After the National College Entrance Examination ended, An Ning did not return to her parents’ home. Instead, she went to her elder sister An Ran’s place. The two planned to stay home together for a few days and rest.
An Ran spent these days as she always did: scrolling through videos, watching television, and reading novels. True to her reputation as a top student, An Ning was reading too—but not obscure, difficult essays or philosophical works. She had chosen some rather interesting classic novels instead.
An Ran was watching an old drama she had never seen before, Great Detective Di Renjie《》. She had heard about it many times and had wanted to watch it, but had never found the opportunity. Either she lacked the time or other matters distracted her. Since she was taking a break this time, she finally watched it.
After watching it, she felt it deserved all the praise it had received. It was good.
The Common People of Ancient Times also watched with great interest. The ingenious, convoluted, and bizarre cases left them startled again and again. They had never imagined that things could happen that way, nor had they heard such interesting stories before.
Children loved these stories. Some became so engrossed that, when something went missing at a Neighbor’s home, they pretended to be detectives and investigated the case in search of the culprit.
Because the missing item was not valuable, the Neighbor let them fool around. To the Neighbor’s surprise, they managed to catch the culprit in the end.
After the adults praised them, the children held their heads high and resolved to become good officials who could solve cases as brilliantly as Lord Di.
These days, the Common People of Ancient Times did little besides work and find good spots from which to watch television. The spoiled young masters no longer went cockfighting, hunting with dogs, or seeking pleasure as they once had. Instead, they stayed home to watch television or gathered with friends to watch it and discuss the plot afterward.
Meanwhile, the Common People of Ancient Times during the Martial Empress’s era felt a deep sense of honor. They might not have known Di Renjie, but they knew the Martial Empress! After all, she was the first woman to truly ascend the Imperial Throne.
They had not expected to have such a high-ranking official who was so skilled at solving cases. If they ever suffered a grave injustice, they could go to the Imperial Capital and find him.
In fact, someone had already gone. Although she did not know whether Lord Di here was the same as the one on television, she had nothing left to lose. She had already tried every other method, so she could only give it a try.
The emperors were not in as good a mood as the Common People. They wanted to watch things that could benefit them, such as ways to increase Grain Yield or information about the military situation in Later Generations.
However, even if they did not watch television, they were unlikely to come across such content while scrolling. An Ran mostly watched entertainment programs, so the emperors could only suppress their impatience and patiently study what they had obtained earlier.
Only Wise rulers—emperors who cared about the Common People—thought this way. The Fatuous Rulers wished that all the Television Dramas in the Future Era would be this entertaining.
Otherwise, if they found anything useful to themselves, their ministers would surely make their lives unbearable.
However, some of them could no longer remain calm.
Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty stared at the Empress Regnant on the television screen and at the familiar Great Tang. His eyes widened. “She—she—she...” He could not form a complete sentence; he was clearly shocked.
Well, well! Earlier, he had been gloating over whichever dynasty’s Emperor had been so incompetent that a woman had taken the Imperial Throne from him. In the end, that useless unlucky wretch was from his Tang Dynasty!
Which unfilial descendant had disgraced them so terribly?
During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Zhi sneezed and looked at the Empress Consort beside him. He had always known that his Wife was capable. Until now, he had assumed that she might govern from behind the curtain as Empress Dowager. As long as the Imperial Throne remained in his Li family’s hands, he had nothing to fear.
He had never expected her to dare ascend the Imperial Throne as a woman. What incredible courage!
It seemed that his Empress Consort was indeed the only Female Emperor in history mentioned earlier. Thinking about it, he felt a little proud. His Wife was an Emperor, too.
Still, he wished she had not taken his Li family’s Realm and Dynasty. What could he do now that he knew? Given his physical condition and Wu Meiniang’s power in the Imperial Court, it was too late to act. He was powerless.
Forget it. He would let nature take its course! In any case, this had already happened. He would not resist history. His Descendants could figure out the rest themselves. If they had the ability, they could take it back.
When Wu Meiniang saw that she would truly become the Martial Empress in the Future Era, she was filled with excitement, but she kept it off her face and smiled with restraint. She paid little attention to Li Zhi’s gaze. A few years earlier, she might have felt worried and frightened. Now, she was no longer someone others could easily topple.
After Li Zhi looked away without saying anything, Wu Meiniang smiled, took his hand, and asked what he wanted for lunch. She then instructed the Imperial Kitchen to prepare it.
Their younger brother also came over once during this time. After finishing his exams, he spent two days playing with his friends. Today, he finally remembered his sisters.
An Ran was an average cook, so they bought food outside and brought it home.
At the dining table, An Ran rolled her eyes as An Bo wolfed down his food. “Could you pay some attention to your image? You’re a handsome Young man, yet you eat like a pig. Be careful, or you won’t find a girlfriend.”
“I wouldn’t eat like this when dining with other girls.”
An Ning could not stand him either and scolded, “Could you chew more slowly? You’re eating like Zhu Bajie swallowing a ginseng fruit. If it gets stuck, you’ll be in trouble.”
An Bo laughed and waved his hand. “I won’t. I’m already so old. How could I possibly choke at my age... Cough, cough.”
Before he could finish, An Bo began coughing. He clutched his throat with both hands and struggled to breathe. An Ning realized that food had lodged in his throat. She moved behind him and performed the Heimlich maneuver, thrusting both hands inward and upward against An Bo’s abdomen.
After several thrusts, a peanut flew out of his mouth. An Ning released him, returned to her seat, and continued eating.
Still shaken, An Bo rubbed his throat. He had nearly died. He gratefully cupped his hands toward his younger sister. “Good sister, great kindness needs no thanks. For saving my life, I shall repay you with my own body. From now on, I’ll work like an ox and a horse for you!”
An Ning laughed and scolded him. “Go away. You can’t even manage the four basic tasks or distinguish the five grains. When the time comes, who will take care of whom?”
“I have money! When the time comes, I’ll hire several nannies for you. I’ll make sure you live a life of leisure.”
“Do you have money now?”
“I definitely will in the future! If I can’t earn it, I’ll find a rich older woman to support me. With this face of mine, my prospects should be pretty good.” An Bo grinned.
An Ran was amused and exasperated as she interrupted his nonsense. “All right, stop spouting rubbish. Sit down and eat. Don’t eat so quickly next time.”
“Oh, got it.” An Bo obediently sat down and ate, chewing slowly. The slow pace felt awkward and made the food less enjoyable. After what had happened, he feared his sister’s scolding, and he was still shaken himself, so he could only finish his meal with a forced, awkward patience.
Meanwhile, the physicians of the Ancient Era scratched their heads, desperate to understand how the person had been saved. Could pressing a few times really be enough? There had to be some technique, but the angle shown earlier had concealed the details.
Ah! Why couldn’t the two sides communicate?
The common people also desperately wanted to know how it was done, especially the families who had lost children this way. They yearned to learn this lifesaving method so that, if their children faced the same problem again, they would no longer be helpless.
✦✦✦