That day, a friend of Robert Thompson who worked as a chef gave him a pufferfish. Originally, the plan was for this friend to come over that evening and cook it himself, but unfortunately, something came up and he couldn’t make it. As a result, that night Robert Thompson could only sit and drool over the lively, bouncing pufferfish. In the end, his craving got the better of him and he couldn’t resist any longer. After looking up how to prepare pufferfish online, he decided to handle it himself. However, a qualified pufferfish chef needs at least two years of rigorous training and must pass an exam to get a license before being allowed to serve it. For someone like him, who rarely cooks, to prepare pufferfish—if it didn’t kill him, that would be the real surprise.

Even though he knew it was dangerous, Robert Thompson, being the reckless guy he was, still ate it with a look of enjoyment. The result was tragic and came quickly: first nausea and the urge to vomit, then numbness in his tongue, followed by his fingers and limbs. Robert Thompson struggled to call 120 for help, but by the time he lost consciousness, the ambulance still hadn’t arrived. Harboring resentment toward the medical system, when he woke up, he found himself in the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, over 1,300 years ago, and had become Abraham Lincoln’s least favored son, Simon Thompson.

When he first realized he had transmigrated, Robert Thompson couldn’t accept it and fainted again, but soon woke up. Thinking about how he would never see his family and friends from the 21st century again, and how he would no longer have access to TV, computers, cars, or even everyday items like toothbrushes, mirrors, and cell phones—these products of industrial civilization—Robert Thompson felt that his life in the Tang Dynasty would be nothing but darkness.

However, when it came time to eat, Robert Thompson immediately felt that his life had become exciting. Because he was injured, the imperial physician wouldn’t let him eat greasy or meaty foods, so the dishes served were all very light, such as stir-fried choy sum, scrambled eggs with cucumber, and a cold dish of black and white fungus. Except for the black fungus, the other ingredients were quite ordinary (black fungus was very precious in the Tang Dynasty and unaffordable for most people), but the taste was superb. In his previous life, Robert Thompson had eaten many fine dishes, but none could compare to these simple ones—truly worthy of the chefs of Prince Liang’s residence. Especially the white fungus and lotus seed soup, which made Richard Thompson almost swallow his own tongue. This made Robert Thompson immediately make a decision: from this meal on, he would be Prince Liang Edward Thompson, no longer the ordinary Robert Thompson of his previous life!

However, before Frank Thompson could get used to his new life, his cheap father, the Celestial Emperor, issued an imperial edict, confining him to the house for three months and even arranging a princess for him. The confinement didn’t matter—he had just arrived in the Tang Dynasty and had many things to sort out, and with so much delicious food in the residence, even a year of confinement wouldn’t bore him. But the engagement was a bit troublesome. Considering his age, Charles Thompson was only fourteen, with plenty of youth ahead—wasn’t it a bit early to get engaged? But when he heard from the servants that his future princess was a famous beauty in Chang’an, he immediately thought the sooner the engagement, the better! As for being born of a concubine or not, Edward Thompson with a 21st-century soul didn’t care at all.

“Your Highness, it’s time to take your medicine!” Just then, as Patrick Thompson was lost in thought, a young girl in palace attire walked in carrying a bowl of black, thick medicinal soup. She looked about thirteen or fourteen, with bright eyes and beautiful teeth, very pretty. This girl had just been sent to serve George Thompson, because he had dismissed all the maids who used to serve him.

Speaking of this, Thomas Thompson felt a bit awkward. The original Peter Thompson was a real piece of work—at just fourteen, he was already no longer a virgin, having slept with four or five attractive maids, the youngest of whom was only eleven or twelve. It was downright beastly.

Actually, Steven Thompson didn’t blame the original Prince Liang, because that was just how society was at the time. Girls were considered adults at fifteen, but it wasn’t uncommon for them to marry at eleven or twelve. Boys came of age at twenty, but it was rare for anyone to still be a virgin at that age, especially noble sons like Prince Liang, who usually lost their virginity to their maids at eleven or twelve. So Frank Thompson’s situation wasn’t unusual.

But now, with George Thompson’s 21st-century mindset, facing so many girls who had been intimate with ‘him’ every day made him feel extremely uncomfortable. In the end, he simply ordered them all to leave the residence, giving each a sum of money—enough to ensure they’d be well provided for the rest of their lives. But as a result, he no longer had any personal maids. When Grace Howard heard about this, she immediately sent over two maids named Anna and Emma. The one bringing the medicine was Anna.

“Medicine again?” Mark Thompson held his head in his hands and said painfully, “Good Anna, I’m already better—can I skip it today?” Although he’d had injections and medicine when sick in his previous life, he’d never drunk this kind of boiled Chinese medicine before. The taste was just too bitter, making Alan Thompson feel that even death might be preferable.