By a twist of fate, the illegitimate son of the Marquis's family marries the county princess.

Chapter 325 Casual Chat at the Hot Spring

November of the 18th year of the Da Shun dynasty

The capital city is getting colder and colder, and people are becoming less and less willing to go out, resulting in fewer people on the streets.

梅苑

Pei Rujing, Zuo Mingxuan, and Princess Changning were soaking in the hot spring, leaning against the edge of the pool with teacups beside them and maids waiting by their side.

Zuo Mingxuan let out a comfortable sigh: "Ever since I gave birth to Ping-ge'er, a single day of peace has been a luxury. I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time."

Princess Changning looked at her and asked curiously, "They're both children, so why is Rui-ge'er so well-behaved, while Cousin Xuan's Ping-ge'er is so mischievous?"

Princess Changning is now twelve years old. Unlike before when she knew nothing, the Empress has relaxed her restrictions on her a lot, and she has learned a lot of things.

Upon hearing this question, Zuo Mingxuan sighed heavily: "My princess, not everyone is as lucky as the county princess. It's normal for children to be a little mischievous."

A child like Rui Ge'er, who repays kindness, is truly rare.

Princess Changning nodded: "It's only natural that Cousin Jing is lucky."

Zuo Mingxuan looked at her speechlessly: "How come you're still like this even though you've grown up?"

I'll never be able to shake my obsession with good looks.

Princess Changning smiled and moved closer to Pei Rujing: "Why aren't you saying anything, cousin?"

Pei Rujing opened her eyes and said lazily, "I'm listening to you guys talk. You're all out having fun, so don't think about anything upsetting."

The county princess is very carefree. She was reluctant to part with Rui-ge before, but once she made the decision to go out and have fun, she instantly forgot about Rui-ge.

Zuo Mingxuan asked her, "Is it Third Brother Wen who's looking after Rui-ge'er at the manor now?"

Anyway, she just dumped her son Ping-ge on Fang Si-chu.

Pei Rujing shook her head: "I sent Rui-ge'er to the Marquis's residence and handed him over to my aunt."

The aunt she was referring to was naturally Aunt Chen.

Zuo Mingxuan was somewhat disappointed: "I wanted to see what it was like for Brother Wen to take care of the child."

Pei Rujing glanced at her: "There are so many maids in the mansion, why would he need to take care of them?"

"But you still have to play with Rui-ge, right?"

Pei Rujing closed her eyes again: "My husband is very patient, and Rui-ge'er likes to play with him."

This is a fact.

Boys generally like exciting activities.

Rui Ge'er only likes to be held and lifted high by Wen Zongji. Now, whenever he sees Wen Zongji, he reaches out his arms to be held and lifted high.

Wen Zongji set conditions for him: he would only lift him up high if he could walk steadily for a while or learn a few new words.

Pei Rujing would sometimes complain to him, "How can you make demands on your own son?"

Wen Zongji replied matter-of-factly, "I was telling him that even if he is my son, he cannot expect to gain something for nothing."

Pei Rujing raised an eyebrow: "Nobody will do?"

Wen Zongji understood her meaning and looked at her gently, saying, "Of course, my wife is an exception."

Pei Rujing recalled Wen Zongji's answer, a smile playing on her lips; she was still very satisfied with it to this day.

Zuo Mingxuan, with her sharp eyes, noticed this scene and teased, "Is the county princess thinking of Rui-ge'er or Wen-san-ge?"

Pei Rujing ignored her.

Zuo Mingxuan gave Princess Changning a wink.

Princess Changning immediately chimed in, "He must have been thinking of my brother-in-law. My cousin and brother-in-law have such a good relationship. Every time I go to stay at the county princess's mansion, my brother-in-law gives me a hard time, blaming me for taking my cousin away."

"Really? Then Brother Wen is too stingy."

Pei Rujing opened her eyes, watched the two of them singing in unison, and said, "Do you need me to set up a stage for you?"

Princess Changning was bewildered: "What do you mean?"

"This is a chance for the two of you to perform."

Princess Changning choked on her words: "There's no need for that."

"Since you know your husband doesn't like it, you shouldn't keep going to the county princess's residence."

Princess Changning wouldn't listen, and hugged Pei Rujing: "No way, I just want to play with my cousin, and Rui-ge'er will definitely like me visiting him often."

Pei Rujing said mercilessly, "That's just wishful thinking on your part. He doesn't even remember who you are."

This is a fact.

Rui-ge'er is too young to remember things. Princess Changning only visits the county princess's residence once every few months, which is not enough for Rui-ge'er to remember her.

Princess Changning pouted: "Cousin~"

That's so hurtful!

Zuo Mingxuan, however, was much more thick-skinned and pretended not to hear Pei Rujing's mockery of asking her to sing: "After marrying Brother Wen, the county princess has become more and more composed, especially after giving birth to Rui Ge'er. I've almost forgotten what the county princess was like before."

You should know that in the beginning, Pei Rujing was capable of tearing each other's hair in public with An Qingyan.

In the capital's social circles, many people know that Princess Anhe has a fiery temper and is not to be trifled with; it's best not to offend her.

Looking at Pei Rujing now, it would be hard to associate her with the former Princess Anhe.

Pei Rujing replied, "People always have to grow up. Look at Changning, she certainly wouldn't ask what mahjong is now."

Upon hearing this, Princess Changning immediately became resentful: "When my cousin lied to me that mahjong was the same as Go, didn't she feel any remorse?"

Zuo Mingxuan quickly retorted, "When did the county princess ever have a conscience?"

Pei Rujing: "..."

She glared at Zuo Mingxuan and said, "If you didn't have such a negative attitude towards Go and were willing to try mahjong, you wouldn't have been fooled by me for so long."

It was true that Princess Changning was deceived for a long time, until one day when she went out of the palace for a trip and accidentally entered a mahjong parlor, she finally understood what mahjong was.

Princess Changning looked shocked: "Is it my fault again?"

Pei Rujing nodded: "Obviously."

Princess Changning became withdrawn.

Zuo Mingxuan chuckled beside her.

Princess Changning never managed to out-argue Pei Rujing.

……

While Pei Rujing and the others were leisurely soaking in the hot springs, Wen Zongji was not idle either, and he met with Wu Fengyuan at a teahouse for tea.

"How rare! How come the Prefect has time to bother with a nobody like me?"

Wu Fengyuan frequently invited Wen Zongji to meet, and he was able to succeed once out of ten times.

He was either busy with official duties or spending time with his wife and children. Seeing that he couldn't compete with either of them, Wu Fengyuan tactfully suggested that they meet up another time.

We were all flattered to receive the invitation from Wen Zongji today.

Wen Zongji said, "My wife went to the outskirts of the city for a stroll, and Rui-ge'er was sent to the Marquis's residence."

Wu Fengyuan suddenly realized: "So your wife and children aren't around. No wonder you had time to look for me."

Wen Zongji frowned: "If you have something to attend to, you can leave first."

Don't look so resentful; it's weird on people.

They're both married now, after all.

Wu Fengyuan immediately changed the subject: "How is Brother Wen doing in Shuntian Prefecture?"

Wen Zongji said, "That's good. There are many trivial matters in Shuntian Prefecture, but most of them are handled by the officials below. There are not many that really require my intervention."

For Wen Zongji, the biggest change from being a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue to becoming the vice prefect of Shuntian Prefecture was that he went from being an executor to a decision-maker.

He no longer needs to do everything himself.

Of course, he was also a decision-maker in the Beijing Newspaper Department back then, but things are different then than they are now.

When the Beijing Gazette Bureau was first established, everything was still in the process of exploration. Although Wen Zongji was the decision-maker, he actually handled many things personally, since others did not understand the Beijing Gazette.

Now, as the Vice Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, Wen Zongji truly places himself in the position of a decision-maker.

The experience is naturally very different.

That's the allure of power; Wen Zongji was quite pleased with his current position.