Early morning, the small courtyard in Jinling.
Feng Yuan suddenly woke up in pain, lying on the hard, grating wooden bed. Only then did he realize it wasn't a dream; he had truly transmigrated into this man-eating Red Chamber world.
Feng Yuan became depressed again. He hated Xue Pan to the core, yet currently, he was powerless against him. The Xue, Wang, Jia, and Shi Families were the four great families of Jinling, and Xue Pan even had a Maternal Uncle, Wang Ziteng, who was a high-ranking official in the Court.
In the eyes of these people, his life was probably not even worth as much as a maid's.
The original owner was beaten to death, and there was nowhere to file a complaint. Not to mention that now that he was alive, he certainly couldn't do anything to them.
Reporting it to the officials would only bring him humiliation.
Feng Yuan had struggled in society for twenty years, long past the age of hot-headed impulsiveness.
He understood the simplest principle: A gentleman's revenge is not too late even after ten years. The prerequisite, however, was that the gentleman must first stay alive.
"Hou San!"
"Help me up," Feng Yuan said.
"Master, the Physician said you cannot move!" Hou San grew anxious.
"I just want to look out the window."
Hou San could not dissuade him, so he carefully helped him up, half-supporting and half-carrying him.
With every slight movement, Feng Yuan felt as if countless needles were piercing the gaps between his bones.
Cold sweat instantly soaked his Undergarment.
He leaned against the window frame, gasping for breath, and looked outside.
The courtyard was neither large nor small, yet it was exquisite. Several stalks of Green Bamboo were planted in one corner, and beneath the bamboo was a small pond dotted with lotus leaves.
This was to be his foundation for the future.
"Go fetch a basin of water."
Hou San quickly brought over a basin of clear water.
Feng Yuan told him to hold the bronze basin in front of him.
The water's surface reflected a face that even he found unfamiliar.
It was mottled with blue and purple bruises, but one could tell it was originally the face of a handsome young man. He had long, messy, straight black hair that largely obscured his face. A soul nearing forty years old didn't care much about physical appearance.
But this body was only in its teens, and he would have to rely on this face for social dealings, for the Imperial Examination, and for... climbing higher.
He extended his uninjured right hand and gently touched the water's surface.
Ripples spread out, and that gloomy face distorted along with them.
"Xue Pan..."
He murmured the name in a low voice, his tone devoid of anger, filled only with absolute stillness.
"You had better pray that I die."
"If I survive, I will make you understand what it means to wish for death."
Hou San, listening from the side, felt his blood run cold.
He felt that the Young Master by the window was like a lone wolf, heavily wounded, licking its wounds in the shadows, ready to devour someone at any moment.
"Master?"
Hou San called out timidly.
Feng Yuan snapped back to attention, thought for a moment, and then said:
"Quickly have Old Fang bring the account books."
Feng Fang was the name of that old man.
A short while later.
"Young Master, these are the household account books."
"Read."
Feng Fang opened the ledger and began reading out the entries one by one.
"There are thirty acres of fertile land south of the city, yielding about one hundred and twenty taels of silver annually."
"There are two shops in the city, rented out to others for the silk business, with an annual rent of eighty taels."
"The residence is ancestral property. Additionally, there is cash on hand: one thousand three hundred and twenty-seven taels."
Feng Yuan listened quietly.
Not much, but not little either.
For an ordinary family, this was wealth.
But against his enemy, the Xue Family, this amount of money was insignificant.
"Starting today, we cut expenses," Feng Yuan issued his first command.
"Household expenditures are halved. Dismiss a few unnecessary maids, keeping only those for cooking and sweeping. All expenses will be managed by you and me."
Both Feng Fang and Hou San were stunned.
"Young Master, this... this is unnecessary."
"It is necessary," Feng Yuan's gaze swept over them. "I have many places where I need money."
He needed to recover from his injuries, requiring the best Physician and the best medicine.
He needed to study, requiring a Teacher.
He even needed... to learn martial arts.
Being treated like a dog and ground into the dirt this time was something he had endured enough of.
He needed strength.
The strength to protect himself, the strength to kill his enemies.
All of this required money.
"Also," Feng Yuan looked at Hou San, "you are quick-witted and fast on your feet. Starting tomorrow, you will go out and gather intelligence."
"What kind of intelligence?"
"Listen to everything. What the Xue Family has been doing recently, what trouble Xue Pan has stirred up, what news is circulating in the city, and what the Imperial Court's movements are. I need to know even the trivial matters."
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
He was a cripple now, unable to move from the bed, but his ears and eyes had to extend throughout all of Jinling City.
Feng Yuan lay back down on the bed, the fatigue and pain of his body pressing down like a mountain.
He closed his eyes, but his mind was racing.
The Xue Family, the Jia Family, the Wang Family, the Shi Family... a deeply entrenched network.
Right now, he was just the weakest Ant outside the net.
To seek revenge, he first had to make himself strong.
The Imperial Examination was one path, but it was too slow and too perilous. The political waters were deeper than the Yangtze River outside Jinling City.
Join the army?
He recalled the chaotic political situation from the fleeting images he had seen.
The Retired Emperor was fond of grand achievements, and the New Emperor ascended the Throne after suppressing a rebellion.
A chaotic era was where heroes found their opportunity.
But that was too distant.
For now, the first step was to survive.
The second step was to make Xue Pan pay the price.
Not by killing him.
Killing him would be too easy for him.
He must make Xue Pan lose what he cherishes most, make him infamous, and have him and the family behind him slowly devoured by himself.
Feng Yuan drifted into a heavy sleep amidst the intense pain.
He had a dream.
In the dream, he was no longer Feng Yuan, nor was he Feng Yuan.
He stood atop a Sea of Corpses and Blood, clad in Black Armor, holding a long saber, its tip still dripping blood.
A short nap,
For Feng Yuan, it was a rebirth.
For Xue Pan, it was the countdown to his doom.