Chapter 1: A Feeling of Being in Another World
"Have you heard? The Second Young Master's name has finally been decided."
"The master dotes on his eldest son, who is almost three months old, but his name has been delayed. It has been changed twice already, first to 'Qun' and then to 'Yan'. Surely it won't be changed again now?"
"This time it's really settled. It's true that the young master is extraordinary. Last year in March, when a general amnesty was declared, the lady was found to be pregnant on the same day. On the nineteenth of October, the young master was born, and the great floods in the five provinces of Jing, Yu, Xu, Yang, and Ji stopped immediately. But that's nothing special. You know that since the young master and his grandfather served as the chief clerks of Sizhou, he would dance at the sound of a rooster crowing. And the young master, a three-month-old infant, would have his eyes shining brightly at the sound of a rooster crowing, and his eyes would follow the light of a sword. This shows his precocious intelligence."
"But even the name Pan Lang suggested wasn't satisfactory to the master..."
"The master wrote a letter to ask the ancestor, and thus our young master has both a formal name and a nickname—Liu Jun, and his nickname is Maotou."
Separated by a window, the infant on the bed listened intently. When he heard his own name, a look of bewilderment and melancholy appeared on his face.
So, even if one is reincarnated as a human, one cannot escape the word "Mao" (毛, meaning fashionable or trendy)? And this Liu Jun sounds like a mediocre person, just like the hundreds of ordinary strategists around my great-grandfather and grandfather.
I wonder what the current situation is like, who will inherit the crumbling Great Wei, and whether the Great Wei dynasty is even still around...
"My lady." A beautiful woman with her hair styled in a high bun and adorned with a hairpin slowly entered the room, supported by her maid. Looking at her exceptionally well-behaved son, her eyes were filled with joy.
Cao Mao, who is now Liu Jun, smiled at her.
The beautiful woman held his delicate little hand, afraid of hurting him, and said softly, "I have been married into the Liu family for many years without having children, and I have always felt guilty. Last year, I had this son, and my husband finally has a legitimate son. Seeing how clever and bright he is, I am now completely satisfied."
The current dynasty placed great importance on legitimate and illegitimate children. For example, although Liu Kun had an eldest son by illegitimate birth, Liu Zun, Liu Zun was not born to the legitimate wife of the Cui family of Boling. Therefore, he was at a disadvantage in matters such as inheriting the title and dividing the property. The Liu family had a clean and upright family style, and the Cui family was kind and generous. Although she did not treat Liu Zun as her own son, she was still quite loving. In some disreputable families, illegitimate sons were treated like servants.
Liu Zun is now seven or eight years old. He visited his younger brother a few days ago. Seeing his chubby and adorable appearance reminded him of his son who was still an infant in his previous life, and he felt a pang of sadness every time.
Once I grow up and have the freedom to move around, I must visit the Cao clan to put my mind at ease.
Still lost in thought, he suddenly heard Cui exclaim joyfully, "My lord!"
A handsome man stepped inside, took Cui's hand, and together they looked at Liu Jun, saying, "Maotou has grown a bit more; it's all thanks to Madam's good care."
Cui said with a charming smile, "It's also thanks to the wet nurse. Besides, a child this age changes every day."
Seeing the little child staring at him without blinking, Liu Kun was delighted. He teased the child with his tongue while chatting with his wife, talking about nothing more than the poems and romantic tales of the Twenty-Four Friends of Jingu Garden, which made everyone yawn.
But for Liu Jun, that was enough. From those few words, he had already drawn several conclusions: First, the Cao Wei dynasty had collapsed, and the Sima clan had unsurprisingly taken its place. However, Cao Mao had used his life to obstruct the Sima clan's path to usurpation, and the entire Sima clan was burdened with the crime of regicide. Sima Zhao himself was unable to succeed to the throne throughout his life. Second, Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, preferred to pass the throne to a foolish man, Sima Zhong, who was now Emperor Hui of Jin, rather than to Sima Shi's heir. Eight years earlier, Empress Jia Nanfeng had plotted to kill Prince Sima Wei of Chu and Prince Sima Liang of Runan, seizing control of the court. Third, his own father, Liu Kun, a member of the Han imperial family, although described as "heroic and powerful" by his contemporaries, had attached himself to Jia Mi, Jia Nanfeng's nephew, who was also a descendant of Jia Chong, the man who murdered Cao Mao…
The baby in their arms suddenly started crying, startling Liu Kun and Cui Shi. They didn't know what was wrong, and no matter what the wet nurse tried, the once quiet and well-behaved baby began to wail and cry, accompanied by heart-wrenching coughs and wheezing, which could not be stopped.
It felt as if he was coughing up his liver, gallbladder, lungs, and heart, and as if he was about to shed all his blood and tears.
After an unknown amount of time, until Liu Kun left somewhat impatiently, Liu Jun slowly stopped, staring at the intricate curtains with his dark, grape-like eyes.
The Great Wei Dynasty is gone, and as a member of the Han imperial family, it seems so out of place to try to revive it.
With no hope of overthrowing the country, was he destined to become like Liu Kun, a remnant of the old dynasty, maneuvering among the powerful Sima clan to seek fame and fortune? Did he truly intend to forget his past and settle for a life of wealth and leisure?
How could he forget the hatred of a nation's destruction and the pain of being killed? How could he forget?
Several months passed in a daze, and Liu Jun was still unable to recover from his grief and indignation. Fortunately, he was just a babbling infant, and everyone assumed he was unwell and did not investigate further.
Until October, the grand celebration for the eldest son of Liu Kun, a renowned scholar of the time, was a grand affair, with dignitaries and guests filling the hall. In his previous life, he had been born out of wedlock, and his father, Cao Lin, the Prince of Donghai, was eccentric and tyrannical, frequently beating and scolding his mother and son. After Cao Lin's death, he and other members of the Cao family were exiled to Ye City by Sima Yi, and later became a puppet emperor. Looking back, he realized he had never truly celebrated a single birthday.
In comparison, Liu Kun and his wife treated him very well, far better than his tyrannical father in his previous life. With this thought in mind, Liu Jun perked up and shook off his previous dejection, smiling at everyone he met. His intelligent and quick-witted appearance earned Liu Kun a lot of face.
When they were enjoying their meal and drinks, the brothers Lu Ji and Lu Yun mentioned a custom from their hometown of Wu: on the first birthday of a child, various objects would be placed on a table for the child to pick up in order to test his character; this was called "testing the child."
Liu Kun was already on good terms with him, and finding it amusing, he immediately ordered people to set up a table and took items from the treasury, adding gifts from relatives and friends, creating a table full of dazzling items.
Liu Jun was carried by his wet nurse and placed on the table. Under the scorching gazes of the entire room and the expectant eyes of Liu Kun and Cui Shi, he actually stood up unsteadily, supporting himself on the table with both hands. Without even glancing at the glittering treasures such as rhinoceros horn and ivory, he grabbed a sword in his left hand and a pen in his right, and then stood obediently and silently in front of his parents.
"A man of both literary and martial talents, this is truly an excellent omen."
"Like father, like son; Yue Shi is truly blessed!"
"I wonder if your son is willing to agree to the marriage? How about we arrange for our children to become in-laws?"
...
The room erupted in cheers, and Liu Kun felt even more triumphant. He laughed heartily and drank several more cups, getting completely drunk with the guests.
Amidst the clamor of music and revelry, only Liu Jun remained silent, staring at the gleaming sword in his hand.
This year was the ninth year of the Yuan Kang era. In the eleventh month of that year, on the first day of the Jiazi month, there was a solar eclipse.
In December, due to Jia's false accusations, Emperor Hui deposed the crown prince and reduced him to a commoner.
In that year, Cao Huan, the last emperor of Cao Wei, died and was posthumously named Emperor Yuan of Wei.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com