I Am Extraordinary Alone
Chapter 139 - 138: The People Are Divided into Six Ranks

Chapter 139: Chapter 138: The People Are Divided into Six Ranks

No one bothered Wei Tianyang all afternoon.

At 6 p.m., a waitress wheeled in a dining cart, delivering dinner to the room. The three-tiered cart was piled high with food that, according to Black House portions, was enough for six people.

The waitress entered the room, placed all the dishes on the table and prepared the utensils.

The dinner was a suitable mix of meat and vegetables, including soup, meat dishes, sweet wine, and fruit, filling the table.

Long white porcelain plates contained thinly sliced roast duck, accompanied by various dipping sauces. Tender white chicken soup filled the emerald-green bowls. In the silver warming pots, frog legs sizzled in oil, and the names of several other vegetable and meat dishes on the table were beyond Wei Tianyang’s ability to recall.

As the waitress uncorked the rustic jar, a sweet and intoxicating aroma instantly filled the room.

"What wine is this?" inquired Wei Tianyang, his curiosity piqued.

"Daughter’s Red," the waitress replied.

She poured the wine into tiny porcelain bowls; it was a pleasing greenish-yellow color, steaming hot.

"Please enjoy your meal. Once you are done, you can call for me; I’ll be waiting outside," said the waitress.

Wei Tianyang responded, "No need. Just tell me where the kitchen is, and I’ll take it myself after I’m done eating."

The waitress quickly bowed and said, "Please don’t be angry, sir! If I’ve been negligent in my service, just scold me..."

"Why are you being so theatrical? Are we shooting a TV show? Having you stand by the door while I eat makes it feel like I’m in prison," Wei Tianyang said with displeasure.

"I... I have received orders from His Majesty to serve you well... How could I let you push the dining cart to the kitchen yourself..." the waitress hastily explained.

"His Majesty, hm... the Emperor, right? Interesting title..." Wei Tianyang chuckled.

But then, something occurred to him that seemed off.

"Is it still an imperial system here?" he continued to ask.

The waitress nodded and said, "Yes, Dayin has always been under an imperial system since its founding a thousand years ago."

Wei Tianyang pondered. He had read about so-called imperial systems, as well as the gold standard and the communist system in novels... But because his own cultural knowledge wasn’t sufficient, he couldn’t truly comprehend the essence of these social systems.

Still, he knew that imperial and feudal systems were a thing of the past. It was unexpected that Dayin still operated under such a system.

"Do you... have any questions?" asked the waitress.

"Isn’t the imperial system obsolete? Shouldn’t the mainstream social system be the gold standard now?" Wei Tianyang queried.

The waitress covered her mouth with a smile and said, "There’s no such thing as an obsolete system, only one that suits a country’s conditions. Dayin has always been governed by a structure of One Palace, Three Chambers, Six Bureaus, and Twelve Departments. The Emperor is also elected by the Three Chambers. The fact that we can develop until now and remain so powerful proves that this system is the most suitable for us. Moreover, our imperial system is evolving, merging with the gold standard system. So, you see, many Western companies have come here to set up factories, and we’ve also opened up many areas for the common people to conduct business."

"Then what does ’tree people’ mean? People who live in trees?" Wei Tianyang continued to ask.

Could it be an adjective? Do they jokingly refer to this sort of vertical urban structure as a ’tree,’ and hence, those living at the top are called ’tree people’?

However, the waitress chuckled again and said, "You’re really funny, commoner it is, a ’guang’ character without the horizontal stroke on top of ’gan’, and with four dots that represent water below."

Wei Tianyang was confused; he didn’t recognize the character and asked, "What is a commoner?"

"Around here, people are divided into six classes, and commoners are the lowest class," the waitress replied with a laugh.

"You seem pretty happy about it, so I guess you’re not a commoner?" Wei Tianyang asked further.

"I used to be a commoner, but after passing a series of exams, I’ve become a civil servant now~ ranked in the third class," the waitress said, with a hint of bragging in her voice.

"What about the rest? Are there any differences?" Wei Tianyang inquired in detail.

"Well, there are definitely differences, and quite big ones at that! The first class is naturally the six great clans, called Yin people, who have an income without working, eat special supply grains, travel on official roads, and enjoy the finest medical care in Yin Country. Leaders of the three institutes and the Emperor are also selected from among the Yin people. We’re not that lucky, nor are we jealous, as the governance of the country relies on them. Those Yin people are truly the elite of the elite, with the pure blood of Yin ancestors flowing in their veins. We can’t compare to them," she explained.

"The second class consists of children of the clan families who serve in the three institutes; one must make an exceptionally great contribution or sacrifice to the Yin Country for themselves and their family’s offspring to have the chance of being elected into the clan. Our leaders of the six bureaus and some ministers are selected from these clan families. They too can eat special supply grains and travel on official roads, but they must work to earn an income."

"The third class is the ceiling for us commoners. By graduating from higher education institutions and then passing the palace examination, we can become civil servants in Yin Country, with the chance to work in the six bureaus or twelve departments. As for the three institutes... well, I’ve never heard of a civil servant making it into the three institutes. Civil servants can’t eat special supply grains nor travel on official roads, but the income is still very secure, and all public transportation is free. Also, no queuing at the bank~"

"The fourth class consists of soldiers, you know, for protecting the homeland and nation. I’m not familiar with the military, so I won’t talk nonsense about them."

"The fifth class are the various business owners, collectively referred to as tax-paying citizens, who pay substantial taxes. They can operate their businesses in peace with the protection of Dayin Country, so they don’t have much to complain about, right?"

"The sixth class is the general commoners of Dayin Country. You’re born a commoner, and then you either go into business, take the palace exam, or join the military... anyway, I’m not going to join the military..." the waitress said.

After the waitress finished speaking in one breath, she didn’t forget to praise the perks of a civil servant: "Civil servants have it so good. By passing the palace exam, you secure a job for life, not having to come up with all sorts of schemes to make money like business people, nor do you need to train hard like soldiers, risking your life on the battlefield. We just do our jobs well, and that’s enough~"

Wei Tianyang stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "So that means... my family must have been commoners back then..."

"You’re not a commoner~ Now, if I were to guess, you’d at least be one of the clan children, you know? Jade Pavilion is a place exclusively for royal relatives and foreign guests~ Anyone who can stay here is no ordinary person~" the waitress said, looking at Wei Tianyang with a suggestive gaze, "I accidently overheard the guards talking, your name is Wei Tianyang, right?"

Wei Tianyang nodded, "That’s right. My name is Wei Tianyang."

"Oh~ You seem to be around my age. I’m 25," the waitress said with a flirty smile.

"Then you’re much older than me, I’ll only be 17 this October, barely over 16 right now," Wei Tianyang said.

"That’s not too young~ You’re... still single, aren’t you?" she asked, giggling.

"I’m not considering that at the moment, but tell me, since you’ve attended a higher educational institution and passed the palace exam, you’re quite talented. Why are you here handing out plates and serving tea and food?" Wei Tianyang asked.

"Humph~ the plates at Jade Pavilion are not something just anyone can carry. Hey~ How about leaving a contact, and maybe... hang out sometime? I heard you’re from Chicken Snake Country; you haven’t had the chance to play in a big city like Fengrao City, right?" she inquired again, subtly leaning her chest against Wei Tianyang’s arm.

Wei Tianyang stepped back, glancing from the corner of his eye to see Yaha lying on the table like a little dog, eating roast duck with her mouth.

He quickly said, "I need to feed her now, so please excuse yourself."

Looking toward Yaha, the waitress’s eyes flickered with resentment, but she maintained a smile, bowed her head, and said, "Alright then, enjoy your meal, and uh... I’ll be right outside~"

After saying that, she left and gently closed the door.

Wei Tianyang sat down at the dining table; the food was delicious, and the service was meticulous, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.