Playing the Sweeping Monk in an Imperial Exam Novel

The first time Song Qinghe transmigrated into an imperial examination novel, he was a villain, constantly suppressed and put in his place by the male lead.

Unwilling to accept that fate, he studied hard and earned top honors in all six imperial examinations. He served as Minister of Rites, as well as four other ministers of the Six Ministries, entered the Grand Secretariat, became the emperor's tutor, and assisted four generations of rulers. He lived to ninety and was enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

The male lead? Song Qinghe barely noticed where he was demoted to.

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The second time he transmigrated into the story, he was a villain again.

Song Qinghe decided not to compete. He'd already had everything worth having, so let the male lead's halo shine! He took his little nephew and settled down in a small town, writing books and sharing his ideas.

He even took on a few students to help with the odd chore.

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But when he came back from a trip, all his students had earned the three minor examination honors.

He returned from a winter retreat in the south to find his students' names lined up near the top of the imperial examination results.

Song Qinghe: "..."

Keep a low profile!

Don't go around saying you're my students!

The examiners: How come the top three in every examination year are all fellow students? Who did they study under?

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Before long, the court officials noticed something else:

An old, seemingly unsolvable case had been solved!

A place plagued by disasters year after year had been saved!

A band of brigands that had caused trouble for years had been subdued!

The court officials: What? They all got their teacher's guidance? Who is this great master?

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The emperor summoned his new officials.

"What kind of person is your teacher, my dear subjects?"

The new officials: "Our teacher is handsome and elegant, learned, noble in character, and brilliant for his age..."

The emperor: "I wish to summon him to court..."

The new officials: "Your Majesty, please wait. Let us finish. Our teacher is none of those things! In truth, he's a good-for-nothing old man who loves to eat, has no ambition, and is sickly..."

The emperor: "..."

I don't believe it!

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Song Qinghe was leisurely sipping tea at home when he suddenly sneezed.

The lazy good-for-nothing jolted upright: Should I "feign illness to avoid the emperor's favor"?

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Theme: A teacher's duty is to impart knowledge, teach skills, and answer questions.