The Noble Daughter from a Humble Family

[Main story complete, full text lightly revised, bonus chapters updating]

Zhu Xuan was born to an ordinary family in the countryside, with a few acres of poor farmland and a handful of pigs and sheep.

She had older siblings above her and younger ones below, and the number of mouths to feed grew by two every three years.

Her father spent his days wandering around and shirking his responsibilities. Fortunately, her mother and grandparents worked hard to support the family, and wedged in among them, Zhu Xuan grew up on just enough food to keep hunger at bay.

If not for a kind transmigrator who introduced three years of compulsory education to this feudal society, Zhu Xuan, a native woman, would have been destined to marry some Wang Er or Li San from a neighboring village.

So, when Zhu Xuan turned six, she went to elementary school. Once she began her studies, her formal name changed to Zhu Xuan, written with a different character.

Xuan means to soar, even if only a little.

Though one's wings may be small, one can still dream of riding the wind to distant heights.

The butterfly wings of transmigrators in this world had opened a tiny, tiny crack leading to the ladder to heaven, and Zhu Xuan squeezed through it with a little luck and a clear head.

*

That year's imperial examinations saw a few more women among the candidates. It was the first examination in which women were allowed to participate. When the top three rankings were announced, the entire court was shaken: the top scholar was a woman.

As history's first officially recognized female top scholar, Zhu Xuan thought back to all those years she had spent studying. Back then, women could not take the imperial examinations.

Men studied and strove for advancement in pursuit of fame and fortune, hoping to “enter the emperor's court at dusk.”

But during the lonely years when Zhu Xuan persevered in her studies, before women were allowed to sit the examinations, what did learning mean to her?

Perhaps it was simply a way to prove her path: the path of Zhu Xuan herself.

“Beyond being chosen, having my life arranged for me, being married off, having children, and passively living out the life expected of a woman, perhaps, just perhaps, knowledge and wisdom can give me other possibilities.”

“Though I was born a sparrow, I still have the ambitions of a swan.”

This book is also known as Celebrating a Thousand Autumns.

“May daylilies flourish through the spring, and may blessings of longevity last a hundred thousand years.” From Celebrating a Thousand Autumns, by an anonymous Song dynasty poet.

Note:

1. The setting is fictional, and the imperial examination system combines historical elements with original inventions. Please don't nitpick the details.

2. The heroine is a genuine native of this world, with no outside influence. Some supporting characters are transmigrators.

3. This is not a typical imperial-examination novel. It is not a fast-paced, plot-heavy tale of climbing the examination ladder. The heroine does not disguise herself as a man. The main story follows her self-discovery and growth.

4. In this book, women gain the right to take the imperial examinations over time, and the heroine lives through that transformation. That's why the story includes rural life and youthful studies before the examinations. The pace is slow, and there is no particularly powerful golden finger. The story follows her from the examinations into officialdom, tracing the journey of a village girl who strives to become a powerful minister.

5. There is a romance, but it will not interfere with the heroine's career. She will not marry, have children, or retreat to the inner quarters. The book was tagged as romance from the start; it is not a no-couple story.

6. Everyone has different tastes. You don't need to tell me if you drop the book.

7. Every reader who subscribes to the official edition is an angel. Thank you for your understanding.

8. Regarding “poor family” in the title: In early ancient times, the term referred specifically to aristocratic families of low rank. After the decline of the aristocracy following the Wei and Jin dynasties, it could also refer generally to families in poverty. The title uses the second meaning.

9. The cover was commissioned personally. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

Theme: Self-reliance is precious