Ch 114: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

Although Qin Zhao was slightly displeased that his little husband seemed to neglect him after making a new friend, he didn’t stop Jing Li from interacting with Yue Qingzi.

Jing Li had never had any close friends in the prefectural city, so his acquaintance with Yue Qingzi was a rare and welcome development.

As for the prefect, he couldn’t fully set his worries aside, even after receiving Qin Zhao’s reassuring response. Still, since he himself had suggested that Yue Qingzi and Jing Li spend more time together, it was impossible to take those words back now.

As time passed, the friendship between the two youths grew stronger rather than weaker, and the prefect and his wife finally put their concerns to rest.

However, their initial worries weren’t entirely unfounded.

After all, Yue Qingzi was an unmarried shuang’er. No matter how discreet he was, the amount of attention Qin Zhao received made it easy for misunderstandings to arise. A shuang’er frequently visiting Qin Zhao’s household was bound to attract gossip.

After some thought, Qin Zhao gently brought up the matter with Jing Li.

Since Yue Qingzi was staying with the prefect, Jing Li couldn’t visit him freely. Recently, however, Jing Li had been working on the third volume of Dream Notes and often sought Yue Qingzi’s advice, which was why Yue Qingzi frequently came to his house.

Ultimately, it was Yue Qingzi accommodating Jing Li’s wishes.

Jing Li, fully aware of the difficulties faced by shuang’er in this era, valued his friendship with A-Zi deeply and was unwilling to let his friend’s reputation be tarnished without reason.

After careful consideration, Jing Li took the initiative to suggest meeting in a more neutral location next time.

“But didn’t you worry about writing outside and someone seeing your drafts?” Yue Qingzi objected. “Is something inconvenient for you?”

The boy, simple and straightforward yet remarkably perceptive, immediately sensed Jing Li’s unease.

Unable to deflect, Jing Li finally confessed his concerns.

“So that’s all it is,” Yue Qingzi said, unfazed after hearing him out. “It’s no big deal. I’ll just avoid suspicion in the future and come by on the days when Mr. Qin is teaching at the Gu residence.”

“But…” Jing Li hesitated.

That wouldn’t entirely solve the problem.

Rumors were powerful, and merely avoiding suspicion wouldn’t eliminate misunderstandings.

Moreover, the matter didn’t just affect Yue Qingzi.

Qin Zhao, already a public figure, could also be impacted if rumors of a shuang’er frequently visiting his home spread. His reputation, critical for the civil service examinations, could suffer. After all, the imperial exams placed great importance on a candidate’s moral character.

Jing Li couldn’t allow these two people, both so important to him, to take unnecessary risks because of him.

Jing Li and Yue Qingzi had a relationship of complete trust, so he candidly laid out all his thoughts.

Yue Qingzi fell into deep thought.

“The truth is,” he concluded after a moment, “this all boils down to the fact that other people don’t trust the bond between you and Mr. Qin enough.”

Jing Li was startled. “Huh?”

Jing Li couldn’t understand how Yue Qingzi had suddenly arrived at this conclusion.

Yue Qingzi patiently explained, “Think about it—Qin Zhao has no power or influence, so why are the people of the prefectural city so interested in his private affairs? Isn’t it because they still hold out hope?”

“You actually know this deep down. Most people in the city don’t believe Qin Zhao when he says he doesn’t want to take a concubine. They just think he hasn’t found someone to his liking yet and is using that as an excuse. Because of this, some people still entertain the delusion that they might have a chance to persuade him.”

“Isn’t that exactly what my uncle and aunt are thinking?”

Jing Li opened his mouth but didn’t know how to respond.

He wasn’t sure whether to call A-Zi insightful or just bold—critiquing the prefect like this was the kind of talk that could cause trouble if overheard.

Seeing Jing Li stay silent, Yue Qingzi continued, “So, as long as we make those people give up on Qin Zhao entirely, no one will pay attention to his personal life anymore, and we can keep meeting freely.”

“…Isn’t that what you want too?”

Jing Li’s ears turned a little red as he recalled the time when he first met Yue Qingzi and had been jealous for a while. “Y-Yes, so what? It’s impossible to achieve, isn’t it?”

Qin Zhao had rejected countless matchmakers before, yet that hadn’t stopped people from holding feelings for him.

If even Qin Zhao couldn’t resolve the issue, what could Jing Li—someone everyone saw as “just his husband”—possibly do?

Yue Qingzi smirked confidently. “I have an idea.”

Despite his growing friendship with Yue Qingzi, Jing Li didn’t let it distract him from his work. In fact, having a loyal reader who provided immediate feedback improved his efficiency. By early May, he had finished the manuscript for the third volume of Dream Talks. It was even longer than the second volume.

While waiting for it to be printed and distributed to bookstores, the Jiangling Gazette published a shocking headline:

“Author of Dream Notes Identified as None Other Than Qin Zhao’s Husband, Jing Li!”

The bold headline occupied the entire front page of the newspaper, and below it was an interview between a reporter and Jing Li. In the interview, Jing Li openly admitted that he was Zhao Li and shared some stories about writing the series.

For example, many of the events in his stories were inspired by real life. (A note from the reporter followed this statement, adding that reality seemed even sweeter than fiction, leaving the author both envious and jealous during the interview.)

Another story revealed how Qin Zhao hadn’t initially known about his writing and, after finding out, had dragged Jing Li to several bookstores because he couldn’t get his hands on a copy.

The entire page was filled with dazzling displays of affection.

Fans eagerly awaiting the third volume of Dream Notes were already shocked by the headline. But before they could recover, they were overwhelmed by the couple’s relentless sweetness, reading and rereading the article multiple times before finally processing it.

Zhao Li’s true identity… had been revealed just like that?

Could it really be true? Or was this some kind of joke?

The interview spread like wildfire across the prefectural city, pushing Dream Notes and its author, Zhao Li, into the spotlight. Chang, the owner of Jing’an Bookstore, seized the opportunity and quickly released the third volume of Dream Notes.

This time, on the very last page of the book, readers found the author’s real name and address—perfectly matching the details revealed in the Jiangling Gazette.

The evidence was undeniable.

Thanks to the publicity generated by the interview, sales of the third volume skyrocketed several times over.

“I didn’t expect you to have such tactics,” even Qin Zhao couldn’t help but marvel after observing the entire incident.

The interview didn’t just reveal Zhao Li’s identity.

The author cleverly used the guise of discussing Zhao Li’s mystery to highlight the everyday life between Qin Zhao and Jing Li. By leveraging Qin Zhao’s fame as a top scholar, it attracted attention, promoted the third volume, and clarified the deep bond and harmony between Qin Zhao and Jing Li. Truly, it killed two birds with one stone.

“It wasn’t my idea,” Jing Li said, pointing to the byline of the interview in the Jiangling Gazette with a mysterious smile. “Guess who it was?”

“Qingshan Jun,” Qin Zhao replied with a faint smile. “Qingshan… Yue Qing… It must be Young Master Yue.”

“Correct!” Jing Li grinned.

This Qingshan Jun was a little-known contributor to the Jiangling Gazette. Before meeting Yue Qingzi, Jing Li had already seen articles by Qingshan Jun, claiming to have discovered Zhao Li’s true identity. However, the author went silent after that, and Jing Li hadn’t given it much thought.

Until Yue Qingzi confessed the truth.

When Yue Qingzi first arrived in the prefectural city and read the first two volumes of Dream Notes, he became particularly interested in Zhao Li’s real identity.

At the time, he had used his uncle’s connections to mistakenly assume Zhao Li was Qin Zhao. Writing the article was his way of creating a legitimate excuse to approach Qin Zhao.

The Jiangling Gazette article was part of his original plan to arrange an interview with Zhao Li.

However, before he could carry it out, his uncle caught him and placed him under house arrest. Fortunately, his chance meeting with Jing Li made everything worthwhile.

“So he suggested you use the Jiangling Gazette to reveal your identity and, in passing, clarify to outsiders that my devotion to you is absolute and I could never be interested in anyone else?” Qin Zhao had read the interview several times, carefully folded it, and placed it on his desk.

“Exactly! Isn’t A-Zi clever?” Jing Li said. “Thanks to him, the new book is selling so well.”

Over the past six months, Dream Notes had become the most talked-about story among the people of the prefectural city. Zhao Li’s reputation had grown immensely, far surpassing the popularity of Secrets of the Bridal Chamber, which Qin Zhao had bought when they first started.

In Jing Li’s familiar terms, this was an exceptionally successful publicity stunt.

“Using my name to grab attention—did you ask for my permission?” Qin Zhao tapped Jing Li lightly on the forehead.

Jing Li didn’t dodge and instead covered his forehead with a slight wince. “I wanted to surprise you.”

Qin Zhao raised an eyebrow. “Still talking back?”

Jing Li, completely unafraid of him now, replied boldly, “You couldn’t handle those persistent admirers yourself. What’s wrong with me stepping in? I call this restoring the authority of the husband.”

“That’s not how you use that phrase.”

“Close enough.”

Qin Zhao couldn’t hold back any longer and pulled Jing Li into his arms, laughing. “You’re getting harder to deal with. Have you been learning bad habits from Young Master Yue?”

“I didn’t…” Jing Li froze as Qin Zhao’s hot hand rested against his waist. Realizing his vulnerability, he immediately caved. “I double-checked everything before letting A-Zi submit the article. I didn’t include anything that could harm you.”

“I know,” Qin Zhao replied. “I’m not angry.”

“Then why are you bullying me? Let go—”

Qin Zhao bit Jing Li’s earlobe, his breath warm and teasing. “Do I need a reason to bully you?”

Jing Li never figured out which part of his words provoked Qin Zhao, but he ended up receiving a thorough “lesson.” Ever since the weather had warmed, Qin Zhao’s health had improved daily, and he seemed intent on making up for all the time they’d lost during his illness.

So whether he had a reason or not didn’t seem to matter to him.

The air indoors grew a little stuffy in the afternoon heat. Qin Zhao fetched some water and carefully cleaned Jing Li. The latter lay sprawled on the small couch in the inner room of the study, his eyelids drooping lazily.

The couch was meant for Qin Zhao to rest briefly while reading and was much narrower than the bed in their bedroom. It wasn’t convenient for… certain activities.

But Qin Zhao seemed to enjoy the forced closeness brought by the cramped space. Jing Li’s protests were futile, so he resigned himself to his fate.

Once they were both tidied up, Qin Zhao left the couch.

Fighting off the lingering numbness and exhaustion in his body, Jing Li lifted his tired eyelids, only to see Qin Zhao sitting upright at his desk, seriously reading a book.

Calling him “prim and proper” would have been a compliment at this point.

Annoyed, Jing Li pulled a thin blanket over his head and soon fell asleep to the sound of cicadas chirping in the afternoon heat.

Time flew, and by the golden autumn of August, Qin Zhao and Jing Li celebrated the little fish fry’s first birthday with a simple gathering and decided on his formal name: Qin Nuo.

Qin Zhao had taken too long to settle on a name, so Jing Li made the final decision.

When asked why he chose it, Jing Li explained, “Because yi nuo qian jin—a promise worth a thousand gold—and it also means one koi fish can sell for a thousand gold. If this little guy doesn’t behave in the future, I’ll sell him to make money.”

Qin Zhao’s expression turned complicated, but the fish fry, too young to understand, grinned foolishly, as happy as ever.