Chapter 19  : Shen Lang Rises Above Others, Wins! 5

Amongst these six young men, Shen Lang was the weakest competitor; he barely had any competitive strength to speak of among them.

The seeded player was undoubtedly Wang Lian.

This distant relative of the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu, the young registrar, sat in the study room, feeling nervous, anxious, and excited. 2

Of course, he knew what he was here for today! He had waited for this day to come for many years.

He wasn’t from Nujiang County and should have focused on studying at home to enter the court, but he came to Xuanwu Cty to be a registrar. He didn’t even like this job. He only had one aim for doing so-to enjoy the benefits of a favorable position. 1

Of course, he knew that Jin Mulan wouldn’t be marrying out of her family, and would only seek a son-in-law to marry into her family.

However, he didn’t care. He was not the only son in his family. He had two older brothers, one good at martial arts, while the other was good at literature.

He was mesmerized by Jin Mulan from a young age. Furthermore, with an influential family like this, even a live-in son-in-law would enjoy endless luxury and compelling authority.

The son of the Earl was incompetent, so the ultimate power of the Palace of the Earl would definitely be placed in the hands of Jin Mulan. Then, as her husband, he would undoubtedly enjoy the highest power.

This was a feudal land of a thousand square kilometers, two private military troops, and an astronomical sum of fortune.

Thus, Wang Lian was determined to obtain the position of the husband of Jin Mulan!

Aside from Mo Ye, the Martial Arts candidate, there was no other threat.

Jin Mulan was powerful in martial arts, so what she needed was a husband who knew about literature and studies, so they would complement each other.

Wang Lian was sure that he would definitely win this competition!

Of course, he wasn’t the only one who thought this way. Practically everyone else felt the same. Especially the trusted aid of the Earl. He had brought Wang Lian over personally and had treated him as the future son-in-law of the Palace of the Earl already.

***

Jin Mulan walked into the first study room and was separated from Wang Lian by a thin partition.

Sensing the arrival of the beauty, Wang Lian instinctively breathed heavily, feeling so nervous that he couldn’t suppress it.

Soon, he would become Mulan’s husband. Very soon, he would share the same pillow with this divinely beautiful princess of Xuanwu Cty. 1

His long-cherished wish that span for ten years would finally be fulfilled.

“Wang Lian, what can you offer me in the future?” Jin Mulan asked.

Wang Lian adjusted his agitated emotions and replied, “When we are wedded, I will go for the imperial exams. From then on, you will be in charge of the martial arts while I’ll be in charge of literature; you and I shall complement each other. We will definitely bring the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu to greater heights and pass on to future generations!”

Wang Lian felt that this was what Jin Mulan desired the most.

Indeed, the prosperity of the Palace of the Earl of Xuanwu was one of her greatest dreams. Meanwhile, passing the ancestral establishment for centuries was what Mulan had been chasing throughout her life.

“Many thanks, cousin,” Jin Mulan said before walking out. 6

…

Jin Mulan went into the second room; Martial Arts Candidate Mo Ye was in there.

Mo Ye was extremely skilled in martial arts and was exceedingly calm.

When Jin Mulan stepped in, there was no change in his breathing. However, his heart rate increased a little.

His desire for Jin Mulan did not lose to Wang Lian.

He was a man of martial arts and was born in an ordinary family. He was highly skilled, but it felt like he had reached a bottleneck phase.

Thus, he needed large amounts of resources, martial arts manuals, and records. These were things that money couldn’t buy, but the Jin Family, being a family with a rich history, would definitely have.

Furthermore, Jin Mulan’s beauty and figure were irresistible to any man.

“Young Master Mo, if you marry into the Palace of the Earl, what can you bring me in the future?” Jin Mulan asked the same question.

Mo Ye replied, “I will go for the imperial examinations and become the number one expert in the world. I will then lead the troops of the Palace of the Earl on expeditions to make contributions so that the Jin Family will achieve higher levels of power and authority.” 1

“Thank you, Young Master Mo.” Jin Mulan stood up and left.

…

Next, she went to the third, fourth, and fifth study rooms.

She asked the same question: “If you marry into the Palace of the Earl, what can you bring me in the future?”

These three people had the same answers, and that was loyalty. They were willing to die for the sake of Miss Mulan, even if they must go through floods and tread on fire!

Since these three people had been brought up by the Palace of the Earl from a young age, their answers were simple.

…

Jin Mulan entered the last room!

Across the screen, Shen Lang sensed Jin Mulan’s presence. It was that sort of delightful, feminine fragrance.

Shen Lang focused his vision and managed to see the silhouette of Jin Mulan’s body through the screen.

Instantly, his heart rate began to increase.

“Shen Lang, if you marry into the Palace of the Earl, what can you bring me in the future?” Jin Mulan asked.

“What?” Shen Lang asked.

“He’s really a silly fool.” Jin Mulan chuckled internally, and then she asked in a gentle voice, “What is the most precious thing you can give me?”

“The virginity I had kept for forty years!” Shen Lang replied mentally, almost instinctively.

Of course, he could only say such things in his mind. Otherwise, he would be beaten to death once he said it out loud.

Then, how exactly should he answer this question?

Shen Lang could give plenty, plenty of things.

For example, he was a very good gynecologist. If she had any difficulties that are hard for her to speak of, he could help her get treated.

Meanwhile, he also knew the secret recipe to refine and smelt steel. It would allow all the metal of the Palace of the Earl to be strengthened into a whole new level, allowing the armors of the private army of the Jin Family to be even more durable while their swords would become sharper.

Maybe he could say that he had a compelling pair of eyes. He knew where to unblock when their meridians got clogged after practicing martial arts.

He could even guess how the previous five people had answered.

Wang Lian would definitely say he and Jin Mulan could complement each other in brawns and brains, allowing the Palace of the Earl to prosper and would enable the family establishment of the Jin Family to be passed down from generation to generation.

Mo Ye would definitely boast of his own martial arts, and how he could bring the troops on expeditions to make significant contributions to the Earl, allowing the Jin Family to rise to higher ranks.

As for the other three, they were brought and cultivated by the Palace of the Earl, so they would definitely say that they could offer their loyalty.

How should Shen Lang reply then? What was it that Jin Mulan desired the most?

Seeing that Shen Lang wasn’t responding, Jin Mulan said, “It’s alright, take your time to think and reply; there’s no need to rush.”

Jin Mulan’s voice was extremely cold toward others, but she instinctively became gentler while speaking to Shen Lang.

It was just that she really sounded as if she was speaking to a retarded child, which only spooked him.

Shen Lang mulled over it for two minutes before coming up with an answer.

“The most precious thing I can give you is… freedom. As long as you don’t go and look for other men, you can do whatever you want,” Shen Lang replied. 1

The moment this was said, Jin Mulan became stunned. She then glared angrily at Shen Lang through the screen, resisting the urge to charge over and give him a beating.

What did he mean when he said “find other men”? “Was I such a shameless woman?”

However, she wasn’t feeling that anger in her heart.

“Truly a silly fool, you don’t even have any thoughts.”

Then Jin Mulan walked away from the room.

Behind the screen, Shen Lang let out a gleeful grin.

If nothing went wrong, he had already won by sixty percent.

Why did Jin Mulan ask this question? She was testing to see if these six men had any ambitions!

The son of the Earl was incompetent; thus, once Earl Jin Zhuo passed away in the future, the entire Palace of the Earl would fall into the hands of Jin Mulan.

She would definitely support her brother with all her heart and mind.

However, what was it that she feared? Would her husband be ambitious? Did he desire the power within the Palace of the Earl? Would he bring harm to her brother?

Then, she would really be the sinner of the Jin Family.

A talent was a secondary criterion for her future husband. The most important thing was that he was not harboring any ambitions to prevent disaster.

Wang Lian and Mo Ye portrayed themselves to be so impressive as if they intended to manage the Palace of the Earl with Jin Mulan. Jin Mulan’s worries couldn’t be imagined. 1

Since the two of them were so impressive, why wouldn’t the family just give them the position of the Earl?

Thus, Shen Lang’s response could show how unambitious he was.

This was the correct answer, and the answer Jin Mulan wanted the most.

***

Jin Mulan returned into the hall where her father was.

The Earl and Madam were anxiously awaiting. Upon seeing her, they couldn’t help but ask, “So fast?”

That’s right! It didn’t even take an hour, and Jin Mulan was already done selecting.

“Daughter, have you picked your husband?” the Earl asked, “if you have, I’ll immediately send men to deliver the invites, and you shall get wedded tonight.”

Jin Mulan replied, “I’ve chosen.”

Madan Jin stood up and asked agitatedly, “Who is it? Wang Lian or Mo Ye?”

Jin Mulan replied, “The husband I’ve chosen is… Shen Lang!” 1

***