Chapter 64

Inside the imperial court, the numerous officials stared in utter bewilderment at the future visitors who were bickering to the point of almost coming to blows.

Weren’t they just offering advice one after another moments ago?

How did they suddenly end up fighting over whose cat was the number one feline under heaven?

What on earth was there to argue about?

The ancients simply could not comprehend their passion for cats—no, rather, their passion for pets, especially since someone had even begged His Majesty to bestow a decree naming their dog the supreme hound of the realm.

Mulin retreated to the side with a smile to watch the spectacle, while Zhong Hongfang shook his head and sighed. These people from the future truly could not behave seriously for even a moment.

Pei Xiuyu listened to their bickering with a splitting headache. It was nothing more than nonsense like, "Your cat isn't as good as mine!" "My cat is the greatest cat in the world!" "Hmph! Your cat is a eunuch!" and similar childish remarks.

"Your Majesty, in this minister's view," Mulin said with a beaming smile as he stepped forward after watching the show for a while, "since everyone wants to claim the title of the number one cat under heaven..."

"Since everyone believes their own cat is the best in their own eyes, why doesn't Your Majesty simply issue an imperial edict granting official titles to their household cats and dogs?"

"How about bestowing upon them the rank of the Imperial Cat Regiment or the Imperial Dog Regiment?"

[Zhan Zhao is deeply aggrieved!]

[Meow meow meow, my cat wants to join the Imperial Cat Regiment too!]

[Damn it, I want to attend court as well! I'm going to ask for an imperial edict to establish an Imperial Snake Regiment for my pet snake!]

[Some people's cats are already officials, while some people haven't even passed their civil service exams yet.]

[Hey, the one above, you're brutal! (Coughing up blood)]

Wu Ran and the others heard what he said as well. After pondering it carefully, having their pets become official government appointees didn't sound like a bad idea at all.

They all happily agreed, with the sole condition that the Emperor had to write it personally and stamp it with the imperial jade seal.

Pei Xiuyu: ......

Never mind. Saving a bit of money was always good.

As for those whose households lacked cats or dogs, the wealthier ones begged the Emperor to bestow the title of Imperial Matriarch upon their wives or mothers.

Regardless of whether such titles existed in this dynasty or not, having something personally brushed by the Emperor's own hand was the ultimate flex.

After all this commotion, Pei Xiuyu realized that he had merely expended a bit of manual labor.

As long as it didn't cost money, anything was fine. They were too poor—the Great Xuan Dynasty was truly, desperately poor!

***

At the Fengtian Gate Square.

Lingxian was deeply immersed in the internet cafe when she heard someone mention that another video game arcade had just opened next door.

She didn't quite understand what a video game arcade meant, but judging by the name, it sounded like a place for entertainment.

Hesitantly, she looked at the dress-up mini-game on the computer screen, then debated with herself for a moment about the arcade, and finally chose...

"Qingyi, hold my seat for me. I'm going out to take a look and will be right back!"

Her personal maid, Qingyi, nodded. "Understood!"

Lingxian then headed toward the video game arcade. As soon as she stepped out, she saw that a new building had materialized behind the restaurant.

The doors of the arcade were wide open, revealing colorful flashing lights within, and several tourists were already inside.

Lingxian was immediately drawn to the vibrant hues and walked inside out of sheer curiosity.

She obediently followed a few tourists further in and watched as they stopped in front of a glass cabinet, dropped a coin-like silver disk into the slot, and saw the mechanical claw inside begin to move.

The cabinet was filled with numerous adorable plush dolls, and Lingxian watched with rapt attention.

She saw the claw grab a plush doll, but just as it was about to lift the toy up, the doll suddenly slipped and fell back down.

"Aah, I didn't grab it right," the tourist muttered, feeding another silver disk into the machine.

The claw moved again.

After watching for a long time, Lingxian finally understood. You just had to maneuver the plush toy over the drop chute, and it would be yours.

Eager to try, she scurried over to the machine, tossed a piece of gold inside, and then ran back holding a large handful of silver disks.

These plush dolls were so exquisite; she wanted them too!

Meanwhile, back at the internet cafe outside the city, Mu Jingyu had already transitioned from mini-games to a battle royale game and was staring intently at the computer screen.

She ignored whatever items were on the ground, just grabbing whatever she could find and running while her physical body instinctively swayed along with her movements.

"Bang!" A gunshot rang out in the distance.

Startled, Mu Jingyu shrieked and ran frantically, only to hear a voice echo through her headphones: "Is this teammate number four a bot?"

"Get in the car! Get in the car!"

She had no idea how to activate her microphone, so she just muttered to herself, "What even is a bot?"

Why did these future people love naming things after chickens? Cell phones, "eating chicken," bots?

So bizarre!

Yet, computers were genuinely fun to play with. There were so many things future people could enjoy; she truly hoped the Great Xuan Dynasty would have just as many amusing wonders in the future.

Over on the other side, after receiving their imperial edicts, Wu Ran and her companions headed out of the palace. "What are we doing today?"

Gan Miao smiled. "Touring the capital, of course!"

"And buying some specialty goods. Oh, and experiencing a simulated decapitation."

Just as they stepped out of the palace gates, they spotted Mu Jingzhu's sedan chair. A maid hurried over and said, "Lady Wu, Lady Gan, my young mistress specifically ordered me to wait here. She is waiting at the manor for the two of you to come over for a small gathering."

Her voice was soft and gentle. Wu Ran glanced at Gan Miao, and seeing the affirmative look in Gan Miao's eyes, she replied, "We'll go after we change our clothes."

They were still wearing their official court attire, which needed to be taken off and returned to the palace maids.

The maid nodded. "This servant will escort the two ladies to the inn."

Aside from them, many other ancients were also waiting outside for the tourists. Seeing them emerge, they immediately rushed forward to join them for the day's festivities.

As soon as Yu Jingshan stepped out, Yang Anping threw an arm around his shoulder. "Brother Yu, how did it feel to be an official?"

He was rather curious about what attending court felt like. If his father hadn't explicitly forbidden it, he probably would have paid a tael of gold just for the experience.

Though His Majesty likely wouldn't have permitted it anyway.

After all, what the Emperor wanted was for more tourists to visit the Great Xuan Dynasty, not simply to extort their money.

No matter how much they squeezed out of tourists like them, it could never rival the economic benefits brought by tourism as a whole.

Yu Jingshan pulled out his imperial edict. "It was immensely entertaining. Look, this is the decree I requested for my cat. From now on, my big black cat is an official imperial feline."

Yang Anping tapped his folding fan against his palm. "Splendid! Brother Yu is truly ingenious."

"Do you have any plans for today, Brother Yu?"

Yu Jingshan shook his head.

"If you have no plans, why not come with me to ride horses and practice archery? What could be more delightful!" Yang Anping laughed.

"A real man should gallop across the racecourse! And it will also give Brother Yu a chance to lay eyes on my steed, Lie Feng—a genuine blood-sweating heavenly horse obtained straight from the Western Regions!"

Yu Jingshan flashed an OK sign. "Let me go change my clothes first, and we'll go right after!"

[So envious! Making friends with ancient people.]

[I want an ancient friend too. I failed to grab a slot again yesterday, I'm crying.]

[Tourists' guide, if you have the ability to open up an ancient plane, you have the ability to open a million slots!]

[Another day of drooling with envy. I thought I might actually manage to grab a slot if I tried the apocalypse tourism plane, but when I looked, they were all gone. Haha, sob, sob!]

[Take my advice, what's so fun about the apocalypse? It's just zombies, nobody go play there. The ancient era isn't much fun either, it's just ancient people; you can just look at the Forbidden City instead. Please give your slot to me, thanks!]

[This is harder to grab tickets for than a concert! A bunch of useless scalpers!]

[The key is that these things are bound to individual identities. Even if scalpers manage to grab one, they can only use it themselves. *Sigh*]

[I don't care, I'm going to beg the guide to open up more slots for us!]

Back in the imperial palace, Mulin was still in the imperial study discussing state affairs with the emperor and various ministers, while that bunch of future visitors had dropped a mountain of proposals and simply patted their bottoms and left.

Leaving them behind to work overtime until they went bald.

At this moment, he had no idea that two future visitors were about to arrive at his residence.

After changing into casual attire, Wu Ran and Gan Miao boarded a carriage and were escorted all the way to a grand estate.

Mu Jingzhu was waiting to welcome them at the entrance. "Lady Wu, Lady Gan."

She wore a radiant smile today, her demeanor somewhat different from when she was inside the imperial palace.

During the palace flower-viewing banquet, everyone had dressed with solemn dignity and lavish elegance, but within her own estate, her attire was modestly refined and graceful.

Wu Ran and Gan Miao greeted her in return. "Lady Mu!"

"This is a gift we brought for you!" Wu Ran retrieved a small pouch and handed it to Mu Jingzhu. "We came in a rush and didn't prepare much, but these sunglasses are a new pair we bought and haven't used yet, so we brought them for you."

Mu Jingzhu hadn't expected them to prepare a gift and accepted it with a gentle, beaming smile.

"Thank you both for the gift."

"Please, come inside," Mu Jingzhu led them along the winding corridors toward her personal courtyard.

The Prime Minister's estate was remarkably vast, and Wu Ran felt as though she were touring a scenic landmark all the way to Mu Jingzhu's quarters.

True to her name, her courtyard was known as the Bamboo Courtyard, and it was populated by numerous purple-gold bamboo stalks that lent the surroundings a crisp and elegant ambiance.

Once they entered the chambers, Mu Jingzhu sat with them while a maid served tea.

Incense burned quietly within the room, and the chairs and tables were exquisitely carved with meticulous detail.

Sipping her tea, Wu Ran praised with a smile, "Your rooms are so spacious, and this incense smells wonderful—it's a bit like sandalwood, yet carries a hint of floral fragrance."

Mu Jingzhu glanced at the maid beside her, who immediately stepped outside to retrieve something. "This is a custom blend of incense I make myself, named Moonlight Pine and Osmanthus. If you like it, I shall gift you a couple of boxes."

"Then thank you so much!" Wu Ran happily sipped her tea. "When I come back next time, I'll bring you..."

She paused to think. She certainly couldn't afford to bring a smartphone; her monthly salary was only three thousand yuan.

Furthermore, she still owed Gan Miao over a month's salary, and she had no idea if she would even receive New Year's lucky money this time around. If she did, she figured it wouldn't be long before she could visit again.

If not, she would probably have to wait half a year.

"I'll bring you a gift next time too!" Wu Ran pondered for a long time without coming up with anything specific, deciding she would slowly figure it out later.

Mu Jingzhu smiled faintly. "There is no need to go to such trouble. I felt an immediate kinship with you both, and this incense is nothing precious—just something I concoct out of idle amusement."