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

Wen Zongji thoroughly enjoyed the court song and dance performances and also savored the culinary skills of the imperial kitchen.

The conclusion was that the skills of the kitchen in Yunguangyuan were no less than those of the imperial chefs.

Could it be that the head chef of the small kitchen is a royal chef?

But that doesn't make sense; he remembered that the person in charge of cooking in the small kitchen was a female cook.

After the palace banquet, on the carriage

Wen Zongji raised this question.

Pei Rujing explained to him: "Xu's father was the imperial chef, and she learned all her cooking skills from him. It was also her father who recommended Xu to my mother. Because I was used to eating Xu's cooking, my mother gave her to me."

"I see."

Wen Zongji suddenly realized.

Although in ordinary households women usually cook, the chefs who make a name for themselves are all men.

The Xu family was an exception among them.

After finishing this story, Pei Rujing enthusiastically recounted what happened at the palace banquet: "Hejing was so stupid, she even tried to manipulate me, I scared her to tears."

Wen Zongji: "...Princess Hejing seems to be only seven years old?"

You're a sixteen-year-old who scared a seven-year-old to tears, and you're actually quite proud of it?

Pei Rujing was indeed very proud: "It's not like I made her born so late. If she's so capable, she can be a few years older. Anyway, I'm not afraid of her."

Wen Zongji: "..."

I didn't know what to say for a moment.

Pei Rujing continued, "Consort An still wanted to avenge Hejing, but she didn't dare to say anything when I mentioned my uncle. Hmph, she's just a concubine, how dare she cause me trouble?"

Pei Rujing looked disdainful, arrogant and haughty, clearly not taking Consort An and her son seriously.

At this moment, Wen Zongji gained a clearer understanding of his concubine's status.

Princess Anhe, who was greatly favored by the emperor, was able to disregard even the favored concubines and princesses.

Then I thought of the Crown Prince's behavior at the palace banquet.

The young wife may not only have been favored by the emperor, but the crown prince also had feelings for her.

What a winner in life!

What does it mean to be at your peak from birth?

This is!

This is the science of reincarnation.

Wen Zongji looked at Pei Rujing with envy in his eyes.

Pei Rujing frowned at him: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Wen Zongji cupped his hands and said in a feignedly solicitous manner, "I will have to rely on my wife to take care of me in the future."

Upon hearing this, Pei Rujing immediately put on airs: "As long as you behave well, I will speak well of you to your uncle, and your future will definitely be bright."

Wen Zongji narrowed his eyes as he looked at Pei Rujing, whose tail was wagging. He pulled her into his arms, his eyes full of flirtatious charm: "How does the county princess want me to obey?"

Feeling Wen Zongji's gaze, which seemed to want to devour her, Pei Rujing's heart trembled, and she forced herself to say, "You—you're not allowed to scare me!"

Wen Zongji's lips curled up: "Your Highness is wise, how could I dare to frighten you?"

After saying that, he released Pei Rujing.

At least he was in a carriage, what else could he possibly do?

The young wife is a bit timid.

Pei Rujing realized she had just scared someone and tried to save face, saying, "I was just saying it casually. How could I, a county princess, be a coward?"

Wen Zongji didn't expose her, but held her hand and said gently, "Was the palace banquet quite interesting?"

Pei Rujing shook her head: "It's the same every year, nothing particularly interesting. But Madam Zuo invited me to her residence to play mahjong on the eighth day of the month."

Wen Zongji said, "It seems that the county magistrate's reputation as a mahjong master has already spread."

Pei Rujing pouted: "No, that's not it. Zuo San deliberately praised me in front of her mother in order to recruit people for the society."

"Then let Miss Zuo's praise become a fact. With the county princess being so capable, it shouldn't be difficult for her to do so."

This wasn't Wen Zongji deliberately trying to coax her; Pei Rujing was indeed very talented at playing mahjong.

Pei Rujing immediately replied, "Of course!"

Princess Anhe was not afraid.

Wen Zongji smiled.

Pei Rujing turned to look at him: "I remember that there were always song and dance performances at the palace banquets. Weren't those courtesans beautiful?"

Last year, Pei Shirong lamented to Pei Rujing that the palace singers were beautiful and danced wonderfully, and indeed, all the beauties in the world had been won over by his uncle.

At today's palace banquet, Pei Rujing recalled Pei Shirong's words.

Wen Zongji remained unfazed: "The fifth young master of the Duke of Anguo's mansion is trying to befriend me. He kept pulling me aside to talk, but I didn't pay any attention to the singing and dancing."

He was simply enjoying the song and dance, but Pei Rujing definitely wouldn't believe him, so it was best not to upset his young wife.

Pei Rujing was pleased to hear this: "Now you know how to back down? Hmph, let An Si apologize to me first."

The county princess is very petty; she won't calm down so easily.

……

Upon returning to the Marquis's residence, Wen Zongji did not go back to Yunguang Courtyard to rest.

Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and according to tradition, we must stay up all night to welcome the new year.

The entire mansion was brightly lit, with large red lanterns burning in the main hall, side rooms, and corridors.

In the main courtyard

Wen Chuanhong and Jiang Shi sat in the main seats, while Wen Zongji and others sat in the lower seats in order.

Wen Shuyu was also there.

Seating arrangements weren't so formal at this time. Wen Shuyu sat next to Pei Rujing and whispered, "Sister-in-law, was the palace banquet fun?"

Seeing her curiosity, Pei Rujing said, "If you want to know, I'll take you with me next year."

Bringing another person along was a piece of cake for Pei Rujing.

Wen Shuyu quickly shook her head: "I...I don't want to know."

The thought of the palace banquet with so many people, all high-ranking officials and noblewomen, made her shudder, and she had no desire to go at all.

Pei Rujing scoffed, "Why are you so timid? You're nothing like your brother."

Wen Zongji wasn't even afraid of her, yet he dared to scare her.

Wen Shuyu lowered his eyes: "My elder brother is a scholar who passed the imperial examination and will become an official in the future. I am naturally inferior to my elder brother."

"You'll get married eventually, and if you're always so submissive in your husband's family, you'll probably be bullied to death."

Wen Shuyu's heart skipped a beat, and she pursed her lips, saying, "Mother will choose a good marriage for me."

She had no control over her marriage, nor had she ever thought about what marriage would be like; the thought of it filled her with dread.

If she could, she would like to stay in the Jade Pavilion for the rest of her life.

Hearing their conversation, Wen Zongji gently comforted Wen Shuyu, saying, "My little sister is still young, she's far from getting married. It's not too late to bring it up when she's a few years older."

Wen Shuyu felt relieved and nodded emphatically: "Mm."

Auntie is right, her brother is her support, and he will protect her.

At this moment, Wen Chuanhong noticed the commotion and asked, "What is the third brother saying?"

Wen Zongji calmly replied, "I'm asking what kind of books my little sister likes to read?"

Wen Chuanhong's gaze then fell on Wen Shuyu, and he asked curiously, "Shuyu likes reading?"

He wasn't close to this illegitimate daughter, but he would always see her when he went to the Jade Pavilion, so they weren't exactly strangers.

Wen Shuyu, however, didn't have many opportunities to directly face Wen Chuanhong, and nervously said, "My daughter likes travelogues and miscellaneous writings, just some leisure reading."

Madam Jiang smiled and said, "Reading leisure books can also broaden one's horizons. A woman with more knowledge can also have a wider perspective. I happen to have a few travelogues that are just gathering dust on my desk, so I'll give them to Shuyu."

Wen Shuyu was flattered and glanced at Wen Zongji. Seeing him nod, she stood up and said, "Shuyu thanks Mother."