Ch 52: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

Qin Zhao furrowed his brows and looked at Jing Li for a while before finally confirming from his expression that he wasn’t joking.

This was truly unexpected.

Why would his little fish not even be interested in going out to have fun?

And from the look on his face, it didn’t seem like he was just saying it out of spite.

Qin Zhao patiently tried to persuade him, “Little fish, on Mid-Autumn Festival, there’s not only the poetry gathering but also the temple fair at night. There will be many interesting things to see, and you can guess riddles and release lanterns. Don’t you want to go and have a look?”

Jing Li looked a bit hesitant.

He had heard that the temple fair was very interesting, and he hadn’t been to one yet.

Jing Li wavered internally, but then he remembered his plan and steeled himself. “I’m not interested.”

Seeing his reaction, Qin Zhao had a vague suspicion in his mind and said, “Alright then, if you don’t want to go, we won’t go. I’ll stay home and keep you company.”

Jing Li: “???”

“That won’t do!” Jing Li said anxiously. “Didn’t Chen Yanan invite you?”

“I haven’t agreed yet,” Qin Zhao replied slowly. “I was planning to come back and ask for your opinion. If you wanted to go, I’d go with you. If not, we’d spend Mid-Autumn Festival at home.”

Jing Li was stunned.

Why is he like this!

“Well, um…” Jing Li tugged on Qin Zhao’s sleeve and said softly, “Isn’t the poetry gathering hosted by local scholars? You’ll get to meet many people, so you should go…”

Qin Zhao replied, “But I’d rather stay with you.”

Jing Li: “…”

“Well, I don’t exactly dislike the idea of going to town,” Jing Li forced a smile and suggested, “How about this? On Mid-Autumn Festival, you go to the poetry gathering first. After it’s over, I’ll come find you, and we can go to the temple fair together.”

So, the little guy didn’t mind attending the temple fair; he just wanted some time apart from Qin Zhao.

And during that time apart, he wanted Qin Zhao to be out of the house.

Qin Zhao quickly deduced this in his mind, but he didn’t point it out. Instead, he nodded, “Alright, on Mid-Autumn Festival, I’ll go to the poetry gathering, and you can come find me before the temple fair starts.”

Jing Li: “Great!”

Three days passed quickly, and on the fifteenth day of August, Chen Yanan arrived on time to fetch Qin Zhao.

He had dressed specially today in an indigo silk robe, with his hair neatly tied in a topknot, looking particularly spirited.

Chen Yanan had decent looks, and recently, whether it was due to deliberate dieting or studying too hard, he had slimmed down quite a bit, making him much more attractive than before.

As soon as he saw Qin Zhao, he frowned, “You’re going in that?”

Qin Zhao was still wearing his usual light blue robe, made of coarse fabric, dressed as if he were just going to town to do some shopping.

Hearing this, Qin Zhao asked, “Is there something wrong with it?”

Chen Yanan pulled Qin Zhao aside and whispered, “Brother Qin, don’t take this the wrong way, but some scholars in town tend to judge others by their appearance, so…”

He trailed off, hesitating to finish his sentence.

Scholars tend to be proud and always have a sense of rivalry among themselves, something Qin Zhao was generally aware of. However, he had no intention of getting involved in such matters. The only reason he agreed to attend the poetry gathering today was to humor his little fish and see what kind of “surprise” the little guy might come up with.

As for how others viewed him or whether he could fit into their circles, he didn’t care.

Qin Zhao said, “It doesn’t matter. Let’s go.”

Just as he was about to leave with Chen Yanan, Qin Zhao remembered something and turned to Chen Yanan, saying, “Wait a moment.”

With that, he turned and headed back toward the main house.

Jing Li was leaning by the window, watching to see if Qin Zhao had left. Seeing Qin Zhao suddenly return, he quickly grabbed a book from the small desk and pretended to be reading it nonchalantly.

When Qin Zhao entered the room, Jing Li asked, “Why did you come back? Did you forget something?”

“Yes, I forgot something,” Qin Zhao replied as he walked up to Jing Li, bent down, and kissed him on the lips. “I forgot our goodbye kiss. I’m leaving now, don’t lose track of time.”

Jing Li blushed and nodded.

Qin Zhao turned and left, striding out of the courtyard. He looked back at Chen Yanan, who was still standing by the gate, and said with a calm expression, “Are we going or not?”

“Y-Yes, coming!”

Chen Yanan’s face flushed bright red, filled with regret.

He shouldn’t have been curious about what Qin Zhao was doing!

He was so envious he could die!

The two soon disappeared from view, and Jing Li withdrew his gaze.

He had secretly inquired with Chen Yanan and learned that the Mid-Autumn poetry gathering typically involved admiring flowers, drinking wine, competing in poetry, and flattering one another. Since it was still before noon, they likely wouldn’t finish until sunset.

Jing Li wasn’t in a hurry. He patiently waited at home for a little while longer before pocketing the copper coins from the small wooden box at the foot of the bed and heading out.

The Mid-Autumn poetry gathering was being held at an estate on the outskirts of town.

When Chen Yanan and Qin Zhao arrived at the estate, only a young servant was waiting outside the gate. Chen Yanan explained their purpose and presented the invitation before they were allowed in.

They only had one invitation, and if this were a larger town, they wouldn’t have been able to enter without one.

However, since their town was small and there weren’t many scholars, the poetry gathering allowed participants to bring a few friends to fill the space. The requirements were minimal; as long as someone wasn’t completely illiterate, they were welcome. It was even better if they had read a few books or poetry collections.

This was how Chen Yanan was able to bring Qin Zhao along.

The estate had a small artificial lake, and since Chen Yanan had been there before, he confidently led Qin Zhao through the corridor by the lake. “This estate belongs to Master Fang. Although he’s a merchant, he particularly enjoys literature and art. Every year, he lends this estate to scholars for poetry gatherings.”

Qin Zhao asked, “Is it the Fang family from town?”

“Yes, I remember you know the young master of the Fang family, Fang Tianying, don’t you?”

Qin Zhao nodded.

Chen Yanan sighed, “That young master Fang and I used to be classmates, but he only came to the private school a few times before refusing to study. He made such a fuss that his father had to discipline him several times.”

“…I heard that not long ago, that young master even ran away from home, which worried Master Fang so much that he didn’t sleep for days. After that, Master Fang stopped forcing him to study and instead had him stay at home to learn the family business.”

Qin Zhao: “…”

So Fang Tianying’s running away from home was because of this.

Qin Zhao asked, “Will Fang Tianying be attending the poetry gathering today?”

“Most likely not,” Chen Yanan replied. “Master Fang did want him to come and get some exposure, but the young master thinks the scholars at these gatherings are all just full of flattery and pretentiousness, so he looks down on it. To be honest, I kind of feel the same way…”

“Isn’t that Brother Chen?” someone called out behind them.

They turned around to see a tall, thin young man. He wore a jade-colored brocade robe and smiled before speaking, “I thought Brother Chen wouldn’t come today. It’s already August; how could your teacher let you attend this gathering? What if it affects your county exam next February? Wouldn’t you have to wait another year?”

Chen Yanan’s face turned red with anger as he stiffly replied, “What’s it to you? If you’re so curious, go ask the teacher yourself!”

The young man didn’t respond, instead turning his attention to Qin Zhao beside him.

“Did Brother Chen bring a friend today?” The young man looked Qin Zhao up and down. The man before him was dressed plainly, with a gentle and calm demeanor that exuded a certain refined elegance.

He cupped his hands towards Qin Zhao in a polite gesture and asked, “May I ask under which master this gentleman studies?”

The young man had a handsome face, but there was an invisible arrogance in his manner that made him rather unlikable.

Qin Zhao returned the greeting and replied calmly, “I’m just an ordinary farmer and have not apprenticed under any master.”

The young man was taken aback and then asked, “Are you planning to seek a master?”

“I have no such plans.”

The young man: “…”

The last bit of respect on the young man’s face disappeared. Straightening up, he said evenly, “No matter. Listening in at a poetry gathering can be quite beneficial.”

Qin Zhao didn’t respond.

Chen Yanan couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

Losing interest in Qin Zhao, the young man didn’t say much more and quickly made an excuse to leave.

After he left, Chen Yanan remarked, “Finally, he’s gone. I hate talking to him.”

Qin Zhao asked, “Who was that?”

“That’s Yan Xiu. He’s also taking the Tongsheng exam with us next year.” Chen Yanan snorted, “I don’t understand why he’s so arrogant when he’s just as much a failure as the rest of us. Just because he topped the county exam once?”

Qin Zhao asked, “If he topped the county exam, how did he fail?”

“Bad luck, I guess.” Chen Yanan shrugged. “He took the Tongsheng exam three years ago. At that time, there were many talented candidates from the neighboring counties. Yan Xiu topped the county exam but only performed mediocrely in the prefectural exam, and his ranking plummeted in the provincial exam, almost at the bottom.”

Lowering his voice, Chen Yanan added, “He claims he ate something bad on the day of the provincial exam and had stomach issues. I don’t buy it—he just wasn’t as good as the others!”

Qin Zhao didn’t comment.

The two of them walked around the artificial lake and arrived at the back courtyard. The air was filled with the fragrance of osmanthus flowers, and several long tables were arranged in a circle, each set with paper, ink, pastries, and a pot of wine.

Over a dozen scholars were already seated behind the tables, engaged in a poetry contest.

Chen Yanan found an empty table and pulled Qin Zhao to sit down with him.

There are several ways to engage in a poetry contest: the Feihua (flying flower) game, rhyming, or composing poems based on a given subject. When they arrived, the scholars were in the midst of a Feihua game, using the character “月” (moon) as the key word.

Chen Yanan, who had memorized quite a few poems recently, joined in seamlessly, holding his own without falling behind.

When it was Yan Xiu’s turn, he stumbled: “The moon tilts above the tower, the fifth watch bell rings.

“That line’s already been used,” Chen Yanan, feeling particularly proud of himself, slouched in his seat and smugly called out, “Drink!”

Yan Xiu’s social standing wasn’t the best, so the others were happy to see him make a mistake. They egged him on, forcing him to take a large gulp of wine.

Slamming the cup down heavily, Yan Xiu’s ears turned red as he said, “We play Feihua every year. What’s the point?”

His eyes scanned the courtyard and, noticing the osmanthus flowers in full bloom, he suggested, “Let’s change the game. How about we compose poems with ‘osmanthus’ as the theme? I’ll start!”

After saying this, he picked up a brush and began writing.

In this type of poetry contest, the initiator writes the first line of the poem, then it is passed around to each participant. Each person adds a line until it returns to the initiator, who decides whether to continue or to complete the poem with the final line.

Anyone who fails to contribute a line must drink a cup of wine and becomes the next initiator.

Although Yan Xiu was sitting to Chen Yanan’s left, he deliberately passed the paper to the other side of the table, skipping Chen Yanan.

This kind of poetry contest becomes increasingly difficult as it progresses.

It was clear that Yan Xiu intended to embarrass Chen Yanan.

However, Chen Yanan wasn’t worried at all this time. He nudged the person beside him, saying, “Brother Qin, I’m counting on you.”

Qin Zhao glanced at him.

From the moment he heard the rules of the contest, Qin Zhao understood why Chen Yanan had insisted on bringing him along.

He was waiting for Qin Zhao to help him save face.

The paper with the poem was passed around the tables. Yan Xiu, feeling smug, glanced at the two of them and said, “If you can’t come up with a line, you should admit defeat early. If it’s anything like last year, you’ll be utterly humiliated.”

Just as he finished speaking, the poem reached Qin Zhao’s table.

Qin Zhao took a quick look, picked up the brush, and wrote his line.

His handwriting was entirely different from his calm demeanor—flowing and powerful, yet with a boldness that surprised everyone.

Yan Xiu’s face changed color.

Qin Zhao put down the brush and passed the paper back. “Thank you for letting me win.”

Chen Yanan peeked over his shoulder, grinning as he repeated, “If you can’t come up with a line, you should admit defeat early. If it’s anything like the last round, you’ll be utterly humiliated.”

Yan Xiu gritted his teeth in frustration. After pondering for a moment, he added a line to the paper and passed it on.

He didn’t end the poem but chose to continue.

The contest went on for three rounds, with the participants taking increasingly longer to think of their lines. Only Qin Zhao consistently answered after a brief glance, never hesitating.

Qin Zhao handed the paper, now filled with lines of poetry, back to Yan Xiu. After a quick look, Yan Xiu abruptly stood up. “How dare you use this line?!”

His outburst caught the attention of the other scholars, who gathered around to see what Qin Zhao had written.

“This… isn’t this a line from that poet?”

“Yes, I remember clearly; it was indeed composed by that esteemed person.”

“This verse spread throughout the land at the time, and no one was able to come up with a suitable following line…”

Chen Yanan, who hadn’t paid attention to what Qin Zhao had written earlier, curiously leaned over to take a look. His eyes lit up with excitement. “Brilliant, truly brilliant! Let’s see how you respond to this!”

The crowd’s expressions varied, but only Qin Zhao seemed unaware of what was happening. He asked, “What’s the issue with this verse?”

“Are you still pretending you don’t know?” Yan Xiu retorted. “This verse was composed by Prince Rong during a Mid-Autumn Festival poetry contest at the imperial court. The prince declared that anyone in the world who could complete this verse would be elevated to the Hanlin Academy. What scholar wouldn’t know this?”

Qin Zhao genuinely didn’t know.

In fact, he didn’t even know who Prince Rong was.

The verse had simply come to his mind, so he had written it down. Besides…

“Is this verse difficult to complete?” Qin Zhao asked.

Yan Xiu scoffed, “If you’re so capable, why don’t you try completing it? If you can come up with a fitting line, I’ll—”

Before Yan Xiu could finish his sentence, Qin Zhao calmly took the paper from his hand, spread it on the table, and began writing.

Yan Xiu’s expression froze on his face, while the crowd gathered around Qin Zhao. Soon after, they erupted in astonished exclamations.

“He… he actually completed it!”

“This… I can’t believe this works! I spent a whole month trying to come up with something!”

The crowd buzzed with excitement, and Yan Xiu suddenly rushed forward, snatching the paper from Qin Zhao’s hands. “So that’s how it’s done… That’s how it’s done…”

His expression bordered on madness as he muttered to himself and then ran off with the paper in hand.

The crowd fell silent for a moment before everyone returned to their seats.

Qin Zhao asked, “What’s wrong with him?”

“Well, he might be a bit overwhelmed,” Chen Yanan replied, hunger now making him nibble on the snacks at the table. “I heard that after Prince Rong composed that verse, scholars across the land tried to complete it. Yan Xiu locked himself in his room for half a year but still couldn’t come up with a suitable line.”

Qin Zhao gazed in the direction Yan Xiu had run off to and mused, “He’s quite an interesting person…”

After that disruption, the group lost interest in continuing the poetry contest. Their curiosity had shifted to Qin Zhao.

Several people approached him under various pretexts, mostly to ask which master he studied under and whether he had plans to pursue a degree. Even the core members of the scholarly circle invited him to join their monthly gatherings.

Qin Zhao politely declined, citing his exam preparations.

This event had made Qin Zhao famous among the local scholars. By the time they had fended off all the people trying to get closer to him and left the estate, the sun was nearly setting.

“Don’t get annoyed, but after this gets out, there will be even more people in the future,” Chen Yanan remarked, noticing Qin Zhao’s slightly displeased expression.

Qin Zhao caught the teasing tone in his words and replied coolly, “I’m not annoyed.”

“…I’m just late for my appointment with my husband.”

He had planned to take his little fish to a restaurant in town after the gathering, then leisurely enjoy the temple fair. But who would have guessed things would be delayed so much?

The little guy was probably starving by now.

Chen Yanan: “…”

This man only has his husband on his mind!

Chen Yanan had arranged for an ox cart to pick them up, and as the two walked along the path in front of the estate, someone called out to them, “Qin Zhao!”

A flash of bright red rushed toward them, and just as it reached them, it slipped, landing right in Qin Zhao’s arms.

“Be careful.” Qin Zhao held Jing Li, his expression softening a little. “How did you find your way here?”

Jing Li, in a good mood, replied, “Fang Tianying brought me here.”

Just as he finished speaking, Fang Tianying approached from a distance.

Fang Tianying smiled and said, “I heard from the servants that someone at the poetry gathering had successfully completed an unmatched verse. When I found out it was Brother Qin, I thought I’d join the fun. As I was heading to town, I ran into your husband, so I brought him along.”

Qin Zhao nodded toward him. “Thank you.”

“There’s no need to be so formal, Brother Qin,” Fang Tianying replied. “I’ve reserved a spot at the best restaurant in town. You must be hungry by now, so let’s go.”

Qin Zhao started to decline, “That’s not—”

But before he could finish, Chen Yanan interjected unhappily, “I was the one who brought Brother Qin here today. Why are you stealing him from me?”

“Oh, it’s Little Chen! You’ve lost so much weight recently that I almost didn’t recognize you,” Fang Tianying teased without getting upset. “Let’s all go together, my treat!”

Qin Zhao: “…”

Qin Zhao tried again, “My husband and I—”

Before he could finish, Jing Li, his eyes lighting up at the mention of food, wriggled out of Qin Zhao’s arms. “Great! Let’s go quickly. I didn’t eat much at lunch, and I’m starving.”

Qin Zhao: “…”

Fang Tianying chuckled. “Alright, the carriage is waiting by the roadside. Let’s go.”

The four of them began walking, with Jing Li holding Qin Zhao’s hand. Jing Li looked back and asked, “Qin Zhao, were you about to say something earlier?”

“…”

Qin Zhao glanced at the two unexpected companions ahead, his expression neutral. “No, it’s nothing.”