Novels like From the Start, I Was a Lowly Illegitimate Son, but the Imperial Exams Carried Me to Success
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as From the Start, I Was a Lowly Illegitimate Son, but the Imperial Exams Carried Me to Success, best match first.
- 1 I Use Modern Knowledge to Dominate the Imperial Exams 我靠现代知识，在古代科举杀疯了 Lin Feng, a modern-day rich kid and race car driver who likes to lie flat, accidentally transmigrates to ancient times in the Qi Dynasty, becoming Lin Yan, the younger, illegitimate son of a minor local official. Armed with mathematical and scientific knowledge far beyond his era, along with a vast collection of Chinese poetry that lets him show off without even trying, he repeatedly astonishes everyone on his path through the imperial examinations. During the palace examination, his brilliant t 1.1kReads7.3Score106Shelves
- 2 Born into the Marquis's Household: The Illegitimate Son Just Wants to Lie Flat 胎穿：侯府庶子只想躺平 Born into the household of a marquis as an illegitimate son, Shen Qingci thought he was in for a living hell. But to his surprise, his grandmother was loving, his stepmother was gentle, his elder brother always had his back, and his aunt was wise and understanding. Good food, a powerful family to back him up: wasn’t this just the ancient version of being born rich? Shen Qingci promptly decided: in this life, he would lie flat! But then His father was suddenly stripped of his title and executed, 485Reads5.4Score106Shelves
- 3 A Butcher by Trade, an Imperial Exam Scholar by Hobby, I Rise to Grand Secretary 主业杀猪副业科考，官拜首辅台阁 A hub linking three provinces, a vital route by land and water. In Taiping Town, the Jiang family butcher shop welcomed a baby boy, Jiang Ping'an. His family had been butchers for generations, and he helped out in the kitchen on the side. Little did they know that one day a scholar would emerge from their family, rising from a shengyuan candidate to a jinshi, and beginning another story. 187Reads6.0Score104Shelves
- 4 I’m the Illegitimate Son of a Marquis’s Household, Yet the Princes Keep Seeking Me Out to Play 我侯府庶子，奈何皇子喜欢找我玩 The story of Jiang An, an illegitimate son of the Marquis’s household, farming and rising through the ranks in ancient times. He was a lazy fish to begin with, but a chubby prince just loves hanging out with him, and little by little, he stops being lazy. Who dares say Huang Chao wasn’t a real man? 852Reads5.5Score101Shelves
- 5 The Imperial Exams: Top Scholar at Fourteen, and My Whole Family Is Stunned 科举：十四岁案首，全家都懵了 [Everyday life + imperial examinations + lighthearted power fantasy + warmth + coming-of-age] Xiao Yunzheng transmigrates into another world and becomes the “bookworm” mocked by the entire village. His father spent his whole life trying to pass the lowest level of the imperial examinations and never succeeded. The villagers all say the Xiao family is doomed to die out and will never rise again. His mother worries herself gray-haired, his eldest sister protects him with a cleaver, and his little 6.4kReads7.5Score622Shelves
- 6 My Veterinarian Husband Was Taken Away for Questioning on the Day He Retired, Then the Discipline Commission Personally Apologized Three Days Later 兽医老公退休当天被带走调查，三天后纪委亲自上门道歉 On the day the veterinarian husband retired, he was taken away for questioning. Three days later, the disciplinary commission personally came to apologize. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 7 The Day My Ex-Wife Emptied the House, I Revealed Three Years of Bank Transfer Records 前妻搬空家当天，我拿出了三年的转账记录 The day my ex-wife emptied our home, I brought out three years of transfer records. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 8 Born into the Prince's Household: The Second Son's Journey Through the Imperial Exams 胎穿：王府嫡次子的科举征程 Zhao Mingyu was born into the Northern Jing Prince’s household as its second legitimate son, with a noble title awaiting him from birth. The court’s aristocrats expected him to become another wastrel, while his elder brother, the heir, saw him as a harmless pawn to keep on the board. Instead, he chose the Analects during the childhood object-selection ceremony, began his classical education at three, and sat the imperial examinations at twelve. From the county exam to the provincial and metropol 35Reads6.8Score—Shelves
- 9 Gone Mad on the Road to the Imperial Exams? Watch Me Make a Fortune! 科举路上疯了？看我发家致富！ [Imperial Exams + Business + Daily Life] [A light romance, mainly plot-driven] The day before the college entrance exam, Xu Qingfeng woke up as the Xu family's beloved third son. Unable to accept that all his hard studying had gone to waste, Xu Qingfeng wanted to go back and did everything he could to die. Everyone in the village thought he had studied himself crazy. To help him regain his senses, his parents arranged a marriage for him, hoping it would bring him good luck. Once he accepted real —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 10 The Imperial Exams: The Best in the Land Is a Woman! 科举：天下第一是女郎！ [Disguised as a Man | Imperial Examinations and Officialdom | A Genius's Growth | Court Intrigue | Slow-Burn Romance] On the night Xie Mingze was born, two cries rang out in the delivery room, one after the other, yet the Xie family reported only one boy. Her twin brother didn't survive the night. The girl who lived was entered into the male register by her grandmother. Inside the family home, she was her mother's daughter; outside, she became the Xie family's only young master. She has complet 382Reads—Score—Shelves
- 11 Saving My Family Through the Imperial Exams: I Win Top Honors with My Talent 科举救家：我靠才华状元及第 Zhao Yan, a doctoral graduate, pulled an all-nighter and died suddenly. When he opened his eyes, he had become a sickly child from a poor family in Great Zhou! His scholar father had been framed and had the tendons in his hand severed. His mother had cried herself dry, and his sister traded embroidered handkerchiefs for rice to keep the family fed. Then the Ma family’s thugs came to force his father to kneel and sign a contract, trampling a scholar’s dignity into the mud! Zhao Yan clenched his f 377Reads7.2Score100Shelves
- 12 Born to Humble Beginnings, I Defy Heaven Itself 出身皆微末我自逆苍天 This is a comeback full of cracks. It is not about conquering social classes or currying favor with the powerful, but about holding on to your truest self as you are crushed at every turn. When he finally reaches the top, he still dares to look back into the abyss and softly tell the twelve-year-old kiln worker’s son: “I got you out, but I didn’t become one of them.” Welcome to A Humble Birth, Yet I Defy Heaven. Discover how someone born into obscurity learns to become his own light through wind 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 13 The Imperial Exam: A Transmigrator's Road to Reversal 科举，穿越人的逆袭之路 [Everyday Farm Life | Exam-System Comeback | Court Intrigue | No System] After a car accident, a modern soul is reborn as Sun Dingyun, a two-year-old boy in an ordinary farming family in ancient times. The only grandson in the family, he is cherished by his parents and protected by his elders. His family is well-off, and there are no nasty relatives stirring up trouble. He has no System, no photographic memory, and no golden finger. He is just an ordinary person. With his whole family backing 3.5kReads7.8Score225Shelves
- 14 The Scholar's Robe Rises from the Dust 青衿起微尘 Shen Wenyuan, a modern graduate student in history, suddenly transmigrates into the Great Zhou Dynasty and becomes the eldest son of a poor farming family. His grandparents favor his second uncle's family and mistreat and exploit his own. His father finally grits his teeth and splits from the family. A few acres of poor farmland and a dilapidated hut are all they have. Though mired in hardship, Shen Wenyuan refuses to accept his fate. Drawing on what he learned in his previous life, he studies t 35Reads—Score—Shelves
- 15 A Literature Professor Taking the Imperial Exams? Let’s Crush the Competition! 文学系教授考科举？卷死众人吧！ [Farming + imperial examinations + court politics + heartwarming everyday life + fictional setting + marriage and children, though they play a small part] Xu Heng had just been appointed a professor in the Literature Department of A University. Before he could celebrate, he transmigrated into the eldest grandson of the Xu family's main branch in the Great Xia dynasty. The Xu family is a harmonious one, where parents are kind and children filial. Though they live in poverty, they pool all their r 485Reads—Score—Shelves
- 16 After Awakening My Memories, I Tear Through the Imperial Exams 觉醒记忆后科举路杀疯了 [Dad Space + Daughter System + Imperial Examinations] Also known as The Max-Level Expert Awakened His Memories, and Now the Whole Village Is on Its Knees One-sentence synopsis: After awakening memories of his past life, he is either stirring up trouble or on his way to stir up trouble. Other reborn male leads come back to slap the faces of their awful relatives. Fan Qingyan came back and got on his knees first. He knelt on the frozen earth at the village entrance. His father struck the ground b 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 17 I Rule the Literary World: Poetry, Calligraphy, Painting, Biology, Math, Physics, and Chemistry 我！文坛独霸：诗词书画生数物化 The whole family transmigrates to ancient times, where Yang Dalang, the black sheep of a Chaoshan family, is sold by his parents into a ghost marriage. On his wedding night, the female corpse in the coffin suddenly opens her eyes... That's right! My wife has been reborn... The dynasty is nearing its end! Warlords carve up the land! Barbarians threaten from beyond the borders, while corrupt officials wreak havoc within! Watch this overpowered family transform their fortunes in a place of exile in —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 18 Aren’t You an Idiot? How Did You Become the Top Graduate? 你不是傻瓜吗？怎么状元及第了！ [Imperial Examinations] + [Alternate History] + [Political Intrigue] + [Careful Planning] Li Yu was a well-known history streamer in the twenty-first century. His life had been full of misfortune. By a strange twist of fate, he transmigrated into the body of a foolish seven-year-old boy in an ancient world. What kind of family is this? His third uncle spent the family fortune taking the imperial exams, yet couldn't even pass the lowest-level test. The family is desperately poor, and even an egg —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 19 A Cunning Official in Great Qian: Making My Way as Chief Minister 大乾苟官丶混在大乾当宰辅 A friendly reminder: This is a work of pure alternate history and has no connection to real history. After my soul transmigrated into a scholarly family in Great Qian, I brought with me the learning of a thousand ages, seeking only warm wine, peace of mind, and a beautiful woman by my side. I deliberately kept my exam scores low, hoping to land some undemanding government post and stay clear of political strife. But things rarely go as planned. Great Qian’s prosperity was only a facade. Corrupt 46Reads—Score—Shelves
- 20 The Imperial Exam Grind King: I Paved a Road to Success Through Hard Work 科举卷王，卷出一条青云路 Tang Yin, a modern-day overachiever, transmigrates to the ancient Great Qian Dynasty and finds himself caught up in the miserable tale of three generations of one family taking the imperial examinations together. The mockery around me is deafening, but I have no time to pay it any mind. I just keep my head down and study. County, prefectural, and academy exams: I take them on one by one! Provincial, metropolitan, and palace exams: I break through every stage! I study my tutor bald, drive my riva 13.4kReads7.6Score1.1kShelves
- 21 The Imperial Examinations from a Humble Family: A Farming Family's Wronged Eldest Son Fights His Way to the Top 寒门科举：农家冤种长子逆袭路 [Transmigration + Imperial Examinations + Farming + Officialdom] Cheng Haiyue, a modern humanities PhD, transmigrates into the body of a hapless farmer's eldest son, who worked himself to death supporting his third younger brother's studies for the imperial exams. A heartless father, a biased mother, a selfish younger brother, and him, the family's sacrificial lamb. Cheng Haiyue sighs. In his previous life, he had finally managed to escape the mountains, only to end up back there after transmigr 25.4kReads8.5Score2.6kShelves
- 22 My Five Sisters Helped Me Reach for the Clouds, So I Won Them Noble Titles 五姐扶我青云志，我送她们诰命身 Zhang Xiaozhi, a modern liberal arts student, transmigrates into the ancient world as Zhang Xiaozhu, the son of a butcher. He is too weak to lift a load or even hold a tool, and looks set to starve to death. His mother grits her teeth and decides to send him to school, but his butcher father refuses to hear of it. Studying will never make money as fast as slaughtering pigs. Just then, his eldest sister, Jinhua, speaks up: “Father, Mother, stop arguing. I agree that Zhu'er should study.” His se 705Reads6.7Score107Shelves
- 23 I Just Passed the Top Scholar Exam, and the Nomads Surrounded the Capital 刚考上状元，胡人就包围了京城 [Farmer's Son] [Daily Life] [Following the Army] [Not Wish Fulfillment] [Studying for the Top Scholar's Exam] [Grindset King] [Making His Dad Work Hard] Wang Tiedan swears he really never meant to rebel. All he wanted was to pass the imperial examinations and earn an official title. But he never imagined that after giving it everything he had and finally becoming the top scholar, the whole realm would descend into chaos. The northern barbarians are besieging the city, and refugees are flooding a 910Reads—Score—Shelves
- 24 The Concubine's Son Rises: From the Cold Courtyard to the Chancellor's Seat 庶子青云：从冷院到宰执 When he woke up, modern university lecturer Gu Yanzhou had become the least favored eight-year-old illegitimate son in the Marquis Dingyuan household. His birth mother had died young, his father ignored him, his stepmother was cold, and his siblings bullied him. His former self had even been pushed into a pond and “accidentally” drowned. In his previous life, he led graduate students through academic research. In this life, he’ll make his mark in the imperial examinations of the fictional Shengj 777Reads7.7Score111Shelves
- 25 The Centurion's Qilin Son 百夫长的麒麟子 Chen Zhan, a newly graduated PhD in chemistry, was enjoying a vacation before starting work at a university when a glass walkway suddenly shattered. He then found himself occupying the body of Chen Zhan, the frail son of a centurion stationed at a border camp. From then on, a military family that could never find the right words and always lost arguments finally had someone who could speak for them. To stop his father from actually punching a civil official's head clean off, Chen Zhan swore: I'l 1.7kReads7.8Score196Shelves
- 26 At Hoeing Time Beneath the Midday Sun, I Fell for the Imperial Exams 锄禾日当午我和科举处 [Imperial examinations + daily life + romance, with a male-female pairing; the protagonist is still a child at this stage] Su Yan transmigrates into a new life as an infant in swaddling clothes, born premature and frail into a family with nothing but four bare walls. He’d already lived freely enough in his previous life, and now, everything goes black before his eyes. He just wants to give up and be reborn as soon as possible. But each time he’s on the brink of death, he narrowly survives. He ch 2Reads8.0Score—Shelves
- 27 Civil Service Exams in a Troubled Age: A Farmer's Son's Road to Glory 乱世科举：农家子的光耀门楣路 The Li family had a young rogue who stole chickens, picked pockets, loafed around, and never learned a thing. After stealing a bellyband and making advances on a young woman, he was beaten to death. With no food at home and his father paralyzed, he faced a hopeless start. His weathered, stooped grandfather stood by as the young man picked up a book and entered the imperial examinations. Everyone in the village waited to laugh. The notorious Li Rogue passing the exams would be the biggest joke of 60Reads6.7Score—Shelves
- 28 A Farmboy's Guide to the Imperial Exams: I'm One Lucky Layabout! 农家科举子我是躺赢狗！ Li Xuan opens his eyes and finds himself inexplicably transported to a dynasty called Great Qi. The country is in desperate need of rebuilding, and he is a farmer's son, the hope his whole family is counting on… 43Reads—Score—Shelves
- 29 Passing the Imperial Exams: I Know the King of Hell, Go Ask Him If You Don't Believe Me 科举入士：我认识阎王不信你去问 Chu Nanxing got into an argument with the King of Hell. The King of Hell lost his temper and sent him straight off to be reincarnated, so Chu Nanxing was born with his memories from his past life because he never drank Granny Meng's soup. He was then told that a great responsibility rested on his shoulders. As someone who'd always been content to laze around, he had no choice but to study hard. Getting ahead was his only stepping stone. Later, unable to stand clocking in to work every day, Chu N 44Reads6.7Score—Shelves
- 30 Will He Draft the Edict to Depose the Empress Again in This Life? 这一世，他还会起草废后诏书吗？ In the second year of the Longshuo era, if the edict to depose the empress drafted by the Tang chancellor Shangguan Yi had been proclaimed throughout the realm, the later empress Wu Zetian would never have come to power. His entire family is slaughtered, and after surviving the calamity, he must face danger at every turn on the jianghu path. The imperial examinations are fraught with intrigue, and court struggles make every step along the road of gratitude and revenge a perilous one. Love and lo 20Reads—Score—Shelves
- 31 After Three Years of Hiding My Talents, I Became the World's Greatest Worthy Minister 藏锋三年，我成了天下第一贤臣 For a hundred years, the Shen family's ancestral rule had been: never enter officialdom, never join a faction, and devote yourselves only to learning. But Shen Yuheng, the eldest grandson of the main line, was extraordinary from the age of three: still as ancient jade, deep as an unfathomable pool. Others studied for fame and rank. He studied only to understand the world and protect its people. His grandfather realized with alarm: This child was born to break the family rules, stride into the im 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 32 I Take the Imperial Exam Seriously 科举我是认真的 Overnight, he transmigrates and becomes a poor farm boy in the Great Jiang Kingdom, with nothing but the bare walls of his home. His only “golden finger” is the arsenal of skills he learned in his previous life through exam prep and working his way through school. Looking at the thin porridge in his bowl, clear enough to see his reflection, Li Pingbao decides to break through by pursuing an official career through the imperial examinations… 14.8kReads8.2Score1.4kShelves
- 33 The Struggles of a Concubine's Son 庶子的奋斗史 (Fictional setting, no need to nitpick. Everything serves the story. An imperial-examination novel.) A university student majoring in Chinese Language and Literature transmigrates into the body of a concubine-born son of a prominent family. In this dynasty, where the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is stark, a concubine-born son's status is low. Most receive little attention from their families, let alone much of an inheritance. Ling Fengyu knows this all too well. He un —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 34 Striving Forward 奋进 This is not an accident, nor is it the end. It is a brand-new beginning. Only by continuing forward can we find hope. Not everyone enjoys hardship and toil. You need a goal in your heart to keep moving forward. 23Reads—Score—Shelves
- 35 A Woman in a Man's Body, I Became Chief Minister Through the Imperial Exams! 女穿男，我靠科举成首辅！ Wow! I got my first rating! I hope it goes up! One life traded for a chance to transmigrate. Zhou Jin, a thirty-year-old PhD, sacrificed himself to save a child. When he opened his eyes again, he had become an unborn baby named Zhou Huaijin. Fortunately, though this Zhou family of farmers isn’t wealthy, his parents are honest and hardworking, his older sister is gentle and considerate, and their little courtyard is filled with the simplest kind of warmth. He puts down roots in that warmth and 2.8kReads7.8Score301Shelves
- 36 A Late-Born Son of a Farmer Takes the Imperial Exam and Leaves the Emperor Stunned 农家老来子考科举，强到朕傻眼了 Also known as The Late-Born Son of a Farming Family Takes the Civil Service Exams, and Grows So Powerful Even the Emperor Is Stunned; I Entered Government Through the Civil Service Exams and Became a Powerful Minister of Great Qian; Song Yuan, a rising star in the legal world, dies in a car accident and transmigrates into a farming family in Great Qian, becoming the late-born son whom the whole village mocks. With disasters striking one after another and his family mired in poverty, his life fro 12.1kReads8.1Score1.1kShelves
- 37 I Became a Marquis's Illegitimate Son, and the Imperial Exams Won Me a Wife and Glory for My Descendants 穿成侯府庶子，我靠科举封妻荫子 A sickly modern-day man transmigrates overnight into Su Yiheng, the illegitimate eldest son of the Marquis of Ningyuan's household. Born prematurely and frail, he lost his mother young, leaving his little sister without a protector. Their stepmother is sweet-tongued but wicked at heart. If he wants a peaceful life, the military path is out of reach, so he'll pursue a career as a civil official through the imperial examinations! After two lifetimes of being weak, Su Yiheng looks at the graceful y 13.2kReads8.8Score1.5kShelves
- 38 The Way of Learning: A Transmigrator's Unconventional Path to the Imperial Examinations 学而致道：穿越之非主流科举路 A high school student transmigrates into the household of a gentry family in an imaginary dynasty, studies under his father and tutors, and takes the imperial examinations. The teachings of Song Learning and Han Learning, the schools of Cheng-Zhu and Lu-Wang, the essays of Su and Han, and the histories of Ban and Ma gradually seep into a young man’s heart. He studies from childhood through adolescence, taking in ideas that will never change for the rest of his life. Across a thousand years, he m 1.1kReads8.4Score123Shelves
- 39 Poor Scholar, Grand Secretary: My Teacher Is Xu Jie 寒门首辅：家师徐阶 The early pacing is fast, with a focus on court politics. The protagonist is poor and under pressure at first, and that part has a few issues. If you find it hard to read, you can skip ahead to chapter 80 for the career-focused storyline. “Before the steps of the Golden Hall, half are the bones of scholars. The other half are the people's marrow, congealed. The alchemical furnace swallows every soaring ambition, then exhales it as frozen lines in the history books.” “By dawn, a farmhand; by dusk 372Reads6.4Score—Shelves
- 40 Changing My Family's Status, I Aim to Top the Imperial Exams 改换门庭，我要科举高中 A programmer from the 21st century had a happy family and a fulfilling life, but then he transmigrated into the family of a feudal-era small landowner. Seeing the tenants’ lives, his simple-minded cousin, and his family desperately guarding their farmland, he declared, “I’ll take the imperial examinations! I’m going to climb into the clouds and see what’s up there!” 68Reads—Score—Shelves
- 41 A Farmer's Rise: From Gathering Rice to Becoming Prime Minister 农家逆袭：从捡稻谷到当宰辅 Shen Yanzhi, a postgraduate history student, opens his eyes to find himself in the body of a country boy in ancient times named Goudan, the only child the Li family had waited ten years for. His great-grandfather once held high office, but so what? After being exiled to Lingnan, the whole family still had to rely on farming to survive. Just as he gets used to life in an ancient village, he’s bound to a bizarre System. Other transmigrators get Systems that help them conquer the world, but his tas —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 42 A Commoner Boy: Disciple of the Son of Heaven 布衣少年：天子门生 The novel finally received its rating on July 5. The rating has just opened, so it will rise later. [Young political intrigue | Redemption for all | Reform for the people | Women's awakening | Passionate ensemble cast | Imperial examinations | Xu Zhiyan] The Great Jing court was rigidly stratified. For a hundred years, no commoner from a humble family had risen to the top overnight and caught the emperor's attention. Xu Zhiyan was the first. He came from Xu Family Village in Huzhou, Zhejiang. 4kReads8.1Score292Shelves
- 43 I Only Wanted to Help Dad Pass the Imperial Exams, Not Become the Emperor's Tutor! 我只想教爹考状元，没想当帝师！ [Imperial exams, court politics, everyday life, alternate history, farming, lighthearted, no romance] In the Great Xia Dynasty, the Su family has failed the imperial exams for nine generations, becoming a laughingstock throughout the county! I’m a PhD in literature, yet I’ve transmigrated into the body of Su Chen, an eight-year-old prodigy from the Su family! My foolish father is still poring over dry textbooks, while Grandma is so furious she’s gone mad on the spot, and the whole clan is laughi 3.9kReads8.3Score525Shelves
- 44 A Wild Monk and a Stinky Cook? No! He's the New Top Scholar 野和尚臭厨子？不！他是新科状元 [Family life] [Imperial examinations] [Farming] [Lighthearted] Jiang Zhuo transmigrates and becomes a young monk kicked out of the monastery by the abbot. With no other choice, he returns home and resumes secular life. But the moment he steps through the door, he’s confronted by an entire family of oddballs. A spineless father, a meek mother, grandparents who play favorites, and a brother who loves to show off... Jiang Zhuo: Fine, fine! This messed-up transmigration life boils down to one t 21Reads—Score—Shelves
- 45 Reborn as a Cannon-Fodder Man in a Broken Engagement Face-Slapping Story 穿成退婚打脸文里的炮灰男 [Imperial Exams, One-on-One Romance] [Not a Power Fantasy] (The rating just came out, so it might go up later?) At first, Lu Heming thought he had transmigrated, or perhaps there had been water in Granny Meng’s soup, allowing him to be reborn with memories of his past life. It wasn’t until he turned six that he realized he had transmigrated into a women’s novel about a broken engagement and face-slapping revenge. But he was neither the male lead who would join hands with the heroine and reach th 608Reads8.4Score—Shelves
- 46 Build a Fortune and Pass the Imperial Exams 发家致富考科举 [No System or golden finger, one heroine, not a wish-fulfillment story, realistic] Xie Fan is a hopelessly single exam nerd, a useless graduate of a top university, and a slacker at a major organization. He enjoys a carefree life of choosing to lie flat. After an unexpected death, he returns to a parallel world in the Ming Dynasty, reborn as the son of a landlord. But life in a landlord’s household turns out to be no easier. To make ends meet, he sets out on the path of the imperial examinations 1.1kReads8.6Score103Shelves
- 47 The Great Zhou’s Number One Villain Raises a Top Scholar 大周第一奸臣，养出了个状元郎 [Transmigration] [Imperial Examinations] [Court Politics] [No Golden Finger] The short drama is now streaming on Fanqie under the title The Playboy Takes Up His Brush to Protect the Realm (Season 1). After transmigrating to Great Zhou, Gu Chang'an finds himself the son of a treacherous minister, reviled by everyone. His father, Gu Mingyuan, wields immense power at court. He purges the court and suppresses the scholars, earning the condemnation of the realm's literati as a traitor to the nation 109.7kReads8.6Score12.4kShelves
- 48 A Farmer's Son's Road to the Imperial Exams, His Achievements Shining Across the Land 农家儿郎科举路，勋名耀山河！ [Imperial Examinations] [A Farmer’s Son Changes His Fate Through the Exams] Zhou Xu opens his eyes and finds himself in another era! Determined to make his mark in this new age, he looks down at his patched trousers and the endless fields stretching to the horizon. Zhou Xu decides he’d better study. Education can change your fate! His eldest aunt spits and says, “A country bumpkin thinks he can study?” Zhou Xu passes the county-level examination. His second aunt says enviously, “That’s as far as 28kReads8.5Score2.5kShelves
- 49 Rising Through the Imperial Exams: Changing My Family's Fate 科举兴家：带着全家改换门庭 [Imperial examinations + transmigration + farming + no golden finger] [Romance included. The male lead is devoted to one woman. The heroine appears less often, and romance is not the main plot.] [The male lead is talented, but he still has to work hard. He climbs the ranks one step at a time.] A top student who had just graduated suddenly transmigrates into the body of a farmer’s son in ancient times. Determined not to spend his whole life farming, he embarks on the long road to the imperial exa 9.7kReads6.9Score719Shelves
- 50 The Imperial Exams: Daily Life of a Young Farmer in Ancient Times 科举：古代农家小子生活日常 [One Female Lead] + [No System] + [Farming] + [Everyday Life] + [Romance] + [Family Matters] The everyday life of a man from the bottom of society in ancient times. To avoid being bullied, wear silk, live in a big house, have a beautiful wife and concubines, own fine horses, and farm without paying taxes, he strives to pass the imperial examinations. And more… Of all pursuits, studying is the noblest. He had only just graduated, yet he threw himself into the imperial examinations. Though it was 1.1kReads6.2Score109Shelves
