He was just an ordinary young man who, by accident, obtained an AI brain and suddenly found himself transported back to the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty, becoming an illegitimate son in a gentry family.

Married as a wife, taken as a concubine—his father actually eloped with his mother to have him. His birth mother was of humble status. As an illegitimate son, William Carter swore to live an extraordinary life.

Not valued by the family? Then ace the imperial exams and slap them in the face!

Mother of lowly birth? No matter, he’ll win her an imperial title!

Schemes and plots in the court? No problem, no problem. You have your strategies, I have my secret ways.

Is serving the emperor really like serving a tiger? Not at all, not at all. The current Son of Heaven is Zhengde.

A legendary life is just beginning, with so many beauties it’s dizzying. He’ll marry a lovely wife, establish a prestigious household, and from now on, William Carter will no longer live low-key—he’ll be wild, domineering, and unstoppable. A wonderful life starts here.

Chapter One: Elopement

In the early winter of the second year of Zhengde, an unexpected heavy snow fell in Ningbo Prefecture.

Snowflakes fluttered, the world vast and white.

In the lonely white world, only a single ox cart left wheel tracks stretching toward the Ye family in Hexi.

On the cart, Henry Carter coughed desperately. He looked dejected and somewhat shabby, though his clothes were washed to a crisp white and spotless.

Hearing Henry Carter cough, the child sitting beside him quickly and skillfully took a bamboo tube from the bundle and handed it to him. "Dad, have some water."

Henry Carter waved his hand, not taking the bamboo tube. Noticing the worry on the child’s face, he looked at him lovingly and said, "It’s just a slight chill, nothing serious. We’re almost there. When you see your grandfather, you must mind your manners and absolutely not misbehave."

"Dad, I know, I won’t misbehave." The child who spoke had delicate features, was about eleven or twelve years old, and had a mischievous glint in his eyes. His name was William Carter.

At this moment, William Carter was muttering to himself, "I wonder what grandfather is like. Speaking of which... Dad hasn’t been home for thirteen years..." Thinking of this, William Carter sighed. In his heart, his father was nothing short of legendary.

When his father was young, he passed the Ningbo Prefecture scholar exam with high honors and was highly regarded by his own father. In others’ words, the eldest young master of the Ye family was like the reincarnation of the God of Literature. His essays were dazzling, and in the hearts of the people of Hexi, he was the future metropolitan graduate.

In an era where all trades ranked below, and only scholarship was esteemed, such a promising young master naturally attracted countless marriage proposals. Grandfather’s eyes were dazzled by the choices, and in the end, he found a well-matched young lady. Just as the marriage was being arranged, who would have thought that at that time... damn... Dad eloped.

The one he eloped with, of course, was William Carter’s mother. And in this clichéd story, the heroine was certainly not some noble lady, but a very ordinary peasant girl of humble birth.

Because of the elopement, William Carter was born. But not long after, William Carter’s mother passed away from illness.

After that, Henry Carter never remarried, but made a living by writing letters for others, raising William Carter on his own.

Now... Henry Carter had finally decided to return home!

Looking at his dejected father, William Carter could only shake his head inwardly.

William Carter’s story is simple. He didn’t originally belong to this era. In his previous life, he also lost his mother early, leaving only father and son to depend on each other. However, lacking a mother’s love, the previous William Carter was quite a scoundrel, repeatedly disappointing his father who had high hopes for him. In the end, when his father was dying, he was still out enjoying himself. By the time he finally woke up to his mistakes, he realized that when a child wants to care for his parents, they may no longer be there. Not only was his own life a mess, but he was also left with an unending regret that could never be made up for.

He had been living in this William Carter’s body for three years now. Because he had a father who always sheltered him from the wind and rain, life was actually pretty good... uh... though a bit poor.

After traveling a few more miles, the outline of a large mansion appeared. Henry Carter, sitting on the cart shaft, coughed again, squinting his eyes as he gazed at the familiar-looking mansion with a touch of sorrow. He sighed and said, "Chunqiu, when I took your mother and left thirteen years ago, I swore I would never return in this lifetime. But now I have no choice but to come back, because you’re getting older, and it’s not easy living outside with me. When I was your age, I had already taken the county exam. Back then, your grandfather once told me, ‘All trades are lowly, only scholarship is esteemed.’ Now, I pass these same words to you. You must make something of yourself."

"Oh." At the mention of studying, William Carter looked gloomy. The previous William Carter hated studying, and now, it seemed he couldn’t escape this fate.

But... Dad was a stubborn man. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have fixated on his mother and shocked everyone by eloping. Now, for the sake of giving him a good environment to study, his father was willing to bring him back to the Ye family. This earnest hope... made William Carter feel a bit heavy.

William Carter didn’t dare let Henry Carter see his resistance, so he simply hid on the other side of the cart, tucking his hands into his sleeves and daydreaming.

"Ding..." A sound suddenly rang in his mind, followed by a mechanical female voice: "Ding... AI brain activated."

AI brain...

William Carter froze for a moment as memories from his previous life surged up.