I Laughed Myself to Death After Being Exiled to Hainan

Shen You was born in a remote mountain village and grew up inland. His greatest wish in life was to settle by the sea and drink coconut juice while cooking seafood. Sadly, he never saw the ocean before dying in a car accident. As he closed his eyes, Shen You thought: In my next life, I'm definitely going to the seaside. When he opened his eyes again, he had become Shen You, a newly named top scholar descended from the disgraced crown prince's branch of the family. The emperor issued an edict banishing the crown prince and Shen You a thousand miles away, assigning them to Qiongzhou. Qiongzhou, on the very edge of the empire, was a land of miasma, venomous insects, and snakes. The court sighed that the top scholar's future was ruined and he'd never have another chance to rise again. No one noticed how startlingly bright Shen You's eyes were as he received the edict. Qiongzhou! Hainan! Qiongzhou! Hainan! Qiongzhou! Hainan! As the court debated how long a pampered young master like Shen You could survive in such a barbaric land, Shen You rolled up his sleeves and chopped bamboo in the primeval rainforest. "Ding! Congratulations, Host. Chop 100 stalks of bamboo to redeem a treehouse. Redeem now?" "Ding! Congratulations, Host. Find one coconut to redeem a bowl of coconut pudding. Redeem now?" "Ding! Chop down five more rubber trees to redeem one latex bed." The Empire's crown prince had been demoted to commoner and exiled to Qiongzhou alongside Shen You. Heartbroken, he gave Shen You a tragic smile. "I've dragged you down with me." Shen You: "No, no, you haven't." The crown prince assumed Shen You was trying to comfort him. He lowered his eyes and smiled bitterly, his spirits low. But gradually, the crown prince began to realize something was off. He was mourning the passing seasons, while Shen You was planting coconut trees on the beach. He was reciting poetry with mournful pauses, while Shen You was planting coconut trees on the beach. He was lamenting the past and mourning the present, while Shen You was planting coconut trees on the beach. The crown prince: "..." We're scholars, for crying out loud. Could you stop obsessing over those lousy coconut trees? Half a month later, the crown prince said, "Burp. Coconut pudding is delicious." Theme: There is boundless beauty in this world