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

Chapter 345 The travel group expands again

As the sun began to set and time passed, it was time to finish my shift.

However, Wen Zongqi returned before Wen Chuanhong and the others, since he was a commoner and had the most freedom.

Upon entering the main house, Wen Zongqi first greeted Madam Jiang, then his sisters-in-law, before walking to Wen Zongji's side: "Third brother, if I had known you were coming today, I would not have left the mansion."

Wen Zongji glanced at him: "I've been here for two hours, and you're only now returning home. That's not convincing at all."

Wen Zongqi retorted, "When I learned you were coming, I was having a great time with my friends. I couldn't just suddenly leave and spoil their fun, could I?"

Jiang retorted, "You do nothing but eat, drink, and have fun all day long, and you still have the nerve to talk back?"

Wen Zongqi knew it was useless to explain to Madam Jiang, so he shrugged at Wen Zongji, turned around, and picked up Zhou Ge'er: "Little guy, you're a man, why are you hanging out with girls?"

Zhou Ge'er kicked his legs in dissatisfaction: "Daddy, I want to play."

He just wanted a playmate; he couldn't be picky.

Wen Zongqi carried him back to Chen Xiu Nian's side: "I'm not too late, am I?"

"No... put Zhou-ge down."

Wen Zongqi bent down and put Zhou Ge'er down.

Zhou Ge'er immediately slipped away like an eel and went to play with Yue Jie'er and Ling Jie'er.

Wen Zongqi looked speechless: "Wife, aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Chen Xiu said, "What's there to worry about? They're just kids playing together."

"What kind of future can a boy have if he hangs out with a girl?"

Chen Xiu Nian looked at him and said, "Just because you didn't play with girls when you were young doesn't mean you can't do anything now."

Wen Zongqi: "...My wife, that hurts."

"I was just telling the truth."

Wen Zongqi was speechless.

Pei Rujing laughed when she heard their conversation. Wen Zongqi needed someone like Chen Xiu Nian to keep him in check, otherwise he would go too far.

Subsequently, Wen Chuanhong and his sons returned to their residence one after another.

Mrs. Jiang instructed the kitchen to prepare dinner, and the family sat down together to eat.

After the meal, everyone sat down to drink tea. Wen Zongji then said, "Father, Mother, my wife and I plan to take Rui-ge and Ling-jie away from the capital for a two-month trip."

The room fell silent for a moment after he said that.

Wen Zongren asked first, "Two months? In Shuntian Prefecture?"

"I have already asked Prefect Chai for leave, and it has been approved."

Hearing this, Wen Zongren was relieved.

Although two months is a bit long, since Shuntian Prefecture has approved it, it's fine.

Wen Chuanhong didn't say much, only saying, "Bring more guards."

Wen Zongji said, "Please rest assured, Father."

This time it's not just their family, but also the eldest princess, so they definitely need to bring enough guards.

Madam Jiang smiled and said, "It's good to go out and have some fun. While you're young, you should go out and see more of the world."

The more she looked at him, the more she felt that among her sons, Wen Zongji was the best, both as a subject and as a husband.

At his age, everyone else was focused on pursuing an official career, like Wen Zongren.

Wen Zongji's willingness to take Pei Rujing and their two children on a trip shows that while his career is important, his family is equally important to him.

Wen Zongjing joked, "When you come back, Third Brother, tell us how the scenery outside compares to that in the capital."

At that time, there was no concept of tourism. Even though they were of noble birth and had never lacked food and drink since childhood, they had never actually left the capital.

When it comes to sightseeing, it's just a short trip outside the city; we don't go very far at all.

Wen Zongqi's eyes lit up, and he leaned close to Chen Xiu Nian's ear: "How about we go together?"

Chen Xiu Nian was taken aback, then turned to look at him: "Want to go together?"

"That's right, we're tired of exploring the areas around the capital. It's a good opportunity to go out and have some fun with Third Brother. We'll bring Zhou-ge along too."

As for the concubines in the courtyard, they were not within Wen Zongqi's consideration.

Chen Xiu Nian was tempted. Although she had tempered herself a bit in the years since she got married, she was by no means a sheltered young lady who never left the house. She would naturally want to go out and have fun if she had the chance.

Seeing that he was interested, Wen Zongqi immediately raised his voice and said, "Third Brother, can we go with you?"

This statement instantly attracted everyone's attention.

Jiang glared at him: "What trouble are you causing?"

Wen Zongqi said, "Mother, I didn't cause any trouble. I really want to go out and play with Third Brother."

"My wife and Zhou-ge'er also want to go... don't you think, Zhou-ge'er?"

Zhou Ge'er only heard "play" and nodded emphatically: "Let's play together."

"Look—"

Chiang: "..."

Wen Zongji didn't expect that just coming to inform him would lead to him finding another travel companion, and their group would grow even larger.

"We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning. If you want to come along, pack your bags tonight and get everything ready. We'll meet at the city gate tomorrow."

"My mother-in-law will also be going."

Upon hearing that the eldest princess was also going, Wen Chuanhong once again reminded them to be careful.

As for Wen Zongqi going along, Wen Chuanhong didn't care, since it didn't matter whether Wen Zongqi was in the capital or not.

However, Wen Zongjing was very envious, but unfortunately he couldn't take a two-month vacation like Wen Zongji.

Regardless of whether Shangguan would agree, if he dared to do so, Wen Chuanhong would probably punish him according to family rules.

Wen Zongqi didn't think too much about it. Seeing that Wen Zongji agreed, he immediately said, "No problem, we'll go back and pack now. Wife, let's go."

After saying that, he picked up Zhou Ge'er and strode away.

Chen Xiu Nian smiled awkwardly, said goodbye to Wen Chuan Hong and his wife, and left with Wen Zong Qi.

Jiang's brow twitched: "You haven't made any progress at all."

Wen Zongji checked the time and stood up, saying, "Father, Mother, we also need to go back and make arrangements for tomorrow's trip."

Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang smiled and said, "Go ahead, have fun."

If Wen Zongqi were here, he would definitely complain about how quickly Chiang Kai-shek changed his tune.

……

After leaving the Marquis's residence and boarding the carriage, Wen Zongji said, "With the addition of Fourth Brother's family, our group has grown even stronger."

Pei Rujing didn't have any objections: "Anyway, we've already brought quite a few people, so a few more won't make a difference."

The number of maids and guards needed to be brought is over a hundred.

The Wen Zongqi family is really nothing special.

"Then let's meet early tomorrow morning and get some rest tonight... Ling-jie is sleepy."

Lingjie sat in Wen Zongji's arms, her little head bobbing sleepily.

Wen Zongji held her tightly to prevent her from falling.

They returned all the way to the county magistrate's mansion.

Qinghe reported what had been prepared and asked if there was anything else that needed to be prepared.

Wen Zongji said, "We don't need to bring so many clothes. We'll definitely buy new ones when we go out to play. Bringing too many will just take up space. Also, we don't need to prepare too much cooking food. We're not in a hurry to travel, and we have our families with us. We can't sleep in the wild. We'll definitely be staying at an inn in the city."

"I have already told Yu Yu about this matter, and he will arrange the itinerary for the journey."

Yu Yu was formerly a member of the Marquis's household, but was given to Wen Zongji by Wen Chuanhong. Now he is the commander of the guards of the County Princess's mansion.

It would be perfect for him to arrange the itinerary.

"Yes."

Qinghe adjusted the luggage arrangement according to Wen Zongji's instructions.