I, a Poor Scholar Who Placed First in the Exams, Am Someone Even the Emperor Dares Not Cross

Wang Qian transmigrates into the Great Qing dynasty as the only son of a low-ranking ninth-grade official. His father's rank may be modest, but at least he has a proper government post. So why bother being a top student? He can just lie flat! A life of doing nothing is the highest ideal. But then a corruption case turns his father into a scapegoat. His official post is stripped away, the family estate is confiscated, and the whole family is sent back to their ancestral home in the countryside, where they must live at someone else's mercy. After injuring himself yet again while working, Wang Qian drops his sickle, picks up his books, and returns to what he does best: studying! He studies to take the imperial exams, takes the exams to come top of the list, and comes top of the list so he can lie flat for good. Instead, he accidentally becomes the top scorer, then publicly tears into the emperor in front of all the civil and military officials. The court and country are shaken, and sweeping reforms are about to begin...