In the courtyard.
The spring breeze carried a hint of chill, and Xia Chen's heart was restless.
The Empress, in the Great Unification version, was the most powerful being, awe-inspiring to the world, with all directions submitting to her, gathering the world's destiny, and establishing laws for all ages!
Then, relying on the Great Unification destiny, she built temples and, with great ambition, made a grand vow to the Heavenly Dao, forcibly transforming the Great Wu Dynasty into a Destiny Dynasty ahead of time. Within Great Wu, destiny suppressed everything.
From then on, those who were not Great Wu subjects were considered heretics, with slow cultivation speeds, while those with Great Wu official positions could, according to their rank, utilize varying degrees of the Dynasty's destiny to accelerate their cultivation.
All heroes of the world were brought into her grasp!
"This situation continued until the "Spiritual Qi Resurgence and Myriad Realms Integration" phase, when the Empress disappeared, the Wu Dynasty's destiny collapsed, and the Great Unification disintegrated. Only then were the world's heroes freed from the suppression of Great Wu's destiny.
But once Pandora's box was opened, there was no going back. After that, every lord of a dynasty emulated the Empress, using destiny to suppress their territory. Dynasty destiny became a cultivation tonic, the higher the official position, the faster the cultivation speed, and the dynasty lord benefited the most..."
Xia Chen was carefully recalling the later plot. In his previous life, he only treated this world as a game, so he didn't pay much attention in the early stages, and many things were just a fleeting glance.
But as the "Myriad Realms Integration" version began later, this world became the main world, everything became real, and they, the players, no longer had immortal bodies. Only then did he realize something was wrong.
"I've never heard of the Empress having a fiancé!"
Xia Chen shook his head, recalling carefully, trying to deduce the current situation based on later plots. But unfortunately, in his previous life, he entered this world in the early stages of the Great Unification version. No one knew what the Empress, then the Second Imperial Princess during Emperor Wen's era, had experienced.
"No, during the Great Unification period, Zhendong Marquis Manor still shone brightly, exuding a brilliant radiance, with talents emerging one after another. My biological younger brother, Xia Hao, possessed the legendary Supreme Bone, with astonishing talent. During the Empress's reign, he even became a pillar of the empire, the sharpest spear for Great Wu's expansion, establishing illustrious military achievements.
The Empress, with great ambition, broke ancestral rules and ennobled my biological younger brother as the Zhendong King.
However, there were rumors circulating that the reason my biological younger brother, Xia Hao, was able to become a king was because when the Empress was a dragon confined to a pond, she had a marriage agreement with an ordinary disciple of Zhendong Marquis Manor. But ultimately, this Marquis Manor disciple spilled his blood on the spot during the struggle for the throne.
After the Empress ascended the throne, the marriage agreement was left unsettled. But precisely because of this matter, the Empress compensated the Xia family, granting Xia Hao an exceptional ennoblement as king..."
Originally, Xia Chen had always thought these were just rumors, believing them to be mere slanders by ill-intentioned people against the Empress and the Zhendong King.
But now it seems perhaps everything was true. The Empress and Zhendong Marquis Manor truly had a past, and that ordinary Marquis Manor disciple, whose name wasn't even left in the Xia History, was him—Xia Chen.
"Is my existence just a dark history, an unbearable past that will tarnish the Empress's glorious image, so much so that I can't even have a name?"
Xia Chen laughed self-deprecatingly, but deep in his eyes, the double-pupil anomaly reappeared. His eyes seemed to merge like the sun and moon, becoming one. Wisps of chaotic energy permeated, and a cold glint flickered in his eyes.
"So, my story will end with the struggle for the throne. No wonder in my previous life, I never heard that Zhendong Marquis Manor had an eldest son named Xia Chen, or that the brilliant and dazzling pillar of the empire, Xia Hao, had an older brother!"
Xia Chen's expression returned to calm, like the water of a deep abyss, without the slightest ripple.
He walked into the room and put on a set of luxurious clothes himself. Originally, there were some maids in the courtyard, but after he turned 12, the Marquis Manor removed all of them.
It wasn't that the Marquis Manor bullied him because he was young; rather, all the disciples of the Marquis Manor were treated this way. Before reaching the Eighth Rank, martial artists most dreaded losing their virginity.
But martial artists are full of vigor, and having beautiful maids around all day would inevitably lead them to taste forbidden fruit, affecting their future prospects.
As soon as Xia Chen stepped out of the courtyard, a beautiful woman in a emerald green silk dress, around sixteen years old, walked gracefully towards Xia Chen.
"Bi Zhu!"
Xia Chen recognized this woman.
"Third Young Master, the Master and Madam are calling for you."
Bi Zhu stopped in front of Xia Chen and bowed respectfully, her attitude deferential, not arrogant and looking down on this somewhat inconspicuous young master in the Marquis Manor, as seen in TV dramas.
"I understand!"
Xia Chen nodded, then followed behind Bi Zhu, looking at her graceful, undulating hips. He immediately felt his blood rush, finding it hard to control himself. He quickly averted his gaze. He had just broken through and was at the peak of his vigor.
Bi Zhu, the maid by Cui Mengrou, the mistress of the Xia family. Cui Mengrou had always planned to transfer Bi Zhu to Xia Chen's courtyard to take care of his daily life once he broke through to the Eighth Rank.
Xia Chen distracted himself, beginning to sort out the relationship map of the Marquis Manor. The Marquis Manor had been passed down for 600 years, and currently, there were only three direct lineages.
The Old Marquis, Zhendong Marquis Xia Chutian, though now 86 years old, was still vigorous, but he no longer managed family or court affairs, instead focusing on secluded cultivation, hoping to reach a higher rank.
The Old Marquis had three sons: the eldest son Xia Qian, who was the Master Bi Zhu referred to; the second son Xia Yuan, Xia Chen's biological father, known as Second Master in the manor; and a third master, Xia Han.
Currently, the one in charge of the Marquis Manor was the Eldest Master, Anwu Marquis Xia Qian.
Xia Chen followed Bi Zhu through the winding outer courtyard and arrived at a grand hall.
As soon as he entered, he saw a dignified-looking middle-aged man sitting in the main seat, and beside him, a well-preserved, elegant and noble woman who looked to be in her thirties.
"Eldest Uncle, Eldest Aunt!"
Xia Chen respectfully bowed upon entering the hall.
"Chen'er, we're all family, no need to be so formal!"
Xia Qian smiled and told Xia Chen to rise, and the beautiful lady beside him also chimed in.
"Chen'er, it's been a long time since you came to my courtyard for a meal. Could it be that you heard your biological mother is returning, and you've become distant with your Eldest Aunt?"
Cui Mengrou playfully chided Xia Chen from the side, her eyes filled with charm, fully displaying the grace of a mature woman.
Cui Mengrou, the mistress of the Xia family, had taken care of Xia Chen since he was young, raising him as her own son...
"Eldest Aunt, recently Chen'er has been diligently practicing martial arts, so I've been negligent!"
Xia Chen smiled and walked closer, sitting beside Cui Mengrou, a warmth rising in his heart. Although his biological mother had neglected him for so many years, placing all her love on her second son.
His Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt, however, had treated him very well. They hadn't looked down on him because of his innate wasted body. He was able to grow up in the Marquis Manor from the tender age of three without suffering much grievance, thanks to the care of Xia Qian and Cui Mengrou.
Xia Qian and Cui Mengrou's expressions darkened when they heard Xia Chen say he was diligently practicing martial arts, and they sighed inwardly.
Although an innate wasted body could practice martial arts, it was very difficult to achieve great success in this life. Even if one put in a hundred times more effort than others, the rewards would still be meager.
Xia Qian and Cui Mengrou then asked Xia Chen what he still lacked. The three of them chatted happily, like a family.
"Your father has made great contributions in the Eastern Wilds. The Emperor has bestowed a marriage agreement, betrothing the Second Imperial Princess to you. You know about this, right? What do you think about this matter?"
After the pleasantries, Xia Qian got to the point.
"I just found out!" Xia Chen nodded, then his eyes showed a serious expression.
"Is there still room for maneuver in this matter?"
Xia Chen did not want to marry a princess. Marrying a princess was a great honor to outsiders, but for both the Marquis Manor and Xia Chen himself, it was merely icing on the cake, and might even be somewhat restrictive.
Especially since that person was the future Empress, he absolutely could not marry her!
It was too dangerous. Who knew how his past self had died?
... ...
【"When the Empress was young, her martial arts talent was lacking, so her parents were not very close to her. Her parents went to the battlefield and did not return home for fourteen years, and family letters were rare, showing a rather cold affection towards the Empress.
When the Empress was just three years old, she lived alone within the clan. Fortunately, her Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt treated her as their own child, raising and nurturing her with great kindness until she grew up."
— "Xia History", Volume One, Annals of Emperor Taizu】