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

Chapter 174 A Gift That Touches the Heart

A few days later would be Princess Changning's ninth birthday.

On this day, Wen Zongji went to work as usual. Princess Changning's birthday banquet was in the evening, so it was just right for him to go after he finished his shift. If he went too early, he would have to face Emperor Shun'an sooner.

The same applies to Emperor Shun'an and the Crown Prince.

Therefore, at this time, only female members of the household were in the Fengyi Palace.

Princess Changning was looking forward to her birthday. She woke up early today and had her maids dress her up. She wore a pink palace dress, which made her look charming and noble.

As soon as Pei Rujing arrived, Princess Changning ran up to her, twirled around, and asked expectantly, "Cousin, do I look good today?"

Pei Rujing raised an eyebrow, sized her up, and deliberately hesitated without speaking. Only when she saw Princess Changning's gaze dimmed did she say, "Not bad."

The next moment, Princess Changning's eyes brightened again.

Seeing this, Zuo Mingxuan thought to herself, "This is really funny."

Pei Rujing turned her head and gave Qinghe a wink. Qinghe immediately stepped forward and said, "Princess, this is a birthday gift prepared by the county princess and her husband for you."

Seeing that Qinghe was holding two brocade boxes, Princess Changning was delighted: "Two gifts?"

Pei Rujing nodded: "After all, it belongs to both my husband and me."

Princess Changning loved receiving gifts.

"Thank you, cousin."

He then had a palace maid accept the gift.

Pei Rujing raised her hand to stop her: "What about my husband?"

Princess Changning, eager to see the gifts, casually said, "Thank you, brother-in-law, as well."

Pei Rujing didn't mind her perfunctory attitude and let her accept the gift.

The palace maid opened two brocade boxes at the same time, and the huge luminous pearl immediately caught her eye.

Zuo Mingxuan clicked her tongue and said, "Such a large luminous pearl must have cost a lot of money. The county princess is really rich."

Pei Rujing glanced at her: "Next year, when you get married and have a dowry, you will be very rich."

Zuo Mingxuan said, "I just got engaged, how do you know I'll be getting married next year?"

Pei Rujing was speechless: "Isn't it obvious?"

Zuo Mingxuan is one year younger than Pei Rujing, and will be seventeen next year. Even the most loving families wouldn't wait until their daughter is eighteen to get married, as that would be too late and could easily lead to unpleasant speculation.

Zuo Mingxuan said, "That's true. The current plan between both families is to get married next year after Fang Sichu's coming-of-age ceremony, which is only about a year away. Sigh, I wonder if we'll still have this much freedom after marriage..."

"Wow, cousin, my name is on this bracelet."

Before Zuo Mingxuan could finish speaking, Princess Changning interrupted her.

She held the jade bracelet and shouted, her face full of excitement and exhilaration.

Pei Rujing calmly said, "You always complain that the gifts I pick for you aren't thoughtful enough, but this time you've put in enough thought, haven't you? I even had it engraved with words."

Princess Changning blushed with excitement and nodded vigorously, "I like it very much, thank you, cousin."

Pei Rujing smiled.

Zuo Mingxuan said jealously, "I just gave her something, and she wasn't this excited. Changning is really something, always treating people differently."

Every time she faced Princess Changning, she was completely defeated by Pei Rujing.

On the other side, the Empress, the Eldest Princess, and Lady Zuo sat together, while Lady Wei, wife of Pei Shizhao, and Lady Feng, wife of Zuo Hanyu, sat below them.

The Empress smiled as she watched Pei Rujing and the other two chatting and laughing, saying, "It's good that it's so lively. Changning loves a good time, and it's my fault for always keeping her so restrained."

Madam Zuo said, "The princess is still young, and the empress is only doing this for her own good. If the princess feels bored, just let Xuan'er come to the palace to play with her. Anyway, she has nothing to do all day."

The eldest princess smiled and said, "It'll only be a year. Once Xuan'er gets married, she probably won't have time to come to the palace anymore."

The Empress nodded: "Yes, I have rarely seen Anhe since she got married. Things are different now that she is married."

Upon hearing this, Madam Zuo couldn't help but sigh: "Before the marriage was arranged, I wished I could find her suitable partners every day. Now that the engagement is real, I feel empty inside, especially when I think about her getting married next year. It makes me feel even more miserable."

The eldest princess deeply sympathized: "In the period before Jing'er's marriage, I didn't sleep well. I would always wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes dreaming that she was crying and telling me that she was being bullied, and sometimes dreaming that she was throwing a tantrum and smashing up the Marquis's mansion, and that people came to the door demanding an explanation. In short, my mind was very confused, and I couldn't help but worry about this and that."

Moreover, Pei Rujing was forced to marry Wen Zongji at that time, so one can imagine how complicated the princess's feelings must have been.

The Empress looked at the two of them, her emotions contagious: "When Changning gets married, I'm afraid I'll end up like that too."

The eldest princess couldn't help but laugh: "Changning is only nine years old, she's still a long way from now."

"It's getting late," the Empress said, her gaze falling on Pei Rujing. "Changning was always very attached to Anhe. When they were little, she would always beg Anhe to stay in the palace and sleep with her. Back then, the two of them would always ask me to tell them stories. It feels like just yesterday that I was telling them stories. Now Pei Rujing is already married. Time really flies."

"That's true."

On the other side, Wei and Feng were also talking.

Wei's gaze fell on Feng's swollen belly, her eyes filled with envy: "Is Sister Feng about to give birth?"

Mrs. Feng shook her head: "She just looks a bit big, but she's still a long way from full term."

A strange look flashed in Madam Wei's eyes: "Her belly is already this big even though she's not yet a month pregnant, could it be twins?"

"We also had our doubts, and we consulted the imperial physicians several times to check our pulses, but they all said it wasn't twins."

"Then you should be extra careful. I've heard that a woman's first pregnancy is very dangerous."

Madam Feng nodded: "Thank you for reminding me, Sister Wei. I will be careful."

After saying that, she noticed Wei's envious gaze and gave up the idea of ​​sharing her pregnancy experience with Wei. She almost forgot that Wei and Pei Shizhao had been married for several years but had no children.

If she says too much, Madam Wei might think she's deliberately showing off.

Madam Wei, however, didn't think too much about it and sighed, "I really envy my younger sister."

Madam Feng paused, then comforted her, "Sister Wei, there's no need to worry. I believe your destiny with the child will arrive soon."

"Then I'll take your kind words, sister," Wei said, glancing at Feng's belly before hesitating. "I've heard that pregnant women carry auspicious energy; could I share in your good fortune?"

It's clear that Ms. Wei is really anxious and won't let go of any method that might help her get pregnant.

Madam Feng naturally wouldn't refuse, and took Madam Wei's hand to place on her belly: "If possible, I would like to share some of the joy with Sister Wei."

Because the eldest princess and Lady Zuo had a good relationship, they had met many times and got along quite well.

Ms. Wei was delighted: "Thank you, Sister Feng."

Madam Feng shook her head: "Sister Wei, you don't need to be so polite."

As luck would have it, Wei placed her hand on Feng's belly, and the moment she did, she felt the baby move.

Her eyes lit up: "The baby moved!"

Madam Feng said, "It seems he likes Sister Wei."

A smile unconsciously appeared on Wei's face.