異於明末清初《鴛鴦鍼》針砭科考舞弊，《儒林外史》的諷刺對象，出現轉向於作者吳敬梓年代—康熙晚期到乾隆早期的捐納情節。這種順應時勢的書寫方式，是晚明出版市場的現象之一。為深入瞭解《儒林外史》捐納情節書寫背景，本文耙梳整理明、清兩朝懲治科考舞弊法〈貢舉非其人〉〈問刑條例〉原始及修訂條文，分析清廷匡正晚明科舉舞弊歪風與公開施行捐納政策，如何提供小說靈感。之後，本文以《儒林外史》人物杜少卿為核心，將小說捐納書寫情節歸類。最終強調《儒林外史》延續不變者，包括諷刺精神以及閱讀市場對於應時作品的期待。

This paper compares the plot of two vernacular novels, Yuanyang Zhen and Rulin Waishi. These two novels are similar in depicting the scholars who attending the civil examination, know as keju. Nevertheless, the theme of Yuanyang Zhen written nearly a century earlier is to criticize the unlawful behaviors including cheating and bribing in the examination, known as zuobi, in the Late Ming dynasty, but that of Rulin Waishi is mainly criticizing the policy of encouraging contributing to the government funds to secure certain social status, known as juanna starting in the Kangxi & Yongzheng periods of the early Qing dynasty. As a result, Rulin Waishi inherited the spirit of criticism on keju system, it created new plots focusing on the governmental juanna policy of the Qing rather than zuobi which was strictly forbidden. In other words, Rulin Waishi attracted readers of the Qing reign for centuries by criticizing the juanna system as early as at its beginning period.