Chapter 4

Thinking about his experience of time travel, and looking at the two ears of corn and a sweet potato in his hand, Zhao Yan felt like crying but no tears came. Who would have thought that he would be cursed by a miser to the Northern Song Dynasty, just because he took some corn and sweet potatoes from his field? If he had known this would happen, he would rather have starved to death than touched anything.

However, it was too late to regret now. Zhao Yan could only carefully put the corn and sweet potato away. Although he wanted to bite these culprits into pieces to vent his anger, his rationality told him that doing so would be unwise. After all, these crops from the Americas were highly productive, and if they could be widely cultivated, they would bring significant changes to the Song Dynasty.

Finally, only two plastic bags remained on the bed. The white one was for someone else. The school gatekeeper, Old Liu, had chronic bronchitis, which would flare up when the weather turned cold, requiring frequent injections of anti-inflammatory drugs. Zhao Yan had a former girlfriend who studied medicine, and during his four years of university, he spent most of his time in the medical school, learning some medical skills. He sometimes treated children, and this time, he helped Old Liu buy some injections, which he would administer to avoid the long trip to the town for medical treatment.

The yellow plastic bag was also for Old Liu, brought from the county town. Since Old Liu lived and worked at the school, he even cultivated a small vegetable garden in front of the dormitory. This time, he asked Zhao Yan to bring some seeds from a friend in the county.

Zhao Yan opened the yellow bag, which contained several small paper packets. Inside the packets were seeds of various colors, shapes, and sizes. However, Zhao Yan was at a loss because he had never planted vegetables and couldn't identify the seeds. He pretended to sniff each packet, but still couldn't recognize them.

"Bad luck, there's no chili seed. Do I have to live without chilies for the rest of my life!" Zhao Yan sighed after putting the vegetable seeds away. Although he couldn't identify the seeds, he was certain that there were no chili seeds, as he, a person who couldn't live without chilies, would definitely recognize them.

A microscope, some clothes and miscellaneous daily necessities, two ears of corn and a sweet potato, and some unknown vegetable seeds—these were all the things he brought with him. No, there was one more thing: the knowledge and experience he brought from the future, which was his greatest asset in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Thinking about this, Zhao Yan put the things back on the bed and sat down to seriously recall the knowledge he had learned in his previous life. Technologies like televisions, computers, cars, air conditioners, and refrigerators were all products of future knowledge, but unfortunately, Zhao Yan's brain wasn't a computer. He only knew how to use these things, not how to manufacture them. After a serious reflection, the most useful thing he could think of was that these products were assembled in factories, and he bought them from appliance stores.

"Damn, I should have studied mechanical and electrical engineering. At least it would have been useful after time travel," Zhao Yan muttered to himself. He was embarrassed to admit his major in university, as he studied painting and skipped most of his classes. He either slept in the dorm or accompanied his girlfriend, who studied medicine. He only studied hard for exams in the last two days or had someone take the exams for him, eventually managing to graduate.

Because of this, Zhao Yan only learned the basics of sketching and some self-taught comic drawing, which he used to impress girls. However, he learned a lot of medical knowledge from accompanying his girlfriend to classes, and he was quite skilled at treating minor illnesses like headaches and colds, provided there were sufficient medicines. Now, in the Northern Song Dynasty, he couldn't even buy a "cold remedy," let alone save lives. As for traditional Chinese medicine, he only knew about Isatis root and honeysuckle, and nothing else.

His university major was useless, and his medical skills were largely ineffective due to the lack of medicines. This made Zhao Yan sigh in frustration. Fortunately, he had been reborn as the son of the emperor, so he didn't have to worry about food, unlike if he had been reborn as a poor person, in which case he would have starved to death on the streets.

Clearly, Zhao Yan was too optimistic about his life. He was still recovering from his illness, and his meals were delivered to his bedroom. The breakfast today was the same as before: a bowl of millet porridge and a plate of green vegetables and tofu, with no oil or meat. The imperial physician had advised him to avoid greasy and meaty foods, so his meals for the past few days had been mostly green vegetables, tofu, and thin porridge, with a steamed bun at lunch. Additionally, he was not allowed to have any sexual activity, making his life similar to that of a monk, not the fake monks of the future who drank alcohol, ate meat, and married.

Zhao Yan picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of tofu, and almost spat it out. The dish was not stir-fried but boiled with green vegetables and water, with only a bit of salt added. The taste was terrible, and it was the first time since graduating that he had eaten such a bad meal.

Zhao Yan had experienced a tough childhood, and his biggest dream was to eat meat every day. After gaining financial independence, he almost always ate meat, even during his time as a volunteer teacher. Now, facing this plate of boiled vegetables and tofu, he couldn't eat it, so he threw the chopsticks aside and only drank the millet porridge, which was well-cooked, fragrant, and sticky, made from new rice.

After breakfast, Zhao Yan continued to lie in bed, thinking. As an art student who studied painting, he had already given up on the idea of becoming a king or a tyrant after time travel. This didn't fit his personality. For Zhao Yan, the most important thing was to use his identity as a prince to live a comfortable life and gather a few beauties to fill his palace.

Thinking about his identity as a prince, Zhao Yan finally smiled with relief. This was perhaps the most gratifying thing about his time travel. However, he then remembered that after being struck by a ball of lightning, although some people had visited him, his father, Emperor Zhaosu, had not come. Only Empress Gao had brought the imperial physician to treat him and assigned Cao Ying to oversee his recovery, so now Cao Ying was in charge of the entire palace, and even Zhao Yan's attendants had been replaced.

Thinking of Emperor Zhaosu, Zhao Yan immediately recalled the historical records of Emperor Yingzong. He was relatively familiar with the history of the Northern Song Dynasty. According to Zhao Yan's knowledge, his adoptive father, Emperor Zhaosu, had a very difficult life. Emperor Renzong had no sons, so he adopted Zhaosu as his son. However, when a concubine became pregnant, Zhaosu was sent out of the palace. Unexpectedly, the prince died young, and in the year before Emperor Renzong's death, Zhaosu was finally made the crown prince and eventually ascended to the throne.

Emperor Zhaosu's health was poor. He fell ill shortly after ascending to the throne and was unable to handle state affairs, so Empress Dowager Cao took over the administration. This was the main reason why Emperor Zhaosu did not visit Zhao Yan. Additionally, due to some events, the relationship between Emperor Zhaosu and Empress Dowager Cao became very strained. Fortunately, Han Qi and Ouyang Xiu mediated, which helped to ease the tension, but the relationship between the nominal mother and son remained cold. On the other hand, Emperor Zhaosu's wife, Empress Gao, was Empress Dowager Cao's niece and had been raised in the palace since childhood, making them like mother and daughter. Therefore, Empress Gao often acted as a mediator between Emperor Zhaosu and Empress Dowager Cao.

Additionally, Zhao Yan knew that after Emperor Zhaosu recovered, the famous "Puyi Controversy" would erupt. The Puyi Controversy was about how Emperor Zhaosu should refer to his biological father, Prince Puyi of Anyi. The controversy lasted for 18 months, and Emperor Zhaosu only ruled for four years. This might seem unbelievable to people in the future, but for the Song Dynasty, it was a matter of imperial etiquette, and the controversy further worsened the relationship between Emperor Zhaosu and Empress Dowager Cao.

The Puyi Controversy had not yet erupted, and even if it did, Zhao Yan did not plan to get involved. First, he was still new to the Northern Song Dynasty and unfamiliar with everything. Second, the Puyi Controversy was a struggle between Emperor Zhaosu and Empress Dowager Cao, and as a junior, Zhao Yan had no place in it. Therefore, he decided to stay in his prince's palace and focus on recovering his health.

Realizing his situation, Zhao Yan jumped out of bed. As the saying goes, a healthy body is the capital of revolution. He now had money and power, but his health was poor. He had a lot of luxurious life ahead of him, and without a good body, he wouldn't be able to enjoy it.

Life is all about one's mood. A good mood makes any life enjoyable, while a bad mood makes even a life of luxury and beauty unenjoyable. Zhao Yan had come out of his depression and was now actively facing his new life. He even made a fitness plan: practicing Tai Chi in the morning, running in the afternoon, and running in the evening. Life is in movement, and Zhao Yan planned to adjust his life through exercise, starting after lunch.

Lunch was a bowl of millet porridge and green vegetables and tofu, almost the same as breakfast. The only difference was that lunch included a steamed bun. Looking at the unappetizing meal, Zhao Yan decided to cancel the afternoon run. Without meat, what was the point of running?

Dinner was the same. Zhao Yan closed his eyes and ate the green vegetables and tofu, telling himself it was for his health, and canceled the evening run.

The next day, the three meals were the same. Zhao Yan endured...

The third day, he endured...

The fourth day, he endured even more...

The fifth day, he could no longer endure...

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