Chapter 1: Hold Tight, Secure a Queen for the Chen Family!

Brain storage!

"Alas, I also don't know how the girls from Pingkang Lane—Miss Yueqing, Miss Yuner, Miss Youlan, and Miss Ziyan—are doing?"

"They learned I've been imprisoned; they must be heartbroken to the point of despair, right?"

In Dali Temple Prison, within a dim cell, a teenage boy in prison garb lay on a wooden bed covered with straw, his tone tinged with a hint of helplessness.

Outside the cell, the on‑duty guard twitched the corner of his mouth at the words and sighed, "Lord Bo, I don't know whether the girls from Pingkang Lane are heartbroken, but I do know that the names you recited yesterday didn't seem to be these."

"And... this is the third level of Dali Temple Prison, a place specifically for holding death‑row prisoners. Why do you look not at all nervous?"

Chen Yan turned over at the words and asked, "What did you just call me?"

"Lord Bo!"

"Since you know I'm Lord Bo, do you think I'll die?"

The guard thought seriously and said, "It depends on what crime you committed; after all, we've even executed a Marquis here."

Chen Yan: "......."

The guard continued, "I recall it was the seventh year of the Wude era, when the Marquis of Huazheng, Yu Wen Ying, became involved in a treason incident; His Majesty led an army to suppress the rebellion, and then escorted Yu Wen Ying back to Chang'an."

"At that time, he was staying in your cell, and the next day he was beheaded."

Chen Yan, his head full of black lines, said irritably, "So do you think I'm a traitor?"

"Probably not," the guard said cheerfully. "In my view, at most you're just a bully who oppresses men and dominates women; you wouldn't dare commit treason."

Chen Yan opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but when he thought of what he had done, he fell silent.

The guard, seeing no response, exclaimed in surprise, "Lord Bo, you really are a bully who oppresses men and dominates women?"

After a few days of observation, the guard understood that although Chen Yan is a Lord Bo, he differs from other Meritorious Nobles; he doesn't adopt a lofty demeanor and is very easy to get along with.

Otherwise he wouldn't dare speak to a Lord Bo like this, would he?

The earlier comment about bullying men and dominating women was just a joke; he doesn't believe a Lord Bo who can converse with him as an equal would commit such acts.

But now, the guard harbors some doubt.

Chen Yan calmly said, "It's not really bullying men and dominating women; I just hit a woman."

"Huh?" the guard stared wide‑eyed, shocked: "You hitting a woman doesn't count as bullying men and dominating women?"

"Could you tell this lowly man who you hit?"

Chen Yan was silent for two seconds, then slowly uttered four words: "Princess Gao Yang."

"Who?!" the guard was completely stunned, his brain buzzing, unable to recover for a moment.

After a long pause, he finally spoke hesitantly: "If I recall correctly... His Majesty recently issued an edict marrying Princess Gao Yang to you, didn't He?"

"She is your fiancée!"

This matter is known by many people in Chang'an City.

After all, the emperor marrying off his daughter is no trivial matter; an edict means Announce to the World, and everyone knows.

A while ago, this issue sparked quite a wave of excitement throughout Chang'an City.

He truly hadn't expected that the woman Lord Bo struck turned out to be his own fiancée, Princess Gao Yang.

This prison, it's not unjust!

"......"

Hearing the guard's words, Chen Yan had no reply.

Because given the current situation, that historically renowned Princess Gao Yang... is indeed his fiancée.

"What a sin!"

Recalling all this, Chen Yan couldn't help but sigh deeply.

He didn't know whether it was the butterfly effect from his transmigration, or simply that this world was inherently off.

Anyway, now Princess Gao Yang hasn't become the wife of Fang Yi's love, but has become his fiancée.

The guard opened his mouth, and finally couldn't contain his curiosity, asking: "Lord Bo, why did you hit Princess Gao Yang?"

Speaking of that, Chen Yan instantly became angry, shouting: "She came running to scold me, saying I'm a dandy who only knows how to loiter in pleasure districts, unfit to marry her."

"How could I tolerate that?"

"I retorted on the spot, calling her a willful, capricious little brat; anyone who marries her is doomed for eight lifetimes."

"What happened afterwards?" the guard continued to ask.

"Later?" Chen Yan said gloomily: "Later she couldn't out‑argue me, so she slapped me; I got angry, grabbed a whip and gave her a good beating."

"And then I whacked myself into Dali Temple Prison!"

Thinking of that day's scene, Chen Yan sighed again.

He guessed that his fate clashed with Princess Gao Yang's, meeting like needle against wheat, like bandits meeting ruffians—both looked unpleasant to each other.

Princess Gao Yang was also tough; no matter how he kept chasing her to beat her, she never begged, constantly hurling insults.

In the end, Chen Yan was restrained by Cheng Yaojin, who then directly ordered the Minor Secretary of Dali Temple Dai Zhou to seize him and throw him into prison.

Princess Gao Yang was sent back to the Imperial Palace.

Chen Yan understood that Cheng Yaojin's action was to protect him, so he had been staying obediently in Dali Temple Prison these past few days.

The guard, after listening, looked at Chen Yan with admiration and said, "Lord Bo, that's just like you; if it were anyone else daring to treat a princess like this, the entire Nine Tribes would probably be dead by now."

Chen Yan was silent for two seconds, then calmly said, "My Nine Tribes also include Gao Yang and His Majesty."

Guard: "......"

That one sentence left the guard completely stunned.

But on second thought, what he said... seemed not entirely wrong.

The imperial edict has already been issued; no matter what, Princess Gao Yang will definitely marry Lord Bo.

And Lord Bo's Nine Tribes does include Gao Yang and His Majesty, doesn't it?

Outside the prison cell.

The prison guard was about to say something when suddenly hurried footsteps came from afar.

A seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boy, about the same age as Chen Yan, with slightly dark skin, walked quickly with a girl in a blue traditional dress whose face was full of worry.

Seeing the arrivals, the prison guard hastily bowed and said, "Ch—"

"Enough, no need to say more—hurry out, I have something to discuss with Zi Anxiong."

Cheng Chumo frowned, his expression grave, he waved his hand and led the girl in blue past the guard to outside the cell.

"Eh, okay!" the prison guard, sensing the situation, nodded and bowed, then scurried out.

Inside the cell, hearing the familiar voice, Chen Yan's eyes lit up; he sprang up from the bed with a carp's leap and, in a few steps, rushed to the bars.

"Chu Mo, Qing'er, how did you come? Can I get out now?"

"Young master!" Upon seeing Chen Yan, Qing'er burst into tears, choking up unable to speak.

Seeing this made Chen Yan feel heartbroken; he hurried to comfort her: "Don't cry, don't cry, I'm fine, they haven't given me trouble—I'm doing well in here."

"I'll be out soon, don't cry!"

For some reason, hearing this made Qing'er cry even louder.

Chen Yan sensed something was off and turned his gaze doubtfully to Cheng Chumo beside him.

Cheng Chumo gave a bitter laugh: "Zi Anxiong, I've brought Qing'er to you—hurry up and give the Chen family an heir; I'll go outside to keep watch for you."

"What?!"

Chen Yan felt as if struck by lightning; the expression on his face froze completely.

"......"

【PS: The author has increased some people's ages; those who understand, understand.】

【Just read this as a historical alternate‑history story; don't probe the official history.】