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

Chapter 112 Birthday Arrival

A few days passed in the blink of an eye.

The 8th day of the 5th month of the 15th year of Shun'an

This day is Pei Rujing's birthday.

Waking up early in the morning, Pei Rujing sat in front of her newly acquired glass mirror, looking at Wen Zongji's clearly visible reflection behind her, and asked, "Where are we going to celebrate my birthday today?"

Wen Zongji stared at the mirror, lost in thought. Several days had passed, and he was still amazed that this era could have something that connected him with the future.

Perhaps many things in later generations existed long ago, but we just didn't pay attention to them.

"Today is the county princess's birthday. The birthday celebrant is the most important person here. Where would the county princess like to go for fun?"

Pei Rujing rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment, then said, "It doesn't seem like there's anywhere I particularly want to go. I've been to all the interesting places in the capital. Climbing mountains is too tiring, and temples are boring and I'm not interested."

Wen Zongji asked, "Shall we ride horses outside the city?"

He remembered that Pei Rujing liked riding horses.

Pei Rujing looked outside: "Isn't it too hot?"

Wen Zongji said, "Today is alright, not as hot as the past few days. Besides, the county princess is a good rider, so she shouldn't feel the heat when she rides."

Pei Rujing was intrigued: "Then let's go horseback riding."

She is indeed interested in horseback riding.

"But you can't ride a horse, can you? It's no fun if I'm the only one riding."

In Pei Rujing's mind, being able to ride a horse slowly while sitting on it doesn't count as knowing how to ride.

Wen Zongji said, "I have already learned it."

Pei Rujing was stunned: "When did you learn that?"

"I secretly learned it from my second brother."

Pei Rujing narrowed her eyes: "I went to the Princess's residence yesterday and even saw my second brother, but he didn't tell me."

Wen Zongji said, "I asked my second brother to keep it a secret for me, because I wanted to surprise the county princess. Of course, the county princess couldn't find out, since the matter had to be done in secret."

Pei Rujing was easily appeased: "Okay."

After finishing their breakfast, the two men led two horses out of the stable and headed straight out of the city.

Wen Zongji didn't want to go to the royal hunting grounds to ride horses, since there were plenty of open spaces outside the city anyway.

They found a suitable spot for horseback riding and each mounted their horse.

Watching Wen Zongji's movements, Pei Rujing said, "You really have learned it; you're much more skilled than when you were riding through the streets on horseback."

Having practiced health-preserving boxing for so long, Wen Zongji's physical condition was no longer what it used to be. In addition, he had been learning horseback riding from Pei Shirong for a long time. Although his riding skills were not superb, they were enough to accompany Pei Rujing on horseback at full gallop.

After all, the county princess's horsemanship skills aren't that great.

That day, he stayed where he was, watching Pei Rujing fly away like a butterfly.

Now, he can ride alongside her!

Pei Rujing cracked her whip first: "Giddy up—"

Upon receiving the command, the horse lifted its front hooves, let out a long neigh, and galloped off.

Upon seeing this, Wen Zongji immediately followed closely behind.

At the same time, the guards of the Marquis's residence rode on horseback to protect both sides.

Wen Zongji was always cautious. Even though the two horses they chose were very docile, and he and Pei Rujing were skilled enough to handle any unexpected situations, he still brought guards with him.

The two rode side by side on the official road, a warm breeze brushing against their cheeks, both warm and cool.

Pei Rujing's face was full of a smug smile: "Wen Zongji, let's go horseback riding more often from now on, okay?"

She liked this feeling of freedom and being unrestrained.

Wen Zongji nodded: "As long as the county princess is happy, I'm fine with anything."

Pei Rujing turned to look at him: "You're really good at sweet-talking people."

Wen Zongji protested, "I was telling the truth."

Pei Rujing smiled and said, "I never said you weren't telling the truth."

Wen Zongji understood Pei Rujing's meaning: "Isn't it good to be able to please the county princess?"

"That's great," Pei Rujing said, looking at his handsome profile. Suddenly, she remembered a question Zuo Mingxuan had once asked her, and for some reason, she blurted out, "Wen Zongji, do you love me?"

The county princess can be so bold and unrestrained at times that it makes one's heart tremble.

She asked questions that most women would find difficult to ask openly and frankly.

Wen Zongji knew he couldn't hesitate at this moment, so he immediately said, "Of course, we are husband and wife."

We have to consummate our marriage tonight; if anything goes wrong, we'll have no way to explain it to anyone.

A strange feeling welled up in Pei Rujing's heart again, and she subconsciously asked, "What if we weren't husband and wife?"

Wen Zongji laughed: "If we weren't husband and wife, how could I speak to the county princess like this? I would probably have been waved away by Qinghe and the others as soon as I got close."

Pei Rujing couldn't help but imagine that if it weren't for that accident, they wouldn't have met, and they wouldn't have the relationship they have now.

"In that case, you'll end up like your second brother, letting your mother-in-law choose a marriage for you?"

Wen Zongjing's marriage has been arranged!

They will get married soon.

After all, he was not young anymore, and Wen Chuanhong and Aunt Zhou both hoped that he would get married as soon as possible.

Although Wen Zongjing did not pass the imperial examination, he was, after all, the son of a marquis and had the title of Juren. As long as he did not set his sights too high, his marriage would be easy to arrange.

After discussing it, Jiang and Wen Chuanhong arranged for Wen Zongjing to marry the legitimate daughter of a sixth-rank official.

Upon hearing this, Wen Zongji's heart pounded with alarm, but he feigned composure and said, "What's wrong with you, Princess? Time can't be turned back. Our marital relationship is unchangeable. There has never been anyone else between us, and there will never be anyone else in the future."

This sentence successfully made Pei Rujing forget her strange feeling from before, and a smile returned to her face. She gave him a reproachful look: "You smooth talker."

Worried that Pei Rujing might bring up the topic again, Wen Zongji gave his whip a sharp crack, immediately giving Pei Rujing a head of lead: "Princess, are your riding skills really worse than mine, a half-baked one?"

One sentence ignited Pei Rujing's competitive spirit. She lost all interest in chatting with Wen Zongji and swung her riding whip to overtake him.

She glanced back at him with a smug smile, then continued galloping away, not giving Wen Zongji a chance to overtake her.

Only at this moment did Wen Zongji finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The young wife is delicate and simple-minded. You don't need to think too much when you're with her. Her emotions are all written on her face. Her temper comes on quickly and goes off quickly.

However, there are also downsides.

They are fickle and, for no apparent reason, will ask strange and unusual questions.

They are already married and husband and wife, which is a given fact. At this point, it is meaningless to speculate about what would have happened if they were not married.

Perhaps this is the nature of women—their emotions are unpredictable.

……

The two had a great time today, galloping on horseback for a long time before reluctantly returning to their starting point.

Wen Zongji, who was originally accompanying Pei Rujing, also had a great time riding: "We should definitely ride horses more often; it helps to relax the mind and let go of some worries."

It's a great way to vent when you're feeling down.

Pei Rujing said, "I knew it. Mother and Second Brother were always worried about it."

"My mother-in-law and second brother are doing this for the good of the county princess. I will accompany her from now on."

"Yes," Pei Rujing nodded, "With you by my side, I don't need my second brother."

Pei Shirong, who was abandoned: "..."