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

Chapter 71 Birds of a Feather

The next day

Wen Zongji still set off for the examination hall early as usual.

Pei Rujing didn't get up early this time. She got up and washed up as usual, had breakfast, read a book for a while, and then got bored. She said, "Have someone prepare the carriage. I'm going to go talk to my mother."

Granny Feng immediately sent someone to make arrangements, and at the same time, she didn't forget to deliver a message to the main courtyard.

Madam Jiang never restricted Pei Rujing from leaving the mansion, but Granny Feng was more considerate. Whenever Wen Zongji was not around, Granny Feng would inform the main courtyard in advance before leaving the mansion.

When Pei Rujing arrived at the Marquis's residence in a sedan chair, the carriage was already prepared.

Upon seeing Pei Rujing emerge, the driver quickly lowered the bench.

Qinghe and the other woman helped Pei Rujing into the carriage, and Granny Feng followed.

The remaining maids, servants, and guards stood guard on both sides of the carriage.

After Pei Rujing was seated, the coachman cracked his whip, and the carriage slowly left the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence.

Princess's Residence

Upon learning of Pei Rujing's arrival, Madam Wei, who happened to be there to keep the Princess company, smiled and said, "It's been a long time since your daughter-in-law has seen you, little sister."

The eldest princess thought of Pei Rujing, but complained aloud, "Zongji is taking the imperial examination, and she still runs out here. Isn't she afraid of being criticized?"

Wei spoke up for Pei Rujing: "My younger sister is probably too worried about her husband and can't sit still at home."

As she spoke, noticing that the Princess kept glancing outside, Lady Wei covered her mouth and smiled.

"mother--"

Pei Rujing called out as soon as she entered the room, before she even saw anyone.

The eldest princess immediately stood up, walked around the screen to Pei Rujing, and tapped her forehead: "You've been married for months, can't you be a little more composed!"

Pei Rujing turned to look at Madam Wei: "Is my sister-in-law here too?"

Madam Wei smiled and said, "Come and chat with your mother-in-law."

Pei Rujing said "Oh," walked to the couch and sat down, casually picked up a piece of pastry and took a bite: "I'm a little bored, so I came to talk to Mother."

The eldest princess asked her, "When Zongji returned yesterday, did he say anything?"

Pei Rujing said, "That means the cells are too small, and we can't sleep or eat well."

Wei: "That's how it is. Your eldest brother went through the same thing back then."

"You didn't ask Zongji how his exam went, did you?"

Pei Rujing understood what the princess meant and pouted, saying, "Don't worry, Mother, the nanny already told me."

"That's good."

Pei Rujing said jealously, "Mother, who is your real child? You only care about Wen Zongji since I arrived."

The eldest princess glared at her, annoyed: "You heartless wretch! I'm doing this all for you. Only if Zongji passes the imperial examination will I be able to get your uncle and cousin to take care of him in the future."

Although a successful candidate in the imperial examinations could become an official, the upper limit was still too low.

In the Princess's mind, even if Wen Zongji only gets a sinecure in the future, he should at least be a fourth-rank official, so that Pei Rujing can save face.

Pei Rujing pursed her lips: "Actually, whether you get into high school or not isn't that important, as long as you're a good person."

The eldest princess looked at her in surprise: "Is this something Jing'er would say?"

Based on the Princess's understanding of Pei Rujing, her expectations of Wen Zongji would only be higher.

Madam Wei smiled and said, "My younger sister just doesn't want to put too much pressure on her brother-in-law."

Pei Rujing did not explain.

The eldest princess didn't press further, saying, "Indeed, nothing is better than good health... Your mahjong club is doing quite well; I've even heard about it."

Pei Rujing said, "It's all thanks to Zuo San; she really put her heart into it."

The eldest princess smiled and said, "I didn't expect that girl from the Zuo family to have such abilities. Madam Zuo should be quite pleased."

Pei Rujing shook her head: "No."

Why?

Pei Rujing: "Because Zuo San spends most of her energy on mahjong clubs, she doesn't even want to consider the marriage arranged for her by her mother."

Madam Zuo doted on her daughter and didn't want an arranged marriage. Every time she found a suitable candidate, she would try to let Zuo Mingxuan meet him first to see if they were compatible.

If it's a good match, we'll explore further possibilities.

This is the common practice for many families in the capital to arrange marriages.

However, because Zuo Mingxuan was busy forming a mahjong club, she couldn't even complete the first step, let alone develop it further.

Madam Wei said, "Miss Zuo is a good girl, but she is a bit too impulsive. I'm afraid it will take her a few more years to become more mature, or she may change after she gets married."

The eldest princess looked at Pei Rujing, who had not changed at all in the months since she got married, and was skeptical.

"It's all a matter for the Zuo family. With the Empress around, Zuo's marriage won't be a problem."

Lady Wei asked curiously, "Is there anyone in mind for the position of Empress?"

The eldest princess said, "It seems they intend to choose from among the second sons of several families."

Zuo Mingxuan has a free-spirited personality and is not a suitable candidate to be the head of the household. It would be more appropriate for her to marry the second son of the legitimate wife, so that she would not have the pressure of managing the household and her life would not be bad.

Pei Rujing casually remarked, "You're not planning to find someone as playful as her, are you?"

The eldest princess retorted, "How dare you speak ill of someone like that?"

Pei Rujing and Zuo Mingxuan can get along well, which means they are birds of a feather.

Pei Rujing shrugged: "Anyway, I'm married."

Seeing that she seemed completely unburdened, the eldest princess shook her head: "Zongji just spoils you too much."

Madam Wei smiled and said, "It's always a good thing that my younger sister and brother-in-law have a good relationship."

Wei had only met Wen Zongji once, but judging from Pei Rujing's demeanor, she knew that the two had a good relationship.

……

While Pei Rujing was chatting idly at the Princess's residence, Wen Zongji was writing furiously.

The second part of the imperial examination consisted of essays, judgments, and imperial edicts and memorials.

There was only one question, which revolved around historical figures or Confucian principles. This kind of question was not difficult; it was like writing an essay on a given topic in later generations. As long as the viewpoint conformed to the classics, it was fine.

There are five questions on legal judgments, which mainly test your knowledge of legal principles by requiring you to write a judgment based on the legal cases presented.

This was the original owner's weak point, and Wen Zongji had been working hard to improve it over the past few months. With Lu Nian'an helping him sort it out, even if he didn't get an excellent score on these five questions, at least he wouldn't be a burden.

The final imperial edict and memorial assignment test examines whether the candidate has the qualities to serve as an official, as it assesses their ability to write official documents.

Once you enter the imperial court, you inevitably have to write official documents.

It was either written for the emperor or for his superiors.

A scholar who cannot write official documents has no right to be an official.

Looking at this second exam in this way, we can see that it was a very comprehensive test, examining whether the candidates were qualified to become officials of the imperial court.

From the start of the exam, Wen Zongji kept strategizing and writing, first writing it on draft paper and then copying it onto the exam paper.

This second exam was too mentally taxing, and there were so many words to write. I also had to remember not to use taboo words, and I couldn't make a single mistake when copying it.

After three days of exams, Wen Zongji was completely exhausted, utterly drained.

When Wen Zongji left the examination hall, he met Lu Nian'an.

The two exchanged a glance and nodded weakly, taking it as a greeting, without even the strength to say a word.

The other candidates were in a similar state, walking forward silently with dark circles under their eyes, and no one spoke to them.

If someone were to film this scene, it could be used as the cover of a horror movie.