manynovel Chapter 175 Being Teasing
Chapter 175 Being Teasing
After finishing his shift, Wen Zongji walked out of the Office of the Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs and was about to get into his carriage.
"Brother Wen!"
A familiar voice rang out.
Wen Zongji turned his head and saw Wu Fengyuan and Lu Nian'an standing not far away.
The two men walked over, and Wu Fengyuan said, "Brother Wen is in high spirits now, he probably forgot about us two classmates."
Wen Zongji snapped out of his daze: "Brother Wu, you've wronged me. Since arriving at the Beijing News Office, I've been so busy every day that I haven't had a moment's rest."
Wu Fengyuan laughed and said, "Brother Wen is currently the most sought-after person in the capital. Would you do us the honor of joining us for a drink?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Zongji looked troubled: "It's really unfortunate, I have to go to the palace to celebrate Princess Changning's birthday, I really can't get away today, how about tomorrow night?"
Wu Fengyuan and his companion had no other ideas, it was such a coincidence: "Alright, I'll reserve a private room at Wangchun Tower tomorrow. Brother Wen, are you going to a banquet? I shouldn't need to invite you again, right?"
Wen Zongji replied, "I will definitely arrive on time."
"We won't keep you any longer, Brother Wen. See you tomorrow night."
After saying that, he and Lu Nian'an took a few steps back to make way for Wen Zongji's carriage.
Wen Zongji and the other man nodded, then boarded the carriage and headed towards the palace.
Watching the carriage depart, Wu Fengyuan turned to Lu Nian'an: "Why didn't you say anything just now, Brother Lu?"
Lu Nian'an exclaimed, "Brother Wen has changed a lot."
Wu Fengyuan was not surprised: "Brother Wen is not like us who read books in the Hanlin Academy all day long. He is in charge of the Beijing Gazette Bureau, and the entire bureau is under his command. This is both power and pressure. Now the Beijing Gazette is becoming more and more famous in the capital. It is normal for Brother Wen to have done so much behind the scenes.
"I can already see the arrogance of an official in him."
Wu Fengyuan patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, we'll be getting our jobs soon too."
Lu Nian'an nodded.
He was just having trouble adjusting to Wen Zongji's changes, and his feelings were just a little affected.
On the other side, Fengyi Palace
Seeing that it was almost time, Pei Rujing instructed, "Qinghe, go and meet your husband."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Zuo Mingxuan joked, "Our county princess has become even more virtuous and gentle since she got married."
Pei Rujing replied calmly, "It will be the same after you get married."
Zuo Mingxuan couldn't help but laugh: "Does the county princess really think she's virtuous and gentle?"
She was just saying it casually.
Pei Rujing looked up: "Is there a problem?"
Princess Changning spoke first: "There's absolutely no problem."
Zuo Mingxuan pinched her nose: "Little flatterer."
"I'm not."
Princess Changning broke free from Zuo Mingxuan and ran behind Pei Rujing to hide.
A while later, Wen Zongji arrived. Whether by coincidence or not, Emperor Shun'an and the Crown Prince also arrived at this time, and the three of them entered Fengyi Palace one after the other.
Before Wen Zongji could even speak to Pei Rujing, he turned around and greeted her: "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, and Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Emperor Shun'an raised his hand: "No need for formalities. Today is Changning's birthday banquet, please sit down and don't be shy."
The women present were either married or engaged, and since they were all relatives, there was no need for them to avoid suspicion.
Moreover, there weren't many people, and separating them would make the atmosphere too small, so the Empress arranged for everyone to be together.
Emperor Shun'an and the Empress sat in the main seats, the Crown Prince and Princess Changning sat in the lower seats, followed by the Princess Changning's family and the Zuo family.
Wen Zongji was Pei Rujing's husband, so he naturally sat next to her.
This was the first time Madam Feng had met Wen Zongji. She whispered to Zuo Mingxuan, "The husband of Princess Anhe is quite handsome."
Zuo Mingxuan's grandfather had three legitimate sons. Due to the uneven distribution of resources, the relationship between the eldest branch of the family, the second branch, and the third branch was not good. The eldest branch only had Zuo Mingxuan and Zuo Hanyu, so the relationship between the two sisters-in-law was quite good.
Feng and Zuo Mingxuan spoke without much restraint.
Zuo Mingxuan said, "If he weren't good-looking, how could he have won the county princess's heart?"
Madam Feng glanced at Pei Rujing's gaze toward Wen Zongji and wholeheartedly agreed: "Ever since this Lord Wen arrived, the county princess's eyes have always been on him. Even when your brother and I first got married, we weren't this clingy."
"However, perhaps because men are reserved, although Lord Wen was gentle and considerate towards the county princess, his gaze did not reveal anything."
Zuo Mingxuan didn't think much of it: "It's probably because Lord Wen is more reserved. Not everyone is as emotionally expressive as the county princess."
Madam Feng thought so too. When they first got married, she didn't dare to look at Zuo Hanyu too much, while Pei Rujing was much bolder than him.
Wen Zongji was unaware that the people opposite him were talking about him. He was peeling crabs for Pei Rujing and placing the peeled crab meat in the bowl and plate in front of her: "Crabs are cold in nature, so you can't eat too many."
Pei Rujing thoroughly enjoyed Wen Zongji's care and said sweetly, "Okay~"
Seeing this, Madam Zuo laughed and said, "Look at them, they're a newlywed couple who've only been married for a few months, and they don't even shy away from each other in front of us elders."
Pei Rujing looked up, bewildered. "What's there to avoid?"
Did she and Wen Zongji do anything outrageous?
That made everyone laugh.
The Empress said, "Sister-in-law, please don't tease Anhe. She's simple-minded and wouldn't think that far ahead."
Mrs. Zuo suppressed a laugh and apologized, "It was my fault."
The eldest princess looked at the crab meat in Pei Rujing's bowl and the pile of shells in front of Wen Zongji, and said helplessly, "Jing'er, Zongji has been busy at the Capital Gazette Office all day. He finally has some time to rest. Why make him take care of you?"
Pei Rujing said matter-of-factly, "I don't know how to peel crabs."
Yes!
The county magistrate only knows how to eat; she has never peeled a crab shell.
"Aren't Qinghe and the others still here?"
Wen Zongji said, "Mother-in-law, it was just something I did on the spur of the moment."
The eldest princess shook her head: "You'll spoil her sooner or later."
Pei Rujing blinked: "But Mother has always spoiled me like this."
"..."
puff-
Everyone laughed again.
The eldest princess sighed, "Stop talking."
Madam Wei placed a piece of mutton on her plate: "Little sister, eat more."
Emperor Shun'an was quite satisfied with what he saw and said, "Anhe is right. She was pampered from childhood, and it will be the same even after she gets married."
With Emperor Shun'an's public support, the topic was quickly dropped.
Wen Zongji never expected that his casual action would allow him to avoid any "difficulties" that Emperor Shun'an might have made, and to smoothly complete Princess Changning's birthday banquet.
Afterwards, everyone left Fengyi Palace together.
As soon as they left the palace, they saw Pei Shizhao alight from his carriage and greet the Princess: "Mother, your son has come to escort you back to your residence."
The eldest princess nodded: "It's getting late, you should go back soon."
After bidding farewell to the three men from the Zuo family, the group parted ways at the palace gate and returned to their respective residences.