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

Rui-ge'er attends the palace banquet every year, so he's quite familiar with it.

This is Ling Jie'er's first time.

Last year, before the palace banquet, Lingjie fell ill. Although she had recovered by the time of the banquet, Wen Zongji and Pei Rujing did not dare to take the risk and did not bring her to the banquet.

This time, Lingjie'er has grown up a bit, unlike when she was just a few months old when she had to be careful in everything she did, so she was naturally able to go to the palace banquet.

The family entered the palace. Pei Rujing took Lingjie to the inner palace, while Wen Zongji took Ruige to Linhua Palace.

Ling'er was stunned as she watched Wen Zongji and Rui'er leave. She tugged at Pei Rujing and called out, "Mother... Father~"

Thinking that Pei Rujing hadn't noticed, she quickly reminded Pei Rujing that they had gone the wrong way.

Seeing Ling'er's anxiety, Madam Jiang laughed and said, "I didn't expect Ling'er to be so attached to the third brother."

"Her husband usually dotes on her the most."

Pei Rujing picked up Lingjie'er and said, "Daddy is going somewhere else. Mommy will take you to play with your sisters."

"Play~"

Ling Jie'er was easy to coax, and with Pei Rujing by her side, she didn't dwell on separating from Wen Zongji.

the other side

Wen Zongji led Rui Ge'er and the group from the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence into Linhua Palace.

As everyone watched Wen Zongji and his entourage, they secretly marveled at how the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion had truly risen to prominence.

Since the founding of the dynasty, the Marquis of Zhongyong’s family had been trying to abandon military affairs and pursue civil service. It was not until Wen Chuanhong passed the imperial examination with high honors and rose step by step to the position of Vice Minister of Rites, wielding real power in the Ministry of Rites, that the Marquis of Zhongyong’s family was able to make a breakthrough.

Now, Wen Zongji is not yet thirty years old, but he has already been appointed as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the same rank as Wen Chuanhong, making him a definite candidate for the cabinet.

At this point, the rise of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion was unstoppable.

As the Great Chu enjoyed a long period of peace, the status of civil officials rose higher and higher, whether for the sake of court stability or the needs of governing the country.

All the military merits have been guiding their descendants towards the civil service path, but so far, the most stable and fastest path has undoubtedly been taken by the Marquis of Zhongyong's family.

Everyone had this in mind, and regardless of whether they felt jealous or envious, they all had to put on a smile and greet the people from the Marquis's residence.

"Lord Wen, is this your son? He's grown so much already, has he started his formal education?"

Wen Zongji said, "Not yet. I intend to hire a tutor for him next year."

"Like father, like son. With Master Wen's outstanding achievements as an example, your son is likely to become the top scholar in the imperial examination."

"I dare not hope for too much, I only hope that he can study hard, understand principles, and become a person who acts with a clear conscience."

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Wen Zongji shared the same mentality as people of his time. Most people in this era hoped their sons would become successful, and those with higher status were even more likely to have this idea, needing a promising descendant to continue the family's glory.

But Wen Zongji was different. He naturally hoped that Rui Ge'er could become successful, but he was not obsessed with it. As long as he was healthy and well, and could distinguish right from wrong, it didn't matter whether he achieved anything in the worldly sense.

Even if someone like Wen Zongqi just lies around and lives off his parents, it's not a big deal. With their family wealth, they can guarantee him a worry-free life for the rest of his life.

As for Rui Ge'er being useless, what will happen to his descendants?

His offspring were naturally the responsibility of Rui Ge'er himself, and Wen Zongji took it in stride without putting pressure on himself.

But others didn't believe Wen Zongji's words, though they still praised him on the surface: "As expected of Lord Wen, with such an open and honest mind, no wonder the Crown Prince values ​​him so highly."

The fact that Wen Zongji was the Crown Prince's favorite minister was known to all the officials in the court.

The fact that the Crown Prince's position was as secure as Mount Tai was known both inside and outside the court.

The only one who could pose a threat to the Crown Prince was the Second Prince, whose maternal family was the Duke of Anguo's mansion. Logically speaking, if he were willing, the Duke of Anguo would have the ability to support him.

However, the second prince refused to admit it. He was always failing the imperial examinations administered by Emperor Shun'an. He preferred eating, drinking, and having fun to studying. He was lazy and simple-minded.

Having watched the Second Prince grow up from childhood, the Duke of Anguo had long since given up any thoughts of vying for the throne.

He wanted to become a loyal subject who would help the emperor rise to power, not to drag his family down with him.

The sixth prince, born to Consort An, appears to be intelligent and clever, but he is too young. By the time the sixth prince grows up, even before the crown prince has ascended the throne, his power will be much more secure.

It's already unshakeable now, let alone ten years from now.

As a result, the Duke of Anguo's mansion became extremely obedient, with the entire household appearing loyal to the court and showing no sign of vying for the throne.

If the Duke of Anguo's mansion hasn't taken any action, then it's even less likely that anyone else will support the Second Prince.

Therefore, the crown prince's position is unshakeable.

As a member of the princeling faction, Wen Zongji's status naturally rose accordingly.

In today's imperial court, no one dares to underestimate Wen Zongji.

……

They gathered in twos and threes to exchange pleasantries. Wen Zongji was never without people around him; as soon as one person left, another would arrive.

Rui stood obediently beside Wen Zongji, watching him greet everyone who came to say hello, his manner gentle, polite, and composed.

Ruige admired Wen Zongji the most. As a child, he thought his father was omnipotent, and almost subconsciously, he began to learn Wen Zongji's way of dealing with people.

Almost everyone who came over to exchange pleasantries would praise Rui Ge'er. Rui Ge'er was a little embarrassed, but remembering Wen Zongji's teachings on being polite, he would suppress his shyness and say thank you.

He said it so many times that it became second nature to him.

Before long, Emperor Shun'an and the Crown Prince arrived.

Everyone immediately stopped exchanging pleasantries, returned to their seats, and paid their respects to Emperor Shun'an and the Crown Prince.

Emperor Shun'an was halfway there when he saw Rui Ge'er. He waved to him and said with a smile, "Rui Ge'er, come over here to your great-uncle."

Ruige glanced at Wen Zongji, asked him to nod, then walked over and took Shun'an Emperor's hand, and together they walked towards the high platform.

This scene happens once a year, and no one is surprised when they see it; in fact, they think it's exactly what happened.

All the officials in the court knew that Emperor Shun'an was very fond of Princess Anhe's eldest son.

He always brought it with him to every palace banquet.

They thought of the pregnant Crown Princess, but they wondered if the Emperor would still like the child so much after she gave birth to the eldest grandson.

After all, a biological grandson and a grandson from another family are different, not to mention that Rui Ge'er is also a grandson from another family, so there is an additional layer of separation.

With these thoughts in mind, her gaze towards Rui Ge'er became somewhat complicated.

Ruige noticed these gazes, but he couldn't understand them. He simply followed Emperor Shun'an carefully up the steps, trying not to fall and become a laughingstock.

Emperor Shun'an ignored those gazes. He had been on the throne for over twenty years, and the entire Great Chu was under his control. He acted more and more as he pleased, and the thoughts of others were no longer a consideration for him.

The Crown Prince also didn't have any particular thoughts on this. In the past few years, thanks to Rui Ge'er, Emperor Shun'an didn't urge him too much.

He also had some affection for Rui Ge'er.

Besides, he was not a narrow-minded person, and it was impossible for him to have any opinion about a child.