Looking for an Imperial Examination Novel Where the Protagonist Rises Through the Ranks 求科举考升官文

1. 1 全 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 Househusband煮夫Historical2.9M WordsOngoing 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 22.1kReads7.8Score2.2kShelves

   Reader note

   These four books, written by a peasant boy seeking advancement through the imperial examinations and officialdom, aim to improve the lives of ordinary people and are not without merit.

2. 2 穿 I Transmigrated to Ancient Times and Still Reached the Pinnacle of Life 穿越古代照样走上人生巅峰 Walking Little Chili Pepper行走的小米椒Historical680k WordsCompleted Li Fengnian gets hit by a car and is sent straight to the ancient world to start his life over. In this life, he is born into a peasant family. They are poor, but at least his parents love him and his grandparents dote on him. Along with his own shamelessness, that makes for a pretty decent life. The only problem is that farming is exhausting! He just can’t do it. Luckily, his father is dependable: he divides the family’s property and sends Li Fengnian to school. Hoping to make life easier for h 1.5kReads8.4Score107Shelves
3. 3 我 I Made My Way to Prosperity Through the Imperial Exams 我靠科举奔小康 Lemon Loves Milk柠檬爱吃奶Ancient Romance1.0M WordsCompleted There are awful people. No golden finger (Though being a modern person who transmigrates might be the biggest golden finger of all!) After transmigrating, Song Zhixue wants only to change his life of toiling in the fields from dawn till dusk. 20.1kReads8.2Score1.8kShelves
4. 4 农 A Farmer's Son, the Imperial Exams, and Officialdom 农家子，科举，做官 Jiang He姜禾Ancient Romance1.0M WordsCompleted [Born into the womb + imperial examinations + farming + daily life + public works and infrastructure, with a couple, little romance] [No pocket dimension, no System, no golden finger] [He starts looking for a teacher in Chapter 38. If you’re short on patience, you can start reading there.] Shen Huai is born into an ancient world and becomes the only boy in his family. The good news: he can take the imperial examinations. The bad news: they’re poor, very poor, desperately poor. Born into a 5kReads8.5Score388Shelves
5. 5 寒 The Imperial Exam Routine of a Poor Butcher's Son 寒门屠户之子的科举日常 Diki DaddyDiki粑粑Historical3.3M WordsOngoing 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 186.1kReads9.0Score23.8kShelves
6. 6 名 You Abandoned Me When I Failed the Imperial Exam, So Who Are You Now That I’ve Swept the Boards? 名落孙山你不陪，连中六元你是谁 Dragon in the Wind龙行风Historical1.3M WordsCompleted [The short drama is now available, and the print edition is in publication.][Slow-burn, warm, and humorous][Alternate history + business + imperial examinations + one female lead + no System] Su Run transmigrates into the body of a disgraced scholar who has lost both his parents, failed the imperial exams, and earned a notorious reputation as a lovesick doormat. When he opens his eyes, his fiancée is publicly putting him down and emotionally manipulating him, even threatening to break off their 18kReads8.8Score1.6kShelves

   Reader note

   🌈This story is very engaging, with a light and lively tone that keeps you reading. 🌈The protagonist's family is warm and united, and his clansmen are all quite decent; unusually, the royal family here isn't rife with intrigue and scheming. 🌈The protagonist is a time traveler, but he doesn't have any major cheat codes; he only has the ability to apply modern knowledge. Before achieving fame and fortune, he has already done many things that benefit the country and its people. 🌈He takes the imperial examinations step by step, working diligently and striving for improvement. It's worth mentioning that... The pre-exam checks are extremely rigorous—the kind where you have to be completely naked 😂😂😂, making the protagonist so embarrassed he almost dug out a seven-room-two-living-room house 🤦… 🌈It touches on everyday life, national affairs, and the world; if you like this type of story, give it a try.

7. 7 女 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 Liu Jilian刘忌廉Ancient Romance1.3M WordsOngoing 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 33.5kReads8.3Score3.6kShelves

   Reader note

   I recommend this book.

8. 8 书 Master Calligrapher? Poet Immortal? Chief Minister? That's Right, I'm All of Them 书圣？诗仙？首辅？没错，都是我 Sunlight on the River日照前川Historical834k WordsOngoing In his previous life, Cui Xian was a PhD in Chinese Language and Literature at a top-tier university. In this life, he transmigrated to ancient times, into a poor family with no connections: A destitute home, a pregnant mother, young siblings, an uncle who had failed the exams six times and was hopeless at studying, a grandmother so obsessed with imagining her son placing high in the imperial examinations that she had become delusional, and Cui Xian, who was only eight years old. Cui Xian: This 28kReads9.4Score2.7kShelves

   Reader note

   The book contains a large amount of classical Chinese literature. Although I don't understand it, the storyline is quite good and I enjoy reading it. It's also currently unfinished, and Tomato (the author) keeps recommending unfinished books to me. Several other good books are also very difficult to follow.

9. 9 科 The Imperial Exams: I Conquered the World with Poetry 科举，我靠诗文名动天下 Whose Great Sage Is This?谁家大圣Historical674k WordsOngoing [Imperial examinations + no romance + alternate world + poetry and prose + fortune-telling by characters + sixfold honors in the imperial examinations + infrastructure + political intrigue] An imperial-examination story. Sheng Yu transmigrates to ancient times as a three-and-a-half-year-old child. He begins his studies right away, enters the finest academy in Jiangnan, then advances through the prefectural school and a tribute recommendation to the Imperial Academy. Step by step, he grows up and 1.1kReads8.4Score102Shelves

   Reader note

   The new book features characters whose parents and brothers, besides the male protagonist, are all poets, instantly creating a vivid atmosphere of ancient times. The characters encountering genius students during their studies at the academy also receive explanations on how to approach the eight-legged essay style of the imperial examinations. It's currently short, so it's worth waiting for.

10. 10 理 A Top Science Student Takes the Imperial Exams? His Majesty Is Stunned by His Brilliance 理科状元考科举？强到朕傻眼 Lucky Lin招财林Historical2.2M WordsOngoing [Imperial examinations + court politics + farming + alternate history + daily life + lighthearted + no romance] Li Su had barely had time to savor becoming the top scorer in the national college entrance exam when he transmigrated as the youngest son of the Li family. His whole family doted on him, even though they lived on coarse grain and vegetables, and supported his studies. The original owner had been led astray by his classmates. Selfish and only interested in having fun, he had ruined him 86.2kReads8.9Score8.3kShelves

    Reader note

    This is so, so, so good! I really love it. It has no romantic pairing, no female lead, and no ambiguous relationships. 😘😘

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