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

Chapter 84 Lamb Stew with Flatbread

The imperial examination lasted until sunset, a full day.

Wen Zongji copied the draft from the question paper word for word onto the answer sheet, checked it carefully to make sure there were no mistakes or taboo words, and then got up and handed the answer sheet to the invigilator.

He then turned and left the palace.

As soon as I arrived at the palace gate, I saw Changdong waiting there.

"Young master, the county princess has been waiting for you for a long time."

Wen Zongji handed the examination basket to Chang Dong, who then quickly boarded the carriage.

Then I saw Pei Rujing sitting upright in the carriage.

"Has the county princess been waiting long?"

Pei Rujing looked at him: "I went to the palace to accompany Changning today, and I was planning to go back with you. Why did you come out so late? I saw quite a few people had already left."

There is no fixed end time for the palace examination; as long as the paper is submitted before the final deadline, it is acceptable.

When Wen Zongji handed in his paper, more than half of the other students were still writing furiously.

His speed is already quite fast.

But there was no need to explain too clearly to Pei Rujing, so Wen Zongji took her hand and said, "I've kept the county princess waiting. It's too late to go back to the manor now. Why don't we have dinner outside before returning?"

"OK."

Pei Rujing immediately agreed.

After saying that, she remembered the inkstone she had given to Wen Zongji and asked, "With the inkstone I gave you, did you write with ease and inspiration during today's exam?"

Wen Zongji: "...Indeed."

Does the young wife really think her inkstone has been blessed?

Having received a satisfactory answer, Pei Rujing then inquired about dinner: "What are we going to eat later?"

Wen Zongji said, "I've heard there's a famous mutton stew restaurant in the capital that's highly praised. Shall we go try it?"

Pei Rujing frowned: "A small restaurant?"

Women already face many inconveniences, and Pei Rujing is quite picky, so she has never eaten at a small restaurant.

"As the saying goes, true masters are often found among ordinary people. Since he has received so much praise, he must have some extraordinary abilities."

With Wen Zongji accompanying her, Pei Rujing was able to be less picky, but she still lifted the carriage curtain and ordered, "Send someone to..."

Halfway through her sentence, Pei Rujing turned to Wen Zongji and asked, "What's the name of that restaurant?"

"The Ma family!"

Pei Rujing continued to instruct, "Send someone to a restaurant called Old Ma's Lamb Stew with Flatbread and book the entire place. I don't want to see anyone else there later."

Granny Feng replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

Having said that, he beckoned a guard over and ordered him to do the job.

Wen Zongji did not stop Pei Rujing when he heard her words. He did not mind eating in a small restaurant with lots of people, but Pei Rujing obviously could not accept it.

If Pei Rujing is forced to adapt, it will be like making her suffer without trying.

Absolutely unnecessary!

After giving the instructions, Pei Rujing lowered the carriage curtain: "Then let's see if he's really a folk master."

Because of her love for mutton, Pei Rujing has tried all kinds of mutton dishes.

Pei Rujing is more than qualified to be a connoisseur of mutton.

"I hope I won't disappoint the county princess."

……

The guards of the Marquis's residence were quite efficient. When Wen Zongji and his companion arrived at "Old Ma's House," the shop was already empty and very quiet.

The owners of "Old Ma's" shop were waiting at the entrance, wondering who was so wealthy as to have booked the entire shop.

The carriage stopped, and Wen Zongji helped Pei Rujing down from the carriage.

Upon seeing the couple, who possessed extraordinary bearing and refined appearance, the shopkeeper immediately knew they had arrived and stepped forward, saying, "Young master, madam, would you like to have some mutton stew at our humble establishment?"

Wen Zongji nodded: "Give us two bowls."

The shopkeeper then asked, "May I ask, sir, would you like us to cut the pancakes for you, or would you like to do it yourselves?"

Many people like to tear the bread into pieces themselves when eating mutton stew, and can choose the size of the pieces according to their personal taste.

Before Wen Zongji could answer, Pei Rujing said, "We'll do it ourselves."

As a professional connoisseur of mutton, she knows exactly how to enjoy mutton stew with bread to the fullest.

The shopkeeper nodded: "Please wait a moment, you two."

Wen Zongji and Pei Rujing entered the store. The place wasn't very big, with five or six tables and a narrow aisle that only allowed one person to pass at a time.

It's a bit cramped!

If Pei Rujing hadn't ordered the place to be cleared out, she would have glanced at this small shop and turned away immediately, no matter how delicious the food was, she wouldn't have been interested.

Qinghe and the others quickly wiped the tables and chairs again to make sure there was no dust before Pei Rujing sat down.

Wen Zongji sat down next to Pei Rujing and looked around the shop.

Although the shop is small, it is very clean, without the kind of greasy stains that make people lose their appetite, and the walls are very clean.

A cloth separates the kitchen from the main dining area. This curtain must be frequently washed and replaced, as it is free of greasy stains.

Overall, it's cleaner and tidier than a typical small restaurant.

A short while later, the shopkeeper placed two bowls of mutton soup in front of the two people, and then put down a plate of flatbread.

"Please enjoy your meal, sir."

A plate of four pancakes was enough for Wen Zongji and his partner.

Pei Rujing first tasted the mutton soup, savoring it carefully, and then her brows relaxed: "Not bad."

Wen Zongji laughed and said, "It seems that true masters are indeed found among the common people."

The county princess doesn't often praise people; when she says "not bad," she means "excellent."

Pei Rujing looked at him: "Where did you hear that from?"

Wen Zongji said, "I heard Brother Lu mention it at Ruijintang before."

Pei Rujing knew Lu Nian'an, but had forgotten what he looked like.

Pei Rujing continued drinking the mutton soup, while Dongxiu helped her tear the flatbread into pieces.

Having served Pei Rujing for many years, these maids knew her habits very well. Without Pei Rujing reminding them, they knew exactly how big the pancakes should be torn into.

"Young master, let me help you..."

Changdong also wanted to step forward and help.

Wen Zongji raised his hand in refusal: "I'll do it myself."

He prefers to tear it himself.

The torn-off flatbread is soaked in mutton soup, allowing it to fully absorb the delicious flavor of the broth, before the whole flatbread is stuffed into the mouth.

Um--

Absolutely delicious!

Finally, Wen Zongji finished three of the four pancakes and even had a refill of mutton soup halfway through.

I didn't eat well at lunch, so I made up for it all here.

After eating and drinking their fill, the two returned to the Marquis's residence.

Pei Rujing said, "I'll go find Zuo San tomorrow. She loves to join in the fun and is obsessed with reading storybooks. She should be interested in being a judge for a storybook competition."

Wen Zongji said, "As long as the county magistrate can bring in thirty female judges, that will suffice. As for the process, that's something the county magistrate needs to consider."

Pei Rujing snorted coldly: "You're so heartless, you don't intend to help me at all."

"I believe in the county princess's abilities."

Find more things for the county magistrate to do; it's always better to be busy than idle.

"They just say nice things to coax me."

Despite saying this, Pei Rujing showed no dissatisfaction on her face.

The county magistrate has always enjoyed hearing compliments.