Chapter 1

In the sixteenth year of the Yongli era of the Great Ming, the first year of the Kangxi era of the Qing dynasty, on the eighth day of the fourth month!

"The heir has fainted!"

"The heir has fainted!"

The southeastern Simingzhou garrison was in chaos. The servants rushed to the inner quarters, where Lady Dong was praying in the Buddhist hall for her husband, who was far away in Anping (Fort Zeelandia). News had come from Anping that her husband was unwell.

Hearing the commotion outside, she frowned and angrily said to her attendant, "Yunjin! Go and see what’s happening!"

"Yes, my lady!" The attendant had just stepped out when she saw a servant running in panic. Seeing the attendant, he shouted, "Miss Yunjin, quickly inform the lady that the heir has suddenly fainted!"

"Ah!" Yunjin was shocked and hurried back to the Buddhist hall, crying as she reported to Lady Dong, "Lady! The heir has fainted!"

Lady Dong's hand, which was holding the prayer beads, paused. Tears streamed down her face, and the strength she had always shown was completely shattered.

This was truly a case of misfortunes never coming singly. Her husband's condition was still unknown, and now her son had suddenly fainted. Could it be that heaven was determined to destroy the Great Ming?

At this moment, Lady Dong had no heart for prayer. She hurriedly led her attendants to the front hall. When she arrived, she saw Zheng Jing lying motionless on the bed, and his wife, Tang Shi, was weeping by his side.

"What happened? Why did the heir suddenly faint?"

Tang Shi, tears streaming down her face, replied, "Mother, the heir had an affair with a fox spirit and committed an act that violated the moral order. Father found out and sent Uncle Zheng Tai to question him. Thanks to Uncle Tai's protection, the heir escaped punishment, but only the woman was dealt with. However, the heir secretly hid the woman and her child.

I couldn’t bear it and argued with him. I told him that if he didn’t hand over the fox spirit, I would go to Anping to reason with Father.

But the heir became so agitated that he fainted. This is my fault. Please, Mother, give me a divorce letter. I will return to my natal home and find a nunnery to end my life."

The scandal of the heir having an affair with his brother's wet nurse had become the biggest disgrace for the Zheng family. Moreover, her family was not to be trifled with. The best course of action would have been to quietly deal with Chen Shi and raise the grandson herself, thus putting the matter to rest.

This decision was made after consultations with General Zheng Tai of Jinmen and General Hong Xu of Simingzhou. However, the heir had protected Chen Shi, which was a slap in the face to the Tang family.

As a mother, how could she blame her daughter-in-law for her son's mistakes? She could only weep and say, "It is this disobedient son who has caused my child such trouble. When he wakes up, I will take charge and make him hand over Chen Shi for you to deal with.

For my sake, forgive him. If you go to Anping to complain, this disobedient son will surely die, and you will be a widow for the rest of your life!"

"Mother, I am not a jealous and violent woman, but what the heir has done is too shocking. How will the people view our Zheng family? How can he lead the people to reclaim our lost territories and return to the old capital?"

"You are right, my child. This disobedient son is too wicked. We must wait for him to wake up before we can punish him."

Although Tang Shi was angry and despised this playboy, she was already a member of the Zheng family. What could she do? Faced with her mother-in-law's persuasion, she could only nod in agreement.

After calming her daughter-in-law, Lady Dong asked the servants, "Have you called for a doctor?"

"Yes, he will be here soon!"

As they spoke, the doctor was brought in. This was the eldest son of the Prince of Yanping, the heir to the Zheng family. The doctor dared not be negligent. After paying his respects to Lady Dong and Tang Shi, he placed his hand on Zheng Jing's pulse.

The doctor frowned. The pulse was so chaotic, as if there was an additional force moving within it. He had never heard of such a pulse before.

He then opened Zheng Jing's eyelids and saw that the pupils were not dilated. Placing his hand near Zheng Jing's nose, he found the breathing to be weak. The doctor had never seen such a condition and did not dare to prescribe any medicine. He could only sigh and bow, saying, "My lady, I am truly sorry, but I cannot determine what illness the heir has."

"How can this be? Please, sir, examine him again. Perhaps you missed something the first time."

The doctor had no choice but to check Zheng Jing's pulse again, but he still shook his head and sighed, unable to help.

Lady Dong was not willing to give up. She ordered the servants to invite all the doctors on the island, hoping that someone might be able to cure her son.

While the Zheng family was in a frenzy, searching for a solution, two souls were struggling within Zheng Jing's body. The original soul was weakening, and the invader was gradually taking control, eventually consuming the original soul and successfully taking over the body.

When all the doctors on the island were gathered at the residence, no one knew that the Zheng Jing lying in bed was no longer the same person.

The new soul's name was Jia Zhengjing, a small-town agricultural technician from the 21st century. In this quiet government office, he earned a meager salary that barely kept him alive. Nowadays, everyone was thinking about doing business to make big money, and young people in the countryside were abandoning their land to work in the cities.

The agricultural station had become a dispensable unit. Apart from selling seeds and fertilizers in the spring, there was nothing much to do throughout the year. If it weren’t for the job security, Jia Zhengjing would have resigned long ago and become a proud worker in a big city.

Life at the agricultural station was as dull as water. Apart from the title of a civil servant, there were no other benefits. He earned a meager salary and couldn’t even afford decent clothes.

He had a girlfriend because of his civil servant status. He was almost thirty and was thinking about marriage, but her family demanded an 188,000 yuan dowry and a fully paid three-bedroom apartment in the county, with the property deed in her name.

Even if Jia Zhengjing sold himself, he couldn’t come up with that much money. Moreover, he couldn’t agree to such terms, as it seemed like his girlfriend was trying to get rich by marrying him.

Would she break up with him as soon as she got the house and leave him with nothing? There was no such thing as a free lunch. They argued over the dowry and the house, and Jia Zhengjing felt that his girlfriend was trying to get something for nothing, while she thought he was not a real man and lacked responsibility. She believed that if he didn’t buy her a house or give her a dowry, he couldn’t prove his love.

The argument ended in a bitter breakup. Jia Zhengjing, feeling bitter, drank to drown his sorrows and ended up drinking himself into a different era, becoming the son of the Prince of Yanping, Zheng Chenggong, at the most difficult time for the Zheng family.