The Academic Underachiever Forced to Take the Imperial Examination

Novel Info

Author:
映在月光裏
Status:Ongoing

Summary

Cheng Zi’an, a rich second-generation academic underachiever, was waiting to inherit his family fortune when he transmigrated into a seven-year-old brat.

Fortunately, his family owned dozens of acres of fertile land, and his father, Cheng Zhen, was a Juren of both talent and beauty. He had no worries about food or clothing.

As an only son, Cheng Zi’an thought: “Studying is impossible. I’ll just be a happy slacker and continue my hedonistic lifestyle.”

Unexpectedly, Cheng Zhen met with misfortune, cutting off Cheng Zi’an’s path to “lying flat.”

The crowd sneered: “Without Cheng Zhen, the Cheng family is finished, especially with a dull and ignorant boy like Cheng Zi’an.”

Forced to study by Cheng Zhen at the end of a stick, the underachiever Cheng Zi’an wailed: “I can’t even recognize all the characters in the textbook!”

Who would have thought that under this pressure, he would become a paragon for scholars, leave his name in the annals of history, and assist two emperors for thirty years?

Not only did the Cheng family not perish, but starting from Cheng Zi’an, the clan flourished for centuries, and the “Cheng Clan of Mingzhou” became famous throughout the world.

The young Crown Prince once asked his Imperial Tutor, Cheng Zi’an: “Teacher, did you love studying since you were a child?”

Cheng Zi’an smiled but remained silent.

Sigh, don’t ask. It’s a story written in tears.

Cheng Zi’an’s private memoirs were titled: Originally, I Just Wanted to Be an Ordinary Playboy.

Reading Guide:

1.
Alternate history; please do not scrutinize for historical accuracy.

2.
The Imperial Examination system is a blend of the Tang and Song dynasties, not the common Ming and Qing systems.

3.
Early stages focus on studying and examinations; later stages focus on court life and officialdom.

4.
The “Cheng Clan of Mingzhou” is inspired by the “Yi Men Chen” (Chen Clan of the Righteous Gate).

5.
The male lead has a unique path and is not perfect. Lighthearted, with some luck—but not too much.

6.
Primarily focuses on the Imperial Examination, infrastructure building, and farming. The romance subplot is minimal.

Novel Items

Teaching Ruler

Disciplinary Tool

A ruler made from two blocks of elm wood joined together, polished to a glossy sheen by constant use. It is used by Mr. Zhou to punish students, such as lashing Zhang Qi's palm, causing bright red marks and tears.

Hundred Family Surnames

Manuals

A classic Chinese text containing common surnames. Chi Yu knows all the characters and offered to have Qin Mu transcribe it for teaching purposes.

Green-shelled bugs

Toy

Insects that children catch and tie with thin strings to their legs, shaking them to create a whirring wing sound like a fan. They are a favorite pastime of the Mengtong students but are nearly hunted to extinction.

Dragon Boat Festival and wheat harvest holiday

Holiday

A break announced by Mr. Zhou after the exam, during which most classmates do not need to work in the fields and can enjoy celebrations. However, another exam awaits after the break.

Fine blue cloth

Material

A bolt of fine blue cloth given by Cheng Zhen to Fang Yin's father in exchange for a hen. It is more valuable than the hen but less conspicuous than silk, and Fang Yin's mother has not yet made it into a shirt due to farm work.

Exam Papers

Item

The midterm exam papers that Lin Yiran and Pan Jing exchanged after class to look over each other's mistakes and share feedback on their weaknesses.

Latest Release

Date	Group	Release
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c10
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c9
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c8
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c7
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c6
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c5
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c4
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c3
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c2
2026-08-11	shanghai fantasy	c1

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Popular reviews

PaulJones Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ May 27,2025

Okay so can we talk about Cheng Zi'an and Fang Yin for a second because THIS is the kind of friendship that actually hurts to read about? The scene where Fang Yin comes out wearing those new clothes and Zhang Qi makes that snide comment about his outfit — Fang Yin's face goes pale and he just presses his lips together. And Cheng Zi'an? He smiles and nods. That's it. No big speech, no extra kindness that would make Fang Yin feel even more embarrassed. Just a simple nod and then he pulls Zhang Qi inside before Fang Yin can even respond. "A little kindness was enough; there was no need to add to his embarrassment. They were not on the same path now, and social barriers were not easily crossed." That line hit me like a truck. Cheng Zi'an understands something so painful — that sometimes the kindest thing you can do is NOT make a big deal out of helping someone. Because Fang Yin is proud. He's poor but he's proud, and Cheng Zi'an knows this. The fact that he represents pressure to Fang Yin just by being Cheng Zhen's beneficiary son... it's complicated. They're not equals anymore, not really, and Cheng Zi'an respects that boundary. I keep thinking about how Fang Yin stole a glance at Cheng Zi'an before Zhang Qi mocked him. Like he was checking — is my friend still my friend? And Cheng Zi'an's answer was: yes, but I won't make it weird. This is the kind of subtle, aching friendship that modern novels rarely get right. No dramatic confessions, no grand gestures. Just two boys who understand each other in a world that keeps pulling them apart. And honestly? That's more powerful than any romance subplot could ever be.

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Spirit_Immortal Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ January 12,2026

There's this one line that Cheng Zi'an recalls during the bullying scene and it stuck with me like a burr on my sweater: 'Wealth is no crime, but poverty is.' That sentence is basically the entire thesis of this novel's world compressed into eight words. It's not just a character observation—it's the author telling us, straight up, how this society works. The symbolism of Fang Yin's torn clothing is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. His exposed shoulder isn't just a visual detail; it's a manifestation of his complete vulnerability in a system where your social standing is determined before you even open your mouth. When Xin Jinian rips the sleeve off Fang Yin's shirt, he's not just being a brat—he's performing a ritual of humiliation that reinforces the social hierarchy. The classroom becomes a microcosm of the entire dynasty's power structure. And then there's the recurring motif of 'the hat must be worn straight' from the Disciples' Rules. Xin Jinian weaponizes a line of moral instruction to justify his cruelty, which is just absolutely brutal in the most petty way possible. It's the author showing us how moral language gets co-opted by the powerful to discipline the weak. The same line that's supposed to teach propriety becomes a tool for bullying. That's not accidental writing—that's thematic precision. Cheng Zi'an's internal monologue about his own family's position is equally revealing. He recognizes that even his father Cheng Zhen, despite his talent and reputation, would still be considered 'a small, humble household' no matter what. The imperial examination system promises meritocracy, but the novel keeps reminding us that merit alone doesn't overcome centuries of accumulated social capital. Cheng Zi'an's fear—that he might end up like Fang Yin if his father doesn't succeed—isn't just personal anxiety. It's a systemic critique wrapped in a child's honest terror.

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Rampaije Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ September 15,2025

I need to talk about the setting of this book because WOW. The author paints this village with such specific, layered detail that I could literally close my eyes and see it. "Through the gaps in the wicker fences, brilliant roses stretched out diagonally, while sharp shards of porcelain embedded in the blue-brick walls glinted coldly in the fading sunlight." Do you understand what this sentence is doing?? The roses are beautiful — warmth, life, the Cheng family's prosperity. The porcelain shards on the walls are... defensive. Anti-theft measures. Cold. This one sentence tells you everything about the Cheng family: they're wealthy enough to have gardens, but they also need to protect that wealth. The duality is chef's kiss. And the walk home! The golden wheat waves, the green rice plants nodding, the frogs croaking at night, the garden with irises and peonies and gardenias. Cheng Zhen picking touch-me-not flowers to dye his wife's nails — this is a whole mood. The domestic warmth of that scene contrasts so sharply with the tension of the father-son conflict. One minute you're reading about a man carefully selecting flowers for his wife, the next he's grabbing a crabapple branch to spank his son. The world feels SO alive, like you're walking through it alongside these characters.

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GEEGEEuaK Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ August 5,2025

I need to talk about how the author builds this classroom scene because it's genuinely impressive worldbuilding disguised as a school setting. The room itself feels so specific and alive—you can practically smell the ink and feel the heat. The detail about the exam lasting 'the time it took for two incense sticks to burn' immediately transports you into this historical moment without any exposition dump. That's the kind of worldbuilding that doesn't feel like worldbuilding at all; it just feels like the world. But what really makes this scene work is the social geography of the classroom. The author maps out the entire power structure through physical positioning and behavior. Fang Yin sits apart, poor and quiet. Xin Jinian commands space with his brute energy, and his followers cluster around him like satellites. The diligent students gravitate toward Fang Yin to compare answers, creating a secondary social network based on academic ambition rather than wealth. Zhang Qi and Cheng Zi'an occupy this liminal space—poor performers who aren't quite at the bottom but aren't protected by talent either. The visual of Fang Yin crouching on the floor, half-naked, trying to hide his poverty, is one of the most cinematic moments in this entire passage. I could see the camera angle clearly: low shot, shallow depth of field, the other students' legs and feet visible in the background as they circle like vultures. The contrast between the bright, noisy celebration that Cheng Zi'an manufactures and Fang Yin's silent, shrinking terror is devastating. And the ending image—Cheng Zhen approaching from afar, 'as refined as a clear breeze and bright moon,' while his son cowers at the dormitory entrance—creates this incredible visual tension. The father represents everything the system rewards: talent, refinement, connections. The son represents everything that system can destroy. The physical distance between them in that final moment says everything the author needs to say.

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Richard_Purba Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ December 7,2025

Let me just be honest — the entire middle section of this chapter had me simultaneously crying and laughing. Cheng Zi'an is being dragged home, wondering if he's going to get beaten, and the suspense is REAL. Is he? Isn't he? What did he do wrong?? When Cheng Zhen finally says "Hold out your hand" and Cheng Zi'an starts wailing up at the sky like "No way" — I was losing it. The kid's internal monologue is pure chaos. He's calculating, strategizing, trying to figure out if the beating is about the exam or about something else. And then when he realizes it IS about the exam, his whole attitude shifts. He goes from terrified to defiant to... almost proud? Like, "Fine, you want to beat me? Go ahead. I'm your only heir, starve me if you dare!" But here's the thing that made my chest tighten — the beating itself is described as thunderous sound but not much pain. "The flesh on the buttocks was thick, so the sound was thunderous, but it didn't actually hurt much." This is a father who is performing discipline for the household staff, for his wife, for the family structure — but he's not actually trying to hurt his son. And Cheng Zi'an KNOWS this. That's why he can get away with lying on the floor and howling without tears. That's why he can peek at his father upside down. The stakes were never real physical danger — they were about authority, about face, about the fragile performance of a strict father in a traditional household. And yet — and this is what got me — Cheng Zi'an is still genuinely anxious throughout the whole scene. The reader knows it's not going to be that bad, but the character doesn't. That gap between dramatic irony and genuine fear? That's where the tension lives.

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Mirabel1276 Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ March 31,2026

There's this one moment — just a passing mention — that encapsulates the entire theme of the novel, and I don't think most readers will even notice it. Cui Suniang notices the edges of Cheng Zi'an's book curling and chides him: "Many poor students rely on copying texts to study. Copying itself is difficult—the brush and ink must be of good quality, and the paper cannot be too poor either, or else after a few flips, the characters will smudge and the paper will tear." Just one sentence. But it opens up this entire world of inequality that the novel is clearly about. The Spring and Autumn Annals alone has over thirty volumes. Each volume costs more than two taels of silver. Annotated versions are "outrageously expensive." For poor students, the biggest expense isn't tuition — the Fuxue provides ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones — it's BOOKS. Education itself is free, but the tools to access it are not. And then there's Fang Yin, who apparently can't even afford books, and Xin Jinian whose book box is woven with auspicious vine patterns and gleams with polish. Same school. Different worlds. The festival gifts become a symbol too — the Xin family sends their steward Xin Da with what is presumably a massive bundle ("Unless his bundle contained gold ingots"), while poor students give "a piece of meat, a basket of eggs" but "the gift could not be omitted." Even the smallest contribution is expected. The system demands participation from everyone, regardless of means. What is the novel really saying about education? That it's supposed to be a great equalizer — "poor scholars seeking to rise above their station" — but the reality is that the playing field was never level to begin with. Fang Yin can excel despite everything, but Cheng Zhen warns that success in the exams is only the beginning. The real dangers come later, in officialdom, where "those without background or wealth can be swept away in an instant." The books, the gifts, the exams — they're all symbols of a system that claims meritocracy but operates on class.

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