Misty Rain of the Old Times

Putting his thoughts away, Chen Xuan looked up again, his gaze moving away from the little princess. Only then did he have time to look at the others.

The most eye-catching person was undoubtedly Emperor Shang Xuan. He sat in the middle. What surprised Chen Xuan a little was that this was just the little princess' birthday party, not a court meeting, but he was wearing a golden dragon robe, but not a crown. His snow-white hair was fixed with a jet-black jade hairpin.

This outfit is neither formal nor casual, as if he is just expressing to people how much Princess Fuyao means to him.

At this moment, he was no longer the little old man who laughed and played with Chen Xuan. He sat there like a dragon and a tiger. Although he had a warm smile on his face, the invisible imperial majesty he emanated made people dare not look directly at him. His every move touched people's hearts, and his thin body was awe-inspiring.

Is this still the same Old Deng who chased him around with a stick? It's completely different person. Chen Xuan almost thought he was seeing things.

In front of the old emperor, a man and a woman sat on his left and right, a little shorter than him. The man was on the left and the woman was on the right. The woman on the right was naturally the little princess, and Chen Xuan knew without a doubt that the other one was the current crown prince of Jing Kingdom. If nothing unexpected happened, he would be the next emperor of Jing Kingdom. He had already started helping with state affairs a few years ago. Anyway, the crown prince had all the necessary treatment, and Emperor Shang Xuan still had high hopes for him.

However, the prince is only a prince after all. As long as he does not truly sit on that position, the outcome will always be unknown. Even if he sits on that position, there is still the risk of being pulled down.

He looked less than thirty years old, extremely young, and was at the peak of his life. He was naturally good-looking, with a graceful figure and a handsome appearance. He was 60% similar to the old emperor, the only difference being that he was much younger.

Sitting behind the desk, he was wearing a golden dragon robe. Chen Xuan had to admit that there was already some imperial bearing between his brows. After all, he was taught by Emperor Shang Xuan for many years. Two princes had already passed away, and it was obvious that the old emperor cared very much about this third one.

When he first met the prince, his simple aura was extraordinary. Although Chen Xuan had never met other princes, he felt in his heart that it would be a bit difficult for them to compete for the throne.

However, there is not much domineering majesty in him, but more benevolence and peace. Appearance reflects the heart, and Chen Xuan believes that he is not wrong.

"The Crown Prince's name is Zhou Chen. He is not the little princess's brother. He is thirty years old and is the ninth son of Emperor Shang Xuan, born to the current empress. The first two Crown Princes all met with accidents, but now he is finally almost there. I don't know if it's because of good luck or the support of many people behind him. However, he is more benevolent than domineering. If it were a prosperous era, he would most likely be a benevolent monarch, but if it were a chaotic era, I'm afraid it would be a bit of a stretch."

The information about the prince flashed through his mind in an instant, and Chen Xuan didn't care. He had never been interested in royal affairs. If it weren't for the little princess, he probably wouldn't have even taken a second look.

The emperor, the crown prince, and the little princess were the most conspicuous three, facing outside, while the others sat opposite each other on both sides, extending all the way outside the hall.

In the front row below the three of them, there were several old men on the left and right. The youngest one looked to be over fifty years old, with an extraordinary demeanor and dressed in casual clothes. This was not the court, and they did not use their titles when communicating. Chen Xuan had no way of distinguishing their identities. He estimated that they were either high-ranking officials in the court or major members of a powerful family. Since he did not know them, he skipped them.

Below them, on the left were three young men, all around twenty years old, some heroic, some domineering, some calm, with striking looks, wearing dragon robes in gold, silver, and black. They were probably princes from the three neighboring kingdoms. For ordinary people who dared to wear dragon robes, it would be a capital crime, as such clothing was a symbol of status.

"The domineering young man in the black dragon robe in the middle should be King Luo of Rong State. There's a two-headed man standing behind him. Wow, he's like a wall."

Chen Xuan was not interested in their identities. Instead, he looked at the two-headed man a few more times. What Geng Hong and the others said that day was not exaggerated at all, and was even conservative.

He was over ten feet tall, with skin as dark as steel, and explosive muscles that gave people a strong sense of oppression. Fortunately, the little princess's banquet hall was high enough, otherwise there would be no room for "them".

How to describe it? It's probably an enlarged and discolored version of the green fat man in a certain film or TV work that Chen Xuan remembered. There are two identical heads on the shoulders, about forty years old, one with short hair and the other with a whip, so it's easy to tell them apart.

The head is no smaller than a washbasin, but I wonder if the brain will increase in size. The face is ugly, like a crying child. He wears black armor, carries no weapons, and stands still with his eyes closed, giving people a sense of solidity and reliability.

"Where did King Luo of Rong find such a strange person? Although it's normal for strange people to appear in this world, it's really a bit exaggerated. His cultivation is not simple. The true energy in his body is extremely rich and powerful, violent and domineering. Compared with Liu Zhenwei back then, he is only a little bit inferior. It's worthy of the two of them practicing together. If they join hands, they will definitely be in the first echelon of the Xiantian realm."

Looking at them, even Chen Xuan couldn't help but be surprised.

The other two royal members of other countries also brought innate guards. They were not simple characters, but no one brought weapons in such occasions.

Opposite the three men sat young men of about the same age as them. Each of them was far superior to ordinary people in appearance and demeanor. Even a ugly guy would not be qualified to sit here.

One of them looked somewhat similar to Wei Ziyan, whom Chen Xuan had met before, and was most likely a hero of the Wei family.

Chen Xuan just glanced at the others casually. They were not worthy of attention. There were only about ten young men present who were the most outstanding in terms of appearance and demeanor. The rest were just vaguely there as a foil.

While looking around, Chen Xuan also compared those people with the records in the small notebook, and kept an eye on the little princess's reaction. He didn't look at anyone directly, and he immediately knew that there was no one who could "fight". He was in a good mood, and the sunset became inexplicably brighter.

Then he felt bored. These people were all elegant and well-spoken, but they were really boring. No one even came out to perform a show to liven up the atmosphere.

What kind of birthday party is this? Just some awkward chat. Shouldn't everyone be eating, drinking, and having fun?

Well, this is what is called an upper-class gathering, so of course we have to be polite. The emperor is here, who dares to be presumptuous?
Even more boring than Chen Xuan was the little princess herself. She felt uncomfortable all over in such occasions, but she had to keep smiling all the time and occasionally respond with a word or two. She was almost going crazy with it.

When no one was paying attention, her eyes rolled around quietly, and she thought to herself that Taohua was more fun. She could say whatever she wanted to say and do whatever she wanted to do. She was relaxed and comfortable. Unlike these people, she always felt depressed and unnatural when getting along with them. They all had obvious masks on their faces, which was annoying.

"That guy is really something. He said he wouldn't come and he didn't. Is he going to cancel the gift he promised? I'll settle with him later. I'm so sorry I even told him to come straight to the hall. I'll save a seat for you." The little princess, feeling resentful, sat demurely, occasionally glancing at the empty seat behind a certain white-bearded old man. Although that seat was behind the old man, it was right at the front of the line. Fortunately, the young talents present didn't know about it; otherwise, I wonder how they would have felt.

At the same time, the talented young men who came to celebrate her birthday were also quietly paying attention to the little princess's reaction. They didn't know whether to be happy or sad. They all came with a purpose, but the little princess's eyes never stayed on anyone for more than a moment.

What should I do? There are not many opportunities to show up in front of Princess Fuyao. If I miss such an opportunity, I can't deliberately create an encounter to show myself. Forget about visiting her directly. Except for a few little princesses' daughters, I have never heard that the young man can be alone with her.

After all, I have met the little princess this time and she has left an impression. After that, it depends on my ability to convince His Majesty to give in. As long as His Majesty gives in, everything will be easy.

Rather than saying that this is a birthday celebration for the little princess, it would be more accurate to say that it is an opportunity for everyone to get together and chat.

The old emperor himself saw everything. With his vision, he could guess most of what the young people were thinking. To be honest, there were really few young people present who caught his eye. He always felt that something was missing.

He couldn't help but think of a lazy, casual and unreliable figure in his mind. He thought that if that brat was here, it would definitely be very happy. It was not like now, which seemed to be harmonious but was actually no different from a stagnant pool of water.

In such occasions, there should be someone like that to adjust the atmosphere, but unfortunately that guy is not up to that level yet.

As the old emperor's mind flashed, his eyes swept across the girl beside him, and he was very hesitant. Should he really do that?

Knowing that his time was running out, the old emperor had already made plans for his daughter's future. As a princess, if she didn't get married, it was easy to imagine what fate she would face once he was gone and had no one to protect her.

But if we really do that, can we change the possible situation?

The old emperor has been hesitant and unable to make up his mind, but as his health deteriorates day by day, he will have to make a decision sooner or later, unless something unexpected happens that can put him at ease.

Thinking of these, the old emperor felt a little irritated. He looked at the sky. The sun had already set. The banquet had lasted for quite some time and it was almost dark. He knocked on the table lightly and smiled as everyone looked at him in silence: "I am a little tired. As a father, I would like to thank you all for coming to celebrate Xiao Fuyao's birthday. Why don't we stop here?"

The emperor has spoken, how dare others have any opinions? Are they going to sing a different tune?

So everyone politely said goodbye and the banquet ended.

In fact, this banquet was unnecessary. It was promoted by various interest groups. They just wanted to use the excuse of celebrating the little princess' birthday to see if they could win her over. The emperor also had helplessness sometimes, and he couldn't offend all those people.

It's just a formality and makes everyone look good, but it doesn't actually mean much.

Emperor Shang Xuan and his entourage certainly didn't have to see the guests off in person, and they left the hall after the banquet was announced to be over.

After leaving the sight of outsiders, the bored little princess suddenly 'came to life', her spirits greatly changed. She stretched casually and said happily: "It's finally over. I almost got sick from holding it in. This outfit is so uncomfortable. Father, brother, you two rest first, I'll go change and wash."

After saying this, she ran away holding up her skirt.

The old emperor immediately said angrily: "Xiao Fuyao, look at yourself, what do you look like? You don't have the manners of a princess at all."

"There's no outsider here, why should I care so much?" The little princess said indifferently, and her figure disappeared around the corner, and the maid hurriedly followed.

The accompanying prince smiled and said, "My sister is lively and active, so why should I be so harsh on her, father?"

"Just spoil her," the old emperor shook his head. Thinking that this was his last birthday with his daughter, he felt a little sad and said, "Now that everyone else has left, let's have a meal and chat with the family next time."

Father, you are the one who spoils my little sister the most, right? The prince laughed in his heart and nodded, "It's true that I haven't sat down and chatted with my little sister for a long time. Family members should be closer to each other."

The little princess who was leaving complained angrily: "You stinky peach blossom, you promised to give me a gift, but you didn't even see a ghost. How dare you lie to me? This matter is not over yet. I will make you pay later."

"Tingfeng, you actually said bad things about me behind my back. You don't want the gift anymore, right?" Chen Xuan's voice floated into her ears.

The little princess' eyes lit up and she immediately jumped for joy. She looked around and whispered, "Wow, Taohua, you are so brave! You actually dared to trespass into the princess's mansion. Are you trying to save your life?"

The maid beside her looked confused. What was Her Royal Highness the Princess doing so stealthily? She seemed to be talking, but why was there no sound?

"What do you mean by trespassing? You invited me here. Why are you looking around? I'm on the roof. Be natural and don't let anyone notice anything. I don't want to be caught by the whole world tomorrow. Just speak boldly. No one can hear me." Chen Xuan's voice was heard again.

When she looked up, she saw a blurry figure... (End of this chapter)