I Came From Heaven [Transmigration/Time-Travel] - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The next day, before the rooster crowed outside, I sprang out of bed, full of energy. Unexpectedly, the old master chef in the kitchen was even earlier than me. After greeting him good morning, I pitched in to help light the fire and heat the stove to prepare breakfast, chatting idly as I worked:

“Master Chef, who is coming today? Such a grand event, reserving the entire Chun Sheng Lou.”

The chef, who was chopping vegetables with a sharp rhythmic sound, put down his knife and paused when he heard my question:

“I heard from the staff that it’s the son of the current Zhongbo Duke who’s coming.”

Black question mark in my mind—what the heck is a Zhongbo Duke? I shook my head in confusion:

“Zhongbo Duke? Who is that?”

“You boy, are you really not from this country? You don’t even understand the official hierarchy?”

“I truly am not from Da Xuan.”

So, while busy with my work, I listened to the Master Chef patiently explain the knowledge.

The territory of Xuan is not small: one capital and twenty-four prefectures (zhou). In the language of my Celestial Dynasty, that means one capital and twenty-four provinces. The main city under a prefecture is called a fu. For example, the main city of Hongzhou is Changshun Prefecture (Changshun fu). This is the same principle as the capital of Sichuan Province being Chengdu.

The ruler of Xuan allocates official ranks according to the color of the court robes’ collars. The official governing a zhou (prefecture/province) is called the Zhoudu (Provincial Governor), rank Red Collar. The official governing a fu (prefecture/city) is called the Fuwei (City Commandant), rank Yellow Collar. Simply put, one is a provincial governor, the other is a mayor.

And the Zhongbo Duke that the Master Chef mentioned is a very important person. His rank is the highest Black Collar, second only to the ruler—one person below the Emperor and above ten thousand others. He is managed directly by the ruler. In historical context, he would be a Chancellor or Prime Minister; in modern terms, a vice-national level leader. Tell me, isn’t that impressive? Double tap 666.

Finally, I had a general understanding of Xuan. Thinking back, the Zhongbo Duke’s son is naturally a second-generation official, born with a silver spoon and a shining red star. It seems tonight’s event will certainly be extraordinary.

…

😢 Farewell Sixiao

After breakfast, I pulled Sixiao back to the room. I had secretly hidden some of the loose change I earned last night. I opened his hand and placed the coins in his palm.

“Big Brother is leaving tomorrow. You must take good care of yourself. This money is your payment from last night; you can buy many candied skewers with it.”

Hearing that I was leaving, Sixiao clung to my waist and burst into tears without warning:

“Big Brother, don’t go. Don’t go.”

The little devil knows how to throw a tantrum! I hate hearing a child cry; it’s no different from a crushing headache. I quickly covered his mouth:

“Stinky boy, who said he was a man? Crying over something so small! Look at your lack of promise! A man’s tears should not be shed easily!”

Sixiao bit his lip and silently wept, holding back his sadness. His pitiful appearance softened my heart. I sighed and patted his head:

“You have to remember, no banquet lasts forever; people meet and part. You are still young and need to grow up strong. When you truly become a man, you will be like me, carrying your bag and traveling the world.”

The little guy pouted, nodding vigorously, while my heart was a mess. After today, we would part. Although my time at Chun Sheng Lou was only a few days, waves of reluctant melancholy still surged through me. Just then, ‘Bao Xia Ju’ pushed the door open and walked in:

“Stinky boy, come with me.”

I quickly wiped Sixiao’s tears and comforted him in a low voice, then followed the madam out of the room. ‘Bao Xia Ju’ led me into the main building, staring at my dirty robe with disgust, shaking her head non-stop:

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, it’s too dirty. Hurry up and wash up. I’ve had someone prepare a decent set of clothes for you.”

Oh my goodness, what are you trying to do? I’m not going to be a male escort! Even if I had to, I don’t have the ability! I quickly hugged myself, staring at her nervously:

“Why change clothes? I come from a proper, respectable family! I won’t do anything inappropriate!”

“What are you thinking? I’m telling you to change clothes because the honored guest will arrive soon. You’re the sharpest one in this building. When you greet the guests later, be sweet-tongued! If you dare to offend those officials, none of us will keep our heads!”

“Oh, oh, greeting guests, no problem, no problem! As long as the greeting doesn’t happen in bed, I can do anything.”

I joked, and the madam had someone bring me a white and blue long robe. After a good scrub, I felt utterly refreshed. Since transmigrating to this world, I hadn’t had a comfortable hot bath like this. Ah, bliss!

…

🤵 The Grand Arrival

Stepping out of the room and heading downstairs, I bumped right into Handan. A look of unexpected surprise crossed her face:

“I didn’t expect this. After cleaning up, you look quite presentable. Very handsome.”

I scratched my head, embarrassed, and smiled: “Not at all, Miss Handan, you flatter me.”

“Stinky boy, hurry up and get downstairs! The guest is arriving soon!”

“Then Miss Handan will have a tough night tonight.”

The madam waved her handkerchief, urging me on. After a quick greeting, I lifted my long robe and hurried downstairs, following the madam to the door, listening to her repeatedly remind me of the precautions.

Soon, before the person arrived, I heard the sound of horse hooves. It seems the sheer presence preceding the arrival indicated that the person coming had significant status.

Quickly, a group of guards on horseback stopped in front of the door. It was like a celebrity concert; a crowd of onlookers gathered outside, all craning their necks, trying to catch a glimpse of the figure inside the large sedan chair parked in the center. A servant drew back the curtain, and a figure in white fell into the view of the crowd.

That must be the son of the Zhongbo Duke, as the Master Chef mentioned. As soon as his foot touched the ground, several guards surrounded him. Following closely behind him was a man in an official uniform with a Yellow Collar—it seemed to be the City Commandant of Changshun Prefecture (Fuwei). He was leaning close to the Young Master’s ear, whispering something flattering.

This Young Master in white looked very different from Shui Xin. If Shui Xin was a pure, delicate shou (passive partner), then this Zhongbo Duke’s son belonged to the energetic gong (active partner) type. Below his defined eyebrows, his eyes were bright and spirited. Although his appearance and demeanor suggested integrity, the grand, imposing procession made one wonder if things were as they seemed.

What kind of respectable person goes to a red-light district with such fanfare, announcing it to everyone? You don’t need to be a genius to figure that out.

“Oh, an honored guest has arrived at my Chun Sheng Lou! This is a blessing for us common folk! Please come in, please come in!”

The madam waved her handkerchief and exchanged pleasantries, welcoming the noble guest into the building. I quickly followed suit. When it comes to the art of speaking and judging people and situations, ‘Bao Xia Ju’ has her own set of routines. I don’t have that experience to copy her exactly, but I can certainly follow her lead.

“Mama, you must be working hard.”

Oh, this noble Young Master is quite polite. He was holding an elegant paper fan, speaking courteous words. The City Commandant behind him winked at the madam. ‘Bao Xia Ju’ understood immediately, nodded, and turned sideways to instruct:

“Hurry, prepare the finest wine and delicacies!”

With that, she led the group into the best private room in the building. The Young Master walked slowly, looking up and admiring the beautiful decorations of the Chun Sheng Lou:

“They say that once you arrive in Changshun Prefecture, you must visit Chun Sheng Lou and listen to the top courtesan, Miss Handan, sing a beautiful song. Otherwise, coming to Changshun Prefecture would be for nothing.”

My goodness, is Handan really that famous? No wonder singing costs extra. Hearing the Young Master’s praise, Mama naturally understood the hidden meaning and quickly shouted to me:

“Quick, quick, quick! Go call Handan down!”

I felt a subtle unease in my heart, but I acted quickly and ran to Handan’s room.

“The gentleman came specifically to hear you sing. Hurry up and come down with me.”

I stood leaning against the door with my arms crossed. Handan was sitting in front of the bronze mirror, applying lipstick. Finally, she stood up and slowly walked toward me:

“What’s the rush? These stinky men are all the same. They say my singing is beautiful, but don’t you know what they’re really thinking?”