My elder sister forced me to become a concubine; I was reborn and remarried into the emperor's

The Mid-Autumn Festival is just a few days away, and the days will get cooler day by day. Huangjue Temple seems to have already fully entered autumn.

Its back hill is planted with maple trees, whose leaves have already turned from green to red. In a few more days, this place will surely be crowded with people coming to enjoy the autumn scenery.

There was a particularly high set of steps at the bend ahead, and Wei Nanxun wanted to hold onto the rocks next to her to climb up.

But before I could let go, I felt a tightness around my waist.

Pei Ji put one arm around her waist and lifted her up. Before she could even let out a soft cry, she was already standing steadily on the stone steps.

"You, could you please tell me in advance next time? It's kind of scary..."

Pei Ji's narrow phoenix eyes narrowed with a smile, revealing his delight. He surprisingly said, "I'm used to it. I'll be more careful in the future."

The thought of "afterwards" made Wei Nanxun blush and her heart race again, as if they really were going to have a future together.

Whenever she feels nervous or shy, she blinks repeatedly and her gaze darts around.

He blinked frequently and quickly changed the subject.

"How did you come to know Master Wuhui?"

"What a coincidence that we're here today."

"Also, are you really good at interpreting fortune sticks?"

She had so many questions, questions she used to keep to herself. But now, whether it was the beautiful scenery that made her feel relaxed, or whether she was starting to get used to the person beside her, she didn't know.

In short, she was filled with curiosity and a desire to explore his background.

Pei Ji rarely talks about his past, firstly because there is no one he can confide in, and secondly because there is no need to.

Only the weak constantly look back on the path they've traveled.

But Wei Nanxun is different. She is the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Telling her is not a retrospective, but a mutual understanding between lovers.

“Wu Hui was not at Huangjue Temple the year before last, but at Baima Temple. He found me when I was injured and took me back to Baima Temple to heal. After that, whenever I returned to the capital, I would go to Baima Temple alone to recuperate.”

He spoke of it casually, but the fact that he was injured and then found by someone must have been no less serious than the time she stumbled upon it.

Thinking of the countless old wounds on his body, she knew how many injuries he had suffered, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

So he was also on his way to find Master Wuhui that day, but he was ambushed along the way. No wonder he dressed so discreetly that she mistook him for a scholar who had been robbed while passing by.

As if she had just thought of something, she suddenly asked, "That courtyard behind the White Horse Temple, is it yours?"

Pei Ji raised his eyelids slightly and nodded with a smile.

No wonder she was stopped by the young monks in the temple when she wanted to go to the back mountain; they were truly remarkable benefactors.

"It is no coincidence that you are here today."

When Wei Nanxun first pushed open the door and saw Pei Ji, her first reaction was how could it be such a coincidence. Even now, thinking back on it, it was strange that Master Wuhui knew who she was.

Moreover, it seemed that the two of them knew she would be there before she arrived, and they had even made arrangements for her to have her fortune told.

"But how did you know I would come?"

“I didn’t know you would come, but I knew as soon as you stepped into the area within a hundred miles of this mountain.”

Getting her to come over wasn't going to be easy. He even arranged for most of the monks in the temple to come over in several ways so that she wouldn't notice.

Unexpectedly, she delivered herself to my door without me even needing to use any of them.

"As for interpreting the divination slips, I certainly don't know how."

"So all that talk you gave just now was a lie?! How could a master conspire with you to deceive me?"

She actually believed him, thinking he was telling the truth: "No, I have to go back and find a master to interpret my fortune."

This is crucial to whether her next task will succeed.

But before he could take even half a step, he was pulled back by a long arm around his waist.

"I don't know how to interpret it, but I've won this lottery before."

The only time in his life he knocked over the fortune-telling container, the one that fell out was exactly the same as hers.

He was too lazy to interpret the fortune sticks, but the old monk insisted on reciting them in his ear.

Wei Nanxun paused, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes widening slightly as she stared at him in disbelief. What a coincidence!

Seeing her dazed and adorable, Pei Ji reached out and gently tapped her forehead: "Finished asking?"

It seems there's nothing else to ask for the time being.

Before she could react, she instinctively nodded obediently.

"Can we continue now?"

She obediently nodded.

"Then, may I kiss you?"

Wei Nanxun didn't hear what he said at all; her head was already nodding like a chicken pecking at rice.

When his lips touched hers, she realized what he had said. She wanted to shake her head, but it was too late.

Damn it, how did she fall for his trick again!

Behind Wei Nanxun was a huge rock, and next to it was a towering tree that looked to be over a hundred years old. Her back was pressed against the rock wall, and the dense leaves cast a shade that completely enveloped her petite figure.

After all, it's a rock, and even if it looks smooth, there are still bumps and uneven parts.

It wasn't late autumn in the capital yet, and she was only wearing a single jacket and skirt. Her skin was also more delicate and sensitive than that of the other women, so she let out a soft hiss the moment she hit the stone wall.

It hurt a little, but she wasn't a particularly delicate person; it was just that it happened so suddenly that she couldn't help but make a sound.

If it were in his previous life, Pei Yuyan would never have cared about her pain or discomfort. His lust would come quickly, and sometimes even if she was inconvenienced, he would still want her without any regard for her needs.

She also got used to enduring the discomfort.

Pei Ji paused, and the two were so close that their noses were almost touching. She could clearly see the passion churning in his eyes.

Instead of kissing her directly, he put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to his chest. When she leaned in again, there was now a gap between her back and the stone wall.

It was his palm.

Wei Nanxun's eyes flickered slightly. Only now did she realize that liking is about possession, while love is about restraint.

He would suppress his desires because of her slightest discomfort, and he would stop because of her slightest frown.

What do you like about me?

Her eyes were somewhat unfocused. Her father and brother liked her because she was their closest relative, and Pei Yuyan liked her because she was beautiful and gentle and wouldn't cause trouble.

Aside from these people, it seems no one likes her.

Everyone preferred Wei Mingzhao; she was dignified, well-mannered, and knowledgeable, and one could immediately see the upbringing and refinement of the Duke's mansion.

What is it about her that makes Pei Ji like her so much?

Yes, in the past, she had secretly envied Wei Mingzhao, imagining that one day she could be loved by the world like her.

She felt inferior and insecure inside.

“Miss Jiang is intelligent and beautiful, and my elder sister is also quite virtuous and kind-hearted, but I can’t do anything. I’m not good at needlework and I don’t know anything about literature. There are countless families with better backgrounds than mine. Do you like my face too?”

"all."

Wei Nanxun didn't understand at first, his eyes still unfocused, until he repeated softly, "I can only see you in my eyes."

I love everything about you.

When she pounced on him in a daze, he mistakenly thought she was a woman who was clinging to vanity, and even then he did not push her away.

He just wouldn't admit it, but he had already fallen in love with her long ago, and even though she was frivolous, materialistic, and had designs on him, he still loved her.

Wei Nanxun's eyes welled up with tears; it turned out that she was also worthy of being liked.

Even if she gains and then loses, so what? She is no longer a caged bird that can only depend on a man. If he really betrays her one day, she will leave without hesitation.

Looking at the perfect face before her, Wei Nanxun, emboldened by some unknown source, stood on tiptoe and gently wrapped her arms around his neck.

She offered her lips to him.