November, the Fourteenth Year of Shun’an.
The bleak winter wind whistled as the vermilion gates of the Zhongyong Marquis Mansion remained tightly shut, the red lanterns hanging above swaying in the biting chill.
As the guests departed, the festive atmosphere of the grand wedding gradually began to fade.
Yunguang Courtyard.
Wen Zongji clutched his head and slowly sat up from the floor. Looking at the antique room before him, his eyes were filled with confusion.
Today was his company’s annual meeting. In high spirits, he had drunk a few extra glasses. He had called for a designated driver on the way back, but they had collided head-on with a heavy truck at a turn. Already woozy, he had instantly lost consciousness.
He thought he had survived a disaster and been saved by doctors, but when he opened his eyes, he was not in a hospital. Looking down at the bright red wedding robes he was wearing, he was completely stunned.
With the help of her maidservants, Pei Rujing had removed her heavy wedding headpiece, and her neck felt instantly relieved.
Seeing Wen Zongji wake up, the anger in Pei Rujing’s eyes had not yet fully dissipated. Granny Feng, who was standing by, hurried over to help Wen Zongji up. “Son-in-law, you have to wake up early tomorrow to pay your respects. You should go bathe first.”
With that, Wen Zongji was pushed into the outer bathroom by Granny Feng, while two young manservants followed him in.
Chang Dong stepped forward, intending to undress Wen Zongji, but Wen Zongji instinctively took a step back. “I’ll do it myself.”
An Feng glanced outside and whispered, “Young Master, what happened just now? Why did I hear a ‘thump’?”
The two were very worried about Wen Zongji. As manservants, they could not enter the inner chambers, which were filled with Pei Rujing’s people, making it impossible for them to feel at ease.
After taking off his wedding robes, Wen Zongji sat in the bath barrel, resting his arms on the rim. “It’s nothing.”
Having said that, Wen Zongji closed his eyes, masking his complex expression.
Having successfully received the memories of the original owner of this body, Wen Zongji finally realized his situation.
He had transmigrated!
He had transmigrated into a concubine-born son of a Marquis Mansion who had struck a stroke of dumb luck!
Why put it that way?
Because the original owner was an undervalued concubine-born son of the Marquis Mansion, yet he had married the daughter of the Grand Princess and the current Emperor’s biological niece—County Princess Anhe!
But this marriage, from top to bottom, from the Grand Princess to Pei Rujing, was wanted by no one. They were only forced by circumstances to marry Pei Rujing to the original owner.
The reason was simple.
A while ago, during the first-birthday ceremony for the eldest legitimate son of the Heir of Duke Anguo, the original owner had just passed the provincial examinations. Barely catching the eye of the Marquis Zhongyong, he was allowed to accompany the rest of the household to the Anguo Duke Mansion.
In the past, such social opportunities to build connections never fell to the original owner.
Marquis Zhongyong had four sons and two daughters. The original owner’s biological mother, Concubine Chen, had given birth to him—the third concubine-born son—and a daughter, Wen Shuyu.
The eldest legitimate son and the youngest son were both born to the primary wife, Lady Jiang, who had also given birth to the Marquis Mansion’s eldest legitimate daughter.
The second son was also concubine-born, but he was the child of a favored concubine. Though not as valued as a legitimate son, he was occasionally taken out by Marquis Zhongyong to meet people.
Only the original owner was both concubine-born and dull-witted in personality, doing nothing but burying his head in books. He was like a ghost in the mansion; if not for the lack of heirs, Marquis Zhongyong might have forgotten he even had such a son.
When the results of the provincial exams were posted in September, the original owner’s name was on the list. This was his only moment of glory in the mansion.
It also earned him this chance to go to the Anguo Duke Mansion.
The original owner was poor at socializing and felt inferior due to his status as a concubine-born son. Fearing that if he took the initiative to socialize, others would only ridicule him, he found a quiet place to stay.
Unexpectedly, this very act brought disaster upon him.
The original owner had studied himself silly and possessed no sense of vigilance. When a random manservant told him Marquis Zhongyong was waiting for him, he believed it and foolishly followed the man.
When he arrived and pushed open the door, Marquis Zhongyong was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was Pei Rujing, who was in the middle of changing her clothes.
A man suddenly appearing before her gave Pei Rujing a fright, and she screamed. Before she could demand to know who Wen Zongji was, a crowd of people swarmed in.
Pei Rujing’s dress was not yet fully fastened, and Wen Zongji was standing beside her. The scene was the perfect picture of being caught in an affair.
And so, Pei Rujing’s reputation was ruined.
In this era where propriety was more important than life itself, unless she married Wen Zongji, Pei Rujing would likely have no choice but to become a nun.
Even if she was Emperor Shun’an’s niece, she couldn’t stop the world from gossiping.
Thus, the marriage between the Grand Princess Mansion and the Zhongyong Marquis Mansion was settled. They even completed the Six Rites within a single month, and today was their wedding day.
But the problem was that Pei Rujing felt aggrieved.
She was the only daughter of the Grand Princess and had been pampered since childhood. On her coming-of-age ceremony last year, Emperor Shun’an had specially bestowed upon her the title of County Princess Anhe. Her glory was boundless, and the imperial favor she enjoyed was immense.
Had the Crown Prince not been so young, Pei Rujing might have even become the Crown Princess.
To end up married to a concubine-born son, and a forced marriage at that—it would be a miracle if she were happy.
The original owner hadn’t been comfortable either. Many people had congratulated him recently, but their mocking eyes all sneered at his “brilliant schemes” to climb into such a good marriage, and they teased that he was destined to be a henpecked husband.
The original owner was a scholar, and he valued face above all else.
In his mind, the husband was the center of the universe. Regardless of Pei Rujing’s status, once she married into the Zhongyong Marquis Mansion, she was a member of the Marquis Mansion, and her duty was to serve her husband and raise their children.
Today, he had been pressured into drinking quite a bit of alcohol. Liquid courage emboldened him. After entering the wedding chamber and lifting the veil, the original owner had stood before Pei Rujing and said condescendingly, “Help me undress!”
Hearing this, Pei Rujing’s eyes widened instantly. “What did you say?”
The surrounding maids and older female servants were also stunned, truly not expecting the new son-in-law to be so bold.
The original owner gave a cold snort. “You have married me now. The husband is the guide of the wife; is it not only right for a wife to serve her husband?”
Pei Rujing was so angry her eyes turned red. She grabbed the wedding scale and smashed it onto the original owner’s head.
And then, the modern Wen Zongji had arrived!
Wen Zongji: “…”
There were too many things to complain about; he didn’t know where to start.
He was a dignified company boss and a golden bachelor; now, not only was he married, but he had married a sixteen-year-old girl. This leap was simply too large.
“Young Master?”
Chang Dong called out softly from the side, worried that Wen Zongji had fallen asleep.
Wen Zongji opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the bath barrel to change into his inner robes. Chang Dong and An Feng took turns using towels to wring his hair dry.
When he stepped out of the bathroom and returned to the inner chamber, Pei Rujing had already changed into a set of red inner garments, clearly having bathed as well.
Because of the bath, Pei Rujing’s fair face carried a slight flush. Her already exquisite features held a trace of allure, like a red apple that made one want to take a bite.
Wen Zongji dismissed the perverted thoughts from his mind.
His young wife was very beautiful. Her dark, obsidian eyes were bright and captivating, her willow-leaf brows were elegantly curved—she possessed a beauty that could topple cities. But in the end, she was only sixteen.
Seeing Wen Zongji, Pei Rujing’s expression remained cold.
Seeing that neither of them was speaking, Granny Feng said, “County Princess and Son-in-law, please rest early.”
She then led the maids and servants out.
In the blink of an eye, only the two of them remained in the inner chamber.
Wen Zongji walked toward Pei Rujing.
Before he could speak, Pei Rujing glared at him fiercely and said, “I will not consummate the marriage with you. If you dare touch me, I will… have my second brother break your legs.”
Because she had married a concubine-born son, Pei Rujing had become the laughingstock of the capital. She hated Wen Zongji, the man who had caused her to lose all face, with a passion.
Wen Zongji let out a yawn and said blandly, “Understood.”
Then, he lifted the quilt near the edge of the bed, lay down, and closed his eyes to sleep.
Pei Rujing: “…”
She was stunned by Wen Zongji’s actions. It took a long while before she regained her senses. She ran to the bedside and said angrily, “Get up! I haven’t even gotten into bed yet.”
Pei Rujing’s quilt was on the inner side of the bed. If Wen Zongji didn’t move, she would have to climb over him.
She wouldn’t do that!
Wen Zongji opened his eyes and got out of bed. “County Princess, after you—”
Pei Rujing was thoroughly confused by Wen Zongji’s series of actions.
The person in her memory—the one reeking of alcohol and arrogantly demanding she serve him—and the man before her seemed like two different people. Yet, looking at that handsome, refined face, it was clearly the same person.
“Is the County Princess not going to sleep?”
Pei Rujing snapped back to reality. “Of course I am!”
With a cold huff, she climbed onto the bed and burrowed into her quilt, wrapping herself tightly for fear that Wen Zongji might bully her.
Wen Zongji glanced at the candles burning on either side of the bed and asked casually, “Should I blow out the candles?”
He had heard that some people liked to sleep with the lights on, and he didn’t know which category this young wife fell into.
Just as he asked, he saw his young wife look at him with a complicated expression. “These are wedding candles!”
Wedding candles were not just for celebration; they also symbolized the prosperity and flourishing of offspring. They could not be blown out and had to be left to burn out on their own.
Wen Zongji fell silent for a moment before burrowing back into his quilt. “Let’s sleep!”
Processing the original owner’s memories had left his mind in a daze, to the point where he could ask such a stupid question.