A modern man, Brian Carter, dies with grievances, his heroic soul lingering, and unexpectedly returns to a strange historical era, becoming Edward Sullivan, a collateral member of the Lin family in Dongyang Prefecture who has just passed the imperial examination, known for his timid character and somewhat looked down upon by others.

Before he even has a chance to fulfill his idle dreams of being a carefree scholar—walking dogs, raising birds, teasing young married women—Edward Sullivan is swept into a whirlpool of desire and power struggles because of his infatuation with the famed courtesan of Jiangning, Grace Bennett. This vortex involves renowned scholars, local tyrants, powerful eunuchs at court, ambitious warlords, and ruthless pirates from the East Sea.

Unwilling to be a mere dog in peaceful times, and refusing to become a victim of chaos, let us see how Edward Sullivan, a man who has lived two lives, starts from the very bottom of the power pyramid and stirs up storms. Amidst a life of sensual pleasures—“where the scent lingers in the folds of a skirt, and ecstasy hides a unique fragrance”—he completes a magnificent transformation from “a capable minister in times of peace” to “a formidable hero in troubled times.”

Prologue

In a certain country, City X, a famous Chinese enclave where 99% of the residents are Chinese.

The asphalt road outside Tianning Temple looks gray and cold under the streetlights. Quite a few streetwalkers linger in the nearby alleys, standing in the shadows cast by plane trees, gazing toward the alley entrance, hoping that the lonely men won’t let this damned weather ruin their mood. The wealthy men have probably gone to bars or clubs to seek pleasure, or perhaps to bathhouses for some carefree fun—even if Tianning Temple Road weren’t blocked off by more than a dozen police cars, business in this alley would still be slow on such a bitterly cold night.

Two women stand under a tree, smoking with their backs to the wind. The slender tips of their ladies’ cigarettes flicker in the shadows, faintly illuminating two heavily made-up young faces. They wear long red down coats, exposing their snow-white, plump necks, and speak softly beneath the tree.

“This society is just impossible to live in. Comparing yourself to others will drive you mad. Just a couple of months ago, a stinking whore who used to stand under this very tree got some ridiculous stroke of luck and went to work as a hostess at the ‘Bangkok Palace.’ I ran into her on the street last time—she said at the Bangkok Palace, she gets six hundred and eighty just for using her mouth on a man. The smug look on that bitch’s face, as if after going to the Bangkok Palace, her hole down there is lined with gold or something... Let’s see if she makes it through tonight alive.”

“You don’t think that soldier will cause trouble for the hostesses, do you?”

“When it comes to killing, who cares about all that? At dusk, the Temple Shop Street hadn’t been blocked off yet. I happened to pass by and saw the commotion. That guy’s eyes peeked out from behind the curtain for a few seconds. Once you’ve seen them, you’ll never forget them in your life—absolutely the eyes of someone who dares to kill... If he’s going to kill, do you think he cares whether you’re a hostess or not?”

“I still don’t believe he’d kill innocent people. I heard he just wants to take those guys from the police station hostage at the Bangkok Palace, wants the police to give him an explanation...”

“Who knows? He was pushed to the edge, and just had to pick a brothel to hold those black-uniformed dogs hostage... Do you know why?” (Note: In this country, both the police and the security team members under the police station wear black uniforms.)

“……”

“That guy, I heard he was a soldier for a few years before coming here. Not long ago, he was riding his bike home at night when a girl on the roadside said she’d twisted her ankle. He kindly gave her a ride to the clinic, but the security patrol caught them and accused them of prostitution—turns out the girl was in our line of work, working with the security team to set people up. The soldier refused to admit it—refused to admit it, but it didn’t matter. They took photos and detained him for fifteen days, notified his family to pay a fine. The soldier is stubborn, went to the police station demanding an explanation. He’s an immigrant, just a third-class citizen. Do you think the police station is a place that gives explanations to third-class citizens? The soldier finally snapped, probably waited for days, and cornered the security team members who arrested him, along with the leading cop, in the Bangkok Palace... Do you think he’ll hate that hostess too?”

“Ah!?”

“And those bastards are so useless, maybe they worked the hostesses too hard, and after they were done, their arms and legs were weak. Seven of them trapped inside, not a bit of fight left in them—tomorrow’s news will be amazing. I smuggled myself here to sell myself right after middle school, never read a single book, but tomorrow I’m definitely buying a few newspapers to read...”

“What did the note he passed out say again...” Another streetwalker, seeing business was slow, came over to join the gossip: “‘If you won’t give me an explanation, I’ll give you one.’ Damn, just for that line, if he comes to me in the future, I’ll let him do me for free...”

“Bang!” A crisp gunshot pierced the quiet, frigid night, making everyone’s heart skip a beat.

“Shots fired, shots fired!” The streetwalkers hiding in the alley shadows all rushed to the alley entrance, looking toward where the gunshot came from. Some, eager for excitement, took off running in that direction.

Then, more gunshots rang out in the distance. As the streetwalkers ran, they asked each other, “Is the soldier having a shootout with the cops? Damn, hope the soldier kills a couple more cops... Last time, after I did it with one, when it was over and I asked for money, he pulled out his police badge—damn him, does he think I’m some famous ‘white cut chicken’ dish from Shanghai or Hangzhou? Kill a couple of those bastards, that’ll make me feel better!”