Demoting my wife to a concubine? After being reborn, I turned around and married into the imperial f

Chu Xunzhen's gaze fell on the girl beside him.

Her rose-pink dress accentuated her jade-like skin. Perhaps due to her time recuperating in the capital, her skin, though still somewhat dark, wasn't as dark as before.

"I've made up my mind. My future husband will give me money to spend and whisper sweet nothings in my ear."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xunzhen coughed violently.

"Cough cough cough..."

Liu Xiangning looked at Chu Xunzhen with concern, patted her back, and asked softly, "Zhenzhen, are you alright?"

It took Chu Xunzhen a long while to catch his breath.

She raised her hand and pinched Liu Xiangning's waist, giving it a light tickle, which made Liu Xiangning almost jump up.

"Ouch, Zhenzhen, you're so naughty. Stop tickling me, it itches."

Chu Xunzhen turned his head away, pretending to be angry: "I'll teach you to laugh at me."

Liu Xiangning laughed heartily and begged for mercy repeatedly, "I won't dare to do it again, I won't dare to do it again."

Chu Xunzhen looked at Liu Xiangning and said, "Ningning, you're right. When looking for a husband, you should find one who is willing to spend money on you. If a man is not even willing to spend money on you, he cannot be considered a good match."

Gu Changfeng, who was behind him, happened to hear these words.

He touched his nose somewhat awkwardly.

However, considering that he was born into a noble family and now holds a high-ranking official position, even though he still needs Chu Wanrou's help to make a living, he is still much better off than many men.

Liu Xiangning deeply agreed.

Just now, Nangong Yue gave Chu Xunzhen 100,000 taels of silver without even blinking.

Look, that's what perspective means.

Gu Changfeng suddenly stepped forward, blocking the two men's path, and said, "What you two say makes sense. But what if that man is temporarily poor, yet he is highly learned and just hasn't been recognized for his talents and hasn't been promoted yet, and needs someone else's help?"

Chu Xunzhen frowned and suddenly turned her head away.

I was planning to walk quickly so I wouldn't get bothered by this person.

I get annoyed whenever I see him now.

The two of them are long gone, so why should he dwell on their past life?

Liu Xiangning glared at Gu Changfeng and said, "So it's you."

Gu Changfeng chuckled, "It is my honor that Miss Liu remembers me."

Liu Xiangning looked at Chu Xunzhen and said, "By the way, a person who is ungrateful and faithless is not a good match."

Gu Changfeng: "..."

"Xiang Ning, let's go."

Chu Xunzhen was too lazy to waste words with Gu Changfeng. Just seeing him now annoyed her.

This person wasn't so clingy in their past life, was they?

In this lifetime, Chu Xunzhen never married him, yet he still can't forget her?

"Wait a minute." Gu Changfeng stretched out his hands and blocked the two of them.

As he reached out, a small hole was clearly visible under the crease of his clothes.

"Lord Gu, is it because you don't have enough money to buy clothes? Why are you wearing such tattered clothes?" Liu Xiangning chuckled and asked.

Gu Changfeng was puzzled, but then he noticed that Qingsong pointed to his armpit.

He looked down and realized that there was a hole in his clothes under his armpit.

How could this happen?

In his previous life, he never had to worry about clothes.

Chu Xunzhen prepared clothes for him for all four seasons, each piece unique, and shoes in every pair were different colors.

If the clothes were torn, Chu Xunzhen would immediately mend them himself and then donate the patched clothes to the poor.

Gu Changfeng, looking embarrassed, said, "I was chasing after you just now, and I was walking so fast that my clothes tore. You two haven't answered my question yet."

"Not bad." Xiao Qinghan caught up and clasped his hands in greeting to Gu Changfeng.

He was standing not far behind Gu Changfeng.

He dared not come up, but he wanted to find out where Liu Xiangning had gone.

Perhaps we can bump into each other by chance.

He had initially followed Gu Changfeng, so he followed as well.

But Gu Changfeng actually stood directly in front of the two of them and asked them a question. So he followed them up.

Chu Xunzhen remained silent, clearly not wanting to answer.

Liu Xiangning laughed: "Oh, you mean that person only needed help temporarily, right?"

Gu Changfeng nodded and said, "That's right."

Liu Xiangning scoffed, "That doesn't mean he should use a woman's money. If he needs help, he can ask his father, mother, or friends. Why only seek help from women? It's clearly an attempt to use personal connections to deliberately lure women into helping him. Lord Gu, am I right?"

Chu Xunzhen smiled.

Gu Changfeng's expression was grim, but he still spoke up: "No one else could help him; he could only rely on this woman at the time. Does that mean she wasn't a good match for him?"

"Lord Gu, are you feigning madness? In the entire capital, who doesn't know that before her marriage, the Ninth Princess helped you and the Gu family a great deal? Yet you went to her door to annul the engagement and then became engaged to her adopted daughter who took her place. Such ingratitude—aren't you the epitome of it all?"

Liu Xiangning's voice was extremely loud.

The noble ladies from nearby families who were leaving the palace all looked over.

"Yes, the woman gave her heart, only to be dumped. And now he actually thinks such a man is a good match for her?"

"Never spend money on a man."

"Yes. A real man is one who gives his wife money to spend, like the Ninth Prince."

......

Hearing the gossip of the noble ladies, Gu Changfeng's face darkened with anger. He roared at Liu Xiangning, "I have already promised her the position of concubine. What more do you want?"

Liu Xiangning's eyes widened, and she almost pulled out the long whip hidden in her belt.

She roared, "Are you out of your mind? Zhenzhen gave you so much before she was married, and you think you're doing her a favor by making her a concubine?"

Gu Changfeng was furious: "That's right. She doesn't deserve to be the legal wife."

Liu Xiangning was so angry that she was about to take action.

Chu Xunzhen stopped her, sneering at Gu Changfeng, "What? Before I was married, when you asked me for money, why didn't you say my money wasn't good enough? Gu Changfeng, you're disgusting. You want my money, and you want Chu Wanrou too. Now the banquet has been over for so long, why don't you go back to your wife? Do you despise her and think she can't give you money? And now you want to pester me, the Ninth Prince's wife who has shops and money?"

Gu Changfeng's face turned ashen. He flicked his long sleeves and turned to leave, saying, "Incomprehensible."

Watching his retreating figure, Liu Xiangning patted her chest in fright and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Zhenzhen, what exactly did you see in him before?"

Chu Xunzhen rubbed his forehead and said helplessly, "I was blind when I was young."

Listening to their conversation, Xiao Qinghan said, "Miss Liu, you're right to scold them. Such ungrateful people deserve to be scolded."

"Young Master Xiao, men and women should not touch each other. If there is nothing else, please proceed."

Chu Xunzhen gestured to Xiao Qinghan to invite him.

Xiao Qinghan glanced quickly at Liu Xiangning.

His gentle, jade-like eyes and elegant, graceful figure drew the attention of the noble ladies present.

However, when the noble ladies noticed his humble origins, they immediately withdrew their gazes.

Xiao Qinghan left.

Liu Xiangning finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Zhenzhen, don't you think this person has been following us?"

Hearing this, Chu Xunzhen kindly explained, "It's because I'm following you."

Liu Xiangning was not afraid of men. At the border, she had seen mostly strong, robust men. But in the capital, she saw mostly slender, gentle men.

To be fair, the type of man she liked was indeed slender and gentle.

Like Xiao Qinghan just now, who was slender and gentle.

Liu Xiangning murmured to herself, "Could it be that he wants to see me? Does he hope I'll recommend him?"

Many people in the capital had once begged her to recommend them to her father.

At that time, she was fed up with these men.

In addition, after arguing with Chu Xunzhen that day, and then hearing the news of his brother's injury, he rushed to the border that very night.

Chu Xunzhen looked at Liu Xiangning's innocent and foolish expression and smiled faintly.

No. He wants to marry you.

Liu Xiangning was stunned.

She was a dark-skinned woman who had just returned from the border, yet someone actually liked her?

Although her skin is now fairer than when she first returned, it is still much darker than that of the noble ladies in the capital.

Chu Xunzhen spoke again: "What's the use of just asking you for a recommendation? Why not marry you? That way you'll be devoted to him and plan things out for him. Your father will also help him advance his career because of you, allowing him to rise rapidly in rank."

Liu Xiangning's body trembled violently.

Would she help a man like that? Just like Chu Xunzhen, who had never married, and had been helping a man without complaint or regret?

Just thinking about it makes me feel suffocated.

"Ningning." Seeing that no one was around, the two boarded the carriage. Chu Xunzhen said solemnly, "Never fall in love with Xiao Qinghan. He is wicked, extremely good at hiding his thoughts, and a very scheming person. Moreover, you know where I come from, and I know a little bit about physiognomy. I can tell that he is already married."

The story of his rebirth was too bizarre for Chu Xun to tell anyone.

But Liu Xiangning, even in her previous life until her death, kept thinking about her.

When Chu Xunzhen was being tormented by Gu Changfeng and Lu Ruoying, she came to visit her, spoke up for her, and secretly helped her.

Chu Xun sincerely hopes that Liu Xiangning will marry a good husband in this life, instead of being deceived by Xiao Qinghan like in her previous life.

Liu Xiangning was shocked and covered her mouth.

Who in the capital doesn't know that the newly appointed top scholar is unmarried and comes from a humble background?

My father once said that the top scholar was quite knowledgeable.

Unexpectedly, he got married.

"Come on! I, the princess, will take you to a fun place."

The carriage roared through the dust, and soon the two arrived at their destination.

"Zhenzhen, do we have to wear veils?" Liu Xiangning asked with a puzzled look on her face from inside the carriage.

"Do bad things," Chu Xunzhen said succinctly.

Liu Xiangning immediately put on a black veil and a cone-shaped hat.

Chu Xunzhen glanced at her.

Wow, he's even more professional than her.

Chu Xunzhen got off the carriage first, then helped Liu Xiangning down.

"Zhenzhen, why aren't you a man?" Liu Xiangning suddenly asked, her eyes filled with deep regret.

Chu Xunzhen chuckled twice, then used his slender pinky to lift her chin: "If I were a man, you would be mine tonight."

Liu Xiangning blushed.

Chu Xunzhen laughed heartily.

Liu Xiangning gave Chu Xunzhen a disapproving look and snorted coldly before noticing that the building in front of them was the Red Mansion.

"Zhenzhen, what are we doing here?"

"To have some fun."

Before he could finish speaking, Chu Xunzhen had already entered the Red Chamber.

Seeing this, Liu Xiangning quickly followed.