Imperial Guard Reporting for Duty

Huang Shaojie opened his eyes, rubbed his head with both hands, and sat up from the bed.

When he saw the room clearly, he could not help but freeze.

It was an antique room: a carved redwood canopy bed draped in green gauze, a large round rosewood table, and lattice windows with openwork carvings.

Along with a screen, a dressing table, and a washstand, every part of it looked like a scene from a historical costume drama.

He remembered working overtime with the boss's wife at the office last night. How had a shiver run through him, and then landed him here?

"...Could I have traveled through time???" Huang Shaojie's eyes widened.

At that moment, a stabbing pain shot through his brain as the previous owner's memories forcibly merged into his mind.

After digesting the previous owner's memories, Huang Shaojie understood the era he had traveled into.

He had arrived in a dynasty that belonged to no history: Great Chu.

However, the founding emperor of this Great Chu was none other than the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, Xiang Yu. Back then, Xiang Yu had killed Liu Bang at the Feast at Hong Gate, ultimately unifying the realm and establishing the Great Chu Dynasty.

From that moment on, time and space had changed, turning toward a world of high martial arts.

The original owner had also been named Huang Shaojie. He lived in Suzhou City, and his father, Huang Baiwan, was a somewhat famous silk merchant in Suzhou.

This Young Master Huang spent all day loafing about. If he was not drinking and listening to music in the pleasure quarters, he was gambling or making crickets fight. Every so often, he would tease a respectable young girl on the street. He was the very image of a spoiled playboy.

Last night, Young Master Huang had drunk too much, and the two of them had ended up swapping bodies.

"Alas, I just hope this brother treats my parents well!"

Huang Shaojie gave a helpless bitter smile, lifted the bed curtains, and sat up, preparing to get dressed.

"Young Master, Young Master! Get up quickly, Master has summoned you to the hall..."

At that moment, a young girl called out from outside the door. A pretty little maid of about fifteen or sixteen pushed open the door and entered.

She wore a green silk dress, her hair styled into twin looped buns. Her features were delicate, and her plump chest was already beginning to take shape. She looked utterly adorable.

This girl was Huang Shaojie's personal maid, Xiao He.

"Young Master, you're up. This servant will help you dress."

Seeing Huang Shaojie sitting blankly at the bedside after lifting the gauze curtain, the maid in green hurried over, took a sky-blue robe from the clothes rack, and moved to dress him.

"Oh, no need. I'll dress myself."

When had Huang Shaojie ever been waited on like this? He hurriedly took the blue robe from Xiao He's hands and put it on himself.

"Young Master, why are you being so polite to Xiao He? Did Xiao He do something wrong? If Xiao He did something wrong, please forgive me, Young Master!"

The little maid was somewhat bewildered. She lowered her head, her small hands uneasily kneading the fabric of her skirt.

Her young master had never been this polite to her before. Not only did he make her help him dress, but every time, he would pinch her chest or backside a couple of times.

He would also always say with a lecherous grin, "Our Xiao He has begun to show her tender little tip. Raise her for another year or two, and this young master can pluck and taste her."

But what was wrong with Young Master today?

He was actually being so polite to her. Xiao He could not help worrying that he was holding back some new mischief.

"No, our Xiao He is quite lovely!"

Huang Shaojie revealed the rogueish grin of the original owner and reached out to pinch the little maid's plump chest.

Since he had now become a spoiled young master, he ought to behave like one. Otherwise, would people not suspect that something was wrong with him?

Xiao He's pretty face reddened, but she let out a sigh of relief. Good, Young Master had finally returned to normal!

"Young Master, then I'll fetch water for you."

As Xiao He spoke, she picked up the bronze basin from the washstand and dashed out to fetch water for washing up.

After dressing, Huang Shaojie walked to the bronze mirror and examined himself.

Reflected in the bronze mirror was a tall, handsome young master.

Not bad.

Though he was still a hundred millionth of a bit below the readers, he could still be considered a fine-looking man.

After washing up, Huang Shaojie dressed neatly and left the eastern wing. He walked along a pebble-paved path, passed through the rear garden where chrysanthemums of every color bloomed, then rounded the winding corridor toward the main hall.

What did this bargain-bin father of his want by summoning him to the main hall so early in the morning?

Could he be about to get beaten?

As Huang Shaojie walked along the corridor, stroking his chin, he thought uneasily.

At that moment, in the main hall of Huang Manor.

On a huanghuali wood chair at the head of the hall sat a middle-aged man dressed in blue brocade. He wore a black gauze cap and an Embroidered Spring Blade at his waist, looking rather arrogant.

His name was Zhu Shi, and he was a Company Commander in the Suzhou Imperial Guard Office.

Though an Imperial Guard Company Commander was merely a Subordinate Seventh Rank official, the Imperial Guard possessed the authority to monitor all civil and military officials. Thus, even a Principal Fifth Rank prefect would be courteous upon seeing a Subordinate Seventh Rank Company Commander and would not dare offend him.

At this moment, Zhu Shi sat with one leg crossed over the other, holding a blue-and-white porcelain teacup. He blew on the steaming top-grade Biluochun tea and said unhurriedly, "Master Huang, has your son not risen yet?"

Huang Baiwan, standing below, bowed deeply to Zhu Shi and said with an ingratiating smile, "Reporting to you, sir, my useless son drank himself senseless last night, so he rose rather late. I have already sent a maid to call him. He should arrive any moment now. I ask that you wait a little longer, sir."

He wore a square wealthy-man's cap and robes of silk and satin embroidered with golden trim. Tall and fat, he carried the air of a great tycoon.

Yet before Zhu Shi, he appeared meek and submissive.

Though Huang Baiwan possessed a fortune beyond counting, he had neither power nor influence, and was often extorted and bullied by officials.

Originally, he had hoped his son would pass the imperial examinations and bring honor to their ancestors. Yet after hiring a whole pile of tutors, his precious son had failed even to pass the entry-level scholar examination.

Young Master Huang had turned twenty and come of age this year. Every day, aside from drinking, gambling, and roaming about for pleasure, he did not do a single proper thing.

Last month, Huang Baiwan had used his connections to find Imperial Guard Company Commander Zhu Shi and given him two thousand taels of silver to secure an Imperial Guard Captain position for his precious son.

First, it would keep his son from idling away every day. Second, the Imperial Guard held power and influence; even the lowliest captain was far more imposing than a constable from the yamen.

After taking Huang Baiwan's two thousand taels of silver, Zhu Shi had used five hundred taels to grease the wheels with the Hundred-Household Officer and arranged an Imperial Guard Captain post for Huang Shaojie.

Today, Company Commander Zhu had come to take Huang Shaojie to report for duty at the Imperial Guard Office.

Just as Huang Baiwan finished speaking, his good-for-nothing son poked his head in through a side door of the hall and tried to sneak inside.

"You wretch! Getting up so late—why have you not hurried to pay your respects to Lord Zhu!"

Seeing his son sneak in, Huang Baiwan immediately glared and shouted.

Lord Zhu?

Huang Shaojie froze slightly. Only then did he recall from the previous owner's memories that this bargain-bin father had spent two thousand taels of silver on Lord Zhu some days ago to secure him an Imperial Guard Captain post.

But while the Imperial Guard was indeed imposing, it was a high-risk profession!

Father, don't you have any fucking idea what kind of trash your son is? He doesn't know the slightest bit of martial arts, and you're sending him to the Imperial Guard? Isn't that just sending him off to die as cannon fodder?

Huang Shaojie felt like weeping without tears. All he wanted now was to quietly be a spoiled young master who ate, drank, played, and waited for death. He had no desire to become some Imperial Guard.

Though he was unwilling ten thousand times over, he still stepped before Lord Zhu and cupped his hands in salute.

"This commoner, Huang Shaojie, pays respects to Lord Zhu!"

"Mm, he looks fairly decent."

Zhu Shi sized Huang Shaojie up, then nodded slightly, rather satisfied.

The lad stood nearly eight chi tall. Though he showed not the slightest martial cultivation, with some training later, he should be able to reach the first or second level of the Acquired Realm. He could barely qualify as a captain.

"Come. This official will take you to report for duty at the Imperial Guard Office."

With that, Zhu Shi rose to his feet.

Huang Shaojie followed Zhu Shi out of the manor gates. Huang Baiwan had a servant lead over a yellow-maned horse for his son to ride.

A short while later.

Huang Shaojie followed Zhu Shi to the Imperial Guard Office.

With Zhu Shi, a Company Commander, serving as his sponsor, Huang Shaojie quickly completed the employment procedures and received two sets of captain's uniforms, a brown-wrapped hat, and two pairs of black-faced, white-soled boots.

He also received a saber and a wooden Imperial Guard token, engraved with the character "Captain."

At that moment, an electronic mechanical voice sounded in Huang Shaojie's mind:

Host detected as having become an Imperial Guard. The Capture God System has been obtained. Reward: Insight Technique and the first three forms of the Peerless Martial Art, Wind God Leg.