I Didn't Want to Compete in the Imperial Exams, but My Big Brother Lay Flat First

Yue Zhan transmigrates. Whether it's lucky or unlucky, he is reborn into the Yue family, in the Yue ancestral home beneath Yuelu Academy. A family of exam-obsessed scholars? How is he supposed to survive? And then he sees the household he's joined: it's the home of the village's least respected old licentiate. The grandfather studies diligently but is mediocre by nature, and has failed the imperial exams time after time. His father is lazy. His eldest brother, who was meant to carry the banner of the imperial exams, abandoned his studies for business and ran off. His four sisters are having trouble finding husbands, since nobody wants to marry into a family and raise a whole brood of children who can't study! Well, the person who had already decided to lie flat has no choice but to struggle to his feet, roll up his sleeves, and throw himself into the imperial exams! He secretly rejoices that he has a System and can carve out a path to success in this family of exam fanatics. But after binding to it, he discovers it's a useless military-exam System, while he needs to take the civil-service exams. Fortunately, training with the military-exam System can improve his intelligence, which should help with the civil-service exams too. From then on, he's forced into a path of studying hard at school by day and laboring away with all his might in the System at night, pursuing both civil and military excellence. Let's see how he cuts a swath through the imperial examinations, restores his grandfather's honor, wins his clan's respect, helps his sisters find good husbands, and joins hands with his beloved to fulfill his ambitions in life. In short, this is the story of a man who enters officialdom through the imperial exams, but becomes a powerful regional governor through his military achievements. Later generations praise him: “With a brush, he can write a plan to bring peace to the world; on horseback, he can secure the realm. Who can match a mind full of strategy? Throughout the ages, he alone stands as a hero.” Little scene: Why does everything hurt so much the day after finishing a training course in the System? After riding a horse all night, he walks like a duck the next day, and his backside is so chafed he can't sit down. What should he do? After shooting hundreds of arrows, his hands are shaking like a sieve the next day. What? He has to take a written exam? The result is certainly astonishing: he earns the first zero in Yuelu Academy's history. After doing hundreds of weightlifting reps, he's ravenous the next day and wolfs down ten steamed buns, attracting an audience. What a glutton! Reading Guide: One-on-one romance. The female lead appears later in the story. An alternate world, slow burn, with an emphasis on the ensemble cast. Imperial exams in the first half, court politics in the second. New novel now underway: My Dad Is a Low-Ranking Eunuch (Imperial Exams) Chang En transmigrates into the body of a farmer's son. His father is an honest carpenter, his mother capable and sharp-witted, and he has two young brothers. The whole family lives frugally, hoping their exceptionally gifted son will study and make something of himself. Only after his adoptive father dies unexpectedly does his mother tearfully reveal a secret He isn't his adoptive father's biological son. His birth father had been beaten up for defying his parents' marriage plans, and a drunken fight left him injured. In despair, he entered the palace to make a living. Now the family is on the verge of running out of food, and studying is an impossible dream. Chang En makes a snap decision: there's no reason to turn down his biological father's monthly salary. He's going to claim it. So he heads to the capital alone to find his father. Zhong Xin, an old hand among the palace eunuchs, is leaning behind a big tree to slack off, fast asleep and drooling down his chest. He never dreamed that a fine son would fall from the sky. In an instant, his comfortable life as a salaryman living paycheck to paycheck comes to an end. Fired up with enthusiasm, he's forced back into action, throwing himself into the grand undertaking of saving money to fund his son's imperial exams, and gets caught up in the treacherous struggle for power. Years later, Chang En holds a high office and wields power over the entire court. Outsiders say he's a heaven-sent genius, and that his ancestors' graves must be exuding good fortune. Only Chang En knows the truth: he made his way up thanks to his family's “life-threatening encouragement.” The young prince served by his birth father seems harmless, but once he gets started, he drags everyone around him into trouble. His two younger brothers are even better at causing trouble, each one capable of creating a disaster worse than the other's: The elder of the two has unrivaled poetic talent and can't resist alluding to the present through ancient stories, mocking the imperial court whenever the mood strikes him. Chang En has to go to court every day and clean up after him: “Your Majesty, please calm down. My younger brother meant no harm. I have a plan to make amends!” His youngest brother is an unrestrained artist who excels at painting beauties. Noblewomen flock to him, while the court officials sharpen their knives over him. Chang En runs around apologizing with a smile: “Gentlemen, please calm down. It was all a misunderstanding. I'll make sure he's properly disciplined when we get home!” After working diligently day after day, Chang En finally reaches one conclusion: There's no way to patch it all up. The holes just keep coming. This novel is also known as: How I Saved My Whole Family Through the Imperial Exams A Powerful Minister's Self-Cultivation: From Supporting His Family to Saving the Nation Theme: Only by giving your all can you discover how remarkable you are