Ch 135 (Extra 17): Reborn to Raise My Husband

Zhao Guangzong & Jiang Tangtuan (End)

After the incident with Cousin Liu, Jiang Lingyun’s deception was exposed before the Jiang family. Though his path in the examinations was not entirely blocked, his future prospects were greatly diminished.

The Jiang family had long-standing influence in official circles and was not easily fooled. A report was made to the academic authorities, and a mark was recorded against Jiang Lingyun’s character.

Even if he were to later achieve high success in the examinations, when the Ministry of Personnel investigated his background, there would be little hope of a favorable appointment.

As for how things unfolded between him and the Liu family afterward, that was another matter entirely and need not be told here.

—

Zhao Guangzong and Tangtuan were married the following year.

On the day of the wedding, when the auspicious hour arrived and Tangtuan, dressed in red, was led out by his family, Zhao Guangzong felt as if everything were still a dream.

Only after the ceremony, the toasts, and entering the bridal chamber, when he saw that person quietly seated on the bed, did it finally begin to feel real.

Zhao Guangzong gently lifted the veil. A pale, delicate face came into view.

Seeing a faint blush on Tangtuan’s cheeks, he could not help but reach out and lightly touch it.

“I put on a little rouge,” Tangtuan said softly, noticing him staring in a daze.

“You already look more than good enough. There’s no need for such things.”

Zhao Guangzong glanced at his fingertip, now faintly stained red, then back at that flawless, jade-like face, thinking that no adornment was necessary at all.

“My health isn’t very good. My complexion is usually pale. Today is a happy occasion, so I thought a bit of rouge would make me look better.”

Tangtuan added, “I didn’t trouble myself with anything else.”

Hearing this, Zhao Guangzong felt a pang of concern. “You’ve been raised so carefully since childhood. How is it that your health is still not well?”

“When I was young, I was quite mischievous,” Tangtuan said. “I tried to climb trees like my brother and fell into a pond. I had a high fever for days, which damaged my health. That’s why my body became so delicate.”

Zhao Guangzong was surprised. Ever since he had known Tangtuan, he had thought him quiet and gentle. He had not expected such a past.

Seeing his disbelief, Tangtuan explained, “My brother was punished heavily because of it. I felt terribly guilty, so afterward I learned to behave. And since my health was poor, I couldn’t be as carefree as before. Gradually, I became like this.”

Zhao Guangzong said, “If you hadn’t told me, I would never have believed you were once so lively.”

Tangtuan smiled. “What about you? Were you always this kind?”

Zhao Guangzong’s lips curved at the praise. “You think I’m kind?”

“Yes. Bright and gentle.”

Zhao Guangzong chuckled. “But when I was young, I wasn’t like this at all.”

“Did something happen?”

Zhao Guangzong poured him a cup of tea and handed it over.

“When I was young, I was actually very timid and sensitive. I lacked confidence and always thought poorly of myself.”

“Why would you think that?”

Tangtuan felt that, aside from his family background, Zhao Guangzong was in no way inferior to others.

“When I was little, my family wanted me to study for the examinations, so they arranged a tutor for me early on. But that teacher had poor character. He favored the rich and belittled the poor.”

“In that school, my family was the most ordinary. He would single me out, scold and beat me. I was too young to understand right from wrong, and after being told so often that I was useless, I began to believe it.”

Tangtuan frowned deeply. He had never imagined Zhao Guangzong had gone through such a thing.

“Such a person should never have been allowed to teach. Did he face any consequences later?”

Zhao Guangzong shook his head lightly. “My family had already gone to great lengths to arrange my studies. How could I complain? I only blamed myself for being inadequate and endured it.”

“It was when I was ten that Bei Nan came to our village. Only then did I escape that teacher.”

“Bei Nan was about my age, but far more perceptive. He saw how I was being treated and urged me to tell my parents. After I left, that teacher used his connections to prevent me from entering other schools.”

“I thought my path in the examinations was over. But Bei Nan shared his father’s notes with me, taught me, and guided me. I eventually passed the county exam and entered the county school. Things improved from there.”

“During those years, he constantly encouraged and guided me. As a child, I often felt he understood the world better than even my father.”

Speaking of Qi Bei Nan, Zhao Guangzong grew reflective. “To me, he was like a teacher, even like a father. Yet we were the same age, and became close friends.”

Tangtuan had only known that Zhao Guangzong and Qi Bei Nan were from the same hometown. He had not realized there was so much history behind it.

His brother had often praised Qi Bei Nan before. Translated on Hololo novels. Hearing this now, Tangtuan’s understanding of him deepened.

“No wonder Bao ge’er can hardly go ten sentences without mentioning Lord Qi. He truly is a remarkable person.”

Zhao Guangzong smiled. “Indeed. The two of them have been close since childhood, unchanged for over ten years.”

“You don’t know, Bei Nan used to tease me for being dull and slow-witted. But he didn’t realize that after seeing their kind of bond, I became particular myself.”

“There are not many people in this world like them. I know that, yet I was unwilling to settle.”

As he spoke, he looked at Tangtuan, then smiled with quiet gratitude.

“Fortunately, I did not wait in vain. Heaven let me meet you.”

Tangtuan’s eyes shone brightly, and he smiled along with him.

Zhao Guangzong reached out and took Tangtuan’s hand. Feeling the slight coolness of his fingertips, he held it a little tighter.

He had long wanted to do this, but after their engagement was set, he had been busy preparing for the wedding and remained in Feng County. They did not see each other often.

Even when he went to Jinling to visit, they kept strictly to propriety and never overstepped.

Now that his hand was suddenly held so tightly, Tangtuan lifted his gaze to look at Zhao Guangzong.

He had always thought this man was so proper, the sort who would never do such things. Yet now that they were alone, he showed no restraint at all.

“From now on, I will take good care of you and never let you suffer any grievance.”

Tangtuan pressed his lips together, then in turn clasped Zhao Guangzong’s warm hand.

“My parents are kind people. They will only cherish me more than you do. I won’t be wronged in the future.”

Zhao Guangzong paused slightly at that. It was true his parents liked Tangtuan, but…

“How do you know they like you more than I do?”

Tangtuan said nothing, but Zhao Guangzong would not let it go. He reached out and wrapped an arm around Tangtuan’s waist.

Though his wedding robes were layered and elaborate, he could still feel how slender the waist in his arms was.

Tangtuan had always thought Zhao Guangzong was gentle, even a bit dull. But now, being held so close, feeling his arm around his waist, he realized that without even seeming to use force, he could not break free. Only then did he feel his masculine strength.

“If you truly liked me so much, why didn’t you come earlier to propose? Instead, you waited until you were in Feng County and only spoke after we met again.”

“If we hadn’t met, would you have just let it end like that?”

Hearing this, Zhao Guangzong said, “Don’t be upset. I already liked you on my way to the capital for the examinations. But after failing the metropolitan exam, I felt I had no face to propose.”

“At the time, I didn’t know you had feelings for me either. I was afraid you would suffer if you followed me, so I never said anything.”

Tangtuan found that this matched what he had already guessed.

But hearing it from his own lips was still different.

He looked at Zhao Guangzong’s face, his strong brows and straight nose. For some reason, he seemed even more handsome than usual.

Unable to put into words the warmth and fullness in his heart, Tangtuan simply closed his eyes and leaned in slightly. His lips brushed against Zhao Guangzong’s… chin.

When Tangtuan opened his eyes and realized he had kissed his chin instead of his lips, his ears instantly flushed red.

He had never kissed anyone before. It was his first time, and he had no experience. He had meant to kiss his lips, but missed.

Zhao Guangzong froze the moment he received that kiss. It took him a long while to recover.

By then, Tangtuan had already turned his face away, ears burning.

“I feel that now that we are married… it shouldn’t just be like this.”

As if possessed, Zhao Guangzong gently turned Tangtuan’s face back toward him.

Tangtuan was about to ask what he meant when he saw Zhao Guangzong’s eyes fixed on his lips, as if…

A sudden softness pressed against him, and Tangtuan’s mind went completely blank.

At first, it felt as though every sense in his body had been magnified, each sensation vivid and clear.

After a while, perhaps from lack of breath, his head grew light and hazy.

When he regained some awareness, he was already lying on the bed, his wedding robes removed.

For a moment, he felt nervous and at a loss. But the gentleness of the person beside him soon calmed him.

……

Fate may be ordained by heaven, but if one does not strive for it, does not act—

Even when opportunity is given, it can still be scattered by a passing wind.

Such is the way of all things.

—End of the story.

˙✧˖°🎓 ༘⋆｡ ˚