Chapter Ten: Do You Still Remember Chen Yi of the Marquis of Wu'an's Residence?

Hearing the voice, Chen Yi turned his head to look. By the light of the city tower’s flames, he could see from a distance a middle-aged man surrounded by guards clad in black armor.

At this moment, the supreme ruler of the Wei Dynasty wore black armor trimmed with gold. He was tall and imposing, with a dignified expression, resting his hand on an ornate long sword at his waist as he strode forward with a commanding presence.

“Welcome, Your Majesty.”

Chen Yi was so captivated that when the guards knelt, he only realized what was happening after his feet were firmly on the ground. Reacting belatedly, he respectfully saluted and called out, “Welcome, Your Majesty.”

However, his voice was a bit late and had a childish tone, instantly shattering the solemn atmosphere.

The sovereign found it amusing and glanced at him once more, then raised his hand and said, “No need for formalities.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Chen Yi met his gaze and thought to himself, this is bad. The sovereign wouldn’t remember him, would he? Earlier, he had been distracted counting the number of jewels embedded in the sword and had forgotten to bow.

He really hadn’t meant to draw attention!

But, as if fate was mocking him, the sovereign seemed to recognize him and Xia Wanwan’s identities, walking straight over. He patted Chen Yi on the head and asked:

“Are you Chen Yuan or Chen Yi?”

“Your Majesty, this is young Master Chen Yi,” Xia Wanwan replied hurriedly with a pale face.

The Wei Emperor smiled, telling her not to be nervous. After some reassurance, he turned back to Chen Yi and asked:

“How old are you?”

“Your Majesty, I am two and a half years old.”

Though a little nervous, Chen Yi answered according to what his teacher had taught him in etiquette class.

“Do you want to make your father happy?”

“Yes.”

Chen Yi looked at the kindly smiling Wei Emperor, perplexed and unable to fathom his thoughts.

Upon hearing the answer, the Emperor directly picked him up and strode toward the main seat on the city tower. Looking down at Chen Taiping, he said with a smile:

“Marquis Wu’an, look who this is.”

Chen Taiping was momentarily stunned, then glared at Chen Yi and said, “Your Majesty, the young master can be mischievous. If he has offended you, please forgive him.”

Chen Yi rolled his eyes. He was so well-behaved; how could he be courting death? This was just an accident!

“Hahaha... I knew you’d say that,” the Wei Emperor said with an unchanged smile. “Originally, I was thinking about what rewards could make you wholeheartedly defend the borders of our great Wei.”

“After seeing Yi’er, I have an idea.”

“I decree that from today onwards, you may select one offspring to receive extra training from the court.”

“In short: money where money is due, resources where resources are needed!”

“So that you know, since you defend me and the great Wei at the frontier, neither I nor Wei will ever treat you unfairly!”

“Likewise, this decree applies to all border soldiers from now on!”

At these words, not only the soldiers outside the city but even Chen Yi was stunned by the grand generosity of the Wei Emperor.

He had only delayed his salute by a few seconds; was such a grand reward really necessary?

This benefit, extended to all border soldiers, struck at the heart of their concerns.

Not only would it allow them to focus fully on guarding the borders, but it would also drive them to fight with all their might.

Most importantly, when announcing the reward, the Emperor had explicitly mentioned Chen Yi’s name.

Chen Yi could imagine that when the soldiers expressed their gratitude to the Emperor, they would probably thank him as well.

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Sure enough, Chen Taiping immediately knelt down, and the black-armored soldiers behind him shouted “Long live the Emperor!”

Moreover, all the generals on the city tower smiled broadly. Though they were not lacking in resources, such a public declaration of reward meant their troops would fight harder than ever.

Yet, amidst their joy, many generals envied Chen Taiping.

Damn it—why wasn’t the Emperor announcing such news when they were away?

No doubt, the Marquis Wu’an’s son would be overjoyed.

And Chen Yi… well, once they returned, they would have to see if there was a suitable girl and quickly arrange a childhood engagement!

“Yi’er, are you pleased with my decision?”

Seeing the Emperor’s smiling face, Chen Yi nodded repeatedly, unwilling to say a word.

Having already attracted attention and received favor, if he acted too boldly, the sovereign might remember him too well.

He certainly didn’t want to enter official service prematurely, like those historically famous young men in his past life.

That would mean an early death!

Not long after, the sound of military drums echoed.

“The army marches out!”

“Wishing Marquis Wu’an a triumphant return!”

…

In the blink of an eye, two months had passed since Marquis Wu’an led his troops north to guard the border.

Before dawn, Chen Yi groggily heard a chorus of chirping outside. Resigned, he pulled the covers over his head.

Damn it!

How many marriage proposals had come to the door now?!

Since the Emperor’s announcement to train the offspring of border soldiers, the threshold of the Marquis Wu’an’s residence had been worn down twice.

Even though Xia Wanwan rejected them all, the well-to-do noble ladies of the capital kept coming in droves.

At first, they were subtle, calling it visits and bringing gifts.

Later, they didn’t even bother to pretend.

Gifts arrived box after box, with sweet words like “strengthening family ties” and “little Chen Yi is so clever and well-behaved.”

In short—“Mother-in-law, when will you choose an auspicious date to arrange a marriage for the two children?”

Every time he heard this, Chen Yi wanted to drive them all away.

Besides secretly cursing the Emperor’s knack for winning hearts, he also blamed the third madam of the Northern Town Prince.

If she hadn’t started this mess, would things have turned out this way?

But there was no way around it.

Not only did those noble suitors pay no mind to him, even Xia Wanwan was somewhat shaken by their relentless bombardment.

Every three to five days, she would come to ask for his opinion.

“Yi’er, the daughter of Duke Xing, Lin Xueru, is about your age, gentle, virtuous, clever, and gifted in martial arts…”

“Mother, do you really believe that?” Chen Yi interrupted, helplessly. “A little girl at most three years old, she probably hasn’t even attended etiquette class. How can she be virtuous?”

“And martial arts talent… she hasn’t even reached the foundation stage yet.”

Xia Wanwan looked troubled and sighed.

“I can’t help it; they’re just too enthusiastic.”

“Just tell them I haven’t reached the foundation stage in martial arts and am not considering marriage for now,” Chen Yi thought and said.

“Then once you reach that stage, Mother will help you find a match?”

“…Then say I’m taking the entrance exam for the Tai Xu Dao Sect and will talk about marriage after I return.”

Just an excuse to stall. Getting married is hard enough; refusing is even harder.

“You’re so smart, Yi’er.”

Xia Wanwan blinked, understanding, and her expression relaxed considerably.

“You eat your fruit first; I’ll go discuss some matters with your aunt.”

After she left, Chen Yuan approached with curiosity.

“Second brother, what is a betrothal?”

Chen Yi took a mango, eating as he explained:

“It means you’ve brought home an ancestor you don’t understand. Not only do you have to give her a bride price, but you also have to be considerate of her and treat her well.”

“You have to obey whatever she says. If she tells you to go east, you can’t go west, and if she says…”

“Ah?!”

Chen Yuan was startled, clutching his head and shaking it vigorously.

“No, no, no! I don’t want to be betrothed!”

Chen Yi thought to himself, that’s right. Women only slow down how fast you draw your sword; they bring no benefit…

At that moment, a holographic screen appeared.

[Comeback Points: 100/100]

[Spend Comeback Points to issue a comeback task—Do you still remember Chen Yi of the Marquis Wu’an’s residence?]

[At thirty-one, having made some progress, you hear news of her again, recalling the day of your broken engagement…]