Chapter 3: What Is History Anyway

Liu Liwa grunted twice. He knew Yang Xiaosi was using a motivation method to make everyone work hard and compete for positions. It seemed working in a pleasure house required learning business management too—every trade had its master!

He instinctively followed the group of men walking to the left. The door swung open, revealing a large communal bed. It could easily accommodate dozens of people, let alone over ten. Several chamber pots sat underneath, emitting a foul stench. The entire room was dark and damp, as if the bricks underfoot could be squeezed to release water. Two or three sets of bedding lay on the bed—if fifteen people each covered a finger, it might barely suffice. They instinctively looked at Yang Xiaosi, only to find him gazing at the sky, snorting, and paying no attention.

The women’s dormitory on the other side was the same, yet Yang Xiaosi ignored it completely. Since these people were all condemned, they could only compare their current situation to a dungeon or prison. At least there was a communal bed here, better than sleeping on straw in a dungeon!

Helpless sighs echoed in the courtyard, their endless resentment soaring to the heavens. Liu Liwa followed the crowd toward the collective dormitory but was stopped by Yang Xiaosi. Taking someone’s gifts made one indebted—especially for leaders, who feared when gift-givers made no requests, leaving them to figure it out themselves. Yang Xiaosi was naturally shrewd; though he couldn’t let Liu Liwa go, some appropriate favors were possible.

He held Liu Liwa’s hand and smiled. “Brother, don’t rush. You and I hit it off right away. Since I have time today, I’ll have a good chat with you…”

After saying this, he paid no mind to the angry and scornful glances from others, put his arm around Liu Liwa’s shoulders, and headed toward one of the main rooms. When the door opened, everyone saw clearly—it was a private room. Though small, it had a bed, bedding, and a stove—at least it resembled a home!

But they could only stare enviously and radiate resentment. By now, it was too late to undress and bribe Yang Xiaosi—unless it were some wealthy young ladies, but of course, Yang Xiaosi wouldn’t want clothes either…

Liu Liwa followed Yang Xiaosi into the room, the door closing firmly behind them, leaving behind a crowd of jealous stares. The room was truly simple: a bed, a set of damp bedding, a table, and a long-unused stove. If the communal bed was an ordinary cell, then this was the death row cell.

Yang Xiaosi patted the bedsheet, which had at least half a foot of dust, but sat down boldly anyway. He chuckled and said to Liu Liwa, “Little Seven, you’re smart and understand the ropes. Fourth Brother won’t stand on ceremony with you. From now on, you’ll live here. Once you’re here, accept your fate—don’t overthink it. Work steadily, and life will be manageable. Tomorrow, the Madam will explain the rules, so I won’t say much. What happened before is out of our hands, but if you have any issues in the backyard, just ask Fourth Brother. Alright, rest now. See you tomorrow!”

Surprisingly, Yang Xiaosi had a roguish flair. Once things were settled, he left without delay—after all, there would be plenty of time. If you gave a leader a gift once, there would be a second time. If a leader helped you, could you turn your back on them?

They could pull you up, but they could also kick you down.

Liu Liwa nodded, said a few polite words, and saw him out. He instantly felt much more relaxed. Whether in this life or the last, he never excelled at dealing with leaders—even though Yang Xiaosi was at most a foreman or security captain!

He swayed and collapsed onto the bed, not minding the dirt. When he settled down, his mind became a tangled mess. Everything had happened too suddenly, without time to process it, and now it all flooded back.

Originally, he was supposed to assist Furong with shaping and Yufeng with cosmetics. Having faced monsters for so long, his mental endurance was overloaded, so he decided to visit a foot massage parlor recommended by a friend for both psychological and physical therapy. But it coincided with a crackdown, and the police raided the place. In response, he resolutely jumped from the third floor…

Somehow, he transmigrated into this poor noble son, Liu Liwa. Despite being a prime minister’s son, his intellect might have been lacking—his memories were solely of women, women, women… either obsessed or lacking maternal love. When Liu Liwa first crossed over, this young master was lying in a prison cell dreaming. No one beat or scolded him; he had simply grown listless after days without seeing women, conveniently making way for him. The tragic life that followed would now be his to endure.

Fortunately, aside from his obsession with women, this infatuated young man had a fairly detailed understanding of the current situation, thanks to his prime minister father’s cramming education. The world was divided into three parts, yet it didn’t belong to any historical period he knew. History books ended with the Eastern Han Dynasty. The three kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu stood in a tripartite balance but never unified. Over centuries of evolution, the three states checked each other, achieving stable development. Now, each had expanded its territory. The country he found himself in was called ‘Eastpeace,’ encompassing North China, Northeast China, Central China, and other regions of the Huaxia landmass. It was vast, with developed agriculture. To the north lay a powerful nation called ‘Beiyan,’ covering due north, northwest, and other areas, assimilating former northern tribes like the Xiongnu and inheriting and enhancing their nomadic herding and fierce martial prowess. To the due south, southwest, South China, and other coastal regions belonged to ‘Nanchuan,’ with extremely advanced shipbuilding. The vast sea provided them with a prosperous life.

Each of the three states had its strengths, mutually restraining and developing peacefully. While major conflicts were absent, minor frictions were inevitable, yet they never disrupted ordinary people’s lives. This very stability gave rise to the prosperity of pleasure houses and other high-consumption industries.

Additionally, a crucial piece of information remained in this young master’s residual memories: money! Never mind earning it—you had to know how to spend it first! As the sole heir of the prime minister’s family, he received a monthly allowance on time, which was his happiest day of the month—apparently three hundred silver taels, enough to host a luxurious flower banquet at the Capital City’s largest Hundred Flowers Pavilion and stay there for three consecutive nights…

This guy knew how to spend, but Liu Liwa still couldn’t figure out the exact spending pattern. However, by later standards, as the son of a prime minister—a typical princeling—his monthly allowance would at least equal half a year’s salary for an ordinary family!

Now, he had to consider: working in a pleasure house from now on, would he get paid? Would there be a chance to settle down? If he stole from within and ‘interacted’ with the ladies of the Intoxication Pavilion, could he enjoy an employee discount…