Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the construction site was scorching hot in the midsummer heat. The steel bars and cement were burning hot under the blazing sun, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of dust and machine oil.

Lin Yanzhou stood at the entrance of the project office building, a cigarette burning down to the filter between his fingers, his eyes reflecting the weariness and worldliness accumulated over more than a decade. At thirty-eight, he was middle-aged, his youthful spirit gone, replaced only by a clear-headedness honed by the trials of society.

He'd been in the tower crane sales business for thirteen years. Initially, it was cash on delivery, which brought in a considerable income. However, later, as industry leader Zoomlion began offering installment sales, the market forced private companies like his to also start selling on credit. This resulted in unpaid balances and no performance bonuses, causing his income to plummet in recent years. Half a lifetime of hard work, he hadn't achieved great wealth, but he had honed three skills that few others possessed: a keen eye for people, a keen mind for weighing pros and cons, and a shrewd ability to leverage resources effectively.

Unfortunately, the world never favors the wisdom of honest people.

In recent years, his wife noticed his income was declining and filed for divorce, leaving him with nothing. Because their relationship had always been unstable, and they hadn't had any children during their marriage, he actually felt relieved after the divorce.

On the day we registered our marriage at the Civil Affairs Bureau, my ex-wife got into the passenger seat of an Audi A6 as soon as she left the house and drove away without looking back.

My only thought right now is to get through this mess of debts, get my share of the business fees, turn my life around completely, and escape this miserable, lowly existence.

"Manager Lin, it's not that we don't want to pay, but the general contractor hasn't allocated funds, and our project team doesn't have any money either. Please wait a little longer."

In the office, the project manager sat with his legs crossed, speaking in a perfunctory tone—a typical example of someone trying to renege on a debt.

It was the same old story again. Lin Yanzhou had been listening to it for a full six months.

From the beginning of spring to the height of summer, the equipment arrived early and the project was completed early, but the final payment was repeatedly delayed. The three million yuan tower crane payment represented most of his earnings this year and was also the only source of confidence he had to weather the downturn.

He took a deep drag on his cigarette, slowly exhaled the smoke, and said in a calm tone, "Mr. Wang, the contract period has been completed, the acceptance documents are complete, your building has been topped out, and the tower crane is ready to be dismantled. According to the rules, the settlement must be completed today."

He remained calm and composed. After years of collecting debts, he had long understood that hysteria was useless and that emotions could not resolve any disputes.

Being docile doesn't bring dignity.

Mr. Wang's face instantly darkened. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his tone arrogant: "Rules? On my construction site, I am the rule! No money! You either keep waiting, or you leave!"

Several of the project team's henchmen also gathered around, their eyes full of mockery and blatant bullying.

They're all snobbish people who judge others based on their status.

Seeing that Lin Yanzhou was all alone, he thought he could manipulate him at will.

"A poor salesman who runs errands dares to ask Mr. Wang for money? He doesn't know what's good for him."

"Exactly, honest people deserve to be bullied these days, and they deserve to be poor their whole lives."

The harsh sarcasm drilled into his ears like fine needles, pricking at the resentment that Lin Yanzhou had accumulated over the years.

In public, he is always composed, dignified, and thorough in his dealings with others.

But only he knew that at thirty-eight, his life was already riddled with wounds. His marriage had broken down, and the construction market was in a slump; half a lifetime of hard work had brought him no success whatsoever.

He gripped the account statement tightly, still suppressing his emotions: "Mr. Wang, harmony brings wealth, there's no need to push things to the extreme."

"Going to extremes? I'll go to extremes, so what?"

President Wang stepped forward and shoved Lin Yanzhou on the shoulder.

The boss, who sat in an office all year round, looked bloated and frail, but he was surprisingly strong. Lin Yanzhou, exhausted from days of running around, stumbled back two steps, lost his footing, and crashed straight into a pile of rubble behind him.

wow-

The loose gravel above suddenly slid down.

A sharp, dark red pebble, shrouded in dust, slammed into his forehead.

The excruciating pain exploded instantly.

Warm blood slid down between his eyebrows, blurring his vision.

The arrogant faces, the blinding sunlight, and the noise of the construction site before my eyes were all distorted and darkened in my bloodshot vision.

Consciousness rapidly declined.

The suffocating feeling of impending death swept over my entire body.

No one noticed that the dark red rock that injured him was not an ordinary rock.

The tiny mineral crystals, barely visible to the naked eye, melted instantly upon touching his warm blood, embedding themselves deep into his mind along the wound between his eyebrows and his nerve pathways, silently binding themselves to his soul.

Unknown to anyone, this is a destiny key that transcends time and space, a blood-red mineral crystal left behind in the world, lying dormant for countless years, finally waiting for its destined one.

Just before darkness completely swallowed his consciousness, a faint, almost nonexistent resonance quietly resounded deep within Lin Yanzhou's mind.

There was no sound or visuals, no system pop-ups like in those system novels, no starting bonuses, and no cheat codes.

Only a cold, icy consciousness was imprinted in his soul.

Blood-Red Time-Space Ore successfully bound.

Current status: Zero functions, zero items, zero permissions.

Unlock Rules: Complete tasks to gradually acquire abilities. All growth depends on your own efforts.

……

I don't know how much time passed.

The dizzying sensation of chaotic spacetime disorientation subsided.

Lin Yanzhou suddenly opened his eyes and gasped for breath.

The smell of dust and engine oil from the construction site was no longer there; instead, the scent of sandalwood from ancient wooden beams and pillars was replaced by a hint of the cool and desolate atmosphere unique to the deep palace.

The glaring sun disappeared, revealing ancient wooden beams with intricate carvings and mottled gray walls. The old, exquisite window frames were covered with fine dust.

He propped himself up and sat up. The excruciating pain between his eyebrows had completely disappeared, and the wound was completely gone, as if the serious injury he had just suffered at the construction site was just a dream.

Beneath me was a cold, hard blue brick floor.

Looking around, one sees a side hall of a classical palace that has been uninhabited for a long time.

Its style is simple and unadorned, definitely not modern architecture.

Lin Yanzhou was deeply shaken; for the first time in his years of composure, his mind was thrown into turmoil.

Time travel? I've time traveled?!

That dark red pebble, that near-death experience, actually allowed him to cross the world?

He raised his hand to touch his brow; it was smooth and without any scars. Only deep within his mind lay a cold, silent, unknown power.

It provides no hints or gifts.

He simply exists silently, recording everything, waiting for his breakthrough and growth.

Just then, a faint yet clear thought silently emerged in his soul.

The host has landed in the Xuan Shuo Dynasty, and the spacetime binding is stable.

Trigger the initial main quest: Protect the Lord and Safeguard the Dynasty.

Mission objective: To break the deadlock single-handedly, resolve the current crisis, protect the young emperor's life, and stabilize the Xuan Shuo Dynasty.

Mission Rewards: Each time you overcome a difficult situation, you can return to the modern world once; other rewards are random.

Warning: In the early stages, there is no assistance or support; success or failure, life or death, depends entirely on your own efforts.

Other people who transmigrate either become princes or have superpowers, but this system gives them nothing? Fine, I've had enough of working on the crane, I'll see what happens next. Lin Yanzhou slowly stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and the confusion in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by the calmness unique to middle-aged men.

There are no cheat codes or mindless crushing victories. What you'll find is a desperate struggle for survival, a mission that requires you to rely on your own wisdom, experience, and the art of navigating human nature to complete.

Outside the door, the faint sounds of hurried footsteps and hushed whispers of secret plotting could be heard, interspersed with the subtle, crisp sound of swords being drawn.

Danger lurks in the shadows; a storm is brewing.

The Xuan Shuo Dynasty—what dynasty was that? A small kingdom in unofficial history?

What he didn't know was that this down-on-his-luck middle-aged man from modern times would, with his humble origins and the shrewdness honed through half a lifetime of experience, officially enter the game and stir up a storm throughout history.