Chapter 1 He's Gone Mad

  The sun shines brightly, the sky is clear and blue. In the small garden, peonies, roses, and carnations are in full bloom. The fragrance of flowers fills the entire garden, making it a delightful sight to behold. Amidst the vibrant flower clusters, several bees and butterflies flit about busily, undisturbed by anyone. They seem to be competing for territory, constantly flying up and down, showing off their prowess. In the pavilion in front of the small moon gate at the garden entrance, a young man with a braid on his head and a pale, thin face leans against a pillar, seemingly suffering from some kind of torment.

  The young man, dressed in a white short-sleeved jacket and loose silk pants, looked to be around 20 years old by the look of his face. He furrowed his brow one moment, then gesticulated wildly with his hands and feet the next. Suddenly, he began convulsing all over, rolling on the ground. After a while, the young man seemed to have fainted, his queue scattered, his forehead covered in sweat. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, subconsciously touching his face, muttering: "What's going on? What's going on, how am I still alive?"

  The young man gasped for air and closed his eyes again, the thrilling scene just now still vivid in his mind. Graduation was near, today was the day of the graduation ceremony. As a student of Fudan University's History Department in Shanghai, Deng Zixuan rushed out of the building he shared with his girlfriend early in the morning and ran to the bus station. Because he had been too intimate with his girlfriend the night before, he got up late. Just as Deng Zixuan was running, his feet suddenly left the ground, and a hole appeared on the surface in an instant. His body quickly fell, then entered the darkness, and the sound of thunder seemed to ring in his ears... ... On that day, the media reported: A section of road suddenly collapsed, forming a deep pit. According to eyewitnesses, a young man who was running fell into it, and after searching, no sign of the young man was found. Our reporter will continue to follow up on this story...

  Deng Zixuan, a carp jumped up and looked around, the scenery was so unfamiliar, there were no wide roads, no high-rise buildings, no dense traffic. He checked his clothes from head to toe, and suddenly grabbed his own braid. "Haha! I've crossed over! I've hit the jackpot!" As someone who was very familiar with the theme of crossing over, he immediately judged that his soul had crossed over. Due to excitement, he couldn't help but jump up happily in the small garden.

  At this time, a maid entered with a tray in her hand. Deng Zixuan, still in a state of frenzy, rushed forward and grabbed the maid's hand, asking urgently: "Is it now the Qing Dynasty? Tell me what year it is and who is the emperor?" The maid was frightened by having her hands grabbed, and she dropped the tray, causing the teapot and cups to shatter on the ground. Deng Zixuan was taken aback, and the maid took advantage of the opportunity to break free and flee in a panic.

  A group of people arrived, led by a man in his 50s who glared at him with anger. Next to him stood a woman in her 40s, tears welling up in her eyes. None of the people in front of him were familiar. Deng Zixuan suppressed his excitement and clenched his fists: "You are all being rude, can anyone tell me what year it is now and who the emperor of the Qing dynasty is?" "How dare you be so insolent! Take him away immediately!" Two burly men stepped forward and pinned down Deng Zixuan, then lifted him up and carried him off.

  "What are you doing?! Are you being reasonable?! You can't do this!" Deng Zixuan struggled and shouted, but it was all in vain. He was quickly locked into the woodshed.

  The family head stomped his foot and scolded, "This is a disaster! This good-for-nothing son of mine is beyond help!"

  His wife stood beside him, tears welling up in her eyes. She wanted to speak up for their son, but didn't know what to say.

  Their eldest son spoke up from behind, "Father, younger brother seems to have been traumatized. The imperial exam was not easy to pass, and he fainted on the examination grounds. Looking at his incoherent state, perhaps he's gone mad. Maybe he'll be better tomorrow. But it's a pity, we'll have to wait another three years."

  "This useless thing, I originally hoped he would bring glory to our ancestors, but it's all in vain! Forget it, let him go, it seems we are just destined to be merchants!" Old Master Deng sighed and walked away. The lady hurriedly ran after him, wanting to persuade him to change his mind and release their youngest son. However, Old Master Deng was still fuming with anger and decided to punish his son, locking him in the woodshed for a night.

  Deng Lao Ye Zi was a tea merchant who operated a tea shop in the British and French Concessions. After Shanghai opened up to foreign trade, Deng Lao Ye Zi and his father came to Shanghai County from Subei. Through hard work, they started a small tea business. After the Taiping Rebellion broke out, his father was killed by rebel soldiers while selling tea, so Deng Lao Ye Zi moved his tea shop to the British and French Concessions to avoid the war. As the concessions were relatively safe, his tea business began to thrive. With the defeat of the Taiping Rebels, his business continued to flourish, gradually becoming a well-off family.

  Deng Lao had two sons and one daughter. The eldest son married, had children, and inherited his father's business, managing the tea trade. His daughter was already married to a secretary of the Shanghai County Magistrate. In Deng Lao's bones, or in other words, in the consciousness of the Qing dynasty's subjects, having a large fortune is not as good as wearing an official hat. Therefore, Deng Lao placed all his hopes on his second son and poured all his heart into him, hoping that his younger son would bring glory to their ancestors, stand out from the crowd, and achieve great success in his career.

  Last year, the young son passed the county exam with ease. This year, the imperial court organized a test in the examination hall, and that unthoughtful thing actually fainted on the spot. The efforts of several decades were ruined in an instant. And it will take three years for the next scholar to pass the exam. Can Old Man Deng not be furious? The key is that he had boasted among relatives, friends, and business partners that his son was smarter than others and would have no problem passing the imperial examination, but the result was a failure halfway through.

  Logically speaking, the second son is only 18 years old this year, and it's not impossible to take the exam again next time. However, Old Master Deng can't wait that long. Over the past year, he has felt his body getting weaker by the day, and the doctor said he was suffering from overwork and poor blood circulation. He had taken countless Chinese medicines but they didn't work. Old Master Deng knew he was already in his 50s, and who knows when he would leave this world? If he could see his son bring honor to their ancestors before he died, he would close his eyes with a smile even in the underworld.

  At this time, Old Master Deng returned to the main room, feeling chest tightness and difficulty breathing. His lips were slightly purple, and it was not hard to see that Old Master Deng had heart problems, possibly severe coronary heart disease. However, the medical level of this era could not accurately diagnose heart disease. Madame saw that her husband's body was not good and said: "Old master! Don't get angry, Xuan'er is still young, waiting three years won't be late!" Old Master Deng knew in his heart that three years were not long, but could he wait for three years?

  Mr. Deng felt dizzy, and his wife and maidservant quickly helped him into the inner room to rest. No one expected that Mr. Deng would die that night due to emotional excitement and a heart attack, taking with him his unfulfilled wishes as he walked the Yellow Spring Road. However, if Mr. Deng's spirit knew what happened after his death, he would have seen that his youngest son stirred up the Qing Dynasty, overturned it, and established a powerful Chinese Empire, perhaps bringing a smile to his face in the underworld. Unfortunately, he would not be able to see this scene.

  Mrs. Deng was worried about her son's condition and immediately invited a Chinese doctor. After the doctor took his pulse and made a diagnosis, he didn't find any symptoms, so he had to make an excuse and say that the young master was temporarily possessed by evil spirits due to being startled, and said that maybe after sleeping for a night, he would be fine tomorrow. Mrs. Deng heard this and felt at ease.

  Deng Zixuan was locked in the woodshed, with two house servants guarding outside. At this moment, he felt extremely depressed. Others who had crossed over were all successful and prosperous, either possessing powerful martial arts or having extraordinary abilities. Looking at his own body, his soul had actually descended into that of a weak and feeble scholar. He was useless in every way as a scholar, unable to lead troops or defeat enemies with his literary skills. And the family he was in was at most just a moderately well-off household, a merchant's family at best.

  Deng Zixuan looked around and thought to himself again, he had to figure out what year it was. The queue on his head proved that it was the Qing dynasty without a doubt, but the key was to determine which year it was. "Hey! Come here!" Deng Zixuan beckoned to a loyal house servant. "Young master, what are your orders?" The servant immediately walked over with a flattering expression on his face. "Tell me who is the emperor of the Qing dynasty?" Such a stupid question came out of the young master's mouth, and the servant dared to take a glance at Deng Zixuan, confirming that he wasn't joking around. He quickly turned back to his original position and said to his companion, "Our young master must be possessed by evil spirits, he actually forgot that it's the 10th year of Tongzhi! Isn't that weird?"

  "The young master has been studying hard, and such a change has occurred. Who can bear it? We should still be careful and serve him well to avoid trouble!" said another servant cautiously. "The 10th year of Tongzhi, this means the current year is 1870!" Deng Zixuan figured out the year he was in and couldn't help but feel a bit disheartened. He thought to himself: The Qing dynasty has gone through the baptism, shock, and devastation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and after the Second Opium War, it began to awaken from its pain. Ten years ago, the Qing court launched the Xinyou coup under Cixi's manipulation in the first year of Tongzhi, and in the same year, the Qing army captured Nanjing, the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, sealing its fate of destruction.

  In the same year, the Qing court established the Zongli Yamen, which meant that China officially opened its doors and began to breathe in the civilized atmosphere of advanced nations. The imperial court began to promulgate new policies, no longer treating foreigners as fierce beasts. After being forced open twice and experiencing internal turmoil, the Qing court was compelled to open up, and China marched towards the world, while the world also marched towards China. After ten years of recuperation, the Qing Empire is now prosperous and peaceful, with a thriving economy. Especially after the shock of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, ordinary people still cherish the memory of stability and peace, yearning for a life of tranquility and harmony. Moreover, European and American countries, considering their own interests, will also support the Qing court's implementation of new policies.

  Deng Zixuan was getting more and more depressed, thinking to himself why he didn't travel back in time to a period of turmoil. Alas, it seemed like he was born at the wrong time! At present, Zeng Guofan was old and weak, but his two students, Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang, were the pillars of the Qing dynasty. Zeng Guofan could be ignored because in two years' time, he would reach the end of his life. As for Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang, they were currently the able ministers of the imperial court. Zuo Zongtang was currently in charge of military affairs in Shaanxi and Gansu, while Li Hongzhang had successfully taken on the role of Governor-General of Zhili this year and concurrently served as the Minister of Northern Ocean Trade. The two able ministers were like the sun in the sky, and trying to shake them would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. Deng Zixuan was lost in thought, his emotions in turmoil, when suddenly the door opened and a young maid named Xiaohong walked in.

  "Master! The old madam sent me to see you. The old madam said that once the master's anger subsides tomorrow, he will let you out! The old madam wants you to apologize to the master tomorrow!" The maid finished speaking and put the food box on the ground. Suddenly, Deng Zixuan grabbed the maid's hand and sternly asked: "Don't shout! Tell me what is Master's surname and name?" The maid was shocked and terrified, her eyes wide with fear.

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