Rong Zheng

Biodata

Academic Progression

Background and History

Modern Life and Transmigration

Rong Zheng originally belonged to a wealthy modern family with substantial businesses. Raised as the Rong Clan’s thirty-first-generation successor, he helped his father handle family affairs from a young age and devoted himself to martial arts. He had never dated before transmigrating 1 2 7.

He transmigrates in his sleep into another Rong Zheng, the nineteen-year-old only son of hunter Rong Man and Lin Qiao. The original owner had failed the preliminary examinations three times, lost both parents, and spent years drinking and withdrawing from village life. With his money nearly exhausted, he dies by striking his head against a gravestone at his parents’ graves 1.

After absorbing the original owner’s memories, Rong Zheng accepts that he must build a life in the unfamiliar world. Ye Yun and Ye Chen find him at the graves and provide food, water, and medicinal herbs. Their kindness—and Ye Yun’s appearance—leave a lasting impression on him 1.

Rebuilding His Livelihood

Rong Zheng begins exercising, tending the neglected family land, and hunting to cover his living expenses and land tax. Although initially confident that martial arts will make hunting easy, he discovers that tracking, camouflage, and trapping require separate skills. Over roughly a month, he develops a regular routine of fieldwork and hunting practice 2 3 5.

His increasingly valuable catches change his reputation in Anhe Village. Neighbors who had dismissed him as a hopeless, impoverished scholar begin regarding him as a capable provider and desirable marriage prospect. He hires Wang Ze and his wife to tend his vegetable plot when hunting takes him away from home 10 12.

Rescuing and Marrying Ye Yun

After discovering bruises on Ye Yun and Ye Chen, Rong Zheng learns that their eldest uncle’s household has taken their family property while starving, overworking, and beating them. He confesses his feelings to Ye Yun and promises to help the brothers leave 6 10.

When Ming-ge’er alerts him that Ye Yun is in trouble, Rong Zheng rushes to intervene. He stops Chen Guihua from striking Ye Yun, repels Ye Yao’s attack, and publicly proposes marriage. By threatening to report the abuse to the authorities, he secures a household division through which the brothers recover fifteen taels and ten mu of land 15 16.

Rong Zheng arranges medical treatment and temporary lodging for the brothers, then organizes a village-wide wedding ten days later. He and Ye Yun marry with Village Chief Ye as witness and Auntie Zhong overseeing the ceremony. On their wedding night, he postpones consummation because Ye Yun is young and physically weakened by years of malnutrition 17 18.

Building a Family Home

Rong Zheng welcomes Ye Chen as family, begins teaching him martial arts, and entrusts household money to Ye Yun. He purchases approximately two mu of building land for ten taels and designs a larger home with a fireplace and heated kang beds. At Ye Yun’s request, he adds a bathing room 19.

Master Zheng’s crew completes the house on schedule. The family moves in and holds a housewarming meal for neighbors, village elders, and others who helped them. Rong Zheng gains a separate study, allowing him to read early without disturbing Ye Yun’s sleep 24 32.

Examinations and Future Plans

Rong Zheng returns to academy life while continuing to live at home. His examination group faces disruption when Wei Xing withdraws, citing his three previous failures; Teacher Zhao helps the remaining members recruit Mu Han as a replacement 34 37.

Despite Xu Huaqing deliberately downgrading his county examination paper to favor Xu Qi, Rong Zheng places first. He subsequently tops the prefectural examination and becomes a tongsheng 42 44 48.

He decides against taking the academy examination that August, considering another attempt in two years instead. Although Teacher Zhao recommends White Deer Academy and outside sponsorship, Rong Zheng chooses to remain in town temporarily, earn more money, and prepare independently. He refuses financial ties to merchants or local gentry because he fears the obligations they could impose later 49.

Appearance

• Face and eyes: Exceptionally handsome, with distinctive peach-blossom eyes that frequently carry a teasing expression around Ye Yun 10 18 48.
• Build: Tall, broad-shouldered, and narrow-waisted; possesses considerable strength without appearing especially muscular 11 38.
• Bearing: Upright, composed, and distinguished. His poise contrasts sharply with the original owner’s withdrawn manner 8 11 44.
• Resemblance to his former self: His new body looks almost identical to his modern appearance, only younger 2.
• Early physical condition: Initially weak and lacking muscle; becomes sturdier through exercise, physical work, and better nutrition 2 5.

Personality

Rong Zheng is practical and adaptable. Once he accepts his transmigration, he prioritizes food, income, physical conditioning, and taxes rather than dwelling on his lost circumstances. He treats failure as a chance to revise his methods, particularly while learning to hunt 2 3.

He has a strong aversion to bullying and domestic abuse. His decision to intervene for the Ye brothers combines gratitude for their help, affection for Ye Yun, and a conviction that he should protect vulnerable people when able. He nevertheless recognizes when his urgency oversteps local boundaries, apologizing after impulsively lifting Ye Yun’s sleeve to inspect his bruises 6.

Publicly, he is courteous and self-possessed; privately, he is affectionate, clingy, and fond of teasing his husband. He wants Ye Yun’s genuine affection rather than obedience based on marital hierarchy, and supports his freedom to study medicine or manage the household 20 26 28.

Fidelity is an explicit principle for him. After the prefectural examination, he refuses an invitation to pleasure houses despite his classmates’ encouragement, unwilling to hurt Ye Yun or undermine their marriage 45.

Abilities and Skills

Martial Arts

Trained from childhood, Rong Zheng ranks among the strongest members of his modern family in combat, saber techniques, and archery 1.

• Uses qinggong to leap into trees and survey hunting grounds 3.
• Detects faint sounds through exceptional hearing and remains alert to slight movements 19 28 48.
• Kills a large snake with a single knife strike and defeats a giant wolf through evasion, strength, and close-range knife work 12 28.
• Helps restrain a wild boar, then shoots its eye before Ye Lin delivers the finishing blow 38.

Hunting

Rong Zheng develops hunting expertise through practice and the original owner’s memories of his father’s advice 3.

• Studies terrain, animal traces, camouflage, and species-specific hunting methods 3.
• Sets traps and learns to wait patiently for valuable prey, including foxes 5 28.
• Hunts pheasants, rabbits, wild goats, deer, foxes, and other game 5 12 23.
• Recognizes that martial agility alone cannot replace hunting experience, and that successful expeditions still depend partly on luck 3 12.

Scholarship and Calligraphy

His modern education and childhood calligraphy practice provide a foundation for examination study, but he still needs instruction in the dynasty’s literary and political expectations 8 34.

• Follows a daily program of copying, memorization, poetry reading, and essay writing 34.
• Produces policy essays praised for clear arguments, rigorous logic, and unusual depth 34 48.
• Adapts his handwriting to local tastes while retaining an individual style 34.
• Initially struggles with poetry and current-affairs examples; improves through practice and Teacher Zhao’s criticism 34 36 37.

Teaching

Rong Zheng tailors Ye Chen’s training to build physical ability and confidence 19.

• Teaches horse stance, posture, breathing, balance, and efficient use of strength 19 26.
• Uses appropriately sized water buckets for foundational conditioning 26.
• Introduces swordsmanship with a branch and requires an assessment before permitting use of a real sword 33.
• Offers reading and writing instruction at home while delaying Ye Chen’s formal schooling 28.
• Hopes Ye Chen will inherit his martial knowledge but refuses to force him into it 33.

Story Development and Promotion

An avid reader of modern webnovels, Rong Zheng supplies imaginative plots but acknowledges that he lacks experience turning them into finished prose 9.

• Advances Feng Xuanwen one tael to develop a story from his ideas 9.
• Collaborates on the publication of Realm of Wonders and Strangeness through Distant View Bookshop 27 30.
• Pays a storyteller one tael and supplies a copy of the book to promote it, while admitting that the sales effect is uncertain 31.

Cooking and Household Planning

• Learns cooking and basic vegetable gardening from helping his mother in the modern world 2.
• Prepares nourishing meals for Ye Yun and Ye Chen and regularly shares food with neighbors 19 20.
• Recreates master stock duck from a remembered recipe and considers selling it after receiving favorable feedback 47.
• Draws the plans for the family’s new house, including its fireplace and heated kang beds 19 23.

Equipment and Property

• Hunting equipment — Uses a bow, arrows, knife, traps, and carrying basket on mountain expeditions 3 12 21 28.
• Study materials — Keeps handwritten books, copybooks, brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone; later receives an additional study set as his county examination reward 2 8 44.
• Embroidered handkerchief — A white handkerchief made and given to him by Ye Yun 24.
• Original house and farmland — Inherits a brick-and-tile home near the mountain and three mu of neglected fields 2.
• New family home — A large house built for approximately one hundred taels, with high boundary walls, heated beds, a fireplace, and a separate study 24 32.

Relationships

• Ye Yun — Husband and first romantic love. Ye Yun helps him immediately after transmigration; Rong Zheng later frees him from his abusive household and supports his medical interests and independence 1 16 18 20.
• Ye Chen — Younger brother-in-law and martial arts student. Rong Zheng treats him as his own younger brother and encourages his confidence, friendships, and education 19 25 30 33.
• Rong Man and Lin Qiao — Deceased parents of the original body’s owner. Rong Zheng inherits their son’s memories and resolves to attempt the scholarly path they had supported 1 2.
• Wang Zhang-shi — Supportive neighbor whom he calls Auntie Zhang. She provides food and advice, helps organize his wedding, and regards his changed circumstances with relief 2 6 17 25.
• Wang Ze and Tao Miao — Neighbors and hired helpers who tend his vegetable plot; their households regularly exchange food 10 20 47.
• Teacher Zhao — Academic mentor who accepts him back into Azure Cloud Academy, critiques his work, and encourages further study 8 34 49.
• Huang Yi — Fellow academy student, examination guarantor, and friend. Their acquaintance begins through the sale of Rong Zheng’s giant wolf 28 34 45.
• Feng Xuanwen — Storybook collaborator and friend. Rong Zheng values his integrity and filial devotion, while Feng Xuanwen appreciates his financial and creative support 9 27 35 46.
• Village Chief Ye — Oversees the Ye brothers’ household division, witnesses Rong Zheng’s marriage, and assists with property and contractual matters 16 17 19 42.

Notable Quotes

“A-Yun, I don't fall for someone easily. You're the first, and you'll be the last.” 17

“Of course not. If you like studying medicine, then study it. If you like managing the household, then do that. I only want you to live comfortably.” 20

“In my view, a scholar's romantic spirit is never displayed in places of pleasure, but in his writing, in the talent that shines through his words.” 45