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

Xia Chen looked at Shen Xueyan kneeling on the ground and nodded.

“Rise. From now on, I shall be your backing!”

Upon hearing this, Shen Xueyan once again knelt and bowed in gratitude.

“Ding-dong! Congratulations to the player for assembling five talents. The Dynasty Contention version requirements have been met. Would the player like to update?”

A crisp chime rang out, and the system interface appeared before Xia Chen’s eyes.

Xia Chen glanced at it, discreetly retracting his gaze, then turned to look at Shen Xueyan, Zhang Wenliao, Xia Wen, and Yu Shaoqian—adding Xu Xingchen, whom he’d left in the room sorting documents, that made exactly five.

His system version was already at the Spiritual Energy Revival stage—now it was poised for another upgrade?

This truly was a leap far ahead!

“Let’s go!”

Xia Chen smiled at Shen Xueyan, speaking with evident delight in his mood.

He had entered the dungeon today with the purpose of securing these three, yet he hadn’t anticipated an additional windfall.

Successfully triggering the system upgrade condition—speaking of which, his system must have originally been at version 3.0; with this upgrade, it would likely become version 4.0.

Shen Xueyan observed Xia Chen, whose face bore a clear smile and an unmistakable air of satisfaction, and quietly followed behind.

This superior’s background was a mystery; he appeared to be under twenty years old, yet the surrounding Lamplighters treated him with profound respect. This was the Lamplighters’ Dungeon, reputedly an eighteen-layered hell—ordinary prisoners who lingered beyond a month without release either died of old age within or were disposed of inside.

Yet this youthful superior had merely uttered a single sentence to secure his release—a display of power that was nothing short of overwhelming.

“Lord Xia!”

“How has Lord Xia come in person?”

Along the way, Yu Shaoqian and the other two repeatedly witnessed Lamplighters greeting Xia Chen, to which he responded with a faint nod.

This left the trio astonished; having been out of touch for two or three years, when had such a young and prominent figure emerged in the capital?

The world outside had truly changed!

“Hallmaster Li, I’m taking these three with me. If there are any procedures or paperwork required, I’ll handle them myself.”

In the hall of the dungeon’s negative first level, Xia Chen addressed a middle-aged man in his thirties.

The dungeon fell under the jurisdiction of the Lamplighters’ Sixth Division, the Detention Department, and the negative first through third levels were specifically overseen by this Hallmaster Li.

“These three aren’t significant prisoners—Division Head Xia can simply take them away. I’ll personally handle the procedures and paperwork; by the time I leave the office this evening, the release documents should be delivered to your residence!”

Hallmaster Li, who had been leisurely sipping tea, sprang from his seat the moment he saw Xia Chen, clasping his hands and offering a smile.

“Then I thank you, Hallmaster Li. I’ll trouble you with the paperwork—ensure the process is formal. Another day, I’ll treat you to drinks!”

Xia Chen nodded, giving Hallmaster Li a smile without excessive courtesy, then turned and departed.

Behind Xia Chen, Yu Shaoqian, Shen Xueyan, and Zhang Wenliao overheard the entire exchange. Though their backgrounds and perspectives differed, each was undoubtedly exceptionally astute.

Their hearts jolted with shock; they now grasped Xia Chen’s identity. This man, appearing not yet twenty, was a Division Head of the Lamplighters—though they didn’t know which division he commanded.

“Having been locked away for over two years, I’m ignorant of the changes outside. Who is this superior, to hold sway over one of the nine divisions at such a young age? With such favor, he’s surely destined to become a major figure in the court.”

Yu Shaoqian murmured inwardly. Two years in the dungeon had transformed his mindset considerably; once a lofty idealist,

he now understood that relying on others to save the nation was futile. True salvation required personal strength, wielding power himself, and taking tangible action—that was the genuine path to rescuing the country.

At this moment, Yu Shaoqian was no longer merely a youth reciting the classics of the sages; he had become a pragmatic realist, blending adaptability with resolve.

“To ascend to Division Head at such a tender age, this superior who rescued me must possess an astonishing identity—perhaps a scion of some top-tier noble family, entrusted with such confidence by His Majesty. With his protection henceforth, my business will surely flourish unimpeded, free from covetous eyes!”

Shen Xueyan pondered silently, his expression growing increasingly animated. His three years of waiting had not been in vain—he had finally encountered a noble who recognized his talents.

Those three years in the dungeon were not spent idly; he had long crafted a grand blueprint of commercial plans in his mind, awaiting the day he could demonstrate his worth upon release.

His mastery of commerce had advanced far beyond what it had been three years prior.

“I never imagined that entering the Lamplighters’ Dungeon would turn misfortune into fortune, letting me latch onto a true powerhouse. Perhaps I too might one day become the sort of grand figure I once admired!”

Zhang Wenliao mused with relish. His perspective remained narrow, his ambitions modest; originally, per their predetermined fates, they would have lingered another two or three years before being selected by Yaoguang, their destinies dramatically altered.

For Zhang Wenliao in particular, even in that original trajectory, his moment of glory lay over a decade hence…

But now, their destined paths had shifted once again…

“Head, why are you so nervous and polite? He’s the Division Head of the Eagle Eye Division, while we’re with the Detention Department. Even if his rank surpasses ours and he’s technically our superior, there’s no need to be this tense, is there?”

After Xia Chen and his entourage exited the dungeon, a Hundred Households officer beside Hallmaster Li spoke up, eyeing his overly deferential superior.

“What do you know, kid? Didn’t you see how many people were hauled into the dungeon this afternoon? Among them were two hallmasters of my own rank, arrested and locked up!”

Hallmaster Li glanced at his subordinate, then surveyed their surroundings before lowering his voice.

“Don’t be fooled by this Division Head Xia’s youth, his amiable words, or his lack of airs—that’s just the surface. He’s a ruthless one! Two halls, including their hallmasters, with all their Hundred Households and Thousand Households officers taken down—over fifty of your rank were brought in today alone!”

Hallmaster Li cast a sidelong look at his subordinate; Officer Wang shrank back, a chill creeping up his spine.

“Acting so boldly—doesn’t he fear inciting a mutiny among his men? Wouldn’t that make everyone feel threatened?”

Officer Wang couldn’t help but voice his concern.

“Of course some had objections. This afternoon, many Hundred Households and Thousand Households from other divisions, upon hearing the news, grew restless and spontaneously sought out the Commander-in-Chief, urging him to intervene!”

“And guess what happened? Lord Ma Song drove them all out—some hallmasters who spoke too harshly even got a beating with the paddle!”

Officer Wang’s expression shifted again at this revelation.

Hallmaster Li continued, “This Lord Xia is unlike the other division heads. The Commander-in-Chief’s staunch defense of him says it all. We’re His Majesty’s personal guard, and he’s His Majesty’s son-in-law—perhaps in the future, the entire Lamplighters will bear the name Xia. So even if he doesn’t oversee us now, we must never offend him!”

Hallmaster Li patted Officer Wang’s shoulder; were the lad not his trusted confidant, he wouldn’t have offered such counsel.

…

Xia Chen led his group into his administrative courtyard, where he found Xu Xingchen wielding a brush, reviewing case files.

His adaptability was remarkable, his intellect razor-sharp; with just a few glances at some case files, he could uncover their flaws. His annotation speed was astonishing, leaving even Cui Hu, standing nearby, somewhat dumbfounded.

“Where did Xia Chen find this man? Such a prodigy—cracking cases with a single look at the files. Is he some sort of master detective?”

Cui Hu was once again struck with awe!