I Made a Fortune in Ancient Times Through Entertainment

Shen Yuan suffers a harness accident while acting and falls unconscious. When he opens his eyes, he sees three scrawny children holding a baby and crying around him. Looking at the thatched hut with nothing in it and holes in the roof, Shen Yuan wails inwardly: Heaven, where on earth have you sent me? The Wu Kingdom lives up to its name: its people are fierce and admire strength. Poetry, books, rites, music, chess, calligraphy, painting, clothing, jewelry, opera, and dance are all underdeveloped. Culture and entertainment are desperately lacking, and the neighboring countries are no better. The Wu Kingdom is at the bottom of the pack. Shen Yuan, struggling to survive with his younger siblings, lights up. Making entertainment is right up my alley! It's a perfect fit! I've got this in the bag! Every teahouse is packed. A storyteller takes the stage to a chorus of eager calls. A human and a ghost can fall in love? Wait, ghosts really exist? A Ghostly Love Affair takes you on a tearjerking journey through a passionate, bittersweet romance. What is the chivalry of the martial world? The Swordsman shows you the flashing blades of the martial world, where people are chivalrous and brave, fighting evil and righting wrongs. What? People can cultivate immortality, too? The Path to Immortality follows a good-for-nothing young Taoist from a dilapidated temple as he makes a comeback and embarks on a road to greatness. The Wu Kingdom begins to pay attention to sacrifices and comforting the spirits of the dead. Local layabouts dream of becoming heroes, doing good deeds everywhere, and hearing people call them great heroes. It's a thrill like no other. After years of warfare, the entire Wu Kingdom is mobilized for battle. Taoist priests from every temple descend the mountain to save the people, and countless are killed or injured. Only a few return, left to guard their dilapidated temples. Then one day, an ignored temple begins to receive offerings, and more and more people come to worship. "The Path to Immortality says the power of faith is the strongest. Our gods can't be weaker than the ones abroad. Burn incense! Burn incense!" The neighboring kingdoms hear the stories and scoff. We may not have anything like that, but they're just silly stories. Anyone could write them. Why all the praise? Shen Yuan's eyes widen. You dare doubt me? So he starts building stages, creating costumes and sets, and putting on all kinds of plays. The Snow Disaster, a tale of human kindness in the face of a merciless calamity, not only brings audiences to tears but also teaches them how to find shelter and survive a blizzard. The ruler of the Northern Kingdom, perpetually beset by snow and wind, can't sit still. I want to see this play within fifteen minutes! The Monster Hunt, about the insurmountable divide between humans and monsters, shows everyone the dangers of the dense forest and teaches them how to identify poisonous insects and plants. The people of You'nan, newly settled after their migration and already suffering from poisonous insects and plants, hear about it and don their robes, pack their bags, and head to the Wu Kingdom to see the play. The Guardians, about soldiers defending their homeland, is deeply moving and brings audiences to tears. The people and the army unite, defending every inch of their homeland and yielding not an inch of territory. It also teaches emergency wound treatment during wartime and displays countless weapons. The emperor of the Wu Kingdom can't sit still. Only we get to see this play!!! During performances, the audience often gets so caught up in the story that they rush onstage to rescue disaster victims, beg Taoist priests and monks to spare the monsters, or fight alongside the soldiers against foreign enemies, leaving everyone laughing and crying at once. Besides this, the jewelry and clothing of the Wu dynasty gain many new styles under the influence of the plays. When these styles are sold in other countries, a new buying frenzy breaks out and demand far exceeds supply. The Wu Kingdom's economy rises sharply, while its cultural level remains low. The play The Journey to the Capital for the Imperial Exam takes the stage, and the imperial examination system becomes the object of countless people's longing. The powerful clans see what's coming and grow frantic. It's over. This one's aimed right at us! Shen Yuan squats in the main hall, eating melon. "Your Majesty, you promised that I wouldn't get so much as a scratch when we put on this play." The Wu Emperor raises his saber and knits his thick brows. "You're my, I mean, my brother's beloved. Whoever dares touch you, I'll cut them down." Shen Yuan chuckles and turns to the handsome man beside him. "Xie Yulin, I want more melon." Xie Yulin takes out a handkerchief and wipes his hands. His cool voice says, "You've already eaten a whole one. If you have more, you'll get a stomachache again." Shen Yuan sighs. He acts like a father to his younger siblings, and Xie Yulin acts like a father to him, controlling everything. Truly, there's always someone who can handle anyone. "I know, Dad." Xie Yulin's ears secretly turn red, but he remains composed. "A Yuan, you can have one more piece." ◆ Aloof, fastidious, fatherly top × cheerful puppy bottom who is the bane of aloof beauties [Note from 2024.9.26] -----Coming soon: Yuanbao's Everyday Life----- Yuanbao is reborn in ancient times as a male who can bear children. The Yuan family has five people. They get by with Yuan's father selling wontons and Yuan's mother doing laundry for others. The family is so poor they can barely afford to eat. His parents are always frowning with worry, and his older brother and sister never smile. When he is just a month old, his father puts him in a back basket beside his wonton stall. Baby Yuanbao has a round head, chubby cheeks, and round eyes. He's so round and cute. His parents need to earn money to buy him goat's milk, and Yuanbao wants to help too. Neither his age nor the language barrier can stop him. He looks at passersby with wide, round eyes and smiles. In baby talk, he babbles: Come have a bowl of wontons! (✿◠‿◠ ✿) Later, more and more people come to the family's little wonton stall, and business gets better and better. Yuanbao finally gets to drink goat's milk and grows up safe and sound. Fifteen-year-old Yuanbao falls seriously ill. His family sells the wonton stall to raise the money to snatch him back from the King of Hell. Yuan's father goes to the docks to carry heavy loads, and Yuan's mother takes on even more laundry work. The eldest Yuan son quits school, and the second Yuan daughter says she will marry to save the family the cost of feeding her. After his brush with death, Yuanbao's hazy memories of his previous life become clear. Unable to bear seeing his family suffer, he goes back to his old trade, making and selling all kinds of pastries and noodles. Through the family's efforts, their small stall becomes a little shop. Yuanbao and Cheng Junzhu grew up together as childhood sweethearts. Now that they're old enough, it's time to discuss their engagement. The two families had agreed to arrange their betrothal after the children's imperial exam, whether or not Junzhu passed and became a licentiate. But Junzhu passes and gets engaged to the son of a wealthy merchant. Yuanbao crouches beneath the pomegranate tree in the courtyard, his shoulders trembling slightly. A low voice comes from behind him, stern but awkwardly comforting: "Don't cry. I'll beat him up for you." Yuanbao stops picking at a pomegranate and looks up. He is so frightened that he drops onto his bottom. The pomegranate rolls toward a pair of black boots. Lu Huaiqian, a junior officer in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. His fearsome reputation precedes him. Nobody dares cross him. He is also the terrifying man Yuanbao and Cheng Junzhu have feared since childhood. Yuanbao stammers, "Hello, Cousin Lu." Lu Huaiqian frowns. "I'm Cheng Junzhu's cousin." Yuanbao says cautiously, "Hello, Officer Lu." Lu Huaiqian furrows his brows even more. "I came to your house to propose and ask for your hand. From now on, call me Daliang." He wants to marry him? Yuanbao bursts into tears. Later, his childhood sweetheart is made to call Yuanbao his sister-in-law by his husband. Yuanbao nods, a little embarrassed. "Ah, hello, Cousin." -----Coming soon: Handing Over a Shop Management System After the Disaster----- A great blizzard strikes the Yu Dynasty. The temperature plunges, and countless people freeze to death overnight. The idle heir apparent Yuan Qingming, who usually does nothing but chase cats and tease dogs, is woken by the cold. When he opens his eyes, he finds himself on an empty street, where someone claiming to be a shop management System tells him he has to complete tasks. The pampered young heir breaks his hands, singes his hair with fire, and even burns down the shop. At last, he manages to make a bowl of tomato and egg-drop soup as instructed. Crying and begging everyone from his father to his ancestors for help, he finally sells it and completes the beginner task. After completing the task, Yuan Qingming rushes straight into the imperial palace and clings to his handsome imperial uncle's leg, wailing. He shows off all his injuries and shouts that he wants to hand over the System. The Yu Dynasty is frozen under a thousand miles of ice. The crops fail completely, the border defenses are in crisis, and people eat one another's children. In the depths of despair, the imperial treasury suddenly hands out food and clothes. The clothes are a little strange, though. They're called down jackets and military coats. All the rice distributed is polished white rice, without a trace of mixed or brown rice. They say mixed and brown rice are more expensive than white rice, so they can't afford to give those out. Every so often, they even hand out cans of meat, and the cans are sturdier than bowls. Somehow, life has gotten a whole lot better! - In the simulated management world of the year 4076, humans begin to awaken supernatural abilities. An abandoned old cultural street in Zhongyu Kingdom suddenly comes to life. Step into any restaurant, and the head chef is an imperial chef. Enter a medical clinic, and the doctor is an imperial physician. Enter a clothing shop, and the tailor is an imperial embroiderer. Enter a martial arts school, and the instructor is an imperial guard. Enter a bookstore, and all the ancient books on display are from the imperial study. Well, never mind whether it's real or not. They actually get to experience the kind of treatment only an emperor can enjoy. In particular, each shop on the cultural street has its own special effects. The meals boost strength, intelligence, and mental energy! Medicine from the clinic eases the unavoidable side effects of supernatural abilities. Clothes from the tailor's shop grant various defensive effects. The martial arts taught at the school let anyone attack for five seconds, regardless of their ability level! As word of all these remarkable effects spreads from person to person, the once-deserted traditional cultural street becomes a global sensation. - Yuan Qingming tells the System to wake him up punctually at midnight. The System opens its friends' farm feature, and Yuan Qingming has to show up right on time to steal crops and sell them at the restaurant. While he's having a great time stealing crops, a voice beside him asks, "Why are you still awake?" Yuan Qingming looks over. The person before him has a face like a peach blossom, beauty like jade, the bearing of a noble tree, and the countenance of a deity. Yuan Qingming can't help saying, "Imperial Uncle, you're beautiful." Yuan Shuo: "What?" Yuan Qingming snaps back to his senses. "I said I'm stealing crops." Yuan Shuo chuckles. "What else?" Yuan Qingming can't help staring again. "Also, Imperial Uncle, you're really beautiful!" Theme: Never give up. Hope lies ahead.