Ming Dynasty: from the Imperial Examination to the First Assistant of a Poor Family

Zhang Muzhi, who was a college student majoring in Ming history in his previous life, traveled through the Jiajing period and was a poor boy in Zhangjia Village in the south of the Yangtze River. Faced with a leaky earthen house, a mean adoptive mother and a poor family, he knew that the imperial examination was the only way out. The private school first showed its talents, and he had new ideas in interpreting "The Analects of Confucius", and received an exceptional tuition exemption from Mr. Zhou. Fighting against arrogant classmate Zhao Fugui and protecting friend Li Shitou, they stood firm in the conflict. The county test encountered a difficult problem in the "Book of Rites" and calmly answered it by relying on the classics memorized in advance, ranking tenth. In the government examination, my neighbor's ink stained the paper. I calmly applied for a change of paper and submitted the complete answer sheet on time. Discussing the disadvantages of siltation in water transportation, he proposed three strategies: "dredging the river, rectifying the canal officials, and improving the ships", which was secretly praised by the examiner. Taking my cousin Wan'er's peace charm, the travel expenses saved by my adoptive father, and Mr. Zhou's support, I went to Nanjing for the provincial examination. He was a student from a poor family in Zhangjiacun and a rising star on the way to the Jiajing imperial examination. With modern historical knowledge in mind, sages and classics in hand, they can solve people's livelihood problems with strategies and efforts, and break down class barriers with hard work. Those who were able to advance could advance step by step through the imperial examinations, and those who could be retired could rely on craftsmanship to improve their family's circumstances and create hope for themselves and their families in the troubled times of the Ming Dynasty. And all of this started when he clutched the worn-out "The Analects of Confucius" after time travel and decided to take the private school entrance test...