Chapter 1

Zhang Shun was reborn, and mercifully, he was reborn in the late Ming Dynasty. He couldn't play games online or stay at home to watch anime. This miserable life was simply unbearable.

In this life, his name was still Zhang Shun. He felt a bit depressed, wondering if he should give himself the nickname "White Stripe in the Waves."

Even more tragically, in his previous life, he was a typical otaku who couldn't carry anything heavy or do any manual labor. In this life, he was even lazier, couldn't endure hardship, and was still picky about his living conditions.

As a modern soul, he was afraid of being destroyed by the harsh environment of ancient times. Therefore, he only drank boiled water, only ate food made from new grain, didn't travel far without a donkey or horse, took a break whenever he felt a bit tired, couldn't stand the scorching sun, and couldn't withstand the wind, frost, or rain. Despite his tall and plump physique, he only practiced some martial arts and did some fishing, which earned him the nickname "Fake Prince" from the villagers.

Actually, as a modern person, seeing his parents work hard in this life, he wasn't without filial piety. He had tried to do some farm work. As the saying goes, "If you have a mountain, rely on it; if you don't, bear the burden alone." With a support system, he couldn't bring himself to endure the hardships of farm work.

Fortunately, his father in this life was strong and healthy. Because his mother had passed away early, his father was particularly indulgent and couldn't bear to let his son suffer. Originally, the old man planned to save some money to send him to a private school or start a small business, but "the sky is unpredictable, and people have unexpected misfortunes."

In the winter of the fourth year of the Chongzhen era, his father fell while cutting wood and never got up again. In this era, with a lack of medical resources, no one knew what disease he had, and he passed away. Based on his past experience, Zhang Shun guessed it was probably a stroke or cerebral infarction, which would have been difficult to treat even in the future if not discovered in time.

Though they were father and son for only one lifetime, Zhang Shun, having lived two lives, felt somewhat detached but still blamed himself: If he had endured more hardship, perhaps his father wouldn't have died.

The dead were gone, and regret was futile. Zhang Shun could only follow the customs of the time and hire a Taoist to perform a simple ritual for his father, as a token of his respect.

In this era, rural farmers were extremely poor. They dealt with food and drink daily, and some poor families had never even seen a copper coin. Most needs were met through barter. The wealthier ones, after finishing their grain, could raise some chickens and ducks and sell them for money to use in emergencies. Some even poorer families couldn't afford the heavy taxes and abandoned their land to flee.

Zhang Shun now lived in Zhang Village, under the jurisdiction of Chenzhou in Kaifeng Prefecture, Henan Province. Henan had always been an agricultural province, and in an agrarian society, its status was very important. There was a saying that "whoever controls the Central Plains controls the world." Even though the economic center had shifted southward since the Song Dynasty, Henan was still one of the main granaries in the north. The fact that there were abandoned fields made Zhang Shun sigh: "The Ming Dynasty is doomed."

Zhang Shun had read many novels about people from the future traveling back to the Ming Dynasty and knew the importance of military power in times of chaos. He understood the routine: first, train a long spear army, set up a long spear formation to suppress bandits and maintain order; then recruit craftsmen to make muskets, form a firing line, and occupy a base; then build blast furnaces to smelt iron, trade to earn money, cast cannons, and make armor, and gradually grow stronger, eventually unifying the country and having a harem.

Unfortunately, most villagers saw him as a lazy and good-for-nothing son and wouldn't listen to him. They wouldn't do farm work and instead practice martial arts to serve him. Wasn't that just talking in his sleep?

Zhang Shun also tried to do some business to earn money, but no one was willing to lend him capital. Although his family could still eat, they didn't have the capital to start a business. Helpless, Zhang Shun had been living a muddled life for seventeen or eighteen years since his rebirth. He thought that with the world about to fall into chaos, since he couldn't turn the tide, he should take care of himself. He planned to sell his property after burying his father and find a place to avoid trouble.

Regardless of Zhang Shun's long-term plans, as an unfilial son, he actually spent money to hire a Taoist to perform a ritual for his father, which made the villagers look at him with new respect. Zhang Shun's father had moved from elsewhere and had no relatives. Zhang Shun didn't know the complicated rituals, and he didn't know how to proceed. Unexpectedly, the villagers who had mocked him earlier came to help, which warmed his heart.

That morning, Zhang Shun, dressed in mourning clothes, was pacing and greeting the neighbors who came to help. He saw an old Taoist with a patched robe and a duster walking in. Zhang Shun thought this must be the Taoist he had hired, so he bowed and said, "Thank you, Daoist Master."

Unexpectedly, the old Taoist was clearly taken aback and hurriedly bowed back, saying, "Not at all, not at all. I am late, please forgive me."

Zhang Shun and the villagers were greatly surprised. In feudal China, officials were the most respected, followed by scholars and gentry, then Buddhist and Taoist monks, and finally the elderly. The old Taoist, with his white hair and youthful appearance, was a respected figure. Zhang Shun, being young, couldn't bear such a grand gesture and quickly helped him up, saying, "How dare I."

The villagers laughed: "Another one fooled!"

It turned out that Zhang Shun looked very good. He was tall, with piercing eyes, and his plump physique and slow gait made him look like a young master from a wealthy family. If not for his patched clothes, no one would doubt it.

The old Taoist glanced at the villagers with disdain, said nothing, and went to perform the ritual as arranged.

Following the instructions of the village elders, Zhang Shun spent the whole day and finally buried his father. He was sad and wanted to be alone for a while, but the village elders said, "The Taoist and the villagers who helped haven't left. We need to prepare a few tables of food to thank everyone."

Zhang Shun had no choice but to arrange for the villagers to prepare two tables of food and invite everyone to eat. The villagers, who were poor and rarely had meat, didn't want to leave and ate and drank until late at night, most of them drunk.

Someone, emboldened by the alcohol, mocked the old Taoist, saying he had poor eyesight and was fooled by Zhang Shun's appearance. The old Taoist, also drunk, laughed and said, "I am old and skilled in physiognomy, and I never make mistakes. You are blind and dare to mock me. This is truly a case of a dragon in shallow water being teased by shrimp, and a tiger in the plains being bullied by dogs."

The villagers, being rude and ignorant, weren't angry but teased, "What kind of dragon or tiger? He's just a nobody. We call him 'Fake Prince' because he might have a throne to inherit."

The old Taoist, seeing someone question him, pointed at Zhang Shun and said, "Look at Zhang Shun. He has a prominent forehead, a straight nose, and a large, square face, which is called the 'Heavenly Seal Bone.' This is a sign of great wealth and nobility."

"How wealthy and noble can he be?"

"At the very least, a high-ranking official; at the most, an emperor."

The villagers, who had never heard of such a person, stopped eating and drinking, and listened intently to the old Taoist.

"Look at his eyes, black and large, with a natural authority. This is the 'Dragon Eye' sign of nobility. This is why you think he often fools people; he doesn't look like an ordinary person. Moreover, look at his pupils, which are large and embedded, a sign of the legendary 'double pupils,' a feature only the ancient Emperor Shun had."

"Look at his thick, arched eyebrows, like a knife, which is the sign of an emperor's authority." "Look at his large, thick ears with drooping lobes, and his long arms that reach his knees, just like the Three Kingdoms' Liu Bei."

"I used to think these physiognomy books were just made up, but now I see that such extraordinary people do exist." The old Taoist sighed, admitting that he himself found it hard to believe he had met a person of imperial nobility.

"Be careful, this is a capital offense!" someone suddenly said, realizing the gravity of the situation.

Everyone was shocked and fell silent. The old Taoist, sweating coldly, tried to cover up, saying, "I'm drunk, just talking nonsense. Don't take it seriously."

At first, Zhang Shun was sad and didn't pay attention, but as their voices grew louder, he heard their speculations. He didn't take it seriously, being a modern person educated in materialism and skeptical of feudal superstitions.

The only thing that worried him was the mention of double pupils. In this era, mirrors were usually made of copper, which was money, and only the daughters of wealthy families had them. Since his rebirth, Zhang Shun had never seen himself in a mirror.

Therefore, Zhang Shun decided to find a mirror to check his eyes. According to modern studies, so-called "double pupils" are a result of pupil adhesion, an early sign of cataracts. He couldn't afford to go blind, as cataract surgery wasn't available in this era.

After burying his father, Zhang Shun planned to sell his property and go far away to avoid trouble. However, the villagers' attitude toward him changed dramatically over the next few days. They respected and feared him, and some attractive young women began to flirt with him, leaving Zhang Shun speechless.

A few days later, Zhang Shun, as usual, lazily got out of bed, having slept until the sun was high, and was about to heat up some leftover meat from the funeral.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open. Zhang Shun jumped out of bed and saw a girl who often flirted with him running in, panting, "Zhang Shun, run! Someone has informed on you. The prefect is sending people to catch you, and they are already at the village entrance asking about you."

"Why are they catching me? I haven't broken any laws," Zhang Shun asked, puzzled.

"To catch you for rebellion?"

"Where did I rebel?"

"You have the face of an emperor. If you don't rebel, will the emperor pass the throne to you? Do you still think you're the real prince?"