Chapter 1

Inside the pristine mosquito net, a teenager around sixteen or seventeen years old had a pale face, purple lips, and was drenched in cold sweat. His body was trembling violently under the quilt.

People stood by the bed, their faces full of worry and unease.

"Ah~"

The teenager suddenly sat up, gasping for breath, his eyes wide open with bloodshot, filled with inexplicable fear.

He took a few rapid breaths, slightly calmed down, and his eyes were somewhat dazed as he said, "Didn't I fall off a cliff...?"

"Your Excellency..."

A trembling voice reached his ears.

The teenager turned his head and saw a middle-aged man dressed in ancient official attire, wearing an official hat, with a worried face.

The teenager was taken aback. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head and fell straight down.

At the moment of falling, he heard a series of urgent calls of "Your Excellency, Your Excellency..."

'Isn't "Your Excellency" the title for the Song Dynasty emperor...' This was the teenager's last thought before he lost consciousness.

...

"I want to eat fish, the big kind."

"Your Excellency, fish is too pungent and has bones, it's not good."

"I want to eat meat, big chunks."

"Your Excellency, it's too greasy, bad for the stomach and can cause obesity, it's not good."

"I want to eat dog meat, frozen."

"Your Excellency, it's too cold and bad for the body, it's not good."

Two days later, in the Funing Hall.

The teenager's face was still somewhat pale as he sat on the bed, looking at the young eunuch by the bed. Their conversation alternated between "I want" and "It's not good."

Zhao Xu sighed lightly in his heart, his gaze somewhat blank as he looked out the door.

Outside was the sky of the Song Dynasty, separated from his original world by over a thousand years.

He still remembered that he was extreme rock climbing, and when he missed a step, he fell for a long time, only to find himself in a dry well in the imperial palace of the Song Dynasty in Kaifeng, over a thousand years ago.

He became the seventh emperor of the Song Dynasty, historically known as Emperor Zhezong of Song, with the same name, Zhao Xu.

In his previous life, he was a senior executive of a multinational company, a Ph.D. in economics, and a young and capable person. Now, he was the emperor of the Song Dynasty, who ascended the throne at the age of nine and had been on the throne for seven years.

Like the story of Zhuangzi and the butterfly, the two people separated by a thousand years had become one in a moment.

"Who could be trying to harm me..."

Zhao Xu looked out the door and muttered to himself. He didn't remember why he went to that dry well, but vaguely, it seemed like someone had pushed him.

Various figures flashed through Zhao Xu's mind, his gaze flickering.

Zhao Xu speculated that it was now the seventh year of the Yuanyou era, and he was seventeen years old. He roughly knew that historically, Emperor Zhezong of Song died suddenly in his early twenties.

The current situation was somewhat complex. Although various figures flashed through his mind, there were no clear clues or targets.

Zhao Xu couldn't determine who was trying to harm him, but he felt the crisis. If one attempt failed, there would definitely be a second!

Zhao Xu's gaze turned to the young eunuch in front of him, whose hands were wrapped in bandages, with traces of blood. He asked, "Who did this?"

The young eunuch, Chen Pi, turned his head to look outside and whispered fearfully, "Your Excellency, Zhou Gonggong is investigating who harmed Your Excellency."

"Zhou He?"

Zhao Xu's expression changed slightly, his eyes filled with thought.

Zhou He was the head eunuch, the grand steward of the palace, and a confidant of Empress Dowager Gao. Was Zhou He investigating who harmed him? What would his grandmother, Empress Dowager Gao, who was ruling behind the curtain, think?

Zhao Xu thought for a moment and looked at the young eunuch Chen Pi, saying, "Pipi, now, you and I are bound together. If they kill me, they will certainly kill you to silence you."

Chen Pi's face immediately turned pale, his eyes fixed on Zhao Xu, filled with fear.

He had seen a lot in the palace and knew very well that if someone was trying to harm the emperor, he, as the personal eunuch, couldn't escape!

Seeing his expression, Zhao Xu nodded inwardly and said, "Come over, help me do a few things."

Chen Pi was now extremely frightened and didn't think, instinctively moving forward.

Zhao Xu whispered a few things in his ear and said, "Make sure it's hidden, don't let anyone trace it back to you."

Chen Pi's eyes widened, and he was speechless.

Zhao Xu sat back and said calmly, "This is called doing the opposite. No matter who is trying to harm me, the palace will certainly protect me with all its might. For a short time, our lives will be safe."

Chen Pi listened and immediately understood, his fear subsiding. He nodded heavily and said, "Your Excellency, rest first, I'll go do it right away!"

Zhao Xu hummed in response, let out a light breath, and slowly leaned back against the head of the bed, closing his eyes to rest.

He had fallen into the well, and both his mind and body couldn't recover immediately. According to the imperial physician, he needed to eliminate shock and rest quietly.

Zhao Xu didn't sleep; he was still thinking about everything that had happened.

He didn't remember how he went to the dry well or who he went with and why.

'Maybe it's due to excessive shock, I need some time to remember.' Zhao Xu thought to himself, trying to stay calm and composed.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Chen Pi ran back, came to Zhao Xu's bed, glanced outside, and whispered, "Your Excellency, I've done everything as you said."

Zhao Xu opened his eyes and saw that he was still panicked. He smiled and said, "Don't worry. When you go out later, observe everyone, whether you know them or not. Then stay in the Funing Hall, and don't go out no matter who calls you."

Chen Pi's expression was uneasy as he looked at Zhao Xu, hesitating to respond immediately.

Zhao Xu moved his body slightly and smiled, "Have you forgotten what happened earlier? Soon, Grandmother will come personally, replace everyone, and strengthen our protection. She might even assign some people to you and promote you."

Chen Pi blinked, somewhat disbelieving, and said, "Will the Empress Dowager come personally and promote me?"

Zhao Xu smiled and said, "Don't worry, just wait and see."

Chen Pi felt that the current "Your Excellency" was somewhat different and hesitantly responded.

...

In the Cining Hall.

The head eunuch, Zhou He, rushed, almost running, into the side hall where Empress Dowager Gao was handling state affairs.

Empress Dowager Gao, with her silver hair, a plump and imposing figure, was dressed in elaborate palace attire, bent over to review memorials. Hearing the footsteps, she slowly put down her brush, raised her head, and looked at Zhou He with a cold expression, asking, "What did you find?"

Zhou He's expression was somewhat panicked. He waved to dismiss the palace maids and eunuchs standing on both sides and came directly to Empress Dowager Gao's side.

Empress Dowager Gao looked at Zhou He. Zhao Xu had been pushed into the well, and she had been having Zhou He investigate. Had he found something?

Thinking of this, Empress Dowager Gao's face turned cold.

Zhou He glanced down and whispered in Empress Dowager Gao's ear, "Madam, outside, they are saying that you fear the emperor will take power and are plotting to harm the emperor and replace him with another..."

Thump

Empress Dowager Gao slapped the table, her eyes blazing with anger, and shouted, "Who is spreading these rumors? Drag them out and beat them to death!"

For a grandmother to plot against her grandson, the emperor, in the Song Dynasty, which valued ethics and norms, would cause the sky to fall and the earth to crack!

Zhou He also had a look of shock and uncertainty, saying, "I investigated, and it seems to have come from outside the palace."

Empress Dowager Gao's expression was furious, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

The person spreading this rumor must be punished!