Chapter Five: A Thousand Years Later?

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Not paying for the meal?

A look of surprise flashed across Liu Ju’s youthful face.

From the brief time Liu Ju had spent with Liu Bei and his group, they did not seem like the type to leave without settling the bill.

Besides, he had personally heard Liu Bei say that the money was placed on the table.

“Brother, didn’t Liu Bei already put the payment on the table earlier?”

Mentioning it only fueled Zhang Bo’s anger.

The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became; stepping back only made him feel more wronged.

“Bah, what money? It’s just a bunch of trinkets. I’ll show you.”

With that, Zhang Bo went back inside, took out a string of copper coins, separated one, and handed it to Liu Ju.

“Little Ju, do you know what coin this is?”

Liu Ju took the copper coin from Zhang Bo’s hand and, with just a brief glance, recognized the two words “Wu Zhu” inscribed in small seal script.

Wu Zhu coins!

Impossible.

In his memory, although his father intended to abolish the San Zhu coin and introduce the Wu Zhu coin, it was still in planning and had not been implemented.

So where had these Wu Zhu coins come from?

Suddenly, Liu Ju recalled the era Liu Bei and the others belonged to.

The twelfth year of Jian'an.

A look of realization came over his face.

Though the Wu Zhu coins had not been issued by the fifth year of Yuanshou, it was clear they would be introduced soon, and it seemed they were in use up until the late Eastern Han period.

“Brother, are these really Wu Zhu coins?”

Zhang Bo was somewhat surprised that Liu Ju recognized the coins. After all, he himself had only identified them as Wu Zhu coins through his phone’s image recognition app.

However, Liu Ju was only half correct.

“Little Ju, although these look like Wu Zhu coins, they aren’t actually Wu Zhu coins. After all, real Wu Zhu coins are antiques. Though not highly valuable, one coin is worth around a hundred or eighty yuan. This string would be worth thousands if genuine. Anyone with sense knows that’s impossible.”

Liu Ju seemed not to hear Zhang Bo’s words. His gaze was entirely fixed on the Wu Zhu coin in his hand, turning it over and over, playing with it ceaselessly.

“Brother, could you give me a few of these Wu Zhu coins?”

He wanted to take some back to show his father—to open his eyes.

That way, his father might believe he had truly come to the late Eastern Han era.

“Little Ju, if you want them, just take them.”

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Since they were just worthless trinkets, Zhang Bo did not mind parting with them.

Even if these Wu Zhu coins were made of copper, selling the copper wouldn’t fetch much. Since Liu Ju wanted them, giving them away was no trouble.

Liu Ju, of course, would not take Zhang Bo’s kindness for free. He took a piece of mutton fat jade bi from his waist and handed it to Zhang Bo.

“Brother, I’ll trade this with you.”

Zhang Bo’s eyes fell on the jade bi Liu Ju offered. Though he wasn’t well-versed in jade, he could tell this mutton fat jade was extraordinary.

Milky white all over, with a fine, lustrous texture. Given Liu Ju’s modest wealth, this jade must be worth at least four figures.

“Little Ju, no need. If you like these Wu Zhu coins, they’re yours.”

“Brother, please accept it. To me, these Wu Zhu coins are far more precious than jade.”

Seeing Liu Ju’s insistence, Zhang Bo reluctantly accepted.

He had already decided he was only safeguarding the jade bi for Liu Ju; if Liu Ju’s family came looking for it, he would return it.

“By the way, Little Ju, these Wu Zhu coins were first minted during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che. He had a crown prince—who shared your name, also called Liu Ju.”

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che?

Liu Ju lifted his gaze from the Wu Zhu coins, his eyes filled with disbelief.

The title “Emperor Wu” was a posthumous honorific, a judgment made by later generations for the deceased.

The problem was, his father was still in the prime of life—how could he already have a posthumous title?

Suddenly, Liu Ju considered a possibility:

Could it be that this very eatery was from the late Eastern Han period, which would explain how his “brother” knew his father’s posthumous title?

But that didn’t add up either.

If this eatery was from the late Eastern Han, how then did Zhang Bo have the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” in his hands?

After puzzling over this for a moment, Liu Ju decided to start by understanding the origin of “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”

He took out the book from his bosom and asked Zhang Bo,

“Brother, who is this Luo Guanzhong, the author of ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’? How could he know about events from the late Eastern Han?”

Liu Ju’s question left Zhang Bo dumbfounded.

“Little Ju, Luo Guanzhong was a man of the Ming dynasty. Isn’t it normal that he knows about the late Eastern Han?”

At this, Liu Ju’s face mirrored Zhang Bo’s own confusion.

The Ming dynasty? What dynasty was that? He had never heard of it.

Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han—where did the Ming come from?

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“Brother, how long after the late Eastern Han was this Ming dynasty?”

Zhang Bo paused briefly, estimating in his mind.

“About a thousand years later.”

A thousand years!

Liu Ju had thought the Eastern Han was already beyond his comprehension. Now, there was this Ming dynasty over a thousand years later. What era, then, was this Ming dynasty from the fifth year of Yuanshou?

Yet Liu Ju quickly thought of something else.

“Brother, could it be that you are also from the Ming dynasty?”

Hearing Liu Ju’s question, Zhang Bo chuckled.

“What Ming dynasty? Our time is four hundred years after the Ming dynasty.”

Ah?

Liu Ju stood frozen, as still as a statue.

He felt his mind was overwhelmed.

The Western Han of Yuanshou’s fifth year, the Eastern Han of Jian’an twelfth year, the Ming dynasty over a thousand years after the Eastern Han, and now four hundred years after the Ming dynasty.

Liu Ju was stunned.

After a moment, he lifted his head and looked at Zhang Bo, his youthful face now serious.

“Brother, I have something to tell you. Please don’t be afraid.”

Seeing Liu Ju’s solemn expression, Zhang Bo didn’t take his words seriously. Instead, he smiled, curious to hear what unbelievable secret Liu Ju might reveal.

“Little Ju, why keep me in suspense? Don’t worry, your brother Bo has a brave heart.”

Liu Ju’s mind was in turmoil, but he took a deep breath, steadying himself, then spoke to Zhang Bo deliberately and clearly.

“Brother, actually, I come from the Western Han you spoke of, and my father is Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che.”

The smile on Zhang Bo’s face froze instantly, but only for a moment before a broader grin replaced it. He patted Liu Ju on the shoulder.

“Hahaha, Little Ju, not bad, that was a good joke. I almost believed you.”

Liu Ju looked at Zhang Bo, who clearly didn’t believe him, growing anxious.

“Brother, it’s true. If you don’t believe me, I’ll take you back to Western Han.”