Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 486 Salted Fish
After discussing the marriage, the old emperor didn't mention anything about court affairs, clearly not wanting to involve Chen Xuan and the little princess in those power struggles and conspiracies. As an elder, he sincerely hoped that the two young people would be carefree and happy.

Sitting idly wasn't going to do anything, since they were already prospective father-in-law and son-in-law, so Chen Xuan suggested playing chess to pass the time.

Old Deng immediately became interested and said disdainfully, "I am a master strategist, you are just asking for trouble."

Then Eunuch Wang ordered someone to bring over a chessboard and set up a small red clay stove to brew tea.

As a result, after an hour, Lao Deng lost three games in a row, was utterly defeated, and his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. In the end, he swept the chessboard and stopped playing. He even pointed at Chen Xuan's nose and gritted his teeth, scolding the brat for not knowing how to respect the elderly and care for the young.

However, Chen Xuan argued confidently that the chessboard is like a battlefield, and there are no fathers and sons on the battlefield, so how could he hold back? This left Lao Deng speechless.

Indeed, when playing chess, Chen Xuan couldn't even come close to the old emperor in terms of strategy and tactics. The old emperor could think five steps ahead for every move he made. But so what? Chen Xuan relied on his high cultivation level, quick thinking, and strong calculation ability to block his opponent's moves in advance, making it impossible for him to use any of his best moves. That was incredibly frustrating.

"Shall we continue?" Chen Xuan asked, tidying up the chessboard.

She glared at him irritably, then turned her head away and huffed, "What are you talking about? I'm already full of anger."

"It was you who quit playing, Uncle. Don't say I didn't give you a chance to get revenge," Chen Xuan said smugly as he put away the chessboard.

A short while later, Su Roujia came over to announce that it was time to eat, which ended the 'unpleasant' interaction between the prospective father-in-law and son-in-law.

It was a simple home-cooked meal, and the group ate around the table in a warm and cozy atmosphere. Even the little girl, who was completely unaware of what was going on, joined the table. The old emperor even took the initiative to serve her food, a treatment that Chen Xuan had never received. Chen Xuan was amazed and wondered if the little girl had managed to make the old emperor happy with just a few roasted beans.

After the meal, the old emperor wiped his mouth and left. On the surface, it was because he disliked Chen Xuan, but in reality, he had wasted half a day and had too many things to deal with.

The little princess originally wanted to stay, but Old Deng forcibly took her away. She's not even married yet, how can she stay here and refuse to leave?

After they left, only Chen Xuan and Su Roujia remained in the large courtyard; the noise was gone, and it was quiet and deserted.

By the time the little girl finished her chores, it was already afternoon. Chen Xuan, who had taken a short break to lie down, called out, "Roujia, let's go."

"Master, it's already afternoon, where are we going?" the little maid asked, not quite understanding.

Chen Xuan laughed and said, "I told you yesterday I'd take you to see the floating island, didn't I? I've already got the key. Get some things ready, we're going to have a barbecue there."

"Master is really taking me? Then I'll go and get ready," the little girl said with delight, thinking it was just talk.

After she was ready, Chen Xuan took her directly to the little princess's floating island villa. The sky, which was still gloomy, was now covered in snowflakes. The floating island was located in the clouds, but Chen Xuan had said that today would be a good day, so it must be, at least in some areas. He flicked his sleeve and lifted the clouds, revealing a cloudless sky for dozens of miles. Standing on the floating island, he could see the snow-covered capital city below.

"It's so beautiful! The palace in the distance is so magnificent!" the little girl exclaimed, never imagining that one day she would be able to stand in the sky and look down on the world.

Having been here many times, Chen Xuan had seen so much of it that it was nothing special, but he wasn't disappointed. He nodded and smiled, "The imperial center, where treasures and wonders converge, is naturally magnificent and grand. If Roujia likes it, I'll bring you here often in the future."

"One visit is enough; how can I be greedy?" the little maid said, shaking her head. Then she added, "Master, you're too good to me. You'll spoil me if you keep doing this."

"Haha, is this good to you? Roujia is too easily satisfied. You're supposed to serve me for the rest of your life. If this little free gesture can earn your gratitude, then I'll take you to different places often in the future and move you to tears," Chen Xuan said with a smile.

She pursed her lips and said, "Being able to follow you, Master, is already a blessing earned through ten lifetimes of good deeds. I would have no regrets even if I died."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Living well and serving the master properly is the most important thing," Chen Xuan flicked her forehead, and as she rubbed her head, he added, "You can take your time looking at it. I'm going inside to rest for a while."

"Then I'll give Master a shoulder massage," she added, already used to her husband's habit of preferring to lie down rather than stand.

This floating island is actually not very big. The building consists of only a small courtyard, and there is usually no one there. Even the little princess doesn't come here often, but it is always well taken care of. He has been here many times. The little princess is not here, and Chen Xuan has not gone into her boudoir. He just lazily lies on the rocking chair in the living room.

He swayed leisurely and said, "Since it's my first time here, why don't you take a look at the soft armor?"

“There will be plenty of opportunities in the future,” she said, shaking her head. Then, she hesitated for a moment and asked, “What if such a big little mountain falls down while floating in the sky?”

Anyone would have such a worry in their heart, but she just asked it out loud. Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, not only is that kind of situation almost impossible, but even if it did fall, there are plenty of people to cut it into pieces, so it won't cause too much of a problem."

The capital city is full of hidden talents; even without the intervention of a grandmaster, a few top-tier innate cultivators working together could shatter the small floating island. Therefore, what Chen Xuan said was true.

No longer dwelling on it, the little girl hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Master, who were those pretty ladies and old men before? They were so kind." "Didn't they introduce themselves?" Chen Xuan asked, speechless.

After thinking for a moment, the little girl shook her head and said, "No, the pretty lady only said I could call her 'sister,' and the old man too."

"Does the old man also want you to call him sister?" Chen Xuan joked.

"No, that's not it. The old man told me to call him 'old man'," she pouted, knowing that the master was teasing her. Then she hesitated and said, "I just heard the old man talking to the master about his marriage to the pretty lady. Is the master going to marry her? But we went to the princess's residence yesterday, and it seems that the master and the princess have a close relationship. What should we do?"

Chen Xuan chuckled and said bluntly, "Roujia, are you really stupid or just pretending? The pretty lady is Princess Fuyao, and as for that old man, he is of course the current emperor, so what's there to be confused about?"

Upon hearing this, the little girl froze, looking shocked and bewildered, and even forgot to massage Chen Xuan.

It wasn't that she was stupid, but rather that she had never dared to think in that direction before. Princesses and emperors were too far removed from her world.

Not only did he meet the princess, but he also got along quite well with her, even sharing a meal at the same table. Even the emperor served her food. This was something he never dared to dream of. How could he remain calm?

After she had processed the information for a while, Chen Xuan said, "Whether it's the emperor or the princess, you've seen the soft armor. Change your perspective; they're really no different from ordinary people, aren't they?"

"But I didn't know beforehand, will there be anything wrong with it? What if I'm impolite and they blame me?" the little girl said nervously, more concerned about causing trouble for her master.

Waving his hand dismissively, Chen Xuan said nonchalantly, "You saw it yourself just now, His Majesty and I almost got into a fight, but nothing happened."

That was the master being chased and beaten.

If the master says it's nothing, then it's nothing. There's no use in a little maid like me worrying about such things. Thinking this to herself, she hesitated for a moment and asked, "But master, if you marry Her Highness the princess, you'll become the prince consort. How can you take concubines and have children? I heard that once you become the prince consort, you have to ask permission before you can even have sex with someone. What should we do?"

This little girl knows a lot. No, why does everyone think they should have a harem?

Speechless, Chen Xuan knew this topic was a bit awkward, but the young girl wasn't an outsider. He pondered for a moment and said, "Roujia, you yourself said I'm going to marry the princess. It means I'm marrying her into the family, not making her a royal appendage. So, the situations you described don't exist."

Although she didn't understand the intricacies of the situation, the little girl knew one thing: the master of the house would be the head of the household from now on. So she happily asked, "So that means the master can take concubines in the future?"

Is that the point? Chen Xuan said, half-laughing and half-crying, "In short, Roujia, you just need to understand that my marriage to Princess Fuyao is no different from any other marriage."

"Yes, yes, I understand. That's great! There will be a mistress in the house soon. The master can take more concubines in the future, and the whole family will be lively and bustling," she said happily.

With a black line on his forehead, Chen Xuan said irritably, "You're always agonizing over taking a concubine. Believe me, the master will take you in first and make you bear ten sons!"

However, the young girl was not frightened at all. Instead, she thought seriously and said, "I am the master's woman, so it is my duty to have children for him. But if I have ten, even if I have one a year, it will take ten years. And there is no guarantee that I will have a son..."

"Stop, stop, stop! What nonsense are you spouting? Let's just make some barbecue and shut you up so you don't keep talking this rubbish," Chen Xuan interrupted speechlessly.

The two then started a barbecue in the snow at high altitude, which was quite fun since they didn't have to worry about the cold.

In fact, Chen Xuan also knew that after the little girl learned about the identities of the little princess and the others, she would naturally not be able to get along as peacefully as before, and even after a period of adjustment, she would find it difficult to recover.

They played on the floating island until evening before cleaning up, closing the door, and going home. Even though they had the key, they didn't stay. It was too high and cold; unless the clouds were constantly dispersed, it felt like being in another world, devoid of human warmth. They got used to it after a while. This was probably also why the little princess didn't come often. It was fine for an occasional visit.

The next day, Chen Xuan was still asleep when he woke up to a commotion and found that the once quiet manor had become lively.

Lying in bed, still half asleep, I took a look around and wow, hundreds of people had come down from the manor. Some were clearing snow, some were transporting materials and tools, and some were surveying the layout of the manor.

These people were craftsmen from the Ministry of Works brought by the little princess to renovate and decorate their newlywed residence.

Upon noticing this, Chen Xuan thought to himself, "The little princess is really taking this too seriously. It's not even dawn yet, and she's already personally bringing people over. I bet she's been making arrangements in earnest since she got back yesterday."

So you really don't have to worry about anything, just be a lazy bum, and when the time comes, someone else will come out to get married and go through the formalities?

I must say, having a woman in the house to take care of things really makes things easier...

(End of this chapter)