I'm only one year old, what the heck is a Overturning System?!

It's him!

Chen Yi stared fixedly at the tall and aged figure, his heart churned like surging waves.

That night, the man in black who had tracked him to the outside of the East City Gate was actually him—Duke Jingye, Zhou Tiance!

A Marquis, a third-rank official of the Wei Dynasty, the head of a millennia-old noble family, had personally made a move against him?!

"Hmm?"

Zhou Tiance, seeing that Chen Yi was not affected by his murderous intent, couldn't help but flash a hint of astonishment across his face.

Then, as if recalling something, he turned his head to look towards the deep recesses of the Martial Arts Arena, at the book collection pavilion, his pupils clouding over once more as he coughed a few times and said:

"Yuan Er, Grandpa will take you back to the mansion."

However, Chen Yuan kept shaking his little head, tugging at his grey beard, dissatisfiedly grumbling, "Grandpa, I won't allow you to speak of father and second brother like that."

Zhou Tiance was not irritated, his face indulgently beaming as he said, "I won't say it, won't ever say it again. Will you go back to the mansion with Grandpa? Is that good?"

"Mhm mhm." Chen Yuan nodded his head, his little face immediately blossoming into a proud smile as he said, "Grandpa, second brother's doing really well."

"He even taught me a song, what was it called, oh, a nursery rhyme."

A flicker of displeasure crossed Tiance's face as he glanced at Chen Yi then continued onwards, completely ignoring Chen Taixing and the others by his side.

As he walked, he laughed and asked, "What nursery rhyme?"

That illegitimate child even dared to teach Yuan Er the ways of singers and songstresses, his young heart already so malicious… detestable!

"Grandpa, let your grandson sing it for you."

Saying so, Xiao Chen Yuan leaned on his shoulder and winked at Chen Yi, singing in a childish voice:

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are..."

Chen Yi squeezed out a smile on his face, waving to him.

As Zhou Tiance stepped out of the Martial Arts Arena, the song faded away, along with both their figures, no longer distinct.

"Second Young Master, what should we do now?"

Several instructors of the Martial Arts Arena exchanged glances and wore bitter smiles, evidently feeling helpless in the face of Duke Jingye.

They knew very well the relationship between the Chens and the Zhous; their own Marquis's wife was Zhou Tiance's granddaughter.

If things really became rigid, it was like the left hand fighting the right hand, and if word got out, it would only be a spectacle for others to laugh at.

Chen Taixing let out a sigh, frowned as he pondered for a few seconds, then instructed, "Lao Ding, you hurry to the Old Lady and confirm it, quickly go and quickly return."

"Yes, Second Young Master."

"Everyone else return to your cultivation, make up for the wasted time double!"

"Yes, Head Instructor!"

After everyone dispersed, Chen Taixing approached Chen Yi, his large hand patted his head as he laughed heartily, "Good lad, you could keep a straight face even in front of the Old Marquis; you'll surely be a real man when you grow up!"

Chen Yi did not feel happy about his praise.

After a few seconds of silence, he looked up and asked, "Second Uncle, can you tell me about... Grandpa Zhou?"

"The Old Marquis?"

A trace of discomfort appeared on Chen Taixing's rough face, as if this was a topic he wished to avoid.

However, considering the domineering scolding from Zhou Tiance not long before, full of grievances that he needed to vent, he asked straightforwardly, "What do you want to know, Yi Er?"

Chen Yi hesitated for two seconds before replying, "He seems to dislike me?"

In fact, at this moment, he had already listed Zhou Tiance as his number one enemy.

The malice from that night at the East City Gate, the pressure from heaven and earth, and now the unmasked murderous intent that struck at him.

All made it clear that Zhou Tiance wanted to get rid of him!

"Dislike?"

Chen Taixing shook his head and bitter-smiled, "It's not about you. Aside from his granddaughter-in-law and Yuan Er, he is unsympathetic towards all others from the Chen Family."

"All others?" Chen Yi was taken aback.

"There's a long story behind this, but you will eventually find out..."

Following that, Chen Taixing didn't say much, only recounting some of Zhou Tiance's experiences.

It turns out that twenty years ago, at the beginning of the three-year war when the "Demon Emperor moved south," the one guarding Beixiong Pass was none other than Duke Jingye Zhou Tiance.

Because they hadn't gathered intelligence in advance, when the demon army approached Beixiong Pass, the stationed soldiers could only hastily meet them in battle.

One can imagine what kind of outcome that led to.

In just five days' time, the Devoted Army led by Zhou Tiance suffered more than half casualties, including the heroic sacrifice of his two sons.

It wasn't until two days later that Prince Zhenbei led his troops north to the rescue, stabilizing the situation at Beixiong Pass.

If it had only been this, even though Zhou Tiance's Devoted Army suffered heavy losses, if they had managed to hold Beixiong Pass, everyone in the imperial court could have accepted it.

But a subsequent major battle inflicted heavy losses on the soldiers under Prince Zhenbei.

Regarding the details of that battle, Chen Taixing didn't elaborate much.

He only mentioned that after that battle, Zhou Tiance was seriously injured, and several of his sons died at the hands of demons.

It was also in that battle that the Chen Family's Old Lord bravely sacrificed himself.

But combining it with what Chen Taixing had said earlier, about Zhou Tiance's displeasure with the Chen Family, Chen Yi speculated that something unexpected must have happened during that battle.

Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why Zhou Tiance harbored grudges against the Chen Family when both the Chen and Zhou families had suffered losses.

"Since that battle, Lord Zhou has been plagued with illness, and it was only after many years of recuperation that he asked the Holy Emperor for permission to rebuild the Devoted Army."

Having said this, Chen Taixing paused for a moment, sighing in consolation, "Of course, his dissatisfaction isn't just with our Chen Family."

"He is equally discontent with Prince Zhenbei and the lineage of Marquis Taishan."

"I see..."

A hint of contemplation crossed Chen Yi's young face.

Zhou Tiance's dislike for everyone could be understood as his Zhou Family having suffered too heavy a loss, resulting in grievances against all participants of that battle.

But this still does not explain why Zhou Tiance targeted him alone!

"Second Uncle, are you saying that Duke Jingye's line can be considered utterly loyal and righteous?"

"Of course," Chen Taixing said with certainty: "This is something everyone in the court acknowledges, even your father has to show three points of respect when facing the Old Marquis."

"So Yi Er, don't take the Old Marquis's words to heart just now; I reckon he's upset with the Holy Emperor's decree from yesterday and wasn't targeting you."

"Mhm." Chen Yi blinked and smiled, saying, "Nephew will keep that in mind."

That old bastard wasn't just targeting; he actually wanted to kill your nephew.

Of course, these words were only thought by Chen Yi in his heart.

If he were to say them out loud, probably no one in Duke Wuan Mansion would believe him except for his birth mother Xia Wanwan.

It made sense, too.

A Zhou Family that was utterly loyal and righteous, with all progeny dead on the demon battlefield, a hero in the eyes of the people—how could they stoop so low as to strike at a child?

...

Within the grand and majestic Imperial City, a square paved with blue stones and white jade lay before Qingzheng Hall.

Emperor Wei strolled to this location, surveying the palace which was not considered remote but was quiet within the confines of the Imperial City.

After a long moment, he nodded in satisfaction and chuckled, "Little Twelfth Prince and Princess Thirteen should like it here."

Beside him stood Liu Gao—the eunuch from the Imperial City who had gone to announce the decree to Chen Yi—with a flattering smile:

"Your Majesty is right; since childhood, the Twelfth Prince has enjoyed reading, and Princess Thirteen is also diligent and studious; they will naturally prefer a bit of quiet."

"Enjoy reading? Diligent and studious?" Emperor Wei scoffed: "Only you could say such things with a straight face."

"I know my own children well. It would be a testament to Gu Tiangang's ability if they don't tear this place apart."

Liu Gao smiled awkwardly and slapped his mouth, not daring to speak further.

"Have you heard that Duke Jingye went to the Chen Family and took Chen Yuan away?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, this servant only heard that he was still in Duke Wuan Mansion, saying some unsavory things about Lord Chen and Chen Yi."

"Haha, that Zhou Tiance really is becoming more muddle-headed as he ages!"

Emperor Wei chuckled, turning away from Qingzheng Hall and casually remarked,

"I really want to see just what kind of game he's playing..."

PS: Thanks to the generous support from Ai Lao Hu Zou Zou, Zhang Bu Lang, and Mohe Zhi Jin; expressed deep gratitude in August.