The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

In February, a spring rain caused the temperature to drop sharply.

Zhu Yi huddled in a corner of the canopy bed, holding a heavy quilt filled with hemp in one hand and a wooden candlestick tightly in the other, warily eyeing the four men dressed in coarse hemp clothing who were surrounding the bed with fierce expressions.

In the courtyard, a man held an umbrella, coldly watching what was happening inside the house. Behind him were six or seven men braving the rain and wielding sticks.

"Why did you kidnap me? Where are my backpack, clothes, and phone? You've kidnapped the wrong person. I'm a tourist visiting Huangshan. I'm a poor student, and my family's financial situation is just average."

I used to smoke, drink, and stay up all night playing games, so my health is already ruined. I also love spicy food; I'm addicted to it...

Zhu Yi was still engaged in what seemed like a pointless debate.

"Click..."

A bolt of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky, blurring the clear boundary between dusk and night.

When Zhu Yi saw the face of the person holding the umbrella in the courtyard, he felt a chill in his heart for some reason.

This is probably the kind of temperament that ruthless kidnappers possess.

A hunched old man appeared at the doorway, also dressed in ancient costume. He walked up to the person holding the umbrella and whispered something, but Zhu Yi couldn't hear him at all because of the distance.

He felt incredibly unlucky.

He was a junior in college and had only earned a little money through part-time jobs. He traveled to Huangshan alone, but after coming down the mountain, he suddenly felt sleepy. His last memory was of leaning against a rock by the roadside.

When he woke up, he was in this room, and he was dressed in clothes of an unknown material. All his belongings were gone.

However, the things I was born with have always been there, such as the birthmark on my arm and the scars left from smallpox vaccination... These things are still there, so I can't say that I traveled to ancient times, can I?

He was filled with dread as he pondered the possibility. Could it be that someone had used some underhanded methods on him in broad daylight, and then used unconventional means to transfer him to some illegal base?

These thieves are becoming increasingly lawless!

Amidst the thunder and lightning, the person holding the umbrella walked into the house. With a casual wave of his hand, the four burly men surrounding the bed retreated to the doorway. The person then closed the umbrella, revealing it to be a very simple and rustic oil-paper umbrella.

He left the umbrella dripping raindrops on the table and sat down on the round stool in front of it.

An elderly man with a hunchback came in, carrying a pot of hot tea. He was about to pour the tea himself, but the person holding the umbrella raised his hand to refuse.

The person holding the umbrella picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup into what appeared to be a purple clay teacup.

"Light the lanterns!" At the command of the person holding the umbrella, someone immediately came in with a lantern, took out a candle, lit it, tilted it and poured wax onto the table, and then used the wax to fix the candle in place.

"Look, it's inconvenient for you to do anything while holding this candlestick. Aren't you cold? Come and have some tea." The person holding the umbrella carried a steaming teacup, their tone quite gentle.

Zhu Yi remained unmoved.

I still don't know how you kidnapped me here, and I dare to drink your tea?

The person holding the umbrella stopped trying to persuade him, took a sip of tea, put down the cup, and said, "You said you came from 226 AD? From Huangshan?"

Zhu Yi sneered, "What kind of bizarre kidnapping method is this? You just find a shed, bring a few people, and think you can make me live in your fabricated ancient story?"

The man holding the umbrella said, "If you think this is a kidnapping, why don't you eat or drink? Save your energy so you'll have a chance to escape! If they really want to make things difficult for you, you won't be able to get away."

Zhu Yi suddenly felt that he was persuaded.

Yes, the other party kidnapped him, definitely wanting to get something out of him. He was safe and sound until he received the ransom or underwent surgery.

If he resists again, the other party will administer anesthesia and then give him intravenous nutrition, making him a living dead man, with no chance to escape.

It would be better to cooperate first and let the other party lower their guard.

More importantly, he was already extremely hungry and thirsty, and his stomach was rumbling loudly.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yi, holding a candlestick, walked shakily to the table. He originally wanted to use the candlestick to coerce the person holding the umbrella, but seeing the fierce eyes of the group around him, he put the idea aside.

I'm a liberal arts student, but they're making me do the work of a physical education student?

My major doesn't match my job.

If I had known, I should have signed up for more martial arts, Sanda, and Taekwondo courses. Who would have thought that these things would actually come in handy?

"Have some tea." The person holding the umbrella handed over a cup of tea from the opposite side.

Zhu Yi took it, but only held it in his hands without drinking. He said, "It's cold, could you close the door?"

"Hmm." The person holding the umbrella waved his hand again, and the hunched old man went out and closed the door. No one came in from outside, but the four burly men inside the house remained.

One against five, no chance of winning.

The person holding the umbrella asked, "What year is 226?"

Zhu Yi said coldly, "Shouldn't you have spoken first? Even if you don't know the Gregorian calendar, you must know about dynasties and era names, right?"

"What do you think?" the person holding the umbrella asked, opening their arms wide.

Zhu Yi looked the man holding the umbrella up and down and said, "You are wearing a square scarf and a straight robe with wide sleeves and a hem. This is the attire of a Confucian scholar in the Ming Dynasty. But your boots are wrong. They are official boots. How can a Confucian scholar be qualified to wear official boots? The material of your outer garment is correct, but the collar of your inner garment seems to be polyester. This is not something that the ancients could weave."

The person holding the umbrella touched his inner collar and then flipped it over.

If you can't see it, just pretend there's no flaw.

The man holding the umbrella asked, "According to the era you mentioned, what year is the first year of the Zhenguan era in the Tang Dynasty?"

Without a second thought, Zhu Yi replied, "627."

"And what about the sixth year of the Yuan You era of the Song Dynasty?" the umbrella-bearer pressed.

Zhu Yi was taken aback.

He couldn't remember it for a moment... because it wasn't a major historical turning point at all, unless he had to calculate it carefully.

But does this make sense?

"Why should I know which year the sixth year of the Yuan You era is? What major events happened that year?" Zhu Yi asked.

The person holding the umbrella nodded upon hearing this, seemingly agreeing with Zhu Yi's statement.

He then asked, "What specific dates do you remember about Song?"

Zhu Yi said, "The Northern Song Dynasty fell in the second year of the Jingkang era, which was 1127. The Southern Song Dynasty fell in 1279. You're dressed in Ming Dynasty attire; you wouldn't be saying this is the Song Dynasty, would you?"

"No." The man holding the umbrella seemed satisfied with Zhu Yi's answer and nodded. "This is indeed the Ming Dynasty. Do you know which year of the Ming Dynasty this is?"

"How would I know if you don't tell me?" Zhu Yi frowned. "Judging from the layout of the houses, it should be in Jiangnan, around Nanjing. In March, it rains and the temperature is around ten degrees Celsius... You can't possibly move me to another place."

He was more concerned with where he was than with which dynasty it was.

Because this is related to whether he will work in "customer service" or directly.

The man holding the umbrella got up to leave, and casually said to the old man who came in, "Keep a close watch on him, treat him well with good food and drink, and no one is allowed to speak to him. Anyone who disobeys will be put to death."

The old man replied respectfully, "Yes."

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