The Powerful Minister I Forcefully Married Won't Warm Up; After Rebirth, I Give Up the Chase - Chapter 22

Pei Jian was ranked first—the Zhuangyuan or ‘Principal Graduate’—in the Palace Examination.

He was the first Jinshi (successful candidate) in the history of the Great Jing Dynasty to achieve the “Triple First” distinction.

He had performed even better than in his previous life; even the Emperor personally praised him as a pillar of talent for the nation.

Throughout this period, applause and praise greeted him wherever he went. Many people also approached him with marriage proposals. His second maternal aunt, Madam Liao, even brought her niece from her maiden family directly to him the day before yesterday.

Naturally, he rebuffed her with cold words.

Since his rebirth, Pei Jian had become colder and more solitary, unwilling to waste a fraction of his attention on irrelevant people and matters.

Even so, there were still many unavoidable banquets. By the time he saw Gu Ci again, half a month had passed.

Today, Wen Qingheng was hosting a banquet, also inviting the three other colleagues from the Imperial College.

In this Palace Examination, Wen Qingheng ranked seventeenth in the Second Class, and Qin Lang narrowly passed the Jinshi exam. Everyone was now simply waiting for their official appointments after the court examination, so things were relatively relaxed.

Only Gu Ci was late.

The moment he arrived, Qin Lang immediately yelled for Gu Ci to drink three penalty cups. “Why are you busier than us? Confess honestly, are you doing some scandalous deed behind our backs?”

“Nonsense!”

Gu Ci scolded him with a laugh. He was generous and open-hearted, and without making a fuss or offering excuses, he actually punished himself with three cups. Only then did he smile and say, “Stop ruining my reputation. I’ve been preparing a… surprise for her recently.”

Mindful that Wen Qingheng was present, he used the subtle pronoun “she” to refer to Nian Xi. Nian-er had told him not to unnecessarily provoke her brother. Since his sweetheart had spoken, Gu Ci naturally complied.

“I heard that the Dragon Boat Race during the Dragon Boat Festival in Jinling is exceptionally lively. The painted boats, the sound of flutes and drums, the flying dragon prows, the surging oars, and the fluttering flags—she goes to see it every year. Since she likes it, I figured I would personally take first place and give it to her.”

“Didn’t His Majesty specially commission ten racing boats to be built in Yangzhou this year, preparing to host a Dragon Boat Race on the Luo River? I’ve been practicing rowing and steering the dragon boat these past few days.”

Qin Lang gasped, saying incredulously, “You are going to race in the dragon boat?”

Gu Ci raised an eyebrow. “What about it? I’ve even booked a private box along the Luo River in advance so she can clearly see my magnificent steering.”

Wen Qingheng poured cold water on the idea. “What if you lose?”

Gu Ci waved his hand dismissively. “It doesn’t matter if I lose; the thought is what counts.”

There was one little detail Gu Ci didn’t mention, which was that the helmsmen in the Dragon Boat Race all wore their hair down and were tattooed. Nian Xi already had him; how could she go look at other bare-chested men again!

Qin Lang slowly gave him a thumbs-up. “It has to be Young Master Gu. I’m truly impressed. You’re mushy, you’re amazing! If I were Cousin Xu, I would definitely be moved to tears, crying and demanding to marry you on the spot.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Wen Qingheng was displeased to hear this.

Pei Jian glanced at Qin Lang.

Gu Ci’s tone was also sharp. “I don’t need her to be moved; I only want her to be happy.”

This wasn’t emotional blackmail, where a man does something earth-shattering to pressure a woman into compromise. He didn’t want to pressure Nian Xi; he only wanted to accompany her in doing things she liked.

Qin Lang knew he had misspoke, and that one glance from Pei Jian made his heart tremble. He could only babble, “Alright, alright, you’re a romantic genius. But you really went all out.”

Gu Ci’s family background was second only to the imperial family. Not many families in the entire capital could surpass his in prestige. In the past, whether it was dragon boat racing, horse racing, or polo, they, as noblemen, merely bestowed silver or added a prize to the competition.

To abandon his status and compete with a group of boatmen—to go to this extent—was truly remarkable.

“It’s fine,” Gu Ci wasn’t concerned about this.

He wasn’t performing for anyone else; he only wanted to leave Nian Xi with beautiful memories, so he naturally had to try his best.

Although Wen Qingheng was still annoyed about Gu Ci’s deception in the beginning, he was quite pleased with his attentiveness. However, needing to maintain the demeanor of an elder brother, he didn’t show it outwardly.

Pei Jian had been silent since the topic of the dragon boat race came up.

Qin Lang felt awkward for a moment, glancing at the expression of the person beside him, and felt powerless to make the conversation lively. He offered a few more rounds of perfunctory praise.

Gu Ci only wanted Nian Xi to be happy and didn’t pay much attention to the reactions of the three men. Seeing that Pei Jian still hadn’t spoken, he suddenly thought of something. “The private box I booked has a great view. You can invite Eardrop Maiden to come along.”

He always felt that Pei Jian pushed himself too hard, had a cold personality, and lacked a certain human touch. He seemed to care about nothing outside of his established goals.

If they hadn’t grown up together, and if Pei Jian hadn’t experienced the upheaval of his youth and been cared for by Gu Ci’s mother, Gu Ci felt that his relationship with Pei Jian would, at most, be that of classmates—it would never be as it was now.

This was certainly not Pei Jian’s fault.

Gu Ci was a soft-hearted person. Whenever he thought of Pei Jian losing his parents at a young age and being suppressed and humiliated by his second aunt’s family, he could forgive Pei Jian’s distant nature.

Nian Xi had a gentle personality and was easy to get along with. He thought that women talking amongst themselves would lead to easier heart-to-heart confessions and finding the right remedy. Perhaps she could truly help his good brother achieve a complete life. Thus, he made this suggestion.

But Pei Jian refused without thinking. “No need.”

Pei Jian had actually long forgotten about the Dragon Boat Festival race. Thanks to Gu Ci’s incessant chatter this past half-day, he was reminded of this trivial matter after a long time.

Nian Xi loved the excitement of the Dragon Boat Race, never missing it when they were in Jinling. When she heard the Emperor was building boats in Yangzhou to host a race in the capital, she was incredibly excited.

Pei Jian was very confused by this. “Didn’t you watch it every year? The capital’s race is just minor compared to the South. What’s so great about it?”

Having seen the grand, imposing scenes, the capital’s Dragon Boat Race, according to Pei Jian’s logic, shouldn’t have been worth anticipating.

But Nian Xi had said, “Of course, it’s worth watching, and it’s deeply meaningful! This is something I like, and I want you to be by my side, to see what I love with me.”

Pei Jian had been solitary since childhood; he couldn’t understand the significance of “companionship.”

Yet, Nian Xi liked it.

Appreciating a painting, tasting a dish, reading a book… she wanted him to be present for all of it.

Even for things that could be completed alone, she preferred to wait until he had time to finish them with her.

Regarding the wasted time, she had said, “That is also the meaning of companionship.”

But he never managed to “accompany” her to that Dragon Boat Race.

At the time, he had just entered officialdom, serving as a Compiler in the Hanlin Academy. A festive text he drafted with a few colleagues had an error. Being the youngest among them, his superior sent a message telling him to immediately return to the Hanlin Academy to fix the mistake.

He was very troubled.

Nian Xi had been looking forward to this Dragon Boat Race for a long time. He was afraid she would be unreasonable and cause a delay.

“Go busy yourself,” she had said.

Pei Jian couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, pretending not to see the disappointment and forced smile in Nian Xi’s eyes.

In truth, the error wasn’t in the section he drafted, and he didn’t necessarily have to go. It was just that, in his mind, official duty was more important than Nian Xi.

He was less devoted than Gu Ci. To say he cared for Nian Xi was far from thoughtful or comprehensive, and he certainly hadn’t booked any private box in advance. In the bustling crowd, he had simply abandoned Nian Xi.

Pei Jian took a deep breath, suppressing the sorrow welling up in his heart.

In this life, with Gu Ci, Nian Xi wouldn’t have to be disappointed on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival again. He thought she would surely have an unforgettable experience.

As for the regret of the Nian Xi of the previous life, it could never be made up for now.

Pei Jian knitted his brows. He had told Nian Xi so much that day in the corner garden, but it looked like Nian Xi and Gu Ci were even closer now.

Had her affection for Gu Ci grown so deep?

Wen Qingheng was very interested in Gu Ci’s topic and asked, “Who is Eardrop Maiden?”

Gu Ci glanced at Pei Jian. Seeing that he wasn’t objecting, he said, “His sweetheart, of course.”

Qin Lang shuddered, feeling he had uncovered an earth-shattering secret, his eyes darting back and forth between Gu Ci and Pei Jian.

Wen Qingheng was completely unaware.

He always admired Pei Jian’s talent, and hearing this, he smiled and said, “Which young lady is she? She must be incredibly blessed.”

Pei Jian’s profile was cold and stern. He lowered his head, took a sip of tea, and cast down his eyes to conceal the look in them. “You don’t need to know.”

Wen Qingheng was immediately embarrassed, his face flushing.

Qin Lang was busy with his mental storm and couldn’t spare the effort to lighten the mood.

Gu Ci stepped in to smooth things over. “Shi Zhang is just like this. Even I don’t know who Eardrop Maiden is. He keeps it quite well hidden~”

Wen Qingheng took the hint and quickly said, “It was my presumptuousness.”

Qin Lang’s eyes rolled wildly. When he turned his head, his gaze met Pei Jian’s, and being stared at by those ink-black eyes, he involuntarily shivered.

He quickly straightened up, and when he heard Gu Ci and the others talking about “Eardrop Maiden,” he first looked at Wen Qingheng.

Heng, I hope you don’t lose it when you find out the truth.

Then he looked at Gu Ci—

Ci, I hope you don’t utterly lose it when you find out the truth.

If only these two had seen Pei Jian’s ambiguous look that day, they would know who the so-called Eardrop Maiden was!

However, he didn’t want to meddle. After all, the one being targeted by his good brother wasn’t his sweetheart, or his sister.

Qin Lang felt like the wise man at the table and maintained his silence even more firmly.