A Rise from Humble Beginnings: The Book Boy’s Path to the Top

Qin Yize, a top history student in the modern era, transmigrates one day into the body of a poor scholar's servant boy in a remote village of the Great Chu Dynasty. His family is destitute, his young master is a good-for-nothing, and the imperial examinations seem like an insurmountable barrier. But the young master is terrified of taking the exams and comes up with the absurd idea of having Qin Yize sit them in his place. What seems like a hopeless predicament turns into an opportunity: armed with modern knowledge and a solid grounding in classical Chinese, Qin Yize blazes his way through the examinations.

From making a name for himself in the county-level exams, to outshining his rivals and passing the provincial exams, to distinguishing himself in the metropolitan and palace examinations and claiming the top spot, he keeps rising. He navigates the officialdom, facing pressure from powerful clans and exclusion by his colleagues, and repeatedly uses his wit and courage to overcome each crisis. Along the way, he unexpectedly uncovers a shocking secret about his origins: he is connected to the imperial family by a web of ties. See how Qin Yize, a poor scholar's servant boy, rewrites his fate, rises to the top of the court, and makes history.