Chapter 1

In the third year of Hongzhi in the Great Ming Dynasty, the world was at peace.

Under the rule of this young emperor, the chaos in the imperial court during the late reign of Emperor Xianzong was swept away, and various heretical monks and sects were expelled from the court.

Rebellions across the land arose and were quickly quelled, and the Great Ming began to present a scene of prosperity.

Yujia'ao was a small town under the jurisdiction of Xin'an County. Thanks to the blessings of two generations of emperors, there had been no major wars for many years, and the people did not have to bear the burden of labor services. Thus, life was much better than during the reign of the orthodox emperor.

Yujia'ao was named so because half of the residents there were surnamed Yu, and the main branch of the Yu family was the owner of the large mansion in the north, Lord Yu. It was said that Lord Yu's ancestors had once been wealthy, being descendants of the famous minister of the Song Dynasty, Yu Jing. After moving to this place a hundred years ago, they settled down and, after a century of growth, the Yu clan now numbered several hundred households.

Although the Yu family claimed to be a family of scholars, it had been hundreds of years since anyone had entered government service. Perhaps due to the blessings of their ancestors, Lord Yu's family tomb emitted green smoke, and in his old age, Lord Yu had a son, a prodigy.

This young master of the Yu family was a mischievous little tyrant until he turned five. After turning six, he suddenly became enlightened. He invited a famous scholar from the nearby area to be his private tutor and devoted himself to studying. In just five or six years, he achieved success. It was said that he would take the child examination this year and might become the youngest scholar in the county.

Yu Fei was not originally a native of the Great Ming Dynasty. In modern terms, he was a穿越者 (time traveler).

In his previous life, he was quite intelligent. After graduating from university, he earned more than 20,000 yuan through three years of hard work and study. He then started a small company in the internet industry, and his life was quite comfortable.

If everything went smoothly, he might have found a suitable girlfriend in a few years, gotten married, had children, and lived a peaceful life.

Unfortunately, life is unpredictable. When Yu Fei's company was doing well, he was suddenly diagnosed with advanced liver cancer. This sudden blow was hard for anyone to accept, and Yu Fei was no exception.

Yu Fei came from a poor family. His parents were simple farmers who supported him through their hard work on their small plot of land and by working for others during their free time, allowing him to go to a big city for education.

Yu Fei had always been very understanding. Even when bullied, he would endure it, knowing that only by studying hard could he repay his parents' hard work. Temporary competitiveness would only bring temporary relief, ultimately causing more hardship for his parents.

This situation made him resilient from a young age. After being depressed for a few days, he rallied, sold his company shares to his co-founder for over ten million yuan, and gave all the money to his parents. He then bid them farewell with a smile and set out to see his homeland.

He traveled alone, slowly exploring the beautiful landscapes of his country. After a year, his body was on the verge of collapse, so he found an abandoned Taoist temple in the Lingnan area and fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up, he found himself in Luoyang of the Great Ming Dynasty, as a five-year-old child named Yu Fei. Reborn, Yu Fei was overjoyed. His parents in this life also loved him dearly, and he felt a deep connection to his parents from his previous life.

Without the pressure of daily life, Yu Fei's intelligent and active nature began to show. He often did things that were beyond comprehension, and Lord Yu and Lady Yu were not surprised. After all, there were many prodigies in the dynasty, and they were proud of their child's intelligence rather than blaming him.

After living in the Great Ming for a few months, Yu Fei realized that although his family was wealthy, a minor official from the county could make his father bow and scrape. He understood that in the Great Ming, wealth alone could not ensure a stable life. Without status, a minor official could destroy their large family business.

From then on, he changed his mischievous ways and asked his father to let him study to earn a status, so his father wouldn't have to be subservient.

His father naturally agreed and paid a high price to hire the best scholar in the county to tutor Yu Fei. Whether due to his time travel or his young age, Yu Fei could read and remember things effortlessly. He could recite the entire Analects after reading it two or three times and often made connections that even his teacher couldn't answer, leading the teacher to marvel at the existence of prodigies.

After six years of study, Yu Fei had seven teachers, each of whom could only teach him for less than a year before feeling they had nothing more to teach and resigning.

The most recent teacher was a demoted Hanlin scholar. The child examination Yu Fei was preparing to take was arranged by this teacher. According to the teacher, Yu Fei's studies had reached a level where he could only improve through self-study. After a few years of examination practice, passing the provincial examination would be a matter of course.

One day, two strangers, a man and a woman, arrived in Yujia'ao. Both were carrying long swords in their left hands and leading horses with their right. They were asking for directions to an inn, but no one knew where one was.

Yujia'ao, though called a town, was not much different from a rural village, and it was not on any major road, so there were no inns.

Yu Fei had just returned from his teacher's house and saw the two strangers. The man was about thirty, with a long beard, and spoke politely, making people feel good.

The woman was about twenty-five or twenty-six, with a refined and dignified appearance. She stood quietly beside the man, smiling, and was very virtuous.

Others did not find anything unusual about the two, but Yu Fei immediately sensed that they were not ordinary people. They looked tired, as if they had traveled a long distance, but their clothes were spotless. Moreover, the town's roads were dirt, yet they had not gotten any mud on their shoes.

Seeing the two strangers ask several people without success, Yu Fei felt a bit helpless. After some thought, he led the servant boy assigned to him, approached them, and bowed, asking:

"Are you two looking for an inn to stay at?"

The man did not answer but sized up this somewhat impulsive young boy. The boy was only about twelve or thirteen but was very polite, and his every move showed excellent upbringing, which the man found very likable.

The man returned the bow and smiled, saying:

"Yes, my wife and I have been traveling for several days and are quite tired. We want to find an inn to rest for a day. Do you know where one is?"

Yu Fei smiled and replied:

"You two might be disappointed. This small town has no inn. If you want to stay at an inn, you'll have to travel south for about ten miles to Xin'an County."

Although the middle-aged man was somewhat disappointed, he still thanked Yu Fei with great courtesy:

"Thank you for letting us know."

Seeing the man's demeanor, Yu Fei was quite impressed and blurted out:

"If you don't mind, you can stay at my house for the night."

The man was taken aback and hesitated:

"Is it convenient?"

Yu Fei smiled and said:

"My house is quite large, and we have many guest rooms. It's very convenient."

The man thanked him:

"I am Yue Buqun, and this is my wife, Ning Zhongze. Thank you, young friend."

When Yu Fei heard the name "Yue Buqun," his heart raced, though he did not show it on his face. His pupils, however, narrowed, and he quickly said:

"My name is Yu Fei. Please follow me."

He immediately turned and led Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze to the Yu residence, fearing that if he waited any longer, he would not be able to control his expression.