Chapter 291: Just How Hard Is the Imperial Examination?

Lai Heng, Lai Ji?

Chen Yan heard those two names and was momentarily dazed.

Regarding those two names, Chen Yan had a deep impression, first because his history teacher in his previous life had emphasized them.

This pair of brothers later both ascended to the position of Prime Minister.

However, both met rather poor fates; Chen Yan recalled that his history teacher humorously told them that the Lai Heng and Lai Ji brothers should have shone brightly, but after offending a woman they ultimately ended up exiled to a miserable death.

He also said that whatever they offend in the future, they should never offend a woman, so Chen Yan's impression of them was profound.

Brother Chen?

Seeing that he didn't reply for a while and that the two brothers were waiting, Du Gou called out.

Oh, sorry, I just recalled something from the past.

Chen Yan came to himself and apologetically said, "My surname is Chen, and my given name is just the character Yan."

"Du Gou!" Du Gou nodded.

Chen Yan? Du Gou?

This time, the two brothers were the ones stunned.

A few months earlier, those two names had caused quite a stir: His Majesty forcibly granted Weinan County to Crown Prince Li Chengqian as a fief, and also ordered Marquis of Weinan Chen Yan to assume the post of County Magistrate, while Cai Duke's eldest son Du Gou became Chief Clerk.

Having constantly accessed their father's former connections and paying attention to Court affairs, the two brothers naturally had heard of it.

However, they didn't expect that a random encounter on the street would turn out to be these two.

"It seems you know us," Chen Yan said, somewhat surprised.

"The appointment of County Magistrate Chen and Chief Clerk Du caused a great stir in the Court a few months ago; I indeed heard bits and pieces," he replied.

Lai Heng appeared somewhat restrained; he was still young, not yet a future Prime Minister, and at present was merely a diligent, frail scholar hoping to enter officialdom through the Imperial Examination.

Although he inherited a few of his father's connections, they could not compare to those two top‑tier second‑generation Tang Dynasty elites.

Chen Yan saw through it and said gently, "Since that's the case, let's not waste words; aren't we going to the library?"

"Let's go, we'll go together."

Saying that, he nodded to the two brothers and, together with Du Gou, took the first steps toward the library.

The Lai brothers hesitated briefly, then gritted their teeth and followed.

On the way, Chen Yan casually asked, "You both have the surname Lai, which is rather uncommon; have you heard of the former dynasty's Left Guard General, Duke of Rong, 'Lai Huer'?"

The Lai brothers' hearts skipped a beat at the mention.

Lai Huer was indeed their father.

But he was killed by Yuwen Huaji during the Jiangdu upheaval at the end of the Sui, and the Lai family subsequently fell into decline.

The two brothers aim to enter officialdom through the Imperial Examination to avenge their father's honor.

Of course, "avenging honor" here does not mean clearing a crime; Lai Huer was a loyal minister, and even though he served the previous dynasty, he was not guilty. It refers to erasing the shame of the family's decline caused by the upheaval and restoring the family prestige.

They intend, through their own effort, to bring the Lai clan back to the halls of power.

Lai Heng couldn't read his mind; merely by a surname, he happened to point out their father.

Whether intentional or not, he didn't know.

Lai Ji, however, younger and more spirited, said, "He is our father; one day, the two of us will restore the Lai family's prestige."

At that moment, even Du Gou couldn't help but be surprised.

But it was only a slight surprise.

Before making a name for themselves, they are nothing.

"What ambition!" Chen Yan, knowledgeable of history, praised, "Allow me to speak frankly: you two have endured your family's decline, and as former Sui officials your status is quite sensitive, making life inevitably hard. Yet you still keep your spirit; you will surely become great in the future."

"You two specifically came to the library, likely to study the classics, perhaps to enter officialdom through the Imperial Examination?"

Seeing that Chen Yan did not mock them but instead gave them recognition, the Lai brothers couldn't help but develop a better impression of him.

Lai Heng frankly said, "Indeed as you said, Sir, the two of us aim to enter officialdom through the Imperial Examination."

"Truly great ambition!" Chen Yan nodded.

He recalled that the *Old Book of Tang*, *Biography of Lai Ji*, explicitly recorded the Lai brothers of this era, summarizing them in four characters—'dedicated and eager to learn!'

"Dedicated and eager to learn, possessing literary talent and knowledge of music."

"Because their father died heroically and the court mourned him, they were granted office."

It means they not only study diligently with literary flair, but also, due to the court's sympathy for their father's martyrdom, they obtained the opportunity to enter officialdom.

In fact, even though their family declined, they are not exactly children of humble families; if they wished, they could easily enter officialdom through family connections.

However, such entry usually yields very low ranks, mostly nominal posts, with little room for advancement.

After gaining an official position, they still wish to sit the Imperial Examination to prove their lofty aspirations, not being satisfied with merely entering through connections.

"Sir, you flatter me."

Lai Heng shook his head and sighed, "That may be so, but how difficult is the Imperial Examination path?"

"That's why the two of us came to the library in Weinan County, hoping to study more of the classics; otherwise, it would be hard to compete with other aristocratic youths."

Lai Ji echoed, "Indeed, my elder brother and I have settled our families; if the library truly has that many volumes, we plan to stay in Weinan County for a while."

The Imperial Examination path is very difficult......

Chen Yan squinted, stroked his chin, and fell into thought.

He said nothing for the rest of the journey, while Du Gou, who had been quiet before, seemed to improve his attitude toward the brothers and chatted cheerfully with them.

When the four of them reached the library entrance, the Lai brothers looked at the three‑story building covering over twenty mu and exclaimed, "We've long heard the library is huge, but didn't expect it to be this big."

Lai Ji, having carried his pack all the way, finally arrived at the destination and exclaimed excitedly, "Isn't that even better?"

"It shows the library isn't exaggerated; now I believe many precious books are inside."

"Isn't this like a fire in the crotch about to ignite?" Du Gou couldn't help but retort, "Brother Chen has copied books from my family, the Fang family, and other closely related families, even the Imperial Family's books; it's unlikely the books would be fewer!"

Ah?

Lai Ji, startled, said, "This library was opened by Lord Chen?"

Du Gou, feeling puzzled, asked, "You don't know?"

"Since you know our identities, you can just casually inquire and find out who opened the library."

"Um…," Lai Ji laughed awkwardly, "Until now we only focused on the library, but we never paid attention to who opened it."

"Gentlemen," Lai Heng said at this moment, "We still need to quickly find a place to settle, so we'll take our leave now."

"Alright, farewell."

"Farewell."

Watching them leave, Du Gou turned his head and said, "Brother Chen, you have a high opinion of them?"

"Whether we think they're promising or not, let's not discuss that now." Chen Yan mused, "Brother Du, I've long heard that the Imperial Examination is very difficult; I want to know exactly how it is difficult."