AWB Chapter 253 Coaxing
Chapter 253 Coaxing
The capital city was already starting to get hot in mid-June, and Wen Zongji had been traveling all the way, so it was inevitable that he would smell.
After a refreshing bath, Wen Zongji emerged wearing only his undergarments, his clothes loose, revealing glimpses of his muscular chest.
The maids in the room were all inexperienced in such matters, and their cheeks flushed red after just one glance. They all lowered their heads, not daring to look any longer.
Pei Rujing glared at Wen Zongji and straightened his clothes: "Are you a child? You can't even put your clothes on properly?"
Wen Zongji smiled but didn't say anything.
I was still a bit hot from the shower and forgot to tidy up my clothes.
The main reason was that he had been away for several months and was surrounded by men, so he forgot about the maid in his room.
Granny Feng said, "Young master, the meal is ready."
There was still some time before lunch, but Wen Zongji hadn't had breakfast and was already quite hungry.
Wen Zongji pulled Pei Rujing along, saying, "My wife, come with me."
"I'm not hungry."
"Then just watch me eat."
Pei Rujing looked at him: "Is that what people say?"
The two sat down and looked at the food in front of them. Wen Zongji first put a piece of mutton on Pei Rujing's plate: "Wife, please eat."
I already told you I'm not hungry.
"It's just a piece of mutton, it won't fill you up."
Pei Rujing thought so too, so she picked up her chopsticks and started eating.
Wen Zongji then served her a bowl of soup: "Eating mutton on its own can easily cause choking, so have a bowl of soup to neutralize it."
Pei Rujing accepted.
"The fish is cooked very well today, my wife, please have a taste."
"This mutton soup is so delicious, even more delicious than before. Don't you believe me, my lady? Try it."
"After eating so much meat, you should eat some vegetables too. The book clearly states that you should have a balanced diet of meat and vegetables."
"..."
Pei Rujing had clearly thought it through; she was only meant to keep Wen Zongji company, and she wasn't hungry.
Before she knew it, Wen Zongji had tricked her into eating quite a lot, and by the time she realized it, she was already full.
"Wen Zongji!"
How could someone be like that!
Wen Zongji looked completely innocent: "What's wrong?"
"You—you did this on purpose."
Wen Zongji put his arm around her and said, "At worst, we can skip lunch. It's not a big deal."
Pei Rujing snorted coldly.
Wen Zongji picked up a peeled shrimp and held it to Pei Rujing's lips: "Try it, this shrimp is delicious."
"I'm already full."
"You've only eaten so little, my wife. Don't follow others' example. You have a great figure; you don't need to diet."
Pei Rujing was speechless: "What?"
"Then let's eat the shrimp."
"...the last bite."
Pei Rujing opened her mouth and ate the shrimp.
Wen Zongji was satisfied: "When I eat out, I always think of my wife. Back then, I thought I couldn't even feed you like this."
Pei Rujing pursed her lips: "Who told you to stay away from the capital for so long?"
She was no different.
Whenever she ate alone, she would think of Wen Zongji, and sometimes she would blurt out that she wanted Wen Zongji to serve her soup, only to realize that Wen Zongji was not there when she came to her senses.
Pei Rujing would feel very disappointed at times like this.
After they had both finished eating, Wen Zongji pulled Pei Rujing back to the inner room: "This trip out of the capital was not simply to inspect the various regional offices, but actually to complete the task assigned by the Crown Prince."
Pei Rujing asked, "What kind of job?"
"In the middle of last year, the Tongzhou Dam breached. After investigation, the imperial envoy sent by the court determined that it was caused by the dereliction of duty of Xie Zixing, a senior official in the Ministry of Works. Xie Zixing was imprisoned and eventually committed suicide in the court out of fear of punishment."
"This matter should have ended, but the Crown Prince discovered that Xie Zixing's mother and only son had died one after the other recently. This is too coincidental. The Crown Prince suspects that there is something else going on and asked me to investigate this matter under the pretext of inspecting the various branches."
Pei Rujing suddenly realized: "That's why you went to Jiangnan."
"That's right. I went to Jiangnan specifically for Tongzhou, but I never imagined that their mistake was even greater and more unforgivable than the Tongzhou dam breach."
After all, it was a major case that Wen Zongji had personally investigated, and the Beijing Gazette Office had already published the details of the case in the Beijing Gazette to give Wen Zongji a good reputation.
Now, everyone in the capital knows that Wen Zongji is capable of solving cases and is a competent official.
Everyone in the capital knew about what happened in Tongzhou, and Pei Rujing naturally knew as well.
As a woman herself, she naturally hated this practice of treating women as commodities to be bought and sold at will.
"Those beasts deserve to die!"
"Don't worry, my wife, none of them will escape."
"So you left the capital on a secret mission?"
"That's right."
Pei Rujing immediately became displeased: "Since you're being asked to do something, why didn't the Crown Prince arrange for someone to protect you? Tongzhou is Huang Yecai's territory. Didn't the Crown Prince consider that Huang Yecai might resort to desperate measures and harm you?"
Wen Zongji said, "The Crown Prince gave me a token that allows me to mobilize the garrison troops in Jiangnan... I almost forgot, Xiao Linggao, the commander of Tongzhou Garrison, is Miss Mei's uncle."
"Is that a connection?"
Pei Rujing was completely stunned.
She didn't know much about the Mei family, but she trusted the Princess's judgment.
Since the marriage between the two families has been agreed upon, the Mei family obviously has no problems.
I didn't know there was this connection.
Wen Zongji said, "Commander Xiao was a great help in this operation."
Pei Rujing frowned: "He is the commander of Tongzhou Guard. With such a big incident in Tongzhou, if he doesn't do his best, who will? Rather than saying he's helping his husband, it's more accurate to say he's saving himself."
The county princess is not the kind of person who is easily grateful to others. In her eyes, most things are things that others should do.
Wen Zongji laughed and said, "My wife is amazing."
He had intended to use Xiao Linggao's matter to change the subject, but Pei Rujing saw through it all.
"When I came back this time, Madam Xiao asked me to bring a lot of things for Miss Mei, saying it was to celebrate her wedding."
Pei Rujing looked at Granny Feng: "Granny, should we arrange for someone to deliver it to the Mei residence?"
Wen Zongji said, "If there's anything you don't understand, just ask Changdong. He knows everything."
"Yes, this old servant understands."
When is my second brother's wedding scheduled?
Pei Rujing said, "You've come back just in time. My second brother is getting married next month, and we'll definitely need your help."
"My second brother's wedding is a joyous occasion, so of course I want to help."
Pei Rujing laughed gleefully: "You might not think that way then."
This is valuable experience from someone who has been through it.
"It seems my wife doesn't need to digest her food."
Pei Rujing was taken aback: "What do you mean?"
Wen Zongji scooped Pei Rujing up in his arms, walked around the screen, and went straight to the bedside: "Stay there and rest with me for a while."
Pei Rujing was placed on the bed by him.
The maids were very tactful and did not follow them in.
"Just a short rest?"
Wen Zongji had no interest in listening to her, and instead lowered his head to kiss the red lips that had been tempting him for so long.
He had just returned and when he saw Pei Rujing, he wanted to kiss her.
It's already quite remarkable that they've endured this long.
Pei Rujing closed her eyes, raised her hand to hug Wen Zongji's neck, and responded to him little by little...