Looking for Stories About Legitimate and Illegitimate Sons of Powerful Families Taking the Imperial Exams 想看点高门嫡子庶子考科举
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A Young Master's Daily Life as a Scholar in Ancient Times 古代少爷读书日常
Also known as Back to the Days of Youth at Yuzhang and The Eldest Legitimate Grandson’s Code The everyday life of a young nobleman in ancient times, a favored son of heaven (school + family life, etc.) Yuzhang’s spirited yet chaotic student life at the Imperial Academy! P.S. He transmigrates into a book, with no golden finger and no CP, though he does have a wife who serves as a tool and whom he feels no affection for. The male lead will take the imperial examinations and become an official. The
5.5kReads6.9Score493Shelves
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The Imperial Exams: From a Duke’s Bastard Son to a Powerful Official 科举！从公府庶子到权臣的青云路
[Not a BL novel! Not a male-male romance! One male lead, little to no romance, and a plot-focused story.] [Transmigration + Illegitimate Son of a Duke’s Estate + No System + Imperial Exams + Political Intrigue] He transmigrates, and the good news is that he’s now an illegitimate son of the Duke of Wei’s household, with food and clothes taken care of and no need to worry about making a living. The bad news is that he’s not only unloved, but also mocked and looked down upon. Heh. Never look down o
48kReads8.9Score4.3kShelves
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- 3 The Marquis's Son Fails at Lying Flat 侯府郎君躺平失败记 Just after Feng Yanchu transmigrates, he hears a series of smacks before feeling a stinging pain on his butt. How embarrassing! His pants have been pulled down and he’s being spanked! Then he hears several children wailing. Three other kids are getting beaten nearby, too. Looks like they got into trouble. At least he isn’t the only one being punished, which makes it a little less embarrassing. The male lead transmigrates into the body of an illegitimate son in a marquis’s household. He expects t 70.7kReads8.5Score5.5kShelves
- 4 The Abandoned Heir Places First in the Imperial Exam, and Ten Thousand Riders Storm the Marquis’s Mansion 被弃世子中状元，万骑踏平侯府门 [Imperial Examinations + Reborn in the Womb + Court Politics + Revenge + System] Shen Shufan was reborn in the womb as the heir to a marquis’s estate, only to be knocked unconscious and thrown into a river. No problem: ever heard of the Proficiency System? The impoverished Shen family, a humble family of scholars, found a poor child in a freezing river. Little did they know he was an imperial-examination genius! Other families considered it a blessing from their ancestors if even one person pass 22.6kReads8.7Score2.6kShelves
- 5 Transmigrating to an Unmanageable Life in Ancient Times 穿越之躺不平的古代生活 [The rating has just been posted and will rise] Ancient life + Slow-burn story + Studying and imperial exams + Devoted love + One heroine + Gradual pacing Chen Wen'an grew up in an orphanage and worked his way through college, graduating while holding down a job. After joining the workforce and becoming one of the office drones, he was walking home from work when he got distracted by a phone call and failed to notice a truck running a red light. Just like that, he became one of the transmigratio 25.5kReads7.3Score1.6kShelves
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Life as a Kept Man in Ancient Times 在古代吃软饭的日子
Someone asked Lu Chao how he became the youngest Minister of Works in the empire. What was the secret to his success? Lu Chao glanced at the person beside him and smiled. “First, you need to have a general for a wife.” The story of Lu Chao, a modern-day corporate drone who accidentally transmigrates to ancient times. He originally plans to lie flat, but ultimately becomes a wise minister of his generation.
5.5kReads8.8Score413Shelves
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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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- 8 On My Wedding Night: My Concubine-Born Husband Is a Transmigrator 大婚夜：庶子夫君是穿越的 [Female-audience novel + Male Lead’s Perspective + One-on-One Romance] [The female lead is extremely possessive, spoiled, and willful. Please don’t read if that bothers you.] After a stroke of luck, Wen Zongji transmigrated into the body of a marquis’s illegitimate son. The story opened on his wedding night with a county princess. The original owner had married Anhe, the princess and daughter of the eldest princess, despite being only an illegitimate son of a marquis, entirely thanks to an incre 102.4kReads8.3Score11.3kShelves
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The Sweet Little Wife I Married Through an Arranged Betrothal 娃娃亲娶的小娇妻
[Born into a New Body + Imperial Examinations + Officialdom + Doting] Li Qingrong had passed the imperial examinations, but was forced to marry his childhood betrothed and live off her. The proud Yang Wanru, a noblewoman from a marquis's household, was forced to marry a peasant. Her world came crashing down.
45.6kReads7.4Score4.6kShelves
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Reborn as a Marquis's Bastard Son? Then I'll Take the Imperial Exams! 穿成侯门庶子？科举！科举！科举
[Imperial Exams + Feel-Good Story + Business + Child Prodigy + Everyday Life + Political Intrigue] Song Mingyuan dies in a car accident and wakes up as an illegitimate son in the Marquis of Great Zhou's household. The good news: he has plenty to eat and wear, and maids to look after him. The bad news: his adoptive mother is his father's principal wife. Now that she has a son of her own, she sees Song Mingyuan as a thorn in her side and wants him dead! Song Mingyuan, who has transmigrated into t
17.8kReads8.2Score1.8kShelves
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- 11 Born into the Prince's Household: The Second Son's Journey Through the Imperial Exams 胎穿：王府嫡次子的科举征程 Zhao Mingyu was born into the Northern Jing Prince’s household as its second legitimate son, with a noble title awaiting him from birth. The court’s aristocrats expected him to become another wastrel, while his elder brother, the heir, saw him as a harmless pawn to keep on the board. Instead, he chose the Analects during the childhood object-selection ceremony, began his classical education at three, and sat the imperial examinations at twelve. From the county exam to the provincial and metropol 35Reads6.8Score—Shelves
- 12 A Floating Life in Blue Robes [Female-to-Male Transmigration] 青衣浮生【女穿男】 Reader’s note: A woman transmigrates into a man, marries, and there is one couple throughout. The story is low-key, with no major twists, no inner-courtyard scheming, and only basic political machinations. Please read only if you’re okay with all that. I was a modern-day overworked teacher who suddenly died and transmigrated into the lowly illegitimate son of the Marquis of Daqi’s household. The moment I opened my eyes, I was faced with the terrifying reality of having the wrong gender, and I’d 10.4kReads9.3Score1.4kShelves
- 13 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
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The Imperial Exam Routine of a Poor Butcher's Son 寒门屠户之子的科举日常
The Wang butcher family is full of burly men, all tall, broad, and muscular, like a whole den of reincarnated black bears! But their youngest son, Wang Sanniu, is the odd one out: frail, delicate, and liable to fall over in a breeze. Standing beside his family, he looks like a little fox that wandered into a bear’s den. Butchering pigs? The moment pig’s blood splashes over him, he faints! Farming? The hoe is taller than he is! With the family fearing he’ll become a good-for-nothing, his mother m
188.1kReads9.0Score24.1kShelves
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Born into the Marquis's Household: The Illegitimate Son Just Wants to Lie Flat 胎穿：侯府庶子只想躺平
Born into the household of a marquis as an illegitimate son, Shen Qingci thought he was in for a living hell. But to his surprise, his grandmother was loving, his stepmother was gentle, his elder brother always had his back, and his aunt was wise and understanding. Good food, a powerful family to back him up: wasn’t this just the ancient version of being born rich? Shen Qingci promptly decided: in this life, he would lie flat! But then His father was suddenly stripped of his title and executed,
490Reads5.4Score106Shelves
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- 16 I Use Modern Knowledge to Dominate the Imperial Exams 我靠现代知识，在古代科举杀疯了 Lin Feng, a modern-day rich kid and race car driver who likes to lie flat, accidentally transmigrates to ancient times in the Qi Dynasty, becoming Lin Yan, the younger, illegitimate son of a minor local official. Armed with mathematical and scientific knowledge far beyond his era, along with a vast collection of Chinese poetry that lets him show off without even trying, he repeatedly astonishes everyone on his path through the imperial examinations. During the palace examination, his brilliant t 1.1kReads7.3Score111Shelves
- 17 From the Start, I Was a Lowly Illegitimate Son, but the Imperial Exams Carried Me to Success 开局低贱庶子，我靠科举步步青云 Transmigration, imperial examinations, illegitimate son, political intrigue, court politics, play the pig to eat the tiger, male-oriented, historical, one female lead When Lin Yan transmigrated, he became an inconspicuous illegitimate son of the Lin family. He harbored no deep-seated hatred and had never endured relentless bullying. All he knew was how to keep his talents hidden, guard his heart, and live quietly. While others studied hard for the imperial examinations, he already had a firm gr 19.3kReads6.7Score1.7kShelves
- 18 I’m the Illegitimate Son of a Marquis’s Household, Yet the Princes Keep Seeking Me Out to Play 我侯府庶子，奈何皇子喜欢找我玩 The story of Jiang An, an illegitimate son of the Marquis’s household, farming and rising through the ranks in ancient times. He was a lazy fish to begin with, but a chubby prince just loves hanging out with him, and little by little, he stops being lazy. Who dares say Huang Chao wasn’t a real man? 852Reads5.5Score101Shelves
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Since I've Been Reborn, I'll Master Both the Pen and the Sword 都重来了，我当然要文武双全
Set in an alternate early Ming Dynasty, this is a story about a science student who transmigrates. Simple middle-school physics experiments are enough to amaze everyone. He sparks a scientific awakening, founds a new school of thought, and brings materialism into Confucianism to accelerate social progress. You just need a little scientific knowledge. You can do it too, and there’s no golden finger!!
1.7kReads6.5Score101Shelves
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With the Notable Ministers System in Hand, I Disguise Myself as a Man in Ancient Times 手拿名臣系统，我在古代女扮男装
Xu Yue transmigrates into a book. She becomes the delicate, vulnerable cousin of the male lead in an examination-themed novel: her mother died young, she has no brothers and no one to rely on, and her family won't take her in, so she is awkwardly forced to live in the male lead's home. In her previous life, Xu Yue rose from being an orphan to earning a doctorate. She never believed in fate, and even though it was hard for women to get by in ancient times, she never stopped thinking about how to
118.2kReads9.6Score11.4kShelves
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- 21 I Became a Marquis's Illegitimate Son, and the Imperial Exams Won Me a Wife and Glory for My Descendants 穿成侯府庶子，我靠科举封妻荫子 A sickly modern-day man transmigrates overnight into Su Yiheng, the illegitimate eldest son of the Marquis of Ningyuan's household. Born prematurely and frail, he lost his mother young, leaving his little sister without a protector. Their stepmother is sweet-tongued but wicked at heart. If he wants a peaceful life, the military path is out of reach, so he'll pursue a career as a civil official through the imperial examinations! After two lifetimes of being weak, Su Yiheng looks at the graceful y 13.3kReads8.8Score1.6kShelves
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Reborn as an Exiled Prince, I Take the Imperial Exam in an Enemy Kingdom 穿成流浪皇子，在敌国考科举
[Light fantasy wuxia + irreverent imperial examinations + political intrigue + decisive killing + princes + golden finger + no romance] Yan Guijin has always been convinced that there's something wrong with him. Yan Shengyong never imagined that the abandoned baby he took in would one day become a radiant beacon in this prison of a world. [One] Taxes and forced labor are fiercer than a tiger, while the yamen runners are as greedy as wolves. How is a landlubber supposed to survive in a sea that s
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A Guide to Surviving as a Lowborn Son in Ancient Times 古代庶子生存指南
[The male lead transmigrates without a golden finger; domestic family life; studying for the imperial examinations; the female lead appears late; fictional historical setting] After transmigrating as the concubine-born son of a civil official in an unknown dynasty, Huaize planned to take life easy and be a contented freeloader in the ancient world. But Huaize had hoped to keep to himself, only to discover that in an age when collective punishment was common, everyone in a prominent family had
7.8kReads8.4Score594Shelves
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My Dad Is Su Dongpo, My Wife Is Li Qingzhao, and My Bro Is Emperor Huizong 老爹苏东坡老婆李清照老铁宋徽宗
Tags: No System, not a mindless power fantasy, meticulous historical research, slow burn, personal growth, one heroine An utterly ordinary art student transmigrates as Su Dun, the prematurely deceased youngest son of the legendary Su Dongpo. A quick calculation tells him When his father goes to Huizhou to eat lychees, he’ll be eleven. When his father goes to Hainan Island to eat clams, he’ll be fourteen. When his father is pardoned and dies in Changzhou, he’ll be seventeen. When Cai Jing erects
11.4kReads8.5Score1.1kShelves
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From the Start, I Cut Down My Kin, Top the Imperial Exams, and Slay My Way Through the Court 开局先灭亲，科举中状元杀穿朝堂
[Historical fantasy + imperial examinations + transmigration + rebirth + court politics + power struggles] Zhao Jingyu, a screenwriter with a modest reputation in the entertainment industry, watched a video about ancient male entertainers and had the misfortune of transmigrating into the body of one. He has no intention of becoming a helpless victim for others to bully. Anyone who picks on him gets wiped out! His shameless grandfather covets his body? Wiped out! His corrupt second uncle aids and
343Reads8.2Score—Shelves
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Reborn in Dream of the Red Chamber as Jia Huan, the Concubine’s Son 重生红楼之庶子贾环
A doctor transmigrates into the Jia household of the Jia family in Dream of the Red Chamber, becoming Jia Huan, the most useless son born to a concubine. Follow his efforts as he rises step by step, blooms like a lotus, escapes his predicament, and makes up for the story's many regrets.
69.3kReads9.1Score4.9kShelves
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The Imperial Exams! After Ten Years of Study, I Pass and Take Down the Nobility 科举！寒窗十年，上岸就斩勋贵
“The autumn wind howls in August, sweeping three layers of thatch from my roof!” The moment Mei Cheng'an opened his eyes, he found himself facing a catastrophe. Framed and cast out of the marquis's household by his own father, he was now being hunted, with his life hanging by a thread. He chose to fake his death and flee south to seek refuge with family friends. On the way, however, he ran into an imperial inspector investigating a case. From the inspector, he learned that his family friends had
9.3kReads8.1Score475Shelves
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- 28 Su Chen'an's Journey Through the Imperial Exams 苏辰安的科举之路 Su Chen'an, a master of Chinese painting, had finally wrapped up an exhibition. Just as he walked out of the building, a flowerpot full of sunflowers came flying at him. He died on the spot. When he woke up again, he was almost starved to death inside his mother's womb. Every day, he teetered on the brink of starvation. He felt that if he absorbed even a little more nourishment from the amniotic fluid, his mother might die. But if he absorbed even a little less, the embryo that was him would pro 10.2kReads8.3Score877Shelves
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Story of Minglan: Sixth Sister’s Husband Sails West Seven Times to Win Over His Brother-in-Law 知否：六妹夫七下西洋讨好大舅哥
Sheng Changbai’s soul transmigrated into the world of The Story of Minglan. With Gu Tingye’s help, he strangled Lin Qinshuang and buried her in a mass grave outside Yangzhou. Who could have guessed that Lin Qinshuang had the help of an expert, escaped death, and used a body double to fake her demise? She eventually became Prince Yong’s concubine and sought revenge on the entire Sheng family. She also arranged in secret for her daughter, Sheng Molan, to marry into the prince’s household. With hel
111Reads—Score—Shelves
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- 30 EN The Wei Clan's Cursed Son Becomes Grand Secretary—Now They Beg Me to Return 魏家孽种成首辅，全族跪求我认祖 (Also known as The Wei Fox) [Political Schemes][One Female Lead][Ensemble Cast][The Wei Faction] Condemned from birth, I was given the name Niesheng. On the day I was born, my mother died in childbirth, and my grandfather mourned before the ancestral hall. The whole household looked at me askance, all calling me a disaster star who had stolen another's fate. My biological father hated me like an enemy, my elder half-brother regarded me as an omen of bad luck, and my stepmother hid a knife behind 647.6kReads9.2Score91kShelves
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A Woman in a Man's Body: The Concubine-Born Heir's Rise to Power 女穿男，庶房嫡子的逆袭
Now available as an audiobook with a full cast. [Alternate history] + [Woman transmigrates as a man] + [Born into this world] + [Imperial exams and business in the early story] + [Court politics later on] + [One female lead, with a relatively small role] + [A touch of ensemble cast] + [No golden finger] Xie Chengxi was born into another world as the sixth son of the Xie family, a minor family in Bianjing's Grain Transport Guild. His father was the clan's rejected son, kept under pressure for yea
33.9kReads8.3Score3.7kShelves
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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]
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Powerful Minister of the Kaiyuan Era: From Bastard Son to Chancellor of the World 开元权臣：从庶子到天下宰相
Standing before you now is: The foremost powerful minister of the Tang Dynasty during the Kaiyuan era, The man who revived the Pengcheng Qian clan, The mastermind behind the Kaiyuan golden age, The iron chancellor of the Tang, whose footsteps reach across the globe! No System, no golden finger. With a millennium of wisdom, he rises from a poor family's son born to a concubine to chancellor of the realm! With peerless wisdom, he stirs up the splendor of the Tang Dynasty, sending the dragon banner
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![A Floating Life in Blue Robes [Female-to-Male Transmigration]](https://p3-novel.byteimg.com/novel-pic/7821a8f3b227ea287e032e1a0f0e32ad~tplv-resize:120:0.jpeg)
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