A Farmer's Son Takes the Imperial Exams, Becomes Top Scholar, and Honors His Clan

[Humble origins + transmigration + imperial examinations + daily life + underdog comeback + family support + chief minister + political intrigue + satisfying read] From a bare-bones household to the only candidate in history to top all six imperial exams, from a remote border county to the heart of the empire, witness the imperial-examination legend of a farmer’s son! Tan Hongyi, a Peking University prodigy and young government official, transmigrates into the body of an eighteen-year-old farmer’s son whose family has nothing and who has repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. Faced with a frail body and a poor family, he quietly steels himself: the imperial examinations are the only way to change his fate! Drawing on the foundations laid by the original owner of the body and knowledge far ahead of its time, he resolutely takes up his books again. No money for paper and ink? He transcribes famous works from later generations and opens up a path to business with popular stories, improving his family’s lot. His family may be poor, but they’re willing to sell their ancestral land and give him everything they have! Watch as he starts with the county exam and takes first place at every level: the prefectural, academy, provincial, metropolitan, and palace exams. He tops all six, creating an unparalleled legend in the history of the imperial examinations! But becoming the top scholar isn’t the end. Knowing the dynasty is nearing its fall, he turns down the prestige of a Hanlin Academy post and volunteers for the most dangerous, impoverished county in the north. He trains a new army, builds firearms, repels foreign invasions, and puts down internal rebellions. In the end, he rises to the highest position in the government and becomes chief minister, turning the tide when all seems lost!