Chapter 2

The Ming Dynasty implemented a dual capital system, with one capital in the north and another in the south, 2,000 li away from the northern capital. This southern capital was the secondary capital, Nanjing, anciently known as Jinling.

There is a poem about this place: "Jiangnan, a land of beauty, Jinling, a city of emperors."

In March, as the chill of winter receded, the city of Nanjing gradually warmed up. As the saying goes: "Spring has come, all things are reviving, and it is once again the season for scholars and ladies to enjoy the spring."

Of course, these poetic and romantic scenes had little to do with Qin Dewei, a twelve-year-old boy. He stood in front of the Dagonfang Community School, tears streaming down his face as his dreams shattered.

The teacher stood inside the door, sighed, and waved his hand at Qin Dewei, saying, "Starting tomorrow, you don't need to come anymore. Without talent, there's no point in forcing it. You should try to find a good job and live a stable life."

The community school was an official primary school. Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang had decreed that every fifty households in the country should establish a community school and hire experienced scholars as teachers.

Among the boys under fifteen, the smart ones were selected to attend and learn to read and write. However, it was not free; tuition was required, though it was cheaper than private schools.

Each community school usually had only one teacher, who could not teach many students, so there was a selection mechanism. If a child could not recite the Four Books by the age of twelve, they had to leave the school.

Qin Dewei was one such boy who was eliminated. He was not particularly smart, but he had grand dreams.

He did not want to be hungry and pay taxes as an adult, nor did he want to be conscripted for hard labor by the government.

Therefore, Qin Dewei dreamed of changing his fate through education, dreaming of becoming a scholar, passing the imperial exams, and rising to a high position, thus escaping the hardships of a life at the bottom.

But this dream was shattered today. Without the cheap tuition of the official community school, he had no money to attend any other private schools.

Even the tuition for the community school had already strained his mother and uncle to the limit. It would be difficult to continue for a few more years.

Qin Dewei was extremely disheartened, feeling that the whole world was dark and bleak. He stood outside the school, unwilling to leave.

At this moment, a boy of the same age appeared at the door, saying with a mocking tone, "Isn't this Qin Dewei? What are you doing here?"

Qin Dewei looked up and saw it was Yang Bo, a classmate with whom he had a deep-seated grudge, even having fought before. Yang Bo had once envied his good looks and insulted him as a bastard, which led to Qin Dewei losing his temper.

But Qin Dewei, feeling dejected, did not want to deal with this enemy and turned to leave.

However, Yang Bo was not about to let this opportunity pass, chasing after Qin Dewei and laughing, "You usually seem quite diligent, but you couldn't even pass the exam? How stupid must you be?

To think you wanted to study and take the exams, I really think you're overestimating yourself. A toad dreaming of eating a swan, how laughable!"

Qin Dewei, unable to bear it any longer, retorted, "And why are you out here, Yang Bo? It seems you didn't pass the exam either and have to leave the school. What nerve do you have to bark at me like a dog?"

Yang Bo paid no attention, instead looking smug, "This破烂 school, I don't even care about it! I'm different from you; I'll soon have a new teacher!"

Qin Dewei did not believe him. Yang Bo was known for his boastful and exaggerated talk, and his words were usually ignored.

Yang Bo knew Qin Dewei wouldn't easily believe him, so he had to explain to show off.

"Our clan has an uncle who passed away, leaving a large estate, but he had no son. The elders decided to adopt me into that family to inherit the estate. So, I'll soon be rich. With money, I won't have to worry about education."

Qin Dewei almost wanted to vomit from anger. How unfair was this world! Why could someone like Yang Bo, who was lazy and mischievous, suddenly inherit a fortune and continue his education?

Comparing oneself to others can be deadly. Seeing his rival's frustration, Yang Bo felt satisfied and left, knowing they lived close by and would see each other often, giving him plenty of opportunities to show off.

Suddenly, the sky changed, and it started to rain in Nanjing, with the rain getting heavier. This was good for the fields but troublesome for the city's pedestrians.

Qin Dewei was already in a daze, oblivious to his surroundings, and did not seek shelter from the rain. He walked numbly toward his uncle's house in the rain.

His uncle's house was also his home. His father had been missing for ten years, and his mother had sold herself to be a wet nurse for the Xu family, now working as a housekeeper.

So, Qin Dewei had been raised by his uncle Qin Xiang since childhood. Qin Xiang, who had no son, had always treated him like a son.

When he arrived home, Qin Dewei was drenched, feeling dizzy and congested, likely falling ill. By night, he had a fever and was unconscious.

No one knew that the young boy was immersed in endless darkness, his head aching as if it would explode, seemingly unconscious but still aware. In medical terms of the Ming Dynasty, this was called "ghost possession."

What no one else knew was that a soul also named Qin Dewei had traveled from five hundred years in the future and possessed the body of the young boy.

After enduring until dawn, the two souls merged, and Qin Dewei fully awoke. He shook his still dizzy head, got up from the wooden bed, and looked around in shock.

"Damn! I just wanted to write a thesis on the Ming Dynasty, how did I end up really traveling back to the Ming Dynasty?"

He was a seasoned test-taker from 2021, an orphan with no parents, who had only ever known how to take tests. He had studied to a doctoral level, specializing in the judicial system of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, a niche within a niche.

While researching in the library, he was hit on the head by a hardcover book that fell from a high shelf. He passed out and woke up to find himself in the Ming Dynasty, coincidentally with the same name, Qin Dewei.

Jiajing ninth year? This era, which he had only seen in historical documents and TV dramas, had suddenly become a living reality. A series of memories flashed through Qin Dewei's mind.

What? In a hundred years, the Ming Dynasty would fall, and all men would have to shave their heads and wear the ugly and foolish queue?

Even if he didn't think that far ahead, in about twenty years, during his lifetime, he would see the Wokou pirates from an unknown country harassing the southeast?

At the same time, a new powerful ruler would rise on the grasslands, frequently attacking under the banner of the Golden Family, intensifying the northern border troubles.

To prevent the Wokou from harassing in twenty years and to ensure his descendants wouldn't be forced to shave their heads in a hundred years, as the only person who knew the future, Qin Dewei felt he should do something for the country and the people to prevent the great historical tragedy.

Otherwise, his conscience would not be at ease. Thus, Qin Dewei felt even more distressed, as a person with a conscience was destined to live a more tiring life than someone without.

Heaven and Earth, why did he have to bear the weight of five hundred years of history? He was just a child!

With his current lowly status—his father missing and his mother a servant—what could he do?