Misty Rain of the Old Times

The calm after the commotion always makes people feel a bit down, and they can't muster any interest in anything. Even with Chen Xuan's cheerful personality, it took him half a day to get out of this mood.

He neither returned to Yang County with Madam Gao and the others, nor went with Gao Jingming to visit Zhoushan County, where he had taken office. Instead, he stayed in the capital, as he needed to prepare the betrothal gifts as soon as possible to marry a wife.

As the year draws to a close, the capital city becomes increasingly bustling. Envoys from various countries travel to and fro, officials from all over the country return to the capital to report on their duties, merchants arrive with their goods laden with cargo, people from all walks of life relax at this time, and even ordinary people, no matter how poor, will splurge a little on food, clothing and other necessities that they would normally not be able to afford.

As the center of Jing Kingdom's rich resources and treasures, the capital city ushered in its most prosperous period of the year.

The decoration of the mansion that Chen Xuan purchased in the capital is still in full swing. With three shifts working, the progress is extremely fast, but in order to match the status of the little princess, it is necessary to strive for perfection. Even if it is fast, it is still not much. It is estimated that it will take another two months to complete.

On the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, after nearly twenty days, even though Gao Jingming's wedding delayed things, Chen Xuan completed the crafting of a large-scale fog array flag. He even found a secluded place to test it. Once the array was set up, the dense fog covered a radius of ten miles, and the effect was better than he had expected.

Only after verifying it himself did he discover that the information about the large fog array that Lao Liu gave him, which said it covered ten miles, was actually just a radius.

In other words, his mastery of formations is not up to par. If he were to reach a certain level and refine more formation flags for simulation and arrangement, the coverage of the formation would likely increase exponentially. The exact extent of this would depend on the depth of his understanding of formations. Anything, once studied to a certain degree, can demonstrate extraordinary power.

For example, Chen Xuan practiced the Tranquility Cultivation Exercise every day for more than ten years without fail. Originally, it was only for children, but with his unprecedented martial arts talent, after more than ten years, it had become something beyond the Tranquility Cultivation Exercise that ordinary people understood. But it was only suitable for himself...

That morning, Chen Xuan, unusually, didn't slack off. He took a complete set of thirty-six mist array flags and went out with Su Roujia to the princess's residence. Now that the betrothal gifts were ready, they naturally had to hurry up and propose marriage.

Of course, proposing marriage to the princess was not a direct proposal. Even if he didn't understand the procedures, Chen Xuan knew that he had to propose to the old emperor. Therefore, he planned to go to the palace with the princess.

In other words, he didn't have any relatives or elders to help him, so he had to do everything himself. He was also quite careless, just running off all by himself like it was child's play.

For this purpose, Chen Xuan went to great lengths to put on a respectable robe made of ice silk. He felt that proposing marriage was a joyous occasion, and the ice silk robe was red, which was very festive. Then, with the help of the little girl, he meticulously styled his hair to look like an adult.

I don't know if he's getting 'younger' as he gets older, or as some say, he's gone back in time, but he seems pretty serious about it anyway.

"Come on, Roujia, let's go propose to each other," he said excitedly after finishing his preparations, snapping his fingers. He was still a little excited inside. After going through the formalities, he would have a wife and would no longer be all alone.

The young maid was happy for him, but she didn't understand this matter. The master said that the whole process was handled by the emperor, so she didn't inquire about it.

But as they were about to leave, she still reminded him, "Master, shouldn't you wrap the betrothal gifts in red silk?"

“Yes, soft nails are the best. It’s a good thing you reminded me, otherwise I would have made a fool of myself,” Chen Xuan said in agreement.

Then he hastily found a red silk cloth to wrap the betrothal gifts and set off. The two unreliable masters and servants went to propose marriage without realizing anything was wrong, mainly because they had no experience to advise them.

For poor families, this is not a problem at all; it is already quite a high-level and formal affair. Not to mention betrothal gifts, often a single sentence is enough to bring a wife home and start a family.

Walking down the street, Chen Xuan's bright red ice silk robe didn't look ostentatious at all. After all, with his looks and figure, he looked good in anything. The saying "clothes make the man" was reversed in his case.

Amidst the bustling marketplace, Chen Xuan suddenly realized something and said to the little girl beside him, "By the way, Roujia, the New Year is almost here. Is there anything you want? Just ask. There are only two of us in the family right now, and money just sits idle."

"Master, I don't want anything. I have so many clothes that I can't even wear them all," the little maid said, shaking her head. She never dared to dream of such a life before, so what more could she want?
Shaking his head, Chen Xuan said, "You only have a dozen or so outfits and not much jewelry. That won't do. Here's what we'll do: since we have some free time, I'll weave some fabric from ice silkworm silk and make you a few outfits. You can think of the styles yourself beforehand. Since it's your first year with the master, I'll give you a big red envelope."

"No need, sir. I am already more than satisfied with what I have. How could I dare to ask for more?" she said, shaking her head vigorously.

Chen Xuan pretended not to hear, nodded, and said, "It's decided then."

Soon after, the two arrived at the princess's residence. The princess was at home that day and did not go out. Led by a palace maid, the two went straight to the backyard of the princess's residence. In principle, this was against the rules, but the princess had given instructions that the rules were in her hands.

The little princess was overjoyed by Chen Xuan's arrival. The two were so close that they were just one step away from taking the next step, so there was no hesitation on their part.

Before they had even exchanged two sentences, the little princess excitedly pulled out a stack of papers and presented them to Chen Xuan expectantly, saying, "Brother Xuan, can you take a look at this? This is a story I wrote based on the so-called Western fantasy world you described to me. It's over 70,000 words long. What do you think?"

Upon receiving the document, Chen Xuan did not immediately examine it. Instead, he said, "Qian Ning, I'll take a look at it for you later. Come, follow me to the palace."

"Huh? What are you going to the palace for?" the little princess asked, speechless. The fact that her carefully prepared script was not immediately seen by Chen Xuan did not cause her any negative emotions.

Chen Xuan waved the red silk-wrapped banner he had brought and said, "Going to propose marriage? I've brought the betrothal gifts." Hearing this, the little princess's heart skipped a beat. Even though she had long awaited this day, she was now a little shy and blushed. Feeling both amused and exasperated, she looked away and said, "Brother Xuan, you go by yourself. I won't go. What kind of marriage proposal involves the girl being present? It's the parents' decision and the matchmaker's words; I'll listen to Father."

That's true. I had overlooked that point. Chen Xuan wanted to scratch his head, but he was worried about messing up his carefully combed hair, so he said, "Qian Ning, you're really not going?"

"Okay, I won't go. Xuan-gege, you go by yourself. Oh, right, I have something to do, so I'll leave you be," she said, then got up and left in a hurry.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan and Su Roujia exchanged glances, then laughed and said, "Qianning is just shy. Come on, Roujia, let's go to the palace to propose marriage. You've never been to the palace before, have you? Let's go and see it. Let me tell you, the palace isn't all that great. Apart from being a symbol of power, many parts are not as magnificent as some wealthy families' homes..."

Instead of insisting on bringing the little princess along, Chen Xuan led Su Roujia straight towards the palace. It was a bit far, so they simply sped up.

The little princess ran away shyly, went to her boudoir, plopped down on the bed, covered herself with the blanket, rolled around and laughed like a goose. "Brother Xuan went to propose! From now on, I'll be your official fiancée! Hehe, I'm getting married! I'm marrying the person I love most!"

She had been looking forward to this day for a long time, and it had finally arrived. She was happy but also felt her cheeks burning. After a moment, she remembered something, got up and went to the dressing table. She looked at herself in the mirror and subconsciously touched a broken strand of hair on her head.

When Chen Xuan brought Su Roujia to the foot of the mountain where the palace was located, it was already noon. The court had long since ended. The Imperial Guards were stationed several hundred meters away from the foot of the mountain, and the little girl, who had never been close to such a place before, immediately became uneasy.

Chen Xuan comforted her, "Roujia, don't be afraid. Do you remember what Master said? No matter where you go with me, you can hold your head high."

The young girl had never experienced anything like this before. The more Chen Xuan talked, the more uneasy she became. But she still had to listen to her master. Just as she was about to muster up her courage to look up, a shout made her heart tremble and she lowered her head again.

"Halt! No one is allowed to approach this sacred palace without a valid reason. State your purpose, or you will be arrested and tortured as if you were committing treason!"

The last time Chen Xuan came, he was with the little princess, riding in her carriage, and no one dared to stop him. This time, he felt he should be more formal when entering the palace, since it was a marriage proposal. So he didn't trespass into the palace, which is why he was stopped and questioned. The imperial guards didn't recognize him.

It was his duty, so Chen Xuan cupped his hands and said, "Please inform Your Majesty that this humble subject, Chen Xuan, requests an audience with you."

"You..." A guard glared at him, about to order him to be taken down. He was joking, thinking, "You're just a commoner, coming here to see His Majesty like this? Who do you think you are? Do you think the palace is a marketplace? You think you can just walk in after saying hello?"
However, at that moment, a commander of the Imperial Guards' expression changed. He reached out to stop the man and stepped forward, bowing respectfully, saying, "So it's Young Master Chen. He's new here, please don't take offense. His Majesty has decreed that Young Master Chen's arrival does not require announcement. Please follow me, and I'll prepare a carriage for you."

"Is that so? The old emperor never mentioned this to me. Don't they need to verify identities? I doubt anyone would dare impersonate me, so it saves trouble." Chen Xuan nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

“It is my honor, Mr. Chen, please,” the other party said respectfully.

It's quite a distance from the foot of the mountain to the palace. Walking is too slow, so taking a carriage saves time and effort. Only Chen Xuan, the prospective son-in-law, would receive such treatment. Few others would have this privilege.

"Master, are we entering the palace now?" The little girl was still a bit dazed as the carriage sped along.

Chen Xuan said dismissively, "What else?"

They soon arrived at the gate of the palace on the mountain. The commander of the Imperial Guards who was driving the carriage stopped there, quickly stepped forward to hand over the reins, and then the carriage drove into the palace. Next, a eunuch drove the carriage.

Even Chen Xuan was somewhat surprised to receive such princess-like treatment.

The carriage traveled through the palace for a while before stopping outside a palace. A eunuch led Chen Xuan and the others inside, which turned out to be the Imperial Study.

After the announcement was made, Chen Xuan led Su Roujia inside, where the old emperor reviewed memorials behind his desk.

Without even turning his head, he waved his hand to dismiss those around him, leaving only Eunuch Wang. Suddenly, he lost all imperial majesty and casually said, "You brat, what are you doing here for no reason?"

Accustomed to his casual manner, Chen Xuan muttered, "He didn't even offer a chair... The betrothal gifts are already prepared, of course he's here to propose marriage!"

The old emperor didn't mind his lack of manners; if he were well-behaved, he wouldn't be himself. Upon hearing this, he paused, shifted his gaze from the memorial, and looked Chen Xuan up and down, asking, "Is this how you got here?"

"Otherwise, oh right, I've also brought the betrothal gifts. I guarantee you'll be satisfied," Chen Xuan said with a smile, waving the array flag wrapped in red silk in his hand.

His matter-of-fact attitude made the old emperor's lips twitch, and veins on his forehead started to bulge. He suddenly stood up, pointed at Chen Xuan's nose, and roared angrily, "You brat, is this how you propose marriage? Can you be any more casual? Do you think you're buying vegetables at the market!"

...(End of chapter)