Chapter 857: The Emperor

From Chen Wuji's position, the jianghu is just something he can easily handle while sitting on this mountain peak—it's not vast, nor is it overly complicated.

In the past, when he read novels and watched those TV shows, the young him once had a dream of becoming a jianghu master, deeply drawn in by the jianghu's gratifying grudges and kindness.

Now he realizes, standing in a different position, the jianghu is also different.

The gratifying grudges and kindness that once deeply attracted him have now become a weed that needs to be removed.

"Let's go."

Chen Wuji rose to his feet and brushed off nonexistent dust from his body.

It's time to go down the mountain; pack up, we're heading to battle.

Lu Daye's bamboo basket was already full; right now he was carefully cleaning the dirt off those medicinal herbs.

The group leisurely descended the mountain; upon just entering Daying, Yang Tiejiang hurried over from afar.

"My lord, a new batch of grain and forage has just been escorted in, and accompanying them are two ladies who call themselves…" Yang Tiejiang hesitated for an instant, lowered his voice, and said, "They claim to be your women lost out there."

Chen Wuji stared for a moment, "My lost woman out there? I don't have any such woman—you've even met my several wives."

"But those two ladies insist they're your lost women; if not, my lord, you should still take a look—just in case… you might know them," Yang Tiejiang said with a teasing expression, speaking softly.

As for this lord's talent for picking up beautiful confidantes, Yang Tiejiang also knows it well; he now suspects it might be some fleeting romance that Chen Wuji simply forgot.

Chen Wuji glanced at Yang Tiejiang, the corner of his eye twitching slightly.

You thick‑eyebrowed big‑eye, at least pretend a bit!

"Let's take a look," Chen Wuji said.

That bunch of single dogs are biased against him; although he does have quite a few wives, he's never been the type to start and abandon, so how could he have a woman lost out there?

However, this can't be explained; let's first see what's really going on.

The group arrived at the Luggage and Supplies Camp.

From afar, Chen Wuji saw two women with fair skin and lovely features, whose bearing indicated they were not of low birth, yet they wore coarse linen shirts and their skirts were torn to resemble beggars' garb.

The woman in front had brows that bore heroic spirit, a delicate face, and her lustrous vermilion lips naturally gave a sensual, charming feeling, adding a touch of playful charm to her pure and noble aura.

The woman standing half a step behind, though tall and flawless in appearance, gave off more of a maid's vibe; her whole aura clearly carried that feeling.

"I don't know which noble lady on the run has found her way to my head," Chen Wuji muttered softly, then stepped forward.

"I don't know which of you two ladies is my lost woman—or if you both are—but you both look utterly unfamiliar to me."

"Unfamiliar? Commander Chen truly is a noble who forgets things; it seems that day's fleeting romance isn't worth Commander Chen keeping in mind. However, I do have proof here." The leading woman wore a mocking expression, speaking as if it were true, fully assuming the posture of someone pursuing a faithless man across a thousand miles.

This really startled Chen Wuji, making him seriously reflect on his past experiences, especially the memories of his previous life.

After his transmigration, everything that happened to him is crystal clear; there's no way he could have any connection with these two strangers, unless it was something from his previous life that he overlooked.

But after racking his brains for a long time, his mind simply had no trace of these two individuals.

At that moment, the leading woman opened the bundle she carried, took out a marriage certificate, and thrust it forcefully into Chen Wuji's hands, saying, "Here! Look for yourself!"

Chen Wuji was a bit dazed—how could there even be a marriage certificate?

He opened it and looked, only to become even more bewildered.

The information on it was indeed his—name, native place, even his birth date and time were all correct.

Yet this marriage certificate was issued directly by the Ministry of Rites, and the woman's name was one he had never even heard of.

Yu Yan Chu…

That name—looks like it might have some connection to the imperial family.

"My lord, you wouldn't have forgotten even a trace of your lost wife, would you?" Yang Tiejiang stepped closer and asked in a low voice, "The marriage certificate exists—this is clearly true."

Chen Li grabbed Yang Tiejiang by the collar, "You blacksmith, stop spouting nonsense—I've always been by the lord's side; I know how many wives he has, and there's simply no such person."

"Huh? Then what's going on?" Yang Tiejiang blinked, "Old Chen, could it be that you didn't notice? After all, you can't possibly be by the lord's side every single day."

"I really am with the lord all day; the only time I left was when I went back to the village and rested at home for a couple of half‑days." Chen Li said, "You don't need to doubt anymore—this woman is definitely problematic."

As soon as those words were spoken, Kong Jianshi's eyes suddenly turned sharp.

Lu Daye, who was holding a bamboo basket with a shovel, also slowly set the basket down, holding only the shovel in his hand.

The atmosphere instantly turned solemn and heavy.

The combined aura released by the two grand masters and several masters was like towering ten‑thousand‑foot mountains suddenly pressing down on Yu Yan Chu, giving her the instant sensation of being stared at by countless ferocious beasts.

She had truly seen the world.

She knew very well that if she moved even slightly at this moment, her pretty head would likely fly off; these experts' strikes happen in the blink of an eye.

"Wait, I was just joking, just joking!" Yu Yan Chu hurriedly explained.

She didn't dare continue; the joke had gone too far.

She could lose her life.

She is a noble elder princess, beautiful as she is, and she certainly doesn't want to vanish for no reason.

"A joke?" Chen Wuji furrowed his brows, "How do you know my birth date and time, and what's your relation to the imperial family?"

Yu Yan Chu gave an embarrassed, low laugh, "Because… this is the marriage bestowed by His Majesty; the Emperor knowing your birth date and time isn't strange, right? So I really am your woman lost out there—just… well, we've never met before."

Chen Wuji's eye corner twitched slightly.

Damn it, that good‑for‑nothing dog of an emperor actually went and arranged a marriage for him!

Look at the state he's reduced to as emperor—he still has the leisure to arrange a marriage for him; it seems the few ministers' errands for him are too trivial, and he should just stay honest in the palace like Emperor Xian of Han, unable to do anything.

"Are you a member of the imperial clan?" Chen Wuji said, a bit headache‑inducing.

Yu Yan Chu thought for a moment, "Actually… that could be said, but my status is a bit higher than an ordinary imperial clan woman. Still, I've always regarded my status as ordinary; you can just not worry about it."