Western Liang Empire
Northwestern Prefecture, Fucheng, Yueying Tower
In the top floor chamber, fine silk curtains filtered the sunlight, and a faint sandalwood incense wafted through the air.
On an exquisite, soft peach wood bed, Su Hao lay quietly in the arms of Yueying, the most renowned courtesan. He rested with his eyes closed, enjoying the gentle massage of his forehead by Yueying's delicate, soft hands.
"This is so comfortable, I don't want to wake up from this dream," Su Hao murmured, as if believing he was dreaming.
"Young Master Su, if you don't want to wake up, just keep lying here. I'll continue to massage you," a soft, melodious voice responded.
"Of course I don't want to wake up from such a beautiful dream!" Su Hao said naturally, his right hand unconsciously reaching for the small hands massaging his head. When he touched them, he suddenly felt something was amiss.
The sensation felt too real, and that gentle voice... He struggled to open his eyes and saw an exquisitely beautiful face, as well as surroundings that resembled an ancient boudoir. His gaze hesitated.
"Ah!" Just as he hesitated, a surge of consciousness flooded his mind, causing him to cry out involuntarily. His body shuddered as if electrified.
Bang! At that moment, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a man in brocade clothes rushed in from outside. The man had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a tall build. Half of his face bore a purple scar, giving him a somewhat frightening appearance. This was Su Ping, Su Hao's personal attendant.
He came directly to Su Hao's side, looking anxiously at him lying in Yueying's arms.
"Third Young Master, are you alright?"
Su Hao, who had just cried out, now struggled to open his eyes. He now understood the reason for his earlier headache and realized his current identity.
He had transmigrated, taking over the body of a Su Hao who shared his name. As for how he had transmigrated, Su Hao had a vague idea.
Before transmigrating, he had been about to use the company's clock-in system when his body suddenly shuddered, and he lost consciousness. In his unconscious state, he felt as if he was in a gentle embrace, thinking he was dreaming.
But he hadn't expected to have actually transmigrated.
The cry just now was because Su Hao was receiving this body's memories and couldn't adjust immediately.
"Su Ping, I'm fine. I just had a nightmare. You can go now," Su Hao waved his hand, dismissing Su Ping.
Hearing Su Hao's words, Su Ping breathed a sigh of relief but didn't leave. Instead, he said softly, "Third Young Master, today is the day we're supposed to report to the Capture Agency. If we don't leave soon, we might miss the time. The Second Master might come looking for you then."
"Report to the Capture Agency!" Su Hao sat up straight upon hearing about the reporting.
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. Let's go quickly. If we don't report today, my second uncle will probably come looking for me himself. I might end up being dragged there and severely beaten!"
Su Hao immediately stood up and straightened his clothes.
"Miss Yueying, I have to leave for some business today!"
Su Hao bid farewell to Yueying beside him and quickly left the Yueying Tower with Su Ping.
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Outside the Yueying Tower
A servant from the tower was already waiting with a horse-drawn carriage for Su Hao. Su Hao quickly boarded the carriage, while Su Ping sat at the front, driving the carriage towards the Fucheng Capture Agency.
Inside the carriage
Su Hao looked out at the street, observing the passing carriages and the steady stream of people in ancient attire. This further confirmed the reality of his transmigration. He tried to calm himself and quickly organized the information about his current identity.
Su Hao was the youngest son of the Su family's patriarch in Fucheng. He had two older brothers and three older sisters. The Su family was the top family in Fucheng and ranked among the leading families in the entire Northwestern Prefecture, with a rich heritage.
Su Hao's second uncle, currently the magistrate of Fucheng, had arranged a position as deputy chief at the Capture Agency for Su Hao, seeing him idle all day. This position was just a transition. After gaining some experience, he would join the Northwestern Prefecture's Inspectorate, which reported directly to the Emperor. Once in the Inspectorate, he would essentially become an imperial servant.
Su Hao's third uncle, one of the three deputy commanders of the Northwestern Prefecture's Inspectorate, had suggested this transitional period at the Capture Agency.
"Why become a constable when I could have remained a wealthy young master?" Su Hao shook his head, unable to understand. But he knew if he didn't report to the Capture Agency, he'd be in trouble at home.
The carriage moved quickly, soon arriving at the Fucheng Capture Agency. Two constables on duty outside recognized Su Hao's carriage and immediately approached, ready to curry favor with him. After all, constables in Fucheng knew Su Hao's carriage, and they had already received notice of his appointment as one of the three chiefs of their Capture Agency.
"Young Master Su, you're here to report for duty today, aren't you?" One of the constables said, leading Su Hao into the Capture Agency.
Su Hao looked up at the Capture Agency before him. It was large, with two unidentified stone beasts crouching at the entrance. The sign above the door read "Fucheng Capture Agency" in four large characters.
Led by the constable at the entrance, Su Hao entered the Capture Agency. It had three buildings, with the central hall being the tallest, flanked by two shorter structures on either side.
Fucheng, being a large city, had numerous constables, so the Capture Agency had three chiefs – one primary and two deputies. Recently, one of the deputy chiefs, Wang Tong, had an accident during duty and unfortunately passed away in the outskirts.
Su Hao's second uncle had immediately arranged for Su Hao to take over this deputy chief position.
Su Hao was led by a bailiff towards the main hall of the Capture Agency. Inside, some constables were busy at work. The larger the city, the more cases there were. However, upon seeing Su Hao, they all paused their work to greet him.
At that moment, in a large office within the Capture Agency
The other two chiefs of the Fucheng Capture Agency, Lu Hao and Han Lu, were gathered together. Both were tall and imposing, wearing the gold-trimmed uniforms of Capture Agency chiefs, with long swords at their waists. Lu Hao, slightly older, was the primary chief of the Capture Agency.
He looked at the brocade uniform and deputy chief's badge before him with a somewhat worried expression.
"Chief Lu, Deputy Chief Han, Young Master Su has arrived at the Capture Agency!" At that moment, a constable pushed open the door and announced softly.
"Bring Young Master Su to the main hall," Lu Hao stood up, picking up the brocade uniform from the table. He turned to Han Lu beside him and said, "Let's go meet Young Master Su."
Han Lu said nothing, merely nodding and following behind Lu Hao. His eyes seemed cold, as if Su Hao's arrival was of little concern to him.
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In the main hall
Su Hao was examining the furnishings of the hall. Although he had received the memories of the previous Su Hao, he was still quite interested in ancient furniture and decor.
As he was carefully observing the room, Lu Hao and Han Lu entered the hall.
"Su Hao, from now on we'll be working together. Let's support each other," Lu Hao greeted Su Hao warmly upon entering, handing him the brocade uniform and badge.
Since Su Hao would be working under him, addressing him by name seemed more cordial.
"Chief Lu, you're too kind. I'll follow your lead in all matters," Su Hao replied politely. He knew who this man was – Lu Hao, the primary chief of the Capture Agency. Since he would be working under him, he knew he needed to say the right things outwardly.
Looking at the exquisite official uniform in his hands, Su Hao felt pleased. He accepted the uniform and deputy chief's badge from Lu Hao.
"I'll change into the official uniform now," Su Hao excused himself and went to the back of the hall to change into his new uniform.
Suddenly, an unusual voice appeared in his mind.
"Ding! Host's first occupation has appeared, activating the check-in system. Binding check-in system..."
"10%, 20%, 50%, 100%, check-in system binding successful."
"Hmm! A system!" Su Hao's face lit up as he saw the successfully installed system. Could this check-in system be the cheat code for his transmigration?