How Did I, Who Just Wanted to Lie Flat, Become a Great Chancellor?

Overworked office drone Shu Mu dies suddenly from working overtime, then opens his eyes as the youngest son of a poor farming family in ancient times.

The good news: He has a golden finger. Completing tasks earns him a large number of points.

The bad news: His last life was ruined by work, and in this life Shu Mu just wants to lie flat and be a lazy fish. His motto is, "Being alive is fine, but being dead is even better."

But then he sees his family, gaunt and thin, still saving their eggs for him.

Shu Mu: ...

Fine, first I'll get my family out of poverty!

So he diligently completes his tasks and successfully makes his family the richest in the village.

After they escape poverty and become prosperous, his family says Shu Mu can't spend his life scratching out a living in the fields like them. They'll sell everything they own to send him to school.

Shu Mu grits his teeth. Fine, he'll take the scholar's exam and earn tax relief for his family, then call it quits!

But after he passes the exam, a local bully comes after them.

Everyone in the clan says Shu Mu is the most promising child in the family. To protect him, they're even willing to draw lots for a life-or-death mission and risk their lives for him!

This time, Shu Mu's eyes turn red. Fine, he'll take the provincial exam and protect his clan!

And so, by saying "fine, just this once" over and over, he rises all the way to the top and passes the palace examination as its top scorer.

One night, after a hard day's work, Shu Mu has just lain down when he suddenly sits bolt upright. Looking at the prime minister's seal beside his pillow, he is utterly bewildered.

Wait, wasn't he supposed to become a lazy fish and lie flat?!

How did he become the head of all the officials?

#You said you'd be a lazy fish, so how did you become prime minister?#Turns out I'm the workaholic?#My years taking the civil service exams in ancient times.

Theme: Work hard and do your best