Now that Chu Qiguang had reached the first state in martial arts, all that was required for him to enroll in Wise Hero Academy was a letter of recommendation from Wang Chengwang.

I can’t just have Wang Chengwang directly arrange a spot for me in Wise Hero Academy. If I do that, he’ll become suspicious and wonder why my master can’t make the arrangement for me himself. Hence, I have to use him.

The Great Han Empire’s imperial academic and martial examinations were each divided into three tests.

The first test was the local test, and those who passed the local academic test were called xiucai, while their martial counterparts were called wusheng.

At this stage, one would officially be part of the imperial court system. They would be exempt from kneeling in the presence of officials, and using torture on them in any official interrogation was prohibited. Furthermore, they would receive a monthly allotment of rice from the imperial court, and they would have the choice to go to high academies for further studies.

In the Great Han Empire, a xiucai or wusheng would be on equal footing with the Wang Clan. Even a thousand Ergous wouldn’t be worth a single xiucai, Chu Qiguang thought to himself.

The second test was the provincial test, and those who passed the provincial academic test were called juren, while their martial counterparts were called wujuren.[1]

The main privileges enjoyed by juren and wujuren was partial exemption from taxes and forced labor.

Furthermore, juren could go to advanced academies to further their studies, while wujuren could go to the northern or southern martial arts academy. Additionally, their crimes were not punishable by the county magistrate. Instead, the county magistrate would have to report the matter from the county level to the manor level, then to the provincial level, and only then could a punishment be decided.

In the Great Han Empire, a juren can already count as half an official, Chu Qiguang thought to himself. In modern times, only the equivalent of a prefectural level official would be able to prosecute them for their crimes. If they’re lucky enough to find an opening, then they could become an assistant county magistrate, or even a county magistrate outright with the proper connections.

If I can become a wujuren, then the Wang Clan would have to try and curry favor with me in the hopes that I can help them evade taxes by registering their land under my name. It’s considered an achievement of merit for the county magistrate of any county that manages to produce a juren. If a xiucai is worth a thousand Ergous, then a juren is worth at least ten thousand.

In a county, juren were already considered very important figures, and they were probably the most prestigious figures that most common folk could expect to see.

The third test was held in the capital city of the Great Han Empire, Divine Capital City, and it consisted of two parts; a preliminary test and a palace test.

Once that test was passed, one would become a jinshi or a wujinshi, and they would be able to enter the officialdom.

For a jinshi, even in the worst-case scenario, they could become a county magistrate, which meant that the worst-possible starting point for a jinshi was already a lofty aspiration for a juren.

Once you become a jinshi in the Great Han Empire, you could easily become a prefect without really even trying. A prefect is roughly the equivalent to a high-ranking municipal official in modern times, someone that can impose their will on Azure Sun County as they please. If you’re lucky and know how to climb up the ranks, you should at least be able to reach the rank of provincial governor before you retire.

That’s equivalent to a high-ranking prefectural official in modern times, and just a single order from an official of that caliber would be enough to have the entire Wang Clan banished. As for national-level positions like roles in the six ministries, those will be quite difficult to reach even for a jinshi, but certainly not impossible.

A single jinshi would be worth at least a hundred thousand Ergous. Given that passing an examination can open the door to municipal, provincial, and even national-level official positions, it’s not difficult to imagine how much of a life-changing opportunity these imperial examinations are regarded as.

However, it felt a little jarring to Chu Qiguang that both academics and warriors could become administrative officials in this world. After all, back on Earth, scholars were held in higher regard than warriors throughout the majority of the feudal era, and it was very rare for warriors to take on administrative roles.

However, it did make sense in this world, considering that martial artists also had to undergo imperial examinations just like their academic counterparts. Once scholars and martial artists made it into advanced academy and warrior academy, respectively, they would both be taught all types of knowledge on how to serve as officials by the imperial court.

In truth, the majority of the content in the imperial examinations didn’t actually do much to teach one how to serve as an official. One either grew up in an official clan and learned about things like legal processes, official operations, and the imperial court system from a young age, or they only learned about these subjects after passing the imperial examinations.

It’s like how both arts and science graduates can take the civil service exam. Overall, martial artists have it a bit easier in this world.

After taking a moment to think through the imperial examination system, Chu Qiguang returned his thoughts to the problem at hand.

In order to take part in the local examination to become a wusheng, there’s a cultivation base prerequisite, and a letter of recommendation is also required. According to Qiao Zhi, I’ll have to be a third state martial artist at the very least if I want to pass the local martial examination.

The officials and tycoons of the county have a monopoly on all the spots for participation in the local examinations, so I’ll have to attend Wise Hero Academy in order to secure a letter of recommendation from them.

The imperial examinations are held once every three years, and the closest one will be held in October this year. Right now, it’s May, so I still have five months. In these five months, I need to secure a spot to take part in the local examination and also reach the third state in martial arts. Otherwise, I’ll have to wait another three years.

Chu Qiguang’s brows furrowed slightly at that thought. He had no intention of living like this for another three years.

With that in mind, he set a goal for himself. “I have to become a wusheng this October.”

“Even with your aptitude, it’ll be difficult to reach the third state in five months,” Qiao Zhi said. “The good news is that you’ve managed to swindle quite a bit of money out of the Wang Clan, and if you spend all of it on Hundred Refinement Ointment, there's a chance you could reach the third state within five months.”

“I’m not planning to buy any more Hundred Refinement Ointment,” Chu Qiguang declared.

“Why not?” Qiao Zhi asked. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

“I’m planning to invest all of my money into grain, then flip it for a profit when the war begins,” Chu Qiguang explained.

“That’s a terrible idea!” Qiao Zhi immediately objected. “Grain prices are already inflated right now because everyone thinks that a war is about to break out! If you invest all of your money into grain, you’re going to lose everything!”

Chu Qiguang wanted to test Qiao Zhi a little, so he insisted, “Don’t try to dissuade me. When I do business, I go all in. If it pays off, I’ll have maidservants and concubines by the dozen. If I lose all my money, then I’ll just have to find another landowner to screw over.”

Qiao Zhi wanted to object further, but held his tongue as he thought to himself, I shouldn’t say too much. Otherwise, I might affect Chu Qiguang’s development. That said, maybe that’s not such a big deal. I can’t just watch him lose all his money!

With that in mind, Qiao Zhi said, “I suggest you give up on the idea. The war isn’t happening.”

“Why do you say that?” Chu Qiguang asked.

“The imperial court will negotiate a truce with the wolf fiend race, and they’ll establish trade relations with one another,” Qiao Zhi revealed.

Chu Qiguang’s eyes immediately lit up as he mused to himself, “In that case, grain prices are currently inflated, which means I can short sell it!”

“Can you not just settle down and take things one step at a time?” Qiao Zhi exclaimed in exasperation.

“No, I can’t do that,” Chu Qiguang murmured. “All of the major businesses are backed by the county’s wealthiest and most powerful clans, all of whom have connections in the imperial court. Even if I make money at their expense by short selling, I’ll be forced to cough everything back up.”

Qiao Zhi nodded in agreement as he said, “You’re right. Azure Sun County is no ordinary county. There are many wealthy and powerful clans, some even have ties to high-ranking officials like the governor general!”

“I have to get myself an official position as soon as possible,” Chu Qiguang sighed. “Otherwise, I’ll run into obstacles in everything that I do.”

“That’s right,” Qiao Zhi agreed. “Right now, your top priority should be to reach the second state in martial arts. That’s going to be a time-consuming process, and you’ll have to continue to cultivate consistently while nourishing your body with medicine and food. Once you strengthen your body beyond a certain threshold, you’ll have reached the second state. If you want to get there and go even further beyond in just five months, you have to keep buying medicine.”

“But right now, I only have less than 270 taels of silver left,” Chu Qiguang said. “Even if I spend all of it on Hundred Refinement Ointment, it will only last me for less than ten days.”

1. The wu in wujuren is the character that translates to martial, so wu is just the martial prefix, and wujuren is essentially martial juren. ☜