Republican Era: Run Tu's Son Enters Peking University from the Start

When people are reborn in the Republic of China era, they're usually the son of a warlord or a young master from a prominent family.

When Zhang Qisheng opens his eyes, his father is that textbook boy with “a purple round face and a little felt hat”: young Runtu.

And the “Master” Runtu talks about is now Zhang Qisheng's uncle, Lu Xun.

From the start, he has a drafty mud hut, six mu of poor sandy soil, and a raging fever that nearly burns him to death. At least he gets a cheat: a portable pocket dimension and an absurdly good memory that lets him remember everything he sees.

Lu Xun returns to his hometown hoping to catch up, only to be astonished by the boy's talent. “He remembers everything after seeing it a few times.” After testing him, Lu Xun takes Zhang Qisheng straight to the capital without a second thought.

He forces his way through the gates of Peking University with just a few books and a policy essay.

Later, someone goes through the records and sees his name leap from Peking University to Huangpu, then from a post as an instructor into the diplomatic service. Later still, at the Paris Peace Conference, he single-handedly debates the foreign powers, refuting the draft of the Twenty-One Demands point by point.

A reporter chases after Lu Xun and asks, “Sir, why did you choose him above all others back then?”

Lu Xun sets down his brush and says only, “I just didn't want him to become another Runtu.”

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.