I Just Want to Go to the Capital for the Exams [Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio]

Chen Yan is a poor scholar.

His father died young, and his mother is frail and often ill. He is too weak for manual labor, so he has devoted himself to his studies. Fortunately, Heaven takes pity on him. After passing the provincial examinations, he packs his bags and sets off for the capital to sit the imperial examinations.

His hometown lies more than 4,300 li from the capital. The journey is long and arduous, and Chen Yan travels for a long time.

In an abandoned temple, he sees a ghostly beauty playing with her jade pendants and smiling as she splashes in the water. On a stone wall, a Guanyin holding a priceless sword slips out of a painting.

At an inn, fox spirits and other monsters lounge lazily on the beds. A mountain spirit enters his dreams and hosts a wine-and-romance feast for her sweetheart.

At a famous mountain, a swordsman in green plays chess and discusses swordsmanship. In a village, a young man in crimson catches the light in his eyes.

Chen Yan has two worries. First, his mother needs someone to care for her at home, so he can't fulfill his duty as a son.

Second, all these ghostly men and monsters want to become his wives, seriously slowing down his journey.

But soon, when Chen Yan reaches the capital, a much bigger worry presents itself.

With his academic abilities, he seems to have no chance of passing the imperial examinations...

Just as he is fretting, a phoenix carriage stops beside him.

The beautiful princess holds out her hand and smiles. "Yanlang, would you be willing to become the consort of the Great Ning Dynasty?"

Chen Yan: .

Well... if this is how he becomes an official, then why shouldn't it count?

[Things to know before reading]

* You don't need to have read Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio to enjoy this! The characters and stories in each arc are all original.

* A top-focused story with a top-centric protagonist, an unbelievably popular heartthrob, and a top with Xu Xian's personality. He is not an aggressive top, and this is not a pure wish-fulfillment story. The journey to the capital is also a process of growth and self-cultivation for the top.

* Features all kinds of alluring, gloomy, and unhinged ghosts... including cross-dressing. All the bottoms are virgins, and there's a flavor for everyone, but the top only has a true-love route.

* The top has character flaws and moral ambiguity, but no ethical problems.

* The story generally favors the top in its descriptions. No top-bashing or top fetishization.

* I won't deliberately emphasize the top's appearance with details like delicate shoulders or slender fingers. The protagonist won't be sexualized or weakened in the descriptions, and will have a fully developed inner life and growth arc. The various men on the menu, however, will be scrutinized and judged by their looks. If they aren't strong, beautiful, and competitive, they'll lose. They'll fight tooth and nail for the protagonist's love.

A light and airy, buoyant type X a gloomy, obsessive, heavy type. If that's your thing, come on in ^^

* I'll respond to feedback. No need to tell me if you're dropping the story.

Theme: The weak who overcome the strong are brave.