Chapter 1

Evening.

A light drizzle fell from the sky, enveloping the surroundings in a damp mist.

Zhujishi found himself sitting silently on a stone bench, his mood gloomy, and in his trembling hands, he held an antique teacup.

A sound of footsteps echoed, and a middle-aged man, dressed in exquisite green silk, who seemed to have a shaved head from the front, with a refined appearance but a murderous aura, slowly approached Zhujishi, accompanied by several subordinates in Qing dynasty official attire, and sighed softly.

With a clatter, the teacup in Zhujishi's hand fell onto the stone floor and shattered. An indescribable fear and hatred suddenly surged from the depths of his heart.

He slowly stood up, looked at the middle-aged man, and suddenly burst out in a rage: "Rebel! What has the Ming dynasty wronged you? What have my father and I wronged you? Why must I suffer such a fate?"

The middle-aged man replied calmly, "Zhucixuan, the Ming dynasty has not wronged me, nor have you and your father. However, the country is lost, your father is the emperor of a fallen nation, and you are the crown prince of a fallen nation. What more is there to say?"

Zhujishi snorted coldly, "The Ming dynasty will not fall! Because the Ming still has descendants overseas, who will one day lead a great army to return and take your life..."

As he spoke, he saw the middle-aged man wave his hand, and a rope suddenly tightened around Zhujishi's neck, growing tighter and tighter... Zhujishi reached out, like a helpless drowning person, trying to grasp a non-existent straw. But it was all in vain...

"Jason..."

"Jason..."

A beautiful and pure voice, like a clear stream, called his English name.

"Jason!"

Zhujishi woke up in a cold sweat, his back wet and cold. He was dazed for a moment before recognizing the small, cozy room in front of him.

The dim light from the desk lamp fell on his pale arms. Zhujishi turned his face, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Yeyiren blinked her bright eyes and smiled mischievously, "You were trembling, sweating a lot, and even shouting... Jason, did you have that dream again?"

Zhujishi remained silent, just hugging his girlfriend tightly.

The same dream had started during his high school years.

Back then, Zhujishi was a bookworm, focusing all his energy on studying, never letting a trivial dream distract him. With such hard work and a bit of intelligence, he was admitted to a well-known medical school in the country, and after five years of hard study, he got the opportunity to pursue a master's degree at the University of Heidelberg's Mannheim Medical School in Germany. It was there that he met his current girlfriend, Yeyiren, and shared with her the strange dream he had been having for nearly a decade.

Yeyiren, as her name suggested, was petite and delicate, with fair skin and bright, mischievous eyes. If she had pointed ears, she would be a perfect elf. Though not a beauty, she was a cute girl. Her family background was much better than Zhujishi's; her parents were both top doctors at major hospitals in Shanghai, and they sent their only daughter to study in Germany right after high school. In comparison, Zhujishi came from a small city in Guangdong, and his parents had to spend all their savings to send him to Germany for a master's degree with a scholarship.

However, Yeyiren was not very focused on her studies, spending most of her time on strange things like time travel, souls, and reincarnation. Since they met, Yeyiren often talked to Zhujishi about boring time-travel novels and movies.

After learning about Zhujishi's strange dream, she even looked up historical records online and told him seriously, "Do you know? Your previous life might have been the son of the Southern Ming Emperor Yongli, Zhu Youlang, named Zhu Cixuan, who was strangled to death by Wu Sangui at the age of 15, with the posthumous title of 'Aimin Crown Prince.' This title was privately given by the Heaven and Earth Society. It is said that Zhu Cixuan had descendants who fled overseas under the protection of trusted ministers, planning to restore the Ming dynasty one day. The Heaven and Earth Society's oath includes the phrase 'Overseas Emperor, Restore the Ming.' Jason, you are also surnamed Zhu and have this strange dream. Could you be a descendant of Zhu Cixuan?"

A 15-year-old boy already has descendants? I wonder if it's the Heaven and Earth Society making things up or Yeyiren's wild imagination. But why do I keep having such a boring dream? Is it because of too much psychological pressure? I should find a European classmate studying psychology to consult after the New Year.

"Jason, stop daydreaming. Get dressed and help me pack. We have to catch the flight back to China today." The petite Yeyiren was already getting dressed. "Bring my little medicine box; my throat feels a bit inflamed..."

"It's just a minor inflammation; don't take antibiotics randomly." Zhujishi picked up the medicine box from the bedside table and frowned when he opened it. "There are so many random things in here, even sutures, gloves, and a scalpel! You can't bring a scalpel on the plane."

"Oh, I forgot. Take the scalpel out... By the way, bring my 'Surgery' textbook and put it in my backpack. I need to review it on the plane."

"Review? Wow, Miss Ye is actually studying?"

"Hmph, what are you talking about? I always study hard and strive for progress."

Four hours later, Zhujishi and Yeyiren were on a flight to Shanghai. However, Yeyiren did not review her studies on the plane. She handed the backpack, containing the textbook and other miscellaneous items, to Zhujishi. She took out her iPad to read her favorite boring time-travel novel, while Zhujishi, holding the backpack, felt drowsy.

"Jason, why are you sleeping as soon as we get on the plane?" Yeyiren, probably finding the novel boring, decided to tease Zhujishi. "Let's play a quick question game. If one morning you suddenly wake up in the Qing dynasty, what would you do?"

Zhujishi smiled, "Of course, I would be a doctor. My lifelong dream is to be a doctor."

Yeyiren pouted and huffed, "Your name shows whether being a doctor is your dream or your parents' dream."

Zhujishi scratched his head, "What else could I be? I've studied medicine for six years. Besides, I don't know how to do anything else. Should I go farming in the Qing dynasty?"

Yeyiren thought for a moment, "In the Qing dynasty, shouldn't you rebel? There's a famous saying online: 'If you time-travel to the Qing dynasty and don't rebel, you'll end up with a drill in your ass.'"

"Ha, that's a funny saying. But I'm a medical student, not a political or military expert. How could I rebel? Have you ever heard of a doctor rebelling?"

"Yes, Sun Yat-sen was a doctor."

"Uh, that's true, but rebelling seems to require a lot of money, so I should get rich first."

"Then what?"

"Of course, I would get married and start a family! Haven't you heard the saying 'Get rich, start a family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world'? And in the Qing dynasty, you can have multiple wives... Hey, Yiren, why are you pinching me?"

As they were joking, the plane suddenly jolted, as if it had encountered turbulence. Then they heard the captain's voice over the intercom, "The plane has encountered turbulence. Please fasten your seatbelts and remain in your seats."

Zhujishi and Yeyiren had experienced this many times before, so they were not panicked. Yeyiren pressed her face against the window, looking at the rolling clouds outside, and said softly, "I always feel that your dream is not that simple. Perhaps there is some destiny..."

She turned her head, took a milky white jade pendant from her pocket, and handed it to Zhujishi, "Jason, there's something I've always wanted to tell you. Look at this jade pendant. It's my father's collection. It has a dragon pattern and a seal script 'Xuan' character. This jade pendant might belong to your previous life."

Zhujishi said irritably, "You make it sound so real. Is today April Fool's Day?"

As he spoke, the plane seemed to plunge into a black hole, and all the lights went out instantly. There was no light from outside either. All the passengers screamed, and the flight attendants were busy calming them down, creating a chaotic scene.

After a while, the plane finally returned to normal, passing through a black cloud that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, and all the lights came back on. Yeyiren sighed in relief, but then she suddenly screamed again.

"Jason! Zhujishi! Oh my God, where did you go?"

She suddenly noticed that the seat next to her was occupied by a man in a blue military uniform, who looked like an East Asian, but it was unclear which country he was from.

"Sir, who are you? Why are you sitting in my boyfriend's seat?"

The soldier understood Chinese and seemed surprised. He turned to look at Yeyiren, "Miss, my name is Luo Yaoguo. I am a captain in the Imperial Chinese Air Force. This seat is mine, and I have been sitting here since I got on the plane."

"What? This seat is clearly Zhujishi's! Where is Zhujishi?" Yeyiren's eyes widened, staring intently at the officer named Luo Yaoguo, finding him more and more strange.

Luo Yaoguo shook his head, suddenly thinking of something, and frowned, "Miss, who did you say was sitting in this seat?"

"Zhujishi, he is my boyfriend!"

"Zhujishi!? Not many people have that name." Luo Yaoguo laughed and took out a one-yuan note from his pocket, pointing to the portrait on it, "Miss, your boyfriend isn't this old man, is he?"

"Th-this-this..." Yeyiren took the note and looked closely. The portrait on it was indeed an older version of Zhujishi. Miss Ye was stunned, unable to utter a word.

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