Misty Rain of the Old Times

In the bright and beautiful spring of March, the Chen family was filled with joy. The busy people dressed in their best clothes, with red ribbons tied around their waists, adding to the festive atmosphere.

"The day after tomorrow is your wedding day, Xiao Xuan. Today, guests will be coming to congratulate you. When you see them, smile more, be enthusiastic, and say nice things. Don't take advantage of your abilities and act arrogantly towards them, or people will say you don't know how to behave."

Early in the morning, Madam Gao went to Chen Xuan and kept giving him instructions on how to treat guests, she was really worried about him.

These words had been given many times, but Chen Xuan still listened patiently and quietly exchanged a smile with Gao Jingming beside him. As someone who had been through it all, Gao Jingming responded with a "just bear with it" expression.

Noticing their subtle movements, Madam Gao said sternly, "Don't give me that frivolous look. You'll be the same tomorrow. It's Ah Xuan's wedding, so you'd better be on your best behavior and help out. If anything goes wrong, see how I'll teach you a lesson."

"Don't worry, Auntie. We've figured out all the details these past few days, and we definitely won't neglect our guests," Zhou Lin said, trying to smooth things over.

Hearing this, Madam Gao's expression softened, and she nodded, saying, "That's more like it." Then, looking at Chen Xuan, she frowned slightly and said, "We have guests coming today, and you're dressed so casually, Xiao Xuan? Where's your formal attire? Go change quickly, and the same goes for you."

The next sentence was addressed to Gao Jingming and the others.

Chen Xuan looked down at his coarse cloth clothes and thought there was nothing wrong with them; they were quite comfortable to wear. However, he would do as Madam Gao said, and he should be secretly happy to have such an elder reminding him from time to time.

He usually dresses quite casually and likes to wear coarse linen clothes. However, even though the fabrics may seem the same, the difference is significant. Poor families wear coarse linen clothes because they don't have money, but Chen Xuan wears them simply for his own comfort. Can carefully woven clothes be the same as poorly made ones? It's like in Chen Xuan's hometown, the same jeans can cost a few dollars, while others can sell for exorbitant prices.

Even though he doesn't care much about his clothes, he won't force himself to endure hardship.

Then, the group obediently dispersed to change clothes. Under the care of Du Juan and Su Roujia, Chen Xuan changed into a suit that had been prepared in advance. It wasn't a groom's suit, but something for a formal occasion, something he would probably only wear once in his life.

"Master is so handsome. There is no other man as handsome as you in the world," Su Roujia said sincerely, looking at the completely transformed Chen Xuan, her eyes shining.

Even Du Juan, who was standing next to him, was staring at him without blinking. Putting aside their relationship, Du Juan asked herself honestly if she could control herself when she saw a man like Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan lightly flicked Su Roujia on the forehead and laughed, "Why are you speaking such blunt truths? No, there are plenty of handsome men in the world. At least last year's third-place scholar was only two points behind me. To be honest, I've never dressed like this before, so I feel a little uncomfortable."

“It must be that the person who made the clothes wasn’t careful, otherwise why would the master be uncomfortable?” Du Juan frowned.

Shaking his head, Chen Xuan stepped out the door and said, "What does this have to do with making clothes? It's just my imagination. You guys go ahead and get busy."

“We’re fine. Following the master is the most important thing,” the little girl said, stepping forward to catch up.

Chen Xuan was speechless. After going out, he ran into He Hongyi, who was playing with Xiao Miao and the others, and waved to greet her.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chen Xuan went to the gate. Watching his back, He Hongyi couldn't take her eyes off him for a long time. It was the first time she had seen Chen Xuan dressed so formally and carefully groomed. She was so captivated by his appearance that she couldn't move on. She secretly encouraged herself, thinking that she must work hard. If she missed out on a man like him, she would never be happy for the rest of her life.

Unfortunately, she dressed up so beautifully not for herself. What was she thinking? She would be lucky enough to become his concubine in the future.

At the gate, the servants summoned by the Gao family were already standing guard, each one looking very energetic. Steward He led a few people to set up tables and chairs inside the gate to record the guest gift list. This was very important, as gifts would be returned later. Whether Chen Xuan would go to return gifts to other families on their happy occasions was his own business.

Mr. Yushan, who was temporarily free, was with Steward He. He was going to help Chen Xuan preside over the wedding, since it wasn't the right time yet and he was just killing time. As for Master Gao, he was going to help entertain the guests. With the governor of a prefecture accompanying him, he gave the guests who came to offer their congratulations a great deal of face.

Master Gao is unaware that he has been promoted to Governor of Huizhou. The imperial edict has not yet been issued. Chen Xuan will probably take up his post directly from the capital after the marriage, and the handover will be a minor matter.

When Chen Xuan arrived at the gate, Gao Jingming and the others had already changed their clothes and arrived ahead of time. The styles of their formal wear were all the same, probably learned from Chen Xuan. They would never wear green clothes, and instead mainly wore red and blue. Chen Xuan's formal wear, on the other hand, was red and yellow. They did not try to steal Chen Xuan's thunder.

There are actually rules about clothing. If Chen Xuan hadn't married Princess Fuyao, he wouldn't have been able to use yellow fabric on his clothes, as it would be taboo. Whether someone would cause him trouble if he actually wore it is another matter.

Upon seeing Chen Xuan, Gao Jingming laughed and said, "Xuan, you should have taken the imperial examination with me last year. Putting everything else aside, just based on your handsome appearance, you'd be a shoo-in for the third-highest rank in the imperial examination."

"Young Master, what are you saying? If I were to take the imperial examination, would the title of top scholar still fall to you? My knowledge is certainly no match for yours, but do you think my father-in-law would give it to me if I asked him for it?" Chen Xuan said smugly.

Gao Jingming was speechless for a moment and said, "Isn't that cheating?"

“Yes,” Chen Xuantian shamelessly admitted, still smugly saying, “If the emperor approves, who dares to say it’s fraud?”

Gao Jingming was speechless. Although it was a joke, if Chen Xuan really asked for it, the old emperor would probably give it to him without hesitation. Even though the imperial examination was not so trivial, at certain levels, it was just a matter of a word, and there were plenty of ways to make it sound perfectly reasonable.

Luo Taiyun glanced at Chen Xuan, patted his round belly, and said sourly, "We both grew up eating, but the difference is so big. Xuan, with your looks and Jingming's, if I were a woman, I would definitely beg and plead to be with you. No way, I have to go to Jingming's house for a free meal later. Your family's food is definitely special."

Deng Lingfeng patted Luo Taiyun on the shoulder and joked, "If a woman grew up to be as fat as you, she'd probably have a hard time getting married."

“Ling Feng, I can’t agree with you. A woman who can gain weight must have a good diet at home, and there are plenty of people who would want her,” Zhou Lin said, presenting the facts and reasoning.

Tian Xueyu wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "So, it goes without saying which is more attractive, a rich woman or a beautiful woman, right?"

"What rich woman? She's my little darling," Deng Lingfeng said seriously.

The group chatted and laughed happily, and gradually the sun rose high in the sky, almost noon, but not a single customer had arrived. Chen Xuan instinctively wanted to scratch his head, but he couldn't bear to mess up the hairstyles the girls had styled. So, looking at the clear sky, he said hesitantly, "It's deserted. With all this fuss, I'm afraid no one will come. It's all pointless. Besides, I don't know that many people anyway, so it's normal."

Chen Xuan opened the door to welcome guests from all directions, but no one came. He didn't feel ashamed at all, since he didn't care about such things. It was just a waste to make a fuss, but if it wasn't more grand, after all, he was marrying a princess. What would outsiders think?
Gao Jingming, both amused and exasperated, said, "Ah Xuan, don't worry about it. It's still early. You'll be busy later."

"Young Master, are you really that confident? I'm not so sure myself," Chen Xuan said with a smile. Gao Jingming pondered for a moment and then said, "Ah Xuan, I know you don't care about these things, but from now on, please don't call me Young Master anymore."

"I'm used to it, no need to dwell on it," Chen Xuan waved his hand dismissively.

Deng Lingfeng chimed in, "Ah Xuan, don't underestimate yourself. You can't look down on yourself. What's that saying again? Oh right, you probably won't remember the people who come, but you'll definitely remember the ones who didn't come. Think about it, if you remember someone like that, you'll probably have trouble sleeping and eating in the future, right?"

That's true. Ever since Chen Xuan admitted at the Tai Xuan Sect that he was Yang Guo from back then, his cultivation as a Grandmaster has been an open secret. Moreover, he married Princess Fuyao, the most beloved princess of Emperor Shang Xuan. Who wouldn't worry about being targeted by him? It's terrifying to even think about.

Chen Xuan was immediately dumbfounded and said, "Look at what you're saying, I'm not some kind of devil."

Can the devil be as scary as you? A family with hundreds of years of history can rise to prominence in no time. Of course, there's no need to joke about such things.

Chen Xuan waited and waited, but no one came. He was quite bored. If it weren't for the few people chatting and joking around, he probably would have fallen asleep. Getting married was just too much of a hassle.

No one came by noon, so Chen Xuan and the others went to eat lunch and then returned to the door to stand guard listlessly.

As the sun began to set, a well-to-do middle-aged man came to the street outside the gate, followed by several servants who carried gift boxes and cautiously examined the gate of Chen Xuan's house.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan cheered up and smiled. It seemed that they had come to offer their congratulations, but he didn't know them at all. However, guests are guests, and he couldn't give them a bad attitude on such a joyous occasion. The kind of scenario where any Tom, Dick, or Harry was allowed to come didn't exist for him.

Faced with the unanimous gazes of Chen Xuan and his group, the middle-aged man trembled, swallowed hard, and forced himself to lower his posture and humbly ask, "May I ask if this is the residence of Young Master Chen Xuan?"

Chen Xuan thought to himself, "Isn't this obvious?" He cupped his hands and smiled, "Indeed, may I ask what advice this gentleman may offer?"

The middle-aged man thought to himself, "That's right, we didn't go to the wrong place. If we went to the wrong temple, would we even want to live here?" He immediately cupped his hands and smiled, "My name is Wang Gui. I live on this street and am even your neighbor. I heard about Young Master Chen's wedding and have come with a small gift to ask for a cup of wine."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan quickly stepped forward with a smile and said, "So it's Mr. Wang. My name is Chen Xuan. I didn't expect the wedding to disturb the neighbors. Please forgive me. Please come in quickly."

This is Chen Xuan, His Majesty's son-in-law, truly a man of dragon-like bearing and phoenix-like grace.

Upon being personally greeted by Chen Xuan, Wang Gui blushed with excitement and stammered, saying respectfully, "Congratulations on your marriage, Young Master Chen! I hope you won't find this small gift too offensive; please present it quickly."

"Thank you, Mr. Wang. It's great that you've come. We're neighbors, so please come in and take a seat." Chen Xuan stepped aside to greet him.

Wang Guiqiang suppressed his excitement and said, "Thank you, Young Master Chen, please."

By this time, Gao Jingming and the others had already received the gift boxes. Deng Lingfeng temporarily acted as the officiant, holding up the gift list and loudly announcing, "Lord Wang, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, brings a pair of jade ruyi scepters, a bushel of pearls, a painting, a piece of coral... to congratulate Chen Xuan on his wedding."

Wang Gui, who had followed Chen Xuan inside, said with a flushed face, "I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed."

This person is actually the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review? He's quite an important figure, yet he's so humble and hasn't even mentioned his official rank. I thought he was just a wealthy man.

Chen Xuan quickly replied, "Lord Wang, you've gone to so much trouble."

"It's just a small token of my appreciation, I hope Young Master Chen won't find it offensive," Wang Gui said modestly. In fact, he had gone to great lengths to prepare these gifts, fearing that they might be too meager and that Chen Xuan wouldn't be satisfied.

Even though Chen Xuan had little concept of money after getting up, he understood that the gifts Wang Gui gave him were worth at least ten or twenty thousand taels of silver. He wondered to himself, "Could he be a corrupt official?" But who cares? He wasn't investigating corruption. If Wang Gui really had embezzled the money, someone else would deal with it.

That being said, this is only the first one. Doesn't that mean he'll be making a fortune from just one wedding? If he had several, it seems like he could make a lot of money.
As the first guest, Chen Xuan personally led him to his seat in the central courtyard, saying, "Lord Wang, please have a seat. We have prepared some simple wine; please enjoy your meal and drinks."

"Thank you for your trouble, Young Master Chen. I won't disturb your business any longer. You can go ahead and do your work. I'll just sit here for a while," Wang Gui said modestly.

Without feeling awkward making small talk with strangers, Chen Xuan cupped his hands and said, "Then please excuse me. I hope you will forgive any neglect."

At that moment, Deng Lingfeng's booming voice, like a loudspeaker, rang out again from the main gate: "Mr. Liu, the grain merchant of Liu's family, has arrived, bringing with him three thousand taels of silver, one hundred bolts of brocade, a pair of pearls... Congratulations on Chen Xuan's wedding! Please come in quickly!"

Chen Xuanxin, who was leaving, thought to herself that this person had really gone all out. The problem was that they didn't even know anyone there. It was really necessary. It made them feel quite embarrassed. Moreover, when they weren't coming, they wouldn't see anyone. But once they started, they came one after another. It seemed that it was the same when Xiao Gao got married last time. People who knew him and those who didn't all showed their faces.

Mr. Liu was an extremely shrewd businessman who looked to be in his fifties or sixties. He had brought his family with him. When Chen Xuan saw him, he greeted him politely and invited him to take a seat.

When he arrived at the gate again, he glanced around and thought to himself, "Good heavens, in such a short time, there's already a long queue outside the gate. The people there are either officials, businessmen, or people from the underworld. They are all dressed well and are either rich or noble. And no one came empty-handed."

Chen Xuan was a free spirit, neither involved in the system nor in the underworld, so he didn't have a fixed circle. His own strength and influence were undeniable, and he didn't explicitly state who could come and who couldn't. So anyone with a bit of sense rushed over to offer their congratulations.

What he didn't know was that many people regretted it so much after seeing Wang Gui being personally invited in. They wished they hadn't moved faster. The first person to be entertained by Young Master Chen would have a deep impression of him. Missing such an opportunity was something that no amount of money could buy.

Chen Xuan was incredibly busy after that. As the groom, all the guests were people he knew, and he had to exchange a few pleasantries with them, regardless of whether he knew them or not. He kept smiling and greeting them, and he seriously wondered if he would end up working at a noodle stall afterward.

In short, this is what a wedding should be like: lively and joyous.

It seems the several hundred tables prepared for the banquet might not be enough. No problem, we can easily add more at the last minute. As long as the guests don't go home hungry... (End of Chapter)