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

Chapter 238 County Princess's Mansion

The next day, at the Princess's residence

The eldest princess, seeing Pei Rujing suddenly rush in, asked, "Didn't you go to the newspaper office today?"

Pei Rujing said, "Now, 'Floating Life' is selling extremely well. Many bookstores in the surrounding prefectures and counties are also coming to the capital to buy 'Floating Life.' My husband said that we can not only publish martial arts novels, but also try other types. A newspaper can only hold a limited amount of content, but we can start publishing it in separate issues."

"I've been reading other types of storybooks these past few days, and I've finally selected two that are exceptionally well-written. Once the editor has finished typesetting them, they can be published. I don't need to do the typesetting, and it won't affect me even if I don't go to the newspaper office."

The eldest princess said, "Zongji entrusted the newspaper to you, and you're already shirking your responsibilities."

Pei Rujing was dissatisfied: "I also have work to do. I went to the newspaper office today and just sat there all day. What difference does it make whether I go or not? My husband said that meaningless things don't need to be done. You don't understand me as well as my husband."

"Oh," the eldest princess raised an eyebrow, "our Princess Anhe is getting sharp-tongued more and more."

"I call this arguing based on reason."

"Alright, you've certainly improved. Now, what brings you here today?"

Judging from her hurried manner, the princess knew that something must have happened.

Pei Rujing sat down next to the Princess: "Mother, I was talking to Zuo San yesterday and mentioned that Yun Guang Courtyard is too small now. When my husband and I have children in the future, it won't be big enough. She suggested that my husband and I move out."

"Nonsense!" The eldest princess frowned. "What kind of bad idea did that girl from the Zuo family come up with? Your father-in-law and mother-in-law are still alive. How can you move out? Jing'er, don't be willful."

Pei Rujing took the princess's arm and said sweetly, "That's what I was thinking too. Moving out rashly would only damage my husband's reputation, and I wouldn't want to harm him. But Zuo San said I could follow your example, Mother."

"I?"

The eldest princess was slightly taken aback: "Back then, it was the late emperor who bestowed upon me the princess's residence, so I could live there instead of going to the Duke of Pei's residence... In that case, it's not impossible. If your uncle had bestowed upon you a county princess's residence, then you could indeed move out and live there legitimately."

In addition, if Wen Zongji could make great contributions and be granted a title, he could also move into his own mansion.

However, in the Great Chu, titles were traditionally conferred only upon military merit. The highest honor for a civil official was to enter the Grand Secretariat and be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple after death; the possibility of being granted a title was extremely small.

Before the Marquis of Zhongyong's family officially separated, their only hope of moving out was Pei Rujing.

Pei Rujing's eyes lit up: "Then Mother, do you think Uncle will agree if I ask him?"

Although she got along well with the Jiang family and others, Pei Rujing wanted her own mansion even more.

The problem is that Yun Guang Courtyard is indeed too small. To this day, Pei Rujing's dowry is just piled up in a mess, with little space for her to sort it.

The eldest princess said, "Since the founding of the Great Chu, only princesses have been granted a princess's residence upon marriage. No county princess has ever been granted a county princess's residence. Although your uncle is the emperor, he cannot grant you a county princess's residence without a reason. He must give you a pretext."

Pei Rujing asked, "Then what reason do you think would be best, Mother?"

The eldest princess shook her head: "How could I have imagined that?"

Pei Rujing was disappointed: "Then I still have to ask my uncle."

The eldest princess found it somewhat amusing: "Are you trying to pass the buck to your uncle?"

"Our uncle is the emperor, he must be smarter than us."

"You can ask, but if your uncle can't do it right away, you can't bother him and don't put him in a difficult position."

Pei Rujing nodded: "Of course. I'm not in a rush to move tomorrow, I'm just planning ahead."

The eldest princess tapped her forehead: "You've really grown up, you even know how to plan ahead now. But you're right, it's really not suitable to live in a small courtyard when you have children in the future."

With the support of the eldest princess, Pei Rujing stood up: "Then I will go to the palace to see my uncle now."

The eldest princess grabbed her arm, saying, "What's the rush? Have lunch with your mother first, then it's not too late."

Pei Rujing thought to herself, "Okay."

……

Considering that Emperor Shun'an needed a short rest, Pei Rujing finished her lunch and chatted with the Princess for a while before entering the palace to see Emperor Shun'an.

At this time, the Crown Prince was also in Linhua Hall, helping Emperor Shun'an process memorials.

As the Crown Prince became increasingly adept at handling memorials, he now processed the majority of them, making Emperor Shun'an's life much easier.

He felt fortunate that he had allowed the crown prince to participate in politics so early; he had never had such an easy time in all the years he had been on the throne.

Nowadays, people even have the leisure to go to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers.

Upon seeing Pei Rujing arrive, Emperor Shun'an waved and said, "Anhe, you've come at the right time. Come, accompany your uncle to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers."

"To admire the flowers?"

Pei Rujing looked at the Crown Prince sitting behind his desk reviewing memorials, somewhat bewildered.

Emperor Shun'an said, "The Crown Prince is busy, so he won't be going with us."

Emperor Shun'an felt no remorse for exploiting the laborers.

The Crown Prince raised his eyes and said, "Cousin and Father can go have some fun."

After saying that, he lowered his head and continued to process the memorials.

The Crown Prince does indeed have the potential to become a workaholic. Emperor Shun'an assigned him so many government affairs, but he didn't feel too busy at all. On the contrary, he was immersed in them.

If Wen Zongji were here, he would surely sigh – born to be oxen and horses.

So, as soon as Pei Rujing stepped into Linhua Palace, Emperor Shun'an took her to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers.

"Uncle, the Crown Prince is not even sixteen years old yet. If he collapses from exhaustion due to handling state affairs, wouldn't it be bad for his health?"

Emperor Shun'an jokingly remarked to her, "Our Anhe is starting to care about people now."

"Uncle~"

Pei Rujing was unhappy. When has she ever been unable to care about others?

Emperor Shun'an patted her head and smiled, "The Crown Prince is my son, how could I not care about him? I won't let him be so tired all the time."

With April approaching, it is indeed a great time to enjoy the flowers.

The Imperial Garden was filled with blooming flowers, their fragrance permeating the air, each vying for attention and creating a truly beautiful sight.

Pei Rujing, who loved beautiful things, accompanied Emperor Shun'an to admire the flowers for a while before explaining her purpose: "Uncle, would you please grant me a county princess's mansion?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wangliang paused, realizing that Princess Anhe always managed to utter surprising remarks.

Can the county magistrate's mansion be directly demanded?

Is his thinking too outdated?

Emperor Shun'an was not surprised. He had watched Pei Rujing grow up, and what he liked most about her was that she would say what she wanted directly without hiding it, and she could see through people's thoughts at a glance.

"What's wrong? Are you not used to living in the Marquis's residence?"

Pei Rujing shook her head: "It's not that I'm not used to it, it's just that Yun Guang Courtyard is too small. When I have children in the future, it will definitely not be enough."

Emperor Shun'an nodded in agreement: "That's true."

Wen Zongji was only a son of a concubine, so Emperor Shun'an didn't need to think much about it to know that his residence wouldn't be large.

Moreover, Wen Zongji has an elder brother who is the eldest son of the legitimate wife, so the Yun Guang Academy's status certainly cannot exceed that of the Crown Prince's Academy.

Pei Rujing looked at Emperor Shun'an with bright, expectant eyes: "Then can Uncle bestow upon me a county princess's mansion? Then my husband and I can move into the county princess's mansion."

Emperor Shun'an said, "Once you become pregnant, I will bestow upon you a county princess's mansion under the pretext of celebration."

For Emperor Shun'an, this was a trivial matter.

Pei Rujing is his most beloved niece; he wouldn't refuse even this small request.

Pei Rujing was overjoyed: "Long live Uncle! Uncle is the best!"

Emperor Shun'an looked at her with a smile.