Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Midsummer, Huaguo Museum.

A pure gold wine cup, adorned with exquisitely crafted mythical beasts, shimmered under the lights.

"...In the Zhou and Chu dynasties, only royal family members were allowed to use pure gold or jade wine vessels."

A clear, melodious voice, like striking jade on ice, dispelled the tourists' impatience caused by the sweltering weather.

Even a child who had been noisy since entering the museum fell silent for a moment.

As he spoke, Jiang Yuxun walked towards the side of the display case, leaving space for tourists to take photos:

"From the inscription on the bottom of the cup, we know this wine vessel was made during the Zhou Dynasty. Since the Zhou Dynasty ended after one generation and Emperor Zhou, Ying Changchuan, had no consorts or heirs, we infer that the owner of this cup was likely Ying Changchuan himself."

The next second, the golden cup was surrounded by a group of tourists.

"Wow, it's so luxurious!"

"If only I were born in the Great Zhou, expanding territories and leaving my name in history, wouldn’t that be more interesting than working?" A young tourist, caught up in his own fantasy, couldn’t help but turn to Jiang Yuxun for agreement, "Right, Teacher Jiang?"

After saying this, other tourists nodded in agreement, their cheeks flushing with excitement.

Jiang Yuxun: "..."

What a bold thought.

Although the Great Zhou dynasty ended after one generation, the stories of Emperor Zhou, Ying Changchuan, ending chaos and expanding territories, continue to be told to this day.

Almost every year, films and TV shows based on him would grace the screen.

The protagonist would either be romantically involved with him or fight alongside him to conquer the world.

Stirring up waves of turmoil and bloodshed.

Not to mention, according to historical records, Ying Changchuan had no interest in romance or beauty, likely being asexual.

The mere wish to “travel to the Great Zhou” seemed utterly absurd to Jiang Yuxun.

The museum was packed with tourists during the summer, so crowded that even the air felt thin.

Jiang Yuxun couldn’t help but frown slightly: “Ying Changchuan was a tyrannical dictator, recklessly militaristic. Even nobles and generals lived in fear under him, always on the brink of death. And the common people, who made up the majority of the population, suffered endlessly—”

Before he could finish, Jiang noticed several children pushing and shoving their way towards him.

He instinctively stepped back but was blocked by a display case.

Caught in the chaos and unable to dodge in time, a child finally crashed into him, pushing him backward and off-balance.

“Ah—”

Accompanied by the tourists' terrified screams, Jiang Yuxun lost his balance completely and crashed heavily against the sharp corner of another display case.

Sharp pain shot through the back of his head. As he fell, Jiang Yuxun only saw the golden cup in the display case, still shimmering under the lights with a dazzling brilliance.

As if the petty Ying Changchuan was mocking him.

The next moment, he completely lost consciousness.

-

The evening clouds woven into splendid colors, the stream as tranquil as silk.

Situated northwest of Yuyang Palace, the Orchid Pond Hall, encircled by the stream, had its lights lit early.

A middle-aged man in luxurious attire knelt on the ground, trembling like a sieve, crying incessantly and speaking non-stop.

"...Is this, a drama?"

Jiang Yuxun, still dizzy and in pain, watched for a long time before vaguely recalling that this scene before his eyes originated from a historical tale.

In the third year of Emperor Zhou's reign, a noble secretly conspired with twelve southwestern states to rebel.

Unexpectedly, Ying Changchuan not only successfully counterattacked the twelve states but also seized this opportunity to incorporate the lands south of the mountains into his territory for the first time.

This scene depicts Ying Changchuan's return in triumph from the battle, settling accounts with the rebellious nobles at the banquet.

In history, this nobleman before us was torn apart by five horses and abandoned in the wilderness after the banquet.

Indeed! Seeing his plot utterly exposed and his pleas futile, the noble on the ground desperately resigned himself to his fate.

He rose with a cold sneer, trying to point at Ying Changchuan, but his trembling hands could not lift his arm.

Finally, he took a deep breath and exclaimed loudly, "We, we act as agents of heaven! After ascending the throne, His Majesty desecrated the ancestral temple and showed disrespect to the gods; these are the acts of a tyrant, the deeds of a despot!"

The great hall fell into a sudden, eerie silence.

The sound of the highest-seated guest gently placing down his wine cup thus became exceptionally distinct.

Oh no.

Hearing this, Jiang Yuxun's mind finally cleared from its fog.

The annihilation of gods by Emperor Zhou Taizu is known to all in later generations.

Ying Changchuan might despise rebellious plots, but he probably loathed discussions about ghosts and deities even more.

Jiang Yuxun couldn't help but look up towards the dais.

Unfortunately, the dim lights above the platform only allowed him to notice that the pure gold wine cup on the table was so well-crafted it almost seemed real.

Had it not looked slightly new, Jiang Yuxun might have thought someone had stolen an artifact from the museum.

“Jiang Yuxun, Jiang Yuxun…”

Lost in thought, Jiang Yuxun suddenly felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.

He turned to see a young man with a babyface, looking at him worriedly and whispering, “Don’t move.”

Only then did Jiang Yuxun realize he was kneeling on both knees, sitting upright on the ground just like the ancients.

He didn’t know how long he had been sitting; his legs had gone numb.

...Was it necessary to be so immersed just for watching a play?

“A tyrant?” The person at the head of the table repeated these words as if they were amusing, then asked, “What do my ministers think?”

His voice was deep and lazy, seemingly casual but with an underlying, unmistakable danger.

It was like slowly placing a cup of poisoned wine in front of everyone.

Joking, right? Only someone with a death wish would dare to speak up at this moment.

Ying Changchuan was tyrannical and bloodthirsty; it was crucial not to engage him now, to play dead and avoid drawing his ire at all costs.

Having sat too long, Jiang Yuxun involuntarily shifted his shoulders slightly.

He couldn’t be sure, but it felt as if the entire Orchid Pavilion had hushed in response.

Influenced by the atmosphere, he too bowed his head, clenched his teeth, and tried his best to minimize his presence.

——Don't look at me, don't look at me, don't look at me.

Jiang Yuxun held his breath, repeating this mantra silently in his mind.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

Complete silence enveloped the surroundings.

Just as Jiang Yuxun thought no one would respond, a clear, slightly youthful voice suddenly echoed through the entire Orchid Pavilion: “His Majesty is a tyrant, recklessly militaristic. Under his rule, the court is in disarray, and the people's lives are in ruins, everyone in constant misery…”

Exactly!

Jiang Yuxun felt a spark of excitement; he hadn't expected someone else to share his thoughts.

But why did this line sound so familiar?

Even the voice seemed like one he had heard before.

The numbness in his legs arrived belatedly.

Along with it, his previously muddled head started to clear.

Jiang Yuxun finally realized that the voice he had just heard… seemed to be his own.

He noticed that the bronze lamp beside him, shaped like a wild goose and fish, was identical to one in the Huabo Museum.

Only, this lamp was adorned with colorful lacquer on the goose feathers and fish scales, unlike the plain bronze of the original.

If these were merely props for a play, weren't they made too realistically?

A chill ran down Jiang Yuxun's spine.

…Could it be?

The word “time-travel” abruptly surfaced in Jiang Yuxun's mind.

Jiang Yuxun tried to convince himself that all of this was just a dream, a figment of his imagination after hitting the back of his head.

But the distinct sensation of tingling numbness in his legs was a constant reminder that this was no mere dream; it felt far too real.

As his words fell, the people around him turned their gazes in his direction, as if they had seen a ghost.

The color drained from the face of the young man beside him in an instant.

In that moment, Jiang Yuxun finally and completely came to his senses.

...Things seemed to be getting complicated.

This wasn’t a dream, nor was it a play.

It was time travel.

“Kneel down quickly.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Yuxun saw the young man beside him desperately mouthing these words to him.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, it was an unwritten rule for officials of the Great Zhou to leave their seats and kneel when speaking with Ying Changchuan.

Heaven is forsaking me...!

Despair increasingly gripped Jiang Yuxun’s heart.

It wasn’t that he refused to kneel; his legs had simply gone numb from sitting, making it hard for him to move!

The cool mist drifted along the serpentine corridors, seeping into the Orchid Pavilion.

In an instant, it passed through his wide sleeves, stripping away all his body heat.

Shut up, shut up, just shut up!

Against his wishes, Jiang Yuxun heard his own voice ringing out once again.

“Seeing this, it's indeed hard to regard him as a 'wise and enlightened ruler.'”

It's over.

Might as well commit seppuku and start over.

Jiang Yuxun closed his eyes in despair.

Was it a concussion that made him suddenly unable to control his mouth?

Emperor Ying Changchuan, known for a 'trivial' hobby, was fond of inventing cruel punishments.

Being present at this banquet, the original body must have been someone of status.

Now, he could only hope that Ying Changchuan would grant him a swift end in consideration of his rank.

Wondering if death would allow him to return to the modern era...

A deathly silence enveloped the Orchid Pavilion, where one could hear a pin drop.

Even the middle-aged noble standing in the center of the hall, who was fiercely denouncing Ying Changchuan, found himself wide-eyed, forgetting entirely what he had intended to say.

After a few seconds of despair, Jiang Yuxun straightened his back, looking unwaveringly towards the highest seat.

If death was inevitable, wouldn't it be a loss not to see what Ying Changchuan looked like?

The youth in a soft blue brocade robe remained seated in the hall, tall and straight like bamboo under the moonlight, neither humble nor arrogant.

His eyes were slightly upturned, like peach blossoms, currently tinged with a faint red, yet his gaze was firmer than ever before.

At this moment, it wasn't just Ying Changchuan watching him; everyone in the Orchid Pavilion, officials civil and military alike, looked at him with sheer terror.

Their eyes seemed to convey —

“Do you have a death wish?”

The emperor on the highest seat, who knows since when, had picked up an intricately carved golden cup, twirling it effortlessly in his hand.

Then, he began to smile slowly.

The twelve-beaded imperial crown swayed lightly, shattering the light in the Orchid Pavilion.

For a moment, everything became unclear.

Jiang Yuxun couldn’t see his eyes, his expression, nor discern his mood.

He only heard the person on the seat speaking with a tone that was both mocking and not, “Why doesn’t my minister elaborate?”