Liusha Village lies in the gap between two nameless peaks.
In the morning, the eastern mountain blocks the sunrise.
In the afternoon, the western mountain blocks the sunset.
Only at noon does sunlight reach the front of the houses.
Huang Qi was born in this little mountain village.
The villagers pieced together scattered plots of land here and there, like scraps of chicken offal, and raised families on them. Huang Qi's family was no different, but fortunately his parents knew how to gather medicinal herbs to supplement their income.
Huang Qi had never met his older brother. He had only heard his parents talk about how a snake had bitten him to death. His brother was buried beneath an elm tree, and his mother always looked at it through tears.
When Huang Qi was thirteen, his father found a ginseng root, and he was sent to study in town. As his parents had hoped, he made his way out of the mountains.
But the dream lasted only half a year. During the summer harvest, a flood came surging through. Their wooden home was swept away, and his father fell ill.
In just one day, Huang Qi resolved to sell his books to buy medicine. He would stop studying. He would not leave the mountains. The mountains had drawn him back, and he was willing to stay and look after his parents.
Life was bitter, but hope could be found everywhere, like a carrot dangling in front of a donkey to make it turn the millstone. At fourteen, Huang Qi found his carrot.
His cousin, a fellow student, promised to help pay for him to continue his studies. So in just a few minutes, Huang Qi decided where the whole family would go. His father would work as a long-term hired hand for the Xie family, while his mother and he would move to town.
Later, he met a young man. At first sight, Huang Qi knew this was the man who would be his husband.
When it came to the important decisions in life, he always made his choice in a very short time.
It took Huang Qi three years to go from the mountains to Qingxi Town, and from his tutor's home-based "academy" to the county school.
It took him another five years to pass the imperial examinations and enter officialdom. At twenty-two, he became the top scholar and entered the Hanlin Academy. After that, it took him nine more years to rise to a position of immense power at court.
P.S.
No golden finger, only the world's best brain.
He can be ruthless in pursuit of his goals. He's not a shining paragon of virtue. His type is: if you don't mess with me, I might occasionally mess with you; if you do mess with me, I'll dig three feet into the ground, pull out the roots, and then spray weed killer.
Farming and imperial exams in the early chapters, court politics later.
Bookish scholar x strong young man
One is smooth-talking, the other punches and kicks. Together, they're an unbeatable team.
Thesis: Build a future with your own hands
