Chapter 2

The vehicle stopped not far from Ren Baoqian. The female general who had been standing beside it gestured, and Ren Baoqian was escorted by two people to the side of the qilin, with a steel blade once again pressed against his neck.

The door of the large carriage was pushed open, but there was still a layer of pearl curtains inside, making it impossible to see clearly. Only a vague figure seemed to be lying diagonally inside, with someone standing beside it.

Ren Baoqian forcibly cleared his mind of杂念, knowing that this was the moment that would decide his life or death.

"Who is below?" A somewhat cold female voice came from the large carriage.

Just hearing this voice, Ren Baoqian felt a sense of pressure. He wasn't sure if it was due to the steel blade at his neck or if the voice itself was enough to make one not dare to offend.

"My name is Ren Baoqian, from the three northeastern provinces of Huaguo. I ended up here by accident. However, I am proficient in mathematics, physics, chemistry, agriculture, smelting, poetry, novels, and various regional cuisines. I believe I could be of some use to you," Ren Baoqian said, trying to remain calm. He didn't know what kind of person he was dealing with, so he tried to mention as many skills as possible, hoping that at least one would appeal to them and save his life.

"Oh? Huaguo? I've never heard of it. What are mathematics, physics, and chemistry? Poetry and songs? Recite one for me to hear," the cold voice continued, with a somewhat indifferent tone.

Hearing this, Ren Baoqian felt that the other party wasn't very interested.

However, he blurted out the poem that was most familiar to him:

"Before my bed, the bright moonlight,

On the ground, two pairs of shoes.

I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon,

I lower my head and think of home."

This poem perfectly reflected his current state of mind. He not only missed his home but was almost desperate to return.

At least back there, no one would casually say "chop him off."

However, he didn't notice that the poem he recited seemed a bit off.

"Bold, take him away and chop him off!" the cold voice said with a hint of mockery.

Ren Baoqian was stunned. How could reciting a poem lead to being chopped off? He finally understood why the soldier in front had been so quick to say "chop him off."

It turned out to be a top-down effect. No wonder the people below were the same.

Barbaric, truly barbaric.

"I also know about agriculture and smelting. I can design farming tools to improve production and know the advantages of various blades. I can be worth a million soldiers," Ren Baoqian hurriedly shouted.

The two people behind him were already dragging him by the shoulders.

He knew that if he was dragged away, he would surely die today.

"Stop," the lazy voice stopped the two soldiers behind Ren Baoqian.

"You know quite a lot!" the person said, with a tone that was hard to interpret, whether it was mocking or something else.

"Yes, I've read a lot of miscellaneous books. I also know novels and can tell stories to entertain. I can make various exotic cuisines. I know how to play mahjong, pai gow, and land lord to entertain you. I also know how to take care of the skin, keeping it smooth and white, and removing wrinkles," Ren Baoqian hurriedly said. Since it had been a woman speaking and she seemed to have the power to decide his fate, he quickly added the skin care knowledge, hoping it would increase his chances of survival, even if by a tiny fraction.

Whether it was his last sentence that moved the other party, the pearl curtain was suddenly pulled open.

Ren Baoqian sneaked a glance and finally saw the person inside.

A woman, dressed in a bright red robe, was lying diagonally inside. Two women in white were beside her, one fanning her, the other picking a grape from a bunch and placing it in her mouth.

The woman was in her twenties, with eyebrows that arched gracefully and eyes as bright as stars. Her features were delicate, but combined with her eyebrows, she exuded a commanding presence.

However, the first thing Ren Baoqian felt when he saw her was—cold. Too cold.

Her entire face was cold, and looking at her was like looking at an ant, with no emotion in her eyes.

Another surprise was that when they mentioned "the current ruler," he thought it was the emperor. But it turned out to be a woman. Could she be a powerful woman?

It seemed that some titles in this world were different from Earth.

The woman's eyes, as bright as stars, swept over him and then fixed on his face.

Ren Baoqian felt that her gaze changed for a moment, but it was so brief that he couldn't be sure.

"Where are you from?" the woman asked coldly.

"Northeast Huaguo," Ren Baoqian felt that he might be able to save his life, and he became a bit more calm.

Since the other party asked him where he was from again, it seemed that they had some interest in him.

"Where is Huaguo? I've never heard of it. Is it a small border country?" the woman's tone remained unchanged as she took a sip of wine from a cup held by a female attendant.

"I don't know where it is, and I don't know how I got here," Ren Baoqian said honestly. The person in front could decide his fate with a word, and he didn't want to say anything that might be false, as it could cost him his life.

"What is your name?"

"Ren Baoqian."

The woman took another sip of wine, and Ren Baoqian felt like he was waiting for a verdict, sweating profusely, his clothes sticking to his body as if he had been pulled out of water.

"Your Majesty, should we chop him off?" After about ten minutes, the female general who had been there from the beginning broke the silence.

This sentence almost made Ren Baoqian furious.

Why did everyone here, from top to bottom, only talk about chopping people off?

However, the term "the current ruler" had now changed to "Your Majesty." If the terms were the same as on Earth, then the person in front was the emperor? The empress?

Or did the two worlds have the same words but different meanings?

"Take him back first," the cold-faced woman in the carriage said, and the pearl curtain was pulled closed again.

Ren Baoqian was escorted to the side of the road and dared to take a deep breath only after a long time. His heart had almost jumped out of his mouth, and he was sweating from head to toe, fearing that the other party would say "chop him off" again.

It seemed that his life was temporarily saved.

As he watched the carriage slowly move forward, Ren Baoqian's mind was filled with the image of the bright red, like blood, like a thorny rose.

Only then did he have the chance to look around.

The road they were walking on was made of earth but was wide and flat. In a world without cement, this was probably the main road.

The surrounding area was a plain, with green plants similar to wheat.

He had arrived in July, and it seemed that the time here was also around June or July.

After walking for half a day, they saw a city.

The only word Ren Baoqian could think of to describe it was "magnificent."

Huge, enormous.

The city wall was estimated to be about twenty meters high, equivalent to a six-story building. It was completely built of massive stone blocks, and it must have required a tremendous amount of human and material resources to construct.

On both sides of the road, there were soldiers in bright armor. Outside, there was a sea of people, regardless of whether they were dressed in bright clothes or rough cloth, all kneeling with their heads down, not daring to breathe loudly.

Inside the city, it was even more vast, with shops everywhere. If not for everyone kneeling by the roadside, it would have been a bustling scene.

It took about two hours to walk, and after passing through an inner city, Ren Baoqian saw a magnificent and grand building complex, or rather, a palace complex, which he assumed was their destination.

However, it turned out he had overthought it. Just before reaching the palace complex, he was taken into a nearby courtyard and thrown into a dark prison.