Chapter 1: Awakening

  "Wake up, wake up! Master is coming! Young master has woken up!" Zhang Ru opened his eyes to see a young maid in her teens jumping and shouting.

  A 40-year-old man rushed in, staring at Zhang Rui and said: "You still know how to get up? You've done a great job, this is the nth time, do you want to lose face for my Zhang family? From childhood to adulthood, how many troubles have you caused me? (...... omitted 500 words), go copy the Book of Songs 100 times for me, and don't eat dinner until you finish.

  Perhaps he was tired of talking, or perhaps it was because Zhang Dashao looked uninterested and disappointed. Old Master Zhang finally used his punishment technique, then shook his head and left.

  Zhang Rui felt depressed, oh no! Banana you Bala's, what is this old man doing? Catching me to scold for a while, just this level of teaching people, brothers have seen a lot, in the past when sleeping in physics class, the physics teacher was from principle to law training, brothers all experienced.

  Wait, this old man is wearing Hanfu, has a beard, and is quite special. And when he's training, his demeanor is majestic, with a hint of bookishness, but not intimidating, actually still a bit handsome. Wait, no, ancient costume, that's right! Take another look at the little maid by his side, so lively (this guy's focus...). She's also wearing an ancient costume.

  "Master, what are you looking at? Hurry up and copy the Book of Songs! The master said that if you don't finish copying it 100 times, you won't be allowed to have dinner!" The little maidservants were all embarrassed by being stared at.

  "Uh, I'm a bit thirsty, go get me a bowl of water." Zhang Rui coughed and quickly sent the little girl away. Things seemed to have gotten a bit messy, and he needed to sort them out properly.

  From the situation just now, it seems that brother is in an unfamiliar environment. (They are all wearing ancient costumes, and this brother has only come to this conclusion, which shows his IQ.) This is really frustrating, thinking about the good old days, although not a rich second generation, but also not lacking in food and clothing, eating when hungry, dressing when cold, sleeping when class, leaving after school, going home to play DOTA, chatting with online friends. What's going on now!

  No way, I have to go out and investigate. Dragging that tired old body, Zhang Rui set out on the road of investigation. To say that this road was truly thorny and bloody! With great difficulty, Zhang Rui had only walked for two hours when he collapsed onto the ground, his small frame seemingly not very strong, looking like someone who indulged in wine and women, hollowing out his body (this body seemed to be only 15 or 16 years old!!!)

  "Oh no! Young master, how did you fall to the ground? Get up quickly, get up quickly." It's still little girl speaking kind words, at a critical moment she put water on the table and then helped Zhang Rui onto the bed.

  "Hey girl, what's your name?" "Young master, what are you talking about? Don't you remember Xiao Banana?" Whoa, messed up the script, and out comes Xiao Banana! Wonder if Xiao Apple and Old Pineapple will show up next?

  "Master, you're not possessed by a ghost, are you? Master, master, come quickly! The young master is possessed!" "What's all the commotion about? What kind of behavior is this? You little scamp, you're at it again. Aren't you tired of playing tricks? If you keep this up, you won't need to eat dinner, and your father will be too lazy to bother with you." Old Master Zhang said as he walked in.

  "Alright, old man, I respect you as my elder, but taking advantage of others isn't done like that, what did you just say? You're my dad? Are you kidding me?! Zhang Rui was speechless. In this day and age, people are already being scammed into sending money to strangers claiming to be their parents, how can there still be people trying to pass themselves off as someone's father? And the name Xiao Er is just ridiculous!"

  "Little two, what's wrong with you?" Old Master Zhang walked over to the bed and stroked Zhang Rui.

  "Old man, you've got the wrong person, I'm really not your son. My name is Zhang Rui, male, 18 years old, unmarried, living in Zhengzhou, studying in Experimental Middle School High School Grade 3 Class 2. This year's college entrance exam is coming up. If you're looking for your son, don't look for me, please let me go, I'm in a hurry."

  "Rui'er? What's wrong with you? You really don't recognize your own father, did you get drowned in the river or something? This won't do, I have to go call the doctor. Little Banana, keep an eye on Young Master and don't let him run around everywhere, I'll be right back."

  Zhang Rui was forcibly pressed down on the bed, and there was also an additional "guardian" by his side. o(︶︿︶)o Alas! Since he couldn't resist, he might as well quietly enjoy it, Zhang Rui thought to himself, and with this mindset, he fell into a deep sleep with his exhausted body.

  Perhaps he was too tired, Zhang Rui had a very long dream, he dreamed that he was reborn in the Han Dynasty and became the second son of the Zhang family in Puyang. The Zhang family was a local prestigious family, with ancestors who had served as Imperial Censors, his father Zhang Qingquan had once served as the Magistrate of Runan, but due to dissatisfaction with the court's policies, he had resigned and was currently at home, inheriting the family business, practicing calligraphy in his free time, cultivating his mind and nature.

  Zhang Rui had an older brother who was weak and sickly from a young age, grew up in a medicine jar, and had been calculated by a cloud-wandering Taoist to not live past 15 years old. This male version of Lin Daiyu indeed did not live past 15 years old before kicking the bucket, leaving behind only himself as the second son of the Zhang family.

  Since he was young, Old Master Zhang had always worried about this Second Young Master Zhang. He gave him the name Rui, hoping that he would be as wise and intelligent as his ancestors. However, this Second Young Master of the Zhang family is really not worthy of praise. From a young age, he has been mischievous and troublesome, riding horses to trample farmers' crops, secretly putting insects in his older brother's medicine bowl (this guy is so idle that it's a wonder his brother doesn't die sooner), and exceling at shooting birds and catching fish with his bare hands.

  According to the family tradition of the Zhangs, Old Master Zhang had not spared the rod in disciplining this second young master. Fortunately, Old Master Zhang was a good man and upright in his dealings, so he was well-respected by the local people, which is why nothing serious had happened. But this second young master was incorrigible, always pretending to be crazy and getting into trouble, relying on his father's sympathy to avoid punishment, then continuing to cause more trouble.

  This time, I made a bet with others to catch fish. As a result, I swam to the deep water and my legs were tied by the underwater grass, almost drowning me. Luckily, my family member rescued me from the shore and sent me back home.

  This dream wasn't long, nor was it short. Zhang Rui finally woke up and realized that he had crossed over into the body of another Zhang Rui from the Han Dynasty. What to do? He didn't know how to do anything, unlike other protagonists who were incredibly strong or had an aura that could attract a hundred and eighty top-notch generals and strategists with just one wave of their hand, sweeping across the land. All he had was his knowledge of historical events and a few classic battles where the underdog won (he loved history and enjoyed listening to his teacher ramble on in class).

  It's already the year 180 AD, and in just four more years, the world will be in chaos. The Zhang family in Puyang is a large clan, but compared to famous families like Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, there's still a gap. Moreover, with this 16-year-old body, I won't even have time to prepare for the battle for hegemony. What to do? Forget it, let's take things one step at a time! In my previous life, Zhang Rui was also someone who took things as they came. A living person can still die from holding in their pee? There will be a way. With this thought, Zhang Rui finally fell asleep again.