Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 501 is in hand!

Old Deng roared, and the already frightened little girl trembled. She was at a loss and dared not utter a sound. She thought to herself that His Majesty, who looked like a kind old man that day, was actually very fierce.

Eunuch Wang stood by, head bowed and eyes down, pretending to be blind and deaf, thinking to himself, "I'm just a background character, don't take your anger out on me."

The prospective father-in-law and son-in-law started arguing again when they met; they never seem to have a moment's peace.

However, at this moment, Eunuch Wang's mood was somewhat complicated. During this period, His Majesty had been too deep in thought and too ruthless. Everyone was terrified when they saw him and dared not even breathe, fearing that disaster would befall them. Only this man dared to go against His Majesty, and His Majesty would only take off his disguise and become a normal person in front of him, showing his emotions without any restraint...

To be honest, Chen Xuan really didn't understand the procedures before and after a wedding. He did take etiquette classes when he was studying at Yushan Academy, but he was too young then and only scratched the surface. The imperial examinations didn't test this, so the teacher didn't teach it in depth. Later, his martial arts talent became apparent, but he wasn't as smart as Gao Jingming and the others, and he couldn't compete with them. Especially after going to Liuyu Academy, his cultivation became more and more outstanding. Gradually, his mind was no longer on his studies, so he only had a superficial understanding of these etiquette procedures.

But just because he doesn't understand doesn't mean he lacks basic common sense. A marriage proposal should be done in a grand and proper manner. The reason he came all alone in such a carefree manner is twofold: firstly, he is naturally easygoing, and secondly, he was actually there to deliberately 'annoy' Old Deng.

Chen Xuan never interfered in matters of the court, but being in the capital, he had heard some things. Old Deng's butcher's knife had not stopped during this period. His life was already counting down, paving the way for the next leader, and killing heads left and right. One can imagine how Old Deng was feeling during this time.

To put it bluntly, Chen Xuan was just using the marriage proposal as an excuse to adjust his mood and let Lao Deng relax a bit, nothing more. There was no need to say it out loud.

Faced with the old emperor's furious roar, he felt a little guilty. Proposing marriage like this was truly inappropriate, but he stubbornly argued, "How is this casual? Look how festively I'm dressed, and the betrothal gifts are wrapped in red silk—pretty formal, right? Besides, you said you'd handle everything, so it's just a formality. You know me; you wouldn't be worried about mistreating the little princess, would you? So, it's just a token gesture."

People can't help but laugh when they're extremely speechless, so Old Deng was really amused by Chen Xuan, his eyes blazing with anger as he gritted his teeth and said, "You brat, you still have the nerve to talk back?"

"How could that be? But as you can see, I've really shown my utmost sincerity," Chen Xuan said, getting more and more excited.

Taking a deep breath, Old Deng glared and said, "Is this all the sincerity you have? You'll drive me crazy sooner or later, you brat! Let's not even talk about proper etiquette; you should at least find someone to witness it, right? You think you can just give me this one sentence and I'll hand over my precious daughter to you? You're dreaming!"

Isn't this my catchphrase? When did you pick it up?

Muttering to himself, Chen Xuan's eyes darted around awkwardly as he said, "I really didn't think of that. Um, how about having the little girl witness it? Otherwise, what about Eunuch Wang?"

"What else do I have to do?" The young girl jumped up and hurriedly waved her hands, saying, "Master, Uncle... Your Majesty, I can't. I'm just a little girl, how can I be a witness?"

Unable to feign death any longer, Eunuch Wang quickly said in a panic, "This old servant is not qualified at all, Young Master Chen, please don't make things difficult for me."

Almost driven to despair by Chen Xuan, the old emperor sighed deeply, sat down, and lamented, "How could I, with my lifelong reputation, have ended up with such an unreliable son-in-law? I'm so tired, I really want to beat you to death with a stick!"

"If you kill me, your daughter will be a widow," Chen Xuan whispered to the cricket.

With his eyebrows raised, Old Deng pointed at Chen Xuan's nose and said, "What did you say? Speak louder if you dare!"

Clearing his throat, Chen Xuan immediately straightened up and said, "It's nothing, well, Uncle, you're just unhappy that I didn't bring a decent witness, right? It's no big deal, we can start over. I'll go and kidnap someone of high moral standing right now, how about the Three Dukes and Three Masters? Which one do you think is suitable, Uncle? Or I can kidnap them all, it won't take much time. If you're still not satisfied, how about the old grandmaster of the Tai Xuan Sect or the head monk of the Wu Xiang Temple? Just give the word, and I'll arrange it right away. I don't believe there's anyone I can't kidnap—no, anyone I can't invite."

With a sneer, Old Deng waved his dragon robe sleeve and said, "Fine, then go and invite all those people you mentioned. I'll only give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. If you're over, you'd better wait. I'll deal with you when I have time."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan thought about it seriously for a moment and nodded, saying, "Okay, although it's a bit rushed, we'll definitely make it. It's just a trip all over the country, simple."

As he spoke, he turned around and hurriedly went to 'ask for help'.

With a twitch at the corner of his mouth, the old emperor said wearily, "Are you serious?"

“Your word is law. I’m a grown man, and what I say is true. I always keep my word,” Chen Xuan said matter-of-factly.

Seeing that he didn't seem to be joking, Lao Deng believed that this kid could really do such a thing, and he was sure he could do it. The Three Dukes and Three Masters were now missing two, and the others were in the capital. He estimated that he could bring them over in a short while. As for the old master of Tai Xuan Sect and the senior monk of Wu Xiang Temple, he could definitely invite them, but the process would probably not be very friendly.

Completely exasperated, the old emperor rose and said irritably, "Fine, brat, stop causing trouble. Isn't it chaotic enough already? Come with me." He then turned to Eunuch Wang and said, "Summon Grand Secretary Pei Zhenlong, the Minister of Rites, and the Left and Right Vice Ministers of Rites to the palace for an audience."

"Your Majesty, I obey," Eunuch Wang replied and hurriedly left. Of course, he didn't need to make the trip himself; a simple greeting at the door would suffice, as he still had to serve the old emperor personally.

Chen Xuan immediately understood and followed with a fawning smile, saying, "I knew you had something planned. Where are we going?"

"If I hadn't made arrangements, would you really have been able to abduct my precious daughter with just a word? Where else could she have gone but to the Imperial Clan Court? Even though it's an engagement, I still have to go through the procedures of the Imperial Clan Court and report to my ancestors before marrying off my daughter," the old emperor grumbled, finding fault with everything Chen Xuan did.

Chen Xuanxin agreed, and said she would just follow the arrangements and let them do as they pleased, but she said with a smile, "You are an elder, if you don't go to the trouble, who will?"

"Stop trying to act all innocent with me, you're not being sincere at all," Old Deng said angrily. He was in a terrible mood. His precious little cabbage, whom he had raised for eighteen years, would belong to someone else after today. As a father, it was no wonder he couldn't give this pig a good look.

The Imperial Clan Court of Jing Kingdom is located in the palace. Shouldn't it be in their hometown? It's similar to an ancestral hall. Chen Xuan really didn't know that. Perhaps the customs are different in different places.

Soon after, Chen Xuan followed Lao Deng to a heavily guarded palace, where portraits of the Jing Kingdom's royal family's elders from past dynasties were enshrined.

It's supposed to be a place for worshipping ancestors, but red silk and red lanterns have been hanging at the entrance for quite some time now.

So Old Deng had already prepared the engagement ceremony and was just waiting for me to come over, and he didn't even come with a stick to urge me on...

They had barely arrived when Mr. Pei Zhenlong and the Minister of Rites arrived with a group of people, along with various ceremonial items, such as a pair of geese, grains, flowers, and children.

Then there was a group of people waiting here, old and young, all members of the royal family. Among them, Chen Xuan also saw Crown Prince Zhou Chenjiang and Prince Zhou Hong. They were definitely here to attend the little princess's engagement ceremony. He wondered when the old emperor had arranged it.

Wasn't this supposed to be a marriage proposal? Why are we getting engaged right away? Chen Xuan really doesn't understand royal procedures; let's just go with the flow.

When there are outsiders present, Chen Xuan becomes much more respectful, bowing and showing proper respect to everyone, whether he knows them or not. He is especially respectful to Mr. Pei Zhenlong, under whom he once studied.

Without even guessing, Chen Xuan knew that the old emperor had invited him to be the matchmaker and witness at the wedding. This man, who had countless students and was highly respected, was only the headmaster of Liuyu Academy and had never held a position in the imperial court. Chen Xuan had even studied under him, making him the perfect match.

As for the people from the Ministry of Rites, they were there purely to arrange the ritual procedures.

Anyway, Chen Xuan didn't know anything, so he just did whatever was asked. He kowtowed and offered incense when told to, and kowtowed and offered tea when told to. The process was so complicated that it made him a little dizzy.

The complicated process took nearly an hour. Then, witnessed by the crowd, Chen Xuan knelt before Lao Deng and respectfully presented the betrothal gifts with both hands.

With outsiders present, Lao Deng did not make things difficult for Chen Xuan. He accepted the betrothal gifts with great disdain, acknowledging Chen Xuan as his prospective son-in-law.

Immediately afterwards, a palace maid brought over a tray with a pair of golden scissors on it. Old Deng personally took the scissors and cut a lock of Chen Xuan's hair, which was to be intertwined with the little princess's hair and braided into a love knot.

However, Chen Xuan, a Grandmaster, had hair that was tempered to be ten or a hundred times tougher than ice silkworm silk. How could those flashy but impractical scissors possibly cut it? It almost made the atmosphere awkward. Only when he quietly cooperated with Old Deng to cut off a strand of hair could the process continue.

Afterwards, they got to know the arriving royal relatives one by one, and were busy until the afternoon, completing the procedures amidst congratulations.

The whole process almost left Chen Xuan completely bewildered; he himself felt a bit confused as it all ended.

Afterwards, it will be announced to the world that the emperor is marrying off his daughter instead of hiring a son-in-law. This is a rare occurrence in the entire history of Jing Kingdom, so Chen Xuan doesn't need to worry about it. He can just enjoy the envy of countless people.

This wasn't a grand wedding, so it didn't take too long. After the ceremony, everyone gradually dispersed, and Lao Deng gestured for Chen Xuan to follow.

Back in the Imperial Study, when no one else was around, Old Deng looked at his prospective son-in-law Chen Xuan with the same disdain he would show to a pig. He took the marriage certificate from the tray held by Eunuch Wang and threw it at him, waving it at him dismissively, saying, "Take this marriage certificate and get out of here. Just looking at you makes me angry. Remember, the wedding is on March 3rd. If you dare to run away and I can't find you during those days, I will issue an edict to hunt you down throughout the land!"

Chen Xuan happily accepted the marriage certificate and said smugly, "Finally got it! Now you can get out of here!"

With this marriage certificate, Princess Zhou Qianning is now Chen Xuan's woman. After all, she is marrying down, so she is his in life and in death. They are a legitimate couple. To put it bluntly, even if they separate later due to disagreements, it will be a divorce. Chen Xuan can take half of the princess's property, and the princess is entitled to take half of his cultivation...

The old emperor got angry when he saw him like that.

Before he could even examine the contents of the marriage certificate, Old Deng's voice came from behind him: "I was almost driven crazy by you unreliable brat. You have to explain how to use the battle flags."

Temporarily setting aside the contents of the marriage certificate, Chen Xuan carefully placed the flag in his arms, turned around, and said seriously, "This matter is indeed important, Father-in-law. Is the battle flag for your own use or for someone else?"

After offering tea and changing his address, Chen Xuan's form of address was perfectly acceptable, but Old Deng was still displeased. He had no choice but to say disdainfully, "What kind of status do I have that I need to personally manipulate the formation? I'll call someone over, and you can teach him. Make sure no one else knows."

"No problem," Chen Xuan replied immediately.

Although he knew Chen Xuan wouldn't be ambiguous about such matters, Old Deng couldn't help but grit his teeth in frustration at Chen Xuan's casual attitude. "Can't you be a little more serious?"
……

(End of this chapter)