.

But the emperor’s word is final. Emperor Xining has already decreed that the two marry, and there is no changing it.

Xu Hui: The civil service examinations have been used to select officials for ages. Is the ruler going to defy the ways of our ancestors?

In short, she will marry Prince Qi, but she wants an official seal as her betrothal gift.

The entire court is left speechless, and has no choice but to grant Xu Hui an official post according to the law.

Chancellor Wang’s brilliant plan was meant to secure peace for the realm, but he ends up losing both a prince and his troops!

From then on, Xu Hui investigates cases at the Court of Judicial Review while “raising” the prince.

Xu Hui and Prince Qi have their misunderstandings and their rifts, but in the end, they weather the storm together, facing the shifting intrigues and hidden attacks at court.

Prince Qi once asked Xu Hui solemnly, “You know the Six Arts of the Gentleman, but I know nothing. Have you ever looked down on me?”

Xu Hui replies, “Talent and learning can both be acquired later in life, but a kind heart is rare and precious.”

Prince Qi is somewhat dissatisfied. Perhaps Xu Hui has always seen him as her lord, not her ruler.

Xu Hui doesn’t understand his concern. To her, the two have never been different.

In the end, Prince Qi makes peace with it. Xu Hui teaches him how to be a good emperor, and from then on, he will teach her how to love.

Theme: Govern with righteousness, use the unexpected in war, and win the realm through noninterference.