Chapter 1: Transmigrated into a Book

"Bang!" A jade brush washer shattered on the ground in front of him, sending tiny, sharp fragments flying everywhere.

A middle-aged man's furious reprimand came from above: "At such a young age, you've wasted your life on trivial pursuits! It's one thing if you can't even compare to your eldest and third brothers—but in recent years, you've even fallen behind your youngest seventh brother! Lately, you've been spouting increasingly arrogant remarks. How dare you presume to comment on the fiefdoms of your eldest and third brothers?! You want fiefdoms? I'll grant you your wish. Zhao Fuman, go and fetch the maps!"

"This old servant will go right away."

"..."

Qi Chengming knelt on the ground in a disheveled state, his mind blank. His hands, clenched tightly in front of him, stung as if he had been cut by a shard of the jade brush washer.

What happened? Where am I now?

Just moments before, he had been reading a classic novel about the struggle for the throne, watching with satisfaction as the youngest, seemingly invisible seventh prince rose from the son of a palace maid to defeat and kill his brothers one by one, finally ascending the throne and becoming the new emperor. This battle for the throne began with the unfortunate second prince, Qi Chengming, being framed by his brothers, reprimanded by his father, and banished to a desolate land.

It was nominally a fiefdom, but in reality, it was an exile.

The second prince was the first cannon fodder eliminated in the struggle for the throne, utterly insignificant. Even after the new emperor ascended the throne, he was still not at ease and was casually killed. At the time, Qi Chengming was still annoyed that this guy with the same name as him had such a tragic end, having offended no one and still meeting a miserable death.

The next second...

He actually walked into the book?!

The scene of him being reprimanded by his father, the familiar reason his brother used to frame him, and the Grand Eunuch Zhao Fuman's act of retrieving the map—all of it felt eerily familiar. Is it really true that sharing the same name as a character in a story makes it easy to time travel?

—He transformed into the Second Prince himself, who was about to be demoted and sent to his fiefdom.

Qi Chengming was very worried, extremely worried.

A strong sense of crisis washed over him, and he had to rack his brains for a way to save himself. Fortunately, before the power struggle for the throne came to a close, he was at least still alive, and could find a way to survive the final impasse. As for now…

Should we stay or leave?

Qi Chengming lowered his head, his eyes fixed on the expensive carpet in front of him, made of an unknown material. It was camel-colored and embroidered with delicate patterns, but a large wet patch had spread across it, left by the other teacup that Emperor Hongren had just smashed. Mixed with the residue from the jade brush washer, the carpet was clearly beyond repair.

Its only fate is to be eliminated.

As for what happens to the carpet after it's been removed... will the gold thread be pulled out, the damaged parts cut off to keep the precious pattern, and then it be used for something else? Nobody knows, and nobody cares. At least, none of the people in the hall care right now.

The sound of rustling pages came from the imperial desk in front of him, and a suffocating silence fell over the vast palace. No one dared to make a sound. Emperor Hongren was still examining the maps; this was a moment that would decide the fate of a prince.

In that instant, Qi Chengming, kneeling on the ground, made a decision in a flash: he would do nothing and let things take their course.

—Choose to stay away.

The battle for the throne is raging fiercely, devouring countless figures in the capital. Every prince who remains is caught in this dangerous vortex. The Second Prince is merely a background character, seemingly without any prominent maternal family or powerful faction aligned with him. If he stays in the capital, he might even die before the original story. It would be better for him to stay out of everyone's sight and develop his power in secret.

This way, he'll be familiar with the original plot, which will serve as a useful reference. Once he's secretly developed his territory... he'll eventually return to the capital.

"Liuzhou".

As expected, Emperor Hongren uttered the familiar place name, completely ignoring the change in expression on the faces of the surrounding eunuchs. The hall was completely silent. "Zhao Fuman, remember what I'm saying—my second son has turned thirteen and is now enfeoffed as a Prince of the County, with Liuzhou as his fief. The rest of the Imperial Clan Court will be arranged."

The eunuchs and guards at the gate were all too frightened to utter a sound, their shock conveyed in silence.

Liuzhou, that's right next to the places of exile in Lingnan!

The land is desolate and the environment is harsh. Does the Emperor dislike the Second Prince so much that he chose this place as his fief?

"This old servant has remembered," Zhao Fuman replied cautiously, putting away the imperial edict. The old eunuch, his face as white as a steamed bun, hurried past and went out to announce the edict. Qi Chengming could only see a glimpse of the hem of an indigo robe; the embroidered patterns on the boots were even more magnificent and exquisite than the clothes he was wearing.

It's really hard to tell who the prince is and who the eunuch is.

Qi Chengming sighed inwardly, gaining a deeper understanding of just how insignificant the Second Prince was, a mere background figure.

Emperor Hongren's face showed a faint look of weariness, making it difficult to tell whether it was weariness or disgust. He tapped the table, looked down at his second son, closed the map, and ordered, "Go."

This matter ends here, without even giving the Second Prince a chance to defend himself.

"...Father!!"

Qi Chengming took a deep breath, then suddenly broke into a sob. He collapsed to the ground, motionless, as if he had been crushed by the sudden bad news.

He had no memory of his predecessor, but he instinctively knew he had to at least appear afraid or reluctant, and then firmly defend himself based on the familiar plot. Even if he was tricked and sent away, he couldn't let the mastermind get too pleased. If he heartlessly accepted the punishment of going to the desolate land, he would be quite happy—Emperor Hongren's bad impression of him would be even worse, and he would be furious even if he wasn't angry.

As for acting skills...

Qi Chengming was just an ordinary person. But suddenly being transported from a modern, technologically advanced, and free world to this godforsaken place... just thinking about it made Qi Chengming not only unable to cry, but his face was already covered in tears the moment he looked up.

"I know I have disappointed you, Father, but I would never speak ill of my brothers and sisters! Every blade of grass and every tree in this palace speaks volumes, and every action, whether taken or not, leaves a trace. I hope you will see the truth, Father!"

The grief was so real, the young man said with great emotion and conviction.

Emperor Hongren: "..."

The boy before him looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old, thin and frail, and was crying uncontrollably. This was a son he had never paid attention to, and had even deliberately ignored. The sight of that familiar face looking up and his pitiful crying reminded Emperor Hongren of many past events.

Although this son was utterly useless, and he wished he could get rid of him completely and never see him again, he didn't want to send him to exile to fend for himself... If the current decree were followed, the next news he heard might be of his son's death. He didn't want to lose his son.

Besides, the Second Prince's explanation... wasn't entirely unreasonable. Among all the princes, the Second Prince was the least powerful, and living in the palace, this rumor...

The emperor's paranoia quietly took hold.

But once the decree has been issued, it cannot be taken back.

Emperor Hongren was silent for a while, then looked away. His tone was no longer as disappointed and angry as before: "I grant you a hundred Imperial Guards to accompany you, and I will also assign you Chief Eunuch Song from the Imperial Clan Court. Once you arrive in your fief, temper your character... and stop being so unruly."

"Yes... your son knows." Qi Chengming choked out the reply, as if he knew the situation couldn't be changed, and slowly bowed down, deciding to stop while he was ahead.

Jest.

He was inwardly surprised.

—There were also unexpected gains.

Qi Chengming, drawing on his experience watching countless melodramatic TV dramas with his sister, swore that the Emperor and the Second Prince's...mother? definitely had a past affair. He was now increasingly curious about the background of the Second Prince.

But now is not the time to be a bystander.

Why not take the benefits? He's going to a very remote place to take up his fiefdom, this is his only chance to make a fortune!

After slowly retreating from the hall, Qi Chengming didn't know where to go. Without wiping away his tears, he walked forward with disheveled hair and red, swollen eyes, pretending to be emotionally broken, preparing to go to the Imperial Clan Court, racing against time to get the hundred Imperial Guards the Emperor had promised him.

If he doesn't select the right people now and waits for others to pick the best ones for him... Based on his experience reading novels about succession struggles and political intrigue, Qi Chengming believes that by then, the workforce will almost certainly consist of the old, weak, sick, and disabled, all just filling positions. It would be a waste to bring them along, and he estimates that he would have to shoulder the burden of feeding and supporting an additional hundred people.

Strike first to gain the upper hand!

Qi Chengming walked aimlessly like a headless fly. The anxious little eunuch following behind asked in a mournful tone, "Your Highness, is it true? We—we've been assigned to Liuzhou?"

The little eunuch gritted his teeth and muttered angrily, "They got what they wanted!"

"His Highness and the Third Prince are both of legal age this year and are to be chosen for their fiefdoms. His Highness specifically instructed us to be careful with our words and actions to prevent any trouble. It's them who are gossiping about how the First Prince was allowed to stay in the capital despite the exceptions! The Third Prince might also be allowed to stay despite the exceptions... How did these rumors suddenly spread and become the ones we're complaining about behind his back?!"

Xiao Dezi was so angry he almost vomited blood.

With the Second Prince taking the blame, and his own Second Prince gone, the Third Prince might actually be allowed to stay in the capital. He was convinced that the Third Prince's men were behind this! Poor Second Prince, he didn't even have anyone to defend him. He had grown up lonely and pitiful, without a mother, and was so coldly treated by the Emperor, forced to travel thousands of miles to a place of exile…

Qi Chengming glanced at him, seeing the little eunuch's affectionate expression as he gritted his teeth in hatred for him, and guessed that this was his personal eunuch.

"Say less. Go back and pack your things quickly, and give me a summary of the situation... Our departure time is probably not far off." Qi Chengming took the opportunity to give instructions, while he was thinking about how to find out the little eunuch's name and the Second Prince's basic information.

Taking up a fiefdom is a good excuse, as the original character appears in the original text as a background character with very little information.

"Yes!" The little eunuch, seeing that his lord had not been defeated by such terrible news, regained some of his spirits and agreed.

The palace road is narrow and long.

As Qi Chengming walked, his pace suddenly slowed down.

"What's wrong, Your Highness?"

Qi Chengming didn't say anything and continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.

Just now, a transparent, eerie blue frame, far surpassing the technology of this world, suddenly and silently appeared in his field of vision, containing the following text:

"Congratulations to the player for obtaining their first fiefdom and unlocking their status as a vassal king! The infrastructure system is now online!"

As Qi Chengming continued walking, his gaze lingered on the intricate line of text, gradually brightening.

...Infrastructure system?

A note from the author:

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The story begins! I'm crouching to the side, cautiously and furtively observing the situation...

This is my last attempt at writing this. If the data is too bad in the future, I'll just continue writing out of pure passion and give up Jinjiang to work full-time to earn money.

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[I am aware of the advantages and disadvantages of all the ministers being reborn, so please watch with confidence—there will be no spoilers.]

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