An Adopted Son of a Farming Family Begins His Exam Journey by Eavesdropping at School

[Alternate History] [Rural Life] [Eavesdropping at School] [The Hardships of Studying] [The Challenges of the Imperial Exams] [Court Intrigue] [Governing a Region] [Suppressing Japanese Pirates and Opening Maritime Trade] [Expanding the Borders] The Great Feng dynasty has stood for 200 years. To the north, steppe tribes raid the border; to the south, Japanese pirates plague the coast. Xu Wannian, a corporate wage slave in his previous life, has barely transmigrated when Japanese pirates attack his village. His parents are killed protecting him and his younger sister, and to survive, he has no choice but to be adopted by a childless uncle from the same clan. His adoptive parents treat him like their own son, but being an adopted child is no easy matter. His grandparents show him no favor, the eldest grandson bullies him, and his aunt by marriage picks on him too. Just as he demonstrates his talent for reading, he gets sent off to herd cattle. Fine, then. He’ll just have to eavesdrop at school. With no books, he makes toys to trade with his “classmates.” With no ink or brushes, he tells his “classmates” stories in exchange for them. “When I was young, I loved learning. My family was poor, and I had no way to get books to read, so I often borrowed them from families with collections and copied them by hand, returning them on time. In the bitter cold, the inkstone froze solid and my fingers could barely bend, yet I never slacked off...” After ten years of hard study, he finally takes his place at court. Now, it’s time for revenge! Japanese pirates, I’m going to kill you!