Misty Rain of the Old Times

The death of King Luo was still vivid in his mind, the destruction of the Wu family seemed like yesterday, the death of the Wei family's patriarch, the hasty division of the family and the hasty retirement after the funeral were all these things. King Jiang was always terrified and broke out in a cold sweat when he woke up in the middle of the night.

Jiang Wang didn't see the scene of the Wu family being beheaded by 'Huang Xiaochao' with the family genealogy, nor did he witness how Wei Wuyai was killed. But Luo Wang's death happened right before his eyes. He even clearly remembered how calmly Chen Xuan pressed Luo Wang to death with a single finger.

That was a hostage from Rongguo, representing a country, and could very well trigger a war between the two nations. Such a person, he killed him without a second thought.

Even if such a person has no taboos, what does it matter if he is a prince of Jing Kingdom? How could King Jiang not be afraid of him?
Yet this lawless tyrant actually willingly served as a doorman at the Gao family's gate, greeting everyone with a smile and treating them with the utmost courtesy. His demeanor clearly showed that he truly considered himself a servant. Jiang Wang found it utterly unbelievable.

How dare the Gao family? What gives them the right? Shouldn't such a person be treated with reverence?

Could it be that your Gao family, relying on the favor you did for him, thinks too highly of themselves and treats him like dirt, treating him like a beast of burden? Incredulous, King Jiang felt a surge of intense jealousy, and in his jealousy, he felt a deep, intense envy.

Of course, he didn't really think the Gao family didn't take Chen Xuan seriously; they weren't that stupid. There must be a reason behind it, but did he dare to investigate? So he could only feel a simple sense of jealousy and didn't dare to think any further.

As his thoughts raced, King Jiang took a deep breath. Even though Chen Xuan himself didn't take what he was doing seriously, and even seemed to enjoy it, he dared not be disrespectful and raised his hand to greet him.

Chen Xuan felt helpless, knowing that such a thing was unavoidable. It was Gao Jingming's wedding, and the Prince of Jiang was a guest. His status was undeniable. In front of everyone at the door, it would be somewhat inappropriate for him to bow to a lowly servant like himself. How could that be proper? At least to those who didn't know the situation, it would seem like a complete reversal of the natural order. How could a lowly servant from the Gao family make the Prince of Jiang bow? Wouldn't that mean the Gao family dared to ride on the head of the royal family?

Therefore, upon realizing the Prince of Jiang's intentions, Chen Xuan immediately greeted him with a smile and loudly interrupted, "Your Highness, please invite him in."

Faced with Chen Xuan's sincere smile, Jiang Wang felt a chill run down his spine and instantly realized that he had almost done something wrong. Luckily, it was close.

So he gave Chen Xuan a subtle nod, then strode forward and said cheerfully, "Haha, Lord Gao, your son is newly married. I've come to ask for a drink. I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

"It is an honor for Your Highness Prince Jiang to grace us with your presence. Please come in and have a seat," said Master Gao, beaming with pride and somewhat overwhelmed by the honor, as he personally invited Prince Jiang inside.

At this moment, the old man was almost numb. Even though he had seen many big shots over the past half day, Jiang Wang was one of the top figures among them. How could he dare to be negligent?

Even though countless important figures came to curry favor with him and adopted a very humble attitude, Master Gao was not arrogant. He was well aware of his own status and still maintained the proper demeanor.

He knew why these people had come; it wasn't because the Gao family was so prominent, but because of their connection with Chen Xuan.

Since Master Gao and Chen Xuan had only met a few times and their relationship wasn't close enough, it wasn't appropriate for Master Gao to express his gratitude to Chen Xuan. Naturally, it would be most suitable for Madam Gao, Gao Jingming, to handle this matter. He only needed to do his own job.

Watching them leave, Chen Xuan thought to himself that as expected of a prince, Da Bao was ambitious and quick to react, without inexplicably losing his mind and causing a small blunder. Although it was nothing, on such a joyous day, it would naturally be better for everyone to be happy and harmonious.

The Gao family definitely didn't invite him; they don't have that kind of relationship. He came with his own invitation.

After the Prince of Jiang, although many high-ranking officials from the court came one after another, there were no more members of the royal family. The old emperor only had a few adult children. Those who were to be married off went to their fiefdoms and were not allowed to return to the capital without a reason. Only this one, who had been staying for seven years under the pretext of celebrating the old emperor's birthday, had refused to leave.

Even so, those who couldn't come in person still tried to send gifts as soon as they heard a little bit of news. That was a matter of attitude. As for those who couldn't even get a little bit of news, that was because they weren't of a high enough level.

Anyway, Chen Xuan knew perfectly well that Huang Xiaochao's pseudonym was an open secret, except for people like Ning Guiliang who were kept in the dark.

It doesn't matter; no one dares to break through this barrier.

Since yesterday, Chen Xuan has been welcoming guests at the door. He is going to announce the identities of the guests and the list of gifts. Announcing the identities of the guests is to bring honor to the Gao family and let outsiders know who came to offer their congratulations. As for announcing the list of gifts, it is of course to give face to the guests. They should announce what they gave. Everyone should have a show of it so that everyone is happy.

So Chen Xuan, who witnessed the whole thing, couldn't help but sigh. Xiao Gao received so many gifts at his wedding that his hands were sore from carrying them. He made a fortune! The gifts he received were probably overflowing the warehouse. If he had more of these weddings, he would be richer than a country in no time!

How about we encourage Xiao Gao to hold a few more banquets? Xiao Cai and Xiao Ye haven't been officially recognized yet, two banquets would be enough, right? It's not unreasonable for Mr. and Mrs. Gao to hold a birthday banquet, is it? Xiao Gao doesn't seem to have any pets, otherwise he'd hold a banquet every time a cub was born…

A real man can't be without power for a day. If you have power, there will be plenty of people rushing to give you money, and it will all be perfectly legitimate.

The fist represents power, and the same principle applies when the fist is bigger.

So Chen Xuan secretly wondered if he should announce his marriage to the little princess in advance. He didn't mean anything by it; he just wanted to have a grand wedding for the little princess, to let people witness it, and to give the little princess an unforgettable life experience.

Another person arrived, and he put aside his thoughts to continue his work. Although people at a certain level knew that the Gao family had a Grandmaster-level expert named Chen Xuan, very few had actually seen him. Those who recognized him directly, like King Jiang, were extremely rare, and even fewer dared to expose him. People also dared not imagine that the Gao family would make him a doorman or servant, and since he didn't have his name plastered on his forehead, Chen Xuan was practically an invisible doorman greeting guests.

Some guests were still thinking to themselves, "Where did the Gao family find this guy? He's handsome and has a loud voice. I'll have to find someone like him for my own banquet."

From early that morning, the Gao family received a constant stream of guests, each one of higher status and position than the last, practically wearing down their doorstep.

Of course, most of them only came to make a gesture and did not stay for long. Otherwise, no matter how big the Gao family mansion was, it would not be able to accommodate so many people. The banquet was held in round after round, and the cooks would probably be exhausted by the end of the day, but the reward money afterward would certainly not be small.

"General Wan, Commander of the Imperial Guards, has gifted ten jars of bone-nourishing wine. Due to official duties, he is unable to attend in person. He wishes Scholar Gao a joyous wedding and a long and happy marriage."

After the ceremony was announced, Chen Xuan had a sudden thought, realizing that those who had come before that afternoon were all civil officials, and now the military officers were also starting to make their presence known.

However, since Lord Gao and Gao Jingming were both civil officials, it was not appropriate for them to befriend military generals too much. Therefore, while the proper gestures were necessary, it would be somewhat inappropriate for them to come in person.

And that was indeed the case. Almost all the groups that came later were military officers, as if they had agreed to stagger their arrival times with the civil officials. Moreover, the military officers almost always sent gifts.

That's good, so as not to give others a reason to criticize. It's normal for civil officials to come and offer their congratulations, but if even military generals have such a close relationship, what is the Gao family trying to do? Even if there is a grandmaster behind them, they can't hide it. Old Deng would probably point his finger at Chen Xuan and warn him not to be too high-profile.

As evening approached, Chen Xuan received a visiting card. His heart skipped a beat, but he still read it aloud as usual: "Jiang Huaichuan, the second young master of the Marquis of Weiwu's mansion, has arrived, bringing with him a ceremonial sword, the renowned 'Flowing Cloud.' Please come in quickly."

After the reading was completed, Chen Xuan greeted him with a smile and gestured for him to proceed.

Jiang Huaichuan glanced at Chen Xuan, wanting to exchange a few pleasantries, but there were other guests behind him, so he could only nod as a greeting and step into the house.

At this moment, Jiang Huaichuan was filled with emotion. After so many years, the Gao family had become so glorious that he had to personally bring gifts to offer his congratulations. He wondered what his father was thinking, telling him to be humble without explaining why. Back then, he hadn't even taken Gao Jingming seriously.

Seven years have passed in the blink of an eye. Gao Jingming of that time is now the top scholar in the imperial examination and enjoys the emperor's favor. The battles in the army are no match for a single imperial edict.

Brother Wei separated from his family and went to Frost Moon Kingdom, while Wu Junyao has become a useless person in a daze. The friends who used to drink and laugh together can no longer be gathered together. It is truly a pity.

That was Gao Jingming's pageboy, wasn't he? If it weren't for the resemblance to him from back then, I almost wouldn't have recognized him...

Watching Jiang Huaichuan go inside, Chen Xuan thought to himself that he had also arrived. After so many years, he had changed quite a bit. He had reached the Innate Realm in martial arts and carried an aura of killing intent. He must have made a name for himself in the military.

Back then, he, Wei Ziyan, and Wu Junyao were secretly instigating Zhang Ao to cause trouble for Gao Jingming. However, after Gao Jingming presented a painting of pine trees and cranes symbolizing longevity, the matter was dropped. Only Wu Junyao did not give up, but was crippled by Chen Xuan's incomplete poem. Even Zhang Ao suddenly realized his mistake, turned against him, and ran away to live a low-key life at home.

I was young then and did some ridiculous things. Looking back now, I think I would probably do the same thing again if I had to do it all over again.

Jiang Huaichuan was the second son of Marquis Weiwu. He had an older brother, so he was naturally ineligible for a title. As a military family, sending him to offer congratulations would prevent gossip.

There is a difference between the gifts given by military generals and civil officials. Civil officials give calligraphy, paintings and treasures, while military generals mostly give gifts related to martial arts. For example, Jiang Huaichuan brought a sword. A sword is a ceremonial object, not a weapon. It can show the military general's intentions without ruining the joyous occasion.

Chen Xuan had also heard of the famous sword, Flowing Cloud; if it were converted into money, it would be worth more than 100,000 taels of silver…

The Gao family are officials, so it's normal for civil and military officials to come and offer their congratulations. As for people from the martial arts world, they should stay out of the way; they're not qualified to enter. Even Gao Jingyu's former master's school wasn't qualified to come and offer their congratulations.

After Jiang Huaichuan went inside, a chill ran through Chen Xuan's heart. He handed the gift list to the person next to him and whispered, "Keep Young Master Jiang's gifts separate. Give them to me later along with the gift list. Have someone keep a close eye on them and make sure no third party is allowed to touch them!"

Chen Xuan gave the instructions to the old man of the Gao family. Although he didn't understand why, he nodded and did as he was told that there was no mistake.

Chen Xuan gave this instruction not because he wanted to intercept Gao Jingming's embezzled gifts, but because he could simply take whatever he wanted without going to such lengths.

There's something wrong with the gift Jiang Huaichuan brought, but there's no need to make a fuss about it... (End of Chapter)