CH 1

“She’s not here yet?”

“Could something have happened?”

In Great Qian Tiandu, Yongle Lane, east of the Imperial City. Inside an ordinary manor, Lin Xuan, who was fishing under willows by the pond, looked at the gate from time to time.

Lin Xuan, 17 years old. It’s been five months since he transmigrated into this world, with identity set as the great-grandson of an assistant minister of the former Tang Dynasty, and he could barely be considered a former imperial relative.

Decades ago, Great Qian Emperor Gaozu raised an army to take over the Tang Dynasty, swept the surrounding sixteen countries, placed the survivors of the nobles from the previous dynasty and the sixteen countries in this Yongle Lane, and they would not be allowed to leave for three generations.

It’s reasonable to say that with such an arrangement, it would be too crowded. Many of the survivors of the sixteen kingdoms were dissatisfied. Later, they were killed, and the living space became enough.

Lin Xuan is considered to be the third generation, and he is the survivor of the former Tang Dynasty nobles.

Afterwards, the Empress gave orders several times to improve their living standards again.

Everyday, he didn’t have to worry about food, drink and anything at all. This transmigration was many times better compared to his previous life as someone who always worked overtime everyday to make game strategies and still only got a low salary.

As someone who transmigrated, he also got a standard system configuration.

However, the system was a bit useless, it’s just a sign-in system, and the sign-in rewards are just some ordinary healing pills, a small amount of silver, ordinary martial arts, etc.

There was no no skill, magic weapon, artifact or immortal method that can be upgraded automatically.

It was seriously similar with the system check-in rewards that he designed in game.

“Why didn’t I set the rewards to be a bit higher quality?”

Lin Xuan looked at the rewards he gained from signed-in these past five months, he felt like weeping but had no tears.

What made it more nonsense was that this world he transmigrated into basically has the same outlook as the game world he created, and there is no deviation from various historical events.

According to the timeline, it’s currently the 28th year of Great Qian Kingdom. The 17 years old Empress, Ji Handan, had defeated Wei, Chu, Yu Kingdom Wei Fu, the grassland, sweeping all the counties in the Great Qian Prefecture, and announcing the time to recuperate and build up strength.

However, starting from the 30th year of Great Qian, Empress Ji Handan attempted to become the Jiang Kingdom with the support of the entire Great Qian. It would consume a lot of the nation’s power and cause the subsequent rebellion of the five Kings.

During the five Kings rebellion, King Ji Chen invaded the Great Qian Tiandu at once, and afterwards, all survivors of the previous dynasty were all killed.

The excuse was because the survivors of the previous dynasty were determined to restore the country, tried to control the empress in a futile attempt, and caused great chaos.

Unfortunately, Lin Xuan was one of the remaining nobles of the previous dynasty.

When the time comes, being dragged out and killed will be inevitable.

This excuse could be used to deceive ordinary civilians, but King Ji Chen’s real objective was to break Empress Ji Handan’s foundation.

At the age of 15, the legendary Empress Ji Handan took up the army, brought 80 female soldiers to King Wu’s camp, killed King Wu, seized the military power of the Forbidden Army in Tiandu and Beiluo, and proclaimed herself as the Empress.

Among the 80 female soldiers who followed the Empress, 26 were nobles from the former Tang Dynasty.

Before, they were all daughters from prestigious families of the previous dynasty, but under the training of the Empress Ji Handan, they became invincible women generals who had experienced hundreds of battles.

However, in the Battle of Shangyu, all the 80 female soldiers died heroically in order for the Empress to defeat the combined forces of King Zhao and King Jin.

In recognition of the achievements of these 80 heroines, the Empress has repeatedly decreed to make the life of the Tang Dynasty’s survivors better.

This was also the reason why Lin Xuan could live a better life now.

His life was indeed not  bad, but if he didn’t run away right now, he wouldn’t be able to escape in a few years.

Even if he could avoid King Ji Chen, he wouldn’t be able to avoid the disaster caused by the marquis army and the Beilou Forbidden Army after the death of the Empress.

Lin Xuan thought that this transmigration was like a trap.

If only the sign-in system has some unique skill, can cultivate to become immortal or something, he can just run away immediately when the troubles come.

However, the system is unreliable.

How about offering his own service to help the Empress solve the future crisis?

But this is even more impossible, not to mention that he is one of the nobles from the previous dynasty, so will not be regarded as important, and if he really wants to do so, he might be killed by the Great Qian noble.

In addition, 26 of the first 80 female soldiers of the Empress were the daughters of the former dynasty’s nobles, who made sacrifices for Great Qian.

But after reading the records of the Shangyu battle, Lin Xuan felt that there was something behind their deaths.

Therefore, there was no choice but to escape.

About how to escape from this place, Lin Xuan also did some calculations. Wei kingdom in the North and Yu kingdom in the West would become part of the four battle fields, so he must not go there.

Chu kingdom in the South looks big, but all kings throughout the history of Chu kingdom loved to battle, however they were often defeated. Naive person will get addicted to the food but doesn’t get the brain going. If he goes to the Chu kingdom, who knows when he would get arrested, so he shouldn’t go there either.

Therefore, Lin Xuan decided to escape to Nanyang with the help of a Great Qian’s ship.

Once he got there, whether it was relying on his knowledge before transmigrating or other conditions, it would be no problem to build a city and become an emperor.

But before that, the prohibition that the three generations of the previous dynasty could not leave the capital must be resolved, because there will be official road guides and ships.

Among the people he knows, the only one who can do this is Zhao Yuehan, who often comes to visit.

One of the Zhao Yuehan’s family members was one of the 80 female soldiers who died in the battle, and because of her, he was able to be appointed as the fifth-rank Ministry of Commerce by the imperial court of Great Qian dynasty, who was in charge of water transportation and shipping.

If he left from the capital, he could take the transportation boat, and after arriving at the seafront, he could take the big transportation ship. This plan is perfect!

In order to achieve this goal, as long as Zhao Yuehan comes to his place, Lin Xuan will definitely offer delicious food and drink, and along the way, he will find a way to lure Zhao Yuehan into the water, and persuade her to run away together, to avoid being buried together with Great Qian.

It is worth mentioning that every time Zhao Yuehan came here, she would dress as a man, wearing white clothes, holding a folding fan with a long sword on his waist.

Whether there is an Adam’s apple or not, can’t he even see it? It’s really interesting.

However, Zhao Yuehan didn’t say anything, and Lin Xuan wouldn’t point it out either.

But why hasn’t Zhao Yuehan come here yet today?

Has something really happened?

When Lin Xuan was worried, Zhao Yuehan who dressed in white, holding a folding fan with a long sword at his waist, walked into the door in a handsome and elegant style.

Beside Zhao Yuehan, there was an old servant in his fifties or sixties, full of energy, called Li Mu.

“Brother Lin, are we going to eat fish today?”

Zhao Yuehan came under the willow tree, looked at the fish in the net, and said with a smile.

“That’s right, today we will eat fish. You can have tea first, and wait for a bit!”

Seeing the person had come, Lin Xuan was very happy, he then took out the fish from inside the net.

Although Lin Xuan’s check-in system is useless, he had learned a lot about cooking, tailoring, and medicine. With salt, sauce, and vinegar that were given by the system, the fish dish was flavorful.

After sprinkling some coriander, he served it to the table. Zhao Yuehan was calm, but the old servant Li Mu’s eyes were already shining, and he was almost drooling.

“Brother Lin, give me a plate, I’ll bring some for my mother to taste.”

As usual, Zhao Yuehan didn’t eat immediately, but prepared to take some back.

He has met Zhao Yuehan’s mother, who had visited with Zhao Yuehan twice before. She is a kind-hearted old lady, but she is old and weak.

“No need, I have prepared an extra portion this time, and I put it in the kitchen. You can take it back for madam later.”

Lin Xuan said with a smile.

In Great Qian where price killed the crown prince, forcing the emperor to abdicate, civil war broke out from time to time, it is extremely rare to have someone like Zhao Yuehan who always remembers to be filial to her mother.

If it was a normal person, they would probably have left their seriously ill old mother long ago and ran away first.

Therefore, Lin Xuan felt that she was a trustworthy person, and planned to trick Zhao Yuehan into leaving this place with him.

However, considering the legendary history of Empress Ji Handan, and the fact that Zhao Yuehan’s family was related to 80 legendary female soldiers, Lin Xuan decided to check carefully.

“Brother Zhao, you said that the legend of the Great Qian Empress is so powerful that it puts an awe in the world, so how can the painter draw her like a bear with five-layered waists and thick arms?”

Lin Xuan recalled the portrait of the Empress released by the Great Qian court to the people.

In their game production, all important female characters are designed like a fairy, and definitely will never be that ugly.

“A bear?”

“Hahaha.”

Zhao Yuehan, who was eating fish, laughed, “It might as well be called a female orc!”