Zheng Yunqi is struck on the head by an antique vase and inexplicably transmigrates to Yangzhou in the late Ming Dynasty, where the Yangzhou Massacre is about to unfold. Fortunately, he binds himself to a loss-subsidy System that covers losses up to 100,000 taels!
A chaotic age is coming, and the dynasty is nearing its end.
He has no desire to contend for the throne. He just wants to exploit every loophole in the System, lie flat, and safely wait out the calamity.
But Heaven never lets an idle man lie flat. Though he only wants to lose money and do nothing, he is forced again and again to turn the tables.
Pickled vegetables bring monopoly profits, bras make him a fortune across Yangzhou, flood-control works uncover hidden riches, and recruiting refugees wins the loyalty of bandits.
Corrupt officials make trouble? He turns around and strips them of their fortunes!
Rebels run amok? Fearsome warriors from the martial world vow to serve him to the death!
A prince plots against him? He turns the tables and seizes the Prince of Chu's title.
He manufactures firearms, builds an arms industry, defends Yangzhou, and holds off the Qing army!
Using Jiangnan as his base, he reforms the old system, promotes industry and commerce, opens sea routes, and campaigns in the northern frontier!
From a penniless commoner to a regional prince, he is ultimately forced to ascend the throne as emperor of the Southern Ming.
He builds modern industry, creates an invincible navy, ushers in a golden age for the Southern Ming, and reshapes the balance of power in East Asia.
Everyone knows he conquered the land with an iron fist and established a prosperous age, but no one knows that when he is alone, the little eunuchs often hear him mutter, "I never wanted to be emperor. You all forced me into it!"
Not bad, worth a look.