svetikya Chapter 8 Father and Daughter at Odds
Chapter 8 Father and Daughter at Odds
Pei Shizhao and Pei Shirong looked somewhat alike, but their temperaments were quite different. Pei Shizhao was gentle and refined, and looked like a learned and talented gentleman.
Seeing that the eldest princess seemed to be pouring out her heart to Pei Rujing, Pei Shizhao reminded her, "Mother, it's cold outside. Please let my younger sister and brother-in-law come inside."
This is a reminder to the Princess that Wen Zongji is still present.
Besides, there's another person inside.
The princess snapped out of her daze, turned to look at Wen Zongji, and forced a smile: "Yes, yes, Zongji, come inside quickly."
Her feelings for Wen Zongji were complicated. From any perspective, Wen Zongji was not good enough for Pei Rujing, but by a twist of fate, Pei Rujing could only marry Wen Zongji.
In this matter, Wen Zongji did nothing wrong; he was merely forced into the situation.
Pei Rujing has already married Wen Zongji, and even for Pei Rujing's sake, the Princess would never give Wen Zongji a hard time.
Wen Zongji showed no dissatisfaction at being ignored, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Zongji greets my mother-in-law."
The princess's smile became much more genuine as she pulled Pei Rujing into the house.
Wen Zongji followed behind.
Upon entering the lobby, Wen Zongji noticed a middle-aged man sitting in the main seat. The man possessed an extraordinary air about him, and although his face bore the marks of time, it only added to his charm.
He's a handsome middle-aged man!
Upon seeing this person, Pei Rujing's expression turned cold: "What are you doing here?"
Duke Pei's face darkened: "I came all this way to see you return to your parents' home, and this is how you treat me! Don't you have any respect for elders and superiors?!"
Pei Rujing pursed her lips, the thorns she had just sheathed sprouting again: "This is the Princess's residence, not the Duke Pei's residence. This is my home, and I don't want to see you!"
"You unfilial daughter!" Duke Pei slammed his fist on the table in anger. "Who taught you to speak to your father like that?"
Duke Pei's gaze fell on the eldest princess.
The eldest princess said calmly, "Since Jing'er doesn't want to see you, then you should leave."
Duke Pei's expression changed drastically. He glanced at Wen Zongji beside him, feeling utterly humiliated. He gritted his teeth and said, "Like mother, like daughter. She can't do any of the three cardinal guides and five constant virtues that a woman should learn. She dared to contradict her father in public. I searched the entire capital and found that she was the only one who could do that."
Pei Rujing straightened her back, her bright face tense: "I'm already married, you don't need to worry about me affecting Pei Ruyan's marriage anymore. Stop pretending to be a loving father, it disgusts me."
Duke Pei's face flushed red. He looked at his two sons, but they looked up at the sky and the ground, refusing to look at him. Duke Pei felt a lump in his throat.
He wanted to get angry, but this was the Princess's residence, and no one would give him the chance to do so.
"Hmph, do you think I wanted to come?"
After offering a consolation, Duke Pei walked out. As he passed Wen Zongji, Duke Pei felt somewhat ashamed: "My daughter is unruly and lacks proper upbringing. I'm sorry to have wronged my son-in-law."
Wen Zongji looked at Duke Pei: "Before coming here, I actually imagined what it would be like to meet my father-in-law."
"What?"
"Put yourself in their shoes! If I had a daughter who was tricked into marrying someone else, I wouldn't give that person a good look, even if I didn't beat him up."
Upon hearing this, Duke Pei's expression became even more varied, turning from pale to purple.
He could tell that Wen Zongji was mocking him for not being a good father.
Duke Pei had completely lost the will to stay. Without saying a word, he quickened his pace and left.
The others who remained in the lobby looked at Wen Zongji with much gentler eyes after hearing his words.
The eldest princess looked at her eldest son: "Shizhao, Zongji will be taking the imperial examination next year. Please give him some pointers on what he needs to pay attention to."
"Yes, Mother."
Afterwards, the eldest princess took Pei Rujing back to the inner quarters.
When returning to the bride's parents' home, it should be the male head of the household who entertains the son-in-law, which is why the eldest princess tolerated Duke Pei. However, now that Duke Pei has been driven away by Pei Rujing, only Pei Shizhao can entertain Wen Zongji.
backyard
As soon as she entered the inner room, Pei Rujing threw herself into the Princess's arms, sobbing and pleading, "Mother, I hate him!"
The eldest princess knew that she was not referring to Wen Zongji.
The eldest princess couldn't help but tear up: "Alright, alright, we won't let him come anymore. If Jing'er doesn't want to see him, then she won't."
Pei Rujing, who had been suppressing her grievances, burst out again upon seeing Duke Pei: "He is not my father. Even my uncle felt sorry for me being schemed against. He only blames me, blames me for tarnishing Pei Ruyan's reputation."
Back then, Pei Rujing and the original owner were seen in a room together. In fact, she did not necessarily have to marry Wen Zongji. Emperor Shun'an originally planned to arrange for Pei Rujing to leave the capital for a year or two to live in peace and quiet, and then return after the storm had passed.
Given Pei Rujing's status and position, even if she divorced and remarried, she could choose an excellent family, let alone just sharing a room with someone and nothing else happened.
But Duke Pei's words stung Pei Rujing. Her stubbornness flared up, and she refused to leave the capital to escape the matter. Instead, she recklessly married Wen Zongji.
Hearing Pei Rujing's cries of pain, the princess's heart ached: "It's all my fault for having bad taste and choosing such a beast, which has ruined you."
After Pei Rujing came of age last year, the eldest princess began selecting a husband for her.
Knowing that Pei Rujing was delicate and would act recklessly when she got angry, the princess was afraid that she would be mistreated if she married into a high-ranking family. So the princess wanted to choose a family with a good reputation for her.
After much deliberation, the eldest princess chose Zhong Qizheng, the second son of the Zhong family, who had a family motto that "one may only take a concubine if one is childless by the age of forty."
Chung Chi-cheng has just come of age this year, but he was ranked third in the imperial examination three years ago. He is currently working at the Hanlin Academy and will soon be entering the Six Ministries for training. He is not lacking in ability and knowledge, and has a gentle personality. He has never argued with anyone.
A man like that is a perfect match no matter how you look at it.
The eldest princess then sent someone to the Zhong family to sound them out. The Zhong family did not refuse, so the two families should have entered the marriage negotiation process.
But the princess could never have imagined that Zhong Qi was a beast in human form.
He had an affair with another woman and had no intention of marrying Pei Rujing. However, he did not want to expose his affair and damage his reputation, so he set his sights on Pei Rujing.
Zhong Qi is the cousin of the wife of the Duke of Anguo's heir. It was through this relationship that he was able to successfully scheme against Pei Rujing in the Duke of Anguo's mansion.
Wen Zongji was chosen by Zhong Qizheng only because he was alone at the time and was a son of a concubine with a lowly status.
Zhong Qizheng calculated the process correctly, but miscalculated the result.
Upon learning of this, the eldest princess immediately went to the palace to request Emperor Shun'an to send the Imperial Guards to investigate the matter at the Duke of Anguo's residence.
Zhong Qizheng didn't even have time to destroy the evidence before the Embroidered Uniform Guard thoroughly investigated him.
Because of Zhong Qizheng, the Zhong family had their "pure and self-disciplined" plaque taken back by Emperor Shun'an, and was also reprimanded by someone sent by Emperor Shun'an. Although the Zhong family did not participate in Zhong Qizheng's scheme against Pei Rujing, the decline of the Zhong family was inevitable after this incident.
The biggest loss for the Chung family would be a ruined reputation!
Other individuals involved in the case also received their respective punishments.
Even though Emperor Shun'an avenged Pei Rujing, rumors of Pei Rujing and Wen Zongji spending time alone together still circulated throughout the capital. Since Pei Rujing had to stay in the capital to avoid the storm, she had no choice but to marry Wen Zongji.