A twist of fate brings him back, reborn. The regrets and missed chances of his previous life become an unwavering resolve to protect the one he loves. After Shen Guanqi is reborn, he gallops off at full speed, desperate to bring his husband Xie Qing home as soon as possible.
Xie Qing stayed by his side through the hardest years. He warmed Shen Guanqi's palms with hot pastries and poured his devotion into a crookedly sewn sachet. They supported each other through the hardships of mourning and the imperial examinations. Xie Qing prepared medicinal meals beside the mourning hall and played the “little teacher” at the village school, quietly helping Shen Guanqi pursue his studies. Meanwhile, the teasing of Shen Guanqi's students only made him cherish their love all the more.
Even after entering officialdom, they continued to walk side by side. Shen Guanqi slammed his court tablet to defend justice, while Xie Qing's talent earned him an unprecedented imperial decree, making them a legendary pair of top scholars. Political turmoil, aristocratic families' machinations, and raging epidemics could not separate them. Instead, their bond only grew deeper.
As the years passed, they left the court to live in the countryside and began a new chapter at an academy. The sachet that once sealed their love and the letters in the examination basket became tokens of their devotion. When their hair had turned white, the Lantern Festival lanterns still shone as they always had. Amid passersby teasing them, they fed each other sweet rice balls and looked back on a lifetime together, two hearts devoted to each other for all their days. Even time itself seemed to grow gentle.
It feels pretty good. After reading the previous part, it doesn't feel like you're going through the plot. It's more like a short comic that is chapter by chapter. The time span is relatively large and it's not as coherent as ordinary novels. If you value this kind of coherent plot experience, I won't like it. Personally, I still like it.