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 sickly. He’s too weak to do any physical labor, so he has no choice but to devote himself to his studies. Fortunately, Heaven takes pity on him: after passing the provincial exam, he packs his things and sets off for the capital to take the imperial examinations. His hometown is more than 4,300 li from the capital. Chen Yan travels through endless mountains and rivers for a long time. In an abandoned temple, he sees a ghostly beauty with jade pendants at her waist, smiling as she washes. An Avalokitesvara carved into the stone wall wields a priceless sword before vanishing from the painting. At an inn, he sees fox spirits and monsters lounging on the bed. A mountain spirit slips into his dreams and hosts a feast of blood wine for her beloved. In the famous mountains, a green-robed swordsman plays chess and discusses swordsmanship. In a village, a crimson-robed youth gazes at him with sparkling 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 male ghosts and demons want to become his wives, seriously slowing his journey. But soon, when Chen Yan reaches the capital, an even greater worry arises. With his academic ability, he may not be able to pass the imperial examinations at all... Just as he’s overcome with anxiety, a phoenix carriage stops beside him. The beautiful princess reaches out to him with a smile. “Yanlang, would you be willing to become the consort of the Great Ning dynasty?” Chen Yan: . Well... becoming an official this way still counts, doesn’t it? Before you read: * The protagonist is the pursuer, and the love interests dote on him. He’s an unbelievably popular heartthrob, with a personality like Xu Xian in Li Bihua’s version. * Includes all kinds of seductive, sinister, and insane ghosts... Some Liaozhai characters have their genders swapped, and cross-dressing may appear. All love interests are virgins. The protagonist only has a pure-love route. * The protagonist has some character flaws and moral ambiguity, but he has no ethical problems. He isn’t a Chen Shimei. * The narration is balanced but leans toward the protagonist. The story won’t deliberately demean, humiliate, or toy with him. * I’ll respond to feedback. No need to tell me if you drop the story. Love you all! * To be determined. Theme: Love yourself before loving others