Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The purple-gold incense burner on the camphorwood altar in the Lian family ancestral hall had been emitting smoke since early morning. Three sticks of incense had been replaced in succession, each blooming into lotus-shaped wisps—an auspicious omen of the highest order.

The person kneeling on the central cushion had only his knees still on it; the rest of his body had collapsed to the ground, as if dead.

After some time, the person on the ground finally stirred. His jade-white fingers twitched beneath the peach-branch patterned, water-red silk robe, and from his pale lips and teeth he muttered: “Ow, my legs are numb, they’re so numb!”

He pushed himself up with his arms, first raising his upper body, then lifting his head, still in a kneeling, prostrate position. His hair fell like a waterfall on both shoulders; the hair net and jade hairpin that once held it were long gone, lost in the chaos.

But he made no further move, his body frozen as if turned to stone.

Lian Cheng stared in disbelief at the tiered rows of spirit tablets and candles before him. Behind the flickering flames, a benevolent immortal with a flowing beard gazed down with kind and merciful eyes.

Wait, wasn't he just napping in the library? Where the hell did he end up?

Was he seeing ghosts? Lian Cheng closed his eyes. After a long moment, he opened them again, but the scene remained unchanged.

Lian Cheng forced himself to stand. The sharp pain in his knees made him lurch forward uncontrollably, and he caught himself just in time by gripping the edge of the table. His eyes landed on the nearest spirit tablet, which read: “Spirit Tablet of the Late Father Lian Ming.”

Lian Ming…

Wasn’t that Lian Cheng’s grandfather?

But this Lian Cheng was not that Lian Cheng. The current Lian Cheng was a 20th-century master procrastinator who scraped into a top university thanks to his knack for last-minute cramming. The Lian Cheng he had in mind, however, was a prodigal young master and a literary dandy from an informal history book.

The two had nothing in common—except for the name. So, when Lian Cheng was slacking off in the library to one-up his show-off roommate, he decisively chose to study this anecdote featuring a character with the same name. What if he actually transmigrated into the book, right?

Just kidding. Lian Cheng chose this book because it was the most absurd.

It must be a dream. No matter when or where, as long as Lian Cheng fell asleep, he always dreamed.

Lian Cheng refused to believe it. He rolled up his sleeves, dragging his nearly crippled legs from all the kneeling, backed up to the door of the ancestral hall, took a running start, charged at the table, and slammed his head into it.

With a muffled groan, Lian Cheng toppled backward and collapsed onto the ground.

His head hurt like hell, but Lian Cheng still hoped that when he opened his eyes, he would see the library’s ceiling fan blades, so old they should be in a museum.

A cool evening breeze blew through the carved window lattice, sending yellow curtains swaying close to the floor. The scent of incense hung in the air.

Lian Cheng stared blankly for a long time, then let out a wail. He grabbed his hair, messing it up until he looked like a ghost. Leaning on the window frame, he stuck his head out and shouted, “I’m Nai, I’m Nailong!”

“I really don’t have time to mess with you!”

“Whose delivery is this?”

Lian Cheng screamed until his voice went hoarse, but there was no response. No classmates suddenly appeared to argue over who was the real Nailong.

He hung there, his upper body dangling from the window like a freshly hung long bean—the kind that's been blanched, soft and melt-in-your-mouth.

Even though Lian Cheng had only scraped into a top university, he considered himself fairly intelligent. He knew that in a strange place, he had to be cautious and lie low, while also not break character.

The only lucky thing was that no matter what Lian Cheng did now, he couldn’t break the original character’s persona—because the original character was exactly the same.

Rockeries and waterside pavilions were packed closely together. Beneath the lake lanterns, colorful carp swam in circles.

At that moment, a cacophony of footsteps drew near.

Someone's coming.

Lian Cheng abruptly raised his head, and without a second word, hobbled and scrambled onto the prayer mat, lying face down as if dead.

"Shh, keep your voice down."

"Is the young master asleep?"

"Hungry, cold, knees aching—how could I sleep?"

A back courtyard survival game? Lian Cheng dared not move.

Two maids and a manservant approached slowly. The first maid gently set down the lantern she carried, then circled to Lian Cheng's other side, lifted his robe, blew on his knees, and let tears fall. "No father's love, no mother's care—what a waste to be the legitimate son."

"Good sister, please don't cry. If someone finds out we brought food for the young master, he'll only get into more trouble and have to kneel even longer, till his legs are ruined," one manservant whispered. The other maid came to call Lian Cheng.

"Young master? Young master? Get up and eat something."

From their conversation, Lian Cheng realized they were the original Lian Cheng's trusted people. The maids were named Tong Xue and Qiong Hua—Tong Xue sharp and clever, Qiong Hua quick-witted and articulate—and the manservant was Huqiu. Although these three had been assigned to the original Lian Cheng by Grand Madam Zhang, they had grown up with him and shared a deep, inseparable bond.

Qiong Hua and Tong Xue helped Lian Cheng up, while Huqiu gave him water.

The original body must have gone without water for who knows how long. Lian Cheng felt unbearably thirsty; drinking from a cup wasn't enough, so he picked up the teapot and poured it straight into his mouth.

The more Qiong Hua watched, the more her heart ached. In the past, the young master wouldn't drink tea unless it was tribute tea—not too weak, not too strong. Now he was suffering greatly. She couldn't help but vent in indignation: "What was that Vice Minister's son doing wearing a male prostitute's clothes on the street for no reason? And you, Young Master, giving two pieces of silver to a handsome male prostitute—what's wrong with that? He lacks moral integrity, yet he has the nerve to cry and smear mud on you! Where's the justice in this world?"

"Lord Xia is now a favorite of the Grand Secretary. The Lian family is already like grasshoppers in autumn, worms on dry ground—we rely only on Sixth Brother for any hope. How could we compare with those who are thick as thieves? We have no choice but to swallow this for now. When the day comes that Sixth Brother enters the Grand Secretariat, our young master will have his day of glory too," Tong Xue said, biting her lip in resentment.

Lian Cheng sprayed out a mouthful of water, startling them into a flurry—some keeping watch, others wiping up the water.

"Young Master, did you choke on that? Stop drinking, have some flatbread to settle your stomach. Sister Tong Xue made it herself. Those old slick-tongued women in the kitchen are all flattering Sixth Brother and won't give us any food at all!" Huqiu tattled.

Lian Cheng didn't speak, just wolfed down the flatbread. He hadn't choked at all; he just suddenly recalled how terrifying the later plot was and got a fright.

Lian family's Sixth Brother, single name Jiao, style name Xiu Sheng—meaning "sound of mountains and waters."

Lian Jiao was the youngest top scholar since the founding of the Dayao dynasty. At just sixteen, he had achieved the triple first in the imperial examinations and studied under the Chief Grand Secretary of the court. From there, he rose steadily until he stood above all but the emperor. Yet this brilliantly talented Lian Xiusheng was the book's most treacherous minister who brought disaster to the state. He was both a lifesaving bodhisattva and a death warrant for the Lian family of upright officials. Under his glory, the family truly enjoyed a life of splendor, until the whole household was taken to the Meridian Gate for execution. Even then, Lian's father cried out, "Heaven is jealous of talent!" believing that the family's luck was insufficient to support Lian Xiusheng, the good-luck charm, causing his eventual downfall.

As a reader of the story, Lian Cheng had only loathed such villains like Lian Xiusheng and felt satisfaction at the Lian family's fate.

But now he wasn't so keen on clapping.

Because he had become a member of that family.

Lian Cheng wept while devouring flatbread.

He desperately wanted to be back in socialist society as a...

Seeing their young master cry so pitifully, Qiong Hua, who had been holding back her tears, finally let loose. She covered her eyes with a handkerchief and cursed incessantly, "Young Master, it's as if you weren't the Madam's own son! Look at Second Madam with her Second Brother—he's taken the exams so many times and is still just a *xiucai* (first-degree scholar), but Second Madam won't let anyone say a word against him! Never mind Second Madam, even Second Sister Lian, a widow, knows to bring her child when she returns to her mother's house—that's a real mother!"

Beside her, Huqiu hovered around Qiong Hua, begging her to stop, to keep her voice down—if outsiders heard them slandering the masters, getting kicked out would be a light punishment.

Lian Cheng finished three big flatbreads while crying, burped twice, and sighed.

The other three sighed along with him.

"What are you sighing for?" Lian Cheng asked curiously. The original Lian Cheng had treated them quite well, after all.

"My heart aches for you, young master," Huqiu said.

Lian Cheng was a little moved, since he really was an orphan, and no one had ever said such words to him before.

"Brother!" he said, momentarily touched.

Huqiu immediately dropped to his knees. "Young master, you're too kind."

"..."

"The mistress is really heartless, making Sixth Brother handle this. Young master is, after all, his elder brother—since when does a younger brother get to discipline his elder brother?"

Tong Xue, slender and quick, held up the lantern, her face hard to make out in the dim light. "Sixth Brother's sedan should be at the gate by now. Qiong Hua, go take a look."

"Alright."

Taking this chance, Lian Cheng lowered his eyes, thinking about his current situation. He had no official rank, was idle and dissolute, and even cats and dogs hated him.

On the ground in front of him lay an exquisite silk-thread lantern, its screen painted with a lakeside autumn scene. The light cast a large, hazy lotus-shaped shadow on the ground, lighting up Lian Cheng's face like a Guanyin, his figure like a seductive enchantress.

Tong Xue, seeing her young master staring at the lantern, figured he liked it. She slid the lantern forward. "The master still thinks of you. He knows you like these pretty things. This afternoon, he got this super popular 'Li Family Lantern,' and within an hour, he had someone bring it to our courtyard. I specially brought it to show you."

Lian Cheng remained silent, taking the lantern into his hands.

From what these maids and servants let slip, the current situation should be right out of the book: "The original body molested the son of the Left Vice Minister of Works on the street and was punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall for three days and three nights."

The original body was just cannon fodder in the book. The author had him molest someone's son just to set up a connection for Lian Xiusheng later. The original body was just a pawn—only brought out when he needed to cause trouble or when someone had to marvel at how strikingly handsome a young master of the Lian family could be.

Speaking of which, it's worth mentioning why Lian Cheng felt this novel was a wild, improvised affair. Setting aside the fictional dynasty, every time the original body appeared, the author—who claimed to be merely a recorder of history—would spend hundreds of words describing how everyone around was utterly stunned by the original body's beauty. It was obvious word-count padding.

Fortunately, Lian Cheng quickly came to terms with it. Fewer plot points, fewer anchors—what did that mean? It meant he had a lot of room to work with.

If he'd transmigrated into Lian Xiusheng, that would've been a disaster. Where would he find a top scholar's degree? He might've been beaten to death for stepping into court with his left foot on day one.

And the original body's character, aside from being into both men and women, was practically tailor-made for Lian Cheng.

But Lian Cheng wasn't into men or women; he wasn't into either, because he'd never tried it and didn't know.

After thinking for a while, Lian Cheng cleared his throat and tried to talk like an ancient person: "Lian Xiusheng—he's not easy to deal with."

He was just testing the waters.

"Of course he's not easy to deal with!" Huqiu, who had been lying prostrate on the ground, finally raised his upper body. He knelt on another cushion, grumbling, "The mistress handed over the household management to Sixth Brother. Sixth Brother usually has no time, so Fourth Madam manages the house. Only when Fourth Madam can't handle it does she let Sixth Brother step in. He'll definitely be the one handling your matter this time. Who knows what he'll find wrong with our courtyard this time? It's so annoying."

Lian Cheng thought to himself, their courtyard didn't need any fault-finding—it was full of faults.

"Hey, young master, why'd you suddenly call him 'Lian Xiusheng'? You usually call him 'Lian Jiao.' What, you gonna side with him now?" Huqiu said angrily.

"We're all family. Don't talk about 'siding,'" Lian Cheng said, lying down on the ground, his head resting on a cushion. He poked the lantern screen with his finger, and the moles under his eyes and on the bridge of his nose turned red in the light.

"We're his enemies," Huqiu said. "He doesn't like people calling him 'Lian Jiao,' so we make a point of calling him that. Lian Jiao, Lian Jiao, Lian Jiao..."

Outside the door, Qiong Hua rushed in, covered in raindrops.

She crouched down, looking serious, and whispered to the three of them, "Sixth Brother is here."

Lian Cheng had an idea. The four of them huddled together, heads touching.

The autumn rain suddenly came pouring down. Oil-paper umbrellas painted with lotus leaves moved through the courtyard, making the whole Lian residence feel like a rippling lake.

-

Beneath the umbrellas, the household servants of the Lian family hurried along, all surrounding the young master walking in the middle. His black-soled red official boots were splattered with rain, and above, he still wore a round-collared official robe with egret rank badges. Only his black gauze cap was missing; on his head, he just wore the simplest net cap and hair crown, but that didn't take away from his stunningly handsome face. He clenched his fist and coughed a few times, his eyelashes drooping helplessly, as if resigned.

The servant behind him, Man Cai, spoke up: "Madam doesn't want to be the one to offend people, so she makes you do the dirty work. It's one thing for you to discipline your younger siblings, but Third Brother is your elder brother—how can you manage him? If word gets out, people will gossip about you. Even if it's just street gossip, if it gets brought up in a memorial to the throne, what a disaster that'd be!"

"Not to mention, you caught a cold a few days ago, and today you've been stuck at the Hanlin Academy all day, not even taking your medicine. Tomorrow's your day off, and you could've rested and recovered, but the moment you get home, you have to deal with this mess from their household."

"Shut your foul mouth! What do you mean 'their household'? Isn't the young master a son of the Lian family? If I hear you talk like that again, I'll tear your mouth apart!" The maid behind them, Jin Chai, twisted Man Cai's cheek fiercely.

Seeing the ancestral hall wasn't far ahead, Lian Xiusheng stopped. He raised his hand to signal Man Cai to give him the umbrella.

"Third Brother probably doesn't want anyone else around. I'll go alone. You wait here."

Jin Chai was uneasy.

"What if Third Brother starts a fight with you..."

"Third Brother is just a bit of a libertine, but his temper isn't bad. Your worry is unnecessary." Although Lian Xiusheng was the sixth in the Lian family, his words and actions were more thoughtful and considerate than those of his elder siblings.

Man Cai and Jin Chai exchanged glances, then finally trusted him enough to hand the umbrella to their young master. Lian Xiusheng walked alone toward the ancestral hall, holding the umbrella.

The rain formed a curtain. The gentle grace that Lian Xiusheng was famed for on the streets vanished completely. Behind the rain curtain, only a cold, demon-like face remained.

"He's coming, he's coming!"

"Young master, are you ready?"

Lian Cheng knelt prostrate on the cushion, turning his face to show Huqiu an OK sign. The other man looked confused, so Lian Cheng quickly added, "I'm ready," and then closed his eyes.

The dazzling red hem of the official robe swept into the doorway.

Huqiu and Qiong Hua let out two cries like phoenixes, prostrating themselves on either side of Lian Cheng. Tong Xue, wiping her tears, hurried to the newcomer, made a bow, and said in a tearful voice, "Our young master, ever since entering the ancestral hall, has been kneeling unceasingly, deeply feeling he has wronged the ancestors of the Lian family. He has failed his parents and siblings above, and is ashamed of his brothers and sisters below. Later, overwhelmed by guilt for failing his mother's teachings, he was overcome with grief and rage, and fainted momentarily..."

At this point, Tong Xue suddenly knelt down with a thud. "Sixth Brother, please have mercy. If you must punish him, at least let him see a doctor before you do!"

Lian Cheng planned in his mind: if they were truly brothers, upon hearing that his brother had fainted, he would certainly let him off the hook. Why would he actually call for a doctor?

"Go and fetch one," a clear, light voice said.

How could he actually call for one?

"Mm..." Lian Cheng quickly groaned, "waking up" from his faint. He knelt up again, ignoring everyone, and said in a slightly reproachful tone, "Why didn't you splash water on me to wake me when I fainted? Closing my eyes before the ancestors—what kind of behavior is that?"

After getting up, he pretended to be extremely weak, let out a dramatic "Oh dear," and collapsed again, lying on the ground, barely breathing, like a pitiful, beautiful cat.

Facing this character from the book not far away, Lian Cheng's feelings were complex.

From the perspective of the Lian family, this person had brought them back to the glory of Lian Ming's days. If it weren't for the fact that none of the Lian sons were capable enough to support and guide him, he might not have strayed onto that crooked path. From an outsider's perspective, this person would become a great traitor in the future, with power reaching the heavens, second only to the emperor. Although the book didn't record how the common people lived during his political heyday, Lian Cheng could imagine with his toes that living under the rule of such a great traitor, people would mostly be poorly clothed and underfed.

And as a contemporary college student who had been nurtured by Marxism, how could he turn a blind eye to this?

Mainly, Lian Xiusheng's actions would also lead to Lian Cheng's own death.

If only there were no execution of the nine familial groups.

So, should he overthrow the feudal dynasty, or become a treacherous minister himself first, or advise his younger brother to rein in his ways before it's too late?

Lian Cheng felt that the latter option was more feasible. After all, he and Lian Xiusheng were brothers now. According to the ancient people's adherence to endless formalities, if he, as the elder brother, set a good example, Lian Xiusheng would be influenced by his proximity.

Otherwise, he'd also get himself an official post and become a censor. If Lian Xiusheng found a penny on the road and didn't turn it in, he would impeach him. He would watch Lian Xiusheng morning, noon, and night, giving him no chance to play any underhanded tricks.

As a last resort, Lian Cheng still had his ultimate move: putting justice before family!

Lian Xiusheng had somehow already come to Lian Cheng's side, just a step away. His voice when he spoke was clear, cold, and elegant, yet utterly devoid of emotion.

"Third Brother, do you know where you went wrong?"

The others were already prostrate on the ground, silent as the grave. In the vast, dim ancestral hall, only the two brothers remained, one lying prostrate, the other standing, one below and one above.

And at this moment, Lian Cheng only wanted to beg his younger brother to spare him, the elder brother.