Dabai's Journey Through the Imperial Exams

Word around town is that Magistrate Jiang is charming and carefree, beautiful and kindhearted, a rare and incorruptible official, and a pioneer of the northern frontier. People say he is a living deity worthy of a shrine in his home, where he should be worshipped every day. Magistrate Jiang looks at all the hungry mouths waiting to be fed, both inside and outside his home, and feels utterly overwhelmed. All he can do is pretend to be calm and work himself to the bone for the court, trying to feed his family and bring honor to his ancestors. P.S. 1. A woman transmigrates into a man and will marry and have children. This is a fictional setting, and a very loosely defined one at that! My new story, The Splendor of the Imperial Exams, is now underway! Please add it to your favorites and subscribe! Rumor has it that the young, handsome, powerful Xiao Yuan, a rising star in the imperial court, has absolutely no self-awareness in private, and many people have fallen victim to it. Colleague: I heard you were an idiot as a kid? Xiao Yuan: I was born brilliant, and couldn't help it. The next day, that colleague was impeached at court and berated as an idiot. Superior: I heard you're as strong as an ox and roll up your sleeves at the slightest disagreement? Xiao Yuan: I'm a refined man. I love reasoning things out with people. I have no idea what you're talking about. As he spoke, the inkstone in his hand crumbled to powder, and his superior immediately fell silent. Emperor: I heard you love luxury, live extravagantly, and are unfit for important work? Xiao Yuan: Please hear me out. No, let me explain. I sacrifice myself for everyone, and dare to be the first to do it for all under heaven! The next day, the emperor received from Xiao Yuan improvements to papermaking, methods for cultivating superior seeds, advances in farming techniques, preliminary research into glassmaking, and 108 ways to set off fireworks. Emperor: Wait, did something strange get mixed in there? The story of how an interstellar pirate successfully changed careers and rose to yet another peak in life. Theme: Life is vast, with mountains rising and rivers flowing.