Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chen Xuan had heard the name Prince Qing countless times since childhood. He was the son-in-law of the Gao family, the brother-in-law of Gao Jingming, the husband of Gao Jingyu, the brother of the little princess, the son of Lao Deng, and now the Southern Emperor who had seized a part of Rongguo's territory and declared himself emperor...

It seemed like he was everywhere, but over the years, Chen Xuan had never actually seen him once, not even at the occasions of his engagement and marriage to the little princess.

Of course, in the past, his status as a powerful prince was sensitive, and he could not leave his post without permission. Every move he made would be over-interpreted by those with ulterior motives.

Nearly thirty years ago, the Gao family was a true scholarly family, but at best they were a prominent clan in a small place, let alone a wealthy family. In fact, even calling them a prominent clan would be an exaggeration. Their influence was only at the top level of Yang County, and they were considered respectable at the prefecture level, but they were just lukewarm.

According to Chen Xuan, the Gao family had never produced any particularly outstanding figures in their ancestors. Five generations back, there were some Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), but they did not leave any remarkable records. However, each generation had someone with an official title who took on a leading role and prevented the family from declining.

It wasn't until Mr. Gao passed the imperial examination and became a county magistrate that the Gao family was able to regain the glory of their ancestors.

Don't underestimate the county magistrate. He may be called a sesame seed official of the seventh rank, but he is a veritable "marquis of a hundred miles". It is no exaggeration to describe him as a local emperor. It is a position that many officials in the capital envy.

Well, ever since Master Gao became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and an official, the Gao family has been on a roll. Because there was no precedent for women to become officials through the imperial examinations in Jing Kingdom, they used their connections to send their eldest daughter, Gao Jingyu, to the Feiyu Sect, one of the five major sects, to study martial arts. As a result, Gao Jingyu was exceptionally talented and reached the Xiantian level at the tender age of seventeen, which seemed unbelievable to many.

Innate masters are beings that no one can ignore. To some extent, they can truly control their own destiny. To exaggerate a bit, such strength is enough to break through class barriers. Even the most powerful and noble families would not easily offend someone who possesses such a person.

Not to mention Gao Jingyu's ambition, the Gao family truly rose to prominence after marrying Prince Qing. As imperial relatives, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they could act with impunity in the local area as long as they didn't commit any major mistakes.

Then Gao Jingming was even more outrageous than his sister. At a young age, he presented a painting of pine trees and cranes symbolizing longevity and received a personal commendation from the old emperor. He advanced rapidly, becoming the top scholar in his early twenties and achieving the highest honor for a scholar. How old is he now? Only twenty-two years old, and he is already a prefectural official.

Master Gao has not been overshadowed by his children; he is now a powerful regional official who holds supreme power over a state.

In any case, the Gao family reached its peak in history during the generation of the father and son, in just over ten years.

Even more outrageous is that Chen Xuan, whom Madam Gao casually "picked up" more than ten years ago, is now a taboo subject that countless people dare not mention!

It was as if the heavens were favoring the Gao family, leaving everyone speechless.

However, the name of Prince Qing is an unavoidable topic. Without Prince Qing as his son-in-law, even with Gao Jingyu's innate cultivation, he would be nothing more than a big ant in the eyes of many people.

No matter how you look at it, Chen Xuan's success today is partly due to Prince Qing. If it weren't for Prince Qing's influence, which propelled the Gao family to prominence, Madam Gao probably wouldn't have gone to Jinxia County to find a page for Xiao Gao, thus ending up in the Gao family. Perhaps it's pointless to dwell on these things now. Even if Chen Xuan's fate had taken a different turn if he hadn't come to the Gao family, he has to accept this fact.

Of course, Chen Xuan owes the Gao family what he owes the Prince of Qing, and it's essential to distinguish between what he owes them and what he doesn't.

Whether it was for these reasons, or the guess in his heart, or the amazing feat of Prince Qing declaring himself emperor, Chen Xuan was very curious about this person he had heard about since childhood. Since he had nothing else to do, he decided to ask his wife about it.

"Why did you suddenly mention Fifth Brother, my husband?" the little princess asked, puzzled. The topic had jumped too quickly. Fortunately, she had gotten used to her husband's erratic thinking over time and could keep up.

Zheng Wanxi and the others were also puzzled at this moment. After Prince Qing made the move to establish himself as emperor, the name was very sensitive in Jing Kingdom. They didn't know whether they should hear it or avoid it.

Chen Xuan laughed it off, "It's nothing, just asking. He's one of my brothers-in-law, and also Xiao Gao's brother-in-law. We're going to the beach next, and we'll be passing through Rongguo on the way; we might run into him there."

Without a second thought, the little princess said, "Fifth Brother, I don't have a deep impression of him. I can count the number of times I've seen him from childhood to adulthood on two hands. He's always been stationed at the border, and he rarely comes back to the capital. The last time was five years ago. How should I put it? In my memory, he gives off a kind of imposing aura, but he's not difficult to get along with. He always has a gentle smile on his face. Anyway, he's been very good to me. He would occasionally send me local specialties. Actually, I can't really say for sure; my memory of Fifth Brother is a bit hazy."

After listening to his wife's description of Prince Qing, Chen Xuan still didn't have a clear idea. After all, he hadn't seen him with his own eyes, so there was no substantial reference value, and it was too ambiguous.

However, Chen Xuan wasn't surprised when his wife said that Prince Qing, her fifth brother, treated her very well. As the old man's most beloved youngest daughter, how could anyone not spoil her rotten? Offending her would probably have more serious consequences than offending the old man.

One thing Chen Xuan was certain of was that Prince Qing was an unfathomable man; otherwise, he wouldn't have endured for so many years before making such an astonishing feat.

Instead of fighting for power domestically, he chose to establish his own territory and expand his own. Not everyone has the courage to do that, and the key is that he actually did it!

"I see. Fifth Brother is so good to his wife. I should thank her in person when I have the chance," Chen Xuan said with a smile, glossing over the matter. Despite his wife's attentiveness, she was actually very clever. He didn't know what she might think if he said too much.

Furthermore, the name "Prince Qing" is extremely sensitive and even taboo in Jing Kingdom these days. Although it's nothing in itself, there's no need for Zheng Wanqian and the others to misunderstand and think that they are expressing a certain attitude.

Zheng Wanxi and the others initially thought that Chen Xuan's sudden mention of Prince Qing meant he was going to talk about something sensitive, and they wanted to avoid it. But that was it, and nothing more came of it. They figured he was probably just casually asking about a relative, so they stopped thinking about it.

In the blink of an eye, they had entered the manor. Seeing that Chen Xuan clearly had no interest in continuing the topic of Prince Qing, the little princess, who already had her own thoughts, smiled and said, "It's been so many years, I wonder if Fifth Brother still recognizes me. But he's a very nice person. If you have the chance to meet him, my husband, you must get along well and not fight like you do with Father."

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who would start a fight the moment I meet my brother-in-law?" Chen Xuan was speechless.

The little princess covered her mouth and chuckled, glancing at him as if to say, "You'd better be right," before ignoring him and quickening her pace to walk alongside Zheng Wanqian. Looking around, she exclaimed, "This place is so beautiful! I didn't get a good look at it yesterday!"

"Qian Ning, you flatter me. If you don't mind, I'll show you around?" Zheng Wanxi's heart stirred, and she tacitly followed up on the conversation.

Nodding, the little princess said enthusiastically, "Okay, okay!"

“But this place is quite big, I don’t think I can finish exploring it in a short time,” Zheng Wanxi said hesitantly.

"It's alright, let's take our time," the little princess said nonchalantly, holding her hand.

"Didn't we agree to come in for a meal? Why are you two so enthusiastically exploring the manor?" Chen Xuan blinked and asked, "What about me?"

"Isn't my husband going shopping with us?" the little princess asked with a smile as she turned around.

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Xuan waved her hand and said, "Forget it, you guys go ahead and look around. I'm not interested in flowers and plants, and I'm not a girl."

"Alright then, husband, do as you please. We'll leave you be," the little princess said, turning away from him.

Slightly dumbfounded, Chen Xuan scratched his butt and thought to himself, "Judging from your tone, my wife seems to think this place is her own home."

Chen Xuan didn't plan to come along, which made Zheng Wanqian feel slightly disappointed. However, as the hostess, she couldn't just leave Chen Xuan aside like that. She looked at Zhang Yu and said, "I'll show Qian Ning around. I'll trouble you, sister, to keep Mr. Chen company and help me entertain him."

Anyway, they're all good sisters. If we're lucky enough to get married together, it doesn't matter who accompanies us.

"We're not sisters, why are you dumping the man you like on me?" While Zhang Yu was stunned, the little princess waved her hand and said, "That's it, husband, let's go shopping, we'll come find you after we're done." Seeing them walk away hand in hand, chatting and laughing, Chen Xuan hesitated, feeling that something was wrong. Could it be that the two of them had secretly reached some kind of agreement behind his back?
Yunlan, Yunxin, and Xiamei went with the little princess and the others. Chen Xuan left Dujuan and the little maid with him. Looking at Zhang Yu, she seemed a little guilty and spoke first: "What do you want to do?"

"I don't want to," Chen Xuan waved his hand. This beautiful woman had considerable talent for cultivation, but her mind wasn't quick enough. Just as she realized she was about to make a lewd joke and get into trouble, Chen Xuan quickly said, "We just had a battle, oh, I'm so tired. Let's find somewhere to rest. I wonder when they'll be done sightseeing."

Surprisingly, her face flushed, and she didn't get angry. Instead, she seemed more shy. She glared at Chen Xuan fiercely, then turned and said, "Come with me."

Chen Xuan and the others followed, and seeing her walking with her head down, Chen Xuan couldn't help but say, "Why don't you say something to me? You're like a silent gourd; it's actually a little strange."

"I can't beat you in a fight, and I can't argue with you. What can I do but let you bully me?" Zhang Yu turned around and said irritably, thinking to herself that she really wanted to sit on this guy and kill him. She couldn't do anything about him. Did she really have to find a way to give birth to his son in order to beat his son and vent her anger? Bah, he's dreaming. Unless he begs me.

Seeing that she didn't resist, Chen Xuan felt quite uncomfortable. He slowed his pace slightly, observing her swaying, voluptuous back, and muttered to himself, "To be honest, from this angle, she really does look like a gourd."

"Are you ever going to stop? I'll fight you!" Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze and with her heart racing for no reason, Zhang Yu's cheeks flushed. She turned around, gritted her teeth, and lunged at him menacingly.

Chen Xuan dodged, saying, "Haha, that's more like it! Hey, I can't hit you!"

Du Juan and the little maid exchanged a glance and covered their mouths with a smile. Their master was just like that, doing whatever he pleased, but he didn't have any bad intentions. Of course, it mainly depended on the person. Any other girl would never say such frivolous things. It was clear that he didn't treat Zhang Yu as an outsider.

After a while of commotion, they arrived at a pavilion in the inner courtyard. Chen Xuan, without any regard for appearances or backbone, slumped against the railing, crossed his legs, and looked at the furious Zhang Yu, saying, "Hey, is this how you entertain Miss Zheng's guests? Not even a cup of tea?"

Chen Xuan wouldn't be so casual with just that person; he only lets his guard down in front of close friends, otherwise it would be too tiring.

Without even touching him, Zhang Yu turned her head, crossed her arms, and said, "It's all arranged. I don't want to talk right now, thank you."

"I was just saying you have a good figure, that you're plump and voluptuous, with curves in all the right places and slimness in all the right places. I was just complimenting you. You're the perfect woman that countless men dream of..." He continued to make unrestrained comments.

How could Chen Xuan not sense whether someone was truly angry? He was just teasing her on purpose.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu felt inexplicably delighted, thinking to himself, "Is it really that good? I don't feel anything. On the contrary, I feel heavy-hearted." A smug smile unconsciously appeared on his lips, but he pretended to put on a stern face and glared at her, saying, "Enough! Are you done yet? Don't push your luck. Don't you know where you are? Believe me or not, I can call hundreds of people to chop you up with just one word!"

"That's the taste. I was wrong. Okay, I won't say anything more," Chen Xuan said with satisfaction.

A maid brought tea, poured him a cup, and then drank it happily by himself.

His silence made Zhang Yu uncomfortable. Seeing this, she curled her lip in annoyance and said, "Tsk tsk, no wonder he's Master Chen. He needs to be fed tea. Doesn't he have hands? He's like a cripple."

"Is it any of your business? Let's grab something to eat. I wonder when they'll be done shopping," Chen Xuan said listlessly.

"Eat, eat, eat! Are you a pig?"

Despite saying that, Zhang Yu still ordered food to be brought over. It wasn't a proper meal, but it was still a dozen or so delicious dishes.

Seeing Chen Xuan enjoying the food carefully fed to him by the little girl Du Juan, Zhang Yu said disdainfully, "He really is a good-for-nothing, beyond saving."

After taking a sip of wine, Chen Xuan joked, "If you're free, come over and give me a shoulder massage."

"Dream on! You think you can treat me like a servant?"

"Fine, don't do it then! What are you yelling about? I'm not happy about it either. Who knows if you know your own strength? Hey, what are you doing? Why are you hitting me?"

"You asked me to give you a massage, and since I'm not doing what you wanted, why are you running away..."

After another round of commotion, the sun was already setting when the little princess and Zheng Wanqian finally arrived, chatting and laughing, looking as if they hadn't had enough.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Chen, for keeping you waiting," Zheng Wanxi said apologetically.

Chen Xuan, who had quieted down before they returned, smiled and said, "It's alright, my wife, did you have fun?"

“My lord, Wanxi’s manor is so beautiful. There are so many precious flowers and trees that I have never seen before. They were transplanted from Rong Kingdom,” the little princess said as she sat down next to him and began to recount her previous experiences.

Once everyone had arrived, Zheng Wanxi arranged a formal meal. During the meal, the guests and hosts toasted each other, and it was already dark by the time everyone had enjoyed themselves.

It was getting late, and Zheng Wanxi invited them to stay the night, saying there were plenty of guest rooms available.

In the past, when Chen Xuan drank, the little princess would have a couple of drinks with him, but this time she didn't touch a drop. Before Chen Xuan could say goodbye, she spoke first, still wanting more: "Husband, Wanqian and I didn't finish touring the manor this afternoon. There were many places we didn't have time to see. I think we can take a closer look tomorrow. There are many things we can learn from it. We can renovate our house later. What do you think?"

Since his wife had said so, Chen Xuan didn't want to spoil the mood, so he hesitated and said, "Wouldn't that be inappropriate? It would be too much of a bother."

“It’s not like we don’t have a place for you to stay. It’s so inconvenient late at night. Can you stop being so fussy?” Zhang Yu offered her help in her own unique way.

This was the first time Chen Xuan had seen such a way of keeping guests, and he said happily, "Then I'll trouble you."

Although I felt something was off, as long as my wife was happy, that was all that mattered. The whole point of our honeymoon was to make her happy.

The little princess exclaimed excitedly, "Thank you, my husband! I'll be sleeping with Wanqian tonight. We hit it off immediately, and we have so much to talk about!"

"Wait, why is your wife involved too?" Chen Xuan was slightly dumbfounded. He had gotten used to being with his wife all the time. He blurted out, "What am I supposed to do?"

"How old are you, Mr. Chen? Can't you sleep alone?" Zhang Yu would tease him as usual.

Glancing at her, Chen Xuan said dejectedly, "What do you know? Fine, I guess I'll just have to stay home alone."

In the end, he didn't say something truly outrageous like, "Why don't you come and keep me company?"

...(End of chapter)