Logging into the Game World Early and Starting with a Royal Marriage to the Empress

Within the second-floor dungeon of the Lamplighters!

A young man, his body filthy and his hands and feet shackled with iron chains, leaned against the wall, asleep.

“Zhang Wenliao, get up!”

Zhang Wenliao was jolted awake by this booming voice, springing to his feet with a start.

“Is it evening already? Have we eaten dinner yet?”

Zhang Wenliao rubbed his stomach, which growled audibly; he had long been ravenous with hunger.

Having been confined in the Lamplighters’ Dungeon for nearly two years now, he had abandoned all hope of release. He was just an ordinary thug—how could someone like him ever escape the Lamplighters’ Dungeon?

He harbored no grand ambitions; surviving without perishing in the dungeon was already a stroke of immense fortune. Even if it meant scraping by, living one more day was a day gained.

“Come out!”

An ordinary Lamplighter, bearing a white badge at his waist, opened the cell door and addressed Zhang Wenliao with an expressionless face.

“Sir, I’ve truly said all there is to say! Back then, I was misled—I swear I never intended to obstruct the Lamplighters’ duties, much less raise a hand against them. It was all a misunderstanding!”

Zhang Wenliao glanced at the open door, his heart growing increasingly gripped by dread. When he’d first been brought in, he had witnessed the Lamplighters’ methods firsthand; afterward, he’d been tossed into the dungeon like a lifeless dog, clinging to survival for two or three months before barely preserving his wretched life.

Could it be that today they’d decided this lowly thug was taking up space in their dungeon and planned to drag him out to finish him off?

“Come out—there’s a superior who wishes to see you!”

The Lamplighter at the door raised his whip as if to lash Zhang Wenliao, but upon recalling the distinguished figure behind him, he ultimately refrained.

“Who knows what luck this petty thug stumbled into, for Lord Xia to personally call for him by name!”

The Lamplighter grumbled inwardly, urging Zhang Wenliao to hurry out.

“Sir, please don’t kill me!”

Zhang Wenliao’s legs trembled; as he stepped out of the cell, he saw three figures standing outside.

Especially the young man leading them—Zhang Wenliao couldn’t find words to describe him.

He swore that in his twenty-odd years of life, he had never beheld a man of such striking appearance. Was this a deity descended from the heavens?

With this thought, Zhang Wenliao dropped to his knees, too terrified to rise.

Xia Chen furrowed his brow; this Zhang Wenliao displayed such a lack of poise—could this truly be the future war hero who would shine on the battlefield?

“Lift your head!”

Xia Chen commanded in a deep voice.

Zhang Wenliao hurriedly raised his head, his heart pounding with unease, uncertain of what fate awaited him next!

“Zhang Wenliao, from this day forth, you shall serve by my side as my guard!”

Xia Chen’s voice carried no trace of emotion, while Xia Wen, following behind him, regarded the scene with some puzzlement—why would his Third Brother take in a thug who’d been locked away in the dungeon?

The earlier case of Yu Shaoqian made sense—he was a scholar from the Imperial Academy.

But this Zhang Wenliao—his performance was frankly deplorable. Him, a guard?

Xia Wen felt he could thrash this Zhang Wenliao with one hand tied behind his back.

Yu Shaoqian, silently trailing Xia Chen and still clad in his prisoner’s garb, also studied the kneeling Zhang Wenliao. Was this another fortunate soul chosen by the Division Head?

“Ah!”

Zhang Wenliao froze in place, staring at the departing trio led by Xia Chen, still somewhat at a loss.

“What are you standing there for? Didn’t you hear the Division Head’s orders? Do you actually want to stay in there eating prison gruel? Don’t tell me you’ve taken our Lamplighters’ Dungeon for a retirement home!”

The Lamplighter observing from the side spoke irritably, snapping Zhang Wenliao out of his dreamlike stupor.

“I… I can just leave like this?”

Zhang Wenliao stammered hesitantly. This was the infamous Lamplighters’ Dungeon—could it really be so easy to walk out?

Though a thug with little worldly experience, he was sharp-witted. Was this a trap?

Letting him go only to accuse him of escaping, then cutting him down on the spot!

No sooner had this thought crossed Zhang Wenliao’s mind than he shook his head vigorously. Impossible—the Lamplighters had a myriad of ways to dispose of him; he wasn’t some grand figure worth such elaborate trouble.

“Shen Xueyan pays his respects to the Division Head!”

A man in his thirties, dressed in prisoner’s garb yet remarkably neat, with a trimmed beard, knelt before Xia Chen.

“To have your vast family fortune confiscated and endure three years in the Lamplighters’ Dungeon, yet still maintain such composure and bearing—you’re impressive indeed!”

Xia Chen regarded Shen Xueyan before him; though fallen on hard times, his spirit remained remarkably robust—a quality his worn prisoner’s attire couldn’t conceal.

Zhang Wenliao, silently trailing at the rear, swallowed hard. Compared to this, his earlier behavior seemed utterly disgraceful.

Look at this man—and then recall his own performance moments ago!

For the first time in his life, Zhang Wenliao felt a pang of shame.

“My thanks for the Division Head’s praise. Life inevitably ends in death—what is there to fear? Since I didn’t perish three years ago, it must mean my destined fortune has not yet run its course. After three years of waiting, I’ve finally encountered an enlightened lord!”

As Shen Xueyan spoke, he performed another deep bow, pressing his forehead firmly to the ground.

“You know of me and knew I’d come to rescue you today?”

Xia Chen was somewhat taken aback by these words—could someone outmatch his own foresight?

“Xueyan knows neither your identity nor that you would rescue me today. But I reasoned that three years ago, when my family’s wealth was seized, I endured hardships upon entering prison—nearly beaten to death.

Yet afterward, I was left utterly unattended. It seems that, in the eyes of that great figure from back then, I was nothing more than an ant.

An innocent man bears no guilt; possessing treasure is his crime. That great figure coveted only my wealth—my life or death was of no concern to him!

Precisely because of this, I managed to cling to life. Upon entering prison, I was consumed by despair—over a decade of arduous effort reduced to ashes in a single day. I contemplated ending it all!

But later, I came to a realization—I decided to take a gamble, betting that perhaps a great figure might take notice of me, valuing my expertise in commerce.

So I couldn’t die; I had to live resiliently. Even if it meant merely scraping by in this dungeon, even if I had to wait five years, ten years, twenty years—as long as no one came to take my life, I would persevere!

This day arrived sooner than I’d imagined—merely three years, and I’ve awaited you, Division Head.

In these three years, I’ve grasped a truth: in this world, to possess treasures without strength is the original sin.”

Shen Xueyan knelt on the ground, his head still pressed respectfully to the floor; his tone was utterly earnest, tinged with desolation, yet resonant with the tenacity of a spring blade of grass—unyielding and resolute.

“Though I know not your identity, since you can extricate me from the Lamplighters’ Dungeon, it stands to reason you fear not that great figure who seized my fortune years ago. Thus, I beseech you, Division Head—take me in!”

Shen Xueyan’s voice was firm; he knew this might be his sole chance, one he had to seize.

“Please, Division Head, take me in—accept me as your dog! From this day forward, you shall be my master. Xueyan seeks nothing more than your protection, a place to belong, and an opportunity to employ my talents!”

Shen Xueyan’s words rang with forceful clarity; Zhang Wenliao swallowed again. Compared to this, his earlier conduct seemed even more deplorable.

This man opened his mouth offering to serve as a dog to this omnipotent Division Head, while he—he’d been so frightened earlier that he hadn’t even managed a word of thanks…

Zhang Wenliao’s heart grew uneasy; he was beginning to feel rather inadequate!

On the other side, Yu Shaoqian regarded Shen Xueyan intently. He acknowledged that Xia Chen’s rescue was a profound kindness, but for him—a scholar—to offer himself as a dog? His scholarly integrity couldn’t bring him to utter such words!

“At most, I’ll diligently serve this Division Head in the future, repaying his grace properly—that’ll suffice!”

Yu Shaoqian mused silently to himself, his resolve hardening within.

Sometimes, without comparison, there’s no sense of inadequacy!

Through Shen Xueyan’s example, both Yu Shaoqian and Zhang Wenliao felt their earlier performances had fallen short!