Chapter 138

Chapter 138

Since he needed to continue preparing for the upcoming metropolitan examination, Han Zhang's success in the provincial examination was not celebrated with great fanfare. They only invited the Shen family over for a simple meal to mark the occasion, and then the household settled back into quiet.

However, quite a few people came bearing gifts upon hearing the news. Shen Qinglan managed everything properly—accepting what could be accepted and politely declining what could not—handling all the miscellaneous affairs and social connections with perfect care, so that Han Zhang need not worry about a single thing.

This made Han Zhang sincerely sigh—no wonder the elders always said one should settle down and build a career first.

Having a devoted spouse working tirelessly behind the scenes for you truly saves so much worry.

Speaking of striving in one's career, in his previous life he had reliable business partners, but without a spouse to help with spousal diplomacy, he had to put in far more effort than others in many matters.

Back then, he had also considered finding a partner who was compatible with him professionally.

Unfortunately, in the beginning he had no achievements to speak of and his finances were tight. People in modern society were clear-headed and rational—nobody wanted to be the one to support a partner financially.

As for the wealthy women and men who fancied his looks and were willing to support him, he had been young and proud back then, and couldn't stomach such arrangements.

By the time he achieved success and fame, his standards had risen even higher. He searched and searched but couldn't find a suitable match, and ended up on the shelf all the way to the apocalypse, where the pool of potential partners became even more limited.

Now, to have married a beautiful and capable Lan'er, Han Zhang felt that he must have done something right in past lives to deserve such happiness in this one.

Therefore, while diligently preparing for the upcoming metropolitan examination, Han Zhang did not forget to prepare a birthday gift for his husband.

Shen Qinglan's birthday fell right after the metropolitan examination—a double celebration arriving together.

Because he was always attentive to Han Zhang's studies, Shen Qinglan naturally soon noticed that his husband was busy with something besides reading, and couldn't help but feel curious.

"Husband, you've been slipping out behind my back every so often lately—where exactly have you been going?"

Shen Qinglan was genuinely just curious, not interrogating him.

After all, their nights together were quite lively, and he also held the indenture contract for Han Zhang's page boy. If Han Zhang had someone on the side, he would have noticed at least some sign.

So his husband must be going out to handle something legitimate.

It was just that in the past, his husband would tell him everything, but this time he was unusually secretive, which truly piqued his curiosity.

Han Zhang didn't want him to misunderstand or overthink, so he didn't hide it and smiled:

"After the metropolitan examination comes your birthday. The household silver is all under your management, and you don't lack for gold or jade trinkets. This is the first birthday we'll celebrate together since we met, so I wanted to prepare something special for you."

"Really?" Shen Qinglan was immediately delighted and eagerly pressed: "What gift could be worth such effort from you? What if it delays your examination? As long as it's something you give me, I'll love it—it doesn't need to be special."

Actually, it did matter quite a bit! A gift with thought put into it versus one without—how could they compare?

But with the metropolitan examination approaching, he didn't want to distract his husband from his important work.

Han Zhang knew what he was thinking and pulled him close, saying gently: "In my heart, your birthday is just as important as the imperial examinations. I know what I'm doing and certainly won't let it affect my studies—don't worry."

"As for what the special birthday gift is, well, it'll only be interesting if you find out on your birthday. If I tell you now, there'll be no surprise."

"Then... alright, I'll wait and see on my birthday."

Shen Qinglan was itching with curiosity, but since Han Zhang had said so, he could only suppress his eagerness and look forward to the birthday arriving soon.

Time passed in this tense yet warm atmosphere, flying by once again.

Soon, the metropolitan examination two months later arrived.

Compared to the previous provincial examination, the metropolitan examination was even more lively, because it tested for the jinshi degree, and candidates came from farther afield.

This was when true talents from across the nation gathered together.

Before the examination, Han Zhang and Jiang Wencheng attended several scholarly gatherings to exchange ideas with provincial graduates from other regions. During these events, they made several good friends and also witnessed firsthand the caliber of scholars from Shandong and Jiangnan—the so-called cultural and educational meccas.

It had to be said that these two regions truly deserved their reputation—their scholars were miles ahead of everyone else.

Fortunately, Han Zhang and Jiang Wencheng—one possessing knowledge from a future life, the other from a family steeped in scholarship—didn't lose ground in literary debates.

In fact, Han Zhang's novel way of thinking impressed and intrigued the scholars from those regions, and in just a few days of deliberate socializing, he expanded his network considerably.

Upon entering the examination hall and seeing that this year's policy essay topic was on "disaster relief," Han Zhang felt even more confident.

With the original owner's understanding of grassroots livelihood as a base, and his own knowledge of disaster relief methods from later eras as reference, the "Essay on Disaster Relief Policy" he wrote was not only innovative but also highly feasible.

The metropolitan examination results came as expected—Han Zhang once again ranked on the list, and once again in third place.

Jiang Wencheng, lacking hands-on experience with the lower classes, wrote a policy essay that leaned toward the idealistic, which failed to win the favor of the practical-minded chief examiner, dropping him to fifth place.

But both men were already quite satisfied.

The candidates from Shandong and Jiangnan were truly formidable. The first-place winner was the grandson of a Grand Scholar from Shandong, and the second-place winner came from a renowned scholarly family in Jiangnan, personally tutored by eminent Confucian scholars since childhood—both were brilliant talents.

Han Zhang's policy proposals were excellent, but his literary flair and poetic composition were indeed lacking, so his comprehensive score naturally fell to third place—a result he accepted with equanimity.

After all, his and the original owner's scholarly foundation truly couldn't compare with these scholars from prestigious literary families.

Besides, right after the metropolitan examination results came the palace examination, which was personally proctored by the Emperor himself. The pressure was immense—who had time to dwell on such things?

Whether he could enter government service all depended on this one attempt.

On the day of the palace examination, Han Zhang once again left home before daybreak, heading to the Meridian Gate to assemble, then being led by officials from the Ministry of Rites through the side gate into the imperial palace.

This was because the Meridian Gate (the main gate) was reserved for the Emperor's comings and goings, major ceremonies, and triumphal processions.

Not to mention Han Zhang and the other unranked examination candidates—even princes and senior ministers rarely entered through the main gate. This was the most direct manifestation of authority and rank.

Even in modern times it was no different—where you sat and the order in which you entered were all determined by status.

Social hierarchy always exists; it's just less obvious and less rigid in modern times.

After a series of complex kowtow rituals, the palace examination finally began.

A eunuch opened the sealed examination topic and read out: "The current poll tax is oppressive—the poor can barely endure it, the wealthy and powerful evade their taxes, and the treasury is depleted. What measures does Your Excellency propose to overhaul this system and secure the state's foundation?"

In plain terms: The poll tax is too heavy now—the poor can't bear it, the rich dodge it, and the country is short on funds. How do you think this should be reformed to stabilize the state?

Upon hearing this question, the candidates immediately wore worried expressions.

Because this question was a tired old topic.

And what did a tired old topic mean? It meant this was a problem no one had ever managed to solve!

The reason it remained unsolved wasn't just the difficulty of the problem itself, but the deeply entrenched and conflicting interests woven through it.

Among the candidates, those daring to offend people were themselves part of the privileged class;

Those who weren't from the privileged class were mostly from humble origins, but most scholars from humble origins took the imperial examinations simply to live a better life—how many would really put their lives on the line for lofty ideals?

Except for Han Zhang, that is!

The moment Han Zhang saw the question, he knew Emperor Taixuan had designed it specifically for him.

Emperor Taixuan wasn't just testing his abilities—he was pushing Han Zhang squarely into opposition against the aristocratic clans, positioning him as a true counterweight to the noble families.

At this point, did he really have a choice?

He let out a heavy sigh.

Han Zhang could only pick up his brush and write, unveiling the famous "merging poll tax into land tax" reform policy.

Offend the aristocratic clans? Fine, so be it. He'd already been strong-armed onto this path. If he couldn't demonstrate absolute capability and earn the emperor's attention and protection, he'd end up dead with no place to be buried.

All he could do was hope... that the imperial family wouldn't betray him.

Otherwise, he'd make sure these people learned exactly how much backbone a time-traveler could have.

After the exams were done and all papers submitted, the candidates left the hall. The Ministry of Rites then went through the whole process: sealing names, transcribing, grading, ranking, reviewing, re-transcribing, and unsealing the numbers.

After several agonizing days of waiting, the palace exam results finally came out.

"First-rank top scholar—Han Zhang!"

When this list came out, Han Zhang became the center of attention, but no one envied him.

The reason was simple: who else would be crazy enough to write a policy merging poll tax into land tax, completely offending the land-owning aristocratic clans and nobles?

Even with the emperor's favor and protection, Han Zhang's path ahead was destined to be a tightrope walk—his life could be snuffed out at any moment.

A top scholar title earned at such risk—no one could really envy him.

But the common folk didn't know any of this deeper stuff.

So, when the new scholars rode through the streets in a grand parade, the young and handsome Han Zhang rode by in his crimson top scholar robe, complete with three-eyed peacock feathers on his hat. The young ladies and lads who'd come to watch all blushed at the sight.

"Is this really this year's top scholar? How is he even more handsome than the third-place flower seeker!"

"I wonder if he's already taken..."

"Quick, toss my sachet at the top scholar!"

The young ladies and lads all threw flowers and sachets at him.

Fortunately, Han Zhang was exceptionally agile—having survived the apocalypse, he was a pro at handling this kind of siege. Even perched on a fine horse, he dodged nimbly, not letting a single flower or sachet touch him.

Seeing this, the third-place and second-place scholars behind him laughed and teased: "Crimson robes on the golden list shine bright, horse hooves echo through the nine gates. The whole street races to see that spring breeze face—one glance at Brother Han and hearts are lost for good... Brother Han, you're breaking hearts left and right!"

Han Zhang wasn't annoyed and laughed directly: "I already have a husband at home, why would I need to chase the spring breeze?"

With that, they happened to pass by a wine house.

Shen Qinglan was inside the wine house, and seeing the parade approaching, he immediately leaned by the window, waving and calling out: "Honey, honey—I'm right here—"

Han Zhang's ears were sharp, and he picked out his beloved's voice from the noisy crowd, immediately looking over.

Tenderness instantly spread across his eyes, and he waved back, calling out clearly: "My love—"

In an instant, everyone knew he already had a husband and that they were deeply devoted to each other.

Thud—

The hearts of the young ladies and lads around shattered, and they all turned to look at the wine house window.

They wanted to see which lad had gotten there first!

Shen Qinglan didn't fear the stares, holding his chest high, smiling brightly and proudly.

This was his husband! His, his, his!