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

The next day, Zhou Wenguang was sent out of the capital without his knowledge, without even a chance to fight for himself.

Both Zhou Wangliang and Zhou Wanggong abandoned him.

Upon learning of this, Zhou Wangliang simply said, "I know."

On the other side, Linhua Palace

After having breakfast, Pei Rujing went straight to Linhua Palace.

Upon entering the main hall, he shouted, "Zhou Wangliang!"

Emperor Shun'an sat behind his desk, raising an eyebrow at her: "You arrived without even greeting your uncle? Did Wangliang offend you?"

Pei Rujing's gaze swept across the hall. Seeing that Zhou Wangliang was indeed not there, she snorted coldly and, without any intention of hiding anything, said in detail: "His nephew is incredibly audacious. He bribed a minor official in the Beijing Gazette Office, attempting to manipulate the publication of his article in the Gazette through underhanded means. When my husband discovered this, he still had the nerve to send him an invitation, hoping to cover it up."

"Knowing that my husband is in charge of the Beijing Gazette Bureau, he still dares to make such a small move. He clearly doesn't respect my husband, nor does he respect me."

Pei Rujing grew increasingly angry as she spoke: "I suspect that Zhou Wangliang is two-faced, treating me respectfully on the surface but not really like that behind my back. Otherwise, how could his nephew be so audacious?"

When Emperor Shun'an heard Zhou Wangliang ask for leave last night, he guessed what had happened and that it was related to the Crown Prince.

But he didn't care. Many things happened in the palace, and he didn't need to know everything.

To his surprise, Pei Rujing told him without him having to investigate.

After hearing this, Emperor Shun'an had only one thought—Zhou Wangliang's nephew was exceptionally stupid!

Seeing Pei Rujing's angry expression, Emperor Shun'an rose and walked down the steps, smiling as he comforted her, "It's not worth getting so angry over someone unrelated. How about your uncle sends someone to severely punish him to appease you?"

Pei Rujing turned to Emperor Shun'an: "Uncle, are you referring to Zhou Wangliang or his nephew?"

"Naturally, it's his nephew."

Pei Rujing pouted, "That won't be necessary. My husband will come himself. Uncle, why don't you punish Zhou Wangliang? The entire Zhou family relies on Zhou Wangliang. If it weren't for him, how could his nephew be so audacious?"

Emperor Shun'an patted her head: "It seems Zhou Wangliang has really angered our Anhe?"

Pei Rujing said coldly, "I'm very angry."

Seeing her puffed-up face, Emperor Shun'an couldn't help but smile, saying meaningfully, "I see you're angry not because you feel you've lost face, but because Wen Zongji has been slighted, right?"

Pei Rujing frowned: "What's the difference? Husband and wife are one. If my husband is slighted, isn't that disrespecting me?"

"You've only been married a short time, and you're already husband and wife? Your change of status is really fast. Does that mean even your uncle has to be ranked after Wen Zongji?"

Emperor Shun'an felt uneasy. His niece, whom he had doted on since childhood, was now gaining more and more importance in the heart of an outsider who had only been around for a few months, and it seemed that she would soon surpass him.

Upon hearing this, Pei Rujing took Emperor Shun'an's arm and said sweetly, "No way. Even if I'm ungrateful, I still remember how good my uncle is to me. From childhood to adulthood, that person is nominally my father, but over the years, I've seen him very few times. On the contrary, my uncle is more like my father. He plays with me, stays by my side when I'm sick, and hugs me and comforts me when I'm unhappy. No matter how willful I am, my uncle will never get angry with me."

"No matter what happens, my uncle and mother will always be the most important people in my heart."

Emperor Shun'an had only made a casual complaint, but seeing how seriously Pei Rujing was speaking, he felt very comforted, knowing that all his years of pampering him had not been in vain.

"Alright, your uncle was just joking. I'm naturally happy that you and your husband have such a good relationship. The Crown Prince admires Wen Zongji very much and has mentioned him to me several times these days, which shows that your husband is a capable man. That's good, of course our Anhe's husband should be good."

Pei Rujing raised her head and said smugly, "Of course."

Emperor Shun'an smiled and tapped her forehead: "You."

Pei Rujing wrinkled her little nose and said with dissatisfaction, "Uncle, don't change the subject. You haven't said yet whether you'll severely punish Zhou Wangliang. I haven't gotten my revenge yet!"

Emperor Shun'an asked her, "Then how do you intend for me to severely punish Zhou Wangliang?"

Pei Rujing rested her chin on her hand and pondered, "Promote a deputy steward of Linhua Palace."

Emperor Shun'an was taken aback: "I thought you would suggest fining him or giving him a beating."

Such a radical and drastic statement doesn't sound like something Pei Rujing would say.

Pei Rujing rolled her eyes: "That's too lenient on him. My husband taught me that if you want to make him suffer alone, you have to stab him in the heart, stab him where it hurts. Zhou Wangliang is just relying on his uncle's trust. If someone can share his uncle's trust with him, I'd like to see if he still dares to be arrogant in the future."

Emperor Shun'an laughed: "Although you've become smarter, you're still so vindictive."

Zhou Wangliang did nothing, but his nephew offended Wen Zongji, and Pei Rujing wanted to undermine him, still as petty as ever.

Pei Rujing didn't care: "I'm just petty. If you dare to offend me, be prepared for my revenge."

Emperor Shun'an said, "Zhou Wangliang has served me for many years. Even if he hasn't made any great contributions, he has certainly worked hard. He has always been cautious in his words and actions, and he should be unaware of this matter. Perhaps we should make a note of it for now, and if he dares to displease our Princess Anhe again in the future, he can be punished for both offenses. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Rujing knew that Emperor Shun'an did not intend to punish Zhou Wangliang, and said unhappily, "He's just a servant, yet Uncle is really siding with him."

Emperor Shun'an said helplessly, "You, I was just praising you for becoming smarter, and now you're saying such childish things. Even I have to be fair in rewarding and punishing, how can I punish people arbitrarily? Zhou Wangliang did nothing wrong, it was his nephew who made the mistake, so punish his nephew. Of course, if he tries to protect his nephew, I certainly won't let him off the hook."

"Oh well."

Pei Rujing puffed out her cheeks and temporarily gave in.

Emperor Shun'an smiled and coaxed, "The weather is nice today. Come on, shall your uncle accompany you to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers?"

"Uncle has no sincerity at all; the Imperial Garden has long passed its peak blooming season."

That being said, Pei Rujing followed Emperor Shun'an out of Linhua Palace.

The imperial carriage stopped outside the palace.

Pei Rujing sat down with Emperor Shun'an without any hesitation.

Emperor Shun'an, seeing her looking around, said, "Since your marriage, you haven't come to the palace often. Don't you recognize me?"

Pei Rujing stared at the pavilions and towers in the distance: "I don't know why, they are clearly familiar, but seeing them again now makes me feel different."

Emperor Shun'an patted her shoulder: "It's normal. People always grow. The fact that you feel this way means you've really grown up."

Pei Rujing's emotions came and went quickly: "I'm all grown up now, but my uncle and mother have always treated me like a child."

Emperor Shun'an chuckled and said, "It was all our fault; we underestimated the County Princess."

"It's good that my uncle knows."