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

Princess's Residence

While Wen Zongji was meeting with his subordinates to arrange how to select the necessary memorials, Pei Rujing got up, had breakfast, and then took a carriage to the Princess's residence.

The weather is nice today, and the princess is lying in a deck chair, basking in the sun, looking very relaxed.

As soon as Pei Rujing arrived, the princess looked at her and, seeing the charm in her eyes, knew that there was no need to ask many questions.

The eldest princess breathed a sigh of relief.

She was genuinely worried that Wen Zongji had health problems.

Wen Zongji and Pei Rujing have been married for several months, and the Princess's impression of Wen Zongji is getting better and better. Moreover, she can see that Pei Rujing and Wen Zongji have a very good relationship. If Wen Zongji really has a health problem, she doesn't know how to deal with it.

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario did not occur.

The servants also brought Pei Rujing a recliner, and the mother and daughter lay side by side on the recliner, swaying back and forth, leisurely and at ease.

Pei Rujing closed her eyes slightly, feeling the warmth of the sun shining down.

Seeing that she hadn't spoken, the eldest princess asked, "Did you come here today just to sunbathe?"

Pei Rujing kept her eyes closed: "I haven't seen Mother for several days, I missed you, okay?"

The eldest princess glanced at her: "With Zongji around, do you still think of me?"

Thinking of what happened yesterday, Pei Rujing felt a pang of guilt, but quickly put it out of her mind: "A husband is a husband, and a mother is a mother. How can they be compared?"

Anyway, she considered herself to be fair.

The eldest princess was too lazy to expose her, and said, "You and Zongji have already consummated your marriage, and you might get pregnant at any time. Be more careful in your behavior in the future, and don't be as clumsy as before, or you'll hurt yourself without even realizing it."

Pei Rujing pouted, "I know. How come you and the nanny are always like this? How could you get pregnant so quickly?"

The eldest princess said, "What do you know? It's common for newlyweds to get pregnant within months of marriage."

"Okay, okay, I understand."

"Has Zongji told you about the child?"

Pei Rujing said, "He mentioned it once. He wanted a daughter, and I said it would be better to have a son first, so that the daughter would have an older brother who would love her, just like me."

The eldest princess raised an eyebrow: "Zongji really likes daughters? Or is he just trying to flatter you?"

Pei Rujing pondered, "He probably likes me. He said it would be a shame if I didn't have a daughter, given my appearance."

The eldest princess smiled: "That's quite right."

The eldest princess was already a woman of exceptional beauty, and Pei Rujing surpassed her in beauty, which made the eldest princess very proud.

Now that she knows Wen Zongji wants a daughter, the princess can't help but wonder if her future granddaughter will surpass Pei Rujing, since Wen Zongji's appearance is no less than that of the Duke of Pei.

"Whether it's a boy or a girl, it all depends on fate. You're still young, so having a few more wouldn't hurt."

Pei Rujing frowned: "Is childbirth very painful?"

She was pampered since childhood and couldn't endure any hardship.

The pain from their wedding night made her bite Wen Zongji several times. It was fortunate that Pei Rujing was very patient with Wen Zongji now, otherwise this matter would not have been so easy to get over.

The eldest princess laughed when she heard her childish question: "Childbirth is never painless; every woman has to go through it."

Pei Rujing frowned: "Then can I only have one child?"

She thought about it and realized that it was definitely not okay not to have children; Wen Zongji needed to carry on the family line.

The eldest princess raised an eyebrow: "Didn't you want both a son and a daughter?"

Pei Rujing hesitated, remained silent for a moment, as if she had made a major decision: "Then let's have two."

"Hahahaha—" The eldest princess was amused by her conflicted look: "You should discuss this with Zongji. It's no use talking to me."

Pei Rujing huffed, "There's no need to discuss it. As long as I say it, my husband will definitely agree."

The eldest princess looked at her: "So certain?"

"That's how certain I am."

Pei Rujing's eyes were bright, filled with trust and affection for Wen Zongji.

In Pei Rujing, she seemed to see her past self.

The princess's smile faded, and she said, "Jing'er, do you know why your father kept a mistress while I was pregnant with you?"

Upon hearing the name of Duke Pei, Pei Rujing frowned instinctively: "Why bring him up?"

The eldest princess looked at the artificial hill in the distance: "It was only later that I realized that he married me not because he loved me, but simply because I was Father Emperor's only legitimate daughter, and Father Emperor doted on me. He was already the last Duke of Pei, and after his death, the title of Duke of Pei would be taken back. But he was unwilling to accept this, so he went to great lengths to marry me."

"Ever since Shizhao was born, he has wanted me to ask the Emperor to grant favors to the Pei State Duke's Mansion and make Shizhao the heir apparent. Over the years, he has been nagging me about this, and we have argued about it several times. In fact, there were many signs that had been there all along, but I was blinded by my own eyes and never doubted him in the slightest."

"It was only after I came to terms with things over the years and looked back on the past that I realized how many things were not right."

The princess spoke calmly, but a hint of bitterness appeared in her eyes: "Jing'er, it is said that women are good at deceiving people, but if a man wants to deceive people, he can also pretend to be perfect."

Upon hearing this, Pei Rujing's eyes blazed with fury at the Duke of Pei: "Beast!"

The eldest princess turned to look at her: "Jing'er, I'm telling you this because you should think more about yourself. Zongji is a good person, but no matter how good he is, don't give him your whole heart. Leave some room for yourself."

"My husband is not that kind of person."

Pei Rujing blurted it out.

The eldest princess lowered her eyes: "That's what I thought at first too."

Pei Rujing felt irritated: "How could Mother compare my husband to that person? He has no right to be compared to my husband."

The eldest princess sighed, "Never mind, I won't say any more."

As someone who's been through it all, she knows very well that a woman deeply in love won't listen to anything.

Rather, based on her observation, Wen Zongji did not seem to be a heartless and ungrateful person.

It's really unnecessary to have an unpleasant falling out with Pei Rujing over a future that hasn't happened yet and has a very low probability of happening.

After thinking it over, the eldest princess smiled and said, "Alright, let's not talk about such unpleasant things. Since you're here, come with me for a walk."

Pei Rujing's expression softened. She got up from the recliner and took the princess's hand as they strolled along the path.

The mother and daughter look about 70-80% alike. If it weren't for the princess's calm and dignified demeanor, they would look more like sisters based on their appearance alone.

They stopped saying unpleasant things, and the atmosphere between the mother and daughter was still very good.

Pei Rujing was raised by the Eldest Princess, and the two had a deep bond. Otherwise, she wouldn't have returned to the Eldest Princess's residence every few days after getting married.