Chapter 143 Day 7 of Transmigrating into an Imperial Examination Novel

Chapter 143: The Seventh Day of Transmigrating into an Imperial Exam Novel

At that moment, An Yi received the plot of the original novel—a genre he had read before: an imperial exam story.

The title was *The Road to the Clouds: The Farming Boy Who Won Six Consecutive First Places*.

And that boy poking earthworms was the novel's protagonist, Fang Huaixing, a top student from the modern exam-oriented system.

But by a stroke of luck, his soul traveled through time and space, arriving in the Dayan Dynasty, a dynasty that never existed in history.

He entered the body of a six-year-old farming boy of the same name in Tuhei Village.

Luck sure is busy...

Fang Huaixing, new to this world, faced extreme poverty—bare walls, coarse food every day—and the backwardness of ancient rural life. He couldn't help but silently shed tears.

Then, after a brief spell of confusion and discomfort, reason quickly took over.

He deeply understood that in this feudal era, the imperial examination was almost the only ladder for commoners to climb up. So he made a grand vow: to change his fate through knowledge, study to enter officialdom, and take control of his own life!

He soon discovered that after transmigrating, he had awakened an incredible cheat ability—a photographic memory!

Any text or image, once seen, would be clearly etched into his memory, ready to be recalled at any time.

This supercharged his already formidable learning ability, quickly setting him apart among the village's children, earning him renown as a child prodigy.

Yep, yet another famous child prodigy.

From then on, the plot unfolded: Fang Huaixing frequently gave answers far beyond the elementary curriculum in the village school, catching the attention of the only old scholar in the village, who was also the schoolmaster.

The old scholar, cherishing talent, personally tested him, but was stunned by his knowledge, admitting that his own learning was insufficient to teach such a brilliant piece of jade.

He then wrote a letter, earnestly recommending Fang Huaixing to his own teacher in the county seat, a respected scholar at the county school.

The county scholar, at first unimpressed by the dark, thin farm boy, casually threw out a test. But Fang Huaixing answered fluently, cited classics, and even offered unique insights on contemporary essays.

The county scholar was utterly amazed, immediately making an exception to admit him to the county school.

In the county school, Fang Huaixing didn't have a smooth path. Due to his humble origins, he inevitably faced exclusion and provocation from some wealthy classmates.

But he cleverly defused each crisis, even turning the tables to make the provocateurs humiliate themselves.

Meanwhile, he consistently ranked first in every county school assessment, his reputation soaring.

All this caught the attention of a great scholar who had recently retired to live in seclusion in the county.

This man was You Bohan, a former Grand Tutor of the court, highly respected. Due to his advanced age and weariness of court infighting, he had retired here.

You Bohan happened to hear about Fang Huaixing's story, grew curious, and personally tested him. Greatly impressed, he immediately decided to take him as his last disciple, imparting all his knowledge.

At the You residence, Fang Huaixing met You Bohan's granddaughter, five-year-old You Shuangyu.

The clever little girl was full of curiosity and warmth toward this suddenly appearing young senior brother.

You Bohan kept Fang Huaixing in his residence, subjecting him to two years of strict, secluded instruction, not only teaching classics and history but also analyzing court politics, the ways of being an official, and the general trend of the world.

Two years later, when Fang Huaixing was nine, You Bohan deemed him ready and let him sit for the boy's examination.

Fang Huaixing lived up to expectations, passing each level, ultimately winning first place in the prefectural examination, earning the title of "Tongsheng" — and as the youngest first-place winner!

For a time, he became the talk of the entire prefecture and beyond, dominating the spotlight.

And amid this clamor of praise, some who still remembered the child prodigy An Yi, who had also been famous a few years earlier, couldn't help comparing the two, leading to much discussion.

Some said that Fang Huaixing, becoming a Tongsheng at nine, was two years earlier than An Yi, who had achieved it at eleven.

They argued that Fang Huaixing had greater potential and momentum, and at only nine, he was the true prodigy. In contrast, An Yi had already fallen, becoming ordinary, and even mentioning his cursed reputation for bringing death to his family.

These discussions occasionally reached Fang Huaixing's ears.

The protagonist knew of the original An Yi's misfortune and expressed a sympathy that seemed beyond his years.

He even publicly defended An Yi, saying, "Senior Brother An was naturally clever. If not for his ill fate and great misfortune, he would not have remained ordinary. We later learners should take this as a lesson, study diligently, and also have compassion. How can we mock others for their misfortunes?"

These words, with broad vision, affirmed An Yi's past while displaying his own magnanimity, earning widespread praise.

When this story later reached his teacher You Bohan, the old man stroked his beard, sighed, and said, "Indeed, fate is unpredictable. I had heard a little about that An Yi back then. He was a fine piece of jade—what a pity... ah."

A long sigh, full of regret.

Then he turned his gaze to his own astonishingly talented young disciple, his eyes full of satisfaction, and smiled, "But your Tuhei Village truly is a place of outstanding people. First An Yi, now Huaixing. Not bad, not bad."

This praise of the village's outstanding people was heartfelt.

That was the only appearance of the original version of An Yi in the book.

An Yi murmured to himself. So in this story, he wasn't even a supporting character—just a background cannon fodder occasionally mentioned in the protagonist's shining moment to highlight the hero's character and bearing, and to add a touch of "the unpredictability of fate."

Its role was a bit like the nameless extra he played in the apocalypse world, who was killed off at the beginning.

Fine. Not bad at all!

Fang Huaixing did not stop with the glory of becoming a Tongsheng.

The wheel of fate started spinning faster from the moment he transmigrated.

County examination, prefectural examination, yuan examination... This modern top student, armed with the golden finger of photographic memory, advanced triumphantly on the ladder of imperial examinations, sweeping first place every time without question.

Provincial examination: Jieyuan; Metropolitan examination: Huiyuan; and finally the Palace examination, facing the emperor's personal test, he quoted classics and spoke eloquently.

Not only was his writing splendid, but he also incorporated some insights beyond his era into the policy proposals, ultimately surpassing all others, topping the list—Zhuangyuan!

Six straight first-place titles!

This was unprecedented in the dynasty's history!

The news spread, causing a sensation throughout the court.

Fang Huaixing's name instantly spread throughout the capital, gradually expanding outward.

In streets, alleys, tea houses, and taverns, everyone was talking about the Six-Time Top Scholar Zhuangyuan.

This path to the clouds was not entirely smooth.

There were hidden arrows and open spears in the examination hall, jealousy and framed accusations from fellow successful candidates, turmoil caused by the emperor's favor for such a young man, and even attacks from conservative forces against his "heretical" thoughts...

However, all these obstacles were overcome one by one, thanks to the extensive network of connections left by his retired Grand Tutor teacher, You Bohan, the explicit or implicit support from senior brothers and uncles, and his own wisdom and steady hand.