I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 1 The scapegoat

Boom!

"Secretary Xue, open the door!"

"Stop playing dead. The Dean has summoned the department heads for a meeting and wants to question you."

"........."

The loud crash finally woke Xue Xiang up.

He forced open his heavy eyelids and saw a quaint, old-fashioned public housing unit.

The mahogany bookshelf was piled high with yellow-sealed kraft paper document bags, and four square tables were placed at the four corners.

He himself was occupying one.

"Hold the grass!"

Xue Xiang saw his left hand, which was fair, slender, and tender like a scallion stalk after the skin has been peeled off.

boom!
The large wooden gate was suddenly kicked open, and two tall, strong young men in tight-fitting clothes rushed in.

"what's the situation?"

Xue Xiang's mind went blank for a moment.

The two men rushed forward, each supporting him on either side, and ran out of the public housing.

As snowflakes, carried by the north wind, blew in, Xue Xiang shivered, and his vision suddenly opened up.

He was standing on a huge hilltop plateau, overlooking a continuous cluster of antique-style buildings in the distance.

"Even Hengdian isn't this large."

As Xue Xiang was marveling at this, he suddenly discovered that his memory was astonishing. His gaze swept across the ornamental column standing on the green plain, and he was able to memorize the densely packed numbers on it in an instant.

"What's happening here."

He was still in a daze when he was led into a dimly lit lobby.

Judging from its structure, it resembles the entrance to an ancient government office.

A stern-faced man in a black robe sat behind a gray table. He had clear features and was in his thirties. He exuded an air of authority without being angry.

Below him, nine round stools were arranged on either side of the long table.

There was someone sitting on each round stool.

In addition, several other people stood behind the round benches.

As soon as he could see everyone in the room, Xue Xiang felt a sharp pain in his head as a flood of memories rushed in.

"Xue Xiang, I ask you, were you on duty in the third room last night?"

The man in black robes had a clear, melodious voice and a long, handsome beard.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, it is I."

Having seen many storms, Xue Xiang possessed an amazing ability to adapt. He quickly accepted the reality of his transmigration and understood the situation he faced.

Last night, while he was on duty, the archives in the third room caught fire, and all the documents stored there were destroyed, including the annual financial and tax ledgers of Yunmeng City.

The original owner of this body, due to excessive worry and fear, fell into a deep sleep from which he never woke up, allowing this visitor from another time and space to take advantage of the situation.

As for the man in black robes in front of him, Xue Xiang immediately recognized him.

This person is named Xie Haiya. He is a Foundation Establishment cultivator with an unknown level of literary energy. Last month, he was newly appointed as the Dean of the Seventh Academy in Yunmeng City. He is an eighth-grade Immortal Talisman and one of the nine leaders of Yunmeng City.

"Tell me about what happened last night."

Xie Haiya's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes were filled with coldness.

"Last night, as required, I inspected all twenty-three rooms in the Third Chamber at 1:15 PM, 3:45 PM, and 1:15 PM, and found nothing unusual."

At three-quarters past midnight, a fire suddenly broke out. I called for help to put out the fire, but it was too late.

Xue bowed and replied.

"There was nothing unusual, yet a fire broke out. So, you were indeed negligent in your duties."

Xie Haiya's voice was as clear as ice.

"Your Excellency, please allow me to report."

Xue Xiang felt a chill run down his spine. If the charges were confirmed, he would be exiled to the western border and made a slave, or imprisoned and destroyed, body and soul.

"What else do you have to say?"

"The lock on the door of the data room that caught fire was intact. The data room was equipped with the Heavenly Water Formation. As long as the Heavenly Water Formation is not destroyed, it will not burn even if it is set on fire, let alone caught fire. Therefore, it must have been deliberately sabotaged by someone."

"The cause of the fire must be thoroughly investigated, but that cannot offset your crime of dereliction of duty."

Xie Haiya's hand touched the gavel. Xue Xiang hurriedly played his last card, "This humble servant is willing to atone for my sins. Previously, this humble servant participated in the reconciliation of the general ledger, and there are detailed records of the data and inventory."

If I were to preside over this task, it would not be difficult to reproduce the general accounts.

"joke!"

Xie Haiya said coldly, "To produce the final accounts, hundreds of clerks worked for three months."

"It's almost the end of the year, and you're telling me it's not difficult to copy the master ledger?"

“I have a photographic memory and a keen sense for numbers. Give me twenty men and I am confident that I can transcribe the master account within ten days.”

Faced with a situation where he would die if he didn't boast, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and persevere.

At least, he was certain that he had unlocked the ability to remember everything he saw, and as for accounting, it was one of his skills for making a living.

"Photographic memory?"

Xie Haiya snorted coldly, and a dossier half a finger thick on the table flew to Xue Xiang's front.

Xue Xiang took it and quickly turned the pages, like the wind blowing through a bamboo forest.

After fifty breaths, he closed the file and respectfully held it above his head.

Xie Haiya waved the file over, casually flipped to a page, and read aloud, "Thirteen newly established gangs in Guiyun Town, memorize them!"

Xue Xiang continued, "There are gangs like the Sea Shark Sect, the Giant Whale Gang, the Joyous Union Sect, and the Dragon Yang Sect... These kinds of gangs gather in one area and dominate the local community. They must be controlled..."

Xie Haiya turned to another page and read the first sentence aloud, which Xue Xiang recited without any difficulty.

“A capable person is not subject to harsh punishment. You have ten days to reproduce the general accounts. But the law cannot be disregarded; you neglected your duties first, so you will be fined three months’ salary.”

Xie Haiya lightly stroked his long beard.

"This humble servant is completely convinced."

Xue Xiang felt so heartbroken he couldn't breathe; it was three months' salary!

"Vice President Su, do you have anything to say?"

Xie Haiya glanced at the pale-faced young man sitting at the bottom right.

This person's real name is Su Suiran. Before Xie Haiya was transferred, Su Suiran served as the acting dean in the capacity of vice dean.

Su Suiran stood up, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Your judgment is fair, but the arson case involving the database still needs to be thoroughly investigated."

Xie Haiya waved his hand, "It's probably just that the spirit array has been neglected for years and has malfunctioned. There's no need to cause panic."

In the past two days, ten clerks from each of the three offices were assigned to work with Xue Xiang to reorganize the accounts.

Let's call it a day.

As soon as Xue Xiang returned to his residence, a young man in a green robe was standing in front of the door. Upon seeing Xue Xiang, he hurried over and greeted him with concern, "Brother Xue, it's all my fault."

If you hadn't taken my shift last night, you wouldn't have gotten into this huge trouble.

Don't worry, I spoke with my uncle, and he promised to plead for you and help you get through this.

I've heard about the results of the meeting just now; it's truly a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

"Brother Jiang, you flatter me. This is an undeserved disaster, and I have no one to blame but myself."

Xue Xiang patted him on the shoulder, unsure whether to tear this guy apart or give him a big hug.

Xue Xiang, the ex-boyfriend, has questionable emotional intelligence; he actually treated this guy as a close friend.

What a coincidence! He had just covered for Jiang Kun when the database caught fire.

Moreover, early this morning, Jiang Kun rushed to see him and said a lot of seemingly caring but actually threatening things, which led to the death of his ex-boyfriend Xue Xiang from fear.

Conversely, if this guy hadn't ruined his predecessor Xue Xiang, he wouldn't have been reborn.

However, he inherited his predecessor's memories and emotions, and now he hates Jiang Kun to the core.

"Brother Jiang, you are my best friend, and there are some things I can only say to you."

Xue Xiang began to act naturally, his eyes gazing blankly at the drifting clouds on the horizon. "After this incident, I've realized that I'm not suited for a government job."

I'm thinking of quitting my job and opening a shop in the city. What's the difference between a lifetime like that?

Jiang Kun paused for a moment, suppressing his joy, "Brother Xue, why are you so disheartened?"
You can't give up easily just because you encounter some setbacks. Besides, if you leave, I'll have no friends left.

"How could I bear to part with Brother Jiang? It's just that making a living in the public service is too dangerous."

Xue Xiang touched the bronze flying fish emblem on his chest. "It's just a pity about this thing. My mother sold the last two acres of Yongye Spiritual Field in our family to secure this stable job for me."

I would be doing my mother a disservice by resigning like this.

Fortunately, this thing can still be used to make some money.

Long time no see, Jiangnan warmly welcomes you all. A note before reading: This story employs both Qi cultivation and Confucian/Taoist systems, and will not be a blatant copy of other works that inflate combat power to an extreme. It will present a complete process of cultivation, imperial examinations, and advancement in Confucian/Taoist (literary/Qi) cultivation.

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(End of this chapter)