A Ming Dynasty Lady Official (Imperial Examinations)

Su Zhe transmigrated into the body of a poor farm girl in the early Ming Dynasty.

The bad news: Her family was so poor they could barely afford dirt to eat!

The good news: ...Ha, there is no good news at all!

The empire had only just been pacified. Powerful enemies watched from beyond its borders, bandits ran rampant within them, local princes threw their weight around, Zhu Yuanzhang sharpened his knives in court, and the civil and military officials alike were caught up in a mass escape...

Faced with all this, Su Zhe thought, Let it all fall apart. I just want to lie flat.

But when she looked at her family's gaunt faces and thought of their bleak lives, she gritted her teeth and embarked on another arduous journey.

She tied up her hair, concealed her identity, and went on to take the imperial examinations, become a high-ranking official, invent new things, and quell rebellions...

Many years later, Su Zhe looked back on her life as a first-rank official and the first woman in history to become a duke.

She realized she really had carved out her own path to success, one step at a time!

Theme: Though poor, be resolute and never abandon your lofty ambitions.