Looking for Ancient-era Imperial Exam Novels. No Effortless Top Scores in Every Exam, Please! 求古代科举文，不要动不动就是连中三元！
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The Imperial Exams: From Poor Scholar to Shocking the Entire Court 科举：从寒门书生到惊爆满朝文武
(Imperial examinations + farming + no System + transmigration) (Has a CP; the male lead is devoted and never flirts around) Though Landowner Lin's family is fabulously wealthy, every member of the clan is short, plump, and sturdy, looking like they were born lucky! But his son, Lin Bei, is strikingly handsome, tall and elegant, and stands out in any crowd. Gazing at his reflection in the water, Lin Bei couldn't help sighing: A man who isn't charming in his youth has wasted it. His wet nurse
786Reads—Score111Shelves
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102
Reborn, I Study for the Imperial Exams in Another World 重生后，我在异世界读书科举
(Transmigration) + (farming) + (daily life) + (imperial examinations) (no System) + (court politics) Chen Chuyi was reborn into a poor family in Beishui Village, carrying the memories of his past life. At first, he only wanted to earn a little money to improve his family's life. But in this unfamiliar ancient world, he was always afraid someone would take his family's money and eat their food. In the end, he embarked on the path of study and the imperial examinations. He knew that only by changi
6.9kReads8.3Score538Shelves
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- 103 Great Ming: From the Imperial Exams to Absolute Power 大明：从科举到权倾天下 Li Ji accidentally transmigrates back to the Wanli era of the Ming dynasty, becoming the illegitimate son of a minor gentry family in Jiangnan! For ten years, no one knows he exists. His father dislikes him, and his elder half-brother and the servants bully and beat him at will. What a miserable life! No System, no inherited memories, just a completely new life... In the Great Ming, where everything else is beneath contempt and only scholarship is worthy, Li Ji originally only wanted to study, p 12.8kReads8.1Score1.1kShelves
- 104 My Clan Funded My Exams, So I Won My Dog an Imperial Title 全族供我科举路，我赠族犬诰命身 In her previous life, Fang Ziqi was a PhD in science at one of China’s top five universities. In this life, she transmigrates into a farming family in the Great Liang dynasty! A poor household, a father who secretly studies, a biased grandfather, and an uncle who has failed the exams ten times… In an age when everything is inferior to studying, Fang Ziqi has no choice but to tighten her belt and embark on the imperial examination path! She begins her studies at six! Takes the exams at eight! Pas 22.3kReads7.8Score2.2kShelves
- 105 A Butcher by Trade, an Imperial Exam Scholar by Hobby, I Rise to Grand Secretary 主业杀猪副业科考，官拜首辅台阁 A hub linking three provinces, a vital route by land and water. In Taiping Town, the Jiang family butcher shop welcomed a baby boy, Jiang Ping'an. His family had been butchers for generations, and he helped out in the kitchen on the side. Little did they know that one day a scholar would emerge from their family, rising from a shengyuan candidate to a jinshi, and beginning another story. 187Reads6.0Score104Shelves
- 106 An Adopted Son of a Farming Family Begins His Exam Journey by Eavesdropping at School 农家过继子，从学堂偷听开始科举 [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 h 268Reads6.9Score108Shelves
- 107 The Imperial Exams: Confucian Wisdom Shocks the Sages, Books Reveal Ten Thousand Worlds 科举：儒道惊圣，书演万界 [Confucian cultivation + no System + slow-burn warmth + smart characters] Gu Qingyun, a top graduate in Chinese language and literature, has just graduated when he transmigrates to a Confucian world where literary talent holds divine power. Here, scholars can slay enemies with eloquent words and suppress demons by writing poetry. But Gu Qingyun soon realizes these locals have studied themselves stupid! When they encounter demons, all they can do is shout and attack? I'll fool them senseless with 70.7kReads7.6Score6.5kShelves
- 108 The Scholar from a Poor Family 寒门状元 After transmigrating into the family of a common farmer, Ye Xuanmo arrives just as his paternal cousin passes the imperial examination. To revitalize the clan, his cousin invites a teacher to the family to educate the children. In an age when “all trades are base, and only studying is noble,” Ye Xuanmo wants nothing more than to pass the exams and change his family’s circumstances… 3.5kReads8.9Score331Shelves
- 109 The Concubine's Son Rises: From the Cold Courtyard to the Chancellor's Seat 庶子青云：从冷院到宰执 When he woke up, modern university lecturer Gu Yanzhou had become the least favored eight-year-old illegitimate son in the Marquis Dingyuan household. His birth mother had died young, his father ignored him, his stepmother was cold, and his siblings bullied him. His former self had even been pushed into a pond and “accidentally” drowned. In his previous life, he led graduate students through academic research. In this life, he’ll make his mark in the imperial examinations of the fictional Shengj 777Reads7.7Score111Shelves
- 110 A Farmer's Son's Road to the Imperial Exams, His Achievements Shining Across the Land 农家儿郎科举路，勋名耀山河！ [Imperial Examinations] [A Farmer’s Son Changes His Fate Through the Exams] Zhou Xu opens his eyes and finds himself in another era! Determined to make his mark in this new age, he looks down at his patched trousers and the endless fields stretching to the horizon. Zhou Xu decides he’d better study. Education can change your fate! His eldest aunt spits and says, “A country bumpkin thinks he can study?” Zhou Xu passes the county-level examination. His second aunt says enviously, “That’s as far as 28.9kReads8.5Score2.6kShelves
- 111 Born into a Farmer's Family as Their Late-Born Son, I Change Our Fortunes Through the Imperial Exams 胎穿农家老来子，靠科举改换门庭 [Imperial Examinations + Daily Life + No Golden Finger] Just after passing the civil service exam, Song Xi was sent by a cement truck trying to meet its quota to an ancient dynasty called Great Qi. He was reborn as a farmer's son, and his mother gave birth to him at an advanced age, drawing plenty of ridicule from those around them. His family owned nothing but four bare walls, and they could afford meat only once or twice a year. Fortunately, his family loved him, and he had something to look f 19.7kReads8.3Score1.8kShelves
- 112 The Imperial Exam Life of a Poor Military Household’s Son 寒门军户之子的科举日常 [Imperial Exams + Everyday Life + Alternate World + Farming + Cozy + No Romance] The Wang military household has served in the army for generations, and every child is strong and healthy, rarely falling ill from a young age. Only the youngest son, Wang An, is different: weak, adorable, fair-skinned, and delicate, as if a single punch could kill him. Ask him to work in the fields? He’d faint before long. Ask him to help grind beans? He’s too small to manage it. His mother reluctantly chooses a pa 2.6kReads8.8Score345Shelves
- 113 Sold into Slavery from the Start, I Rise to Grand Secretary Through the Imperial Exams 开局卖身为奴，我靠科举登顶首辅 After waking up, Wang Wei, a modern university student majoring in Chinese, transmigrated into Wang Gou'er, a young servant who had been sold by his own clan. He thought his life was over before it had even begun, but his new master turned out to be a wealthy provincial graduate. Even more unexpectedly, a twist of fate made him the young master's lifesaver, and he was assigned to work in the study. While the other servants were still struggling to memorize the rules, Wang Gou'er had already set 46.4kReads7.9Score4.1kShelves
- 114 Falsely Accused of Cheating in the Imperial Exam? One Essay on the Six Kingdoms Shocks the World 被诬科举舞弊？一篇六国论惊天下 [No System + Court Intrigue + Literary Plagiarism + Rigorous Logic] Lu Linchuan, a top student in classical Chinese literature, unexpectedly transmigrates to the fictional Great Yu dynasty and becomes a poor scholar falsely accused of cheating in the imperial exams. Faced with oppression by the powerful, he takes up his brush and writes On the Six States, every word as sharp as a blade, stunning the entire court. From a dark prison cell to the steps of the Golden Hall, he uses his modern knowled 17.7kReads8.5Score1.3kShelves
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The Scholar's Robe Rises from the Dust 青衿起微尘
Shen Wenyuan, a modern graduate student in history, suddenly transmigrates into the Great Zhou Dynasty and becomes the eldest son of a poor farming family. His grandparents favor his second uncle's family and mistreat and exploit his own. His father finally grits his teeth and splits from the family. A few acres of poor farmland and a dilapidated hut are all they have. Though mired in hardship, Shen Wenyuan refuses to accept his fate. Drawing on what he learned in his previous life, he studies t
35Reads—Score—Shelves
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- 116 I Transmigrated into a Book About the Imperial Exams and Brought Home a Fussy Little Wife 穿书科举，娶了个小作精回家 [Imperial examinations + sweet romance + face-slapping + infrastructure development and rising through the ranks: a scheming, smug transmigrated playboy x a spoiled, somewhat crafty but not too calculating troublemaker] Xie Zi'an is a spoiled young master who transmigrates into a book, becoming the husband of the villainess. In the original story, the man he replaces is framed and found alone with the unconscious Xu Nansong. The two are forced to marry, but after the wedding, he discovers that X 23.3kReads8.7Score2.5kShelves
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Tales of the Daoguang Era: My Plan to Reform the Princes 道光风云：我的皇子改造计划
While restoring an ancient painting, relic restorer Lu Zhao unexpectedly transmigrates to the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty and becomes the son of a wealthy Yangzhou merchant. He devises strategies for the family business, then relies on his own abilities to take the imperial examinations. After entering government service, he earns Emperor Daoguang's trust and becomes the Chinese tutor to the emperor's sixth son, Yixin. Through years of hard work, he manages the Yellow River, reforms the sal
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A Name in the Unofficial Histories: The Young Prince's Unorthodox Path to Office 名留野史，小世子的另类为官路
An unconventional farming-and-imperial-exams story: transmigration and rebirth, with no pocket dimension, no System, and no golden finger. He's simply absurdly lucky. In his previous life, Jiang Ruyan was bedridden and paralyzed for fifteen years. He never imagined that after closing his eyes and opening them again, he would transmigrate. He spent twelve years wandering the world with his parents, who were always chasing poetry and distant horizons, before they finally sent him off to school.
893Reads—Score110Shelves
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Great Ming: Cozy Everyday Life Taking the Imperial Exams After Becoming a Father 大明，喜当爹后的科举温馨日常
[Imperial examinations] + [everyday life] + [lighthearted] Shen Huaijin inexplicably transmigrated into the body of a down-and-out examination candidate in the Ming dynasty, also named Shen Huaijin. He had to deal with: A controlling mother! A scheming second wife! An eldest daughter who loved stirring up trouble! An eldest son who was lazy and greedy! An arrogant, conceited second son! And two little daughters still too young to fend for themselves! Shen Huaijin decided: things had to change. T
67Reads—Score147Shelves
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120
I Transmigrated to the Han Dynasty, and My Brother Is Huo Qubing 穿越大汉，我哥是霍去病
Huo An transmigrates to the Han Dynasty. He wakes up as a boy in Pingyang County in the second year of Yuanshou in the Western Han, having gone from Lin Yuan, a top medical student, to the younger half-brother of Huo Qubing. The good news: His brother is the Champion Marquis, the Han Dynasty's most brilliant young general. The bad news: Huo Qubing has only four years left to live. “The water is poisoned... His limbs are all black... He vomited several pints of blood...” Those were the last few l
189Reads—Score—Shelves
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- 121 I Bought a Bookboy to Take the Imperial Exam for Me. Now I'm Accused of Stealing His Honors? 买书童替本少科举，告我偷功名？ [Transmigrated into a Book as a Cannon-Fodder + Embroidered Uniform Guard + Imperial Exams + Officialdom + Rooting Out Treacherous Ministers + Fighting the Tartars + Empress] Also known as: The Young Master Strikes Back Against His Fated Bookish Servant, Passes the Imperial Exams, and Saves China After transmigrating into the book as Lin Zhi, a young master destined to be cannon fodder, he finds himself caught in a ridiculous plot where his servant uses the young master as a stepping-stone in th 1.3kReads7.6Score145Shelves
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Colonizing the Ming Dynasty 殖民大明
Wang Ding obtains a magical piece of jade that can open a spatial rift, creating a gateway to the Ming dynasty. There, Wang Ding finds wealth and glory in a new world. This is the story of how he saves people and kills them.
6.2kReads8.8Score428Shelves
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123
From the Crowd to the Heavens 从人群中来到天上去
I’m going to take one step, then another, then another, all the way to the top!!! (I’m a new author, and everyone is welcome to read.) The story of an ordinary person. It’s not about being reborn, and there’s no golden finger. Please, please, come and read it!
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124
Unbelievable! I Was Just Trying to Rescue My Brother, but They Forced Me to Start a Rebellion 离谱，埋头捞哥哥的我被逼造反了
[More children, more blessings, ten-thousandfold returns] + [Scummy older brother sets up younger brother] + [Younger brother sets up older brother] + [Ancient battlefield of Xiongzhou] + [Song-Liao border] + [Xiao Guanyin is my older brother’s concubine]
20Reads—Score—Shelves
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125
I Am Hongli, Building a Golden Age for the Qing Dynasty 朕是弘历打造大清盛世
[Political Intrigue + Harem Rivalries + Factional Strife + Romance + Emperor] Hongli ascended the throne at twenty-five and ruled for sixty years, making him the longest-reigning and longest-lived emperor in history. He governed with diligence, excelling in both civil and military affairs, and led the Qing to the height of its golden age. Yet factional strife raged through the court, conflicts in the deep palace never ceased, and danger lurked behind the splendor. In the end, the golden age ga
15.7kReads8.3Score435Shelves
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126
Eternal Demon 永魔
Traditional cultivation. The protagonist is ruthless and merciless, no holier-than-thou hero, no heroine, dark fiction! No System!! If you want to become an immortal in the heavens, you must climb the road to immortality over the bones of others. This isn't AI-generated. I wrote it by hand!!!
3.2kReads5.4Score316Shelves
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127
The Top Scholar Is Real, and So Is the Beggar 状元是真的，乞丐也是真的
Shen Mo, a Peking University history professor, wakes up one day as a nameless beggar. No household registration, no food, no shoes, and only a yellow dog so thin its skin clings to its bones. He spent thirty years studying the imperial examinations in his previous life, yet in this one he cannot even get near an exam hall. From a ruined temple to the Golden Throne Hall, from eating tree bark to earning top honors. The top scholar is real, and so is the beggar.
9Reads—Score—Shelves
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128
I Rule the Literary World: Poetry, Calligraphy, Painting, Biology, Math, Physics, and Chemistry 我！文坛独霸：诗词书画生数物化
The whole family transmigrates to ancient times, where Yang Dalang, the black sheep of a Chaoshan family, is sold by his parents into a ghost marriage. On his wedding night, the female corpse in the coffin suddenly opens her eyes... That's right! My wife has been reborn... The dynasty is nearing its end! Warlords carve up the land! Barbarians threaten from beyond the borders, while corrupt officials wreak havoc within! Watch this overpowered family transform their fortunes in a place of exile in
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129
Transmigrated to Ancient Times, I Became a Landlord's Young Master and Lived at Ease 穿越古代成为地主少爷悠闲生活
The protagonist, Tang Fan, was an overworked modern office worker. He worked overtime every day, lived in a tiny rented room of barely a dozen square meters, and ate instant noodles day after day. At last, he couldn't take it anymore and died suddenly from exhaustion. Then he transmigrated to ancient times, in the Great Qian Dynasty, as the young master of a landlord's family. He had thousands of mu of fertile farmland, pretty maids to wait on him, and a loyal old steward. He even earned the anc
4.4kReads—Score340Shelves
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130
In Another World, I Use Taoist Arts to Empty My Enemy's Warehouse 到了异世，我用道术搬空仇人仓库
An alternate history setting. Please do not compare this story with real history! Gou Yunshu, a modern Daoist exorcist, was betrayed by her best friend during an exorcism. She was struck down by heavenly retribution, killed by a bolt of lightning. She transmigrated into the body of a young girl in the Great Xia Kingdom of the Republican era and discovered that her grandfather had been captured by the Japanese army. To rescue him, she took her younger siblings, bought a house, and left Laolongtan
1.1kReads—Score—Shelves
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131
Water Margin: The World’s in Chaos, So What? 水浒：天下大乱关我屁事
I transmigrated into the world of Water Margin by accident. Before me was a world overrun with heroes, and behind me lay chaos where the people could barely survive. Murder and arson were everyday occurrences, while mountain spirits and monsters appeared and vanished without warning. The System said: Get fifty people to come eat at the tavern, and you’ll receive a pocket dimension. I looked at the counter showing 0/50, then at the three hunters fleeing through the woods in the distance. They’d m
497Reads—Score117Shelves
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132
Reborn as Liu Bowen of the Ming Dynasty, I Rely on Feng Shui to Conquer the World 穿成大明刘伯温我靠风水稳赢天下
[Ensemble Cast + Conquest + Political Intrigue + Feng Shui and Face Reading + No System] Liu Abao, a legendary modern master of feng shui, woke up in another body as Liu Bowen, the Ming Dynasty's foremost strategist. Using feng shui as his game and the world as his board, he commands the dragon veins and breaks deadly formations, directing the realm with a smile and crushing every rival in his path. Zhu Yuanzhang: “We’ll all listen to our lord. My lord, please hurry up and pass the throne to me!
3Reads—Score—Shelves
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133
I Only Wanted to Help Dad Pass the Imperial Exams, Not Become the Emperor's Tutor! 我只想教爹考状元，没想当帝师！
[Imperial exams, court politics, everyday life, alternate history, farming, lighthearted, no romance] In the Great Xia Dynasty, the Su family has failed the imperial exams for nine generations, becoming a laughingstock throughout the county! I’m a PhD in literature, yet I’ve transmigrated into the body of Su Chen, an eight-year-old prodigy from the Su family! My foolish father is still poring over dry textbooks, while Grandma is so furious she’s gone mad on the spot, and the whole clan is laughi
3.9kReads8.3Score524Shelves
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134
Will History Repeat Itself? No, This Time I’ll Restore My Kingdom 悲剧重演？不，我这次一定要复国
This novel tells the story of Murong Fu transmigrating to different worlds to accomplish his mission of restoring his kingdom. The first world so far: Murong Fu transmigrates into Viserys III Targaryen, the beggar king! The second series features the Eighth Prince in the world of Yongzheng.
1.6kReads8.0Score101Shelves
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135
Marching Out of the Ten Thousand Mountains to Reclaim Our Homeland and Expand Our Borders 兵出十万大山，复故土拓新疆
Liu Yongfu went up the mountain to gather firewood. In a dream, an old man told him that he was a mighty general who should defend his home and protect his people. When he woke, he also had a new set of memories from the future. Liu Yongfu decided that, besides defending his homeland, he should find the Han people a place to settle, help them survive more than a decade of war and natural disasters, and fight against imperialism... [Some parts of this story take liberties with history, or happen
5.4kReads—Score385Shelves
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- 136 After the College Entrance Exam, I Used My Foresight to Become a Tycoon 回到高考后，利用先知成富豪 By a twist of fate, Chen Feiyu returns to the day after his class reunion, held after the college entrance exam. Using his information advantage, he makes up for past regrets. From the start, he sets his sights on the Brazil World Cup to earn his first fortune, then uses his expertise and memories to grow his money in the stock market. He also keeps in touch with his high school crush and his senior from university, wins the hearts of both beauties, and becomes a winner in life! 2.7kReads—Score104Shelves
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The Hot-Blooded Hunter: God’s Assault 热血猎人神之袭击
[Survival] [Hunting] [Fighting the Japanese invaders and looting their gear] [Cultivation] Wang Fei has just entered the world of cultivation when he's forced into becoming a live-in son-in-law. One blow shatters his dantian, setting him on a long road from staying alive to rising to greatness. Though he has lost his cultivation, he takes countless disciples. This novel was not written by AI. Every word was painstakingly typed out by the author, who only hopes readers will enjoy the story in its
27.3kReads9.0Score2.5kShelves
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- 138 EN Death God of the Night 黑夜杀神 Hunted from the start, I barely escaped with my life. I fought to defy fate, launching attacks and taking down countless powerful opponents. Born with a beautiful face... I hope you enjoy the story. Your support motivates me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 2.7kReads8.8Score201Shelves
- 139 City of Heartbreak 情伤都市 My new work is out! Come read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you'll enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 1kReads—Score—Shelves
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140
A Wild Monk and a Stinky Cook? No! He's the New Top Scholar 野和尚臭厨子？不！他是新科状元
[Family life] [Imperial examinations] [Farming] [Lighthearted] Jiang Zhuo transmigrates and becomes a young monk kicked out of the monastery by the abbot. With no other choice, he returns home and resumes secular life. But the moment he steps through the door, he’s confronted by an entire family of oddballs. A spineless father, a meek mother, grandparents who play favorites, and a brother who loves to show off... Jiang Zhuo: Fine, fine! This messed-up transmigration life boils down to one t
21Reads—Score—Shelves
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141
Batu the Tsar: The Pinnacle of Power in the Thirteenth Century 拔都沙皇：十三世纪的权利之巅
The most powerful person in history was not Qin Shi Huang or Emperor Wu of Han, nor Tang Taizong or Song Taizu, nor Genghis Khan, Temujin, or Alexander the Great. It was not even Queen Victoria, who built the British Empire on which the sun never set. It was Batu, the Saiyin Khan, who led the western campaign with his eldest son, marched from the Mongolian steppe to the gates of Vienna, and established the Golden Horde. As a young man, Batu joined his father Jochi on campaigns across the lands,
417Reads—Score121Shelves
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