Chapter 25: A Household of Unwavering Loyalty

It was him!

Chen Yi stared fixedly at the tall, aged figure, his heart churning like a turbulent sea. The man in black who had tracked him to the East City Gate that night was none other than the Marquis of Jingye, Zhou Tiance!

A Marquis of Martial Arts, a third-rank official of the Wei Dynasty, and the head of a prestigious, millennium-old noble clan—was he actually taking action against him personally?

"Hmm?"

Seeing that Chen Yi remained unaffected by his killing intent, a flicker of surprise crossed Zhou Tiance's face. Then, as if recalling something, he turned his head toward the library pavilion deep within the training grounds. His eyes grew murky once more, and after a few coughs, he said, "Yuan'er, Grandfather is taking you back to the manor."

Unexpectedly, little Chen Yuan shook his head incessantly. Tugging at the man’s graying stubble, he grumbled with dissatisfaction, "Great-Grandfather, I won't allow you to talk about Father and my second brother like that."

Zhou Tiance did not lose his temper. Instead, he smiled with doting indulgence and said, "Very well, I won't say it again. Let's head back to the manor with Great-Grandfather, shall we?"

"Mm-hmm." Chen Yuan nodded, his little face lighting up with a grin as he boasted, "Great-Grandfather, my second brother is so wonderful. He even taught me a song, something called... a nursery rhyme."

A flash of displeasure crossed Tiance's face. He glanced at Chen Yi and turned to walk away, ignoring Chen Taihang and the others standing nearby. As he walked, he asked with a smile, "What kind of nursery rhyme?"

*That concubine-born child actually dared to teach Yuan’er the vulgar tunes of actors and courtesans. To have such a malicious mind at such a young age... how hateful!*

"Great-Grandfather, I'll sing it for you."

As he spoke, little Chen Yuan leaned against his shoulder, blinked at Chen Yi, and sang in a milky, childish voice:

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are..."

Chen Yi forced a smile and waved at him. By the time Zhou Tiance walked out of the training grounds, the singing had faded, and the figures of the two seemed to blur into unreality.

"Second Master, what should we do now?"

Several instructors on the training grounds exchanged looks with bitter smiles, clearly helpless against this Marquis of Jingye. They were well aware of the relationship between the Chen and Zhou families; their own Marquis’s wife was, after all, Zhou Tiance’s granddaughter. If things were to turn hostile, it would be like a man’s left hand fighting his right—a spectacle that would only make them a laughingstock to outsiders.

Chen Taihang sighed, frowned in thought for a few seconds, and ordered, "Old Ding, go to the Old Madam immediately and confirm this. Go and return quickly."

"Yes, Second Master."

"Everyone else, back to your training! Any wasted time must be doubled and made up!"

"Yes, Chief Instructor!"

Once the crowd dispersed, Chen Taihang approached Chen Yi and placed a large hand on his head, laughing heartily, "Good lad, to be able to keep your composure in front of the Old Marquis—you’ll surely be a real man when you grow up!"

Chen Yi did not feel happy because of the praise. After a few seconds of silence, he looked up and asked, "Second Uncle, could you tell me about... Grandfather Zhou?"

"The Old Marquis?"

Chen Taihang’s rugged face looked a bit unnatural, as if this were a taboo subject for him. However, thinking of the arrogant way Zhou Tiance had just scolded them, he felt a bellyful of resentment that he needed to vent, so he simply asked, "What do you want to know, Yi'er?"

Chen Yi hesitated for two seconds before replying, "He doesn't seem to like me?"

In truth, he had already marked Zhou Tiance as his number-one enemy in his heart. The malice and crushing pressure he felt outside the East City Gate, combined with this undisguised wave of killing intent, made it clear to him: Zhou Tiance wanted him dead.

"Doesn't like you?"

Chen Taihang shook his head with a bitter smile. "It’s not just you. Aside from Madam Zhou and Yuan'er, he doesn't like anyone from our Chen family."

"He doesn't like any of us?" Chen Yi was stunned.

"It’s a long story, but you’ll know about these things sooner or later..."

Chen Taihang did not elaborate much, only briefly recounting some of Zhou Tiance's past. Twenty years ago, at the beginning of the three-year "Demon Emperor's Southern Expedition," it was the Marquis of Jingye, Zhou Tiance, who guarded the North Hero Pass. Because intelligence had not been gathered in advance, the garrison had to engage the demon army in a hasty battle when they arrived at the gates. The outcome was predictable.

In just five days, more than half of the Jingye Army led by Zhou Tiance had been killed or wounded, and even his two sons had died heroically. It was not until two days later that the Prince of the North arrived with his main force to reinforce them and stabilize the situation at North Hero Pass.

If it had ended there, even with the heavy losses suffered by the Jingye Army, the court and the public could have accepted it as the price for holding the pass. But a later, massive battle had left the forces under the Prince of the North severely crippled. Chen Taihang did not go into the details of that battle. He only mentioned that after that fight, Zhou Tiance was gravely wounded, and his remaining sons died one after another at the hands of the demons. It was also during that battle that the Old Master of the Chen family had sacrificed himself heroically.

Putting together what Chen Taihang had said about Zhou Tiance’s dislike for the Chen family, Chen Yi speculated that something must have gone wrong during that battle. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain why Zhou Tiance would hold such a grudge against the Chen family when both sides had suffered losses.

"Since that battle, the Marquis has been plagued by illness. It took him many years of recuperation before he could petition the Emperor to rebuild the Jingye Army."

At this point, Chen Taihang paused and sighed, offering comfort: "Of course, he is not dissatisfied with only our Chen family. He feels the same way about the lineage of the Prince of the North and the Marquis of Mount Tai."

"I see..."

A thoughtful expression appeared on Chen Yi's young face. It was understandable that Zhou Tiance disliked everyone if he felt his family had suffered too heavily and blamed the participants of that battle. But that still did not explain why Zhou Tiance targeted him specifically!

"Second Uncle, by your account, can the lineage of the Marquis of Jingye be considered 'loyal to the core'?"

"Of course," Chen Taihang said with absolute certainty. "The entire court would not deny it. Even your father must show the Old Marquis three parts of respect."

"So, Yi'er, don't take the Old Marquis's words to heart. I suspect he’s just disgruntled over the Emperor’s decree from yesterday, not targeting you."

"Mm." Chen Yi blinked and smiled. "I'll keep that in mind, Uncle."

*That old bastard isn't just "disgruntled"; he wants to kill your nephew.*

Of course, Chen Yi only thought this to himself. If he were to say it out loud, he feared that apart from his biological mother, Xia Wanwan, no one in the entire Marquis of Wuan’s manor would believe him.

And it stood to reason. A family of absolute loyalty whose heirs all died on the demonic battlefield—how could a man viewed by the world as a hero stoop so low as to take action against a child?

...

Inside the majestic Imperial City, on the square paved with bluestone and white jade, outside the Qingzheng Hall.

The Emperor of Wei paced to this spot, examining the palace, which was not exactly remote but could be called quiet within the Imperial City. After a while, he nodded with satisfaction and laughed, "Little Twelve and Little Thirteen should like it here."

Beside him, Liu Gao—the imperial attendant who had gone to deliver the decree to Chen Yi—replied with a sycophantic smile:

"Your Majesty is right. The Twelfth Prince has loved reading since he was young, and the Thirteenth Princess is also diligent and eager to learn; naturally, they would prefer somewhere quieter."

"Love reading? Diligent and eager to learn?" The Emperor laughed and chided, "Only you could say such a thing with a straight face."

"I know my own children. If they don't tear this place down, it would be a miracle of Gu Tiangang's management."

Liu Gao chuckled and slapped his own mouth, not daring to speak again.

"I heard the Marquis of Jingye went to the Chen residence and took Chen Yuan away?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, this servant only heard that he is still at the Marquis of Wuan's manor, speaking ill of the Marquis of Chen and Chen Yi."

"Heh, this Zhou Tiance is truly getting more muddled with age!"

The Emperor chuckled, turned, and left the Qingzheng Hall, saying languidly:

"I am actually quite curious... what exactly is he plotting behind all this?"

PS: Thanks to the three big supporters: Love Tiger Walk, Zhang Bulang, and Ember of Mohe. Thank you in August.