Three Kingdoms, Myth

After sending Sun Qian off, Chen Xi had no interest in staying at the government office. After all, there weren't many junior officials behind the scenes whom Chen Xi even recognized, and some of them were set to step down after the year-end assessments. Chen Xi had no desire to get entangled with them; after all, those were the main forces behind blackening his reputation back then. Clearly, Chen Xi wasn't the type to repay grievances with kindness.

According to his usual habit, the first thing Chen Xi did after work, whether he had things to carry or people nearby, was to head home and check in. This way, at least Chen Lan and Fan Jian wouldn't worry.

"Master, you've returned," the butler greeted him with a smile as he opened the door. The butler had now completely transitioned into the role of a doorman.

"I'm back. Everything okay at home?" Chen Xi asked casually.

"Lady Lan asked me to inform you to see her when you return," the butler said, unusually mentioning Chen Lan. In the past, he would mostly talk about how a certain maid had behaved or what Fan Jian had broken this time, or how Fan Jian had learned to cook a new dish.

"Alright, I'll go see her. It's rare for Lan'er to ask for me," Chen Xi replied curiously. Chen Lan was always so well-behaved, meticulously adhering to all the rules of being a concubine, no matter how much Chen Xi spoiled her. She had never overstepped her bounds, so Chen Xi was surprised that she specifically requested him to come over. "Old man, take it easy. You can leave the door duties to the guards."

"Sure, sure," the butler replied respectfully.

"Ah, never mind. Do as you like," Chen Xi waved his hand dismissively, realizing that the butler seemed to enjoy this small task. It didn't really matter.

With a light "click," Chen Xi pushed open the door. As expected, Chen Lan was lazily resting in her boudoir, while the two maids, upon seeing Chen Xi enter, bowed gracefully and quietly prepared to leave.

Chen Xi signaled the maids to wait outside. When it came to Chen Lan, who spent about fourteen hours a day sleeping, Chen Xi was quite speechless. During the day, if she wasn't resting, she was mostly in a half-awake state, drowsy and listless. The few hours when she was fully awake, she would lazily prop up her head with a book in hand, flipping through it absent-mindedly. How much she actually read was anyone's guess.

Thinking back to the days when Chen Lan was sharp and capable when Chen Xi was gravely ill, and comparing it to the current Chen Lan, who had none of that previous spirit, Chen Xi couldn't help but think that people truly changed with circumstances. Without the pressure of life, her true nature had come out. But then again, a twenty-year-old girl, spending her days lazily doing what she loves, wasn't a bad thing, after all!

Sitting by the bedside, Chen Xi pinched Chen Lan's cheek. He knew very well that with her current sleep schedule, a little nudge would wake her up.

After a few pinches on her cheek, Chen Lan weakly stretched out an arm from under the covers, lazily waving it. Her pink gauze sleeves slid from her wrist to her elbow, but she didn't hit the small insect she was reaching for. Her arm then fell limply back down, her eyelids fluttered twice, and she once again fell still.

"..." Chen Xi was speechless, watching Chen Lan. How could someone be this lazy? He reached under the covers and pinched her a couple of times, instantly waking Chen Lan up. Seeing it was Chen Xi, she relaxed, then placed the blanket down again, rubbing her eyes as she sleepily greeted, "Greetings, husband." She then knelt on the bed, bowing to Chen Xi.

However, from how her head was practically resting on the bed, it was clear she still wanted to sleep. When she got up, it was as if she was being pressed down by gravity, her movements slow, as if she had been hit by a slow-motion spell. Chen Xi, sitting right next to her, could see everything as her thin gauze pajamas fell away.

"Yawn~" Chen Xi stretched as well. Drowsiness really was contagious. Every time he saw Chen Lan in her lazy state, Chen Xi felt sleepy himself. Still, he remembered why he had woken her up. "Lan'er, why did you ask me to come?"

Chen Lan was slow to respond. After a long pause, she finally reacted, and her thoughts began to work. "My wedding dress is finished!" Her cheeks flushed as she looked at Chen Xi, her eyes sparkling.

"..." Chen Xi was stunned. "I remember you sleep most of the day. When did you manage to embroider it?"

"Look!" Chen Lan pulled a box from under the bed and took out the entire wedding dress. She bit her lower lip, hesitated for a moment, then blushing, bowed her head and said, "I finished it."

As Chen Xi felt the fine stitches on the dress, he was amazed. Seeing Chen Lan's nervous, shy expression, he understood what she was waiting for. He pulled her into his arms. "Don't worry. I'll give you everything I promised. When the time comes, wear this wedding dress and wait for me to marry you."

"Mm," Chen Lan murmured softly, her voice like a whisper in his ear. Finally, she had made it in time.

Chen Lan was very obedient. After a bit of comforting from Chen Xi, as they talked, she grew drowsy and fell back asleep. It seemed that with no mental burdens or strong desires, Chen Lan was best suited to this leisurely and lazy life, passing her days without worries, leaving everything to her husband while she simply did what she loved.

Meanwhile, in Liu Bei's old residence in the city, Liu Bei was holding his heart as he and Li You examined the courtyard that Chen Xi had claimed was "just a renovation." Staring at the gleaming walls, the translucent windows, and the nearly reflective floors, Liu Bei felt like his heart was breaking. Could this really have cost only a million coins?

"Lord Xuande?" Li You's face remained calm as he looked at Liu Bei. In reality, his heart was also in turmoil. The pile of dusty materials they had seen before and the current dazzling sight were worlds apart. These golden, eye-catching objects and the gray, dull materials from before couldn't be more different.

"Tell me, Wenru, did this mansion, including the courtyard, really only cost a million coins?" Liu Bei asked, pressing his hand against his heart. He finally understood why Chen Xi had asked Sun Qian to keep everything covered until it was finished. If it hadn't been covered, this would have been stopped long ago!

"Maybe it really did cost just a million coins," Li You replied with a calm face, though even he didn't believe his own words. If this mansion didn't sell for at least five billion coins, Li You would consider jumping into a river. Chen Xi had gone too far, and he couldn't cover for him anymore. Even a fool could see the value of this place. Damn it, under the sunlight, it gleamed with golden brilliance like it was glowing on its own!

"Let's go look at the Library Pavilion and the Jingling Temple. If they're not up to the standard of my mansion, no matter what you say, I'll tear them down!" Liu Bei said darkly. He liked luxurious clothes, enjoyed hunting, racing horses, and indulging in music and drinks. He did have a slight tendency towards extravagance, but this—this went way beyond that. Chen Xi's behavior had genuinely frightened Liu Bei.