Did the third place winner regret it today?

Chapter 26

The time traveler understands the development history and significance of the entire imperial examination system, and of course knows the value of the Tanhua Lang.
But she stands on the shoulders of the times and does not have to look up to the Tanhua Lang like people in this time and space.
She knew he was well-educated and talented, but she had no filter for him.
In her eyes, this is a child from a relative's family.
Yes, kid.

She is the adult.
Adults can understand and forgive children for doing stupid or selfish things. Most of the time, adults can even laugh it off. This is her attitude towards the Yin family's brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews.
Children need to be taught. She would occasionally teach her younger sisters, but not too deeply. Because they had their own parents to teach them, and usually they only committed some minor stupidities and selfishness, most of which would not really hurt Yin Shi himself. So she was always gentle to the younger brothers and sisters of the Yin family.

But this time it's different.
This is a major event for a big child who is in a critical period of growth and is directly and seriously related to Yin Shi’s own major interests.
So she showed no mercy.

The monk puppet in the distance looked over here and saw the boy and girl looking directly into each other's eyes in the sun. Their beauty and elegance together were so pleasing to the eyes. Even the monks couldn't help but smile.

Shen Ti's lips moved slightly. He had been debating with many scholars at the Yin family banquet, and had lost the debate with almost all the famous local scholars. He was unable to utter a word to refute.
Because everything Yin Shi said was true.
After the hypocritical shell is broken, the real self can be seen.

The third place winner with a halo around him is nothing but an immature child, a child who cannot resist the authority of his parents, and a child who is irresponsible.

It is painful for people to recognize themselves on the road of growth and discover that they are not as kind, brave, or noble as they thought.
But if you endure this pain, you will grow.

Shen Ti had never felt so ashamed in her life. She felt a burning sensation from her neck to her entire body. It was as if she had taken off all her clothes and was standing in front of someone else.
The halo that had surrounded him and deceived even himself since he won the third place in the imperial examination completely faded in front of Yin Shi.
The young man saw himself clearly and experienced pain. He took a deep breath and swallowed all the shame and guilt.

Yin Shi watched his chest rise and fall, then calm down, and then raise his eyes again.
The young man pursed his lips, raised his hands in greeting, and bowed: "It is my brother who is shameless. Sister, please forgive me for my kindness."
When he stood up again, he was able to face it all.
"Please forget what I just said. Just pretend you know nothing and act as usual. I will handle this matter myself. I will never burden you."
"Farewell."

Shen Ti turned around and prepared to leave, but failed to leave. Yin Shi called him: "Cousin——"
Shen Ti stopped and looked back.
Yin Shi asked: "How do you plan to solve it?"
Shen Ti was silent. Because he actually didn't have a solution yet. If he had one, he wouldn't have been forced to come to Huaixi in the first place. Yin Shi guessed it right.

Yin Shi understood it at a glance.
Although the boy was the top student in high school, he was actually unable to resist the authority of his parents.
Actually, this cannot be blamed on him. Not to mention his age, there are also celebrities in history who served as officials for many years and were forced not to marry, forced to divorce their wives, or forced to marry other people.
This is a problem of the times, not an individual problem.

"You can't solve it." She stepped forward and accurately summarized his current situation. "The one you love is now a government slave. Even if your parents beat her to death, what can you do? Or if they are more merciful and sell her off and give her to someone else as a concubine, you can't really do anything about it."
"You are a scholar who has been studying sage books since childhood. You have learned to cultivate yourself, manage your family, govern the country and bring peace to the world. I don't believe you will really disobey your parents."

Seeing Shen Ti pursed her lips tightly again, Yin Shi knew he was right.
"So you can only make a small fuss, and you can't even make a big fuss. If you make a big fuss and it gets out, it will be bad for your reputation. The emperor, prime minister, scholars and other important people will have a bad impression of you, and it will affect your career in the future."
"A man chosen by the emperor as the third place in the imperial examination would not fail to understand this principle."

"So, even if your aunt and uncle force you to get married, or even...if you don't attend and have someone else do the wedding on your behalf, they can still complete the marriage and get you a wife."
"Then you... have no choice but to accept it."

She was right. She was completely right. Shen Ti was actually very clear about the dilemma she was facing.
He stared at Yin Shi and found that his cousin had a determined expression and a different light in her eyes.
"Sister." He bowed again, respectfully, "Please teach me, sister."
She has a way. Her eyes told him that she has a way.

Yin Shi's eyes were bright.
In fact, she had the idea ever since Shen Ti told her that Mrs. Shen wanted to pair her up with Shen Ti.
Through this short conversation, she gained a deeper understanding of this cousin whom she knew very little about. After intuitively feeling what kind of person he was, this idea became solidified.

"I can't stop you from getting married. This kind of thing is simply impossible under the current etiquette and laws. No matter how much you make a fuss or how unwilling you are, even if you run away to be an official three thousand miles away, your parents can still find a wife for you. Even if you don't consummate your marriage with your wife for the sake of your beloved or even don't go home to see her, you are just selfishly harming another innocent girl."
"What heavenly law did that girl break? She will have her whole life ruined for you and the one you love."

Again, everything she said was right.
Another reason why Shen Ti was unwilling to marry was that he couldn't cruelly destroy the life of another innocent woman, so he knew that if he married, he couldn't treat his wife badly. But in this way, he couldn't fulfill his promise to Feng Luoyi.
He will become a man of his word.

Just when Shen Ti was feeling disappointed, Yin Shi pointed him in another direction.
"But you," she looked him straight in the face, "can really consider marrying me."
Shen Ti was stunned.

"Isn't your purpose to protect her?" Yin Shi said, "Marry me and I will protect her with you."
Her voice was sonorous and powerful, but the advice she provided made Shen Ti feel incredible.
He looked straight into her eyes, but Yin Shi did not avoid his gaze.
Shen Ti asked: "What do you want, sister?" "I want a lot of things."
"I'm seventeen, so it's hard to find a husband. My family has already agreed that I'm going to marry someone of lower status. Our family is just a wealthy country gentry. How much lower can we go? We can't go so low as to marry someone of low status. I can only marry someone of poor status. Don't accuse me of being snobbish. Who doesn't want to live a good life? If I had no choice, I could also manage my dowry carefully and live a prudent life. But putting the Shen family in front of me and letting me choose... I'm not stupid."

"Don't think I can talk freely in front of you. That's because you are younger and a younger brother, and I am the older sister, so I am not afraid of you. But when it comes to marriage, am I afraid that my parents-in-law are unkind and will torment me all day long? Am I afraid that my husband will be violent and beat me at every turn? Am I afraid that this family will conspire to steal my dowry and cheat me of all my money? To tell you the truth, I am afraid of all of these."

"But if my mother-in-law is my aunt, my husband is my cousin, and my husband's family is the Shen family in Beijing. I... am not afraid at all."
"My aunt's character is here. You are right in front of me, my cousin. I have never met my uncle, but in order to repay the favor of saving my father, my uncle was willing to marry someone of lower status. He has been so good to my aunt over the years. His character is beyond doubt."
"If I could marry into a family like this, I wouldn't be afraid at all."
“Look, this is what I drew.”

Men have their own hardships, and women have their own difficulties. Shen Ti understands this.
When Yin Shi listed these, he actually believed her.
It's like this for smart people. You can't convince them by making up stories. You have to convince them logically.
What Yin Shi said was in line with her interests. Women could not be officials, do business or travel. Their lives were all about marriage. If their marriage was good, they were lucky; if their marriage was bad, they were unhappy.

Shen Tiwei thought for a moment, then said: "But cousin, you must understand..."
"I understand everything." Yin Shi said, "For a woman, marriage is nothing more than serving her aunt and uncle, respecting her husband, and raising children. I can do all of that. If you want to register your concubine's children under my name, that's fine."

"I married you not to be your wife. I married you to live a good life for the rest of my life."
"If you marry someone else, there's no way to guarantee that your wife won't bully your confidante. But if you marry me, we won't be husband and wife, but just siblings, partners, and partners in life. Isn't that perfect?"
"Give me a good life, and I will protect your lover with you."
"Cousin, what do you think? Is this a fair deal?"

Shen Ti stared at her: "Can you really do it?"
Don't treat me as your husband, but just as a partner?
Yin Shi said, "If I break my promise, you can just divorce me."
Yin Shi thought about it. In this era, women depended on their husbands and sons for their livelihood. She gave him a bad idea: "It's best if you let her give birth to a child for you as soon as possible. If she gives birth to a son quickly, she will be safe. For the sake of their grandson, aunt and uncle will not treat her badly anyway."

Yin Shi thought it would be best if Shen Ti and his confidante could have a illegitimate son before she got married.
This way, she will not only be a mother without any pain, but also have no pressure to give birth. More importantly, the wife has suffered such an injustice, and her husband's family is in the wrong. My aunt doesn't look like a hard-hearted person, so she will definitely feel sorry for her. With such an apology in her hand, as long as she uses it well... hmm.

The previous nine years had been peaceful and calm, with no need for family intrigues. But now, after all, I couldn't escape the need for family intrigues.
But Yin Shi was not sad. Because she had lived in her own home for the past few years, and all her treatment was based on blood ties, so there was no need for family fighting. Getting married meant moving into someone else's home, and without the blessing of blood ties, it was like working in the workplace, so of course she had to rely on management.

Yin Shi's abacus beads clattered, but Shen Ti refused to cooperate.
"I dare to let my cousin know that my brother and Feng are innocent and have never crossed the line." The young man's face was tense, as if he had heard something dirty and wanted to clarify it quickly.
Yin Shi: “…”
Ah, the young man in front of me is indeed the same child who refused to enter the room without permission.

Somehow, Yin Shi's heart became less calculating and more gentle.
She said softly, "I'm not questioning your character. I'm just suggesting that it's better for you to do it this way. You've been a good kid since you were young, I know that."

There was a huge gap between the impression of Yin Shi just now and that in Shen Ti's mind. Shen Ti felt that the cousin at this moment was the cousin in his mind.
Although he deliberately avoided the Yin cousins, he was not completely oblivious to Yin Shi.
In fact, when a person is exceptionally good-looking, it is hard for others not to notice that person, no matter whether he or she is a man or a woman.

Although my cousin is not as bookish and elegant as Feng Luoyi, she is also a beautiful woman. She often smiles before she speaks, has a gentle voice, and is thoughtful.
Shen Ti also knew that she had been such a girl since she was a child, and now that she had grown up, it seemed that she had not changed.
It's just that she was only a few months older than him, but she always treated him like a child, which was quite surprising.

"Cousin," the cousin's eyes sparkled, "you and I will only be nominal husband and wife. We will help each other, not interfere with each other, and cover up for each other. How do you think?"
My cousin pondered for a moment, deduced the logical relationship and the pros and cons, and raised his head: "Okay."

Kui'er counted the little swallows in the swallow's nests under the corridor. There were thirty-two little swallows in total in the six nests.
After she finished counting, she looked at the girl and her cousin in the open space with boredom.
There were also monks passing by who glanced over there intentionally or unintentionally.
They all saw it - in the bright spring sunshine, that talented and beautiful young man and woman suddenly clapped their hands three times in a row.

Hey, what is this for? Usually this behavior is a high five.
The monk scratched his hairless bald head in confusion. It couldn't be that they were getting married in broad daylight, right?
Can't you?
Amitabha.

(End of this chapter)