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

Upon returning to Yunguang Courtyard, Wen Zongji, as usual, first went to the bathhouse for a bath.

Pei Rujing instructed, "Have the kitchen prepare a medicinal meal and send it over."

When she went to pick up Wen Zongji, she was shocked to see him looking so listless and completely drained.

Granny Feng said, "The young master really should take some extra lessons. He's been taking exams for six days straight, and there's only one last one left. He can't afford to make any mistakes."

After giving her instructions, Pei Rujing sat on the couch, playing with the chess pieces, waiting for Wen Zongji to come in.

The medicinal food had already been delivered, but Wen Zongji still hadn't arrived.

Pei Rujing frowned: "Go and see what's going on?"

Qinghe retreated in response.

She returned shortly after and reported: "The son-in-law is too tired and fell asleep in the bathroom. Changdong has already woken him up."

A moment later, Wen Zongji walked in: "I'm sorry to have kept the county princess waiting."

Pei Rujing pushed the medicinal food in front of him: "I made this especially for you, drink it quickly."

Wen Zongji had stopped making this medicinal cuisine for a while, but he could tell from the smell that it was the same medicinal cuisine he had eaten before.

"Doesn't the princess have dinner?"

Pei Rujing shook her head: "I'm not hungry."

She went to a teahouse near the examination hall early this morning to wait for Wen Zongji. She ate a lot of snacks at the teahouse and was not hungry.

Wen Zongji wasn't worried about his young wife going hungry. He took a spoon to drink the medicinal food and took the initiative to talk to his young wife about the exam.

"The exam questions weren't difficult, but it took a long time to come up with ideas, and you had to be extra careful when copying them. I didn't even dare to copy them at night, for fear of making a mistake in one stroke."

The candlelight was ultimately too dim. Several months after Wen Zongji came into this world, he still missed the bright light bulb of the future.

"If I give up my evenings, I have to write more during the day. My brain is about to explode."

Pei Rujing said to him, "I heard that someone was caught cheating and was dragged out of the examination hall. Did you hear anything?"

Wen Zongji shook his head: "It shouldn't be in my cell. I didn't hear a sound... That's really impressive. They can still cheat even with such strict checks."

Pei Rujing sneered: "Some clever tricks are not used for studying, but only for crooked ways. Not only will they ruin their own careers, but they will also implicate their descendants."

Emperor Shun'an valued the imperial examination system and abhorred cheating in it.

After ascending the throne, he opened a special imperial examination and directly ordered that anyone who cheated in the examination would not only be stripped of their official title and demoted to a commoner, but their descendants for three generations would also be barred from participating in the imperial examination.

This decree immediately brought a much clearer picture to the imperial examination system, but there were still those who harbored侥幸心理 (a gambler's mentality).

Wen Zongji looked at Pei Rujing: "Why is the county princess so angry?"

Pei Rujing has always been indifferent to things that are not related to her.

Pei Rujing rested her chin on her hand as she watched him eat the medicinal food: "Uncle can't stand cheating in the imperial examinations. If Uncle is unhappy, I'm unhappy too."

Wen Zongji paused, then said, "If the Emperor knew that the County Princess cared so much about him, he would surely be very pleased."

"My uncle knows. He always praises me for being the most considerate."

Looking into Pei Rujing's clear and bright eyes, Wen Zongji smiled but said nothing.

Pei Rujing, however, wanted to go to Emperor Shun'an's side: "I haven't seen my uncle in so long, I'm going to the palace tomorrow."

During the palace banquet, because male and female guests were separated, Pei Rujing did not have the opportunity to see Emperor Shun'an.

Wen Zongji joked on purpose, "If the county princess enters the palace at this time, others might misunderstand."

"What's the misunderstanding?"

"They misunderstood that you went to the palace to plead with the emperor on behalf of your husband, and directly made me pass the imperial examination."

Pei Rujing shook her head: "No way. Everyone knows that Uncle values ​​the imperial examinations the most!"

After finishing the last sip of his medicinal diet, Wen Zongji reached out and playfully hooked Pei Rujing's nose: "Just kidding. I'm too tired, I'm going to rest now."

All he wants to do right now is sleep until dawn.

Pei Rujing stayed by his side, watching him lie on the bed, and his breathing soon became even.

She's asleep!

Pei Rujing was not sleepy and discussed with Granny Feng about going to the palace the next day, who should accompany her and who should stay behind to guard Yunguang Courtyard.

Emperor Shun'an granted Pei Rujing the right to enter the palace at any time without prior permission; she could simply enter the palace tomorrow.

……

The next day, the main courtyard

When Madam Zhong brought Wen Ge'er to keep Madam Jiang company, they learned that Pei Rujing was leaving the mansion.

Madam Zhong sighed, "My third brother is already taking the final exam, but the county princess is so calm."

Granny Wang added, "I heard the county princess is going to the palace."

Jiang asked, "To see the Emperor or the Empress?"

Granny Wang shook her head: "The person who came didn't say anything."

Madam Zhong was taken aback: "His Majesty has always valued the imperial examinations. Besides, the examination papers are all anonymous and transcribed by special people. Even if His Majesty wanted to promote my third brother, it wouldn't be easy."

Madam Jiang chuckled: "How could His Majesty do such a thing! If we fail this time, we can always try again next time. It's not like the Marquis's mansion can't afford to support us."

Madam Zhong also realized she had misunderstood: "The county princess hasn't been to the palace since her marriage, except for that palace banquet. I wonder what brings her to the palace this time?"

Pei Rujing is now the daughter-in-law of the Marquis's family. Her entry into the palace at this time makes people wonder about her purpose.

Jiang quickly suppressed her curiosity and continued playing with Wen-ge'er: "Don't think too much. After the palace examination is the final assessment. How is Zongren's preparation?"

Madam Zhong shook her head: "The young master didn't tell his daughter-in-law."

Jiang looked at her and said, "You two are husband and wife, why are you acting so distant?"

Madam Zhong lowered her eyes: "My mother-in-law knows that the young master is preparing for the final examination, so how could I dare to disturb him?"

Jiang sighed, "Let's talk about it after the final assessment."

The eldest son is good in every way, except that he has little interest in women.

There were several women in Hongyi Courtyard, but whether it was his principal wife, Lady Zhong, or his concubines, Lady Jiang never seemed to show Wen Zongren any particular interest in any of them.

After Wen-ge'er was born, the contraceptive soup at Hongyiyuan Hospital was discontinued, yet no one has conceived since, which speaks volumes.

Jiang saw this and was anxious, waiting to make a move after the final assessment.

……

Pei Rujing's carriage stopped in front of the palace gate. The guards at the palace gate saw that it was Pei Rujing and immediately bowed to let her pass: "This humble servant greets the County Princess."

Pei Rujing nodded and walked through the palace gate.

Linhua Palace

Emperor Shun'an was processing memorials, which had already been screened by the cabinet, yet still left him with very little free time each day.

Thinking that he hadn't dined with the Empress in a long time, Emperor Shun'an said without looking up, "Instruct the Imperial Kitchen to set up lunch at Fengyi Palace."

Zhou Wangliang responded, "Yes."

Before Zhou Wangliang could make arrangements, a young eunuch came in to report: "Your Majesty, Princess Anhe has entered the palace and is on her way to Linhua Hall."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Shun'an raised his head, a smile already appearing on his face: "I won't go to accompany the Empress today. We'll have lunch at Linhua Palace. My heartless niece has finally remembered that she has an uncle."

Zhou Wangliang said respectfully, "The county princess has always been close to the emperor. She must have been preoccupied with trivial matters these days and had no time to come to the palace."

Emperor Shun'an looked at him and said, "You seem to be on her side."

Zhou Wangliang said, "Every time the county princess comes, the emperor is always in a very good mood. This servant is not well-educated and does not understand many principles, so whoever can make the emperor happy is considered good by this servant."

Emperor Shun'an pointed at him: "You!"

The smile lingered on his lips for a long time.