Misty Rain of the Old Times

The setting sun casts its rays upon the river, the rippling blue waves like scattered gold, and the river breeze stirs the hair like a tangled heartstring.

Chen Xuan was never a sentimental person; he was usually carefree and easygoing. But the feeling of parting from someone he liked was truly unpleasant.

Love arises without warning; he didn't know when he had fallen for Zheng Wanqian. Perhaps it was the romantic moments they had shared these past few days, or perhaps it was the heartfelt kindness expressed in her words that day.

She didn't know when the little princess came to his side. She had experienced the pain of being separated from her beloved, and the longing was like a fishbone stuck in her throat. It was only after Chen Xuan appeared in front of her again and again that she gradually got used to it and realized that even though they were thousands of miles apart, they were not actually far apart. Just as Chen Xuan himself said, it was like visiting a neighbor.

Looking out over the river, Zheng Wanqian and her companions' boat was no longer visible. The little princess softly comforted them, "If my husband is reluctant to leave, then go after them. I understand."

Looking away, Chen Xuan shook his head and said, "My wife is joking. I'm not that sad. It's not like we're going to die. This short separation is for more joy when we meet again, so it's alright. It's windy by the river, let's get on the boat."

With a helpless smile, the little princess took his hand and said, "My husband says he's fine, but he's clearly flustered and speaking without thinking. Although I don't practice martial arts, I'm not a weak woman who's prone to illness. Besides, it's so hot; the river breeze won't give me a cold."

"Alright, my wife noticed that. No wonder we share a bed, she understands me," Chen Xuan shrugged frankly. He was indeed reluctant to part with her, but he couldn't keep Zheng Wanqian by his side forever.

Holding his hand tightly, the little princess said earnestly, "I will always stay by my husband's side. If you go out, I will wait for you at home, no matter if it's windy or rainy."

"Then my wife must remember what you said. Life is very long, so don't find your husband a nuisance in the future," Chen Xuan said, pinching her cheek. The emptiness in his heart was also lessened a lot.

With a bright smile, the little princess stepped forward and said, "No, I don't care. As long as my husband doesn't get too attached to me too much, that's fine. Let's go, it's time for us to get on the boat."

"With such stunning beauty, and her youthful appearance lasting forever, I must be out of my mind to get tired of her," Chen Xuan said speechlessly as he followed, unable to resist glancing back at the distant river.

He never denied that he wasn't a good person; he was just amorous, which wasn't a serious crime, and he wouldn't abandon someone after starting a relationship.

After boarding, Xia Mei went up to ask if they were setting off. She received an affirmative answer, and the ship, which had been docked for many days, weighed anchor and slowly headed downstream.

That day, the island in the lake was sunk, and the black dragon rushed out and connected the underground river, causing a large amount of water to gush out, so much so that the water level of the Qingping River, which had dropped, rose again.

The sun was shining brightly, and the river breeze was warm but not too hot. Since it was too hot to stay indoors during the day, Chen Xuan suggested setting up a table on the deck to drink tea.

After sitting down, the little princess looked at the box in Chen Xuan's hand and asked curiously, "Husband, did Wanxi give this to you before she left?"

"Hmm, it's quite heavy. I wonder what's inside," Chen Xuan smiled and placed the box on the table.

Having received an affirmative answer, the little princess nodded and stopped paying attention. Curious as she was, she wouldn't interfere in their private affairs; it wasn't anything harmful.

Chen Xuan laughed instead, "Isn't my wife curious and want to open it and take a look?"

"That was given to you by your sister Wanxi, so I won't interfere," the little princess waved her hand.

However, Chen Xuan opened it in front of everyone without a care in the world. It wasn't something shameful. When he noticed the little princess peeking at it, he smiled to himself.

"Wow, the Golden Legend!" Chen Xuan exclaimed to himself as he opened the box.

The box was nearly two feet long and almost a foot wide, and it was packed full. Chen Xuan looked through it and saw that on top was a palm-sized black jade pendant, which was exquisitely and intricately crafted. One side was engraved with the character "Zheng", and the other side had a landscape and cloud pattern. Underneath the black jade pendant was a letter.

Below that were piles of gold and silver notes, the smallest denomination being one hundred taels. At the very bottom was a layer of gold bars and leaves. Whether gold or silver notes, they were universally accepted. The saying that the Zheng family's trade was known throughout the world was no joke.

A rough estimate suggests that this small box contained a fortune of around one million taels of silver!

After reading it, even Chen Xuan couldn't help but hiss. This was too much! You know, Zheng Wanqian only promised a million taels of silver to gather tens of thousands of martial arts practitioners to work for her, and people flocked to her just like that.

What's this? It's like a young wife handing him a VIP black card without batting an eye and telling him to spend it as he pleases.

A box of money was probably just a gift for Zheng Wanqian. It was hard to imagine just how rich the Zheng family was. Chen Xuan suddenly had the feeling of being kept by a rich woman.

The little princess wasn't unfamiliar with money, but she was still taken aback by Zheng Wanqian's generosity. She couldn't help but tease, "Wanqian, you're truly generous! Husband, you've struck gold! You'll never run out of money. Speaking of which, your childhood dream has come true—to have a wealthy heiress, and not just any wealthy one, but one who earns money faster than she can make it!"

Embarrassed, Chen Xuan scratched his backside, saying with a wry smile, "My wife, please stop teasing me. How can I ever repay such kindness?"

"My dear sister Wanxi is all yours now, so please don't let her down. There's no need to talk about repayment; that would be too formal," the little princess said with a perfectly normal expression, as if to say, "Husband, you're overthinking it."

Chen Xuan opened his mouth, feeling guilty, but he couldn't very well return the favor; Wanqian would be heartbroken. He slumped into a chair, sighing, "Don't laugh at me, my wife, but if Wanqian had found someone like this, we wouldn't have had to wait until now to be together. Laugh if you want; who told me to be such a shallow person?"

"Let alone a husband, even a girl couldn't resist such an offensive," the little princess said, not mocking but agreeing wholeheartedly. Then she added thankfully, "Luckily, I won over my husband first, otherwise I'd be calling Wanqian 'sister,' or I might not even have the chance."

With a slight chuckle, Chen Xuan said, "It's not that bad. Fate doesn't have a first-come-first-served rule; it's about when and where you'll meet the right person."

The little princess thought about it and agreed. Instead of dwelling on it, she pointed to the letter and said, "Husband, won't you read what Wanqian said to you?"

Nodding, Chen Xuan picked up the envelope and opened it directly. Unexpectedly, in addition to the neatly folded letter, there was also a flawless white jade pendant inside.

The jade pendant is an ornament with exquisite tassels. The cord is not only interspersed with gold and silver threads, but also with ice silkworm silk and even strands of hair. Among them are Chen Xuan's own hair, and the rest are undoubtedly Zheng Wanqian's own.

This was definitely hand-woven by her; it was undoubtedly a token of their love, and she gave it to Chen Xuan in such a way.

After putting the jade pendant away, Chen Xuan unfolded the letter and read its contents. Though the letter was short, it conveyed deep emotions, and it left him speechless.

"Husband, what did Wanxi say? If it's inconvenient, just pretend I didn't ask," the little princess asked curiously.

With a smile, Chen Xuan simply handed her the letter and remarked, "My wife, take a look for yourself. I've really become a kept man. And you know what? It feels pretty good."

The little princess took the scroll and was quite surprised after reading it. She couldn't help but earnestly instruct, "Husband, Wanqian treats you so well, you mustn't let her down, otherwise I'll feel indignant on her behalf."

"Am I the kind of heartless and ungrateful man? Wanqian is deeply affectionate and loyal; I will certainly treat her well."

The two thin sheets of paper contained some sweet words from Zheng Wanqian to Chen Xuan. In summary, she hoped that Chen Xuan would take good care of himself, and that she had not been able to fulfill her duties as a concubine while she was not by his side, hoping that Chen Xuan would not blame her.

The second letter explained the purpose of the black jade pendant. With it, one could withdraw all cash from any Zheng family business shop. As long as the whispered words matched, any other request would be unconditionally granted. Furthermore, one could freely stay at any of the Zheng family's residences in various countries. The letter even included a coded whispered message. That's why Chen Xuan said he was living off a woman; in a sense, it meant Zheng Wanqian had entrusted everything to him, with unconditional trust. To put it bluntly, Zheng Wanqian was the only heir in the Zheng family this generation, and all their wealth would benefit him, an outsider.

After a moment's thought, Chen Xuan said earnestly, "Wanqian has already gone to such lengths without reservation, and I, a grown man, cannot remain indifferent. We are currently engaged in private, and we need to give her a formal status as soon as possible. Therefore, the traditional betrothal ceremony should be put on the agenda to put her at ease. However, my wife and I have only been married for a short time, so we still need to discuss when to formally marry her."

“What my husband says is true. We do need to give Wanxi a proper title, but you don’t need to worry about that. I’ll arrange it for you. You just need to wait until the big day to marry your beautiful bride. After all, you don’t understand these things. How about setting the date a year from now? Too early is not good, and too long will only make her wait in vain,” the little princess nodded and took full responsibility.

Chen Xuan felt somewhat awkward discussing marrying a younger woman with his wife, but he genuinely didn't understand the intricacies of the matter. Even his marriage to the princess was arranged by Old Deng's side. So, he said apologetically, "Then I'll have to trouble you, my wife."

"Why are you being so polite with me, my husband? I'm your wife, this is just my duty," the little princess said with a reproachful look.

Nodding, Chen Xuan hesitated for a moment, then cautiously added, "My lady, you may not know this, but I promised Wanqian that I would marry her in a grand and proper ceremony, through the main gate. If you feel this is inappropriate, we can discuss it further."

A formal wedding ceremony is a privilege reserved for the principal wife. Even if Chen Xuan doesn't care about societal opinions, he still has to consider the little princess's feelings. Otherwise, what would he take her for? If she harbors resentment, he can only make amends to Zheng Wanqian in other ways.

Upon hearing this, the little princess was not angry at all. Instead, she said generously, "Let's do as my husband says. I am not a petty person. You have already made a promise to Wanqian. A man should keep his word. As long as my husband does not abandon me, I will do whatever you say. This is not just superficial flattery. I am even happier that you treat Wanqian this way. It proves that my husband is a man of great affection and loyalty, not someone who is greedy for beauty and wealth and treats others casually. Besides, Wanqian is more than just a princess. It is already a great injustice for her to be my husband's concubine. We should make up for this by giving her a glorious and respectable life and not betraying her deep affection."

"Thank you, my wife. I am ashamed," Chen Xuan said with emotion. With such a wife, what more could a husband ask for?

Rolling her eyes at him, the little princess waved her hand and said, "Husband, don't be like that. It's normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines. All my brothers have a harem. I'm counting on you to marry more women to continue the Chen family line. The prosperity of the family is the most important thing."

That's just how times are; the little princess's words left Chen Xuan speechless.

The continuation of bloodlines is the most important thing, it is engraved in people's bones, and it is above personal feelings between children. After all, life is very fragile in this era. If there are few people, the lineage may be cut off.

The ship sailed downstream, and time passed quickly. After finishing their meal on the deck, it got dark and the moon rose in the east.

Having not slept with his wife for several days, Chen Xuan couldn't help but feel a surge of desire under the dim light. He glanced at the sky and gave her a signal: "Wife, it's getting late. Shouldn't we go to bed?"

These young men, full of youthful vigor, are now an "old married couple," so there's nothing to be embarrassed about.

But when the little princess heard this, her heart tightened and her gaze became somewhat evasive. She hadn't figured out how to tell Chen Xuan that she was pregnant. In the past few days, she had secretly studied the precautions for pregnancy, especially the fact that intercourse was not advisable in the early stages of pregnancy, otherwise it could easily lead to miscarriage.

However, as a wife, she couldn't refuse such a thing. It was a small matter if it was a disappointment, but if her husband misunderstood and thought she didn't want him to touch her, it would affect their relationship, and in severe cases, it could even lead to a complete breakdown in their marriage!
This is by no means an exaggeration. Think about it, if a couple refuses to have sex, does that mean they want to go their separate ways?
Should I tell my husband I'm pregnant now? But what will he think? Will he be happy or unhappy? We've already agreed not to have children for the next few years, and we've only been married a short time, right in the middle of our passionate romance. If I tell him the truth, it will be inconvenient for us to be intimate for almost a year. Will my husband become distant after that?

The young princess, a new wife, had never experienced anything like this before, and was in a state of utter confusion. The best thing to do was to tell the truth, since secrets can't be kept forever and she would have to face it sooner or later. But she really hadn't figured out how to be honest, mainly because the two of them had already agreed not to have children for the next few years, and she was worried that a sudden pregnancy would displease Chen Xuan.

These past few days, Chen Xuan had felt that his wife was deliberately avoiding him. Seeing that she hadn't responded for a long time, he couldn't help but ask with concern, "Wife, are you feeling unwell?"

A sudden panic gripped her, but the little princess remained calm and smiled, saying, "No, my husband, let's go back to our room."

"Yes, my wife is so beautiful. Let me help you," Chen Xuan said with a smile as he stepped forward to support her.

"Smooth-talking," the little princess covered her mouth and smiled.

At this point, she had made up her mind to be honest. Dragging it out wasn't going to work, and no matter how you looked at it, pregnancy was a wonderful thing.

However, the way to be frank is important. It's best to do it when your husband is easy to talk to. As for when he's easy to talk to, need I say more? It's when he's wise.

On the way to the bedroom, the little princess had already made up her mind. If it was inconvenient to share a room with her husband after being honest, then there were still Yunlan, Yunxin, and Dujuan. They had the duty to serve their master, which was only natural. How could she let her man hold back?

Back in the room, before Chen Xuan could make a move, the little princess went to the bathroom and said, "Husband, please wait a moment. Let me take a bath first."

“My wife, we’ve been together before,” Chen Xuan said, pulling at his clothes.

"The bathroom on the ship is too small, husband, wait a moment," the little princess said with a smile, and then entered the bathroom with Yunlan and the others.

Chen Xuan thought about it and agreed. Besides, he didn't have the perverted hobby of being watched by others, so he decided to wait. His wife wouldn't run away, would she?

Soon after, the little princess finished her bath and changed into a gossamer-thin nightgown, almost transparent, revealing her alluring body. Her long, straight legs were clad in black stockings, which made Chen Xuan's heart flutter.

Seeing this, the little princess nudged her and urged, "Husband, go wash up quickly, I'll wait for you."

"Alright, I'll go right away."

A man's shower only takes a few minutes, and Chen Xuan soon came out shirtless. Yun Lan and Yun Xin had already left the bedroom.

The little princess blushed as she looked at Chen Xuan's body, which made her blush and her heart race.

"My wife, I'm here!" Chen Xuan said impatiently as he strode over.

Just as he was about to make a move, the little princess stood up and dodged away. Under Chen Xuan's puzzled gaze, her heart raced as she said, "Husband, don't be in such a hurry, please sit down first."

Chen Xuan sat down as instructed, looking puzzled.

The little princess, her face flushed like a rosy cloud, said with captivating charm, "Does my husband remember the many times you asked me about my surprise?"

Hearing this, Chen Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Before we got married, my wife said she would give me a surprise when we met. I asked her several times afterward, but she always dodged the question. I had almost forgotten about it recently. So, you're willing to tell me today?"

"Actually, I've wanted to tell my husband what the surprise is for a long time, but Father Emperor kept a close eye on us during that time and didn't give us any chance to be alone together. Now it's time to tell my husband," the little princess said softly, her head down, not daring to look at him. She was a little uneasy because the so-called surprise was just on paper and was prepared so that they wouldn't be able to sleep together before marriage. It just hadn't been put to use yet.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan said with great interest, "I'm curious what surprise my wife has in store. Tell me and let me be surprised."

The little princess rolled her eyes at him, took a deep breath, and said, "My husband, you'll know if you close your eyes."

"So mysterious! Alright, alright, I'll close my eyes now," Chen Xuan said in surprise, closing his eyes.

Seeing his expression of complete indifference, as if he would do whatever he wanted with her, the little princess bit her lip, then put her hair up and stepped forward… (End of Chapter)