Chapter 1

When Lin Zhao woke up, he was surprised to find himself being pinned to the ground by two burly men, who then tied him up with ropes, making him look like a wrapped-up dumpling.

What's going on? It was just a case of drowning, how could it turn out like this...

Could it be that the ox-headed and horse-faced demons have come to take him to the underworld? Did he drown? Lin Zhao was instantly startled...

But the sky was bright and clear, not at all like the legendary Hall of Yanluo!

Lin Zhao shouted, wanting to get to the bottom of things, but as soon as he opened his mouth, a piece of dirty cloth was stuffed in, making him gag!

He heard the two burly men sneer, "Really don't know your place, what's wrong with being the young master's study companion? How dare you peep at the young lady getting dressed..."

"Exactly, he always seemed so polite and honest, but turns out to be a shameless little pervert!"

"Wait until we report to the old lady, he'll get what he deserves!"

"Pervert? It's just about getting the Chinese department's beauty, but it was a legitimate and open romance, why make it sound so despicable?"

Lin Zhao was still dazed when the two burly men picked him up and threw him into a dark room.

Bang... Ouch!

You guys, damn it, be gentle!

Lin Zhao felt a sharp pain at the back of his head and fainted immediately.

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After an unknown amount of time, Lin Zhao woke up again.

A ray of sunlight shone through a small broken window, blinding him and making it hard to open his eyes.

From this, Lin Zhao concluded a joyful fact—this place was not the underworld, and he was still alive.

But where was this place? Kidnapping? Prank? Or just an illusion? All these guesses were ruled out one by one.

The ropes were too tight, making him extremely uncomfortable. Lin Zhao tried to turn over to a more comfortable position, but a slight movement caused a sharp pain at the back of his head, and many memories not his own flooded his mind.

Lin Zhao, 18 years old, both parents deceased, raised by his uncle Gu Qi... living in the Jiangning Meng family, as the study companion of the eldest son Meng Ruogu... has a mute aunt and a young cousin...

What's going on? Lin Zhao felt his head was about to explode!

After enduring the discomfort for a long time, when the memories in his mind had mostly merged, Lin Zhao came up with a reasonable explanation—time travel!

That's right, time travel!

In his previous life, he was a high-achieving student in the criminal investigation department of a university, with a handsome appearance and a tall, strong build, winning the heart of the Chinese department's beauty from a neighboring university.

The two went on a "honeymoon" trip to a scenic area in the southwest, planning to spend a few days together, inseparable. But he accidentally fell into the water, and when he struggled to surface, he encountered such inhumane treatment.

It must be that he drowned and his soul traveled through time, possessing the body of a scholar with the same name and surname in ancient times. According to the residual memories in his mind, it was now the first year of the Xining era of the Northern Song Dynasty, a thousand years in an instant!

Oh my God, are you playing with me!

Lin Zhao couldn't help but feel frustrated. He hadn't yet risen to prominence in politics, hadn't yet made a name in business, and hadn't yet found success in love. At least... at least let me have one night with the beauty before I time-traveled!

Even if it's time travel, it's still too unlucky! Tied up like a dumpling, unable to move, and the dirty cloth in his mouth almost made him faint.

Why treat him like this? Lin Zhao searched through the residual memories, gradually piecing together the puzzle.

At noon, as a study companion, Lin Zhao went to deliver books to the young master's inner study. He accidentally discovered that the young lady Li was having an affair with someone. Lin Zhao didn't want to meddle, but his footsteps were too heavy, and the adulterers noticed...

Before he could react, he heard someone shouting to catch the pervert, and he was then "killed," which was when Lin Zhao time-traveled...

Now, even with a little common sense, it's clear that he was framed. The other party was afraid he would reveal the secret, so they framed him as a pervert first...

Damn! Now there's no way to explain himself, and the dirty cloth in his mouth deprived him of the right to speak!

He vaguely remembered hearing something about reporting to the old lady, which sounded a bit like the style of the Grand View Garden...

In fact, Old Lady Meng was similar to Lady Shi. The Meng family's ancestors were merchants, but not ordinary merchants. When Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi was waging war on Southern Tang, the Meng family provided significant support in terms of grain and transportation. Later, when Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne, he rewarded the Meng family, and it is said that the four characters "Loyalty and Righteousness" in the Meng family's main hall were written by the emperor himself.

Because of the ancestors' contributions, and because Old Lady Meng was a widow, her only son passed the imperial examination and was ennobled by Emperor Renzong. Unfortunately, Old Lady Meng was a tragic figure, widowed at a young age, and her son died of illness in middle age, leaving her with a grandson and granddaughter to rely on.

Now the grandchildren have grown up. The eldest son Meng Ruogu, as his name suggests, is humble and virtuous, always studying hard, hoping to emulate his father and achieve success in the imperial examinations, bringing glory to the family. The daughter Meng Ruoying, though a woman, manages the family's vast business well.

Old Lady Meng was quite satisfied, but her only worry was the thin lineage of the Meng family. Therefore, she married her grandson early, hoping to have a great-grandchild soon.

The young lady Li was the old lady's favorite. Now, with the accusation of violating the young lady, the old lady might want to kill him...

What to do? Lin Zhao was really at a loss.

In the novels he read, time travelers were always so awesome, taking on the responsibility of the world, governing the country, and becoming kings. At least they had multiple wives and mistresses, enjoying the happiness of having several beautiful women...

Why is it so tragic when it's his turn? At this moment, Lin Zhao had no grand ambitions; he only wanted to clear his name and prove his innocence.

If it weren't for his own eyes, who would believe that the seemingly virtuous young lady was actually a promiscuous woman? Especially the identity of the lover Chen Xuan was even more infuriating...

Chen Xuan, the son of an official, it was said that the Chen and Meng families intended to form an alliance, and Chen Xuan was courting Miss Meng. Who would have thought he would first seduce the wife of the eldest son...

Unfortunately, he had no evidence, and who would believe him? He would only be accused of slander, which would be counterproductive...

This was precisely the reason the other party went to such lengths to frame him. The words of a pervert are not credible, and a pervert has no right to speak...

What should he do?

While Lin Zhao was thinking of a strategy, the door of the shack creaked, and the two burly men appeared again. Without a word, they picked up the "dumpling" and carried him away, completely ignoring his feelings.

Soon, Lin Zhao was carried into a room. It was already evening, and although it wasn't dark outside, the room was lit with red candles. Seeing this, Lin Zhao was even more certain he had returned to ancient times!

"The old lady, the pervert has been brought!"

Bang!

The two men threw him to the ground, and Lin Zhao cursed inwardly, but with the dirty cloth in his mouth, he could only make a muffled sound!

"Ugh... Ugh... Grandmother, you must stand up for your granddaughter-in-law... Don't stop me, let me die..."

Is this the legendary crying, making a scene, and threatening to commit suicide? Lin Zhao lay on the ground, with a limited view, only able to see a side wall. From the crying, he knew it was the despicable Li crying and making false accusations...

"Enough, stop crying! Grandmother will stand up for you!" The old lady had absolute authority in the Meng family and loved her granddaughter-in-law.

"The old lady, the facts are clear, this wicked servant should be beaten to death immediately!" The speaker was a man.

Damn! The lover is so arrogant, Lin Zhao clearly remembered that Chen Xuan was the one who "killed" him! How dare he talk about beating him to death? Trying to murder him twice in one day?

This can be tolerated, but not this!

Poor Old Lady Meng, this person is betraying your grandson and granddaughter!

"The old lady, Lin Zhao is usually well-read and honest, he would never do such a despicable thing, please investigate clearly!" Lin Zhao's heart suddenly stirred, and the speaker was his uncle Gu Qi.

"Knowing a person's face but not their heart!" Chen Xuan sneered, showing disdain.

"My cousin is well-read and honest, he would never do such a thing!" A young girl spoke up loudly. Lin Zhao recognized her as his 14-year-old cousin Gu Yuelun.

"Well-read and honest?" Chen Xuan laughed coldly. "He seems honest on the surface, but he is actually a deceitful, shameless, and low-down scoundrel."

"You're lying, you're framing my cousin!" Gu Yuelun was already getting anxious.

"Framing? The young lady's maid, Xiaotao, and I saw it with our own eyes, irrefutable evidence, how can he deny it?" Chen Xuan spoke with righteous indignation.

The maid Xiaotao, as a witness, said, "Lin Brother... no, the pervert said he came to deliver books to the young master. I let him into the inner study, thinking he would leave after putting them down. I was busy boiling medicine for the young lady, so I left for a moment...

When I returned with the medicine, the pervert was peeping at the young lady's inner room, and she was... changing clothes... I shouted, and he tried to escape, colliding with me... Fortunately, Master Chen heard the cry for help and caught the pervert..."

As the maid spoke, Li cried even more, talking about wanting to die, looking like a chaste and virtuous woman...

Chen Xuan added, "Today I came to deliver some fine peonies to my sister-in-law... On my way back, I heard someone crying for help in the young lady's courtyard, and I saw the pervert running out in a panic, so I hit him to the ground..."

The two spoke vividly, with detailed descriptions, leaving no room for doubt. Even Gu Qi began to waver, could his nephew have made a mistake in a moment of confusion?

Old Lady Meng was even more furious, angrily saying, "The wicked servant is audacious, bring the family law!"

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