I Use Science to Go Wild on the Imperial Exam Trail

A top student from the history department transmigrates into the body of an orphan from a poor family, only to open his eyes beside the stinking latrine at the county-level imperial exam. While the other candidates tremble like leaves, he breathes in the foul air and secretly rejoices: the maps showing the latrine’s location in historical records were real! He defeats corrupt officials to secure his place, then presents an analysis of farmland data at the palace examination. The new emperor’s eyes light up. “This young man is a master of mathematics!” The old scholars at the Hanlin Academy mistake him for a mere arithmetic technician, but he drives construction machinery straight into the raging Yellow River floodwaters. An elder minister denounces him: “These bizarre contraptions will bring ruin to the nation!” The emperor overrules everyone. “At tomorrow’s court session, I want to see your treatise on disaster prevention!”

When he reforms the imperial examinations, his sworn enemy kneels before the throne, weeping blood. “The laws of our ancestors must not be changed. You should take Shang Yang as a warning!” He coolly flicks his sleeve. “Shang Yang was torn apart by chariots? Then perhaps I should invite the Empress Dowager to discuss it with me.” The whole court gasps: how dare he bring up the taboo figure who ruled from behind the curtain for ten years?

Years later, seated in the Grand Secretariat’s chair, he bends down to carve an inscription: “The road from a poor family is hard. I gained power, but I could not smash every invisible wall.”