allendalepharm Chapter 47 Nothing in this world is difficult if you are willing to give up.
Chapter 47 Nothing in this world is difficult if you are willing to give up.
Linhua Palace
Wen Zongji and his family didn't arrive early; there were already quite a few people sitting in twos and threes inside the hall.
Wen Chuanhong was the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, a rank exceeding the highest grade, and was assigned a position second only to a few dukes' mansions.
It was quite a coincidence that their location was right next to the Duke of Anguo's mansion.
Duke Anguo had many sons, but only the brothers An Guangyu and An Guanglu were qualified to attend the palace banquet with him.
The palace arranged long tables, each seating two people.
There happened to be an empty seat next to An Guanglu on Duke Anguo's side.
An Guanglu glanced at Wen Zongji and his family, who had been led over by the young eunuch, then fixed his gaze on Wen Zongji and pointed to the seat next to him: "Would the Third Young Master Wen do me the honor of joining us?"
Everyone in the Wen family looked at Wen Zongji.
Wen Zongji smiled slightly: "That's exactly what you wish for!"
Then, Wen Zongji sat down next to An Guanglu.
An Guanglu said, "I also intend to try my luck next year; perhaps we could become classmates."
Wen Zongji: "I take advantage of the Fifth Prince's auspicious words."
An Guanglu was the second son of the Duke of Anguo, but he was the fifth among his brothers, with three older brothers from other families above him.
An Guanglu pointed to his face, where the marks were still faintly visible, and frowned, saying, "Considering that we might be the same age, could you please put in a good word for me with Second Young Master Pei? I am, after all, a scholar, and I don't hit people in the face. If my father hadn't found some good medicine to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to attend the palace banquet."
Wen Zongji was taken aback; he really didn't know that Pei Shirong had hit An Guanglu.
"What do you mean by that, Fifth Young Master? Second Brother has been on duty at the yamen the whole time. How could he have had the time to harm you? If you have been harmed, it would be best to report it to the Shuntian Prefecture."
An Guanglu's eyes flickered slightly, and he changed his words, saying, "It was a slip of the tongue. I've been ashamed these past few days and haven't left the mansion. Thanks to the Third Young Master's reminder, I will go to report the case when I'm on duty at the Shuntian Prefecture."
Wen Zongji smiled and said, "Shuntian Prefecture is responsible for the security of the capital, and it is our duty to protect the safety of ordinary people like us."
An ordinary person?
An Guanglu didn't know how to respond.
His original intention was to ease tensions with Wen Zongji by exposing his embarrassing moments, but now it seems that this man is also slippery, with no flaws in his words.
On the other side, seeing the two chatting happily, An Guangyu whispered, "Father, is Fifth Brother intentionally trying to befriend Wen Zongji?"
Duke Anguo's expression remained unchanged: "Indeed, we should ease tensions with Wen Zongji."
Regardless of whether or not they can become friends, they should at least make the gesture.
An Guangyu understood the Duke of Anguo's thoughts, but sighed, "Leaving my little sister alone in the mansion, she must be furious."
Duke Anguo was truly determined; even at the palace banquet, he did not lift An Qingyan's confinement.
Duke Anguo glared at him: "You are not allowed to be soft-hearted! Yan'er is spoiled and doesn't know any sense of propriety. I have already asked your mother to find a suitable husband for her, and she will get married next year."
An Guangyu frowned: "Father, I'm afraid my younger sister doesn't want to get married so soon."
He knew that An Qingyan had once been in love with Zuo Hanyu.
Duke Anguo sneered, "Her parents' orders and the matchmaker's words are not her choice! Your father and your mother would never harm her."
Even if he was angry that An Qingyan was causing trouble for the family, Duke Anguo would never push An Qingyan into a fire pit; he would choose an excellent marriage for himself.
An Guangyu sighed silently; he couldn't stop this from happening.
"And as for your wife, make sure she cuts off all contact with the Zhong family from now on."
Back then, Zhong Qizheng was able to exploit a loophole in the Duke of Anguo's mansion and scheme against Pei Rujing because of his kinship with Madam An Guangyu.
This incident not only made the Princess's Mansion hate the Zhong family, but the Duke of Anguo's Mansion also hated them.
An unexpected disaster.
An Guangyu's eyes flashed with impatience upon hearing this: "I understand, son."
If it weren't for the fact that she had already given birth to his eldest son, he would have considered divorcing his wife.
Duke Anguo sighed: "She really didn't know. She is, after all, Yong'er's birth mother. Even if you don't like her, you should still give her some face for Yong'er's sake."
An Guangyu nodded.
On the other side, Fengyi Palace
Pei Rujing was very familiar with Fengyi Palace. Once inside, she didn't need any maids to guide her. She wanted to talk to the Eldest Princess, but as soon as she entered the hall, she was entangled by Princess Changning.
Princess Changning had been waiting for Pei Rujing. As soon as she saw her enter, she immediately approached her and said, "Cousin, how about I come visit you when I leave the palace in a few days?"
Pei Rujing replied dismissively, "As long as my aunt agrees, that's fine."
Princess Changning was overjoyed: "I'm sure I can get the Empress Dowager to agree."
Pei Rujing chuckled inwardly.
My foolish cousin, you're still too naive.
Zuo Mingxuan also came over, and Madam Zuo was beside her.
Madam Zuo smiled and said, "I've heard that the County Princess is an excellent mahjong player. She'd like to host a game at my residence on the eighth day of the month. I wonder if the County Princess would be available?"
Zuo Mingxuan said, "My mother is much better at playing mahjong than the people in our association."
Pei Rujing swallowed her refusal: "I'll go then."
Pei Rujing has no interest in beating weaker opponents; she prefers to compete against skilled players.
Madam Zuo: "We will be waiting for the County Princess's arrival."
Then Madam Zuo left.
Zuo Mingxuan winked at Pei Rujing: "My mother is extremely obsessed with mahjong now and has wanted to invite you to play mahjong for a long time, but she just didn't have the chance. Now she has finally succeeded."
Pei Rujing smiled smugly: "It seems that this county princess's reputation has spread far and wide."
Zuo Mingxuan's lips twitched: "You're overthinking it. I've been praising you to the skies. This is a battle to make our society famous. Think about the kind of people my mother associates with. If we can get them into the society, our society will become famous."
Pei Rujing suddenly realized: "You really went to great lengths to expand your society."
Zuo Mingxuan put her hands on her hips: "Of course! Do you think everyone is as carefree as you?"
Pei Rujing retorted, "I did help come up with new ways to play mahjong, okay?"
"Have you figured it out yet?"
"...It'll be soon."
Princess Changning raised her little hand and asked, "My two older cousins, what is mahjong?"
Upon hearing this, both of their expressions changed.
Mahjong had long been popular in the capital, and with so many women in the palace, it was impossible for them not to know about it.
Princess Changning didn't know anything about mahjong, which was obviously because the Empress was worried that playing games would distract her from her studies and deliberately kept it from her.
Pei Rujing's eyes flashed, and she said, "It's a new way to play Go, but you have to learn Go first."
Princess Changning's face immediately fell: "I don't like Go... and my cousin doesn't know how to play Go either, does she?"
Pei Rujing made up a lie without blinking: "I learned Go a long time ago, I was just too lazy to say it."
Princess Changning believed her: "My cousin is amazing."
Zuo Mingxuan pouted.
"Once you master Go, I'll teach you how to play mahjong."
Princess Changning shook her head: "Never mind, I don't like mahjong."
There is nothing difficult in the world, as long as you are willing to give up!
Princess Changning was clearly well-versed in this.
Pei Rujing's face stiffened.
Zuo Mingxuan was speechless.
My little cousin is really stubborn.