Chapter 22:  The Wise Jinshi x The Obsessed Emperor 01

Longteng Kingdom, the Capital City.

In the back courtyard of the Yun Mansion, after passing through numerous doors, a slender young man in white slowly sat up from his bed, slowly and laboriously opening his eyes.

He rubbed his temples, glanced around, and was surprised by the shabby furnishings of the room. It was only slightly better than a firewood shed.

“System, transmit the original character’s memories.”

System 729 transmitted all the original character’s memories and mission content to its host and then quietly withdrew.

The young man in white blinked.  Twenty years of memories flooded his mind, causing him to involuntarily raise his hand and rub his temples.

The original character was named Yun Huai, just reaching adulthood.  He was the eldest son of Yun Ai, the Left Deputy Grand Censor of Longteng Kingdom, born to a concubine who was a maid accompanying Yun Ai’s deceased wife.

Although he was Yun Ai’s eldest son, he was born to a concubine, and he lost his mother before the age of six, leaving him alone in this mansion.

His father didn’t care much for him.  After all, he had no shortage of children, so why would he care about this eldest son he barely knew?

Yun Ai’s wife had died in childbirth, but she left him with a legitimate daughter.  His second wife also gave him a son and a daughter, and his concubine, Ping Niang, gave him a third son.

This fickle old father had three sons and two daughters, and Yun Huai was the most inconspicuous of them all.  His mother had died early, his father didn’t care for him, and even the maids and servants who were slightly favored could bully him.

But that wasn’t a big deal.  Although he was unloved, at least he had food and clothing.  He could also learn to read and write.  When he reached the appropriate age, he could take the imperial examinations, earn a prestigious position, and bring glory to his family.

But just as he passed the provincial exams and the metropolitan exams, hoping to participate in the palace exams, he encountered a change of events.  He was betrayed by his younger sister, a transmigrated woman with the protagonist’s halo, and missed this year’s Spring Examinations.

Not long after, he was accidentally injured and dragged into a conflict between the transmigrated woman and a noblewoman, leading to his downfall and a tragic end.  He was forever barred from the vast expanse of the outside world.

Yun Huai’s wish was simple.  He just wanted to enter officialdom through the imperial examinations, showcase his talents, and escape his stifling family to fly towards a broader horizon.

But his life was burdened by his family and his sister.  In the end, he was just the lowly eldest son of the Yun Grand Censor, scoffed at by others.

He had lofty ambitions, but he was dragged down by the insidious schemes of those around him.

From a pure and upright, pitiful illegitimate son, he became a tool used by the transmigrated woman, causing this pure and refined scholar to be ridiculed and despised.  He died without achieving his dreams.

【Mission Content: Fulfill Yun Huai’s wish and thwart the transmigrated woman’s plans.】

The young man in thin clothing touched his eyelids and looked down at his slender hands.

From now on, he was Yun Huai.

The storyline had progressed to the point where he was confined to his home by the transmigrated woman and was about to miss the imperial examinations.  This transmigrated woman was his older sister, Yun Shu, the daughter of his father’s deceased wife.

Yun Shu had fallen into a lake on her coming-of-age day.  When she was rescued, her soul was replaced.  The original Yun Shu had already gone to the underworld to reincarnate.  The current Yun Shu was a college student from modern times.

Yun Shu had been in this era for three years and had accepted the reality that she couldn’t go back.  She was now focused on finding a suitable husband for herself.

She had chosen the current Emperor’s younger brother, Prince Duan, and had successfully interacted with him.  However, there were other women vying for him.

The most prominent among them was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Xuan Yi.

The two of them were bound to clash.  But this had nothing to do with Yun Huai.  Why should he care if they wanted to marry into the Prince Duan’s mansion?

But he was the heroine’s unlucky stepbrother, so he couldn’t escape misfortune.

This time, it was because Yun Shu had argued with Yun Qi, the second daughter born to his stepmother, and he happened to pass by, so he was reprimanded by his father.

Yun Huai was confined to his courtyard by his father, forced to reflect on how to get along with his siblings.

But what did it have to do with him?  His two half-sisters, born to different mothers, often argued and bickered.  He had just happened to bump into them.

He became the innocent victim!

Yun Huai scoffed, stood up from the hard wooden bed, and walked to the desk by the window.  He lowered his head and stared at the books on the table.

“You want to confine me?  Not so easily!”

“The palace exams in half a month, I won’t miss them.  And you won’t get your way.”

Maybe the original character didn’t understand the intricacies of the back courtyard, but he did.

Yun Shu and Yun Qi’s argument wasn’t accidental.  They both knew Yun Huai was preparing for the palace exams, but neither of them wanted the other to surpass their brother.

Yun Shu was the legitimate daughter of Yun Ai’s original wife, and Yun Qi was the legitimate daughter of Yun Ai’s second wife.  Yun Shu was close to Yun Cheng, the third son born to Ping Niang, and Yun Qi favored her own brother, Yun Pan.

Neither sister wanted their annoying stepbrother to surpass their brothers, nor did they want him to rise up and compete with their brothers for the family fortune.

So, they worked together to create a drama, leading to Yun Huai’s confinement.

The thin young man standing by the desk twirled his fingers, smiling nonchalantly, “They’re all bad people.  They all have their own selfish motives.”

That’s what this family was all about:  each with their own agenda.

His father, Yun Ai, favored his legitimate sons and youngest son, not caring about his illegitimate eldest son.  He even stopped his son from taking the imperial examinations.

His stepmother only protected her own children.  She didn’t care about the others, and she saw Yun Huai, the grown-up illegitimate son, as a thorn in her side, afraid he would take away her sons’ inheritance.

His two legitimate sisters each had their own thoughts.  They both treated Yun Huai as a tool, and none of them genuinely loved him.

His two brothers didn’t care about him either.  They didn’t even call him brother, directly addressing him by name.

Yun Huai was truly unloved and unwanted in this family.  Only his mother’s maid, Zhang Mama, and the servant, Zhang Ping, stayed with him.

The young man in white rolled up his sleeves and picked up the original character’s books to read carefully.

He wanted to take the palace exams, and he naturally had the talent and knowledge to become a Jinshi.

System 729: 【Host, you’ve passed the imperial examinations and even become Emperor many times in your previous missions.  Do you really need to read more?  Shouldn’t we be slapping the heroine in the face now?】

Yun Huai’s gaze remained on the book as he casually answered the system’s question.

“The texts from different worlds are different.  I need to familiarize myself with them.”

“As for slapping the heroine in the face, no rush.  I’ll slowly get my revenge on her.  And I’ll make sure all her plans come to nothing.”

Right now, the most important thing wasn’t to attack the transmigrated woman, but to take the upcoming palace exams and change his fate of missing them.

This was a perfect opportunity to fulfill the original character’s wish, enter officialdom through the imperial examinations, and contribute to the prosperity of Longteng Kingdom.

From a caged sparrow confined to the mansion, he would grow into a noble and virtuous swan, leaving behind his own legendary story in the future Longteng Kingdom.

His name would be etched in history for eternity.