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

After Madam Wu's banquet, Pei Shirong still hadn't gotten engaged to anyone, but the matchmaking event wasn't entirely without effect; quite a few people did get engaged.

Of course, Zuo Mingxuan didn't succeed either.

Xinya Garden

Pei Rujing casually said, "Why don't you just get engaged to my second brother? That way, Madam Zuo and my mother won't have to worry anymore."

Zuo Mingxuan crossed her arms in front of her chest: "No! Your second brother is too stupid!"

"Third from the left!"

Pei Rujing defended her brother: "Your brother is the stupid one."

"Do you need me to count how many times you've tricked him over the years? No matter how clumsy the lie, he can't detect it."

Pei Rujing explained, "My second brother only treats me like that."

Zuo Mingxuan shook her head again: "I like smart people."

Pei Rujing pouted: "I was just saying. I don't even agree to you becoming my second sister-in-law."

"By the way, Miss Zhou wants to join the mahjong club; Madam Wu personally introduced her to it."

Zuo Mingxuan said.

Pei Rujing was taken aback: "She knows how to play mahjong?"

To be honest, Zhou Lanzhi's demeanor was so otherworldly that you couldn't tell she knew how to play mahjong.

"Not only that," Zuo Mingxuan said, "I played a few rounds with her, and we played very well."

"Then let's join. There are already quite a few people in the club, so it'll just give us more mahjong partners."

Zuo Mingxuan nodded: "Alright, then let her attend the next gathering... The county princess's birthday is in a month, right? How do you plan to celebrate it this year?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Rujing thought of Wen Zongji, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She pretended to be calm and said, "Of course, I'll celebrate with my husband."

"Boring," Zuo Mingxuan said sullenly, "I thought you were going to throw a banquet."

"Not interested."

"How about I celebrate with the rest of the society for you?"

Pei Rujing frowned: "I already said I wanted to celebrate with my husband."

"You can't stay with your husband all day, can you?"

Pei Rujing nodded: "That's exactly right."

"..."

Zuo Mingxuan was speechless: "Princess, if Young Master Wen didn't have to go to the Hanlin Academy for duty, would you be sticking to him all the time?"

Pei Rujing imagined the scene in her mind and said, "It's not impossible."

She never felt bored being with Wen Zongji.

Zuo Mingxuan was slightly taken aback when she heard this, and stared at her blankly.

Pei Rujing took a step back: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Zuo Mingxuan's expression turned strange: "Princess, you wouldn't happen to be... in love with Young Master Wen, would you?"

Heartfelt joy?

Pei Rujing was stunned.

It's strange, really.

She seemed never to have thought about this.

If Zuo Mingxuan hadn't brought it up, she wouldn't have thought about it in that way.

What does it mean to have feelings for someone?

The storybook she was reading contained a lot of writing.

Does her relationship with Wen Zongji count?

It should be counted.

After thinking it over, Pei Rujing regained her composure: "We are husband and wife."

The implication is that it's perfectly normal for her to be attracted to Wen Zongji.

Zuo Mingxuan felt something was very wrong: "I just thought you two got along well and had a good relationship. It turns out the county princess has fallen for you."

Pei Rujing found Zuo Mingxuan's words rather strange: "Doesn't having a good relationship mean you've fallen for each other?"

Zuo Mingxuan shook her head, coughed lightly, and immediately transformed into a relationship expert, explaining to Pei Rujing: "There are many reasons why a relationship is good. For example, the two people respect each other, or they have been together for a long time. Even if they are not in love, there will always be some affection. In these cases, the relationship will not be bad."

"But it's different when you fall in love. Sometimes, falling in love can actually worsen the relationship."

Why?

"Because once you're tempted, you become greedy and want more, which in turn leads to losing even more."

Pei Rujing frowned.

greedy?

Has she become greedy?

Pei Rujing shook her head firmly: "But I haven't become greedy."

Because the county princess always wants both, she doesn't need to change.

Zuo Mingxuan was merely a half-baked theoretical expert with no practical experience, and she was stunned when she heard Pei Rujing's words: "So the county princess hasn't fallen for Young Master Wen yet?"

Even though Pei Rujing is almost married to Wen Zongji, she still seems clueless about relationships: "No?"

Zuo Mingxuan rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "I remember now, your situation is described in storybooks. In storybooks, this situation is called 'ambiguity,' which means the prelude to falling in love."

"oh."

Pei Rujing nodded.

Zuo Mingxuan frowned: "Why is the county princess's reaction so indifferent?"

Pei Rujing stretched lazily: "I've already told you we're husband and wife."

Zuo Mingxuan instantly understood Pei Rujing's meaning: "That's true. You two are husband and wife, so it's only natural that you're mutually in love."

Pei Rujing smiled.

They are mutually in love!

Zuo Mingxuan may have said it unintentionally, but Pei Rujing felt very comfortable hearing those four words.

……

Ruijintang

After finishing his shift, Wen Zongji did not return to his residence, but went to Ruijin Hall.

After several days of selection, Mao Zheng finally chose the top ten stories.

Wen Zongji came today to make the final decision.

quiet room

Wen Zongji flipped through the storybook.

Mao Zheng said, "The outlines of the stories the employer gave them before were excellent. The stories they wrote were all among the top ten. The authors of the other five books all have their own bookstores with which they have signed contracts."

Wen Zongji nodded.

Then he quietly flipped through the storybook.

After he had roughly finished reading the ten storybooks, he said, "Let's order these ten. Let's see if the remaining five can be sold at Ruijintang, or if anyone there is willing to sign a contract with Ruijintang."

The five authors of Ruijintang were able to write wonderful stories based on the outline provided by Wen Zongji.

But all five authors were evaluating their own abilities.

Mao Zheng said, "Tomorrow, I will speak with them separately."

Wen Zongji nodded: "There's no need to force it."

"Yes."

"Once everything is settled, we will announce the list of the top ten storybooks and immediately put them on sale at Ruijintang."

Mao Zheng said, "I have already arranged for the printing house to print the five stories written by our own authors. As for the other five stories, if they are willing to sell them at Ruijintang, I will also arrange for the printing house to print them as soon as possible."

Wen Zongji nodded: "I trust you to handle things."

Mao Zheng said respectfully, "Thanks to the master's planning, Ruijintang has the hope of growing stronger."

Wen Zongji smiled and said, "It's getting late. You've worked hard these past few days. Let me treat you to a meal at a restaurant."

"I dare not accept such praise; I was merely following the master's instructions."

"Don't be modest, just come with me."

Unable to refuse, Mao Zheng could only follow Wen Zongji and leave Ruijintang.