[Imperial Exams] Don't Go! I Can Still Save This!

When Shen Changze was thirteen, disaster struck across the land, and he fled with his father and clan.

Along the road, bones piled up, epidemics spread, and people resorted to cannibalism. The dynasty was nearing its end.

His clansmen died one after another along the way, and Shen Changze caught the epidemic too, left on the brink of death.

Shen Changze thought he was doomed, but at the very last moment, he met a woman who called herself "Xi Tong" and was saved because of her.

With Xi Tong's help, Shen Changze led his clan to settle down, clear fields, and farm. Their lives gradually became stable.

But they couldn't spend their whole lives bent over the fields. Shen Changze chose an auspicious day, burned incense, and sincerely asked Xi Tong to point him toward a way forward.

The System smiled slightly, took out a book titled The Three Years of Study and Five Years of Imperial Examinations, and issued a mission. Its ultimate goal was unmistakable: to be remembered in history and bring peace to a land torn apart by war.

So Shen Changze picked up his books again, entered the imperial examination circuit, and pursued an official career, striving to... be remembered in history!

Shen Changze felt that, although Xi Tong was always coming up with strange little missions, through more than ten years of hard study and decades of struggle in the officialdom, she had been by his side year after year. He was grateful for her.

The top candidate in the palace examination was not only exceptionally talented and handsome, but also magnanimous and as gentle as jade.

As an official, he cared for the people and earned their admiration. He also tutored the princes, supporting a wise ruler's rise to power.

When that wise ruler first ascended the throne, he steadied the turbulent court, pacified the eastern seas, drove the Xiongnu from the west, and single-handedly brought order to the court and secured the realm.

Once the emperor began ruling in his own right, he handed over the power in his hands without a trace of reluctance. He was indifferent to fame and fortune and retired to the countryside.

After his death, he was remembered in history and revered by all.

He left no children or descendants. Only his achievements and praise lived on.

"The Master had a benevolent heart and made the livelihood of all the people his responsibility!"

"The Master was indifferent to fame and fortune, and never clung to power or riches!"

"The Master was deeply devoted. He spent his whole life with only one wife and never wavered!"

Theme: Keep your feet on the ground, take steady steps, and go on to achieve great things