"Sir, you must rest here tonight!" In front of a palace, Guo Dian respectfully said to Li Nian.
Looking at the palace before him, Li Nian nodded, realizing this should be his place to stay for the night.
"You lack the ability to recognize your surroundings, hurry over and serve the Sir!" Guo Dian was very courteous to Li Nian, but not so polite to the other palace attendants and maids.
Under Guo Dian's scolding, more than ten palace attendants and maids rushed out of the palace chamber, welcoming Li Nian inside.
Entering the room, Guo Dian asked, "Sir, would you like to rest directly or freshen up first?"
Thinking of something, Guo Dian added, "Sir, would you like to eat something?"
Li Nian: "..."
Seeing that Li Nian didn't understand, Guo Dian turned to the group of palace attendants and maids waiting beside him and said, "Hurry up and prepare some hot soup for the Sir! You lot take good care of the Sir, I'll be back shortly!"
After saying that, Guo Dian turned to Li Nian and said, "Sir, you'll have to wait here for a moment. I'll be back shortly!"
Guo Dian left the palace chamber, and Li Nian had no idea what he was up to. As they spoke different languages, it was difficult for him to communicate with these people. So, he could only stand inside the palace chamber and look around, observing the palace attendants and maids.
"There are no tables and chairs in the room. It is said that the earliest era of chairs in our country was during the Han Dynasty. If I have been transported to ancient China, then this place might be before the Han Dynasty, and before the Han Dynasty..."
Reflecting on some things he had seen in that palace earlier, the clothes of that heroic man, the outfits of the guards, and a glimpse of bamboo slips and that kind of writing, Li Nian's heart stirred. "Could I have been transported to the Qin Dynasty?"
He had not carefully studied history, but he was somewhat familiar with some aspects of it, such as the small seal script used in the Qin Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty's preference for black, the absence of tables and chairs in the Qin Dynasty, people's habit of sitting on the ground, and the life-sized terracotta soldiers he saw in Lin'tong. How could these be so similar to the guards beside him?
"I should be transported to the Qin Dynasty... or perhaps not, it could be some period before the Qin Dynasty. But if it really is the Qin Dynasty, then that magnificent man must be...?"
Li Nian's heart suddenly leaped, and a series of titles flashed through his mind.
"Zulong", "Qin Shi Huang", "Ying Zheng", "Zhao Zheng", "Qin Shi Huang Di", "Founder of the Qin Dynasty", "The first emperor of China".
"If it's really him, what year is it? How long until Hu Hai takes the throne? Where are Liu Bang and Xiang Yu? What should I do?"
For a moment, Li Nian's thoughts were in a mess, and his expression changed repeatedly. The guards beside him noticed this and silently noted it down, ready to report it to the King later.
Just as Li Nian was thinking wildly, Guo Dian returned and said to Li Nian, "Sorry to have kept the Sir waiting for so long!"
Li Nian gathered his thoughts, looking at Guo Dian, who was followed by two others, each carrying a tray. One tray held clothes, and the other held food.
It's obvious that Guo Dian left to prepare clothes and food for the Sir.
At this moment, several palace attendants carrying a large wooden barrel entered from outside. One of them addressed Guo Dian, saying, "Manager Guo, the hot soup is ready!"
Guo Dian ignored the palace attendant and turned to Li Nian, asking, "Sir, would you like to bathe first or eat first?" After speaking, he pointed specifically at the wooden barrel already inside the room and the tray with food on it.
Li Nian naturally understood such a simple meaning, so he pointed to the tray and indicated that they should start with food. After all, a person is made of iron and rice is strong, and one cannot afford to skip a meal. Even if he might be beheaded or suffer harsh punishment later, it wouldn't delay his current meal.
Moreover, he was actually hungry. He was originally going to buy vegetables to cook, but who knew he would be transported on his way back.
Seeing that Li Nian chose to eat first, Guo Dian ordered his attendants to place the tray with food on a table in the room and said, "The food is simple; please forgive me, Sir!"
In the Qin Dynasty, people only ate two meals a day, the first meal was called "Cháo Shí" or "Yōng", which was around nine in the morning and also known as "Shí Shí", and the second meal was called "Shùn Shí" or "Sūn", which was around four in the afternoon.
After two meals, people usually won't eat again, but here is the palace of the King of Qin, even if two meals have been had, some food will be prepared to prevent the nobles living in the palace from being hungry.
Looking at the tray placed on the table, Li Nian thought for a moment and then sat down abruptly in front of it, picking up the chopsticks and started eating.
The food was relatively simple, a bowl of what appeared to be cooked rice, a plate of what looked like vegetables, and a bowl of meat soup made with what appeared to be unidentified meat.
The terms "bowl," "chopsticks," and "rice" were just what Li Nian called these things. In this era, they certainly wouldn't be called that.
Although modern cuisine often has scientific and labor-intensive techniques, the taste is still far superior to this era. The dishes here are simple and the taste is ordinary, much worse than modern cuisine.
As Li Nian ate, Guo Dian stood quietly by the side, observing him in silence.
Li Nian knew that this person was not only here to take care of him but also to monitor him. However, he didn't feel constrained. He needed to show that he was different from this era.
After finishing his meal, Li Nian got up from the ground. Guo Dian waved his hand, and one of the palace attendants came forward to take away the tray.
Pointing to the large wooden barrel, Guo Dian said to Li Nian, "Sir, would you like to bathe now or rest as is?"
Li Nian actually wasn't very tired. He had just come from the modern era, which was still daytime. However, he couldn't explain that to these people, so he thought for a moment and decided to take a bath.
The person probably wasn't simply doing him a favor by wanting him to take a bath. More likely, he was using this opportunity to check his clothes and body.
Even though he had already been searched in that palace, who could guarantee there wouldn't be a mishap?
Li Nian silently reminded himself, 'The ancient people are very cautious, we cannot underestimate them!'
Under the service of several palace maids, Li Nian took off his clothes and entered the wooden barrel for a bath. He closed his eyes and leaned against the side of the barrel, feeling several hands rub over his body, but he had no enjoyment of the privileges of the feudal class in this era.
Li Nian was well aware that the person who had placed him in the palace, had him served by palace attendants and maids, was interested in his mysterious origins and the modern items he brought with him. If he couldn't satisfy that person in the future, his fate would be dire.
On the other side, as Li Nian had predicted, Guo Dian was holding the ice silk short-sleeved shirt that he had taken off, carefully caressing and examining it.
"This material is neither hemp nor silk; it feels soft and silky with a slight coolness to it. It's quite strange."
After a while of examining it, Guo Dian put the short-sleeved shirt on one tray and picked up another.
"This material is somewhat similar to hemp, yet it lacks hemp's roughness and dryness, how strange!"
Putting down the denim pants, Guo Dian picked up Li Nian's ice silk underwear.
"This material is of the same type as the short-sleeved shirt. Using it to cover one's privacy is a good idea. The clothes on this person may seem simple, but there is indeed great wisdom behind them. Report this to the King!"
The Qin Dynasty did not have underpants, so when Emperor Qinshihuang unified the world, did he hang his pants down without any underwear?
