Must-Read for Anyone with Reader's Block! Who Understands the Thrill of a Comeback in Imperial Exam Novels? 书荒必冲！科举文的逆袭爽感谁懂

1. 1 全 My Clan Raised Me to Greatness, So I Gifted Them Purple Robes 全族扶我青云志，我赠族人朱紫袍 Uncle Jianghe江河大爷Historical2.2M WordsOngoing After dying suddenly from overwork, workaholic Chen Yan is reborn as the only son of a newly born provincial graduate in the Great Liang Dynasty. His father is successful, so Chen Yan promptly decides to lie flat and enjoy the good life, with food brought to him and clothes laid out for him. But when he learns at the age of six that he was switched at birth with a farmer's child, his life takes a turn. The day the fake young master returns to the Chen family, he goes out to work in the fields an 277.5kReads9.2Score32kShelves

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   This book is the most literary one I have found in many years. It does not rely on golden fingers, but relies entirely on the protagonist's intelligence to kill everyone. I hope it can be made into a TV series in the future.

2. 2 都 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 Ximen Kun西门坤Historical1.5M WordsOngoing 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!! 1.9kReads6.5Score101Shelves

   Reader note

   Time travel for science students is very rigorous and requires a basic foundation in physics, and there is a threshold for reading.

3. 3 我 I Was Already Eight When Grandpa Finally Passed the Provincial Exam 我都八岁了爷爷才中举 The Sixth of Madam Six六夫人的老六Historical1.5M WordsCompleted The transmigrator has a smaller role in the early chapters. The protagonists are Liu Lin and the transmigrator Liu An. I, Liu An, have been transmigrated for eight years, and only now has Grandpa passed the provincial civil service examination! In the thirteenth year of the Wanli era of the Great Ming, forty-two-year-old Liu Lin passes the provincial examination. Years later, Liu Lin gazes at the plaque reading “Four Jinshi from One Family” and falls into deep thought. Follow the protagonist’s g 3.3kReads6.9Score271Shelves

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   The first book, I had the patience to read it and it was really beautiful. Recommended by a bookworm of more than ten years. Allow everything to flow away, but also leave me some left

4. 4 关 The Story of How I Pretended to Be the Marquis's Illegitimate Son 关于侯府庶子是我冒充的这回事儿 Red Bean Has a Dream红豆有梦想Historical733k WordsCompleted In the seventh year of Chengping, Lu Jinghuan, an illegitimate son of the Jingyuan Marquis's household, is exiled to the East Sea by a family decree and boards the family's giant ship, the Canglan, which hunts mermaids. He has no idea this is not a punishment, but a sacrifice. On the open sea, the ship's cabins become a desperate prison for thirty-three people. Hunger, thirst, suspicion, and oppression grind away at human nature, until one blood-moon night, a frenzy of slaughter erupts and last 163Reads6.4Score—Shelves
5. 5 不 Wait, Even a Top Science Student Has to Compete This Hard in Ancient Times? 不是，理科状元到了古代也要卷？ Lucky Lin招财林Historical2.1M 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 129.8kReads8.8Score18.1kShelves

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   After reading the author's bookshelf, I can only say that it was completely unexpected to be able to write such a wonderful book, it's so awesome 👍

6. 6 从 From Little Kid to Top Scholar, I Cheat My Way to the Top 从幼童到状元，我一路开挂 Dreaming Back to Childhood Songs梦回童歌Historical2.0M WordsOngoing [Alternate-history fiction + imperial examinations + slice of life + no golden finger] Here, clan ties are more important than life itself, and clan rules take precedence over the law. When Qin Haoran was three, his father was killed in a bloody fight over water rights. According to clan rules, the entire clan was supposed to raise the family that had lost its breadwinner. But fate's cruelty was far from over. Three years later, his young mother, unable to bear a life of loneliness and widowhood 59.9kReads8.6Score4.8kShelves
7. 7 科 The Pig-Butchering Clan's Imperial Exam Prodigy 科举：杀猪世家，出了个文曲星 Diki DaddyDiki粑粑Historical3.2M 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 157.3kReads8.9Score16.7kShelves

   Reader note

   Very beautiful, well written

8. 8 布 The Commoner Chancellor, Xia Ren 布衣宰相虾仁 Floating Life Returns to the Void浮生归墟Historical903k WordsOngoing After a sudden car accident, Xia Ren, a double PhD in history and literature, transmigrated as a dying seven-year-old peasant child in the Great Jing Dynasty, a realm never recorded in history. His family had nothing, but that couldn't diminish the knowledge and experience he had accumulated over two lifetimes. His memories of poring over ancient texts in his previous life remained crystal clear. The classics, historical records, institutions, and lessons of dynastic rise and decline were all at 412Reads—Score—Shelves

   Reader note

   It has just been updated. You can continue reading. Introduction to the book: After a sudden car accident, Xia Ren, a Ph. D. In history and literature, traveled to the Da Jing Dynasty that had never been recorded in history and was reborn as a dying seven-year-old child in a farm family. His family was impoverished and his family was poor, which could not stop the knowledge and insights accumulated in his mind over two lifetimes. The memory of studying the classics in the past life is as clear as yesterday. The collection of classics and history, the rules and regulations, and the way to control the rise and fall of chaos are all in my mind. From a young boy who studied at night to a young student who was just beginning to show his talents, he overcame obstacles on the road to the imperial examination with his vision and talent far beyond his times. He won the first prize in the provincial examination, became famous in the general examination, and shocked the emperor in the palace examination. He stepped into the court in a commoner's body, but found that the officialdom was in turmoil and the undercurrent of party strife was surging. There are traitors at work inside, and there are dangers from the outside. He has to deal with both open and covert attacks, and at the same time, he has to fulfill his wish to manage the world and benefit the people. Promoting agriculture and mulberry, benefiting industry and commerce, rectifying the government, and ensuring the environment... Step by step, he went from a poor student to the position of a powerful prime minister, writing a legend of "Xiaren", and let the history books of the Jing Dynasty leave a strong mark on this soul that accidentally broke in.

9. 9 这 This Top Scholar Plays by His Own Rules 这个状元路子有点野 The Foundation of One's Life立身之本Historical2.3M WordsCompleted [Farming + imperial examinations + alternate history + lighthearted] My Parents Flipped the Table and Quit, So I Want to Take the Imperial Exams Too Just as Wang Xuezhou was about to reach the peak of his life, he transmigrated. The good news: in this life, his parents were loving, and his siblings got along. The bad news: the whole family was pinching pennies to fund his eldest uncle's studies. They had next to nothing and were living on coarse grain and wild greens. But before he could flip t 70.9kReads8.9Score8kShelves

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   Good-looking, good-looking, good-looking!!!

10. 10 皇 The Emperor's Gold Medal County Magistrate 皇家金牌县令 Noodle King Zai板面王仔Historical2.7M WordsCompleted [Farming + lighthearted fun + transmigration] Fang Zhengyi transmigrates to the Great Jing dynasty and becomes a county magistrate. After seven years of work, he has created his own earthly paradise. He’d planned to live out his days as a carefree little emperor. In the thirteenth year of the Jinghe era, the emperor of Great Jing travels incognito and accidentally wanders into Taoyuan County... The moment the emperor enters the county, he is astonished! The many strange and wondrous things leave 299.4kReads9.5Score36.4kShelves
11. 11 百 Above All Officials 百官之上 Uncle Pie馅饼大叔Urban5.8M WordsOngoing First, this is a genuine political novel, written by one of the genre's most experienced authors. The story is logically sound and highly readable. Quality guaranteed! Second, the story starts at the prefecture-level city from the very beginning. The protagonist will not be sent down to the towns and villages. This book will not spend hundreds of chapters at the township level. Third, there is political maneuvering, economic development, satisfying revenge, and, naturally, personal life as well. 218.9kReads9.3Score20.6kShelves
12. 12 科 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 Zhuoran卓燃Historical1.7M WordsOngoing “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 12.7kReads8.1Score692Shelves
13. 13 穿 Transmigrated to the Countryside: A Young Farmer's Road to the Imperial Exams 穿越之农家独苗苗的科举之路 Zhang Rubai张如白Ancient Romance2.5M WordsCompleted [Born into the Past + Farming + Imperial Exams + Fleeing Famine + Warfare] The slow-paced everyday life of a boy from a rural family in ancient times! Zhang Ping'an gets a new lease on life when he transmigrates to an ancient farming family. Fortunately, they are fairly well-off, so no one has to go hungry. He has six older sisters, and he is the only boy his parents had long hoped for. His parents favor sons over daughters, and all six sisters are fierce. He thought he was in for a story about 40.6kReads8.7Score3.9kShelves
14. 14 穿 Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty: I Won't Let the Han People Lose the World 穿越中明，不教汉人亡天下 A Grain of Rice in the Vast Blue Sea沧海茫茫粒米身Historical1.2M WordsOngoing Yang Zhi, a top salesman and philosophy graduate student in his previous life, transmigrates to the end of the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty. Through a twist of fate, he joins the Embroidered Uniform Guard, passes the imperial examination, enters the Hanlin Academy, and debates the classics with the great scholars at court! 4.4kReads8.8Score359Shelves

    Reader note

    An unexpected imperial examination article that 100% restores the real Ming Dynasty and reveals the historical novel about the Han people's subjugation of the world! The characters in my novel are vividly described, the plot develops with ups and downs, and the historical background is completely real. It unfolds slowly like a stream rushing into the sea. You can't stop reading it!

15. 15 大 Ming Dynasty Imperial Exams: From the Start, I Became the Father of Five Children 大明科举，开局成了五个孩子的爹 Little Zhang Under the Night Lamp夜灯下的小张Historical393k WordsCompleted (Farming + daily life in ancient times + imperial examinations) A reassuring read. Shen Lin'an inexplicably finds himself reborn in ancient times in the body of a widower, with four sons and a daughter to care for, as well as a mother in her fifties. The original owner was a scholar, but he had never even earned the title of licentiate. He was too weak to shoulder a load or lift a hand, knew nothing of farming, and spent every day in drunken stupors, letting the years slip by. Let's see how Shen 3.3kReads7.0Score311Shelves

    Reader note

    Super good-looking, the imperial examination is warm and daily, the family is long and the family is short

16. 16 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 Romance1.1M 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 39.7kReads8.3Score4.9kShelves

    Reader note

    This bag looks good

17. 17 大 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 Three O'Clock on the Seventh of July七月七的三点Historical157k WordsOngoing [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 119Reads—Score147Shelves

    Reader note

    The Imperial Examination is warm and beautiful every day

18. 18 科 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 Little Zhang Under the Night Lamp夜灯下的小张Historical162k WordsOngoing (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 5.1kReads—Score342Shelves

    Reader note

    Warm daily life of imperial examination

19. 19 皇 Ming Dynasty Natives Versus Transmigrators 皇明土著大战穿越众 Would You Dare Say Yes?叫你敢答应吗Historical3.7M WordsOngoing Current plot: A newcomer to officialdom enters the inner circle as a pawn, but refuses to settle for mediocrity and wants to break free of his constraints. By chance, he gets caught up in turmoil on the frontier, where three hundred battered soldiers rout thirty thousand northern invaders. Zheng Zhi, a household retainer of the Zhen Ding Guard under the Ming rear army's Governor's Office, dreams of himself sixty years in the future. From then on, the Ming Dynasty gains a peerless talent in both 123Reads8.2Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Learn to travel through time, become a time traveler, and trample to death those who travel through time.

20. 20 赤 A Pure Heart Climbs the Ranks 赤子登阶 A Youngster Riding the Wind稚子乘风Historical551k WordsOngoing [Alternate World + Reincarnated as a Baby + Imperial Exams + Martial Arts + Everyday Life + No Golden Finger] Yang Yuan never imagined he’d wake up one day as a swaddled baby in ancient times. He never imagined that in this strange world, with no System, no pocket dimension, and no golden finger of any kind, he’d have to rely on himself, one step at a time: rolling over, crawling, standing, then memorizing the Thousand Character Classic. He began his studies at three, learned martial arts at fou 32Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    There is no golden finger, no system, no talent for reading and ten lines, and no cookie-cutter steps such as making salt, making ice, making sugar, making glass, making cement, etc. Reading and practicing martial arts all depend on the protagonist's hard work day and night, and step by step to become an official in the imperial examination.

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