YWTGU -Chapter 1 I Really Don’t Want to Be the Top Scholar!

“By imperial decree, the top ten successful candidates of the metropolitan examination are summoned to the Golden Hall to meet His Majesty!”

The sharp, drawn-out voice of a eunuch pierced straight through the haze clouding Li An’s mind.

He jolted awake.

What met his eyes was a dazzling scene of resplendent gold.

Above him stretched an impossibly high ceiling adorned with carved beams and painted rafters. Sixteen massive golden pillars coiled with dragons stood in solemn majesty. Beneath his feet were mirror-bright golden tiles, reflecting not only his own figure, but also nine other young scholars dressed just like him in green robes and square headscarves.

They stood in neat rows, heads lowered, not daring to breathe too loudly.

“Where… am I?”

Li An’s mind was still spinning.

Just a second ago he had been pulling an all-nighter at the office revising a proposal. How had he suddenly ended up in what looked like the set of some ancient costume drama?

Before he could process it, a torrent of chaotic memories flooded into his head.

The Great Qi Dynasty… a spy from Northern Yan… metropolitan graduate… deliberately underperforming in the palace examination?

In just a few breaths, Li An’s expression shifted from confusion to bloodless pallor, and finally to utter speechlessness.

Good news: He had transmigrated. He was now a newly certified gongshi of Great Qi, standing at the palace examination. If he performed well, a boundless future awaited him.

Bad news: The original owner of this body was actually a spy sent by Northern Yan. Codename: Lone Wolf. And not just any spy—a highly promising one in whom Northern Yan had placed great hopes.

Worse news: The Northern Yan intelligence agency, Blackwater Terrace, had given him a strict order—intentionally perform poorly in the palace examination and yield the title of zhuangyuan (top scholar) to another spy.

That spy was Han Zhao, son of Northern Yan’s prime minister Han Zhong. Codename: Azure Hawk. He was Blackwater Terrace’s prized protégé.

According to their plan, Han Zhao was the true chess piece destined to stir the winds and clouds within Great Qi’s court.

As for Li An? Just a glorified prop.

“Are you kidding me, heavens? In my past life, I was sent by my company to infiltrate a rival firm. Worked like a damn beast of burden, and died from overwork. Now I transmigrate to ancient times—and I’m still a spy?!”

Li An wailed inwardly.

No way. This job was impossible.

He took a deep breath, and a powerful desire to slack off surged within him.

Be a spy? Be someone’s foil? Why should he?

But how could he get out of this?

Running was out of the question. Who knew how many Northern Yan agents were lurking around? Blindly fleeing would be suicide.

Continue being a spy? Even worse. He couldn’t endure that constant anxiety for even a day.

Wait…

None of that seemed to matter anymore.

Because in front of his eyes, a translucent system screen suddenly appeared.

【National Destiny System】

Host: Li An (Codename: Lone Wolf)
Current Identity: Northern Yan spy / Newly certified metropolitan graduate
Current Cycle Alignment: Northern Yan (Undermine Great Qi’s national destiny)
Current Great Qi National Destiny Value: 88,000 (Long-lasting reign)

Core Mission: Reduce the national destiny value to zero

Reward Mechanism: For every 1 point decrease in national destiny, host receives 100 taels of gold (stored in system vault; transferable back to modern world upon death)

Penalty Mechanism: For every 1 point increase in national destiny, host receives only 0.01 tael of gold and triggers a compensation mission next cycle

“Whoa! If I bring down Great Qi, I can return to modern times with billions of taels of gold and become the richest man alive!”

“Even if I don’t destroy it completely—just rack up tens of thousands of taels, then deliberately get myself executed—I can go back immediately and live in luxury!”

Li An nearly burst with joy.

In his previous life, he had been treated like expendable labor, working 996 until he dropped dead at his desk.

He still had a multi-million-yuan mortgage in the capital unpaid!

Now heaven had handed him a cheat system. What could be easier than sabotaging a feudal dynasty?

No need to build infrastructure. No need to advance technology.

Just—cause chaos. As much chaos as possible.

He had zero intention of staying in this ancient court. As long as he stirred up trouble today, knocked down a few hundred destiny points, then got himself executed—he could head straight back home.

“Hehe! If I go crazy during the palace exam and write something treasonous to enrage the emperor…”

Li An’s mind raced.

“Best case? They strip my degree and blacklist me for life. That’ll shake the foundations of the imperial examination system—worth at least a few hundred destiny points!”

“Worst case? I get executed on the spot. That’ll spark unrest among scholars nationwide. Maybe even brand the emperor a tyrant, giving Northern Yan an excuse to invade. That’s got to slash a few thousand points!”

“This play… is solid! My ten thousand taels of gold… here I come!”

Perfect.

Just as Li An was plotting his grand self-destruction—

A sudden commotion arose ahead.

“His Majesty has arrived!”

At the eunuch’s cry, all the candidates dropped to their knees and hailed the emperor.

Li An quickly followed suit, though he sneakily glanced upward.

On the lofty dragon throne sat a figure clad in imperial yellow.

A curtain of beads obscured the emperor’s face, but the aura of supreme authority filled the Golden Hall unmistakably.

This was the Emperor of Great Qi—Zhao Xuanji.

“Rise, my ministers.”

From behind the bead curtain came the emperor’s languid voice.

“For this year’s palace examination, I care not for ornate rhetoric. I will pose a single question. Answer it before me. The one who answers best shall be this year’s top scholar.”

The candidates trembled—nervous yet excited.

Li An’s heart leapt with joy.

His chance had come.

Answer on the spot?

Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to court death?

If written on paper, the emperor might not read it personally. Even if he did, he might not fly into a rage.

But if insulted face-to-face? Impossible not to be angry.

Li An also recalled that Great Qi’s founding emperor had left an ancestral decree:

“No punishment for speech.”

As long as he didn’t openly rebel, at worst he’d be demoted or exiled. He wouldn’t die.

As for Han Zhao?

Heh. If Li An was disgraced and removed from contention, with no other strong competitors, wouldn’t Han Zhao naturally become top scholar? Mission accomplished for Blackwater Terrace.

A win-win.

“The question is simple,” the emperor said calmly. “How should a nation be governed?”

An old chestnut of a topic.

But the more classic the question, the harder it was to give a fresh answer.

The first to step forward was Han Zhao.

Handsome as carved jade, refined and elegant—clearly the bearing of a noble scion.

“Your Majesty,” he began confidently, “the way to govern lies in benevolence and righteousness. If the ruler practices humane governance, the hearts of the people will return…”

Watching him speak eloquently, Li An scoffed inwardly.

That’s it? And he’s the prized candidate?

Standard platitudes. Nothing new.

Behind the curtain, the emperor merely nodded noncommittally.

One after another, the rest echoed Confucian clichés—benevolence, propriety, righteousness—or simply flattered the throne.

The emperor’s impatience became increasingly visible.

Were all of Great Qi’s scholars nothing more than parrots?

Was there not a single man who dared speak blunt truths?

In comparison, Han Zhao’s answer was indeed the most polished.

Finally, it was Li An’s turn.

“The last one,” the emperor said, clearly bored. “Let us hear your insight.”

All eyes in the hall focused on Li An.

He straightened his robes and strode forward, head held high.

Here it comes! My gold!

Brother Han Zhao, the top scholar title is yours. Don’t say I wasn’t generous!

He took a deep breath, projected his voice like a bell:

“I, Li An, have but one thing to say about governing a nation—”

“Speak.”

The emperor’s tone was indifferent.

Li An threw caution to the wind and roared:

“Governing the nation? With Great Qi already this terminally ill, what the hell is there left to govern?!”

Boom!

The hall exploded in shock.

The eunuch dropped his whisk. Officials gaped in disbelief.

“Impudent!”

“Madman!”

“How dare you use such foul language in the Golden Hall!”

Ding!

【Congratulations, Host!】

【Shocking words in court; damaging officials’ confidence in the state!】

【Great Qi National Destiny -2】

【Current Destiny Value: 87,998】

Li An’s eyes lit up.

It dropped! It really dropped!

Two points wasn’t much—but it was just the beginning.

He grew bolder.

“Your Majesty asks how to govern? I say Great Qi’s sickness lies not in natural disasters nor foreign foes—but in Your Majesty! In this entire court of officials!”

Outrage erupted.

“Absurd!”

“Treasonous disrespect!”

Ding!

【Officials enraged; signs of ruler-minister discord emerging!】

【Great Qi National Destiny -3】

【Current Destiny Value: 87,995】

Li An was thrilled.

Yes! This was the feeling!

The harsher he cursed, the more it dropped!

He stepped forward, pointing toward the dragon throne.

“Your Majesty has reigned three years with no achievements—yet first builds pleasure gardens, then selects new concubines. Indulgent and complacent… a fatuous ruler!”

The words “fatuous ruler” sent the hall into chaos.

Prime Minister Wang Fu leapt out, furious.

“Outrageous! You dare insult His Majesty to his face!”

“I request Your Majesty execute this villain immediately!”

Ding!

【Host publicly denounces the emperor; court shaken!】

【Great Qi National Destiny -5】

【Current Destiny Value: 87,990】

Watching the national fortune value steadily drop, Li An was overjoyed.

Steady!

Keep going!

He completely ignored the prime minister’s furious shout. Instead, he grew more impassioned the more he spoke—after all, every extra bit of impact meant a few hundred more taels of gold! Spittle flew as he declaimed:

“Within this court, you lords occupy your posts while doing nothing, forming factions for private gain! The frontiers are in crisis, yet the Ministry of Revenue cries poverty; the common people cannot fill their stomachs, yet the capital indulges in pools of wine and forests of meat!”

“When a nation is about to perish, monsters are bound to appear. And every lord present here is one of those monsters!”

Good heavens!

With that one indiscriminate blast, Li An had cursed every single civil and military official in court without exception.

“This is rebellion!”

“The boy has gone mad!”

“Your Majesty, seize this lunatic at once!”

Ding!

【Host viciously berates the entire court. Officials enraged; confidence severely shaken!】

【Great Qi National Fortune –8】

【Current National Fortune: 87,982】

The more Li An cursed, the more exhilarated he became, fully immersed in the act.

The system’s real-time feedback flickered; the numbers kept jumping.

Every single point down was one hundred taels of gold!

Keep going! Curse them to death!

“I have heard it said: If the ruler regards his ministers as dirt and weeds, then the ministers will regard the ruler as bandits and enemies!”

“Now, if Your Majesty regards the people of the realm as mere grass and straw, then the people will surely regard Your Majesty as a bandit and foe!”

“If this is Great Qi, and it will not scrape away the poison from its bones, then what need is there to govern it further?”

“Better that it perish sooner rather than later! Your Majesty should simply surrender to Northern Yan and the other states, and spare the people their suffering!”

Ding!

【Host curses Great Qi with destruction and urges surrender, shaking the foundation of the state!】

【Great Qi National Fortune –10】

【Current National Fortune: 87,972】

Li An finished in one breath, gathering his qi in his dantian, his voice striking the ground like iron:

“This— is the memorial I present today: ‘A Petition Urging Your Majesty to Surrender’!”

Dead silence.

Everyone was stunned senseless by such shocking words.

A newly certified tribute scholar…

Cursing the emperor as incompetent in the palace hall?

Calling the officials monsters?

Wishing for Great Qi’s early demise?

And even glorifying it as A Petition Urging Your Majesty to Surrender?

This wasn’t a palace examination.

This was clearly a death wish!

Behind him, Han Zhao—the originally favored candidate for top scholar, secretly chosen by Northern Yan—couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.

Good lad. Well played.

After saying all that, if he isn’t beheaded, he’ll at least be exiled.

The title of Top Scholar is mine for sure!

“Your Majesty!”

Prime Minister Wang Fu pointed at Li An in fury. “This boy is outrageously insolent, insulting ruler and ministers to their faces. By law, he should be executed!”

“I second the motion! Drag this madman to the Meridian Gate and behead him!”

“I second!”

Cries for execution filled the hall.

Hearing them, Li An felt delighted inside, though he wore an expression of fearless resolve unto death.

Quick! Issue the decree and chop off my head!

If you execute me, the national fortune will drop even more!

He sneaked a glance at the system panel—

【Cumulative effect of this speech: National Fortune –28】

【Estimated earnings: 2,800 taels of gold】

Two thousand eight hundred taels!

And this was only the warm-up!

If he were executed and caused greater turmoil, it could drop by several hundred more points!

Tens of thousands of taels of gold were right before his eyes!

However…

A soft laugh came from behind the beaded curtain.

“Heh.”

The emperor laughed.

“Execute him? Prime Minister, have you forgotten the Iron Law of the Founding Emperor? One is not to punish words as crimes.”

The beaded curtain slowly rolled up, revealing the emperor’s true face.

It was an exceedingly young and somewhat delicate face, with features refined almost to excess.

At the sight of it, Li An’s heart skipped.

This emperor looked far too… pretty-boy-ish.

Practically effeminate!

Still, jokes aside—that gaze was terrifying.

His eyes locked onto Li An, bright and piercing, as if they could scorch a man.

…

At this moment, Emperor Zhao Ling’er’s heart was churning like a stormy sea.

Anger? At first, yes.

But as she carefully reflected on those words, the anger gradually faded, replaced by an unprecedented sense of resonance.

No merit accomplished, yet gardens built first?

That was forced on me by the Empress Dowager!

Factions in court for private gain?

Well said! How many in this court actually heed my orders?

Every accusation Li An made seemed to curse the emperor—but in truth, each blade stabbed directly into those powerful ministers who had hollowed out imperial authority!

How suffocating it had been to serve three years as a puppet emperor—only she knew.

Today, someone had finally dared to tear away the fig leaf in the Golden Hall!

“This man… understands me!”

“Minister Li.”

The emperor suddenly spoke. Yet her tone was not harsh—it was surprisingly gentle.

“Do you believe that I, as emperor, am incompetent and useless?”

Li An froze.

Huh?

This isn’t how the script goes!

You’re the emperor! I just insulted you—that’s high treason!

Shouldn’t you be furious?

“Th-this subject did not mean that…”

“No need to explain.”

With a sweep of her sleeve, the emperor cut him off.

“I understand your ‘Petition Urging Surrender.’ You are the only one who dares speak the truth to me!”

“You risk death to remonstrate, using your burning loyalty to awaken me—and this Great Qi court!”

Li An’s mind filled with question marks.

Brother, is your imagination really this strong?

I literally meant every word insulting you!

“By my decree!”

The emperor’s voice rang clear through the Golden Hall:

“Tribute Scholar Li An is quick of wit, loyal and courageous, possessing great talent for governance. Though his words today were fierce, every phrase was a gem, deeply thought-provoking!”

“I hereby appoint him First Class, First Rank—Top Scholar!”

“He shall serve as Compiler in the Hanlin Academy and attendant of the Imperial Study. I want him by my side at all times, to admonish me!”

Ding!

【Major event detected!】

【The emperor overrules opposition and appoints Li An as Top Scholar!】

【Scholars across the realm are inspired; the hearts of Great Qi unite!】

【Great Qi National Fortune +128】

【Current National Fortune: 88,100】

【Net change this cycle: +100】

【Estimated settlement reward: 1 tael of gold (penalty multiplier triggered)】

【Warning: If national fortune remains increased at settlement, a compensation mission will be triggered!】

Li An’s vision went black. He nearly collapsed onto the golden tiles.

It… increased?!

One hundred twenty-eight points?!

Not only had it erased the twenty-eight points he’d painstakingly reduced—it had added another hundred?!

He cursed for so long, lost a hundred points of national fortune in the process, and ended up earning just one tael of gold?!

Han Zhao was equally dumbfounded.

That madman who cursed the emperor became Top Scholar?

But I, Han Zhao, was the carefully cultivated candidate of the Blackwater Terrace!

“Bestow!”

The emperor continued, “Minister Li dares to speak frankly and remonstrate; I am greatly comforted. I grant him an imperial gold token. With it, he may freely enter and exit the palace!”

A small, inconspicuous eunuch stepped forward with a tray, presenting a gleaming golden token.

Li An felt numb all over as he mechanically reached out to take it.

But just as his fingers touched the token, the eunuch raised his eyes and whispered in a voice only he could hear:

“Well done, Lone Wolf. Midnight tonight. The usual place.”

Li An’s hand trembled violently.

There are Blackwater Terrace agents even inside the imperial palace?

He glanced again at the glaring “+100” on the system panel…

It’s over.

His perfect plan—to ruin the national fortune, get executed, and return to the modern world—had completely failed!

Not only was he not executed, he’d become Top Scholar!

Not only Top Scholar—the national fortune had increased by a hundred points!

Is there something seriously wrong with this Great Qi emperor’s brain?!

No. No. No.

He’d finally transmigrated once and even had a system. Was he supposed to return to modern times with just one tael of gold?

What a total waste of opportunity!

I have to keep causing trouble.

Besides, now that I’m Great Qi’s Top Scholar, the higher my position, the greater my power—and the greater the destruction I can cause!

I refuse to believe…

That with me, a Top Scholar running wild and sabotaging things, Great Qi’s national fortune can’t be ruined!