Chapter One, the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Zhengde.
One must have a goal in life. For instance, in his previous life, his life goal was to navigate well within the system, ideally securing a position of authority, to change his own life and enable his hardworking parents to live a better life.
Perhaps this is a good opportunity! Sun Dan thought to himself
... ...
I am truly very irritated
It would be better to be dead.
The 18th day of the 1st month in the 15th year of the Zhengde era, Zouping, Shandong
To this end, Sun Dan and two senior colleagues in the office worked diligently for several months, gathering a vast amount of information, preparing to make a significant effort, and to perform well in front of the leadership
In recent days, tourism development has been vigorously promoted across the country. Here in Zouping, there are indeed not many notable scenic spots; the only one that stands out is the Confucian Temple, which was built in the late Qing Dynasty and has withstood a century of wind and rain. Since there is such a historical site, it is only natural to craft a well-written article about it. By renovating it and conducting some promotional activities, it might just invigorate the local economy
... ...
In his previous life, he was a farmer's son, working in the fields with his parents from a young age. Later, due to his outstanding academic performance, he graduated smoothly from university and successfully passed the civil service examination, securing a stable job. It can be said that he was not someone who had never experienced hardship; no matter how difficult life became, one must continue to live on
To this end, the county government has specifically allocated 10 million yuan to establish a cultural tourism park centered around the Confucian Temple. Naturally, the hardware aspects are not the concern of the county's historical office. The primary task for Sun Dan and his team now is to gather sufficient materials to produce a presentable promotional article
Fortunately, after traveling back to the Ming Dynasty, he was still called Sun Dan, and this was the only thing that could provide him with some comfort
Rain
As night falls, one by one, lights begin to illuminate, and the entire county town appears hazy and tranquil under the moonlight and the shadows of the lamps, resembling a picture in a book
Fortunately, Sun Dan usually only enjoys searching for information online and often loves to write some things, so he can manage to use it.
Rain, an endless downpour descends from the sky, washing away the scaffolding on the construction site across the way
More historical scrolls unfold before my eyes, those clad in white as snow, those with towering high crowns, those flowing waters with cups, those who delve deeply into the classics, and those cries of repeated failures, all converge into a fierce river that floods into the brain
Although the broken machine in the archives bureau is outdated, it has a sufficiently large hard drive, allowing it to store a considerable amount of textual materials. Recently, Sun Dan has been working with two elderly gentlemen in the office to organize the cultural and historical materials of the county from the early Ming Dynasty to the early years of the founding of the nation, claiming that it is to prepare for the newly developed Wenmiao scenic area in the county
Although the room before me is dark, one can faintly discern the extreme poverty of its inhabitants. This small, damp space has wooden walls that have already rotted, with gaps wide enough for a mouse to pass through cheerfully. The northwesterly wind howls in gusts, swirling through the room. The tattered black cotton quilt that I have draped over me is utterly insufficient to maintain my body temperature; within just a quarter of an hour, my body has become numb from the cold.
Sitting in front of the computer, sweat continued to seep from Sun Dan's body. After three consecutive sauna-like days, the temperature had reached a staggering 41 degrees, setting a new high for this summer.
While others who traverse time become emperors or high-ranking officials, I, on the other hand, have arrived as a destitute individual, so poor that I am infested with lice
It took him a long time to collect these materials, and now the screen has suddenly gone black. It would be a pity if the data were lost. The most important piece is a short article he just wrote about the history of the imperial examination in this county, which he intended to publish in a national journal. If it is lost along with the computer, rewriting it would take an unknown amount of time.
To this end, he collected all the imperial examination questions, candidate lists, and essays from the Ming Dynasty's Zhengde period to the end of the Qing Dynasty in this province, and compiled them into an e-book stored on his computer. Moreover, his computer also contained a considerable amount of miscellaneous historical developments, local customs, anecdotes, the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as numerous historical references downloaded from the internet, amounting to a total of fifty gigabytes of data
Countless data flows into the brain like a stream
Vaguely, he remembers that this was the eight-legged essay written by Yan Yuhuan during the imperial examination of the thirty-sixth year of the Kangxi reign. With this article, he achieved second place in that year's examination, commonly referred to as the "bangyan." From then on, he embarked on a career in public service, eventually becoming the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Imperial Household, which can be considered a high-ranking official at the central government level
Unexpectedly, upon entering the County Chronicle Office, Sun Dan had been spending his days sifting through piles of old newspapers with two elderly gentlemen, getting covered in dust and ink, truly transforming into an old bookworm. The County Chronicle Office is a desolate place where not a soul can be seen, so quiet that it is frightening, essentially a forgotten corner of the county government. During the day, one cannot even catch a glimpse of a person, let alone accomplish anything significant. The County Chronicle Office is a desolate place where not a soul can be seen, so quiet that it is frightening, essentially a forgotten corner of the county government. During the day, one cannot even catch a glimpse of a person, let alone accomplish anything significant
Upon arriving here, he found himself at a loss as to what he should do and what he was capable of doing
The window in the small room was completely open, and the torrential rain continued to pour down endlessly from the sky. A gust of wind swept in, mingling with the rain and mist, filling the room with a hazy white shroud, resembling fog or haze
In the blink of an eye, five years have passed. Aside from a few promotions in salary, his face has grown paler from lack of sunlight. Sun Dan appears increasingly lonely and isolated in the office. He even contemplates that if this continues, he might truly become an old man.
... ...
The relentless downpour continues unabated.
Wealth cannot be accumulated but can be generated, and there is a great way to generate it. Can it be said that the external is the root and the internal is the branch?
Has that boy, who once shone like the sun with his words, now become one with the dust of the earth, lost among the multitude of beings?
Sun Dan currently resides in a dormitory building of the county government, occupying a single room. His monthly salary is just over 1,000 yuan, and before the implementation of the sunshine salary policy, this income was only sufficient for basic sustenance after supporting his parents in the countryside. The computer he uses now is an old machine that was discarded by the archives bureau; it was purchased in 2008 for only 100 yuan. Its configuration is extremely poor, and although it is a branded machine, once the XP operating system is installed, it becomes frustratingly slow, rendering it incapable of running any games.
However, doing nothing is not in my nature; after all, one must live on! If my parents were to know about my current situation, they would surely be heartbroken.
As an ordinary clerk, perhaps such an opportunity comes only once in a lifetime; as long as it is seized, one might just achieve remarkable success
"Is life not about patience? Heat is a form of annoyance, suffering is another form of annoyance. As long as one endures, everything will pass." Sun Dan glanced at the banner posted on the wall, the ink appearing somewhat damp in the humidity. The slender gold script he had painstakingly practiced for over twenty years looked somewhat bloated and deformed due to being soaked by the rain.
I hope this rain can alleviate the bothersome heat. It is said that in a few days, autumn will begin, and the weather will cool down. If we can endure a few more days, this summer will be considered survived, and we can save on air conditioning repair costs
A single lamp, like a bean, illuminates the dim and obscure room
In the center of the room, only a pile of human-shaped ashes remains
The thought of never seeing his parents again caused a sharp pain in Sun Dan's heart, and two tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. His parents had turned their hair white to support his education. Just when he finally started working, without having fulfilled even a single day of filial duty, he was transported to this damned era. How can one bear such a situation
Sun Dan also knew that if this continued, he would be frozen stiff. However, he still did not want to move; the immense blow had rendered him devoid of any interest in life.
Upon thinking of this, Sun Dan could not help but exclaim "Amitabha" and hurriedly crawled under the computer desk to check.
In later generations, the densely packed steel and concrete buildings were replaced by rows of blue-tiled houses of varying sizes, and the wide streets transformed into narrow alleys paved with bluestone slabs
A minor civil servant has thus disappeared
Once again, a thunderous roar reverberates across the land.
This is Zhang Juzheng, the Chief Minister of the Ming Dynasty during the Wanli era, explaining the "Doctrine of the Mean" to the Emperor
To govern the wealth of the world, it is sufficient to cultivate it through virtue
The cool air flowed in like water, and Sun Dan felt an immense sense of refreshment. Just as he was about to moan in pleasure, the computer screen on the table suddenly went black and shut down.
***
That said, Sun Dan felt increasingly uncomfortable, with a vague sense of irritation growing within her.
Oh no, hard drive, you must not fail, otherwise all the effort I have put in over the past six months will be in vain
Speaking of Sun Dan's hometown, Zouping in Shandong, it is indeed a remarkable place rich in talented individuals and natural beauty. Since ancient times, Qilu has been a region where culture flourishes and material wealth abounds. Throughout history, this area has produced numerous top scholars and successful candidates in the imperial examinations, making it a renowned center for the civil service examinations in Shandong during the Ming Dynasty
To reach is to arrive. To be rare is to be few. Zisi quotes Confucius, stating: In the world, the actual state of affairs is such that if one goes too far, it is a deviation from the mean; if one falls short, it is also a failure to arrive. Both are not the complete good path.
With a dirty bandage wrapped around his head, Sun Dan was suffering from a severe headache at this moment. Ever since he had crossed over to the Ming Dynasty, the shock combined with the injury on his head had left him lying motionless in this moldy house for a full two days.
Moreover, those who seek to bring peace to the world should not regard the quantity of power as the fundamental duty of kings. If one does not understand where the people place their trust, they will have no means to satisfy their desires, leading to conflict
However, this experience was truly absurd, so absurd that he could not bear it
The broken air conditioner could not be repaired in time, leaving me to endure in this cramped space. My short-sleeved shirt is completely soaked with sweat, and a foul smell of spoiled fish permeates the air
Sun Danggang crawled under the table when suddenly, a flash of white lightning shot in from the window, swiftly striking the power strip beneath the table. At the same time, a thunderous roar exploded in Sun Dang's ears. He saw the plastic power strip melt into a mass in an instant. It felt as if he had been pushed by a great force, propelling him out from under the table and crashing directly to the ground. Before he could regain his senses, an even more magnificent scene unfolded in the room. Countless white sparks erupted from his body, like fireworks set off during a festival, exploding in an instant and illuminating the world in white.
The old computer on the table is running, downloading a document at the speed of an ant moving.
After graduating from a liberal arts university, he returned to his hometown to take the civil service exam because he could not adapt to the fierce competition in the metropolis, and he joined the county archives office. At that time, all his classmates envied him for securing a stable job, and he took pride in it. He thought that after spending a few years within the system, he could showcase what he had learned, even though he had not truly gained much from that second-tier college. However, he did not consider himself a failure; he believed that everyone has their own talents and that if he encountered the right opportunities, he would always be able to achieve his lofty ambitions. He thought that after spending a few years within the system, he could showcase what he had learned, even though he had not truly gained much from that second-tier college. However, he did not consider himself a failure; he believed that everyone has their own talents and that if he encountered the right opportunities, he would always be able to achieve his lofty ambitions.