Misty Rain of the Old Times

Coming to the pavilion, Chen Xuan threw himself down on the recliner as if he had no bones. Listening to the sound of raindrops, he smiled dumbly and suddenly realized that his thinking had fallen into a misunderstanding.

That is, he and Xiao Gao grew up together. Although Chen Xuan was often unreasonable, he always had the thinking of an adult, so he always treated Xiao Gao as a child. The fact is that everyone grows up, and Xiao Gao is no exception.

Before he knew it, he had grown up and was no longer the little boy he used to be. Now he was extremely outstanding, much more outstanding than Chen Xuan had ever expected, so outstanding that it surprised him.

Back then, how many rebellious and absurd things had that kid done? He even dared to steal Madam Gao's imperial edict to play with, and now he was scheming the court with ease, even wrestling with the aristocratic families!
Wow.

Chen Xuan felt as if he didn't recognize him anymore. He even suspected that his sudden rise to prominence this year was premeditated. Otherwise, why didn't the imperial examination start three years ago, or three years later? Why did it happen in the year when Emperor Shang Xuan's life was about to end?
A new emperor appoints new ministers. Only in such a period of dynastic change can he rise quickly and climb up, because the new emperor needs people. As long as he performs well, he will be reused to display what he has learned and even achieve what he wants.

When did he and Prince Qing begin plotting? How many people supported Prince Qing? Did Prince Qing intend to fight for the throne? If so, what would he do? After all, Prince Jiang had already begun to act, and the Crown Prince was as stable as a rock. How could he break through the encirclement?
Various thoughts flashed through his mind, but Chen Xuan immediately put them behind him. That was not something he should consider. Forget about using his brain. He was not cut out for it. Violence was simpler and more crude.

Xiao Gao grew up, and Chen Xuan felt extremely relieved, just like watching a small sapling grow into a towering tree little by little. However, he felt a little melancholy in his heart, because it seemed that he no longer needed his help to 'shelter from the wind and rain', and his mood suddenly became empty.

"You're overthinking it. No matter how smart he is, there are things he can't do. For example, when he encounters unreasonable people, he needs even more unreasonable and violent methods like mine. That's fine."

Chen Xuan's emotions come and go quickly. He is a heartless person. Only smart people have worries. He thinks he is not a smart person, so he has no worries.

Chen Xuan glanced at Xiao Gao who had returned to the study to study hard by the window, and his heart was filled with joy. Good boy, you have grown up secretly, right? You gave yourself a surprise without saying anything. I want to see what kind of brilliant style you can bloom in the future.

'This era is wonderful with talents like you. No, there's also me, not bad either,' Chen Xuan thought to himself as he looked down at his clenched fists.

Then he became bored again and continued to slack off. He raised his hand and the half-finished fan fell into his hand.

"I originally planned to have two methods, one offensive and one defensive, plus a method for escaping. You're so smart, I'm worried that someone will take a risk and kill you if you're careless. I'm worried sick about you, kid..."

The next afternoon came, and after a large-scale search by the imperial court, the whereabouts of Prince Luo and Prince Yu were finally found, but they were already dead. Countless professionals from the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, the Jingzhao Prefecture, and other departments went to see them, and they were found to have died together, which caused an uproar.

The people of Shuangyue and Rong would definitely not accept such an incident. How could they have died in a fight? It made no sense. They wanted Jingguo to give an explanation. However, whether it was the traces at the scene or the "evidence" they had found, everything pointed to a conflict between them, resulting in the deaths of both parties.

Prince Jiang's handling of the aftermath was truly flawless. Not only had the scene been falsified to such an extent that countless professionals could not find any fault with it, but he also fabricated convincing evidence, which was that Prince Yu and Prince Luo had been secretly exchanging letters, and had been negotiating who would marry the little princess. They had the conditions to do so and to conspire.

In the letters, both sides tried to use bargaining chips to make the other side give up the idea. The last letter was a secret meeting to discuss again, but for some reason they ended up fighting and lost their lives.

The case caused an uproar when it was announced, with many different opinions, but those who really knew the truth just stood by and watched.

At this point, few people care about the truth; it's just gossip that people discuss.

The envoys from Frost Moon and Rong would certainly not accept this outcome, even if the "facts" had been proven. They demanded an explanation from Jing. However, the Jing side was dissatisfied. "The princes of your two countries are plotting against the little princess. What do you think of yourselves? You've killed yourselves in internal strife and you're still asking me for an explanation? They were hostages, and now they're gone, and you two countries are demanding an explanation!"

Anyway, what follows is a quibble among all parties, and the final result will only become unresolved as time goes by. Otherwise, there will be no war. After all, Rong State and Shuangyue State are already busy with their own affairs, and it will not be worth it to provoke Jing State.

It is highly likely that the two countries will send An Jingguo's heart as a hostage in the future. This is necessary. If they don't have the bargaining chip to hold the other party's calm, the war may break out at any time.

On the other hand, Jingguo still has a prince as a hostage on the other side. This has been going on since ancient times...

After a few days of uproar, the public focused on discussing the matter, which had no bearing on people's daily food and clothing.

"So boring, do you want to go find the little princess to play with? She should be fine now." Chen Xuan stared at the clear sky with lifeless eyes like a salted fish.

He knew that he was probably ill, and his illness was serious. He felt like he had missed her for three years when he didn't see her for a day.

It's strange to say, he has seen so many beauties over the years and has never had that kind of thought, so why did he fall in love with the little princess? This kind of thing doesn't need a reason, right?

I didn't feel that way before. Whether I was a beast of burden in my previous life, or a servant to Xiao Gao a few years ago, I always had something to do, so I felt that time passed quickly. But now that I have retired, I feel that each day is a year.

This is probably what is called pretentiousness.

Turn over and dry the other side.

Just when Chen Xuan was about to get sick from boredom, Geng Hong arrived. After greeting Gao Jingming and the others, he found Chen Xuan and said, "Xuan brother, someone is looking for you outside."

"Who is it?" Chen Xuan suddenly became alert. Could it be the little princess? Had they already connected?

It’s no wonder that he thought of the little princess. After all, Chen Xuan didn’t know many people in the capital.

"I don't know him. It's an old man who asked for you by name," Geng Hong shook his head. Chen Xuan's interest immediately dropped after hearing this. He had already guessed who it was. Why would Lao Deng want to see him for no reason? Could it be that the matter of King Luo and King Yu had been exposed?
Having said that, although Prince Jiang handled the aftermath well, was the old emperor truly unaware of the truth? This was hard to say.

Although Lao Deng acted like a naughty boy when he was with Chen Xuan, his occasional glances gave people a feeling that everything was under control.

So the old emperor probably knew the truth. How could he not have his people around Prince Jiang? Maybe he even helped to clean up a lot of things in secret.

Chen Xuan felt annoyed when he thought about the working style of those smart people. Each of them was like an old silver coin. It was his own fault that his head was in trouble. A smart head does not mean IQ. Fortunately, his fists were strong enough, otherwise he would have to be honest and abide by the law and accept the oppression of this era.

Chen Xuan lazily stood up and said boredly: "Okay, I'll go and take a look, Uncle Geng, you are busy"

More than ten years have passed, and Geng Hong has grown old, with gray hair. Thinking back to the time when he was drinking under the moon in the villa at the foot of Qingliang Mountain, he still had the demeanor of a master. Now he is already a grandfather to several grandchildren.

When he arrived at the door, Chen Xuan saw Eunuch Wang, who was always inseparable from the old emperor. He was wearing casual clothes and had a fake beard on his face, which was invisible to ordinary people.

"Hello, Uncle Wang," Chen Xuan said with a bow. When facing an 'outsider', he would be much more polite and would not reveal his true nature in front of everyone.

Uncle Wang was very pleased to hear this, and Eunuch Wang smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, my master wants to see you. Are you available?"

When saying this, Eunuch Wang was filled with emotion. Who dared to say he was busy when his master invited him? But the problem was that this kid was really brave. If the master was not angry, who could he go to for justice?

"If I say I'm busy, will he come to my door with a stick and beat me?" Chen Xuan asked curiously.

Eunuch Wang laughed and said, "I don't know about that."

"Then you should be free. Please lead the way," Chen Xuan said helplessly. Forget it. I'm bored anyway. I should give Lao Deng some face. He hasn't got his daughter yet, so I have to be accommodating.

"Please come in," Eunuch Wang extended his hand and brought a carriage.

The old emperor’s personal eunuch personally invited him. How many people in the country have such treatment?

After getting in the car, Eunuch Wang drove the car himself. Chen Xuan didn't ask where he was going. After half an hour, they arrived at their destination, a remote small forest with a two-meter-wide stream. There were many guards around, both openly and secretly.

After arriving here, Chen Xuan was speechless. Is there such a remote and quiet place in the capital? Shouldn't every inch of land be valuable? This isn't anyone's garden.

The old emperor by the river was wearing a coarse linen robe and a sun hat on his head. He was fishing leisurely. He had been fishing for a long time, but he didn't catch anything.

Chen Xuan came forward, picked up the empty fish basket, took a look, and jokingly said, "Uncle is quite leisurely, but his skills are not very good."

"Can you please behave properly, kid? I get angry when I see you. Sit down and speak softly so as not to disturb the people," the old emperor said unhappily. He was furious when he saw him. His eyes were filled with disdain as if he was looking at a dog, or maybe even the same disdain as he looked at Huangmao.

Sitting down, Chen Xuan pulled a small grass and put it in his mouth, saying lazily: "You are still disturbing the nest. I can't catch fish even if I put it in front of you."

"You know shit. It's just the wrong time. It's past the fishes' feeding time. Do you have the guts to come?" the old emperor glared.

The Air Force guy had so many excuses, and Chen Xuan was too lazy to expose them. He said, "I'll do it if I want to."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone brought him a fishing rod. Chen Xuan didn't even need to put any bait on it. He just swung it into the river and caught a carp weighing over ten pounds. He raised his chin towards the old emperor and said proudly, "Well, have you seen my skills?"

"Is this possible? You are cheating!" The old emperor was stunned. He was really speechless by Chen Xuan's shameless operation.

After stuffing the fish into the basket, Chen Xuan continued casting his rod and said, "Just tell me if you caught anything."

The old emperor put the fish back into the water and said contemptuously: "This doesn't count, do it normally."

"Okay, let me show you my skills," Chen Xuan said as he put the bait on the rod and rubbed his hands ready.

This was reasonable. The old emperor had a serious expression on his face, but he asked casually, "Boy, let me ask you, what is your current level of cultivation?"

Chen Xuan answered casually, "Grandmaster, why are you asking this, uncle? Is there someone you're upset with and want me to help you deal with him? Since we have a good relationship, I'll help you out for free."

"What did you say?" The old emperor turned around with a look of surprise on his face.

...(End of chapter)