I Sat the Imperial Exams in Ancient Times

Pre-publication title: Transmigrate Into a Book with My Boss. Please add it to your favorites.

Taking the imperial examinations in ancient times was dangerous work. Han Shiyu transmigrates into the body of an unlucky man who died during the provincial exam.

The original owner lost his father when he was young and was already married. His widowed mother and younger sister-in-law worked by lamplight to support his studies, but, frail as he was, he was overcome by the stench of the latrines and collapsed in the examination hall, leaving his family in a terrible mess.

Han Shiyu looks at his mother's hair, gone white from worry; his wife, so thin a gust of wind could blow her away; his young sister-in-law, frightened and helpless; and this desperately poor household. What else can he do but take on the mess?

He chooses to earn a living for his family and rise through the imperial examinations. He can only push bravely ahead.

Later, he passes the provincial exam at the top of his class, then wins the title of top scholar, rising higher and higher.

P.S. 1. An alternate historical setting, similar to the Ming and Qing dynasties but not exactly the same, with some original worldbuilding.

2. References on the imperial examinations mainly include The Imperial Examination: More Than Just an Exam by Li Bing and Liu Haifeng, An Account of the History of the Imperial Examinations by Wang Daocheng, and Baidu searches.

··

Recommended pre-publication historical romance by a friend: Has the Grand Secretariat Scolded Anyone Today? ID: 6487530

For eight years, Shen Jiahe took her brother's place, disguising herself as a man and serving as a senior general of the empire. She reclaimed lost territory and earned countless military honors, becoming a hero in everyone's eyes. But she also had a nemesis she had never met.

Lu Jingzhen, the Grand Secretariat, never missed a day of impeaching, arguing with, and scolding her in court. He even accused her of treason.

-

On one trip back to the capital to report on her work, Shen Jiahe was ambushed and spent a night of passion with a handsome young man.

Later, at court:

"Did the Grand Secretariat impeach General Shen today?"

"No."

"Did he scold General Shen today?"

"No, he didn't."

"Why has the Grand Secretariat stopped scolding General Shen?"

Lu Jingzhen glanced at the face of the person he'd spent the night with and remembered what had happened. How the hell was he supposed to scold her now?

-

Everyone said the powerful Grand Secretariat Lu was ruthless and kept people at arm's length, but no one knew he treasured a woman in his heart.

She was Shen Jiahe, the beloved daughter of the Prince of Yubei.

But she was sacrificed in the power struggle within the Prince of Yubei's household.

All his life, Lu Jingzhen devoted himself to convicting General Shen of treason. At last, he obtained irrefutable evidence.

On the day General Shen was to be executed, the Grand Secretariat, who had been determined to see him dead, suddenly seemed to go mad. A delicate scholar with no strength to defend himself trembled as he held a knife and announced he would storm the execution grounds.

It turned out that the person who died all those years ago was Shen Muhe, the original senior general of the empire. The current General Shen was the woman he loved, Shen Jiahe!

It had all been a misunderstanding. Even the evidence in his hands had been forged by someone else!

Reborn, he returns to the moment Shen Jiahe comes back to the capital to report on her work for the first time in eight years. Knowing she will be ambushed, he waits along the road where it will happen...

Theme: Cultivate yourself, manage your family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.