In the third year of the Guanghe era, the days were still a little chilly at the end of March. Wang Chen lay on his back on the bed. It had been exactly sixteen years since he had crossed over into this world. He was the eldest legitimate son of the Wang clan of Taiyuan. The two most famous members of his family were his uncle, Wang Yun, who would one day become Minister over the Masses, and his younger brother, Wang Ling, who would one day become Grand Commandant. Two of the Three Excellencies were his relatives, and he had both of them firmly in his corner. His younger brother Wang Ling came bouncing into the room with a grin, saying that their father wanted him in the study. Wang Chen sat up and started putting on his outer robe. “All right, no studying today. Come to my courtyard and practice martial arts.”
