They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 1 Speculation and Investment

"Scholar Chen, the head of the household is unwell and cannot receive guests at the moment. Please return home."

On the tenth day of the sixth month of the ninth year of the Wude era of the Tang Dynasty.

Chang'an, Yongxingfang, Wei Zheng's residence.

Seeing that his nearly sixty-year-old servant was turning him away, Chen Guangrui took out a letter from the sleeve of his robe and discreetly placed a jade pendant underneath it.

"Since you are not feeling well, I will take my leave. This letter was written by your humble student, and I would appreciate your corrections, Your Highness."

The old servant nodded in agreement, accepted the letter, but pushed the jade pendant back.

Chen Guangrui said no more and turned to leave.

The boy Chen An, dressed in hemp clothing, followed closely beside him.
“Brother, Wei Zheng is the Crown Prince’s tutor. After the Xuanwu Gate Incident a few days ago, everyone said he was going to die. Why do you still want to visit him?”

As Chen Guangrui walked out of Yongxingfang, the noise of the street immediately drowned out his voice, making it impossible for passersby to hear what he was saying.
"Oh? Then tell me, who should I visit? Those people in the Prince of Qin's mansion are at the height of their power right now. I heard that the thresholds of the Fang and Du military advisors' residences have already been replaced twice. Do you think I should even bother to visit them?"

Chen An nodded. "According to rumors, just getting into those two houses requires several bolts of silk."

He looked at the only jade pendant left in Chen Guangrui's hand, wondering if he could get into the house with it.

However, he still felt it was inappropriate to visit the former officials of Crown Prince Jiancheng.
"Brother, you've already achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination; you should just be waiting for the court to bestow an official title. Why have you visited so many officials these past few days? Of all the money we brought, this jade pendant is all we have left. In a few more days..."

Chen An didn't continue, but his meaning was clear: in a few days, he would run out of money and wouldn't even be able to afford food at the inn.

However, looking at the bustling streets of Chang'an, Chen Guangrui bluntly said, "To become an official, you have to run around."

"Although I was the top scholar in the imperial examination only a little over ten days ago, I was still the top scholar of the Wude Dynasty. After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, everything in the court is unknown. If we don't run away, who will recognize me? Who will remember me?"

"How could I not recognize you?" Chen An's eyes widened. "Brother, your poem 'Quiet Night Thoughts' written a few years ago caused a sensation. Your name has been known throughout Chang'an for a long time. How could no one recognize you?"

Chen Guangrui said, "That's just a reputation for talent. In this era, you can't become an official just by having a reputation for talent. You need to have a powerful backer. I only have a reputation for talent, but I don't have any connections in the capital. I can only try my luck by visiting different households one by one. What if someone mentions me at a crucial moment?"

"Huh?" Chen An scratched his head. "I'm a martial artist, so I don't understand some of this. But if you're talking about luck, I do know someone in Chang'an who's incredibly accurate, and his divination fee is quite interesting—it's a carp."

Chen Guangrui smiled and said no more. He felt more at ease knowing that he had to keep his own destiny in his own hands.

He was a time traveler who transmigrated into the body of Guangrui, a one-year-old infant from the Chen family of Hongnong, Haizhou.

The ancestors of the Chen family were minor officials in the Southern Dynasties, but the family fell into ruin due to the war at the end of the year. They were just small landowners in Hongnong and could not be considered a famous family.

Chen Guangrui once thought about making some inventions, starting a business, and becoming a wealthy man who wasn't particularly useful, but upon reflection, he realized he really didn't know how to invent anything. With no other option, he could only take the path of the imperial examination.

After all, with the cultural accumulation of his previous life, and having studied the classics and historical texts for more than ten years, he was naturally able to cope with the imperial examinations.

Coupled with his grasp of the historical trajectory of the Tang Dynasty and his perspective on the world from the viewpoint of a later generation, he was destined for success in his official career.

Of course, he also had a trump card that almost every time traveler used: copying poems.

However, Chen Guangrui was not a gifted person. The poems he copied were limited to those he could memorize during his primary and secondary school years. As for those beyond the curriculum, he knew nothing about them.

Over the years, he copied poems such as "Quiet Night Thoughts" and "Looking at the Waterfall at Mount Lu" from a small collection of poems, gaining temporary fame for his talent.

And there was Chen An beside him, his distant cousin. Seeing that Chen Guangrui had become famous at a young age, he naturally thought that Chen Guangrui had a bright future, so he sent him to Chen Guangrui's house to accompany him when he was young. Chen Guangrui had been helping Chen An learn martial arts, and even asked his family for money to visit famous teachers. Over the years, Chen An's martial arts skills had become those of a first-class master in the martial arts world.

With his own literary skills and Chen An's martial arts prowess, Chen Guangrui felt it was time to go to the capital and give it a try.

In the early Tang Dynasty, the imperial examination system was not yet perfect. The court held one examination in the fifth year of the Wude era, and then nothing more was done.

In the ninth year of the Wude era, Chen Guangrui finally witnessed the second imperial examination of the Tang Dynasty and successfully became the top scholar.

He had planned to become the top scholar in the imperial examination, and after becoming an official, he would follow Prince Qin, Li Shimin, and of course, participate in the Xuanwu Gate Incident, becoming a minister who supported the emperor.

I just didn't expect,
On the 29th day of the fifth month of the ninth year of the Wude era, he passed the imperial examination and became the top scholar.

On the fourth day of the sixth lunar month, the Xuanwu Gate Incident occurred.

On the seventh day of the sixth month, the King of Qin became the Crown Prince.

Chen Guangrui: I know about the Xuanwu Gate Incident, but I've never remembered the exact time!

Although Chen Guangrui became the second top scholar in the imperial examination during the Wude era, the actual ruler of the Tang Dynasty was Li Shimin.

Seeing the officials of the Prince of Qin's mansion patrolling the streets with notices on the seventh day of the lunar new year, Chen Guangrui felt a mix of emotions.

Fortunately, he had a good understanding of the history of this period. Even if he missed the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he could still pick up the biggest bargain of this period.

In the days following the Xuanwu Gate Incident, everyone was saying that Crown Prince Jiancheng's old subordinates were going to be purged.

But Chen Guangrui knew that Wei Zheng wouldn't, so these past few days, he had seemingly visited many court officials, but in reality, it was all for the purpose of visiting Wei's residence today.

For others, this would be called speculation, but for Wei Zheng, it was an investment.

However, this was only the first step in his political career; the second step...
"Brother."

"When there are other people around, you can call me 'brother' or 'elder brother.' But in private, you can just call me 'brother.' No one will say you don't know manners."

“Oh, brother, I’ve heard about what you mentioned a few days ago. It’s true that Prime Minister Yin’s daughter will be selected at the bridal pavilion in ten days.”

Chen Guangrui nodded. "Have you found all the people I asked you to find?"

"Yes, I found a few strong and healthy people from the countryside. They'll squeeze to the front, and no one else can get a good spot."

At this point, Chen An hesitated, then, seeing Chen Guangrui's expression, thought for a moment and couldn't help but say, "Brother, Yin Kaishan is the current prime minister. If he wants to marry off his daughter, won't everyone be lining up to see her? What's the point of having a bridal pavilion for the selection? Unless..."

"Unless what?"

Chen An lowered his head, his voice becoming much softer, "I've heard rumors that Prime Minister Yin's daughter has never shown her face, and she's probably... probably an ugly monster, right?"

Chen An didn't dare to say the last three words, "ugly monster," his voice was pitifully soft.

Upon hearing this, Chen Guangrui laughed immediately. Without explaining much, he simply said, "Ugly people are good. I like ugly people because they are caring."

(End of this chapter)