Mythical Three Kingdoms

After sending Sun Qian away, Chen Xi lost interest in staying at the Political Office. Anyway, there weren’t many lower-ranking officials left whom Chen Xi could recognize, and after the year-end evaluations, a portion of them would be leaving office. Chen Xi couldn’t be bothered to get involved with them. These were the people who had taken the lead in opposing him before, and it was clear that Chen Xi was not the type to return evil with kindness.

According to Chen Xi’s usual routine, the first thing he did after work, regardless of whether he was carrying anything or if there were people around, was to always go home first, sign in, and then go out for a stroll. At least that way, Chen Lan and Fan Jian wouldn’t worry.

”Master, you’re back,” Butler Chen said with a smile as he opened the door. Butler Chen had now completely transitioned to the role of a doorman.

”I’m back. Any problems at home?” Chen Xi asked casually.

”Lady Lan asked me to inform the master to visit her,” Butler Chen mentioned Chen Lan, a rarity. Usually, it was about how this or that maid had done something, or how Fan Jian had broken something again, or what new dish Fan Jian had learned to cook.

”All right, I’ll go check on her. It’s quite unusual for Ran’er to ask me to visit her,” Chen Xi said, curious. Chen Lan was incredibly well-behaved, adhering to all the rules of a concubine, never overstepping her bounds no matter how much Chen Xi doted on her. It was surprising that she would ask him to come over. ”Uncle, you should rest a bit more too. Hand over the door-receiving duties to the Protector when you can.”

”Very well,” Butler Chen replied respectfully.

”Forget it, do as you please,” Chen Xi said, turning and waving his hand dismissively. At this point, it was the sole hobby Butler Chen had left, a trivial matter.

”Click!” With a light sound, Chen Xi pushed the door open and, as expected, found Chen Lan still lounging lazily in her boudoir. The two maids saw Chen Xi enter and gave a graceful curtsy, preparing to quietly step out.

Chen Xi signaled the two maids to wait outside the door. Speaking of Chen Lan’s habit of resting for about fourteen hours a day, it left Chen Xi speechless. She often seemed half-asleep during the day, listless in spirit. During the few hours when she was awake, she lazily propped her head on a book, flipping through the pages, though how much she took in was anyone’s guess.

Thinking back to when Chen Xi was seriously ill, Chen Lan was incredibly sharp and capable, almost unthinkably so. Looking at her now, you’d never see that personality; indeed, it seems that people are driven by necessity, and without the pressure of life, they reveal their true nature. Yet it was rather pleasant for a twenty-year-old girl to lazily do what she loves every day!

Chen Xi sat on the bed and pinched Chen Lan’s cheek, fully aware that she could easily be roused from her seven to eight-hour daily sleep routine with just a little teasing.

After pinching her cheek twice, Chen Lan listlessly drew an arm out from under the covers, shaking it languidly. Her pink sheer sleeve slipped down to her elbow without hitting any bugs, and then her arm flopped down powerless. Her eyelids fluttered briefly before once again becoming still.

Chen Xi watched Chen Lan speechlessly, incredulous at her level of laziness. He reached under the covers and pinched her a couple of times, and Chen Lan instantly woke up, hugging the covers. Seeing it was Chen Xi, she breathed a sigh of relief, let the covers fall, reached to rub her eyes, and called out to Chen Xi sleepily, ”My husband.” She then knelt on the bed and paid her respects to Chen Xi with a bow.

But by the way her head hit the pillow and refused to lift again, it was clear she still wanted to sleep. The moment she tried to rise was as if gravity itself was holding her down—or as if afflicted by delay, her movements incredibly slow. However, Chen Xi just sat by the bed, watching through the thin veil of her nightgown as Chen Lan fumbled about, already having seen everything.

”Aww~” Chen Xi yawned too, surely tiredness is contagious. Every time he saw Chen Lan in her lethargic state, he’d feel drowsy too. Still, he remembered why he was supposed to wake her up, ”Ran’er, what did you want me to do for you?”

Chen Lan was somewhat slow to respond, taking quite a while before coming to her senses, then her mind began to whir, ”My wedding dress is finished!” Cheeks flushed with excitement, she gazed at Chen Xi, her eyes shining bright.

”...” Chen Xi was taken aback, incredulous, he said, ”I remember you rested every day, when did you have time to embroider it?”

”Look!” Chen Lan pulled out a box from under the bed and drew out the whole wedding dress. Biting her lower lip, she hesitated for a moment before saying in a quiet voice with burning cheeks, ”I’ve finished it.”

Chen Xi felt the meticulous stitches on Chen Lan’s wedding dress, clicking his tongue in wonder. Seeing Chen Lan’s nervous and anxious flush, how could he not know what she was waiting for? He embraced her in an instant, ”Don’t worry, everything I promised you, you will not miss a bit. When the time comes, put on your wedding dress and wait for me to come and marry you.”

”Mmm.” Chen Lan’s voice, as soft as a mosquito’s, reached Chen Xi’s ears. At last, she had caught up.

Chen Lan was very obedient. So much so that after a while of soothing from Chen Xi, talking idly made her drowsy, and then she fell asleep. Indeed, free from psychological pressure and devoid of burning desires, Chen Lan was best suited for a leisurely, lazy life: drifting through each day without a care for food or clothes—naturally, her husband would take care of everything while she just lazily did whatever she loved.

Meanwhile, back in Liu Bei’s old residence in the city, Liu Bei was holding his heart, accompanied by Li You, as they looked at the residence Chen Xi claimed was just renovated. Gazing at the gleaming walls, the semi-transparent windows, and the almost reflective floors, Liu Bei felt his heart shatter. Could all this really be built with a mere one million coins?

”Lord Xuande?” Li You, with a calm expression, looked at Liu Bei, though inside his heart was a tumult of shock and awe. The pile of dingy materials and what he saw now were absolutely incomparable. The golden splendor dazzling his eyes now was nothing like the drab things they had pulled from the dust.

”Wen Ru, tell me, does this mansion and courtyard really only cost one million coins?” Liu Bei clutched his chest, his face twitching as he spoke. He finally understood why Chen Xi insisted on covering up the construction until it was finished—if it had been exposed sooner, it would have been stopped!

”Perhaps it was indeed just one million coins,” said Li You, his voice calm, but his beliefs far from it. If the house didn’t sell for at least five hundred million, Li You felt he could throw himself into the river. Chen Xi had gone too far, and there was no way Li You could keep up the charade. Even a fool could see the value of the house. Damn it, the sunshine alone made it glitter like gold, the whole mansion seemed to radiate light!

”Come, let’s check the Library Pavilion and Jingling Palace. If they don’t live up to my house’s standards, no matter what you two say, I’ll have it torn down,” Liu Bei said darkly. He enjoyed dressing in fancy clothes and indulging in leisurely pursuits like rough play and drunken singing, and could be considered slightly extravagant and decadent. But that was all minor compared to the shock of Chen Xi’s actions now.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, I welcome you to vote and give monthly tickets at Qidian ). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com).