Chapter 3: The Eldest Son of a Noble Family (Part 2)

  Zhou Wenbo got up at around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and after staying in the study for about an hour, the sky had darkened.

  Under the reminder of two maids, Zhou Wenbo went to the main hall and had dinner with Mrs. Lü, his elder sister-in-law Mei, his nephew's wife He, and others. In 10th century China, there were no chili peppers, potatoes, corn, or other such crops, so dinner was just some noodle soup, eggplant, and a few plain buns, the taste of which could only be described as passable.

  It was only around 5 or 6 pm Beijing time, and according to his previous lifestyle, he still had at least six hours before bedtime. However, in this era, nightlife was far more impoverished than imagined.

  In the study, he lit an oil lamp and read for a while under the dim and flickering light. Zhou Wenbo still decided to rest early, as reading in this kind of light would have too much impact on his eyesight. If he got myopia here, it would be a big trouble.

  Turning around, he saw that the bride sitting behind the screen was already drowsy, her head bobbing up and down. He couldn't help but crack a smile, the girl's demeanor somewhat similar to how she used to sleep in class.

  He suddenly had some mischievous intentions and crept up to the girl, lightly tapping her head with his fingertips.

  Only to see the girl who was originally curled up suddenly straightened her waist like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, but the over-exertion caused her to bump her head against the screen and make a "thud" sound. Zhou Wenbo quickly pulled the girl into his arms and gently stroked the area around her bumped head.

  He had a niece who was around the same age as the girl in front of him before his plane crashed. Zhou Wenbo had always been close to his sister's family and wasn't lacking in experience taking care of kids, so he reacted right away.

  According to Zhou Wenbo's experience of taking care of kids, when a kid bumps into something or gets hurt, one must quickly shift their attention, and often the kid will forget to cry.

  "Doesn't hurt anymore?" Zhou Wenbo felt that the knock shouldn't be too severe, and while brushing aside the girl's hair, he helped her up.

  Unexpectedly, he saw the crimson flush on her face and the shy expression revealed in her eyes that were still brimming with hot tears.

  It wasn't until then that Zhou Wenbo realized he was no longer a thirty-year-old uncle, and the person in his arms was not his little niece, but a personal maid who was only two years younger than him.

  In the original world, girls of this age had just entered junior high school, with a focus on their studies. However, in this era, women were already at the age of marriage at 14 or 15. Almost simultaneously with the development of their secondary sexual characteristics, the girls' minds had also matured.

  Loosen the girl's slender waist, which is unbearable to grasp, and Zhou Wenbo also doesn't want to say anything else. He can only instruct her to go rest. Hong Zhuang uses her slender fingers to tidy up her disheveled hair, but she dares not look at Master again. She just lowers her head and follows Zhou Wenbo, who is carrying an oil lamp, towards the bedroom.

  At this time, the sky had completely darkened, except for the stars and a crescent moon, the whole world seemed to be shrouded in quietness and darkness. Since leaving his hometown in the countryside at the age of 12, Zhou Wenbo had not seen such a bright starry sky again for 18 years.

  After a moment, the two had already walked into the western wing of the house.

  Zhou Wenbo was about to undress and sleep when he suddenly saw a person crawling out of his own quilt. It was the maid Qing'e.

  With a sweet smile, Qing'e stood up and said: "Young master, rest early." Then she walked towards the outer room.

  What the heck!

  This is the legendary warm bed!

  Zhou Wenbo was stunned for a moment as he finally reacted from his daze. The word "warm bed", which had almost disappeared from the dictionary, was actually being performed in front of him.

  In autumn and winter, the bed was frozen to the bone, but the maid had already slept in her clothes, warming up the bedding with her body temperature for the master's sleep.

  He took off his cotton-padded jacket and slipped into the quilt that still held the warmth and fragrance of a young girl's body, but Zhou Wenbo couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

  Zhou Wenbo was a so-called "diao si" (a derogatory term for a loser) for over 20 years, until he became an online "big shot". His life only took a big turn then. However, the girlfriend he talked about was also a strong and competitive woman, which made Zhou Wenbo's caring skills reach master level.

  But didn't expect that on the first day after crossing over, I would enjoy such luxurious care, with a somewhat pampered and surprised meaning.

  However, this beautiful life may be fleeting like a mirage. Thinking of Guo Chongtao's experience in history, Zhou Wenbo couldn't help but compare it to his father Zhou Deyan.

  The death of Guo Chongtao, on the surface, was due to his monopolization of power after the conquest of Shu and his delay in returning to court. However, the real reason was that he despised eunuchs, which led to their instigation against him. Even though he was maliciously slandered, Li Cunxu did not order Guo Chongtao's execution, only ordering his arrest. Nevertheless, the eunuchs obtained an imperial edict from Empress Liu and ultimately had Guo Chongtao secretly killed.

  Zhou De-yuan also seemed to have a poor relationship with the eunuchs. After Zhuangzong Li Cunxu destroyed Later Liang, he became extremely incompetent politically, reusing eunuchs and actors, while Zhou De-yuan, as the number one figure among the officials, naturally had many struggles with the eunuchs, although it did not reach the point of being irreconcilable, there were constant frictions.

  If things really go down in history, then Zhou Wenbo must play a role in this, at least he cannot let the eunuchs get the imperial edict to execute Zhou Deyan, otherwise he may also have to follow him to his grave.

  The death of Guo Chongtao was also the fuse for Li Siyuan's rebellion against Li Cunxu in history. Either find a way to hug Li Siyuan's thigh in advance, or think of a way to exert influence on Li Cunxu, otherwise, standing on the wrong team is also a matter of life and death.

  However, the difficulty lies in that first, he must keep cheap old man Zhou Deyan, second, he must be able to move this cheap old man to make plans. The difficulty is very great. After a sigh, Zhou Wenbo leaned against his arms and began to plan for the long term.

  This world is ultimately a chaotic one. In the original history, it wasn't until 960 AD when the Northern Song Dynasty was established that the north was basically pacified, and by then I would already be over fifty years old, an old codger, and whether or not I could live that long is still uncertain.

  In order to stand firm in this chaotic world, it's unrealistic to rely on the path of literature. After several changes of dynasty, many high-ranking officials' heads were moved in batches, and the backbone of the literati of this era was trampled to death by the hooves of powerful warriors.

  To grasp one's own destiny, one must grasp a military force and become a jiedushi or at least a petty king; otherwise, one will be like a floating reed that sinks when it rains, without the slightest ability to resist fate.

  After a long time, Zhou Wenbo finally fell into a deep sleep.