National Division

Chapter 1 The County Magistrate's Son
Dajing, the second year of Tiansheng

Anzhou, Guhe County
As the sun rises in the east, its rays spread across the sky, casting golden morning light upon a winding, multi-tiered courtyard. Beneath the roof ornaments, several small black and white heads peek out of a swallow's nest, chirping and wailing for food.

It was the third month of spring, a time of warm sunshine and bright sunshine. In the courtyard, a peach tree with lush branches was in full bloom, its blossoms in shades of pink and white, a dazzling and beautiful sight.

"Young master, it's time to get up and do your morning lessons."

Just then, a slender young girl dressed in a pomegranate-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) came up the stone steps, knocked on the door and windows from outside, and called out to the sleeping boy inside.

At this moment, behind the bamboo and stone screen, in the inner room, on a bed with a curtain embroidered with birds of prey hanging down, a young man with a fair complexion and cold, sharp eyes let out a soft hum.

A moment later, the boy opened his eyes and looked around. Mosquito nets and tassels hung down, and he was draped in a brocade quilt.

Just as they were filled with surprise and doubt, they suddenly heard a sound from outside.

Young Master? What kind of address is that?
Wasn't he writing legal statements last night?

Hmm, could this be...?

Suddenly, the brain matter in my mind felt as if it were being violently stirred by a spoon, causing a sharp, needle-like pain.

Da Jing, Anzhou, Guhe County, Lanxi Shen family, fifteen years old...

Fragments of memories quickly merged in Shen Xian's mind, eventually forming an ancient scene that had never appeared in Chinese history.

Shen Xian took a deep breath, a look of confusion appearing in his eyes.

Is he time-traveling? Or reborn? Or has he awakened his innate wisdom?
This body is also named Shen Xian, the son of Shen Bin, the county magistrate of Guhe County. He is fifteen years old, eight feet tall, and does not like to read. His three great hobbies are martial arts, drinking, and listening to stories.

He often hangs out with a bunch of bad friends, which is why his father scolds him every three days and beats him every five days.

From my perspective, those Taoist scriptures by Huangdi, Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Zhouzi are really not worth reading. It's better to practice martial arts, hunt in the county town, and listen to some interesting stories about chivalrous heroes in the martial arts world.

Shen Xian usually liked to pester his father's good brother to teach him martial arts, which caused his father to drink a lot of alcohol in frustration.

As Shen Xian sorted through the memories in his mind, a strange expression appeared on his face.

The son of a county magistrate, he is considered a Brahmin in a small county in this world. If nothing unexpected happens, he should have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life. If he wants to be a playboy, he can even bully men and women and cause trouble for the area.

In his previous life, he was a test-taker in a small town who studied all the way up to a master's degree. He finally became a senior partner in a law firm and gained a foothold in a big city. Now, all of that has vanished with the wind.

Thinking of this, Shen Xian couldn't help but feel a little sad.

But he was a man of strong will, and in a short time, he had already shaken off his low spirits.

Shen Xian got up and merged with this body. Looking down, he saw from the memories of this body that he had trained his muscles and bones a lot. He looked thin when dressed, but muscular when undressed, with well-defined abdominal muscles.

Shen Xian took the clothes and, following the memories of this body, put them on with a rustling sound. He responded to the maid Zhiyun's call from outside, saying, "I'm awake, I'm awake, I'll be right there."

At that moment, the door was pushed open, and Zhiyun urged, "Young Master, get up and eat quickly. Go to the academy to study early. Master will test your studies tonight."

Shen Xian fastened his belt and walked to the wardrobe with the bronze mirror hanging on it, asking in a casual tone, "Father, did he not go to the yamen to work today?"

The county commandant was in charge of various departments, including investigating and collecting taxes, and overseeing military affairs, theft suppression, and maintaining public order.

According to this body's memories, this world is inhabited by martial artists who roam freely, some upholding justice, others seeking revenge, leaving behind many legends.

He is even proficient in martial arts and can draw a two-stone bow, but if he tries to wield a knife or spear, he will basically be beaten by his father.

“Young Master, have you forgotten? Master is on leave today.” Zhiyun said softly. Seeing Shen Xian busy himself, she quickly said, “Young Master, let me help you comb your hair.”

Shen Xian nodded, looking at the young man in the mirror, dressed in a long robe with colorful cloud patterns of Shu brocade. He was a handsome young man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and a nose like a hanging gall bladder. Only his gaze was slightly unbecoming of a young man's deep and calm nature, silently telling that this was a soul from the future.

The secret passage... the modeling is really good.

He is slightly stronger than in his previous life.

Or rather, his eyebrows and facial features are faintly reminiscent of his past life, but it seems that many flaws in his features have been corrected, coupled with the temperament accumulated from his two lifetimes.

Hmm, at this moment, he had a strong urge to ask, "Who is more handsome, me or Xu Gong from the north of the city?"
It's not surprising that officials and wealthy families, who choose beautiful women for marriage, have their genes refined over time, resulting in handsome and outstanding offspring.

Zhiyun said, "Young master, you should read more books in your spare time. It's not a good thing to always be beaten and scolded by the master."

Shen Xian sighed, "Yes, Father meant well."

Because his mother died early, his father was never stingy with his food, clothing, shelter and transportation, and tried his best to meet all his reasonable requests. However, there was one thing he was very concerned about: his studies.

Zhiyun chuckled and teased, "Has the young master changed his ways?"

As Shen Xian walked out, he said, "But I still like practicing martial arts."

Zhiyun: "..."

Well, old habits die hard; this is still the same young master she knows, unchanged. Mentioning studies, Shen Xian, now dressed, followed Zhiyun to the front hall, sat down, and picked up a few blue-covered books from the side.

Clearly, in order to avoid getting beaten up, he put in the same effort last night as if he were cramming for all five subjects during final exams.

“The Tao Te Ching, Zhuangzi, the Book of Changes, the Yellow Court Classic, and the Liezi.” Shen Xian looked at the text on the Taoist scriptures and frowned slightly.

Therefore, the study of this body is the teachings of Huang-Lao and Zhuang-Zhou. At this time, it seems that scholars do not study the Confucian Four Books and Five Classics.

That's right. The policy of suppressing all other schools of thought and exclusively honoring Confucianism would have occurred after Emperor Wu of Han in a parallel universe on Earth.

In this world... the imperial court seems to revere the teachings of Huang-Lao.

This is a popular field of study.

However, this world is quite similar to my previous life, yet it also contains these Taoist classics.

Shen Xian opened the book "Zhuangzi" and began to read it leisurely. The text was clear and elegant, and the writing was vigorous, as if it were the work of a master. There were also annotations on the side of the pages.

I flipped through it quickly, and before long I came across "Free and Easy Wandering" from the inner chapters of Zhuangzi.

In the Northern Sea there is a fish, its name is Kun, and Kun is enormous...

One pot isn't enough to cook it all.

Shen Xian recalled the amusing incident of reciting "Free and Easy Wandering" in high school in his previous life, and couldn't help but fall silent.

As a test-taking prodigy who started out solving problems, these Taoist classics are not difficult for him. He should have no problem dealing with his father's homework tests.

In his previous life, he enjoyed studying traditional Chinese culture in his spare time and could even write some ancient poems. Of course, the pronunciation of modern poems is different from that of ancient poems, so one should not be too demanding about the tones and rhymes.

While others might struggle to memorize "Li Sao" in several days, he could memorize "Xiaoyao You" in just one morning reading session.

At this moment, another maid, Xiuyue, came from the outer room, carrying a food box with steaming hot food on it, which looked and smelled delicious.

"Young master, you only think of looking at books now? I'm afraid it's just last-minute cramming; you'll regret not having enough knowledge when you need it." The maid was quick-witted and spoke up.

Zhiyun stepped forward and took the food from Xiuyue's hands, teasing her with a smile, "Alright, you don't even know how to say something nice."

Shen Xian smiled faintly, not taking it to heart.

According to this body's memories, Shen Xian usually treated the two maids well, and the two maids served him diligently, because they were worried that he would be scolded by his father.

Shen Xian picked up his chopsticks and looked at the steaming food.

The meal included both meat and vegetables: braised pork with preserved mustard greens, tofu with scallions, several steamed buns, and a bowl of porridge. Even though he was the son of a county magistrate, he didn't usually eat extravagantly.

Shen Xian picked up his chopsticks and said, "Zhiyun, go to the study later and find me the 'National History' of this dynasty. I want to read it tonight."

Having lived in an era of information explosion in my previous life, it's impossible for me to come to this world without understanding its history.

Now that I have been given this body and am being supported by others with money and provisions, I should first focus on my studies, regardless of anything else.

And martial arts, well, he's actually quite interested in that too.

In the future, he will become a chivalrous young hero, known as Master Shen of Yanggu County, no, wait, the number one hero of Guhe County, known as Timely Rain.

According to this body's memories, martial artists can move swiftly and agilely, and even my father had this ability; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to serve as a county magistrate.

According to this person's memories, his father was not only outstanding in martial arts, but also strict in enforcing the law and incorruptible towards the powerful and wealthy. He was highly regarded by the people and was known as Shen Qingtian (Shen the Upright Official).

Thinking this through, Shen Xian felt he had eaten enough, so he put down his chopsticks and accepted the mouthwash Zhiyun offered and the towel Xiuyue handed him.

Xiuyue was about to put the books into the book box, saying, "Young master, you must study hard today so you can appease your master when you get back."

"I know, I will." Shen Xian smiled, walked closer, took the book box handed to him by Xiu Yue, and couldn't help but pinch the little girl's rosy cheeks.

He was only twelve or thirteen years old, which in later generations would be considered just a junior high school student.

One of the girls is considerate and responsible, while the other has a sharp tongue but a soft heart.

Zhiyun said softly, "Young Master, the mules and horses for the Qingyang Temple are ready."

Shen Xian hummed in agreement and stepped out of the hall.

On a bright and sunny spring day, with birds singing and flowers blooming, the peach tree planted by my mother in the courtyard exudes a faint fragrance that brings peace to the mind.

Shen Xian's initial bewilderment upon arriving in this world seemed to have lessened considerably.

　Please support my new book!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)