Chapter One: Borrowing to Bury the Father

"The four of them faced each other morning and night, their murmurs seldom ceasing."

"When the crabapple and peonies in the pavilion were in full bloom, in past years visitors came in droves, but this year all gazed from outside the garden, not daring to knock, for fear of disturbing the study curtains."

"Sometimes they would set a table beneath the flowers, reclining with a book in hand; sometimes they would move the desk by the pond to copy ancient calligraphy."

Edward Jr. Sutton finished reading, stood by the window, and gazed out thoughtfully. It was dusk. The ancient county town was not as shabby as Edward Jr. Sutton had imagined. From afar, the city wall was not very high, just about two zhang, and the scale was small, but the streets were crowded with people. Shops lined the alleys, vendors and peddlers hawked their wares incessantly, the snow was packed firm from so many footsteps, and the snow in front of the shops had been swept away. Some shops had even piled the snow into snow lions and snow elephants to attract customers—a scene full of vitality.

Yet, no matter how prosperous, none of this belonged to him. This made Edward Jr. Sutton feel a pang of melancholy. Staring at the scroll in his hand, he gave a bitter smile and, after a long sigh, muttered, "Alone in a foreign land, a stranger indeed!"

Edward Jr. Sutton's original name was Edward Sutton.

A 21st-century Chinese man, he had passed the civil service exam, drank a bit too much, pulled an all-nighter, and somehow died.

Then, muddle-headed, he was reincarnated into this world. The confusion of the womb, growing up in a daze, learning—according to rumor, the Su family had once been a great clan, but by his father's generation had fallen on hard times. His father barely managed to pass the county-level exam. Not long ago, his father died. The family could just afford a thin coffin, but neighbors and wandering priests came by, saying only a lavish burial showed filial piety, and tricked him into borrowing fifteen taels.

"This is usury!"

With a monthly interest of three percent, compounding, after three months the debt became thirty-three taels. What an idiot—who ever had a good end borrowing from loan sharks?

Even so, a sense of unwillingness lingered, even now that he had awakened. Edward Jr. Sutton silently experienced it, controlling its influence, and continued to sort through his memories from his awakened perspective.

"Rebirth didn't give me any cheat, but this half piece of rosewood hairpin, once invested into my mind's eye, actually brought me a cheat. What a strange fate!"

Edward Jr. Sutton, pressured by creditors, accidentally fell and bled onto the family heirloom—the half piece of rosewood hairpin. As a result, he woke up.

Fifteen years in a dream, truly like a fleeting illusion.

After three days of absorbing memories since his rebirth, he had a basic understanding of this world. The previous Wei dynasty lasted 484 years, far surpassing 300 years, but no matter how prosperous, all dynasties end. At that time, after several failures in the imperial exams, William Harper, who was a patrol officer in the county, seized the opportunity, drew his three-foot sword, and swept across the land.

Claiming descent from the rulers of the ancient state of Zheng, he established the Zheng dynasty, with the reign title Qingwu.

Emperor Taizu of Zheng reigned for eleven years. The crown prince succeeded him, with the reign title Chengshou, and ruled for seventeen years, opening up the imperial exams. By this time, the era was one of flourishing prosperity.

"A time of peace and prosperity, valuing literature over martial arts, yet I alone am penniless. Luckily, I still have my cheat." A "pa" sound from outside interrupted Edward Jr. Sutton's recollections. He looked around his home—cluttered with odds and ends, a bundle of bamboo strips, and several kites, which had been his father's way of earning a little money. Feeling the hunger in his belly, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. Stroking the book in his hand, he suddenly heard a "buzz"—the half piece of rosewood hairpin floated up from the manuscript.

The half piece of rosewood hairpin was originally a physical object, but once invested into his mind's eye, it became incorporeal, somewhat like a refined life-bound magical treasure. It hadn't started out in this form, but after some tempering, it had transformed into this data frame, which he considered the most scientific.

"It's a bit like a system, but there are no quests. It's really just a manifestation of my own thoughts."

"Everyone's mind's eye is different. I still prefer a simple, clear report—or rather, a data frame."

Edward Jr. Sutton lowered his gaze and saw the half piece of rosewood hairpin, now a phantom, almost overlapping with the manuscript, floating in his vision with a faint blue glow. A line of blue text sprang up on the manuscript: "Discovered 'Yili'—absorb this skill?"

"Yes."

"'Yili' acquired. All thirteen classics now complete. Merge?"

"Yes!"

"Thirteen classics merged into the Four Books and Five Classics. Gained comprehension of the classics!"

"Four Books and Five Classics, Level 3, 2583/3000"

Edward Jr. Sutton had actually been awake for three days. Relying on this inexplicable cheat, he had learned "The Great Learning," "The Doctrine of the Mean," "The Analects," and "Mencius," and even gained a "basic small regular script" skill, integrating all his previous studies—reaching level 3!

Level 3—could he pass the children's exam?

He felt a bit anxious!

However, this skill could only absorb handwritten manuscripts, and only those he owned. Fortunately, his family was poor, so all his study materials had been painstakingly copied by his father, and by the rule of inheritance, they now belonged to him.

As he was thinking this, the door opened and a little girl came in. She had a key, was carrying a thick outer robe, and held an oil-paper package in her hand. She ran across the courtyard, calling out, "Edward Jr. Sutton, where are you?"

Seeing Edward Jr. Sutton, she put the thick robe on the table, planted her hands on her hips, and shouted, "Hmph! Dad said the children's autumn exam is in a few days, and I have to bring you clothes and meat pies again. Are you feeling better? Can you take the exam?"

"I've reviewed the classics these past two days and am already familiar with them. No problem..." Edward Jr. Sutton replied with a smile, unconcerned by her tone.