blogombal Chapter 5 proposes separate rooms.
Chapter 5 proposes separate rooms.
Yunguang Courtyard, Study
Wen Zongji casually flipped open a book, which was filled with the original owner's notes.
The original owner was a bad person, but he was quite talented in studying and worked very hard.
He had read the Four Books and Five Classics, which were required for the imperial examinations, countless times, and he had also read countless lecture notes.
In this Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination, a total of 120 people were admitted. The original chief examiner ranked 30th, which was quite good. He was fully capable of trying for next year's metropolitan examination.
Fortunately, Wen Zongji had acquired the original owner's memories; otherwise, he would have been completely lost if he had gone to take the imperial examination with an empty mind.
Wen Zongji sat behind his desk, pondering his next steps.
Now that I've traveled to this era, the most important thing is the imperial examination next year.
Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants!
The scholar-officials held the highest status!
Wen Zongji was merely a son of a commoner in a marquis's household; only by passing the imperial examination could he have a future.
As for how to climb the ranks in officialdom after passing the exam, that's a matter for later.
Wen Zongji's current short-term plan is to focus on reading, thoroughly master the relevant knowledge in his mind, and integrate it into his understanding.
That's not a big deal. Wen Zongji has always been a person with clear goals. Even though he has been out of school for many years, he can still recapture the fighting spirit he had when he took the college entrance examination.
However, unlike when he was preparing for the college entrance examination, he is no longer an orphan or a single man; on the contrary, he is now married.
The woman who smashed her husband's head with a wedding scale on their wedding night was clearly not someone to be trifled with.
Wen Zongji touched his still throbbing head, knowing that if he wanted to focus on preparing for next year's imperial examination, his young wife would be the most unstable factor.
Wen Zongji frowned, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously. Judging from his wife's behavior in the main courtyard today, she was clearly not afraid of offending Wen Chuanhong and Madam Jiang.
Naturally, they wouldn't take Wen Zongji seriously.
But the two are now husband and wife, sharing both honor and disgrace. If he passes the imperial examination, Pei Rujing will also have something to be proud of.
In addition, Wen Zongji planned to move out of the main house and into the east wing.
Pei Rujing's presence was a bit of a headache for him, but it couldn't be resolved in the short term, so he could only try to avoid her for now.
Having sorted out his plans, Wen Zongji opened his book and began to review.
After an unknown amount of time, Changdong walked in and said softly, "Young master, it's lunchtime. The county princess is waiting for you."
Upon hearing this, Wen Zongji put down his book, stood up, and stretched: "Let's go."
Inside the main house
Pei Rujing frowned as Wen Zongji walked in: "Are you a child? Do you expect people to wait for you for lunch?!"
Wen Zongji smiled apologetically: "I was too engrossed in reading. From now on, Your Highness can have your meal first; there's no need to wait for me."
Pei Rujing, who always responded better to gentle persuasion than force, pursed her lips and said, "Let's eat."
Wen Zongji glanced at the lunch on the table and asked in surprise, "When did the Marquis's residence become so lavish for lunch?"
Peppered shrimp with vinegar, garlic and vinegar blood soup, five-spice steamed chicken, steamed fresh fish, mutton crystal dumplings, goose noodle soup...
The original owner had lived in the Marquis's mansion for twenty years and had never seen such a sumptuous lunch.
With a smile, Granny Feng explained, "Madam has already agreed to set up a small kitchen in Yunguang Courtyard. All of these are made in the small kitchen. From now on, whatever the young master wants to eat, he can simply tell the small kitchen to make it."
Wen Zongji once again experienced how formidable Pei Rujing was.
It should be noted that Lady Zhong had been married to Wen Zongren for three years, and Hongyi Temple did not have a small kitchen.
Of course, Wen Zongren was the heir of the Marquis of Zhongyong, and his status in the mansion was second only to Wen Chuanhong. They only needed to order the kitchen what they wanted to eat, and no one dared to disobey them.
However, Pei Rujing was granted the right to set up a small kitchen as soon as she married into the household, which is probably unique in the entire capital and even the entire Great Chu.
Wen Zongji nodded but did not say anything.
The chef brought by Pei Rujing was indeed better than the one from the Marquis's residence; not only did the food look excellent, but it also tasted delicious.
Wen Zongji couldn't help but eat an extra bowl of rice.
At the same time, Wen Zongji noticed that Pei Rujing ate a few bites of each dish. Although she didn't eat much, she at least ate them all. He guessed that these dishes must be Pei Rujing's favorites.
However, for the two of them, cooking so many dishes was really wasteful. After they finished their meal, more than half of the dishes on the table were left uneaten.
Wen Zongji put down his chopsticks: "There are only the county princess and I at Yunguang Courtyard. Isn't this too much food?"
Since the cook was Pei Rujing's person, he couldn't directly order them to reduce the amount of food; he could only offer suggestions.
Qinghe served the two mouthwash.
Granny Feng said, "The cook didn't know the young master's tastes, so she made more than she should have."
Pei Rujing spat out the mouthwash and wiped her lips with a handkerchief: "I gave you face in front of others today, but don't embarrass yourself in front of my family when we return to our home tomorrow."
Wen Zongji, knowing about the three-day homecoming ceremony, asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, what constitutes something shameful?"
Pei Rujing frowned: "Of course you shouldn't even think about using this opportunity to ask my mother for help."
Ever since her marriage to Wen Zongji was arranged, people have mocked her more than once, saying that if she married Wen Zongji, not only would her dowry be squandered, but she would also be forced to repeatedly return to her family home to beg for favors to pave the way for Wen Zongji.
In their words, Pei Rujing's marriage to Wen Zongji was like entering a dark and hopeless abyss.
Although Pei Rujing did not believe that she would be bullied by Wen Zongji, she still added several strong old women to her dowry before getting married, and was extremely wary of Wen Zongji.
Wen Zongji smiled upon hearing this: "What's most important to me right now is next year's imperial examination. Could it be that the Princess can directly grant me the title of Jinshi?"
Pei Rujing's eyes widened: "Of course not, my uncle despises cheating in the imperial examinations the most."
"In that case, what else could I possibly ask of the Princess?"
Pei Rujing choked: "I was just reminding you to behave yourself."
Taking the opportunity, Wen Zongji said, "Speaking of next year's imperial examination, there is something I would like to discuss with the county magistrate."
Pei Rujing looked wary: "What is it?"
Wen Zongji said, "The imperial examination is next February, which is three months away. I need to concentrate on my studies during these three months. I'm afraid I'll be reading until very late every day. In order not to disturb the county princess's sleep, I plan to move to the east wing for the time being."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone around changed instantly.
Granny Feng closed her eyes even more.
She knew that no man could accept his wife not consummating their marriage on their wedding night.
What do you mean by focusing on studying?
They're just using this as an excuse!
If the news that Pei Rujing and Wen Zongji slept in separate rooms on the second day after their wedding were to spread, it would probably become the subject of much gossip.