Chapter 2: The Marriage Decree

Chapter 2: The Imperial Betrothal

It was known throughout the capital that Xie Yulin, son of the Minister of Personnel, was of a vicious and overbearing temperament, cold-hearted and ruthless by nature.

Rumors had it that he was quick to anger and often mistreated his servants—berating and humiliating them for minor offenses, or resorting to private punishments for more serious ones.

He was also said to frequently defy his elders, disregard propriety, and bully his own brothers as a matter of course.

For this reason, most of the capital's prominent families kept their distance from him.

Not only that, but legend had it that he lived a dissolute life—though a male omega, he was said to regularly cavort with men, and his sullied name traveled far and wide.

With such a notorious reputation, naturally no one dared to seek his hand in marriage.

Who could have imagined that an imperial decree would betroth him to the strikingly handsome and high-spirited young general, Cheng Yi?

The news sent the entire city into an uproar.

Many inwardly criticized the emperor for recklessly pairing people together.

Even though the Minister of Personnel was powerful and the match was arguably well-suited with the Duke Zhenguo's household, how could someone like Xie Yulin possibly be worthy of him?

Sure enough, before long, word spread that the young general had been whipped until his skin was torn and bleeding by the Old Duke and still refused to yield.

That made sense.

Any man would be unwilling to marry such a consort—let alone the Young General, who was of noble birth and heroic bearing, worthy of even a banished immortal.

In his past life, Cheng Yi had only learned of these disgraceful rumors much later.

Before the betrothal, he had no dealings with this man whatsoever. They first met when this man blocked Cheng Yi's path.

Just as it was happening at this very moment.

In his past life, Cheng Yi had also been cornered at the doorway by him.

Back then, Cheng Yi could see no one else—his heart was filled entirely with guilt and tender concern for Xie Yulin.

So when faced with Xie Yulin's provocation, he had no intention of considering the other's feelings, and in front of everyone, spoke the words that would wound him most deeply.

"I did not intend for the emperor to bestow this marriage. Moreover, I already have someone I hold dear in my heart, so no matter what, I will not marry you."

With those words, for the next ten years—until Cheng Yi rose to become the Prince Wu'an, whose power overshadowed the entire court—the person hidden in his heart became the subject people loved to discuss over tea and after meals.

Speculated about, wondered over, admired...

In short, the whole world knew that the War God of Great Yao harbored a mysterious beloved in his heart.

Cheng Yi hazily recalled that the young man's face had been absolutely dreadful in that moment, his bright eyes filled with fury.

"Fine. Just fine."

"You don't want to marry me? This young master doesn't even deign to marry you!"

"What do you think you are—some hot commodity? You have eyes but can't see!"

"What a load of crap—'Little War God'! You're nothing special!"

The young man's eyes reddened with fury. After a vicious string of curses, he lashed out with his long whip, striking straight at the young general standing tall and straight.

Cheng Yi had been a reckless young fool back then. Though he resented the emperor's reckless matchmaking, he knew Xie Yulin was not at fault.

Besides, having been publicly humiliated, the man had every right to strike him in anger.

So he endured the lash without flinching.

Even though Xie Yulin had no martial arts training, the blow still sent a sharp jolt of pain through Cheng Yi's already wounded body, making him tremble.

His face turned white on the spot.

"You... why didn't you move?"

Xie Yulin seemed stunned that he hadn't dodged. After being stunned for a moment, the fury in his eyes only deepened.

He shot Cheng Yi one last vicious glare before storming off in a huff.

After the imperial betrothal was voided, Cheng Yi heard nothing of him for nearly half a year.

It was then that he learned how much trouble his words had caused the man.

Xie Yulin, already infamous, saw his reputation completely ruined by the broken engagement. Coupled with all manner of fabricated defamations and mockery, he was forcibly driven into an even worse situation.

What was more, not long after the annulment, the master of the Minister's household arranged a dreadful marriage for him—to become a replacement wife for the Prince of Jin's heir.

When Cheng Yi first heard of it, he felt it was absurd and left speechless.

The heir of Prince Jin was said to be several years older than Minister Shen himself.

Moreover, it was said two previous consorts had already died, and his inner courtyard was comparable to a brothel—he was a famously extravagant and lecherous man in the capital.

Fortunately, Xie Yulin was not someone to be pushed around.

It was said he went berserk with a kitchen knife in the Minister's residence, chopping at anyone he saw—showing particular viciousness toward the master of the Minister's household and his brothers.

Then came word that someone had dumped feces all over the heir's estate.

From the front gate to the courtyard walls, it was all splattered.

For a time, the entire area around the estate reeked to high heaven.

For a full half-month, the estate was surrounded by the stench, with the sound of vomiting heard all around.

The entire capital was filled with complaints.

Before long, the marriage between the two families was called off.

Though there was no proof linking Xie Yulin to the incident, everyone knew full well.

And from then on, no one dared interfere with his marriage prospects—though, of course, even fewer dared to come seeking his hand.

At the time, Cheng Yi had only thought that the man was indeed a heretic who defied convention, but also extremely clever.

He heard nothing more of him until several years had passed.

By then, Cheng Yi had earned great military honors and his fame spread far and wide.

Xie Yulin had also gained the confidence to contend with the other princes, and Cheng Yi, serving as his strongest support, was stationed at the frontier year-round.

So aside from court affairs, he rarely heard of other miscellaneous matters.

Still, he'd caught bits and pieces about Shen Yichen, if only because he'd pulled off something that rocked the capital.

At that time, the court situation was shifting, and the Wang family backing Minister Shen was muscling in on power, leaving Minister Shen's seat on the verge of collapse.

Yet Shen Yichen, as Minister Shen's son, picked that exact moment to backstab his own father.

He went public, accusing his father, Shen Yunhe, of killing his first wife and doing away with his own son twenty years ago.

That incident set the whole capital buzzing and stayed the talk of the town for ages.

In the end, however, the case fell apart for lack of evidence.

Shen Yichen got slapped with the label of vicious, unfilial, and a man who framed his own father, and took endless flak from everyone.

By then, Cheng Yi could hardly picture the guy's face, and he had no clue what that guy went through after that or how his story finally wrapped up.

When they crossed paths again, Cheng Yi was already a lone ghost.

His dad, brothers, and kin had all died because of him. Overnight, the former hero had turned into a notorious rebel and traitor.

The war god had morphed into a treacherous courtier.

The Duke Zhenguo's mansion, the Marquis Zhongyong's mansion, and Prince Wu'an's mansion—once the places everyone clamored to be associated with—ran with blood overnight, and people steered clear like they were the plague.

Bodies were slung into mass graves without a second thought. The Cheng family, loyal to the core, ended up rotting in the open wilderness, with nobody brave enough to give them a proper burial.

Everyone clammed up tight, not daring to say a word for them or even claim their bodies, scared stiff of getting dragged into it.

But right then, a complete stranger showed up at the mass grave.

He was scrawny and worn-down, but he kept at it without rest, hauling the cold, stiff bodies out of the pit one by one and laying them to rest with care.

Cheng Yi, watching all this, was floored—he couldn't even place who this guy was.

It was only when Shen Yichen's frail frame slumped down beside his mangled corpse, eyes glassy and voice cracking with sobs.

A raspy voice, carrying a hint of something familiar, cut through to Cheng Yi's ears.

"You blind idiot, you had it coming..."

"Some god of war you were—blind as a bat..."

"Traitor and rebel, my ass? Ending up like this is a damn joke..."

The harsh, cutting words dripped with mockery, yet tears poured down his hollow cheeks like a broken dam.

At that moment, Cheng Yi was stunned and baffled.

He didn't get it—this guy had no ties to him in the past, and that ridiculous betrothal should've only left him with resentment.

Why would he risk coming to bury him, and why would he sob his heart out over his body?

Cheng Yi had a thousand questions swirling in his head.

————

"Tsk, are you deaf or mute?"

An impatient scoff yanked Cheng Yi right back to the present.

He blinked, still foggy.

Looking up, he saw Shen Yichen pulling up his horse with a frown, one brow arched in arrogance. With the silence dragging on, the young man's eyes had already picked up a flicker of irritation.

"Are you even listening to a word this young master is saying?"

"My bad," Cheng Yi's voice was still a little rough, but his mind snapped back into focus as he spoke. "Could Young Master Shen run that by me again?"

His tone was earnest, and his voice came out soft.

Shen Yichen had run through a hundred possible reactions in his head, but this wasn't one of them.

After a quick, stunned beat, the young man pulled himself together.

"I said, you're no catch in my book, and I couldn't care less!"

"In other words, it's not about whether you want to marry—it's that I, this young master, don't want to marry you!"

"Get it? It's I—who—am—not—willing!"

The young man leaned in a little, his voice climbing, each word drawn out, dripping with disdain.

Cheng Yi stared at the face suddenly so close, taking it in fully for the first time in two lifetimes.

When folks brought up Shen Yichen, the first things that popped into mind were his ruined reputation, so hardly anyone ever noticed he was actually stunning—his looks could go toe-to-toe with the best in the capital.

Even next to Xie Yulin, who was famous for his looks, he held his own.

But Xie Yulin was a master of masks, always keeping his eyes down, tucking all his fake warmth and scheming underneath.

The young man in front of him was the flip side—he liked to hold his chin up, arch a brow, looking all defiant and upfront, but he was wearing a mask too.

In his past life, Cheng Yi hadn't known him well, but it wasn't hard to tell the rumors were mostly bunk—those messy stories probably hid some real truths.

He suddenly got curious: what kind of interesting face was hiding under that brash mask?

So he raised his eyes to meet the young man's and spoke, shutting him up on the spot.

"Young Master Shen must've gotten the wrong idea—I'm willing."

"Huh?"

Shen Yichen was blindsided, frozen solid, his face a jumble of shock and confusion that made his good looks look almost goofy.

He stammered before he could stop himself: "You... what'd you just say?"

A telltale flush crept up his smug face.

Cheng Yi could even plainly see the young man's ears go bright red in the sunlight.

The funny reaction sparked a sliver of lightness in Cheng Yi's heavy heart, so he repeated himself with even more resolve.

"I said, I'm willing to marry you."

Cheng Yi's words rang out clear as day, but the young man shot upright, panic written all over his face.

He fumbled for the reins, his eyes darting every which way.

"You, you... what's the big deal! This young master doesn't give a damn..."

His pitch rose without him even realizing it, plainly meant to mask his panic.

After speaking, the young man didn't wait for Cheng Yi's reaction—he wheeled his horse around and fled like the wind.

Watching his flustered retreat, Cheng Yi's curiosity burned even brighter.

Perhaps this person might be able to give him the peace and simplicity he'd desperately wanted but never found in his previous life.

Cheng Yi suddenly realized that at this point in his past life, he'd been too caught up in romantic entanglements, bitter about the arranged match, unaware of the schemes lurking behind it.

With that thought, Cheng Yi steadied himself and hurried toward the Duke Zhenguo's mansion.

The moment he stepped through the gate, an arrow shot through the air, straight at his face.

Cheng Yi swiftly dodged, but forgot his back was injured—a sharp pain almost sent him crashing to the ground.

He stumbled to steady himself, barely managing as the arrow whistled past his ear.

Looking up, he met the gaze of an old man with a cold expression off in the distance.

His eyes, sharp as an eagle's and piercing as blades, yet deep and wise like still waters, were fixed straight on Cheng Yi.

In an instant, countless images flooded his mind, and Cheng Yi felt a wrenching pain seize his heart.

In his past life, he'd never shed a tear, not even at death's door—but now his eyes burned as hot tears blurred his vision.

His voice choked up, he murmured softly, "Grandfather..."

This was the grandfather who loved him, protected him, and trusted him completely.

The Duke Zhenguo—Cheng Poho.