The Powerful Minister I Forcefully Married Won't Warm Up; After Rebirth, I Give Up the Chase - Chapter 1

Three days ago, Pei Jian  brought his newly widowed cousin, Xu Wanxin, into the manor.

The servant reported the news while Wen Nianxi was listening to an opera.

The performers on the stage sang boisterously, which only highlighted the desolate and lonely atmosphere of the viewing platform.

When the performance concluded, marking the happy ending for the lovers, Wen Nianxi joined the applause.

Everyone in the main household was now on edge, guessing when she would surrender her position for the newcomer. Only Nianxi acted as if nothing had changed, spending her days listening to the opera in the East Courtyard.

The manor began to whisper that she had lost her mind.

When Pei Jian finally came to find her, he was leading a five or six-year-old boy by the hand—Xu Wanxin’s son.

“The child will be registered under your name,” Pei Jian stated directly. “From now on, he will be our Di Zi  – legitimate eldest son).”

Nianxi did not respond. She looked up and meticulously examined the man sitting across from her.

The last time she had seen him was three months ago.

She and Pei Jian had met at fifteen and married at seventeen.

The eldest son of the Pei family was a man of extraordinary talent and statecraft. In just ten years, he had been appointed Right Prime Minister. With the Left Prime Minister aging, Pei Jian was poised to advance further, becoming second only to the Emperor.

Everyone in the capital envied her good fortune.

Her husband was not only exceptional but also “faithful.”

In ten years of marriage, even though she had failed to bear him a child, Pei Jian never entertained the idea of taking a concubine. Even when beauties were sent to him, he remained unmoved.

A man who held immense power yet was remarkably loyal was considered the ultimate good husband.

“An ordinary commoner with two ounces of silver would still want to buy a live-in maid to serve him,” her cousin had once lectured her. “Are you trying to reach for the heavens?”

Wen Nianxi wasn’t trying to reach for the heavens.

She just wanted to return to earth, to a place filled with human warmth, instead of sinking to the bottom of a pool of stagnant water.

Because Pei Jian’s heart had never been hers.

Ten years into their marriage, she had forgotten how to interact with him.

She remembered shortly after they were married, she spent half a year learning to cook with the chef to celebrate his birthday, preparing a lavish table full of dishes. She specially invited her parents and brothers, all just to ensure Pei Jian had a lively birthday celebration.

But until the moon was high in the sky and the longevity noodles were cold and clumpy, all she received was an apology from the steward: “The master is busy with official matters and cannot leave.”

She saw her parents off by herself at the gate.

Her father and brother’s faces were dark with anger, and her mother looked anxious, but Nianxi still tried to explain things away for Pei Jian.

The next day, Xu Wanxin personally came to apologize for Pei Jian. “It’s all Wan’er’s fault. If Wan’er hadn’t suffered a severe migraine, cousin wouldn’t have abandoned his wife to stay with me all night. Please, cousin’s wife, do not blame cousin.”

In that moment, Nianxi felt as though she had been stripped naked and roasted under the scorching sun.

The shame and humiliation were immense.

Her heart was freezing cold.

That very night, she lost the only child she would ever conceive—a child that was meant to be a birthday surprise for her husband.

Now, Pei Jian wanted to give her Xu Wanxin’s son.

Was this atonement?

Her cousin scolded her for being foolish. “Love is just a trick to fool little girls. How old are you? Twenty-eight! Instead of sighing and pitying yourself, you should quickly take a fertile concubine and raise a son or daughter. That’s better than anything.”

Nianxi frowned at the suggestion.

Whatever the mistakes, it was she who first pursued him, causing two lovers to tragically miss their chance.

It was only after marrying him that she learned Pei Jian and Xu Wanxin were childhood sweethearts and had been engaged. On the day of her wedding, Xu Wanxin had tried to commit suicide by jumping into the river.

Nianxi slowly let out a breath. “Pei Jian, let’s agree to a divorce (He Li – 和離).”

Pei Jian’s face showed a momentary look of shock, but it quickly settled into calmness.

“Stop being ridiculous.”

His brow furrowed slightly, subtly showing impatience, as he chastised her for her lack of sense. “This is for your own good.”

For a second, Nianxi wanted to jump up, hysterically accuse him, or let loose a string of curses—like the women she had seen in the East Market.

Unfortunately, she had been silent for so long that she had lost the desire to even argue with him.

It was only at this moment that she truly understood: this man could no longer influence her emotions.

Pei Jian was no longer in her heart.

She had loved the wrong person and married the wrong person.

She had heard that in the past few days, Pei Jian and Cousin Xu had been going out together, looking exactly like an affectionate couple. It was time for her to voluntarily step aside.

“I have thought about this for a long time,” Nianxi lowered her eyes, no longer looking at him. “Pei Jian, I want to divorce you.”

In fairness, Pei Jian had not done anything outwardly wrong.

He gave her honor, status, and was even willing to give her Xu Wanxin’s son as a “legitimate heir.”

He was a good man.

He just didn’t have her in his heart.

“I don’t love you anymore.”

Pei Jian’s gaze was heavy and deep.

Having navigated the currents of officialdom, he had long since learned to mask his emotions. But upon hearing those words, his expression froze slightly.

Just then, a close attendant rushed in and whispered a few words in his ear.

Nianxi understood. “If it’s urgent, go attend to it.”

She had been wondering if Pei Jian had pressed her for a reason, would she really have to recount the events of all those years? That would only sound like a complaint begging to be won back.

This was better.

Pei Jian remained silent for a long time. Before standing up, he said to her, “I have an urgent summons from the palace. We’ll discuss the rest when I return.”

But she never waited for Pei Jian.

That very night, Nianxi suffered agonizing abdominal pain, vomiting several mouthfuls of black blood.

The imperial physicians were helpless. Servants sent to the palace to fetch help went one wave after another, but Pei Jian never returned.

The blood that couldn’t be wiped away soaked her chest. In her dying moments, Nianxi felt a pang of sorrow.

She feared loneliness the most.

Yet, even in death, she was all alone.

If only she had known her life would be this brief, she would never have wasted her time. She would have lived wantonly.

And loved herself well.