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

Wei Nanxun came to ask Pei Ji and the others what they wanted to eat for dinner. Today was a special day, and she had specially asked her grandfather to buy some good food and even some wine.

Before I even entered the door, I heard someone say that everything was packed.

She was still wondering why there was anything left to tidy up in the courtyard, since everything was so well taken care of.

Then I heard him say goodbye.

Wei Nanxun dropped the fruit basket in her hand and ran away in a hurry before she could even pick it up.

She didn't know why she was hiding; it was just a gut feeling that if he saw her expression, it would look terrible.

When did it start that I wanted to keep him, wanted him by my side, and wanted to see him for a long, long time?

Perhaps it was from that day, when the man surnamed Wen brought his men to cause trouble at her door, that she felt compelled to stand in front of her, even though she was injured and alone.

Even though this man came from a poor family, was penniless, and didn't even have anyone in his family to help him, she saw all of that as an advantage.

Without elders, there's no need to deal with conflicts between mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. Without money or power, there's no means to take a concubine or engage in philandering. Even the scholar's somewhat rigid and pedantic nature becomes his unique charm.

Since marrying anyone doesn't guarantee marrying the right person, why not just find someone you like and have them marry into your family?

At least Ji Shouzhou was good-looking, well-educated, and had no relatives, making him the perfect candidate for a son-in-law.

But he is a scholar, and his personality is so pedantic and rigid. If I were to rashly propose the idea of ​​marrying into the family, wouldn't he feel humiliated?

She kept this thought to herself, hoping that once his injury healed better and they spent more time together, she could save up enough dowry for him to marry into her family.

Who would have thought that he would leave before even taking the first step?

Wei Nanxun sat in front of the bronze mirror in the room, looking at herself in the mirror, and felt that she was really absurd and ridiculous.

Fortunately, she hadn't told anyone about her feelings yet, so she decided to keep them to herself.

"Ah Yue, it's me."

Hearing that familiar voice outside the door, Wei Nanxun knew that this was the last person she wanted to see: "What's wrong? I'm busy right now. If it's something, we can talk about it later."

In Pei Ji's hand was the sachet she had accidentally left outside; he had also come to say goodbye.

He wanted to push the door open and go in, but then thought it was inappropriate. Just as he was about to say what he wanted to say from outside the door, he saw Zhixia running over with a jar of wine.

Seeing him standing outside the door, clutching something in his hand, she immediately winked at him.

Before he could speak, she leaned closer and whispered, "Mr. Ji, you found out so quickly? I knew my sister couldn't resist."

"Is this the gift you prepared? Wait a minute, this purse looks so similar to my sister's."

Pei Ji swallowed back the words of farewell that were on the tip of his tongue. He frowned and asked, "A gift?"

"Oh right, a birthday gift? I didn't know that."

"Today is my sister's sixteenth birthday. She started preparing yesterday and specially asked Grandpa to buy a lot of delicious food, as well as this jar of wine."

Pei Ji's expression turned slightly serious; today was actually her birthday.

"Since it's not to deliver a gift, what brings Mr. Ji to see my sister?"

He gripped the purse in his hand tightly, then suddenly turned around: "It's nothing, we'll talk about it tomorrow."

-

Ji Feng nudged Ji Yun's shoulder and whispered, "Brother, what's wrong with Master? He went out to look for this Miss Guan, but he hasn't said a word since he came back. Are we still going?"

Ji Yun glanced at his elder brother with disdain. He couldn't understand his master's thoughts at all. How had he served the prince all these years?

"What's with that look? I'm asking you a question. The carriage is all ready, when are we going to set off? Why don't you go ask the Prince?"

"Go yourself if you want, I'm not going."

Approaching the prince at a time like this is practically suicide.

Perhaps because the two were making too much noise, Pei Ji, who hadn't spoken since returning, suddenly looked up at them.

The prince hated being disturbed when he was thinking, so the two brothers immediately fell silent, keeping their eyes down and their minds focused. They wished they could slap themselves twice for being so cheeky.

Unexpectedly, Pei Ji stared at them intently for a moment, then asked strangely, "What should we prepare for a birthday gift?"

A birthday gift?

The two stared blankly, their mouths slightly agape, wondering if they had gone deaf.

The prince is preparing birthday gifts for someone?!

It should be noted that the prince did not care at all about the emperor's birthday or the empress dowager's birthday celebrations each year, let alone take the initiative to participate in the preparation of gifts.

It's unbelievable that they'd actually ask about my birthday gift now, more unbelievable than snow falling in June.

Pei Ji seemed oblivious to the shock on their faces, raising an eyebrow with a nonchalant expression: "Speak."

Ji Feng then came to his senses and belatedly said, "Sir, are you perhaps preparing a birthday gift for Miss Guan...?"

"My lord, I think that sending new clothes and jewelry is the safest bet."

As he spoke, he nudged his older brother's chest with his elbow, signaling him to be quiet.

He thought that after spending a few days together, his elder brother should have understood, but he was still foolish. From the moment the prince rescued her, he should have realized how special the prince was to this Miss Guan.

Normally, Pei Ji would have kicked Ji Feng out long ago for his foolishness. But today, he had no interest in paying attention to anyone else, his brows furrowed as if he were studying some important military and political matter such as troop deployment.

"Clothing, jewelry?"

Wei Nanxun was beautiful, the kind of beauty that she was naturally beautiful and aware of. She liked to buy new clothes for others and jewelry for her younger sister, but he had never seen her buy anything for herself.

She often wore plain-colored dresses and didn't like makeup, always appearing without a face, yet her radiance and beauty remained undeniable.

When they first met, he thought she liked such mundane things. But after spending time together, he could confidently say that while giving her these things wouldn't be a mistake, they were definitely not what she wanted.

Since he was about to leave, he should at least give her a gift as a way of thanking her for taking care of him over the past month.

He didn't just want her to make no mistakes; he wanted her to be happy.

Pei Ji has always prioritized action over thought; once he decides to do something, he never hesitates.

He got up and went outside, taking his hidden blade with him as he left. The two brothers followed him, puzzled.

"Sir, where are you going?"

"Don't follow."

Pei Ji was gone for an entire afternoon. When he returned under the cover of night, his original sleeve blade was gone, and a carving knife was instead hanging at his waist.

As dusk settled, only a few lanterns were lit in the courtyard, and he could hear laughter and chatter coming from the main house in the distance.

He squeezed the object in his palm, strode over, and as soon as he pushed open the door, he saw Wei Nanxun wearing a red gauze dress, sitting at the head of the table.

Her cheeks flushed, and when she noticed him enter the room, she raised the wine glass in her hand.

She looked at him with her eyes crinkling and said, "Ji Shouzhou, come, let's drink."