Misty Rain of the Old Times

The wait at this moment seemed somewhat absurd. Not long ago, the palace was the little princess's maternal home, which she could come and go as she pleased. But now, it felt as if there was an insurmountable high wall between them, making her feel unfamiliar and causing her a strange sense of bitterness and oppression in her heart.

In just a few days, with Crown Prince Zhou Chen's ascension to the throne, everything seemed to have changed.

Indeed, once Zhou Chen took that position, he became the center of the entire empire, like the sun shining brightly in the sky. Everything revolved around his will, and with it came the silent changes in all kinds of rules and regulations.

It was a perfectly normal thing, but it happened so suddenly that the little princess wasn't prepared at all.

Chen Xuan took it all in stride and accepted it easily, because that's how it should be. Countless people quickly adjusted their mindset, and he was no exception. His wife had some difficulty adapting, so he could only silently stay by her side and offer her support.

It seems the old man handed over everything very decisively, leaving himself no room for maneuver. Therefore, he no longer has the means to influence the court or even the national situation after abdication, which is very much in line with his character.

In other words, the title of "Emperor Emeritus" is now just a title, like a mascot.

How many emperors in the world could do what he did? Most would rather take power to their graves…

Princess Fuyao actually needed to report and request permission to enter the palace. A few days ago, no one would have believed it. I don't know if Zhou Chen was still adjusting after ascending the throne or if it was intentional.

The short wait felt incredibly long to the little princess, but instead of receiving an imperial edict granting them entry to the palace, they were greeted by a familiar stranger.

Then they saw Old Rong, with his full head of white hair neatly combed, coming from the palace on the mountaintop. He seemed slow but was actually fast, and in just a few steps he appeared a few meters in front of Chen Xuan and the others.

This is one of the few Grandmaster-level experts in the Jing Kingdom. He has been stationed in the palace and has hardly ever left. He is also one of the core members of the Jing Kingdom's royal family. He is only loyal to the emperor, and who the emperor is is not important to him.

Familiarity stems from several brief encounters, while unfamiliarity arises from the lack of genuine communication or overlap.

Upon approaching, Elder Rong remained as calm and composed as ever, bowing slightly and saying politely, "This old minister greets Your Highness, and Young Master Chen pays his respects."

"Greetings, Elder Rong," Chen Xuan said with a smile.

The little princess asked anxiously, "Grandpa Rong, how is Father Emperor? How could he suddenly... Is Father Emperor at home... in the palace?"

The elderly are no longer in charge. Even if the little princess is upset, she knows that some things are taboo to say. It's not the time when she can do whatever she wants with the protection of the elderly anymore. Even if it feels awkward, she still has to be careful with her words and actions.

She might not be used to it for a while, but luckily she has a husband to rely on, and no one dares to blame her for saying the wrong thing. But that doesn't mean she will take advantage of that to act spoiled. She's not brainless; her experience of being pampered since childhood hasn't made her arrogant.

With a gentle and kind smile on his face, Elder Rong said after she finished speaking, "Your Highness, rest assured, the old Emperor is well, but he is not currently in the palace."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan's heart skipped a beat. Old Deng was no longer in the palace? He had just handed over power yesterday, had he? Did he leave on his own to avoid suspicion, or was he respectfully invited away by the new emperor Zhou Chen to find a place to live out his remaining years?
It's highly likely the old man passed away on his own. Zhou Chen's behavior wouldn't be that bad. In an era where filial piety is highly valued, if he dared to do that, he would be overwhelmed by impeachment memorials.

"Where is Father? I want to see him," the little princess asked anxiously.

With a smile, Elder Rong took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it over, saying, "Your Highness, Young Master Chen, this old minister does not know where the old emperor is, but he anticipated that you would come looking for him immediately, so he left you a letter in advance. I dare not say much about the old emperor's affairs, but after reading this letter, I think you will be at peace."

"Thank you for your trouble, Rong Lao," Chen Xuan nodded and accepted the gift with both hands.

At this moment, Elder Rong reminded him, "So that Young Master Chen may know, the Old Emperor instructed that you should not open the letter until three days after you receive it. These are the Old Emperor's exact words."

"Yes, I understand," Chen Xuan nodded as he carefully put the item away.

The little princess was completely confused. She asked blankly, "What is Father doing? I don't believe no one knows where he is. What was he thinking, leaving a letter that can only be opened in three days?"

"Your Highness, please forgive me. This old minister truly does not know the whereabouts of the old emperor. He instructed that no one should inquire about it, so no one dared to disobey the order," Rong Lao said apologetically.

The young princess opened her mouth, nodded, and said, "I understand."

Based on her understanding of the old man, she knew he was capable of such a thing; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so unreliable when he was with Chen Xuan. Putting aside his former status as emperor, he was actually just an old child.

Even though he has retired, his status is still very special. It would be a lie to say that no one knows his whereabouts. But since he has given instructions, naturally no one will be willing to reveal anything, and asking around is useless.

Then Elder Rong continued, "Your Highness, His Majesty is already aware of your return and is very pleased. However, His Majesty has just ascended the throne and is busy with state affairs, so he cannot spare the time to accompany you for the time being. I hope Your Highness understands. His Majesty has instructed that Your Highness should go home and rest, and that he should take good care of you. He will try his best to make time for you."

The old man was no longer in the palace, and the little princess suddenly felt a loss of belonging, so she lost the desire to go to the palace. Besides, her relationship with Zhou Chen and his sister was actually just so-so. So she shook her head and said, "In that case, I won't bother you any longer, Emperor Brother. I hope Grandpa Rong will have someone pass on my apologies and that you will come to visit me again when you have some free time."

Rong Lao had witnessed far too much of the royal family's coldness, and though a sigh escaped his lips, his eyes remained calm as he smiled and said, "Your Highness is already at your doorstep, won't you go back and visit? His Majesty would surely feel guilty if he knew."

"No, Grandpa Rong, let's do it another day. I need to find out where Father Emperor went," the little princess said, shaking her head dejectedly.

So Elder Rong stopped insisting and nodded, saying, "Then this old minister will respectfully see Your Highness off."

"Grandpa Rong, you should go back and rest too. I'm going home now," the little princess said, bowing. She had genuine respect for the old man she had known since childhood, who had hardly changed at all.

Then the little princess looked at Chen Xuan dejectedly and said, "Husband, let's go home."

"Elder Rong, then this junior will take his leave," Chen Gao said, then took the little princess's hand and said, "Let's go home."

Watching their departing figures, Elder Rong spoke up, "Your Highness, Young Master Chen, please don't blame His Majesty. He's also in a difficult position. Given his position, many things must be done according to the rules. I hope you understand." Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan's heart stirred. He understood that Elder Rong's words had a hidden meaning. To put it bluntly, this was only the beginning. If something were to happen later, this was a precautionary measure. He just didn't know if this was Elder Rong's well-intentioned reminder or if Zhou Chen was conveying it through him.

Turning back with a smile, Chen Xuan said, "Your Majesty also has his own difficulties. How dare I, a mere commoner, criticize the current emperor? Farewell, Rong Lao, take care."

Old Master Rong watched them leave with a calm, gentle smile, but he knew in his heart that unless there were special circumstances, Chen Xuan and the little princess would most likely never set foot in this palace again.

The relationship between the princess and Chen Xuan with the old man is unparalleled by anyone else. Even if Zhou Chen becomes the emperor, he can forget about getting closer to him through this!
As she slowly moved away from the palace, the little princess had never felt so conflicted, lost, empty, and dejected since childhood.

She couldn't help but look back at the majestic palace atop the mountain, the place where she had grown up, and murmured softly, "Brother Xuan, let's go home. That's no longer my home. From now on, it's just a cold, unfamiliar palace. Home is where you are."

Chen Xuan simply tightened his grip on her small hand without saying anything, because at this moment, any words would be superfluous.

For some reason, the prosperity of the capital city seemed to have lost its charm for Chen Xuan after the old man retired. He felt it was rather boring and had no interest in watching the excitement.

Back at their home in the capital with the little princess and the others, the city lights were just coming on. Whether it was due to the change of generation or the influence of their mood, the entire large mansion felt somewhat oppressive and tense.

It wasn't just Chen Xuan's family; with the imperial edict announced to the world, apart from the poor commoners who didn't even know what an emperor was, whose family wasn't walking on thin ice? After all, with the new emperor on the throne, every word and action would affect everyone's future.

As for Chen Xuan, it didn't matter. As long as it was reasonable, Zhou Chen was, after all, the emperor. He could tolerate some slightly excessive behavior, but if it was deliberately targeted, suppressed, or even tested the bottom line, he would have a temper. Don't think that just because Chen Xuan usually acted like a lazy bum, he could play around with his Grandmaster cultivation. If he really didn't give him face, who did the emperor think he was?

Of course, it's best to avoid going that way unless absolutely necessary. There's still some connection to the family, and besides, he's not completely alone now. It's really not worth going head-to-head with the power of a nation.

The little princess was in a low mood. After arriving home, she barely ate any dinner before saying she wanted to rest. Chen Xuan stayed with her the whole time.

In this situation, who was in the mood for pleasure? The young couple snuggled in bed, and Chen Xuan took out the letter that Elder Rong had given them, tore open the envelope, and said excitedly, "Wife, what do you think Father-in-law will say to us? He's been playing mysterious with me; I wonder where he's having a good time right now."

His action surprised the little princess, who said, "Brother Xuan, why did you open it now? Didn't Father say that we could only read it on the third day after receiving it?"

She instinctively reached out to stop her, but it was too late.

Chen Xuan, however, curled his lip with interest and said, "Wife, when have you ever seen me be so well-behaved with my father-in-law? If he doesn't want me to look, I won't look. I don't tolerate him."

"Brother Xuan, if Father finds out about this, he'll definitely scold you," the little princess said, both amused and exasperated, no longer caring about her worries.

Taking out the letter, Chen Xuan quickly glanced at it and said, "Tsk, my father-in-law didn't try anything funny. I thought he was going to do something if he told me not to look at it for three days... But you see, my wife, my father-in-law anticipated this."

By candlelight, the little princess looked at the letter in Chen Xuan's hand. Sure enough, it began with, "I knew you'd ignore my words. Next time we meet, I'll give you a good beating! Hmph, don't you have this nickname 'Peach Blossom Prince'? I'll grant you that."

Upon seeing the opening content, Chen Xuan chuckled, "My father-in-law really understands me! No, even though I've retired and am now a nobody, he still wants to beat me up. Am I really that unpopular?"

"Others haven't even had the chance to treat him the way Father Emperor does. Brother Xuan, don't interrupt, quickly look at what's written at the end," the little princess urged.

The two then stopped talking and quickly skimmed through the contents of the letter left by the old man, reading it several times without missing a single word. Afterward, they looked at each other, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, but they were completely relieved.

As always, the old man didn't mention much "serious business" in the letter; it was more like a casual chat.

In short, he's free of worries now, so he's gone off to travel and enjoy the scenery, living a carefree life and appreciating the beauty of the land. He hasn't even had a chance to fully experience the country he's worked so hard for for decades, so there's no need to worry about his safety.

Secondly, don't go looking for him. He doesn't even know where he'll go. If you're lucky, you might run into him unexpectedly. Anyway, he'll know to go back when he's had his fun. He's not going to die out there. You're still counting on Chen Xuan and the others to see you off.

Finally, he warned Chen Xuan not to bully the little princess, or he would make Chen Xuan pay for it no matter where he was.

The old man repeated one sentence three times: "Don't bother him, whether there's something to do or not."

Yes, important things should be said three times, no problem.

After reading the letter over and over again, Chen Xuan scratched his head and said, "That's it?"

Completely relaxed, the little princess exclaimed with delight and took it for granted, "Yes, that's right! Otherwise, if Father had said something else in a serious tone, I would have been worried. This is perfect; it proves that Father is genuinely in a good mood."

Chen Xuan thought for a moment and nodded in deep agreement, saying, "That's true."

In fact, besides these, Chen Xuan also deduced from the lines that the old man had truly given up imperial power completely. Apart from taking away Eunuch Wang, who had accompanied him since childhood, he could be said to have completely handed over everything to the new emperor, Zhou Chen.

On the other hand, if the old man had kept Grandpa Wang, it would probably have been a thorn in Zhou Chen's side.

Anyway, he went sightseeing and didn't care about anything, so even if things turned upside down later, it wouldn't concern him.

Although he only took Eunuch Wang with him, there was no need to worry about his safety. Wouldn't the new emperor Zhou Chen send someone to 'secretly protect and serve' him? As a son, he naturally didn't need anyone to teach him this kind of filial piety.

After reading the letter, Chen Xuan, relieved, said happily, "Wife, we must keep this letter safe. It's a letter written by my father-in-law himself. It can be passed down as a family heirloom. Look, it even has my father-in-law's personal seal on it. It's probably the only one of its kind in the whole world."

...(End of chapter)