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Chapter 1 - Emphasizing Human Relationships and Worldly Wisdom

Chapter 1: Emphasizing Human Relationships and Worldly Wisdom

In a parallel world, as the historical program scene unfolded, chaos erupted due to an unprecedented broadcasting mishap.

“Why is this happening? Why are the AI-simulated historical figures being so uncooperative? Our challengers, all highly accomplished history majors, are struggling in conversations with these historical figures. It’s baffling,” the director pondered, scratching his head.

“Stepping into History” was a novel program that aimed to utilize AI technology to recreate historical scenes and simulate historical figures. The show selected challengers and immersed them in the lives of these figures to inform the audience about life in the past.

This program was quite costly, and it was being broadcast live. They initially assumed that recruiting history experts would be a breeze.

However, now, three consecutive individuals, when combined, hadn’t even lasted three minutes. Their etiquette was impeccable, yet they were oddly failing the challenges. In the audience, a young man named Qin Xuan, a true-time traveler who had just arrived in this parallel world, watched the situation with a contemplative expression. He was working as a staff member for the program.

“It’s not about etiquette. It’s about worldly wisdom!” Qin Xuan muttered to himself.

By now, he had a good understanding of this parallel world. It was quite similar to his previous world, but the key difference was the straightforward nature of the people here, lacking the complex cultural norms of his previous world. However, worldly wisdom was an integral part of traditional culture, whether considered a flaw or not. It has always existed throughout history.

Before Qin Xuan’s time travel, he was a system member and knew how to navigate the intricacies of human relationships. He had a strong understanding of the nuances of social interactions. Soon, after some adjustments, another challenger began. His identity was a scholar from the Chenghua era, and he hailed from the same hometown as the Minister of Justice. To ensure a successful challenge, the production team prepared an enhanced Suifa gun for him. As long as he presented it to the emperor, it would be a successful challenge.

The challenger knew that the Ministry of Works was responsible for managing such inventions, so he went directly to the Minister of Works and had an officer deliver the Suifa gun to him, waiting outside.

Qin Xuan shook his head when he saw this. “Mistaken. Since they are fellow townsfolk with the Minister of Justice, he should have presented it to the Minister of Justice. Going to someone else now won’t lead to success!”

Inside the live streaming room, viewers were also excited, and the barrage of comments kept pouring in.

“An improved Suifa gun, the Ming Dynasty will become stronger!”

“Why didn’t he do this earlier? If he had brought it out earlier, he would have passed the challenge for sure!”

The excitement in the live-streaming room surged, and the director and the producer breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they managed to save face. Otherwise, the whole program team would have been embarrassed.

However, in less than ten minutes, the challenge failed. The Minister of Works never met with him, and the item was confiscated.

The Suifa gun was even called a gimmick!

“I can’t believe it. Why? This is such an incredible invention. Are they blind?”

“This is unbelievable. Is there something wrong with the AI?”

“Oh my god, if I were to time travel, I probably wouldn’t survive for even a minute!”

Qin Xuan understood it well. It wasn’t that the Suifa gun wasn’t good. It was very good. In reality, the Ming Dynasty was plagued by internal conflicts. To present their inventions to the Ming Dynasty, one must first make sure that the recommender saw a benefit. Only when the influential figure was well-fed could the subordinate benefit. In the minds of those high-ranking officers, the number one priority wasn’t the commoners at the bottom but their interests. If the invention of the Suifa gun didn’t increase their wealth, who would be motivated to support it? If the Suifa gun were to enhance military strength, the emperor would undoubtedly reward the inventor, and there would be no benefit for the recommender.

So, who would go through the trouble of doing this unprofitable task? Failure was normal in ancient times, as it was a society built on personal connections. Fortunately, in this parallel world, such complexities were absent. The production team was in total disarray. Unless they found a new solution, this could be the biggest mishap in the show’s history!

Suddenly, a notification sound rang in Qin Xuan’s mind.

“Ding dong! Congratulations, host, the Human Relationships and Worldly Wisdom System has been successfully bound!”

Qin Xuan looked puzzled. He hadn’t expected to be tied to such a system.

“Binding human relationships and worldly wisdom: As long as you gain benefits through human relationships and worldly wisdom in the AI simulation, you will receive rewards!”

Qin Xuan’s lips twitched at the simplicity of it all. After a brief moment of hesitation, he suddenly stood up and found the director. “Director, I have an idea, and I’d like to try it!”

Director Wang Bo adjusted his glasses, looked at the young man before him, hesitated for a moment, and patted his shoulder. “Xiao Qin, I’ll entrust this to you. Don’t feel pressured, just give it your best!”

Qin Xuan nodded slightly, “Don’t worry, Director. I promise to complete the mission.”

And so, Qin Xuan became the new challenger. This time, his choice mirrored that of the previous contestant. He also held the title of scholar and, like the earlier participant, hailed from the same hometown as Wang Zhi, the Minister of Justice. His task was to present the Suifa gun for approval. However, this time, he opted to present the invention to the Minister of Justice rather than the Minister of Works.

As he entered the scene, everything was set up as before. He stood at the entrance of the Ministry of Justice in a brocade robe. Qin Xuan stood at the Ministry of Justice entrance, offering the item to a young officer, who then presented it to the Minister of Justice.

The comments in the live chat were perplexed.

“Wait, buddy, do you have any common sense? The Suifa gun falls under the Ministry of Works’ jurisdiction. Going to the Ministry of Justice is even worse than going to the Ministry of War!”

“I can’t believe it. This guy has no historical knowledge! He’s wasting his time at the Ministry of Justice!”

“I bet this kid can’t even secure a meeting with the Minister.”

The live chat was in complete chaos, and the production team was on edge. However, suddenly, the young officer approached and invited Qin Xuan inside.

“What? Is this even possible? Is the Minister of Justice easy to approach?”

“Wait, the AI data said this Minister of Justice is notoriously difficult to deal with. How did Qin Xuan manage it?”

“Could it be the hometown connection?”

“It must be. It appears Qin Xuan has a plan. Impressive!”

The live chat continued to discuss the situation, and with Qin Xuan gaining an audience with the high-ranking officer of the Ministry of Justice, the show made some progress.

The production team breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, Qin Xuan met Wang Zhi.

Wang Zhi was dressed in a red robe and sat upright in a chair, looking at Qin Xuan, and asked, “Are you Qin Xuan?”

“Student Qin Xuan pays his respects to you, sir. You have offered your guidance, and you are my mentor! May I have the honor of addressing you as my mentor?” Qin Xuan performed a deep bow.

By directly referring to Wang Zhi as his mentor, Qin Xuan was signaling his respect and willingness to be guided by him.

In ancient times, people greatly emphasized the mentor-student relationship, just as in the TV series Detective Dee, where Zeng Tai’s address to his mentor led to his career advancement. He served as a county magistrate for ten years before that!

Wang Zhi’s usually stern face revealed a slight smile, indicating his satisfaction with the young man before him. Wang Zhi gestured for Qin Xuan to take a seat.

Qin Xuan promptly sat down and, after waiting for Wang Zhi to speak, initiated the conversation. “Mentor, regarding this Suifa gun…”

Wang Zhi smiled slightly and said, “The Suifa gun you presented is excellent. It’s undoubtedly a significant achievement.”

However, Qin Xuan remained composed and said, “I’d like to congratulate my mentor!”

Wang Zhi acted nonchalantly. “What is there to congratulate?”

Qin Xuan quickly paid his respects. “Mentor, you have worked tirelessly for the sake of the Ming Dynasty. Your design of the Suifa gun is a great contribution to the country and its people. Shouldn’t I offer my congratulations?”

Wang Zhi was momentarily shocked but then smiled more broadly and said, “Well, you are right. Your words are not unwarranted. You have also played a significant role. Prepare yourself. We shall meet the emperor together!”

Suddenly, Wang Zhi remembered something. “Oh, by the way, the Ministry of Justice has just solved a case. As you are new here, you need some accomplishments. I will attribute this success to you.”

Qin Xuan quickly rose and said, “Thank you for your guidance, mentor!”

[???].

“What? Is this even possible?”

“This is quite clever, isn’t it?”

“But it seems effective; they all meet the emperor?”

The internet buzzed with discussions, and at this moment, the famous painting of this world was being edited and shared repeatedly. The show’s ratings saw a significant boost. Qin Xuan wasn’t surprised by his success. This situation was like trying to get a research paper approved in a bureaucratic system. It required the approval of a superior, and typically, the superior might delay the approval. However, if you were to tell your superior, “You wrote this paper, and I appreciate your inclusion of my name,” it would likely get approved without any issues.

Qin Xuan was relieved that this bureaucratic red tape hadn’t tainted this parallel world.