Misty Rain of the Old Times

In a small hall in the princess's mansion, Emperor Shang Xuan and his son sat opposite each other, served by only two palace maids and eunuchs. There were seven or eight dishes on the table, as well as a pot of wine.

Putting aside the ingredients themselves and the cooking methods, people of their status were already quite simple and frugal. The emperor and the prince only ate so little, which was simply shabby for many people.

But they didn't start eating because the little princess hadn't arrived yet. This was the princess's residence, and it was the little princess's birthday, so of course they had to wait until she arrived before starting.

Among all the princes and grandchildren, the crown prince and the little princess are the ones that Emperor Shang Xuan cares about the most, so of course they must be kept in good order.

But they waited and waited but Zhou Xianning didn't show up. The old emperor had a bad feeling and frowned outside and said, "What tricks is little Fuyao playing again? Go ask someone what's going on. Hurry up!"

"Yes, sir," someone outside responded and left immediately.

Crown Prince Zhou Chen was still able to read his father's expressions. Seeing that his father seemed to be in a bad mood, he immediately smiled and said, "Don't be upset, father. As a girl, it will take me some time to dress up."

"It's been too long. The food is almost cold." The old emperor shook his head and laughed. It was not a big deal, so he naturally would not use his imperial authority to deal with his two children.

Jing Kingdom had lost two princes before. Now, for Emperor Shang Xuan, his children are the prince and Princess Fuyao, and the other is the heir and the youngest daughter. The family affection is the strongest. It is not that there is no family affection for other children, but it is always a little less meaningful.

"It's okay, I'll just heat it up later."

As soon as the Crown Prince finished speaking, someone outside reported: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Princess said she was tired and has already rested."

"It's just getting dark and little Fuyao is already resting? She's not like this usually." The old emperor looked outside in surprise, and the bad premonition in his heart became stronger.

There are some things that the prince doesn't know yet. He doesn't have spies around the emperor like his third brother, Prince Jiang. As the prince, he can inherit the throne smoothly and safely. Why take such risks? He should be more cautious now.

Hearing this, he consoled her, "There are so many guests today. I'm afraid my younger sister must be exhausted from entertaining them all. Let her be. How about I have a couple of drinks with you, father?"

Frowning, the old emperor didn't respond. Instead, he looked outside and said thoughtfully, "Let's go check again to make sure that little Fuyao is really resting!"

"As ordered..."

The prince was surprised, wondering why his father had suddenly become so irritable. He wasn't really angry, but rather like someone whose sensitive spot had been touched. He quickly said, "Father, calm down. Perhaps my younger sister is really tired."

Glancing at him, the old emperor said unhappily, "As a brother, although state affairs are important, you should also take some time to care about your siblings."

Is Father pointing out that I've become distant from my brothers and sisters? Or is he urging me to maintain family harmony if I want to be a good emperor?

The prince's mind flashed, and he said respectfully: "Your son will remember this."

"Forget it, I'm too lazy to talk to you." The old emperor was tired. The prince didn't understand what he was saying at all.

Soon, someone outside replied timidly: "Your Majesty, the princess... the princess is missing. Your Majesty, please forgive me, and your Highness, the Crown Prince, please atone for my sins."

"How could this be? How do you do things? Send someone quickly..." The prince's face changed and he stood up and said angrily.

The old emperor interrupted him with an indignant look on his face, "How many times have I told you to stay calm when facing difficulties? Being impulsive is not the behavior of a crown prince at all."

"Your Majesty is right, but my little sister... isn't Your Majesty worried?" The prince calmed down and said, the impatience he showed was real. He knew the little princess's position in the emperor's heart better than anyone else. If something happened, God knew what his old father would do. When the emperor was angry, it was no joke.

Waving his hand, the old emperor signaled him to sit down and calm down, then asked outside, "What did the princess say?"

The prince was stunned and thought to himself, does his father know why his younger sister disappeared?

"Your Majesty, the princess left a note saying she's out playing, please don't worry," the people outside said nervously. This is why the princess's mansion didn't make a big fuss right away even though the princess was missing.

The old emperor felt tired after hearing this and said angrily: "I know, just pretend nothing happened"

He gritted his teeth as he said this. He probably knew what had happened. It must be some yellow-haired guy who took advantage of his carelessness and abducted his precious daughter. What else could that lawless brat not do?
"Well, I've been on guard against everything, but you still managed to take advantage of me. Fine, just wait and see. If my precious daughter loses even a hair, I'll show you how I'll deal with you!" The old emperor was so angry that his teeth were itching.

He was so old, he was almost a shrew. How could he not see what was going on between his daughter and that boy? How could normal friends get along privately? Moreover, a man and a woman running out alone in the middle of the night clearly had feelings for each other. Perhaps they themselves didn't realize it, and it was just a thin layer of window paper that hadn't been broken.

That kid had better have some sense. If he causes a scandal, I will skin him alive.

The sulking old emperor was even more surprised. The princess's mansion was heavily guarded, so tightly guarded that not even a mosquito could get in. How had he managed to abduct his daughter so quietly? This method was truly unexpected.

'Little Fuyao is still too naive and lacks experience in dealing with the world. That brat is particularly rebellious and is the most attractive to a simple girl like her. If the two young people are alone together and cannot control themselves, they may do something out of line...' The old emperor was furious when he thought of this.

The Crown Prince, who was unaware of the situation, said cautiously, "Father, what's going on? I don't even know where my little sister has gone, and you're just saying this so casually?"

"It's none of your business. Don't worry, little Fuyao will come back safely. You know what kind of person she is. She is usually a bit erratic, so it's not surprising that she does anything," said the old emperor, puffing his beard and glaring.

The prince suddenly didn't dare to speak. He looked at the table and wondered if he was going to eat.
The old emperor stood up and waved his sleeves irritably, "I have no appetite. Let's go back to the palace. Remember to let someone know when Xiao Fuyao comes back." "Yes, sir."

The prince followed in confusion, secretly reminding himself to keep to himself and not to ask about things that he shouldn't.

As they walked, the old emperor thought of something, and calmed down his emotions and said to the prince, "You will be the chief examiner for this imperial examination, my son, and let the heads of the three academies be the deputy examiners. You lack experience, so even though you are the chief examiner, remember to observe more, listen more, and talk less."

The prince was overjoyed. He understood that this was the old emperor's opportunity to give him a team to train. However, he couldn't show it too obviously. He hesitated and said, "Father, I am not talented enough and I am afraid I am not qualified for this job."

"Put aside your little thoughts. You understand what I mean. Go back and draft the decree," the old emperor said, shaking his head.

His expression straightened, and the prince said respectfully, "Your Highness obeys your command. However, since we have made this decision without consulting the court, won't the people below have any objections?"

"Hmph, it's just a formality. Why do you think I arranged for the heads of the three academies to be deputy examiners? Do you think they are really just doing this to teach and impart knowledge?" The old emperor suddenly became a little annoyed, and then he said earnestly: "Chen'er, you are still too young to understand some things. I am old now, and I don't have much time to protect you. You will have to rely on yourself in the future. If you don't grow up quickly, it will be difficult to accomplish anything in the future. Remember, seize the opportunity of this imperial examination and find a few people who are truly capable and dare to do things. That's it, I hope you can listen to me."

"Your son will remember this," the prince said thoughtfully, understanding that the old emperor was reminding him to find a few sharp knives, otherwise the interest groups in the court would be able to undermine him...

He joked and joked with the little princess and flew into the air. A height of hundreds of meters was easy for Chen Xuan, even with a little princess in tow.

Her floating island is not big, with a diameter of only about 100 meters. It is spindle-shaped, with mountains, water, woods, and an elegant courtyard. It is not a big place but extremely exquisite, surrounded by a circle of white stone railings about a meter high.

When they got here, there was no one else except the two of them. The moon was bright in the sky and there were lights from thousands of houses below.

In the height of summer, although we are at high altitude, we do not feel the slightest bit of coldness, but rather a gentle breeze.

"It's pitch black. This is the first time I find it so deserted here," the little princess said subconsciously as she moved closer to Chen Xuan.

There was no shortage of things to see here. Chen Xuan snapped his fingers, and a flame shot out, moving around to light lanterns and candlesticks. When it became brighter, he turned around and joked, "Are you still afraid of the dark?"

"I'm a girl, okay? Is it weird that I'm afraid of the dark?" she said confidently.

Indeed, Chen Xuan looked around and said, "It's really too deserted. There's not even a bird. Don't you usually keep some small animals?"

"I don't have the habit of raising small animals. I'm usually busy writing storybooks when I have free time. Okay, you can take out the gifts now. I want to see what you brought. I won't accept it if I'm not satisfied," she said impatiently.

Seeing a stone table in the courtyard, Chen Xuan walked over, put down the cake and said, "Here it is. Open it and take a look. Just pull this ribbon."

"It looks shabby, how dare you do this?" the little princess said with pretended disgust, but there was a smile of expectation in her eyes.

As soon as she opened it, she smelled a sweet aroma. What appeared in her eyes was a three-layer cake, covered with snow-white cream and decorated with exquisite landscapes made up of various fruit carvings. It was simply a work of art. Chen Xuan had put a lot of thought into it. On the top, he wrote the words "Happy 18th birthday to Princess Fuyao" with fruit paste.

"Wow, so beautiful, is this the gift you gave me? What is it? It smells so good," the little princess said in surprise.

Chen Xuan smiled and explained, "This cake is a pastry that people usually celebrate birthdays with back home. I thought women would like this kind of sweet and fragrant thing, so I made it myself. It took me a lot of effort. How is it? Are you satisfied?"

"You're sending me off just like that, but considering you made it yourself, I'll be satisfied." She hesitated, "Is this really edible? It's so beautiful. Wouldn't it be a shame to ruin it if I eat it?"

"It's just food, why waste it? We only eat it once a year for the novelty. If we eat too much, we'll get sick of it and make us fat," Chen Xuan said indifferently.

She was immediately eager to try it and said, "Then let me taste it and see what it tastes like. How do I eat it? Do I just chew it?"

Chen Xuan's face suddenly turned black and he said, "That's not how you eat it. First light the candles, make a wish, then cut and eat. Didn't you see the tools I put next to it?"

"It's quite interesting to do all these fancy things. I've never heard of such a way to celebrate a birthday. Then teach me how to do it." She said with disgust but looked very interested in the clothes.

However, Chen Xuan said: "Don't worry, this is not the real gift, the next part is the highlight."

"Are there any more tricks? Take them out and see them," the little princess said expectantly.

Chen Xuan smiled and stood up, walked to the edge of the floating island not far away, turned around and said to the little princess: "The real gift is here, please look."

As he spoke, under the little princess's puzzled gaze, Chen Xuan slowly raised his hands.

At first the little princess didn't understand what was going on, but soon she was filled with surprise and joy. She subconsciously covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes filled with disbelief, and her expression became intoxicated. She murmured, "How beautiful! This is the most wonderful birthday I've ever had. I will never forget it."

How could it not be beautiful? As Chen Xuan slowly raised his hands, he saw the lights of thousands of houses in the capital city within a radius of ten miles below. Lanterns flew up and soon filled the entire night sky around them, as if the stars had fallen to the earth!

At this moment, countless people from all over the capital looked up at the sky and witnessed this intoxicating scene... (End of this chapter)