31 STAIRS TO HEAVEN
[“Please don’t be angry with me, Your Highness! You told me to prepare a room for that man, but you didn’t give me details about what kind of room I should prepare. I thought it would be fine if I just prepared a storehouse for him.”
“...” Bai Chen didn’t say anything even after he heard Ma Qiao’s explanation.
Even if the old servant managed to find an excuse, Bai Chen knew that the reason behind his bold decision was because the servant didn’t like Zhu Ge. ‘Is it because he thinks Zhu Ge is ugly?’ He cluelessly wondered as he stared at the servant who was still kneeling on the floor.
But perhaps that reason was too simple, and the young man sighed before continuing to question the servant, “So, you’re blaming me now? In your eyes, it’s my fault for not giving you detailed instructions?”
‘Should I give details about a suitable room for Zhu Ge? You think I’m a hotel receptionist who has to give a clear picture of the rooms I offer to customers?’ Bai Chen continued inwardly as he didn’t want to confuse his servant with words that might be unfamiliar to him.
Ma Qiao widened his eyes in surprise at the Prince’s question. “Aiyah! I wouldn’t dare blame you, Your Highness. I can be annoying at times, but I am loyal to you! Please spare me!” He denied it immediately.
The male servant still had his knees on the floor, and he even tried to grab the Prince’s sleeve, but the Prince’s hand moved away from the servant. Instead of replying to the servant, the brunette turned to face the taciturn Zhu Ge as he said, “You had to sleep in the barn last night, and I guess that’s my fault too. I’ll ask my servant to prepare a new set of clothes and breakfast for you as compensation.”
Even if Zhu Ge was just someone he bought from the Red Pavilion, that man was still his guest in his palace. Thus, when he saw how the dirt was on the man’s body, he thought that he did not treat his guests well.
Meanwhile, the black-haired man simply smiled at him before replying, “You don’t need to feel guilty, Your Highness. Last night I had to play hide and seek with the rats in the barn, and it was rather fun.”
.....
‘That’s your way to be sarcastic, ah?’ Bai Chen was not stupid, and he knew that Zhu Ge said that only to pressure Ma Qiao even more.
The way the taller man casually referred to the rats in the barn could only be described as a protest in Bai Chen’s eyes, and perhaps it was Zhu Ge’s way of seeking his sympathy as well.
Bai Chen knew the real reason, but he pretended to be clueless as he sighed before turning to the guilty servant, “There are even rats in the barn. What if the rats ate Zhu Ge alive with their sharp teeth?”
That was a foolish question, but Bai Chen managed to mentally punish Ma Qiao with it. “It’s my fault, Your Highness! You can punish me, but you must not be angry with me for this matter!”
Ma Qiao begged for punishment, but Bai Chen didn’t plan to punish the servant for what he had done. He just sighed again before giving the man a light ‘punishment.’
“You feel guilty, right? If so, then you should apologize to Zhu Ge. That’s the punishment from me.”
It sounded like the punishment was light compared to the so-called Five Punishments in Imperial China[1] that Bai Chen had heard of, but the light punishment he had just given actually required Ma Qiao to lower his head and kill all of his egos.
It was clear that Ma Qiao didn’t like Zhu Ge, but now he had to relent and apologize. It was clear that it would hurt the servant’s pride.
And indeed there was a hint of doubt on Ma Qiao’s face after hearing the Prince’s orders. Perhaps he would rather receive chi[2] from the Prince, but unfortunately, the Prince had a different idea in his mind.
However, Ma Qiao seemed to know that it was his master’s final decision, and that was why he decided to obey the order as he turned to Zhu Ge. “I admit that I was wrong, so please forgive me,” he apologized in a low voice.
Bai Chen glanced at Zhu Ge after he heard Ma Qiao’s apology, and he waited for how Zhu Ge would respond to the maid.
“It’s fine,” the taller man finally replied. “Even His Highness has apologized to me, so I have no grudge in my heart now.”]
Bai Chen sighed heavily as he recalled the memory that gave him a headache in the morning. He had allowed Zhu Ge to stay in his palace, and he thought his decision would not cause any trouble for him. Who would have thought that Ma Qiao would do something so cunning as that?
Glancing back as Ma Qiao walked behind him, he could see the servant kept his head down as if he was reflecting on his mistake.
‘I shouldn’t pity him. He doesn’t take my orders seriously, and he deserves to be scolded,’ Bai Chen said to himself as he continued walking towards the Imperial Palace.
It wasn’t that he was out of character for what he did to the servant because he didn’t get a warning from the system, so he assumed that the real Bai Chen in this world was also a strict person.
“We have arrived at Rongyao Imperial Palace, Your Highness,” the guilty servant suddenly announced, and the two men stopped their steps when they arrived in front of a tall fortress guarded by imperial guards.
Bai Chen thought that the guards would be able to recognize him as the Prince of the empire and let him in immediately, but he was surprised that the guards still wanted to see his token before allowing him in.
Bai Chen frowned, and it was Ma Qiao who handled the situation well as he showed the token made of the finest jade to the two guards. The guards immediately saluted the Prince before they allowed the Prince into the palace.
“Are the guards new here? Why don’t they recognize me as a Prince?” Bai Chen asked as he continued to walk in the courtyard that was as big as a football field.
“Ah...” Ma Qiao awkwardly replied. “You don’t remember that it’s the custom in this palace, Your Highness? His Majesty is very strict, so he instructed the guards to check the tokens before letting anyone into the palace. What’s more, you’re just a...”
Ma Qiao suddenly stopped talking, and Bai Chen also stopped walking. Turning his body, he then frowned at the male servant. “I’m just what?” He asked.
Ma Qiao squirmed under the Prince’s gaze, but then he grabbed the Prince’s sleeve before dragging the Prince towards a large building. “It’s nothing, Your Highness! His Majesty has been waiting for you in Zuigao Hall, so we’d better head over there!”
Bai Chen was still confused, but he couldn’t do anything about it as the male servant dragged him up the stairs. Ma Qiao had told him that he needed to go to the Zuigao Hall for today’s meeting, and it turned out to be the largest and tallest building in the palace.
‘Am I climbing to Heaven?’ Bai Chen thought stupidly as he continued up the stairs.
Even if he was dragged away by his servant, he could still see that Rongyao Imperial Palace was very different from his palace. This palace was more luxurious, but it still used the principle of axial symmetry with a magnificent building standing on the central axis and small buildings attached to both sides.
‘The Rongyao Imperial Palace is much bigger than mine, and maybe I can request a map or something so I can study it,’ thought Bai Chen. ‘But wait. My palace is located outside this palace, right? Why should I live outside Rongyao Imperial Palace?’
The Prince was curious, but his curiosity was not answered because he had reached the top of the stairs. There was a large door carved with complex elements, and just like the front gate of the palace, some guards were guarding the door. However, the guards immediately opened the large door without asking for a token.
The door opened, and Bai Chen nervously stepped into the great hall. As he hesitantly paced forward to enter the hall, all heads turned towards him and gave him their full attention. Bai Chen had a hard time swallowing his saliva.
—
Footnote:
[1] Five Punishment in Imperial China: Chi, beating on the buttocks with a light bamboo cane; Zhàng, beating with a large stick on either the back, buttocks, or legs; Tú, compulsory penal servitude with five degrees of severity; Liú, exile to a remote location with the return to one’s place of birth is forbidden; Si, death. Following the Sui and Tang dynasties, there are generally two options: strangulation (jiao) or decapitation (zhan).
[2] Chi: beating on the buttocks with a light bamboo cane.
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