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

Chapter 28 Training the Little Wife

Wen Zongji ignored Pei Rujing's accusations and extracted the key point: "So, the county princess was able to win arguments with that Miss An before because she had the upper hand, but this time she couldn't take the initiative and therefore couldn't win the argument? And she even got so angry that she ran home and made a huge scene, throwing things and cursing people?"

Pei Rujing's face froze, her cheeks trembling with embarrassment: "No, no, that's not true!"

Wen Zongji said quietly, "Shouldn't the county magistrate look at the mess on the ground before speaking?"

Pei Rujing glanced furtively at the broken pieces of the vase at her feet and immediately shifted the blame: "You're the one who broke this vase!"

Wen Zongji raised an eyebrow at her.

Unable to bear Wen Zongji's gaze, Pei Rujing pouted and looked aggrieved: "I'm just angry—"

When a wife loses her temper, she becomes very spoiled.

Wen Zongji beckoned to her: "Come here."

Pei Rujing pursed her lips, intending to refuse and not give Wen Zongji face, but her body moved closer to Wen Zongji against her will.

Wen Zongji pulled Pei Rujing onto his lap and made her sit down. Pei Rujing's face flushed red, and she struggled instinctively, but she couldn't break free from Wen Zongji's control.

"Your Highness, do you even know what it means to be heartbroken?"

Pei Rujing's attention was instantly diverted: "What do you mean?"

"When arguing with someone, the worst thing you can do is follow their line of thinking. I'll teach you a trick: next time you argue with someone, don't care what they say, just poke at their sore spots, and I guarantee they'll break down before you do."

Pei Rujing was still somewhat confused.

Wen Zongji said, "Give me an example! What does that Miss An least want others to mention?"

Pei Rujing immediately said, "She used to be in love with Zuo Hanyu, and tried her best to please Zuo Hanyu's sister for that reason. But Zuo Hanyu didn't even look at her and got married last year. Since then, An Si's face always looks ugly whenever Zuo Hanyu is mentioned."

Wen Zongji instructed her: "Then if that Miss An provokes the county princess again, you should use Young Master Zuo to provoke her."

Pei Rujing frowned: "That happened last year. If we bring up old grievances, it will damage my reputation."

Wen Zongji was somewhat speechless: "When people were mocking you, they didn't consider the county princess's feelings. Arguing is all about who can hurt you more, so of course, you should use whatever tricks are most effective."

Thinking of An Qingyan's smug look today, Pei Rujing felt that uncomfortable feeling well up again, and gritted her teeth and said, "Fine! I'll try it next time."

"This applies not only to that Miss An. From now on, anyone who angers the county magistrate can be dealt with in this way."

Pei Rujing nodded obediently.

Seeing that she had become obedient again, Wen Zongji raised his hand and pinched her chin: "Will you still throw things at your husband from now on?"

Pei Rujing blushed and shook her head.

"You almost threw that teacup at my face just now. If I were disfigured, wouldn't you be even more ridiculed?"

Pei Rujing's heart skipped a beat. She quickly checked his cheeks, then breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness we didn't run into them!

Pei Rujing was very satisfied with Wen Zongji's face.

Wen Zongji sneered, "Now you're scared? What kind of wife yells at her husband like this, throwing things around! I'm going to punish you, do you admit it?"

Pei Rujing frowned subconsciously; she wasn't the type to obediently accept punishment.

Wen Zongji pinched her chin, forcing Pei Rujing to face him. Their eyes met, and Pei Rujing, unable to bear it, avoided his gaze. Her words of refusal became, "How will I be punished?"

Wen Zongji pondered for a moment and said, "From now until the imperial examination, no more loud noises or disturbances are allowed."

Pei Rujing immediately agreed: "No problem."

Whether it will be possible to do so at that time, I don't know.

Wen Zongji glanced at her: "If you can't do it, I'll have to find another kind of punishment."

"What punishment?"

Wen Zongji leaned close to her ear and said, "Spanking!"

Pei Rujing's face flushed crimson: "You! You're supposed to be a scholar, how can you be so rude!"

Wen Zongji blinked: "Oh, then I'll spank your bottom, is that civilized enough?"

"Wen Zongji!"

Pei Rujing was so embarrassed that her neck turned red.

Wen Zongji's breath hit Pei Rujing's earlobe, making her involuntarily shrink her neck.

"I mean what I say. If the county princess wants to experience it, she might as well throw a tantrum and see what happens."

After saying that, he released Pei Rujing.

Pei Rujing immediately jumped away, moving several steps away from Wen Zongji, before finally being freed from that suffocating feeling.

At this moment, Qinghe said from behind the screen, "Princess, son-in-law, the Princess has sent someone to inform you that lunch is ready."

Pei Rujing was desperately fanning herself with her hand to cool down her cheeks.

Upon hearing this, he immediately turned to look at Wen Zongji.

Wen Zongji stood up and straightened his robes: "Let's go, I'm hungry."

Pei Rujing hesitated for a moment.

She doesn't look normal at all now.

Wen Zongji said, "Don't worry, it's cold outside. You won't be able to tell anything as you walk along this road."

Pei Rujing's expression softened, but she stubbornly replied, "I wasn't worried at all."

Having said that, he rushed out of the inner room to prove that he was not afraid at all.

Wen Zongji shook his head.

……

At the dinner table, the eldest princess looked at Pei Rujing and then at Wen Zongji, secretly marveling at the situation.

Given how angry Pei Rujing was before, and based on the Princess's past understanding of her, it would be considered an improvement if she could even have dinner today, let alone lunch.

As it turned out, Wen Zongji had managed to appease Pei Rujing shortly after arriving.

Looking at Pei Rujing now, she doesn't seem to have any life left at all.

The eldest princess couldn't help but wonder what method Wen Zongji had used to appease Pei Rujing.

But she was also worried about getting involved in the couple's private affairs, and as their mother, she didn't want to pry too much into their private matters.

Pei Rujing noticed the princess's gaze and asked in confusion, "Mother, what's wrong?"

The eldest princess withdrew her gaze: "It's nothing, I was just thinking about how to get revenge for you after we enter the palace tomorrow."

Pei Rujing subconsciously wanted to suggest confining Consort An to her quarters.

Then I remembered what Wen Zongji had said before: to hit the spot that people care about most.

Pei Rujing said, "Consort An cares most about the Second Prince and Hejing, so we can start with them."

The eldest princess's eyes lit up: "As expected of Jing'er, she's so clever."

Wen Zongji's lips twitched.

Is this what they call the "mother's filter"?

It's probably as thick as an eighteen-story building.

The eldest princess turned to Wen Zongji with concern: "Did Zongji gain anything from today's gathering of scholars?"

Wen Zongji nodded: "I consulted with Lu Nian'an, who came in second in this provincial examination, and benefited greatly."

The eldest princess smiled and said, "That's good. As long as Zongji passes the exam, I will take care of everything else for you."

The eldest princess made a promise again, showing that she was serious.

Wen Zongji thanked her, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Mother-in-law."

Thinking about what Lu Nian'an said today, "It's easy to get an official position if you have connections in the court," it's indeed true.

Despite becoming a beneficiary, Wen Zongji remained emotionally unaffected.

The princess could only help him take the first step; how high he could climb in the future ultimately depended on Wen Zongji himself.