Chapter 0001: The Pig's Foot's Father is the Emperor

As the two people in front of her responded, the woman began to mutter and scold to herself again: "It's all that dead old man's fault. Life was going well, and then he had a dream and thought he was truly destined to be an emperor.

If you were to ask him how he beheaded ten people, covered in wounds, the answer would be: I haven't beheaded anyone, but I must have stepped on at least a dozen ants on the way, and who knows, there might be several hundred more. Although I haven't been cut by a blade, I do have many small wounds from being scratched by the wind and sand.

And he seriously claimed to be a descendant of the Li Tang dynasty, establishing the 'Tang' state, issuing the era name 'Anjian', and appointing Liu Bagou as the Prime Minister, the butcher Chen from the same village as the General of the Imperial Guard, his brother-in-law Bai Yunqi as the General of the Cavalry, making his own wife the Empress, and his son Li Xuan the Crown Prince. In short, everything that should be in a traditional novel is present.

Then... then Li Xuan's father unexpectedly ascended the throne and established a nation...

Prime Minister Liu Bagou, along with General Chen Tufu of the Imperial Guard and several dozen others, fled with the Empress and Crown Prince Li Xuan. It was not that these individuals wished to escape, but rather that they had no choice; the authorities had already deemed this a grave act of treason, and each one was contemplating how to capture them in hopes of gaining promotions and titles.

This ordinary-looking young man, dressed in a dusty yellow robe, bore a frown that was uncharacteristic of his age, and at that moment, he was mentally raising his middle finger to curse the heavens.

However, that is not all; he discovered that he was actually still a 'Crown Prince'

He is just an ordinary young man; with this appearance and build, if he were thrown into a crowd, even his own mother would likely not be able to find him for a while

He was originally an ordinary person of the New Century, and after much effort, he managed to win over the receptionist at his company. However, just a few days later, he was struck by lightning, and upon waking up, he found himself transported back 400 years, to the 40th year of the Zhengde era in the Ming Dynasty

After merging with the original body's memories, he discovered that strange occurrences happened every year, but this year was particularly abundant. It was not surprising that he had crossed over; what was truly remarkable was that the original body's father, Li Erbi, was merely a rural landlord who had never set foot in the capital city in his entire life. One night, he had a dream in which he dug up a stone that bore inscriptions such as 'the mountains and rivers change hands, and those with virtue shall reside there'.

More than an hour after Li Xuan and the others left, a government official dressed in a seventh-rank official robe and sporting a goatee stood before the dilapidated temple: "Search for them, I refuse to believe they can fly out of my grasp!"

At this moment, a robust man dressed in a short robe, wielding a butcher's knife, stepped out of the room and immediately asked: "Minister Liu, what is going on? Have the officials and soldiers caught up again?"

At this moment, the prince they spoke of was in the room. He was a young man of about sixteen years, named Li Xuan. He did not possess the delicate features often described in novels, nor did he have a height of eight feet or a robust physique.

Thus, more than twenty people began to pack their bags in a chaotic manner and once again ventured into the deep mountains and dense forests

Just because you say you don't see those wounds, it doesn't mean they don't exist

In all honesty, there are only about 300 people in Lijia Village. Even if we count the chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs, there are not even a few thousand mouths to feed. However, when reporting to higher authorities, if we do not exaggerate the enemy's strength, how can we highlight our great achievements?

Without waiting for General Chen, who wielded the cleaver, to speak, a middle-aged woman with a round face and a plump waist walked out: "What? The officials and soldiers have caught up again?"

Now it is settled, the family is shattered and lives are lost. That old man is dead and gone, yet he has dragged us, mother and son, into being pursued by the authorities like dogs. This life is unbearable

However, it is now evident that there is not much time for him to lament anything, as the officials and soldiers are about to catch up. At this moment, if he does not flee, does he intend to stay here and wait for death?

"You little prince, our Xuan'er has been studying very well, and he is about to pass the examination to become a scholar. This bright future has been ruined by you!" The woman became more and more excited as she shouted and cursed, even pointing her finger at the nose of Minister Liu while scolding.

He stood with his hands behind his back, full of vigor, drinking the water handed to him by his sycophant while already contemplating how to present a memorial to the court.

This made Lear exceptionally excited, believing himself to be the virtuous one. He then sought counsel from the unknowledgeable Daoist Liu at the village head, who, upon calculating with his fingers, declared that Li Xuan's father was the destined sovereign of the Nine-Five, the ruler of the Divine Land

As he was contemplating how to write the memorial, the county magistrate soon heard a report from his subordinate, the county guard: "There are still remnants of warmth in the ashes within the temple, and the traces are chaotic; the false Tang prince and his entourage must have just left not long ago."

The woman grew louder with her shouting and cursing, causing the two in front, Minister Liu and General Chen, to exchange glances. After a while, General Chen finally said: "What time is it, and you are still saying these things? We must hurry and leave, or we won't be able to escape if the officials catch up. Where is the Crown Prince?"

In a certain unknown dilapidated temple located in the eastern part of Zhengtai County, a middle-aged man dressed in tattered Daoist robes and sporting a face full of stubble hurriedly entered, exclaiming as he jogged, "Everyone, get up quickly, the Ming army is closing in on us, we must leave at once"

I shall lead three hundred county soldiers to subdue the rebel Li, engaging in a fierce battle for three days and three nights, slaying three thousand enemy soldiers. I exerted myself to capture ten enemy leaders, bearing a hundred wounds, and personally executed the false emperor Li Erbi on the spot

In the summer of the 40th year of the Ming Zhengde era

The middle-aged man in a long robe, known as Prime Minister Liu, had a face full of anxiety: "That's right, they are right at the foot of the mountain. If we don't leave now, it will be too late. General Chen, what about the Crown Prince and the Empress?"

When Li Xuan learned that he had become a laughingstock in the eyes of outsiders, his heart felt as if it had been turned upside down, experiencing a myriad of emotions all at once

At the beginning, it should be written as follows: I was astonished a month ago to hear that Li Erbi from Li Family Village raised a flag to plot rebellion, establishing a false Tang dynasty called Anjian, and gathered thousands of troops

All the accumulated feelings coalesce into a single word: damn

Moreover, you, Liu Bagou, are also bewitched; if it were not for your instigation of our old man, he would not have engaged in such matters as declaring himself emperor and establishing a nation

Thus, only over 300 villagers established the small imperial dynasty of the nation in the mountain valley, but six months later, when the county magistrate of Zhengtai County learned that a local landlord, who had never seen the world, had actually ascended to the throne and founded a country, he was so delighted that he couldn't sleep all night.

The county magistrate immediately waved his hand and said with great enthusiasm: "What are we waiting for? Hurry up and have this official pursue them!"

The outcome was entirely expected; the dynasty established by Li Xuan's father collapsed and vanished in a single day. As the emperor, Li Xuan's father was executed on the spot, while the others scattered in all directions.

This is indeed a serious act of rebellion. If one were to quell this rebellion, it would not take long to be promoted. Thus, this county magistrate eagerly gathered several hundred local militia from various sources to launch an attack.