An Imaginary World

The guest room in the western side courtyard was much more spacious than Shen Jingchuan had expected.

It had an outer room and an inner room. The outer room held a square table and round-backed armchairs, while the inner room had a canopy bed, a wardrobe and a dressing table against the wall. Blue bricks paved the floor, the windows were bright and the furniture spotless; everything had been cleaned until not a speck of dust remained.

Though it was a guest room, its furnishings were anything but modest. One look was enough to see the splendor of a wealthy household.

"Young Master Shen, you can stay here for now," Lin Yue said with a smile. "The western courtyard is quiet, and no one usually comes to disturb it. Rest easy."

"It's very nice. Thank you, Brother Lin."

Shen Jingchuan nodded.

"No need to be polite." Lin Yue waved a hand. "Wash up and get some rest. I'll go see Qingyao. My father has arranged a family banquet later to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey. I'll come fetch you then."

"Sorry to trouble Chief Escort Lin."

"Think nothing of it, think nothing of it."

With that, Lin Yue took his leave, pulling the door shut behind him.

Shen Jingchuan walked around the room. He was just about to take a bottle of water out of his space when he heard a gentle knock at the door.

"Young Master Shen, I've brought you hot water."

"Come in."

The door opened, and a pretty young maid came in carrying a copper basin. An older maid followed her, holding a clean face towel and a bar of soap.

The two swiftly set the basin on a wooden stand and laid out the washing supplies, then stood respectfully to one side.

"Young Master Shen, please wash up. If you need anything, just call for me."

"All right. You may go."

"Yes."

The two servants bowed and withdrew, gently closing the door behind them.

Shen Jingchuan went to the copper basin, scooped up some hot water and washed his face. The warm water washed away the dust of the journey, leaving him feeling much refreshed.

About a shichen later, as dusk fell, another knock came at the door.

"Young Master Shen, dinner is ready. My father sent me to fetch you." It was Lin Yue's voice.

Shen Jingchuan rose and opened the door:

"Sorry to trouble you, Brother Lin."

Lin Yue led him through the covered corridors toward the front hall. Lanterns hung high along the way, and escort guards stood watch beneath the eaves. It was clear that the Zhenyuan Escort Agency had strict rules.

When they reached the front hall, Lin Weiyuan and Lin Shan were already waiting there.

"Young Master Shen, you're here. Please, have a seat." Lin Weiyuan rose with a smile to greet him, his manner exceedingly warm.

"You're too kind, Chief Escort Lin." Shen Jingchuan cupped his hands in greeting and sat down as invited.

Eight dishes and a soup graced the table, a mix of meat and vegetables, including fish and other meat. It was a lavish spread for these times, and a pot of wine was warming nearby.

"It's only a humble meal, hardly worthy of you."

Lin Weiyuan picked up the wine pot and personally poured Shen Jingchuan a cup. "Young Master Shen, you saved my daughter's life. No words can express my gratitude for such a great kindness. I offer you this toast."

"You're too kind, Chief Escort Lin." Shen Jingchuan raised his cup. "When one sees injustice on the road, drawing one's blade to help is only one's duty."

They both drained their cups.

After three rounds of wine, the atmosphere gradually warmed.

Lin Weiyuan exchanged a few more pleasantries. Seeing how steady Shen Jingchuan was in speech and how measured in manner, he grew ever more convinced that this man was no ordinary person.

He probed indirectly into Shen Jingchuan's family and origins, but Shen Jingchuan brushed every question aside with vague answers.

Seeing that the time was about right, Shen Jingchuan put down his cup, a somewhat bewildered look appearing on his face.

"To tell you the truth, Chief Escort Lin,"

he sighed and pointed to the back of his head,

"Ever since I injured my head, all I can remember is that I came from overseas. I can't remember many things clearly. Never mind the past back home—even where I am now, what dynasty and reign it is, and how much land it rules are all a blur.

"Laugh if you like, but I can't even remember how I ended up in those desolate mountains."

His story was half true and half false, his tone tinged with bitterness. His performance was utterly convincing.

Lin Weiyuan was taken aback, then understood.

The man seemed to lack even some common knowledge. It appeared he really had injured his head and lost his memory.

"There's no need to worry, Young Master Shen. Take your time recovering, and perhaps one day you'll remember."

After offering those words of comfort, Lin Weiyuan continued on the subject:

"This is the Great Qian Dynasty, in the third year of the Jinghe reign. Our Great Qian is neither large nor small, with nine commanderies, sixty-four prefectures and two hundred and twelve counties in all. On this continent, it's only a lower-middle-sized country."

"Nine commanderies and sixty-four prefectures..." Shen Jingchuan repeated quietly.

In Earth's ancient times, that would have amounted to nearly half a dynasty at the very least. How could it be merely lower-middle-sized?

He put on a puzzled look and asked:

"Then what other countries are there around Great Qian?"

It was an ordinary question, so Lin Yue thought nothing of it. He raised his cup for a sip, then counted them off on his fingers:

"You've asked the right person. We escorts know the surrounding lands best. To the northwest is the Zhao Kingdom, a mountainous place that produces iron ore. Its territory is nearly half again as large as Great Qian's. To the northeast is the Qi Kingdom, which boils seawater for salt. It's very prosperous, and its territory is no smaller than Zhao's."

He traced the directions in the air above the table with a fingertip:

"Due north is the Wula Khanate, made up of tribes from the grasslands. Its cavalry is fierce, and they come south to raid the border every year. Our agency never takes escort jobs due north.

"Due south is the Chu Kingdom, crisscrossed with waterways and producing rice and silk. Its lands are broader than Great Qian's too. To the southeast is the Chen Kingdom, a small country that mainly produces tea and porcelain. It's somewhat smaller than Great Qian.

"To the southwest is the Zhou Kingdom, which has many great mountains and produces medicinal herbs and hardwood. Its territory is larger than ours as well."

"So many countries..." Shen Jingchuan frowned. "In that case, isn't Great Qian right in the middle of the world?"

Lin Yue laughed at that and waved his hands repeatedly:

"You're looking at it too simply, Young Master Shen. What middle of the world? There are several more large countries to the west and south."

"I've heard there are countries far across the sea too. Isn't that where you came from, Young Master Shen?"

"All told, there are at least a dozen or twenty. I've spent half my life as an escort, and the farthest I've been is the Zhao Kingdom's border and Linhai City in the Qi Kingdom. As for places farther away, I've only heard passing caravans mention them, so I can't say for certain."

Lin Weiyuan stroked his beard and added:

"When you get right down to it, our Great Qian is only stronger than the Chen Kingdom and a few small countries whose names I can't recall. Compared with Zhao, Qi, Chu and Zhou, we're a good deal behind in both territory and population."

Shen Jingchuan's hand paused slightly around his wine cup.

When he first heard the names Qi, Chu and Zhao, he had been momentarily thrown, thinking he had transmigrated to an era like the Spring and Autumn or Warring States period. But after listening to a few sentences, one question after another had cropped up.

First, the territories were wrong.

In the Spring and Autumn period, even the larger vassal states held only a few cities' worth of land. At their peak, the seven powers of the Warring States had each held roughly the territory of one or two provinces in later times.

Yet Great Qian had nine commanderies and sixty-four prefectures, roughly the size of nearly half the Central Plains on Earth, and it was still only "lower-middle-sized." The scale of this entire continent far exceeded that of China's Central Plains on Earth; they were not in the same league at all.

Second, the level of production was wrong.

During his days here since transmigrating, he had long since noticed that the farm tools in the fields, the kitchen knives in ordinary homes and the weapons in the escorts' hands were all made of wrought iron. Ironware had long been widespread among the common people.

If this really were the Spring and Autumn or Warring States period, it would still be an age dominated by bronze ritual vessels. Iron farm tools had not yet become widespread, and even standard-issue weapons were still mostly bronze. Nothing matched.

Not to mention the countries' names and locations.

The seven powers of the Warring States were Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei and Qin. This place had Qi, Chu and Zhao, but added Qian, Chen and Zhou, while lacking Yan, Han, Wei and Qin. Even their geographical positions were completely different. This was clearly an entirely different and unfamiliar geographical arrangement.

This was no parallel Earth where history had branched off.

This was an entirely different world, a continent he had never heard of, which merely happened to share some institutions, country names and customs with ancient China. Its lands were far larger than he had imagined.

He showed not the slightest sign of it, merely nodding as though enlightened and letting out a soft sigh. "I see."

Lin Weiyuan waved a hand:

"People who lose their memories are all like that. You'll remember in time. Enough of that—eat, eat."

The group had another couple of cups, and the conversation gradually turned to the state of the world.

Lin Weiyuan sighed, his face darkening:

"The world used to be fairly peaceful, but these past few years, things have been getting worse and worse."

"How so?" Shen Jingchuan asked, following his lead.

Lin Yue lowered his voice:

"These days are anything but peaceful. The Wula Khanate to the north raids the border every year, and the interior has suffered two straight years of severe drought. Not a drop of rain has fallen, and the fields haven't yielded a single grain. Yet the authorities haven't reduced taxes at all, and the levies and miscellaneous taxes are as countless as the hairs on an ox."

"The local gentry and landlords have seized all the land. The common people have no fields to farm, so they can only become tenant farmers. After paying their rent, they don't even have enough to eat."

Lin Shan added in a low voice:

"Refugees are everywhere, and there are more and more bandits in the mountains. For us escorts, every trip is more dangerous than the last."

Lin Weiyuan waved a hand, signaling them to stop:

"We're here to eat, so why talk about such things? Young Master Shen has only just arrived. Don't frighten him."

"It's all right."

Shen Jingchuan smiled. Then he asked:

"Are there immortals in this world?"

Lin Yue was just about to say something.

Lin Weiyuan smiled. "Immortals? There are legends about them, but no one has ever seen one."

The meal lasted about a shichen, and both hosts and guest enjoyed themselves.