The Road to the Azure Heavens: One Step at a Time Through the Imperial Exams

Han Qingwu is the son of a tea merchant. His family isn't wealthy, but they live a safe and comfortable life. Gu Yu is the daughter of a scholar. She has been literate since childhood, and is gracious and well-mannered. Their fathers are close friends, so they arranged for their children to marry. Later, Gu Yu's parents died one after another, and she was taken in by the Han family, where she would stay until she came of age and married. Unfortunately, life is unpredictable. Han Qingwu's father also died in an accident, and his second wife left with their hungry infant to run off with someone else. In an instant, the once-comfortable Han family was reduced to thirteen-year-old Han Qingwu, his betrothed, twelve-year-old Gu Yu, and his half-brother, two-month-old Han Qingtong. How are they supposed to get by? One-sentence summary: Follow this orphan boy's journey through the imperial examinations, as he climbs step by step to the heights of success. The story is told from both the male and female leads' perspectives. This is an alternate-history setting, and a very loosely constructed one at that. Completed works: The Cold-Blooded Bandit's Guide to Winning His Wife, The Way of a Husband in the Imperial Examinations, A Wedding to Bring Good Fortune, Meeting in Memories of a War-Torn Past, Return of the Soul, Sunflowers Facing Away from the Light, May the Mountains and Rivers Remain as They Were Coming soon: Springtime for Jiaojiao At the tender age of thirteen, Doukou was sold to a young scholar in town to be his bride, in hopes that she would bring him good fortune. The scholar was handsome as a jade tree and exceptionally clever. More importantly, he had a way with women and treated her well. Doukou adored him. She thought they would live a quiet, ordinary life together. Who could have guessed that the scholar would come first in the imperial examinations and catch the eye of the prime minister's daughter? Doukou knew her status was low and that she had neither talent nor money. Though leaving him felt like tearing out her own heart, she still planned to divorce the scholar and live a quiet life by herself. But... The scholar was as sweet as honey, yet he denied her freedom, hoping to enjoy the company of both women. Doukou had no one to rely on, and getting a divorce seemed impossible. After much thought, she turned her gaze toward the young prince, the man who made officials throughout the court tremble in fear. After testing the waters a few times, she gave up. The prince was simply too cold and frightening. She was scared, too. Just as Doukou was about to retreat, the prince stopped her. His gaze was deep, and his expression was cold enough to freeze. "What have you decided?" Doukou was almost trapped in his embrace. She trembled. She hadn't expected the prince to be so hard, either. Hard as the knife in his hand. The female lead grows over the course of the story. A slice-of-life story. Theme: