met free Chapter 99 The Crown Prince's Summoning
Chapter 99 The Crown Prince's Summoning
Princess's Residence
The eldest princess looked at the gift in front of her with great satisfaction: "You've really grown up. You even know to bring back gifts for your mother when you go out to play."
Pei Rujing felt guilty for a moment, but then she thought that no matter what happened, she did deliver the gift, and she felt justified again.
"I think about my mother all the time."
The eldest princess gently tapped her forehead: "I think you're afraid I'll scold you."
"Why is Mother scolding me? I didn't do anything wrong."
"You dragged Zongji around until the very last day before going to work at the Hanlin Academy, and you still have the nerve to say you didn't do anything wrong?"
Pei Rujing lowered her eyes, her fingers sliding along the edge of the teacup: "It didn't stop him from working."
The eldest princess retorted, "The top scholar and the second-ranked scholar both went to the Hanlin Academy to work before Zongji, but Zongji went on the last day. What are his colleagues at the Hanlin Academy going to say about him?"
Pei Rujing frowned: "Is someone gossiping?"
No, not at all.
Pei Rujing's brows relaxed again: "That's good. My husband didn't miss the deadline. He went to the Hanlin Academy to work within the time limit stipulated by the court. No one can find fault with that."
The eldest princess raised an eyebrow: "You certainly have a sharp tongue."
"I am right."
The eldest princess couldn't help but laugh: "It's rare to see Jing'er starting to reason."
Pei Rujing protested, "Mother~"
Princess: "Alright, alright, tell your mother where you and Zongji went to play?"
"We just wandered around the counties near the capital. There's a famous opera troupe in Lulong County. My husband and I went to see a show, and it was really good, no worse than the opera troupe my uncle kept in the palace."
"Also, mahjong has spread to the surrounding counties. I saw that some counties have even opened mahjong parlors. We went in and played for an hour. The decor was nice, and they even sell tea and snacks. My husband said that the owner of this mahjong parlor is very clever, and the business will definitely be good in the future."
"Oh, and there's a really good snake trainer in Mancheng County. He treats snakes like toys, making them do whatever he wants. He can even have several snakes work together to create some interesting patterns."
The princess was stunned: "A snake? Aren't you afraid?"
Pei Rujing rested her chin on her hand: "At first I was scared, but with my husband by my side, I wasn't so scared anymore. And afterwards we ate snake soup. My husband said that no matter how scary snakes are, they can only become food for humans, so I wasn't so scared anymore."
The county magistrate's audacity can sometimes be surprisingly great.
Hearing her constantly mention Wen Zongji, the eldest princess teased, "It seems this trip wasn't a waste; you've become even closer to Zongji."
Pei Rujing pursed her lips: "We were husband and wife to begin with."
"You weren't like this before we got married."
Pei Rujing had almost forgotten what she looked like before her wedding: "What did I look like back then?"
The eldest princess said, "Ever since the marriage to Zongji was arranged, you haven't been happy at all until the wedding. Your temper has become increasingly fiery, and you'll throw things at the slightest provocation. The things in your room often have to be replaced two or three times a day. It's fortunate that your uncle has given you a lot of things, otherwise there wouldn't be enough for you to throw around."
"I was particularly worried that you would vent your anger on Zongji on your wedding night and make a fool of yourself."
The eldest princess gently stroked Pei Rujing's long hair: "Fortunately, Zongji is gentle and the relationship between the two of you is getting better and better, so I am relieved."
"However," the eldest princess couldn't help but caution, "it's not good for you two not to consummate your marriage."
Pei Rujing blushed slightly, feigning nonchalance: "It's not that I don't want to consummate the marriage, it's just that he insisted on doing it on my birthday."
Pei Rujing had never experienced matters between men and women, and felt that what they were doing now was no different from consummating their marriage.
Wen Zongji decided to consummate their marriage on her birthday, and Pei Rujing had no objections.
The eldest princess said, "It's good that Zongji has a plan."
Having said that, the eldest princess couldn't help but scrutinize Pei Rujing, her tone a mix of teasing and doubt: "My Jing'er is so beautiful, how could Zongji resist?"
Pei Rujing muttered under her breath, "He doesn't need to hold back at all!"
In the first few days after helping Wen Zongji to relieve his distress, Pei Rujing couldn't look directly at her hands; just seeing them made her blush and her heart race.
The eldest princess didn't hear her clearly: "What did you say?"
Pei Rujing shook her head: "It's nothing. You should ask Wen Zongji about this. How would I know?"
"Why are you addressing Zongji by his full name again?"
"Oh dear," Pei Rujing nestled in the princess's arms and said coquettishly, "He named his child so that people would call him by his name. It can't be that others can call him by his name but I can't, right?"
The eldest princess sighed, "Go and find out which wife calls her husband by his full name?"
Pei Rujing blinked, a playful look on her face: "My house."
The eldest princess chuckled, "I can't be bothered with you."
"Indeed, Wen Zongji didn't mind."
Although Wen Zongji had mentioned it before, the matter gradually became a source of marital intimacy between the two, so he no longer asked Pei Rujing to change her mind.
……
On his second day on duty, Wen Zongji was still sitting at his desk reading classics when Yan Zhengyun called him to his office.
Yan Zhengyun said, "Editor Wen, someone from the Eastern Palace has sent a message that the Crown Prince wishes to see you."
Wen Zongji was taken aback: "The Crown Prince wishes to see me?"
Yan Zhengyun said, "You don't need to be nervous. Before you came, the Crown Prince had already summoned Lu Xiuzhuan and Wu Bianxiu separately. It seems that he is interested in the three of you."
Wen Zongji asked, "Should I go now?"
"Go ahead, the messenger eunuch from the Eastern Palace is waiting for you outside the Hanlin Academy."
Wen Zongji replied, "This humble official takes his leave."
After leaving Yan Zhengyun's office, Wen Zongji returned to his seat, closed the open book, tidied it up, and then turned and left the room.
Seeing this, Wu Fengyuan moved closer to Lu Nian'an and said, "It seems the Crown Prince has summoned Brother Wen."
Lu Nian'an nodded: "That should be the case."
They had all been summoned and were familiar with the process.
As Wen Zongji left the Hanlin Academy, he saw the Eastern Palace carriage parked outside the yamen as soon as he stepped out of the yamen.
It wasn't the four-horse carriage the Crown Prince used for his travels, but it still looked luxurious.
The messenger eunuch bowed and said, "Lord Wen, please get into the carriage."
Wen Zongji nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, sir."
"I dare not accept such a title."
Once Wen Zongji was in the carriage, the messenger eunuch waved his hand and said, "Return to the palace."
The carriage started moving and returned to the palace.
Wen Zongji sat in the carriage, pondering what the Crown Prince would say upon their meeting.
Excluding the palace examination, he only met the Crown Prince once, at a palace banquet.
His impression of the Crown Prince was only one—young yet composed.
The fact that Emperor Shun'an allowed him to participate in court affairs and assist in handling memorials clearly shows that the Crown Prince satisfied Emperor Shun'an.
Wen Zongji did not believe that the Crown Prince would treat him differently because of Pei Rujing.
The carriage gradually entered the palace. The eunuch showed the Crown Prince's token, and the guards only glanced inside the carriage before letting it pass.