Ethiary

  Chapter 5 After the imperial decree of general amnesty was distributed throughout every territory under the dynasty's rule, the officials overseeing the exile settlement in Youbei Commandery compiled the list of those to be pardoned. One by one, their criminal status was removed. Official travel permits and civilian documents were then issued to them. Although these people were now officially registered residents of Shuozhou and were free to settle anywhere within its three commanderies, they possessed neither land nor property. Moreover, because they had once been convicted of such grave crimes, most of their close relatives had long since been executed or had already died. The remaining collateral relatives generally wanted nothing to do with them. Still, there were a few families who deeply valued kinship. Upon learning that their relatives had been pardoned, they hurriedly purchased houses in Shuozhou's prefectural city so their family members would have somewhere to live...

Chapter 4 In the Book of Changes, the phrase "Yuan, Heng, Li, Zhen" corresponds to the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The new Emperor's reign title, Zhenyuan, differed from ordinary reign titles, which were usually chosen simply to proclaim auspiciousness or demonstrate imperial virtue. The two characters "Zhenyuan (贞元)" subtly conveyed the idea of winter giving way to spring. It was both elegant in meaning and rich in symbolism. Such a remarkable reign title was exceedingly rare even throughout history. More importantly, every member of the Zhuo family was astonished that even the new Emperor's reign title seemed to correspond perfectly with the omen of the Qian Hexagram. It truly felt as though Heaven's will had been guiding everything all along. Three days after the imperial edict announcing the new Emperor's accession reached Shuozhou, new decrees continued arriving one after another. The first announced the categories and batc...

Chapter 3  Even in June, Shuozhou had yet to enter summer. The nights still carried a lingering chill. Zhuo Siheng and Zhuo Huiheng lay against the edge of the bed, using a wooden board as their desk while practicing calligraphy. Beside them, Zhuo Yan patiently corrected their strokes. By now, both children's handwriting had begun to show the neatness that came with regular practice. The more he looked at it, the more delighted he became. Unable to resist himself, he kept reaching over to gently rub the tops of their heads. Song Liangyu had caught a cold from the chilly wind the previous month and had overworked herself while pounding millet. Even now, she had yet to fully recover. From time to time, she would cough a few times. Whenever Zhuo Yan heard it, he immediately got up to drape another layer of clothing over her and tuck the blankets more securely around her. Ciheng was gradually becoming more sensible. The moment she heard her mother coughing, she jumped off t...

Chapter 2 Back in the modern world, Zhuo Siheng had never been particularly gifted at Chinese literature. Fortunately, he was smart. As long as he memorized the required texts, mastered the standard approaches to answering questions and writing essays, he could still earn excellent scores. Choosing the science track had been his own decision, one made out of genuine interest. Even when reading outside of school, he preferred books about prehistoric dinosaurs or the mysteries of the universe. As for the famous literary classics everyone recommended... He simply memorized the synopsis and the central theme, and called it a day. Now, however, he had to study the literary curriculum all over again. Although he had a father who had once ranked tenth in the nation in the palace examination's second class—a true examination prodigy—their circumstances were so limited that learning was inevitably difficult. Thankfully, Zhuo Siheng was quick-witted. During the previous year, he had already...