He woke up in a daze, seeing white mosquito netting. His head throbbed faintly, and he didn't know what kind of environment he was in. He closed his eyes and thought for a long time before letting out a soft sigh. Search: (Wan, Ben, Shen, Zhan,) to read fine literature for free.

He wasn't dead.

So, was he now under house arrest?

He lifted the covers and sat up. He must have been unconscious for a long time, as he couldn't coordinate well with his body. Looking down, his clothes were strange, and the fabric was poor. Only when he stood on the floor of the room did he realize that there were even more things he couldn't reconcile with.

Old-fashioned house, old-fashioned bed, tables, chairs, and benches. Although the materials and workmanship were good, the entire room was decorated in an antique style. There were also some seemingly great porcelain pieces, but there were no modern electronic devices. "What are you doing, Tang Mingyuan?" he thought, cursing the bespectacled guy in his mind. Then…

This hand had changed too. His hand... didn't feel like his own.

He looked at his two pale hands. After a moment, he sat down at the table, unbuttoned his clothes. This body... had no bullet holes. "What a joke?" He clearly remembered so many bullets being fired at him, from all directions. Could he have had plastic surgery? No, this body wasn't his. All the signs pointed to that, especially after he looked in the bronze mirror and saw the image reflected there. He was even more certain.

"Tang Mingyuan, what are you up to?" He had once been one of the wealthiest people in the world. He had built his empire from nothing, so he wouldn't be defeated by a few small doubts. With the support of modern technology, anything was possible. Had he changed his body, a complete and thorough makeover? But why? What was the purpose? Did he want him to admit he was someone else and stop competing with him? That guy was always indecisive. It wasn't impossible that he would do something like this to save his own life, but why arrange a room like this?

His head was wrapped in bandages, and it still ached faintly. He pushed open the door, and bright sunlight streamed in, causing him to instinctively raise his hand to shield his eyes. He was on the second floor of a wooden building. From the doorway, he could see nothing but densely packed courtyards and gardens, various buildings, Suzhou-Hangzhou style garden architecture, ponds, and rockeries, extending beautifully before him.

There were no skyscrapers, no modern features at all.

He took a breath, then exhaled. "A big production," he thought. "How much did you have to spend to create this, Tang Mingyuan?" He glanced around, then turned and walked to the side. Immediately, a voice rang out: "Young Master-in-law…" "Oh, extras," he thought.

He was in a bad mood and didn't feel like getting involved with these people. When the pretty girl in front of him came over, he glanced at her and pointed his finger directly at her. He used to be the ruler who single-handedly built that vast financial empire. Once he showed that aura, even with just a look and a gesture, the woman dressed as a maid immediately trembled and stood in place, stammering, "Young Master-in-law, you're awake…"

He walked past the maid, took a few steps, then turned back and lazily picked up what seemed to be a robe for him from the maid's hands. After unfolding it, he felt a little depressed. "How do you wear this?" Remembering that the maid seemed to be speaking in the dialect of the Jiangzhe area, he switched to that dialect: "How do you wear this?"

"Young... Young Master-in-law, let me help you…" The maid hurriedly began to help him put on the robe, her eyes looking at him with suspicion. "Tsk, good acting…" While dressing him, the maid also shouted downstairs: "Young Master-in-law is awake, Young Master-in-law is awake…" As a result, more people began to come from various courtyards.

Donning the robe, he pushed aside some of the arriving maids and young servants and walked through the courtyard, heading outside without looking back.

In the end... he was still stopped...

************************

Ten days later, he sat on the corridor looking at the fireworks in the sky and sighed.

He had eventually gone out. In the huge city, he couldn't find any modern traces. All the buildings, all the people, the mountains, lakes, and swamps outside told him that he was in ancient times. It was impossible for it not to be. Even if Tang Mingyuan had exhausted the power of his entire financial empire, he couldn't have created such a flawless world. But with so many actors, it was impossible to achieve such perfection. This wasn't *The Truman Show*, and he hadn't been locked in a studio since birth like Truman.

He roughly understood his current identity. His name was Ning Yi, styled Liheng. He was currently a live-in son-in-law of the Su family, a wealthy merchant family in Jiangning. Speaking of which, this identity was a bit disgraceful, but since that was what he was, there was nothing he could do about it. Even as a live-in son-in-law, the situation, as he had seen it these past few days, was really quite complicated.

The Su family was one of the most famous wealthy merchants in Jiangning. Su Boyong, who was currently in charge of the Su family's main branch, had no sons, only a daughter named Su Tan'er. He hadn't seen his wife yet. It was said that on their wedding day, a batch of Su family's cloth had some problems. Su Tan'er ran off to solve it. In short, he could see that she didn't approve of this marriage and had run away.

As for himself, Ning Yi, it was said that his grandfather's generation had had a very close relationship with the current Su family's grand patriarch. They had agreed on a betrothal agreement, but who knew that they would both have sons? Thus, the betrothal agreement was passed down. Ning Yi's family declined due to an accident. When it came to Ning Yi, his parents were dead. Although he had studied a bit and could be called a literati, in reality, his talent was probably nothing much. He was just an honest man whom the Su grand patriarch had taken a fancy to as a live-in son-in-law. He couldn't trace whether Ning Yi had been willing or forced at the time. It seemed that quite a few people were unhappy about him marrying into the family. On the wedding day, the bride ran away, but the wedding was required to continue. Then, it was said that a wealthy young man who was also interested in Su Tan'er secretly hit him with a brick, causing him to be unconscious for several days before waking up.

These past few days, he had pretended to be a bit confused from being hit by the brick and had met many members of the Su family. He had also met Su grand patriarch once. The situation was complicated, but he could see it at a glance. Su grand patriarch was in good health and was now the true leader of the Su family. It was said that it takes three generations to get rich, four generations to learn how to dress, and five generations to learn literature. Now, the Su family, up to Su Tan'er and her brothers, could be considered wealthy for five generations. However, the situation was obviously uneven. The most promising and talented in business was Su Tan'er, who was a woman.

If those elder brothers were a bit more capable, if Su Tan'er wasn't the daughter of the main branch, if Su Tan'er didn't have the talent and desire to do business, perhaps everything would be different. But now, Su grand patriarch was clearly cultivating Su Tan'er as his successor. The reason he chose someone like himself as a live-in son-in-law was perhaps partly due to the old family ties, but the main reason was probably that he believed that the previous Ning Yi was honest enough and could be easily controlled by others.

Because of this, the other branches were naturally unhappy with his status as a live-in son-in-law. These people had previously been keen on introducing Su Tan'er to potential suitors, hoping that some wealthy young master would marry her and make her someone else's, so that she would no longer be a threat to the family. Who knew that Su grand patriarch would seize on a betrothal agreement and force a live-in son-in-law on them? He naturally became a thorn in their side. It was hard to say whether someone else had hit him with that brick that night.

Thinking about the things in his previous life...

The dark battles in the business world, the scheming and intrigue. It seemed that he had spent his entire life on these things. Even after building a huge business empire, he was still on guard against internal strife, but in the end, he was still betrayed by his own brother and eliminated. Now, seeing these things again, he couldn't help but find it funny. He really didn't want to be involved with these things again, especially with such small-scale squabbles...

Figure out what needs to be figured out, save some silver, and leave. That's what he was thinking. Although, for him, he didn't have much of a concept of being a live-in son-in-law and didn't really care about such matters of status, being watched all the time was a bit annoying.

As for this world, he was still a bit confused about it.

Jiangning, that was what Nanjing was called during the Song Dynasty, but this wasn't the Song Dynasty. The thing that had puzzled him the most these past few days was the historical question. The historical records he had seen seemed to always have some differences from the world of the future. The current dynasty was called Wu, and it was like the Southern Song Dynasty, having established its capital in Lin'an. Some historical details seemed to have started to change around the Sui Dynasty, and by the Tang Dynasty, there were already major differences. After the Tang Dynasty, there was a chaotic war among the various princes, a pattern similar to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, followed by Wu. There were more famous people and more poems, but also fewer. For example, Li Bai wrote some good poems and was called the Poet Immortal, but he died in Chang'an in his youth in a sword fight. Du Fu became an official, but he was too pedantic and messed things up, so the emperor beheaded him—he had found this information only with great difficulty, and it only occupied a small space in the history books.

What was this all about? Quantum mechanics? Multiple universes?

Thinking about it like this, he couldn't help but feel amazed.

The Wu Dynasty was similar to the Song Dynasty and was quite prosperous, but it might also be conquered by ethnic minorities like the Song Dynasty. The familiar history was completely messed up. He didn't bother to think about these things. What he had to do now was to restrain himself, become familiar with the world, and then slip away from this big family. Then... do some small business and travel around. He'd deal with everything else when he encountered it.

Just as he was thinking about these things, a noisy sound rang out from the courtyard outside. Today was a festival, and he had just come from the front not long ago. Now it seemed like something else had happened. Before long, the maid Xiao Chan, whom he had first met after his rebirth, ran all the way up, her round face red and flushed: "Young Master-in-law, Young Master-in-law, Miss is back, Miss is back."

He had always expected his wife to come back. It was impossible for her to run away forever just because her husband had married into the family. This ten-day or half-month blank period was probably a warning to him to see the situation clearly. This young lady had a strong personality, and he had nothing to complain about. Xiao Chan came to call him, and then pulled him down. On the way from the front yard to the back yard, he saw a group of people coming from afar. The figure of a woman in a red cloak was particularly conspicuous in the crowd. He thought it was her.

Surrounding the woman were several brothers from the second and third branches, as well as maids and stewards of the Su family. The woman in the lead was tall and graceful, with an oval face. Her long black hair was tied up with a band and hung straight down to her waist. She was smiling and talking to people while handing the red cloak to the servants beside her. As she approached, she saw Ning Yi and Xiao Chan. First, a look of scrutiny flashed across her face, then she gave a slight curtsy: "Husband."

This may or may not have been the first time the two had met, but Su Tan'er's expression was so natural as if nothing had happened on her wedding day, as if they were an old married couple. She came over, naturally took Ning Yi's hand, and then turned to the others with a smile: "Second brother, I've found you the white tiger skin you've always wanted. You can't blame me anymore…"

One by one, Ning Yi watched the woman beside him speak to these people with interest, doing everything perfectly. She made perfect hints with almost casual words, so that they all had their own things to do. Then, with a look of harmony, she turned to Ning Yi: "Husband, let's go back." Taking three maids with her, she walked with Ning Yi to his original courtyard.

This woman was beautiful, exuding the aura of a gentle woman from the Jiangnan water towns. The way she acted just now, although it had an underlying strength, perfectly integrated this aura, like a scroll of paintings, like a delicately painted eyebrow, into her words and actions. From a purely objective and professional point of view, Ning Yi couldn't help but admire her. However, when this kind of posture was directed at him, he found it a bit amusing.

Along the way, there were a few seemingly intimate greetings that actually maintained a distance. Ning Yi naturally answered a few words lightly. Along the way, they returned to the courtyard. When no outsiders were watching, Su Tan'er naturally let go of his hand: "Husband's injuries have not yet healed. Take a good rest these days. If you have anything you need, just tell Chan'er…"

This courtyard had a total of two small buildings. The bridal chamber on the second floor of the opposite building, with the big red "happiness" characters still pasted on it, was probably Su Tan'er's original boudoir. Ning Yi had been living in the other building since he woke up and had never been up there. After Su Tan'er finished speaking, she gave another curtsy and went back to her room with the maids. Ning Yi smiled and waved his hand as a farewell. He understood in his heart that if he was going to live here in the future, this would probably be the pattern for a long time to come.

It's good, I won't touch you, and you don't bother me. If I can be idle all the time, and not be involved in the scheming and intrigue of this family, it doesn't matter whether I leave or not. Ancient life is quite leisurely.

On the other side, Su Tan'er returned to her boudoir.

This was a room that could not be called particularly unique. At least, compared to the owner's actions and personality, this was a maiden's chamber that was perfectly normal from any point of view, with red and green decorations and various small ornaments. There were fewer needlework items and more books, but these things were probably within the normal range.

The eighteen-year-old newlywed girl stood by the window for a while, untied the hairbands that held her hair up, and looked at the man sitting there watching the fireworks on the opposite building for a while. She sighed slightly, then closed the window: "Xing'er, come in for a moment. Juan'er, go and get Chan'er."

Before long, when Chan'er entered the room, Xing'er was busy arranging the small objects according to the young lady's instructions, which had been changed because they had to be arranged as a bridal chamber. Su Tan'er was wiping her face with a towel. When she removed the towel, Xiao Chan quickly went over and took the towel back to the basin: "Miss."

"How has Young Master-in-law been these past few days?"

"Well, Young Master-in-law's injuries have healed, but he seems very unfamiliar with many things. The doctor said it might be because he was injured in the head and has forgotten some things."

"Forgotten things?"

"Yes, that's what the doctor said." Xiao Chan nodded. "Young Master-in-law has also been walking around everywhere these days. Xiao Chan asked someone to follow him. I heard that he doesn't go looking for anyone, just walks around and looks all over the city, as if... he really has forgotten a lot of things."

"Let him be. Is there anything else?"

"Young Master-in-law has been running these past few days."

"Running?"

"Yes, he goes out early in the morning before dawn and runs slowly by the Qinhuai River, saying it's for exercise. Also, he does strange things in his room..." Xiao Chan pushed her hands forward and back, her little face full of doubt. "Lying on the ground, pushing himself up like this, saying it's also for exercise. This servant finds it very strange."

Imagining this action, the three mistresses and servants in the room looked at each other with question marks. Then Su Tan'er shook her head: "Exercise... let him be. Is there anything else?"

"There's nothing else. Young Master-in-law has also met with the Grand Master, Master, Young Master, and Second Young Master. They were all very amiable... Well, Young Master-in-law is very amiable to everyone, except... right..."

"What?"

"Chan'er doesn't know if it's a misunderstanding, but on the day Young Master-in-law just woke up, when he came out of the room, his eyes were very scary... No, not scary, just very... very..." The little maid looked up, thinking of an adjective, "very dignified, like the Grand Master... well, not exactly the same. But he just glanced at Chan'er, and Chan'er didn't even dare to move. Maybe... maybe Chan'er was mistaken..."

The little girl's voice grew smaller and smaller. Su Tan'er thought for a while, then smiled. When Grandpa said he wanted Ning Yi to marry into the family, she had actually gone to see this person and even sent someone to investigate him. The reason Grandpa chose him was that he had a betrothal agreement from the previous generation, and also because this person's personality was not strong, and she could easily suppress him. His family was destitute. Although he was a scholar, he hadn't read many books, and he didn't even have the aloof air of an ordinary scholar. How could he have any dignity? It was probably a misunderstanding. He had been beaten up, just got up, and his appearance had scared Xiao Chan. But...

Recalling the meeting just now and the few conversations they had, it seemed to be somewhat different from the person she had seen before. She had come over to take his hand and talk to him, and she thought he would be at a loss for a while. Who knew he would just come over in a calm and collected manner?

"Well, it's probably because he understands in his heart. That's fine. Behave yourself. Master has already agreed. I can be like this... let's just leave it at that." She sighed. "But you few must be respectful to Young Master-in-law. You're not allowed to gossip about my and Young Master-in-law's affairs outside. No matter what, as long as he doesn't do anything that harms the Su family, he is my husband, do you understand?"

Sometimes, she would imagine the future as being infinitely beautiful, but in the end, she still had to accept her fate, especially as a woman. She was already much better than the average woman. On this matter, for the time being...

Accept fate...

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