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

Pei Rujing sat in Wenyuan Pavilion for a while before going to Linhua Palace to visit Emperor Shun'an.

If you go to the palace and don't visit Emperor Shun'an, he'll probably nag you for a long time.

Upon arriving at Linhua Palace, Emperor Shun'an happened to have an important memorial to review, so he instructed Zhou Wangliang to serve Pei Rujing first.

The young eunuch quickly served tea and brought over some snacks.

Zhou Wangliang said respectfully, "Is there anything else the County Princess needs? This servant will have someone prepare it."

Pei Rujing waved her hand: "No need."

She looked up at Zhou Wangliang: "Eunuch Zhou, your nephew's reputation was ruined because of your husband. You shouldn't hold a grudge against your husband, should you?"

Zhou Wangliang immediately said, "That wicked child did something wrong, but Lord Wen was simply handling it impartially. I am completely convinced by his handling of the matter and have no intention of holding a grudge."

Pei Rujing nodded: "My uncle also said that you are sensible, so I naturally believe him."

"Your Majesty's grace is boundless; this servant is eternally grateful."

Pei Rujing didn't say anything more, picked up a pastry and took a bite.

When Emperor Shun'an finished dealing with the memorials, he saw Pei Rujing eating snacks: "Didn't you have breakfast this morning?"

Pei Rujing said, "I used it, but I was in a hurry to go to the palace to see the Crown Prince, so I didn't use much."

Emperor Shun'an raised an eyebrow: "So that's why you came to the palace today. You came to see the Crown Prince, and incidentally, to see me as well?"

Pei Rujing was speechless. She immediately ran behind Emperor Shun'an to massage him and said in a sweet voice, "No, it's not that. I just wanted to see my uncle, and then I remembered that I had something to ask the Crown Prince, so I went to see him first. Uncle, you can't wrong me."

"How could it be that I've wronged you?"

"That's exactly right," Pei Rujing said, her voice laced with righteous indignation. "I have always been a filial son to my uncle, how could he doubt me?"

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore." When it came to being unreasonable, Emperor Shun'an was naturally no match for Pei Rujing: "I heard that you went back to the Princess's residence for several days a few days ago and had a fight with your husband?"

Pei Rujing was taken aback: "How did Uncle know?"

"Is there anything in the entire capital that I cannot know... Has Wen Zongji bullied you?"

Upon learning of this, Emperor Shun'an's first thought was that Wen Zongji had wronged Pei Rujing. If it weren't for the fact that the Princess's residence hadn't made any moves, indicating that the matter wasn't serious, Emperor Shun'an would have even summoned Wen Zongji to the palace to inquire about it.

It's not a good thing that he's already angered his wife to the point of returning to her parents' home after less than a year of marriage.

Pei Rujing said, "How dare he bully me?"

Pei Rujing knew that Emperor Shun'an was protective of his own, so she definitely couldn't tell him the specific details. It was a matter between her and Wen Zongji, which even the Princess didn't know, let alone Emperor Shun'an.

Upon hearing this tone, Emperor Shun'an was completely relieved: "That's good. With your uncle here, no one will be allowed to bully you."

Touched, Pei Rujing massaged Emperor Shun'an even more diligently, saying, "I know my uncle will protect me."

Emperor Shun'an patted her hand: "It's good that you know... However, you and Wen Zongji are husband and wife after all, and you will spend your whole life together. Don't be too domineering when you're together. Be a little softer. Men all fall for that."

Isn't she soft enough?

Pei Rujing pursed her lips, trying to dispel certain images that were flashing through her mind: "Does Uncle also accept the same thing?"

Emperor Shun'an glared at her: "How dare you! You even dare to tease me!"

Pei Rujing stuck out her tongue: "I was wrong."

……

After having lunch with Emperor Shun'an in the palace, Pei Rujing went to Fengyi Palace.

Pei Rujing suddenly felt quite busy; once she entered the palace, she had to go to various places.

When the Empress met Pei Rujing, she also asked her about her relationship with Wen Zongji.

"How did your aunt know?"

The Empress smiled and said, "Of course, it's what His Majesty said."

"Uncle is really..." Pei Rujing muttered, "We just had a few words in our mouths, nothing serious."

"I find Wen Zongji to have a mild temper, yet you two manage to start arguing?"

Princess Changning walked in and happened to hear this, and said, "Cousin, any man who quarrels with his wife is not a good person. You should divorce him."

One sentence successfully angered Pei Rujing.

Pei Rujing pinched Princess Changning's cheek hard, her face tense, and said, "Shut up!"

The Empress sighed, "Changning, you're still young. Don't keep bringing up divorce."

The eldest princess and Pei Guo's relationship has broken down, and their marriage now exists in name only, without any divorce.

While there are many factors at play, this also illustrates that divorce is not as simple as it seems.

Princess Changning wailed, mumbling, "Cousin, it hurts!"

Pei Rujing snorted coldly and released her.

Princess Changning rubbed her cheeks and said aggrievedly, "I was just concerned about my cousin. He is already extremely lucky to have married her. How could he make her angry and be so ungrateful?"

Pei Rujing's anger subsided slightly when she heard that the woman's words were all in her favor, but she still warned, "My husband and I will not divorce. Don't mention it again, or I won't let you off the hook."

"oh."

Princess Changning obediently agreed.

"Will my cousin arrange for my brother-in-law to take a concubine?"

Princess Changning asked innocently.

The Empress pulled her close, her brow twitching: "Why are you so concerned with adult matters at such a young age?"

Princess Changning, oblivious to Pei Rujing's increasingly cold expression, simply said, "Yesterday I read a biography that mentioned the protagonist's wife voluntarily arranged for him to take a concubine, demonstrating magnanimity and setting a good example for women. Didn't Mother also oversee the selection of concubines for Father?"

Princess Changning is already nine years old, which is practically an adult, but the Empress has protected her too well.

Since the harem was under the control of the Empress, Princess Changning had never witnessed any dirty deeds.

As a result, her understanding of everything came from books.

"Won't!"

Pei Rujing said coldly, "He will never take a concubine in his life!"

"That……"

The Empress interrupted, "Changning, aren't you always thinking about Anhe coming to play with you?"

Princess Changning's attention was immediately diverted: "Cousin, let's go play."

After saying that, he grabbed Pei Rujing and ran out.

The Empress sighed, "Changning is too naive. Perhaps it's time to let her experience some things."

Otherwise, when she gets married in the future, her naive nature might be easily taken advantage of.

A palace maid standing nearby said, "The princess is intelligent. With Her Majesty's guidance, she will grow up quickly."

The Empress smiled and then turned the topic back to Pei Rujing: "Anhe is just like her mother; she can't tolerate any injustice. Alas, men who don't take concubines are as rare as phoenix feathers. Back then, my elder sister couldn't keep the Duke of Pei in check; I wonder if Anhe can keep Wen Zongji in check."

After all, she was her niece whom she had watched grow up since childhood, and the Empress still hoped that Pei Rujing would live a peaceful life.

But when it comes to matters of the heart, no matter how much outsiders want to help, they can't get involved.

What the future holds for Pei Rujing and Wen Zongji is left to fate.

The palace maid dared not respond to this question and kept her head down without saying a word.

The Empress didn't say much, only saying, "Starting tomorrow, let Changning assist me in handling palace affairs. You can select some things suitable for her to see."

The palace maid replied, "This servant obeys."