Misty Rain of the Old Times

Thirteen years ago, Chen Xuan, as a young child, went to the Gao family in Yang County. He entered through a side door and was faced with the unknown and confusion.

Looking back now, in a different location, it is still the Gao family home, but the main gate is wide open to welcome them!

The people remain the same, but year after year, they are different...

"Xiao Xuan is here! Young Master has just returned from work and is taking a bath and changing. He'll be done soon. Please come with me for a cup of tea and rest for a bit," Butler He hurried over and greeted him warmly.

Now he has gray hair, and time flies by too quickly.

"Steward He, Dong'an, don't mind me. I'm just dropping by. Are you settling in well in the capital? Where are the master and mistress?" Chen Xuan said familiarly, showing him genuine respect.

During those years at the Gao family, Butler He took good care of him. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Butler He treated him as his 'successor'. However, Chen Xuan was too ambitious and failed to take over as butler. Instead, he started his own business.

On the way back to the Gao family from Jinxia County, Steward He had promised Chen Xuan a bright future, but Chen Xuan did not follow his advice to take the imperial examination and achieve success. Instead, he made rapid progress in martial arts and achieved personal freedom.

Butler He chuckled and said, "We've only been in the capital for a few days, so we're actually a little unaccustomed to it. But it's alright, the work is the same everywhere. Master, Madam, and Miss are not at home right now; they've gone to the Lü family to discuss the wedding arrangements. Young Master's wedding is approaching, and there are many things to prepare."

"I've never been married, I don't know anything about this, and I don't know if I can be of any help, so I won't cause any trouble," Chen Xuan said apologetically.

As the successor of the Gao family, getting married is one of the most important things in Gao's life. So, Master Gao, Madam Gao, and Gao Jingyu all came to help with the arrangements. Even some of the Gao family's illegitimate children who were already married came. It was a real family affair. From now on, the whole family would be counting on him to take charge.

"Today, the master and the others are mainly going to discuss the wedding date. These trivial matters are not worth your time, Xiao Xuan. Just eat, drink, and have fun. By the way, Xiao Xuan, you should hurry up too. I'll shamelessly come to the wedding banquet," Butler He said cheerfully, thinking that Chen Xuan had said that the young master was not in a hurry and he was not in a hurry either. Now that the young master is about to get married, he should be able to hurry up a bit.

They arrived at the main hall amidst laughter and conversation, where tea was promptly served.

Chen Xuan sat down without any hesitation and said, "Steward He, you must come to my wedding. I'll definitely toast you then. It's almost dark, and the master and the others haven't made any arrangements yet."

"I'll remember that. The master and the others should have dinner over there before coming back," Butler He said, shaking his head.

Gao Jingming and Lü Qingrong have been engaged for many years and will soon be getting married. The two families are not outsiders, so they should naturally get along well.

A few years ago, Chen Xuan was still wildly speculating that if the Lü family became successful and broke off the engagement, there would be a lot of fun. Everyone was thinking about how to help Xiao Gao slap his face. Now that they were about to get married, there was no chance for that.

As they were talking, Gao Jingming, who had recently been dismissed from his job, changed into casual clothes and came over to tease, "Ah Xuan, you've finally arrived! I thought you were going to dawdle until my wedding day. You promised to help me steal the bride!"

"No way, the young master's wedding is a serious matter, I will definitely arrive early," Chen Xuan said seriously as he stood up. The two had not seen each other for a while, and patted each other on the shoulder to show their closeness, but then separated with some disdain.

Gao Jingming gave him a look that said, "Don't think I don't know what kind of person you are." He was genuinely surprised that Chen Xuan could arrive today ahead of schedule. When they went to the capital for the imperial examination, Chen Xuan only met up with them the day before they were supposed to leave.

After exchanging greetings, Chen Xuan bowed to the two women beside Gao Jingming and said, "Greetings, Sisters Xiao Cai and Xiao Ye. Are you settling into your new life in the capital? Soon I'll be addressing you as 'Young Madam'."

Since Gao Jingming returned south after finishing his studies, the two women had stayed in the Gao family and rarely appeared in public. Now that Gao Jingming was getting married, they would definitely be there. They were already designated as concubines and would have to serve tea to Gao Jingming's wife. If they were not accepted by the wife, their future would be difficult, and being treated badly would be the least of their worries.

"Thank you for your concern, Xuan-ge'er. We are doing well." Xiao Ye blushed shyly at Chen Xuan's words. After Gao Jingming got married, he would give them a formal title, and then they could have children. She had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

On the contrary, Xiao Cai asked generously, "It's been a while since I've seen Xuan-ge'er. What have you been busy with lately?"

"What can I be busy with? I just laze around all day, waiting to die. Sister Xiaocai, don't you know me?" Chen Xuan made no attempt to hide his lazy behavior.

Xiao Cai covered her mouth and smiled, saying, "Xuan-ge'er is a very capable person. How can you call him a lazy bum? This is called living a carefree life, something many people envy."

At this moment, Butler He nodded and went to attend to other matters. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Gao Jingming said, "Ah Xuan, now that you're here, don't leave. It's not like there's no room left, and you only have a few days left anyway."

They're not outsiders. If he hadn't bought the house, Chen Xuan would have actually moved in. But now he shook his head and joked, "Sisters Xiao Cai and Xiao Ye haven't seen you for half a year. You should spend some time with them. I won't bother them. They've been with you for so many years. Don't forget them now that you've married someone new and make them suffer."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Cai and Xiao Ye looked at Chen Xuan with immense gratitude.

Although Chen Xuan said this jokingly, it came from the bottom of his heart. Back then, when he was young, they took good care of him and he sincerely hoped that Gao Jingming would treat them well in the future.

Xiao Gao was certainly not an ungrateful person. Just as he was about to say something, Chen Xuan continued, "Young Master, it's not that I'm being formal, but I've already arranged accommodations. It's not far, just a few steps away, very convenient." He didn't mention that he had bought a huge manor. Even if the Gao family knew, it wouldn't matter. They all knew that Chen Xuan was going to marry Princess Fuyao. As long as he didn't make a fuss about it outside before that, it would be fine.

"Alright, whatever you say," Gao Jingming said, no longer insisting. With Chen Xuan's current cultivation level, he knew that the entire Jing Kingdom was just a matter of a few steps for him.

Then Chen Xuan suddenly realized something and said in astonishment, "Wait a minute, I remember that you're getting married on the 26th of this month, young master. Today is only the second day of the month, how come it's only a few days away?"

With no outsiders present, Gao Jingming slightly suppressed his smile and said directly, "I've already sent you an urgent letter. Ah Xuan, you probably haven't received the letter yet, but you've already arrived. It's been moved up; the original date was the 26th of this month, but it's been changed to the 6th. We'll start preparing in a couple of days."

"It's earlier than expected? I didn't receive the letter. Luckily I came today. If I had prepared according to the 26th, I probably would have missed it. Isn't this too rushed?" Chen Xuan said speechlessly.

Nodding, Gao Jingming said somewhat helplessly, "According to the plan, it was the 26th, but the situation has changed. I will be dispatched to take up the post of prefect of Zhoushan County on the 20th of this month, so the time is a bit tight. I have to bring it up, otherwise it will be delayed for one or two years. Qingrong and I are not young anymore, and further delays are not a good thing."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan's eyes widened slightly, and he exclaimed, "Holy crap, really?"

Is this the true value of being a top scholar? He's only been studying at the Hanlin Academy for a few months, and he's already been appointed as a prefect with real power? Even a rocket couldn't have made it this fast.

However, Chen Xuan quickly understood what was going on. A few months ago, he had slaughtered the entire Wu family, which had created too many vacancies. In addition, the Wei family had also made a lot of vacancies by retiring from their positions. Furthermore, the old emperor was paving the way for the crown prince. It was the time for young people to rise to prominence. Otherwise, no matter how prestigious the title of top scholar was, he would not have been promoted so quickly.

Furthermore, the grand court assembly is at the end of the year, and the old emperor's life is nearing its end. Sending Gao Jingming away not only keeps him away from trouble but also gives him another chance to gain experience. When the old emperor passes away next year and the crown prince ascends the throne, he can be recalled and given important responsibilities!

Some things shouldn't be thought about too much. The more Chen Xuan thought about it, the more he felt that his brain wasn't enough. No wonder Xiao Gao wanted to take the imperial examination this year. He must have planned it all along and seized the right opportunity. Otherwise, even if he passed the exam with top honors, he wouldn't be able to truly become a big shot in the court without ten years of hard work.

This time, his assignment abroad will last at most a year, and when he returns to the court, Chen Xuan doesn't even dare to imagine what heights he will reach.

The problem is, his sister is a princess. Will Prince Qing be content with the status quo? What will happen to Xiao Gao then?
I don't understand, I don't understand at all. Oh well, we'll find out when the time comes. Who cares? No matter who comes to power, at worst they'll lose their positions. Anyone who dares to drive the Gao family to the brink will have to ask Chen Xuan if he agrees.

Accustomed to Chen Xuan's loose tongue, Gao Jingming nodded and said, "Would I lie to you? The imperial decree has been issued. I've been handing over matters at the Hanlin Academy these past two days, and it's almost done. It should be finished the day after tomorrow, and then the wedding will begin. I won't even have time to rest after the wedding before I have to set off to take up my post."

Chen Xuan gave a thumbs-up and said "Awesome!", then his lips twitched and he sighed, "Luckily I didn't become an official. If I were like you, I'd be rushing to get married, and even on my wedding night I'd be thinking about taking up my post. I'd probably quit on the spot."

"Although the time was a bit tight, it's a dream come true for countless people, isn't it?" Gao Jingming said with a smile.

Nodding in agreement, Chen Xuan said, "Indeed, double happiness! By the way, triple happiness! When did you move, young master? Why not hold a housewarming celebration and collect some gifts?"

"Didn't I tell you when you asked me to have a drink half a month ago? It's fine to hold a banquet, but we have to be discreet. If someone uses this as an excuse to embezzle, it's not worth it," Gao Jingming said, both amused and exasperated.

Scratching his head, Chen Xuan said without any embarrassment, "I was in a good mood that day, and you just mentioned it casually. I didn't remember it at all."

"You forgot this? Did you ask around all day to find out?" Gao Jingming asked, speechless.

"You're absolutely right," Chen Xuan chuckled and said, "That's not important. What's important is that you're celebrating three joyous occasions, young master. How about a drink today? After your wedding in a few days, I'll probably have to be careful what my wife thinks before I ask you to drink with her again."

"Ah Xuan is joking. Okay, let's have a drink today. I'll arrange it right away, but we can't drink too much. We still have to go to work tomorrow," Gao Jingming said as he stood up. Given their relationship, they certainly wouldn't drink in the living room. Even the main hall was a place for receiving outsiders.

Getting up to follow, Chen Xuan pouted and said, "Young Master, weren't you just handing over your duties? It's probably nothing serious, why are you taking it so seriously?"

"You can't say that. You have to take every day you're on the job seriously," Xiao Gao said earnestly.

"You deserve your promotion. Speaking of which, you got promoted so quickly. Could it be that the 'Carefree Pill' you stole from me worked?" Chen Xuan suddenly said.

He said without any hesitation, "Of course, the Xiaoyao Pill is truly a wonderful thing."

"Can't you be a little more subtle?" Chen Xuan slapped his forehead and said matter-of-factly, "By the way, young master, you've had a promotion, a housewarming, and a wedding—three happy events in a row! I brought five gifts, two even left over. Find some time to bring me two more happy events to make up for it."

A set of battle flags consisted of five pieces, but Chen Xuan described it as a five-cent gift. Only he would do something like that… (End of Chapter)