A Foodie’s Road to Success in the Imperial Exams: My Classmates Are Eating Right Out of My Hand

[Imperial exams, daily life, building a fortune, slow and steady, court politics] In his previous life, Shen Qingquan grew up in an orphanage and worked his way through school to graduate from a top university. Who would have thought he’d die suddenly from overwork?

He transmigrates to the Great Qian dynasty as a country boy from a remote mountain village. He has six older sisters, and he’s the family’s only son.

He has always cherished his sisters and honored his elders, and he knows that reviving the family’s fortunes depends on him. Passing the imperial exams and entering government service is the best path forward.

Shen Qingquan loves good food, but he’s transmigrated to an era with a woeful food culture. Starting with making salted duck eggs, he eventually becomes the owner of a world-famous restaurant.

The road to the imperial exams is full of delicious food, and his classmates go wild for the Shen family’s cooking.

They’re not only eager to befriend Shen Qingquan, but also impressed by his talent and learning. As they rub their swollen, pig-trotter-like hands, sore from their teacher’s beatings, they lament, “I’m nowhere near Brother Shen’s level!”

His classmates are hooked, a great scholar with students all over the realm is won over by his cooking, and a longtime food lover is delighted to discover a new favorite and takes him on as a student!

From then on, he sweeps through the imperial exams. The minor triple honors are his for the taking, and the grand triple honors are practically in the bag. The first top scholar in Great Qian’s history to earn all six honors sends shockwaves through the age and becomes famous throughout the realm!

From humble beginnings as a farmer’s son to years of diligent study and, at last, a name on the honors list, he finds himself admired by noblewomen and caught in his colleagues’ political machinations.

In an age when imperial authority reigns supreme, Shen Qingquan struggles to find a way through the treacherous currents of officialdom, hoping to protect his family and marry the woman he loves.

He pacifies the Western Regions, fights off pirates, opens trade routes, welcomes frank counsel, and expands the realm, until envoys arrive from every direction and an age of peace and prosperity dawns.

The young man is full of ambition, sweeping across the land and shaping the realm. The mountains and rivers stretch far and wide!

When the great roc rises with the wind, it soars ninety thousand miles!

In the end, he never forgets his original purpose. When he looks back after all those years, he has already reached the summit.