Chongzhen Year One, July, Beijing.

The young emperor Zhu Youjian was reviewing memorials.

His trusted high-ranking eunuch Cao Huachun approached quietly and whispered: “Your Majesty, after over half a year of purges, the Eunuch Party has been completely eradicated.”

Cao Huachun had originally served under Wang An, the Director of Ceremonial, accompanying the fifth imperial grandson Zhu Youjian since childhood. Extremely favored by Zhu Youjian, he fell victim to Wei Zhongxian’s political maneuvers when Wei eliminated Wang An. As a member of Wang An’s faction, Cao Huachun was stripped of all ranks and exiled to Nanjing.

After ascending the throne, Zhu Youjian immediately recalled Cao Huachun, his lifelong companion.

Having personal grievances against the Eunuch Party, Cao Huachun now reported their eradication with uplifted brows, visibly pleased.

“Well done! Without the Eunuch Party seizing power, I can finally show my capabilities. To the memorials! More memorials!”

Zhu Youjian’s spirits soared like a jet engine.

Freed from the Eunuch Party, he felt invigorated even when reviewing petitions. He could issue decrees freely—no high-ranking eunuch would ever obstruct his orders again. Ha!

His hand casually flipped to a memorial from Shaanxi Inspector Li Yingqi. Focusing, he read: “From Fenghanxing’an through Yanqing and Pingliang to Xi’an, Your Majesty, I witnessed five months without rain, extending into autumn. The midsummer drought withered all crops. Red earth stretched barren, wild grass broke off in flames. Refugees flood every road I travel.

Hundreds gather along highways at each stop, pleading for relief. Now, regions surrounding Yan’an like Yichuan and Luochuan, along with Xi’an territories such as Hancheng, report marauders rallying by the hundreds. They beat drums, wave banners, plundering openly by daylight—the strong devouring the weak. Starvation presses the desperate to extremes. Better to loot for survival than starve awaiting death.”

Zhu Youjian frowned darkly. “This man always comes begging for gold.”

Cao Huachun murmured: “We must allocate silver to Shaanxi.”

Zhu Youjian pondered: Perhaps they could tighten budgets to scrape together funds?

Weighed by these thoughts, he opened the next memorial.

“Garrison troops at Jimen rioted for unpaid wages amid hunger. They torched and looted gunpowder depots. After extensive negotiations, they disbanded.”

Zhu Youjian’s heart plummeted like an elevator in freefall.

A curse nearly escaped his lips. But as emperor, he maintained decorum—vulgarities must never be uttered. He swallowed the words forcefully.

Shaanxi demanded silver. Now Jimen demanded soldiers’ pay?

Where could such funds come from?

No need to deliberate further. Zhu Youjian tossed Li Yingqi’s memorial aside. Out of sight, out of mind. He’d seen nothing at all.

…

Early in the morning, Li Daoxuan received a parcel.

His ordered “Thanos Gloves” had finally arrived. Gold-painted alloy shells embedded with “Infinity Stones” encased his hands, transforming his delicate fingers with +32,000% fierceness.

He couldn’t resist slipping them on, striking Thanos’ signature pose—fist clenched.

Be gone, half of humanity.

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang. Li Daoxuan startled, forgetting to remove the glove as he flung the door open. Outside stood a young courier, whistling while awaiting the recipient.

Instead of a person, the door revealed a Thanos fist.

The courier froze mid-whistle, leaping two meters backward. Only seeing a regular young man’s face emerge did he exhale: “Boss… that glove freaked me out!”

Li Daoxuan scratched his head: “Ah, apologies! Just messing around.”

A courier handed over a huge box: “Please sign and accept it.”

Li Daoxuan opened it and saw that inside the box was a 1:200 scale model of his alma mater, Thirty-Two Middle School. Well, the custom-made school model from Cai Xinzi’s shop assistant was finally ready.

He signed his name and told the courier, “Thanks for your hard work,” then carried the model of his alma mater back to the front of the box.

He earnestly glanced at his alma mater and instantly recalled the agonizing days of his college entrance exam years, feeling a strong urge to burn it. Deep down, he was grateful for the countless knowledge it taught him, but even so, he still wanted to burn it.

Learning truly was such a love-hate thing!

He looked inside the box again; it was early morning at that time. The small study well was crammed with children, and many who couldn’t find seats spilled outside it, cramming into another courtyard and even filling several outer pathways…

But despite that, the space was still insufficient.

Mr. Wang was sweaty and overwhelmed by the increasing number of students. About seven or eight teachers, recently “lured” by Tan Liwen, also assisted in and around the study well, busily circulating to tend to the students.

Dian Deng Zi Zhao Sheng was among them too. That scholar had already abandoned any thought of “succeeding in the imperial exam”; with nowhere to use his hard-earned knowledge, he simply became a teacher to pass it on to the children.

Li Daoxuan smiled: “Yiye, go to the study well and inform everyone that I’ll prepare a school for them. From now on, the study well will move out of the main fortress and relocate to the new school.”

Gao Yiye hurried off to deliver the message.

So, all the teachers and students from the study well followed Gao Yiye out of the main fortress to an open area outside. They stood there baffled, gazing up at the sky.

Li Daoxuan had already chosen a location, just outside the bamboo forest southwest of the main fortress. There, a patch of rocky ground was useless for farming, so he decided to build the school there. Nestled beside the bamboo forest, the spot carried a poetic charm.

He was about to take off his Thanos Gloves and grab a metal scraper to “level the ground,” when he suddenly remembered: before, no one could see his hand reaching into the box, but now with the Thanos Gloves on, would they spot it?

He might as well test it out!

Anyhow, in Gaojia Village, nobody would be alarmed if he tried this.

His right hand clad in the Thanos Gloves reached into the box…

Mr. Wang, Dian Deng Zi Zhao Sheng, the new teachers, and a group of children were still craning their necks skyward when suddenly they witnessed a golden, gleaming giant hand emerge from among a low cloud.

“Wow! It’s a golden-armored deity!”

“A golden-armored divine warrior!”

“No, not that! That’s the Deity’s hand.”

“Look—it’s covered in multicolored gems, all flashy and bright, totally the Deity’s style. Other deities never get so showy.”

Li Daoxuan: “…”

Well, they could see the gloves, but his reputation was unfairly tarnished yet again.

Whatever—so he was maligned. But to have such a cool glove criticized as gaudy? It genuinely infuriated the old man.

Li Daoxuan slammed his palm down onto the rocky beach…