The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

On the plane to Jiangzhou, Chen Dong was lost in thought.

It was a distant dynasty, one with virtually no historical records...

Within the depths of a palace, the walls and glazed tiles showed no sign of splendor. Instead, they looked rather dilapidated and broken.

A little boy sat under the eaves, diligently reading from bamboo slips, while in the courtyard, a little girl diligently swung a wooden sword.

Before long, the little boy grew drowsy, and the little girl was drenched in sweat.

"Brother, brother, don't fall asleep!"

The little girl shouted, tapping the floor beside the boy with her wooden sword.

Chen Dong looked up to see Li Wang's cute little face, her bright eyes filled with determination.

"Didn't you say you wanted to restore the Li Race and unite the world? You can't sleep!" Li Wang said, a little angry.

Chen Dong gritted his teeth, a flicker of fear in his eyes. He shook his head bitterly. "That's easy to say, but it's too hard to do. Ever since our mother died, it's just been the two of us here in Fufei Courtyard. We have no power and no money, not even a single servant we can use. Who knows when we'll be poisoned to death by my royal brothers or Father's other concubines!"

As he spoke, tears welled up in the little boy's eyes—just as they did in Chen Dong's.

Hearing this, Li Wang hugged Chen Dong tightly.

"No! Brother, you still have me! As long as we're alive, there's still hope. I will become the sword in your hand and clear every obstacle for you. One day, I will become your Grand General and help you unite the world..."

Chen Dong felt something warm and wet on his forehead and looked up.

Li Wang's eyes were brimming with tears, but her determined gaze showed she believed in Chen Dong. Her faintly trembling body, however, seemed to betray that she was scared, too.

Chen Dong slammed his fist on the floor. Blood seeped from between his thin knuckles as he pulled Li Wang into an embrace.

"It was my fault. I'll protect you!"

Day after day, the Old Li King grew gravely ill, and the war for succession began in Yuan City. But the little Fufei Courtyard seemed all but forgotten. They were too weak, like a single blade of grass on the water, easily snapped by anyone. Yet no one wanted to risk tarnishing their own name at such a critical time by bothering with them.

Though no one moved against them, life grew harder by the day. Their meals were worse than those of the lowest-ranking Palace Maids.

It was thanks to Li Wang's progress in martial arts that they managed. She could sneak out of Fufei Courtyard to scavenge for food among the palace leftovers and bring back useful information.

Back then, she didn't dare take fresh food from the kitchens. The kitchens were heavily guarded, and any missing food or ingredients would trigger a massive inspection and commotion.

Fortunately, the palace nobles had plenty of leftovers, so Li Wang could often find some decent scraps. The two siblings would frequently argue over who should get to eat a single chicken leg.

"Brother, you're studying so hard. You should have the chicken leg!"

"No, you're the one training in martial arts. You need the sustenance more. You eat it!"

"Brother, I... I already ate while I was out. I saved this just for you!"

"You think I can't tell if you've eaten? Your stomach is rumbling!"

"Listen to me, you have to eat it. My martial arts training is only meaningful if you survive!"

"And the purpose of all my diligent studying is to give you a better life!"

In the end, they would always share the single chicken leg, or half a piece of osmanthus cake.

Three years of this hardship passed. The Old Li King became sick beyond recovery, completely unable to manage state affairs. Then, the Eldest Prince, who was the Crown Prince, suddenly died from excessive drinking. The final act of the war for succession had begun. Princes and Princesses were constantly being assassinated or poisoned, and finally, the little Fufei Courtyard received its first uninvited guests.

That was the day Li Wang's skills were truly revealed, as she killed ten members of the Imperial Guard with her wooden sword.

They could no longer stay in Yuan City. They had to escape. Only by getting far away from the center of this whirlpool would they have a chance to survive and the opportunity to rise.

They had planned to flee amid the chaos, but were discovered by the Imperial Guard before they could even get out of the Royal Palace. The forces in the palace were all controlled by the Second Prince and the Queen. They would never let them leave alive.

Li Wang finally had an iron sword in her hand, one she had snatched from the Imperial Guard. Sword raised, she fought and fled, pulling him along.

Throughout the battle, Chen Dong hid behind Li Wang, seeing no hope of survival. The soldiers were endless; as soon as one wave was cut down, another would appear.

But Li Wang protected him well, ensuring he didn't suffer a single scratch. She held on desperately, her faded old clothes stained with so much blood they looked like new red silk. Her body was covered in countless cuts from swords and knives, all taken to protect him. Though he knew some martial arts, his skills were pathetic; he would struggle to fight even a single member of the Imperial Guard. 'If I weren't here,' he thought, 'she could have escaped Yuan City easily on her own, couldn't she?'

But still, Li Wang fought her way out of the Imperial Palace with him, and then out of Yuan City.

Finally, with no strength left to fight, she collapsed from exhaustion after fending off another group of pursuers.

Chen Dong had no choice but to carry Li Wang on his back and flee. But twenty li outside Yuan City, they were overtaken and surrounded by a large contingent of soldiers. Just as he despaired, Chen Dong saw the old Chancellor leading the troops. In the memory, the man's face was a blur, but his eyes, filled with ambition, were perfectly clear.

This was a chance. Chen Dong gambled both of their lives and shouted, "I am Li Xu, the seventeenth prince of Jing Country! I have something to say to the old Chancellor!"