Misty Rain of the Old Times

The autumn moon hangs in the sky like a mirror, and the dark wind brings the fragrance of osmanthus.

Influenced by Gao Jingming, the whole Xiaomingju lost its usual relaxed atmosphere. After leaving the examination room, he was too calm, which made people feel uneasy. Everyone seemed cautious at this time, fearing that they would make mistakes.

Except for Chen Xuan, no one dared to ask or mention how he did in the exam.

Look up at the bright moon in the sky. It has existed since ancient times, shining through the past and present. How many stories has it witnessed in the world?

Now that things have come to this, Chen Xuan has nothing to worry about. The outcome will be revealed in due time, so there is no point in worrying about it.

Xiao Gao's move seems risky, but in fact it is not safe at all.

But that was under normal circumstances. Don't forget what period it is now. Emperor Shang Xuan is old, and it is unknown how long he can last. Many people are ready to make moves, and the surrounding countries are in turmoil.

In this period of impending dynastic change, which is obvious to all discerning people, blindly seeking stability will only put you at a disadvantage, while taking an unconventional approach will make it easier to succeed.

This imperial examination was clearly paving the way for the crown prince. He was the chief examiner, and when he ascended the throne, it would be time to recruit new personnel. Would he use one of his father's old retainers, or a naive young man who dared to act and offend others? Any sane person would know which choice to make.

That statement was indeed unorthodox and intolerable to the aristocratic and powerful families, but for the emperor of a country, as long as he was not narrow-minded and extreme, he could appreciate the meaning and weight of that statement.

"The results won't be out for seven full days. The examiners will review the papers and select the best candidates, and then the emperor will make the final decision. Do you want to watch the review process and know the results in advance? Forget it, just treat it as opening a blind box. What's the point of life if you know everything in advance?"

After giving up the idea, Chen Xuan went to wash up and go to bed as it was late at night.

While lying in bed, a thought suddenly popped up in his head: if Xiao Gao fails the exam this time... Stop, think of his good side.

"He's such a smart guy, how could he not have thought of that outcome? At that moment, his brother-in-law kept asking the court for people and food. Oh, it's terrifying to think about it. He must have made preparations for both situations. Why am I so worried? None of these smart people are easy to deal with!"

Gao Jingming slept until noon the next day, which was the latest he had woken up in many years. To others, this was simply decadent, but Chen Xuan understood how tired he was over the years and it was a rare opportunity for him to relax after the imperial examination.

He went out feeling refreshed and looked at Chen Xuan in the pavilion and said in silence: "There is something delicious, Xuan, why didn't you call me?"

Chen Xuan was enjoying the food. A large plate of ice was covered with crystal clear fish fillets. In this autumn season when the tiger is biting, it was so comfortable to take a bite of the fish with the sauce. And with a sip of wine, the taste was even better.

The disheveled Chen Xuan ate a mouthful of sashimi and looked up, saying, "I saw that the young master was sleeping like a pig, so I didn't disturb him. Sashimi can't wait. I went out to fish this morning. Want some?"

"Stop, the rest are mine. I'm starving," Gao Jingming rushed over and started to grab the food, completely losing his image as a scholar.

He was given bowls and chopsticks. Chen Xuan ate leisurely and said, "I caught a 20-jin snow fish this morning. It's enough."

"That's pretty good," Gao Jingming said with a smile as he slowed down his movements.

Neither of them mentioned the imperial examination, as if it had nothing to do with it, leaving the other people who were secretly watching confused. Normally, shouldn't they be worried about gains and losses at this time?

While eating and drinking, Gao Jingming said, "The imperial examination is over. I plan to visit my father-in-law and his family later."

"Well, I won't go, so as to avoid you two showing off your love to me. When will the Ministry of Household Affairs issue come out with a result?" Chen Xuan nodded.

After thinking for a while, Gao Jingming said uncertainly: "Probably around the palace examination."

"Make room? Young Master, you don't want to join the Ministry of Households, do you?" Chen Xuan said in silence.

Shaking his head, he said, "What are you thinking about? Forget about whether you can make the list. Even if you make it to the imperial examination, how can you directly enter the Ministry of Revenue for appointment? You either go to the Hanlin Academy to learn the ways of being an official, or go to the six ministries to observe politics and wait for the next appointment. Even if you become a county magistrate, it is impossible to get appointed directly."

He did not mention where the top three candidates would go, after all, it was still uncertain whether they could make the list.

"Then what?" Chen Xuan asked. He couldn't just eat when he was bored.

Gao Jingming smiled and said, "Then? If you don't make the list, you'll go home in disgrace. If you're lucky, there's still the palace examination. You'll have to visit your peers and decide where to go. In short, there's always something to keep you busy."

"It makes me feel dizzy just thinking about it. I really don't know what's so good about being an official. It's better to be a free and easy life like me where I don't have to worry about anything," Chen Xuan said, indicating that we are not the same kind of people.

After a slight hesitation, Gao Jingming casually asked, "Ah Xuan, what about you?"

"Of course I'm going home. That little girl Su Roujia might be waiting for me very much," Chen Xuan said as a matter of course.

He paused and said with a smile, "When?"

"Let's wait until you're sure about it. After all these years of running around, I can finally enjoy my retirement in peace," Chen Xuan said impatiently. He could do whatever he wanted then. If he had a beautiful woman around him, wow, just thinking about it would make him happy.

As they ate, drank, and chatted, the sun was setting. Gao Jingming leaned back on his chair and hummed, "It feels good. I'm finally alive."

"Aren't you afraid of getting a cold uterus even though you eat so many raw and cold foods?" Chen Xuan joked.

"What a mess, Xuan! I'm done with all that nonsense. Let's pack up and go visit," Gao Jingming said, standing up. Chen Xuan didn't care. He was thinking about what to do next. He had just met the little princess the day before yesterday. She said she had a good plot. He didn't want to bother her anymore, and he couldn't drag his feet. Next time, he'd try to hold her hand. Let's go fishing later. The spot Lao Deng found the other day was great. It's quiet and undisturbed. Tonight, we'll have crabs. There are so many small crabs in the river. How do you make raw crabs? I'm so silly. I'll go to the beach someday and get some seafood...

Chen Xuan didn't catch any fish in the afternoon, but he came back with a basket full of crabs.

Just as he was about to return to Xiaoming Residence, Chen Xuan saw a heavily covered carriage parked nearby. He usually didn't use his powerful senses to pay attention to his surroundings, so he was wondering when the curtains of the carriage opened and a woman popped her head out, glaring and biting her teeth, "Oh, it's you!"

Almond-shaped eyes and rosy cheeks, a heroic look between her brows, a voluptuous figure, and even a black dress couldn't hide the bulging chest. Chen Xuan pretended not to know her, and he really didn't know her. He asked in confusion, "Who are you? The girl seems quite hostile to me?"

"I would recognize you even if you turned into ashes. You're still pretending. I finally caught you. Watch out!" Zhang Yu's figure flashed and he kicked towards Chen Xuan.

This woman is quite vindictive. She even came here to look for him. Chen Xuan didn't tolerate her. He tapped the handle of his fishing rod against the sole of her foot, causing her to fly sideways with a grimace of pain. He picked up a crab and humiliated her, then pressed her acupuncture points with a finger from a distance. Then she fell backwards on her buttocks, her round buttocks even bounced. It hurt just to look at it, especially with the crab hanging from her nose. It was so embarrassing.

"You're asking for trouble. It seems you haven't learned your lesson from last time. You should reflect on your own abilities first," Chen Xuan said with a sneer.

Still able to speak, she gritted her teeth and said, "Untie it for me, I'll never let you go!"

"If you keep yelling, I'll hit your mute point," Chen Xuan threatened, thinking, are you here to make me laugh? Or are you here just to entertain me because I'm bored?

At this moment, the carriage curtain was opened again, and a cool air came out, as if it was equipped with air conditioning, and there were obviously ice cubes to cool down the heat.

Zheng Wanqian, dressed in an exquisite long dress, walked out and said anxiously, "Mr. Chen, it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."

In comparison, her figure is not as plump as Zhang Yu's. It is well-proportioned but not skinny. Their looks are similar, but Zhang Yu is more heroic, while she is gentle and generous.

When did the two of them get involved? No wonder they came out without any guards.

Raising an eyebrow slightly, he actually came to my house. This is going on and on, right? Chen Xuan said calmly, "Misunderstanding? Miss Zheng, if you hadn't told me, I would have thought you had found some mediocre martial artist to come and cause trouble for me. Have you forgotten that I am the ruthless bandit Sang Biao who kills without blinking an eye?"

"Who are you calling a jack of all trades? I'm a natural master!" Zhang Yu, with a crab hanging on his nose, was dissatisfied and was ignored.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Wanxi quickly explained, "Mr. Chen, why are you so indifferent? I finally found out your address and came here to thank you for what happened last time. You didn't care, but I will always remember it. As for Miss Zhang, she is a female knight I met by chance while I was out on business some time ago. She helped me a lot, so I invited her to stay at my house temporarily. We got along quite well after some time, and we are like sisters. I didn't know she had any grudges with Mr. Chen, so please don't misunderstand."

"Sister Wanxi, is he the benefactor you are talking about? He doesn't look like a good person to me. I wonder if you have been tricked by someone. It's impossible that you would be rescued right after you met the robbers. He must be after your family's wealth. You heard it yourself. He said he was a fierce gangster and his name was Sang Biao..." Zhang Yu, with a crab hanging on his nose, glared and yelled, analyzing the dangers of the world to Zheng Wanxi.

Hearing this, Chen Xuan's mouth twitched. He pointed at her mute point from a distance and she immediately became quiet.

Looking at Zheng Wanxi, Chen Xuan shook his head and said, "Miss, please go back. I've said it many times before. That day was just a personal grudge between me and those robbers. You just happened to meet by chance. There's no such thing as a life-saving favor. Please don't mention this matter again. We met by chance and we should part ways. I hope no one will bother anyone else."

After saying that, he turned around and left. The first impression determined my attitude, so I didn't bother to pay attention to him.

Her eyes darkened as Zheng Wanqian took two eager steps forward, holding a wooden box. "Mr. Chen doesn't care about me, but I can't say nothing. I know you're a martial artist and don't care about material possessions. This is a sharp weapon I stumbled upon. Rumor has it it was once worn by a Half-Step Grandmaster. I'm giving it to you as a token of my appreciation for your self-defense. I hope you won't refuse. I'm going to the south to run a grain business. If you need anything, just let me know. I've already made arrangements. I've left the things here. I won't disturb you. I'll be leaving now."

Even after saying this, she still insisted, and Chen Xuan was speechless.

Catching a glimpse of the incredulous look on Zhang Yu's face, who was unable to move or speak, Chen Xuan knew that Zheng Wanqian must have put a lot of thought into the weapon she casually mentioned as something she had obtained by chance.

So what? Chen Xuan remained unmoved and said, "I feel bad for accepting it. It's useless to me. Take it back."

Half-step Grandmaster? There's such a thing? How come I didn't know about it?
After saying this, she left without looking back. With a wave of her sleeves, the wooden box flew back to her carriage, and in the process, she unblocked Zhang Yu's acupoints.

When Zhang Yu stood up, pulled the crab off his nose and was about to say something, Chen Xuan had already pushed the door open, entered the yard and slammed it shut.

Having suffered twice at the hands of Chen Xuan, she didn't dare to act rashly again. She turned around and looked at Zheng Wanqian in disbelief, "Sister Wanqian, you're not saying it's this guy who's been making you lose your appetite for so long? You even went around and spent hundreds of thousands of taels to get him a precious weapon?"

Zheng Wanqian's face turned red with a sad look and she said bitterly: "What did Sister Zhang say? That's not true. Let's go back. He shouldn't find another opportunity to repay his kindness."

"You, hey..." Zhang Yu didn't know what to say when he saw this.

Going to the south to run the grain business? Perhaps it's because of the severe drought in Rong State that he's smelled a huge business opportunity. If that woman with a name like "whatever" were with him, the safety would be barely enough.

When Chen Xuan returned to the courtyard, this thought flashed through his mind. He glanced and saw Gao Jingming standing stealthily in the corner. He said with a smile: "When did the young master come back? How bored are you that you actually eavesdropped?"

Gao Jingming coughed dryly and said nonchalantly: "A Xuan, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you can't hide your love for one person. If you like several people, you should hide it carefully."

"Are you blind? Can't you see that you ignore me? What can I do when someone comes to me on their own initiative?" Chen Xuan was so speechless that he didn't even call him "Young Master".

Gao Jingming didn't care about that. He winked and joked, "If I heard correctly, one of the voices is the eldest daughter of the Zheng family on our way to the capital, right? Who is the other one?"

"Let's eat crabs later, the raw and marinated kind, river crabs. They will fill your stomach with worms. Do you dare to eat them, young master?" Chen Xuan shook the fish basket and abruptly changed the subject.

...(End of chapter)